Yesterday was a wonderful day, though I ended up overdoing eating and drinking, so was pretty much "done" for the day about 8pm.
While the aide was bathing and dressing Skip, I went down for a session of craps, with the agreement I'd be back up in about an hour to help with the wheelchair transfer. Well, it was one of those sessions when someone has an incredible roll and lots of money is won in a very short time. Yay! I was a little late getting back to the room since I had to stay until the hot roller was finished. No one minded too much when I got up to the room $1050 richer than when I'd left an hour earlier! That was fun, to say the least.
When Skip was ready, we headed downstairs and played a bit of slots and roulette for her. Shockingly, we won small amounts at each. Then we headed out for a short walk down the boardwalk. It was breezy, sunny and not too warm, so the walk was quite enjoyable. Great people watching on the boardwalk. Beyond the dunes, we could hear a live band playing reggae. I was inexplicably and ridiculously happy enjoying the wonderful moment.
We had hot dogs wrapped in pretzel dough along with a Ben and Jerry's milkshake for Skip and a smoothie for me. Skip was getting a bit hot, so we sauntered back to Caesar's (our hotel). Once inside, we played some more on a slot machine Skip really likes. Then, I took her up to the room to rest for a while before our 6pm dinner reservation. Second try for her renting The Guilt Trip with Barbra Streisand. Second time she fell asleep watching it. (To me, this suggests that the movie is as unentertaining as I thought.) I tried craps again while she rested. Not so successful this time, though.
We went off to dinner at The Atlantic Grill in Caesar's, which features a great view of the shore and ocean beyond. I had received an email from a casino host offering me some comps (complimentaries) at Caesar's for my birthday, so we chose a credit from him towards dinner at this restaurant. I had had a few drinks at the craps table and another at dinner. We both ate quite a bit, so by the end of dinner, the richness of the food had both of us feeling a bit uncomfortable. Instead of gambling for a while before the aide came to put Skip to bed at 9, we decided to buy some Tums and go up to the room and relax. I immediately feel asleep and woke up only long enough to help get Skip to bed then back under the covers I went. At 57, I guess I just can't go without enough sleep for a few nights then have a heavy meal and a few drinks. It just knocks me out.
Today is our last full day in AC. The weather is hotter than yesterday, so Skip doesn't want to spend much time outside. She really wants a chance to shop! Fortunately for her, there is a shopping mall attached to Caesar's called the Pier. It extends out over the ocean, so at least I'll get to look at the view while I wait impatiently for her to do her shopping. Not sure what we'll be doing for dinner, but I hope it's something a bit lighter tonight. Looks like coffee and water while I'm gambling ... no more black russians!
I'm sure we'll finish our last full day with the usual routine .... after Skip is in bed, I'll head downstairs to gamble at craps, blackjack and maybe poker, for quite a few hours. On our getaway day, we don't typically get in any gambling, because we'll want to get on the road in the early afternoon.
Just checked in with the intrepid MW, who is staying at our condo with the 3 pups. All are well. We always feel so comfortable that everything is good at home when she's there keeping our pups well cared for and safe.
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
They Say It's Your Birthday
I'm sitting here in our hotel room in Atlantic City. It's my birthday. A great day with my Skip is planned. Gonna gamble, eat and wander the boardwalk ... woo hoo!
We drove down to AC on Sunday afternoon. With some traffic and a short stop to gas up and such, it took about 6-1/2 hours door to door. We got underway at 1:15pm so it wasn't quite dark when we rolled into AC. Much easier and more pleasant driving in daylight over such a long distance.
When we checked into our room, we found that the bed sits on a base, presumably to keep it cleaner underneath, so the Hoyer lift wasn't going to work as designed. To transfer Skip from wheelchair to bed using the Hoyer, you put the long legs under the bed and this places Skip's body directly over the bed. Sunday night, I had to improvise and it was successful, but not easy and Skip admitted it was scary.
We had arranged with a local home health agency to send an aide for 2 hours each morning to bathe and dress Skip and help to get her up. She and I transferred Skip without using the Hoyer. Skip's wheelchair can rise up and down, tilt and recline, so it's easy to position it for a transfer. I didn't want to repeat the scary transfer from Sunday night, so I asked the aide if she could come last night (and the next 2) to help with the transfer and put Skip to bed. She agreed! Last night's bedtime was a breeze.
