31) Home Caring - 16th November

I now appreciate the demands of caring for someone who is very ill in the home. Trying to do this alone or when much older myself would be difficult or impossible.

Seeing the person you love fading is hard and sometimes you need others to stay focused on the care needs when emotions fog your mind.

Leigh-Ann's care needs are growing almost daily and the team we have created in the house here makes it much easier especially when the unexpected occurs. We have all found our roles.

Felicity and Dad

Yesterday I went to our usual appointment with Marie, her nurse practitioner, and having discussed how Leigh-Ann is doing Marie was concerned that she might have an obstruction in her bowel which could cause problems so she referred her for an x-ray and blood test.

The same day my daughter, Felicity, and Earla's son Andre were arriving by plane at two different airports at different times. We also had to collect a wheelchair before midday.

The household care team worked out the logistics and everything was accomplished.

Leigh-Ann is now becoming less lucid. Her cognitive skills are diminishing. She gets confused and finds it hard to take in information or answer questions responsively. She has tremors whilst asleep and is much weaker. All this has happened in the last few days and probably as a result of the pain medication.

The Dress!

She collapsed three times at the entrance to the X-Ray office. That was scary, very scary. I was on my own with her and she fell like a "dead weight". My reaction was to pick her up immediately and she fell again and again. I should have left her on the floor and got help but I just wanted her to stand, to be well.

Sarah managed to borrow a wheelchair and we used it to get her from the X-Ray department to the blood test and then back home. 

She is now very unsteady on her feet and so the wheelchair will be essential in the future.

Everything is organised for the wedding tomorrow. We are picking up the flowers this afternoon. All the family arrives in Harrison tomorrow morning.

The officials have been booked and the reception fixed at a local venue.

She looks beautiful in her wedding dress...