At home, ever since Skip had to start using a hospital bed with special mattress to help avoid pressure sores, we haven't slept in the same bed. Bah! Well, at least here, we can share a bed together for 4 nights. And, I must say this is a hugely comfortable bed. The last 2 nights I've slept through the night without waking, something I never do at home.
Well, I'm off to meet the aide at the elevator to bring her up to the room. Have a great day, everyone!
We drove down to AC on Sunday afternoon. With some traffic and a short stop to gas up and such, it took about 6-1/2 hours door to door. We got underway at 1:15pm so it wasn't quite dark when we rolled into AC. Much easier and more pleasant driving in daylight over such a long distance.
When we checked into our room, we found that the bed sits on a base, presumably to keep it cleaner underneath, so the Hoyer lift wasn't going to work as designed. To transfer Skip from wheelchair to bed using the Hoyer, you put the long legs under the bed and this places Skip's body directly over the bed. Sunday night, I had to improvise and it was successful, but not easy and Skip admitted it was scary.
We had arranged with a local home health agency to send an aide for 2 hours each morning to bathe and dress Skip and help to get her up. She and I transferred Skip without using the Hoyer. Skip's wheelchair can rise up and down, tilt and recline, so it's easy to position it for a transfer. I didn't want to repeat the scary transfer from Sunday night, so I asked the aide if she could come last night (and the next 2) to help with the transfer and put Skip to bed. She agreed! Last night's bedtime was a breeze.
At home, ever since Skip had to start using a hospital bed with special mattress to help avoid pressure sores, we haven't slept in the same bed. Bah! Well, at least here, we can share a bed together for 4 nights. And, I must say this is a hugely comfortable bed. The last 2 nights I've slept through the night without waking, something I never do at home.
Well, I'm off to meet the aide at the elevator to bring her up to the room. Have a great day, everyone!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Vacation Wrap-Up, Part 2
Some other bits and pieces from vacation ....
My Birthday
I turned 53 on our last full day in Maine. Earlier in the week, some friends had discovered a lovely restaurant in a nearby town that was on the water. They'd enjoyed a great lunch sitting outside by the water and thought it would be a great spot for my birthday dinner. Unfortunately, the elements didn't cooperate for dinner. It was a bit rainy, very muggy and buggy. Fortunately, the food was good and the company better.
The Dock
The rental house had a floating dock that was accessible by wheelchair. We spent 3 or 4 afternoons relaxing there. It was set up with a round table and umbrella, which was important to keep Skip out of the sun. I'm not sure what causes it, perhaps one of the many pills she takes, but even very little sun can cause her skin to burn and blister, so we needed to take extra precautions for her.
The water was swimmable for those who could get down the ladder into the water (this was not the kind of ladder one finds in a swimming pool; it was a regular wooden ladder with most of the supporting half cut off and screwed into the dock. It was an odd setup but the wide steps and angle of the ladder made it easier for us middle-aged, and in some cases, full-figured, gals to get in and out of the water.). At the dock, the water was a bit over 5' deep, so easy for me to stand in (I'm almost 5' 11").
Sometimes, we'd be joined at the dock by the 4 labrador retrievers in our party. They were rambunctious and joyous, delighted at having the chance to swim. Occasionally, two of them would run off for a bit, but they always came back, seemingly none the worse for wear. Our two pups, Ruby and Sally were always at the dock with us.
Skip hoped the dogs would enjoy swimming. Our previous dachshund, Sadie, needed no invitation to swim. If Skip was in the water, she would jump in and swim to her side. When I went into the water in Maine, though, neither dog showed any desire to swim to me. I briefly gave Sally the chance to swim on my first foray into the water and she clearly indicated it wasn't to her liking. Our last day on the dock, I had Ruby and Sally with me on a float, while I waded near the dock. Ruby was her usual placid self. She sat/reclined on the float in exactly the spot I'd placed her. Sally wandered around on the float, going to the edge in various spots, leaning over to examine the water, taking an occasional drink. She got too close to the edge at one point and slipped right in. I saw her sink through the dark pond water and had a brief millisecond of panic. Panic ended when she broke through the water's surface and grabbed for me, trying to climb up my body so she could get completely out of the water. With that, I put both dogs on the dock and didn't put them on a float again.
Before we got to the rental and saw the actual layout at the water, Skip had planned to swim. She bought a mask and snorkel for peering into the water, swimming attire, and had great hopes that the dogs would swim in after her, just like Sadie. Reality, unfortunately, couldn't support her hopes. The banks of the lake were deep and covered with brush, and the lake's bottom was quite mucky near the edge. The labs were able to navigate the banks, but it wouldn't work for Skip. We had hoped to take advantage of the boat landing just a few hundred yards away, but no swimming was allowed there. It was very disappointing for Skip that she couldn't swim.
Living With Able-Bodied People
I posted a bit about this during our vacation. Skip and I live with just each other and our two dogs. I work from home. The only in-person contacts we have with others during the week, in general, are either MW, Skip's aide, who typically works 2-3 half days/week and medical providers, such as the nurse who comes to check Skip's ankle. Our weekday routines revolve around Skip's care and my work schedule. For our two weeks in Maine, we were with 4 able-bodied friends who were each independent and had no caregiving responsibilities.
At home, I think our routines are productive and work well for us. Our lives are challenging but manageable. In Maine, our friends modeled what life can be like for those who don't have Skip's health problems to deal with day to day. I had a strong mix of reactions. I was saddened, thinking of all that Skip was missing in the mornings with our friends because her morning routines for cleaning/toileting/dressing took so damn long. She was never able to experience the casual chatting and coffee out on the deck in the mornings. I was often grumpy about helping her, in part because it was more challenging in the rental house, but even more because I wanted to be out on the deck drinking coffee too. I had some unproductive feelings of jealousy and self-pity but managed to get past that fairly early in the vacation.
I think the bottom line for me was this: time spent in the house with able-bodied people made me feel more strongly the price we pay for Skip's disability and how deeply it permeates everything in our lives. I was surprised about this effect; it had never occurred to me that I'd feel this during our vacation.
Our friends were great during the vacation. The able-bodied among us all had to do a bit more because Skip couldn't help with meals/dishes or schlepp stuff down to the dock and so forth. Everyone pitched in. And, they were all happy to help Skip when she needed something.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Skip was very sad to bid the water goodbye. She loves being by the water and hopes we can someday live beside a lake. I'd love that for someday, too.
My Birthday
I turned 53 on our last full day in Maine. Earlier in the week, some friends had discovered a lovely restaurant in a nearby town that was on the water. They'd enjoyed a great lunch sitting outside by the water and thought it would be a great spot for my birthday dinner. Unfortunately, the elements didn't cooperate for dinner. It was a bit rainy, very muggy and buggy. Fortunately, the food was good and the company better.
The Dock
The rental house had a floating dock that was accessible by wheelchair. We spent 3 or 4 afternoons relaxing there. It was set up with a round table and umbrella, which was important to keep Skip out of the sun. I'm not sure what causes it, perhaps one of the many pills she takes, but even very little sun can cause her skin to burn and blister, so we needed to take extra precautions for her.
The water was swimmable for those who could get down the ladder into the water (this was not the kind of ladder one finds in a swimming pool; it was a regular wooden ladder with most of the supporting half cut off and screwed into the dock. It was an odd setup but the wide steps and angle of the ladder made it easier for us middle-aged, and in some cases, full-figured, gals to get in and out of the water.). At the dock, the water was a bit over 5' deep, so easy for me to stand in (I'm almost 5' 11").
Sometimes, we'd be joined at the dock by the 4 labrador retrievers in our party. They were rambunctious and joyous, delighted at having the chance to swim. Occasionally, two of them would run off for a bit, but they always came back, seemingly none the worse for wear. Our two pups, Ruby and Sally were always at the dock with us.
Skip hoped the dogs would enjoy swimming. Our previous dachshund, Sadie, needed no invitation to swim. If Skip was in the water, she would jump in and swim to her side. When I went into the water in Maine, though, neither dog showed any desire to swim to me. I briefly gave Sally the chance to swim on my first foray into the water and she clearly indicated it wasn't to her liking. Our last day on the dock, I had Ruby and Sally with me on a float, while I waded near the dock. Ruby was her usual placid self. She sat/reclined on the float in exactly the spot I'd placed her. Sally wandered around on the float, going to the edge in various spots, leaning over to examine the water, taking an occasional drink. She got too close to the edge at one point and slipped right in. I saw her sink through the dark pond water and had a brief millisecond of panic. Panic ended when she broke through the water's surface and grabbed for me, trying to climb up my body so she could get completely out of the water. With that, I put both dogs on the dock and didn't put them on a float again.
Before we got to the rental and saw the actual layout at the water, Skip had planned to swim. She bought a mask and snorkel for peering into the water, swimming attire, and had great hopes that the dogs would swim in after her, just like Sadie. Reality, unfortunately, couldn't support her hopes. The banks of the lake were deep and covered with brush, and the lake's bottom was quite mucky near the edge. The labs were able to navigate the banks, but it wouldn't work for Skip. We had hoped to take advantage of the boat landing just a few hundred yards away, but no swimming was allowed there. It was very disappointing for Skip that she couldn't swim.
Living With Able-Bodied People
I posted a bit about this during our vacation. Skip and I live with just each other and our two dogs. I work from home. The only in-person contacts we have with others during the week, in general, are either MW, Skip's aide, who typically works 2-3 half days/week and medical providers, such as the nurse who comes to check Skip's ankle. Our weekday routines revolve around Skip's care and my work schedule. For our two weeks in Maine, we were with 4 able-bodied friends who were each independent and had no caregiving responsibilities.
At home, I think our routines are productive and work well for us. Our lives are challenging but manageable. In Maine, our friends modeled what life can be like for those who don't have Skip's health problems to deal with day to day. I had a strong mix of reactions. I was saddened, thinking of all that Skip was missing in the mornings with our friends because her morning routines for cleaning/toileting/dressing took so damn long. She was never able to experience the casual chatting and coffee out on the deck in the mornings. I was often grumpy about helping her, in part because it was more challenging in the rental house, but even more because I wanted to be out on the deck drinking coffee too. I had some unproductive feelings of jealousy and self-pity but managed to get past that fairly early in the vacation.
I think the bottom line for me was this: time spent in the house with able-bodied people made me feel more strongly the price we pay for Skip's disability and how deeply it permeates everything in our lives. I was surprised about this effect; it had never occurred to me that I'd feel this during our vacation.
Our friends were great during the vacation. The able-bodied among us all had to do a bit more because Skip couldn't help with meals/dishes or schlepp stuff down to the dock and so forth. Everyone pitched in. And, they were all happy to help Skip when she needed something.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Skip was very sad to bid the water goodbye. She loves being by the water and hopes we can someday live beside a lake. I'd love that for someday, too.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Vacation Wrap-Up, Part 1
We got back from our Maine vacation yesterday evening. Although our rental lasted through today (Saturday), we would have had to leave by noon and I knew getting Skip and me ready, stuff packed up and car packed would require more time than just the morning (unless we wanted to get up at about 4am). Also, returning home Friday would give me 2 days to unpack, get into the swing at home and be ready for work on Monday morning.
As it happens, events conspired that the entire group had good reasons for leaving on Friday, so we all packed up in concert, making the cleanout of the kitchen and the general housekeeping before departure a good collaboration.
All in all, it was an excellent vacation. Lovely location, mediocre weather, great friends, good food, relaxing time. I'm pretty set in my ways, so it took some time adjusting to a houseful of people, but it was definitely worth the adjustment.
Thought I'd post a bit about some of our vacation ....
Caregiving
Because we didn't have all the advantages of home for Skip's care, her day-to-day maintenance was harder, but not insurmountably difficult. And, it was definitely worth it so that we could be there in that location and with our friends. Every day, I found small ways to improve the process. By the time we were ready to leave, we'd developed a good routine that was harder than at home, but workable.
Unfortunately, the overly high bed proved to be our biggest issue for two reasons. First, our patient lifter with Surehands body support attached could not get Skip high enough for me to transfer her onto the bed alone. As a result, we had to draft our friends to get her up onto the bed each night. Our friends were always very willing to help and did a great job. We worked well together to find better ways to work it when some of the transfers, especially the early ones, had somewhat awkward results. Unfortunately, on our second to last night, I allowed the patient lifter to become unbalanced while moving Skip to the bed and she fell to the floor, hitting her head on the bedstead on the way down. (I did not have the base of the lifter opened wide for maximum stability, so this was totally my fault.) After making sure Skip wasn't too badly hurt, the group banded together quickly to figure out how to get her off the floor and onto the bed by using a sheet to lift her. (Skip did get a good-sized egg on the back of head, but the skin wasn't broken. Fortunately, one of the friends with us is a doctor and she was able to give Skip reassurance that her injury was relatively minor.)
The second problem with the bed height concerned hygiene. Without getting into too many details, suffice it to say some of our daily hygiene routines are conducted with Skip on the bed before she gets dressed. Without being able to get on the bed during the day for this routine, cleaning was much more difficult.
The patient lifter wasn't quite high enough for a clean transfer onto Skip's power chair. However, with the lifter I could get her positioned at the edge of the seat and then use the waistband of her pants to pull her onto the cushion. It usually required a pull, drop lifter arm a bit, pull again to pull her completely on. This resulted in some major wedgies early on, but I eventually got the hang of it and wedgies were kept to a minimum.
Shopping
About 30 minutes from our rental was the town of Rockland, on the Maine coast. We made a couple of trips there for some shopping, both of which were pretty frustrating. Rockland has a lovely main shopping strip, filled with a variety of galleries, eateries and speciality shops to appeal to tourists such as ourselves. All the stores were on street level, but most were inaccessible because they had one step up to get in. How hard would it have been for all these stores to have slight inclines from sidewalk level to entry? The best shopping for Skip was the store connected to a small art museum, where she bought some Maine books. When only about a third of the shops had ramps in versus a step up, my whole attitude about the area was impacted. I certainly did not want to give any business to the folks who couldn't bother to make their shops accessible to Skip or other wheelchair users.
The next day, we went back to Rockland to visit a large antique store we hadn't gotten to the day before. Skip loves antiquing. We've found that small antique shops are usually cluttered and all but impassable for wheelchairs, so try to find large shops with lots of dealers. This gives variety and, usually, better accessibility within the shop. Even with our GPS, it took a bit to find this out of the way shop. When we got there, we found it was indeed a large, group shop. Unfortunately, the accessibility was spotty, with lots of level changes from room to room within the barn building that housed it and, more importantly, it was very cluttered. Admittedly, Skip is quite a good navigator in her chair, but I spent most of the time gritting my teeth, worried that she'd have a run-in with some display or another. About 10 minutes in, while rounding a corner, her left pedal caught a small bookshelf loaded with glass and china, knocking a framed picture on one level over onto china cups and saucers. Arrghh! Miraculously, nothing broke, but my patience was pretty frayed and I hovered like a nervous mother hen until Skip finally gave up and we left. I feel badly for her in these situations. She can't get there without me taking her, but I'm pretty cranky while she's there so it can't be much fun for her.
Weather
While buying the Maine books at the museum shop, I chatted with the cashiers about the weather. Two facts they related that pretty much crystallize the weather on this vacation: this was the latest point in the year that an 80 degree F temp had not been hit there in over 150 years and, regardless of the August rainfall, this was already the wettest summer in history for that area. We had only a few days of the 13 we were there that were beautiful end to end. But, we also only had a couple dreadful ones. Most were cool, cloudy and muggy. While nicer weather is always better than clouds and rain, our vacation didn't hinge upon it, so we were lucky in that regard. We did take full advantage of the lovely days, hanging out on the dock.
Well, this post has gotten quite long, so I'll wrap up the remainder in a second post tomorrow.
As it happens, events conspired that the entire group had good reasons for leaving on Friday, so we all packed up in concert, making the cleanout of the kitchen and the general housekeeping before departure a good collaboration.
All in all, it was an excellent vacation. Lovely location, mediocre weather, great friends, good food, relaxing time. I'm pretty set in my ways, so it took some time adjusting to a houseful of people, but it was definitely worth the adjustment.
Thought I'd post a bit about some of our vacation ....
Caregiving
Because we didn't have all the advantages of home for Skip's care, her day-to-day maintenance was harder, but not insurmountably difficult. And, it was definitely worth it so that we could be there in that location and with our friends. Every day, I found small ways to improve the process. By the time we were ready to leave, we'd developed a good routine that was harder than at home, but workable.
Unfortunately, the overly high bed proved to be our biggest issue for two reasons. First, our patient lifter with Surehands body support attached could not get Skip high enough for me to transfer her onto the bed alone. As a result, we had to draft our friends to get her up onto the bed each night. Our friends were always very willing to help and did a great job. We worked well together to find better ways to work it when some of the transfers, especially the early ones, had somewhat awkward results. Unfortunately, on our second to last night, I allowed the patient lifter to become unbalanced while moving Skip to the bed and she fell to the floor, hitting her head on the bedstead on the way down. (I did not have the base of the lifter opened wide for maximum stability, so this was totally my fault.) After making sure Skip wasn't too badly hurt, the group banded together quickly to figure out how to get her off the floor and onto the bed by using a sheet to lift her. (Skip did get a good-sized egg on the back of head, but the skin wasn't broken. Fortunately, one of the friends with us is a doctor and she was able to give Skip reassurance that her injury was relatively minor.)
The second problem with the bed height concerned hygiene. Without getting into too many details, suffice it to say some of our daily hygiene routines are conducted with Skip on the bed before she gets dressed. Without being able to get on the bed during the day for this routine, cleaning was much more difficult.
The patient lifter wasn't quite high enough for a clean transfer onto Skip's power chair. However, with the lifter I could get her positioned at the edge of the seat and then use the waistband of her pants to pull her onto the cushion. It usually required a pull, drop lifter arm a bit, pull again to pull her completely on. This resulted in some major wedgies early on, but I eventually got the hang of it and wedgies were kept to a minimum.
Shopping
About 30 minutes from our rental was the town of Rockland, on the Maine coast. We made a couple of trips there for some shopping, both of which were pretty frustrating. Rockland has a lovely main shopping strip, filled with a variety of galleries, eateries and speciality shops to appeal to tourists such as ourselves. All the stores were on street level, but most were inaccessible because they had one step up to get in. How hard would it have been for all these stores to have slight inclines from sidewalk level to entry? The best shopping for Skip was the store connected to a small art museum, where she bought some Maine books. When only about a third of the shops had ramps in versus a step up, my whole attitude about the area was impacted. I certainly did not want to give any business to the folks who couldn't bother to make their shops accessible to Skip or other wheelchair users.
The next day, we went back to Rockland to visit a large antique store we hadn't gotten to the day before. Skip loves antiquing. We've found that small antique shops are usually cluttered and all but impassable for wheelchairs, so try to find large shops with lots of dealers. This gives variety and, usually, better accessibility within the shop. Even with our GPS, it took a bit to find this out of the way shop. When we got there, we found it was indeed a large, group shop. Unfortunately, the accessibility was spotty, with lots of level changes from room to room within the barn building that housed it and, more importantly, it was very cluttered. Admittedly, Skip is quite a good navigator in her chair, but I spent most of the time gritting my teeth, worried that she'd have a run-in with some display or another. About 10 minutes in, while rounding a corner, her left pedal caught a small bookshelf loaded with glass and china, knocking a framed picture on one level over onto china cups and saucers. Arrghh! Miraculously, nothing broke, but my patience was pretty frayed and I hovered like a nervous mother hen until Skip finally gave up and we left. I feel badly for her in these situations. She can't get there without me taking her, but I'm pretty cranky while she's there so it can't be much fun for her.
Weather
While buying the Maine books at the museum shop, I chatted with the cashiers about the weather. Two facts they related that pretty much crystallize the weather on this vacation: this was the latest point in the year that an 80 degree F temp had not been hit there in over 150 years and, regardless of the August rainfall, this was already the wettest summer in history for that area. We had only a few days of the 13 we were there that were beautiful end to end. But, we also only had a couple dreadful ones. Most were cool, cloudy and muggy. While nicer weather is always better than clouds and rain, our vacation didn't hinge upon it, so we were lucky in that regard. We did take full advantage of the lovely days, hanging out on the dock.
Well, this post has gotten quite long, so I'll wrap up the remainder in a second post tomorrow.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Pups Go Adventuring and Plans for Today
Our rental here in Maine is located at the end of a dirt road that's perhaps a mile long. This gives the dogs the chance to wander around outside with no fear of cars. When it isn't raining, it's been great to wander out with them between house and water, to give them time to root around. Being small, a little space goes a long way for them.We're supposed to have a short, light rain in the late morning followed by clearing and partly sunny for the afternoon. We're all looking forward to a chance to get out and relax on the dock and get in a bit of a swim. (Well, Skip won't be swimming today; since it's a weekend, the public landing will be too busy.)
One of our friends is preparing a fresh guacamole now, for a taco dinner this evening. It has filled the main living area with the most wonderful smell of fresh onions, garlic and the like. Yum!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Bad Start, Good Finish
Earlier today, when I thought about this post, it was going to be entitled "Selfishness, Jealousy and Self-Pity," which pretty much describes the three main feelings I had this morning.
I selfishly spent more time than I should have relaxing, talking and drinking coffee with some of our fellow vacationers out on the deck rather than get Skip up and into the shower. As a result, she had been waiting quite a bit longer than I said I'd be, and she was pretty cranky herself when I went into the bedroom to get her up. I responded crankily and we had a bit of a spat as I was getting her up and into the shower.
After her shower, when I went out into the kitchen to get Skip coffee, I saw the rest of the vacationing group sitting out on the deck with coffee, enjoying the morning and each other. I was so jealous! How would that feel, to just be a "normal" couple, so we could have been on that deck with our friends? It's been 100 years since that was the case, and I don't often indulge in thoughts that do no good, just make me feel bad. Thoughts like "why couldn't that be us?" But I saw them on the deck and the jealousy hit like a spasm.
So, I brought Skip her coffee and descended into self-pity. She asked me what our friends were doing and I bitterly said "living."
Through the early afternoon, the bad feelings from the morning lingered, causing me to look darkly at the day. By mid-afternoon, a walk with the pups to let them explore, some relaxation out on the deck with our friends, followed by a late afternoon swim all helped to lift my spirits.
After dinner, the group of us played Wii Sports and it was really fun. A great group game because it's fun to observe even if you're not playing. It will be a fun activity for us on those inevitable rainy days during a two-week vacation.
Tomorrow the weather forecast is for a lovely summer's day. I'm looking forward to getting the morning off on the right foot by bringing the right balance of self-indulgent relaxation for myself and timely caregiving for Skip. Then, we'll enjoy the sunny weather out on the dock. I suspect it'll probably be the right day to go scout out the boat landing for Skip's swimming adventure.
I selfishly spent more time than I should have relaxing, talking and drinking coffee with some of our fellow vacationers out on the deck rather than get Skip up and into the shower. As a result, she had been waiting quite a bit longer than I said I'd be, and she was pretty cranky herself when I went into the bedroom to get her up. I responded crankily and we had a bit of a spat as I was getting her up and into the shower.
After her shower, when I went out into the kitchen to get Skip coffee, I saw the rest of the vacationing group sitting out on the deck with coffee, enjoying the morning and each other. I was so jealous! How would that feel, to just be a "normal" couple, so we could have been on that deck with our friends? It's been 100 years since that was the case, and I don't often indulge in thoughts that do no good, just make me feel bad. Thoughts like "why couldn't that be us?" But I saw them on the deck and the jealousy hit like a spasm.
So, I brought Skip her coffee and descended into self-pity. She asked me what our friends were doing and I bitterly said "living."
Through the early afternoon, the bad feelings from the morning lingered, causing me to look darkly at the day. By mid-afternoon, a walk with the pups to let them explore, some relaxation out on the deck with our friends, followed by a late afternoon swim all helped to lift my spirits.
After dinner, the group of us played Wii Sports and it was really fun. A great group game because it's fun to observe even if you're not playing. It will be a fun activity for us on those inevitable rainy days during a two-week vacation.
Tomorrow the weather forecast is for a lovely summer's day. I'm looking forward to getting the morning off on the right foot by bringing the right balance of self-indulgent relaxation for myself and timely caregiving for Skip. Then, we'll enjoy the sunny weather out on the dock. I suspect it'll probably be the right day to go scout out the boat landing for Skip's swimming adventure.
Monday, July 20, 2009
So Far, So Great!
Photos: first - view from our vacation house down to the nearby lake. Next 3 are from the dock - straight across the water, to the left towards the public landing and down to the right. The last - a cold beer enjoyed on the dock.We're here in Maine on vacation. It's been great!
We got here in the early evening on Saturday. Arrived with a car that could not have held one more item. Every square inch of space was filled. I even had to put Skip and the dogs in before everything was loaded, since I had to jam quite a few things around the wheelchair to get the last bits in. (I did get cranky twice during packing/loading. Once, inevitably, during the show discussion. Second, when I became overwhelmed, realizing that the sheer amount of stuff we had wasn't going to fit in the car [this before the strategy of packing stuff around Skip like a sardine was identified].)
We're the first party to rent this house since it was built. They've got most of the accessibility mods right, but with a few significant misses. The major miss is the bed - it's very high, much higher than normal by, I'd guess, 6 inches. It's so high the patient lifter cannot get Skip's butt up to the level of the bed to transfer her in.
The first night we were here, we went off to bed about 10. I was pooped. It had been a long day packing, loading the car, driving 3 hours, unloading (tho with help at the vacation house) and so forth. I knew the patient lifter wouldn't work for the bed, so had Skip drive her wheelchair beside the bed, planning to use the trusty "pick and plop" method, knowing it would be more awkward than usual because of the extra bed height. This is when I discovered that the old vacation methods were no longer possible with Skip's increased disability. Her legs aren't capable of providing any sort of support at all and I'm also out of practice in these kinds of transfers, since we have a lift system at home.
Fortunately, a couple of our friends were very willing to help out and got Skip up and into bed in short order. I was thrilled we'd been able to manage the transfer. Unfortunately, needing help from our friends was embarassing for Skip. I wish it was easier for her to accept the help of friends in situations where it's such a wonderful gift.
That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about how the transfers would play out for Skip during vacation. Bed to wheelchair in the a.m. I could handle as a pick and plop. Once I got her feet on the ground, it would be easy to do a quick transfer to the chair. Then, wheelchair/toilet/shower chair could all be managed by the patient lifter. At bedtime, we'd depend upon friends, but the patient lifter could get Skip almost high enough to transfer onto the bed and the final lift could be handled more easily by a group of us without the wheelchair as an impediment. I also had brought a gait belt, so we used that for the bedtime transfer on the second night to help pull her higher on the bed once transferred.
This is all the kind of stuff I expected we'd have to figure out once we got here, and it's been working out pretty well from my perspective.
The weather has been absolutely spectacular both Sunday and today, so we've taken advantage of that with time down at the dock. The path to get there is both great accessibility-wise and a big miss. Part of the path is slate stones placed on top of small crushed stones, but the slate is not flush with the smaller stones. Skip's chair foundered in the small crushed stones and broke the slate. We pulled the slate off to the side and Skip stayed in the grass along the side of the path as far as she could, so only has a short distance in the treacherous crushed stone. The remainder of the path works well. It's a nice boardwalk. Where it's inclined, the board is covered with tar paper.
Today, in particular, was especially great at the dock. Sunny, warm but not hot, low humidity. The 6 humans and 8 dogs (yes, 8, including 4 labs!) staying here all came down. The water was lovely, not too cold, and around 5 feet deep around the dock. Some folks went out in floats. I swam a bit, taking the pups on a ride on one of the floats. After a bit of swimming, we had lunch and lazed.
The sun and warmth caused Skip to get a bit weak both afternoons. In the late afternoon both yesterday and today, she's taken a nap in our room. With her wheelchair's tilt and recline functionality, she's able to stretch out fairly flat for a comfortable snoozing position. She doesn't normally nap in the afternoons, but it's working well here. She can allow herself to get a bit pooped in the afternoon and recover for the evening's dinner and visiting.
Skip really, really, really wants to get in the water and swim with the pups. This can't happen off the dock as there's no way to get her in or out of the water (the able-bodied are using a ladder off the dock). It looks like the public boat landing right near us will provide a spot to get her into the water. I'm thinking if we wheel her manual wheelchair down to the water, and even into the water a bit, 4 of us can each take one limb and get her into the shallow water. She wants to be immersed in the cooling water, get a view into the water with mask and snorkel and spend a bit of time with the pups on a float beside her. It should be quiet enough mid-week at the landing to keep us from having a lot of competition from boats.
It's been wonderfully relaxing here. The food is great. The company is even better. We are very, very lucky!
It's been wonderfully relaxing here. The food is great. The company is even better. We are very, very lucky!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Watch Out! Crankiness Dead Ahead!
Tomorrow, I'll gather up the momumental amount of stuff we're bringing on vacation and pack it in the Honda Element.
Before then, I'll have helped Skip with all the usual "start the day" activities. Along with some vacation packing additions ...
Before she gets in the shower, we'll go through her closet to pick out the clothes she'll bring. She'll want to bring more pants and shirts than I want to pack. And then we'll go to the shoes. For someone who doesn't walk, she has an amazing number of shoes, and she'll want to bring more pairs than I want her to bring. (She has already mentioned the shoe selection process as something she wants to do sooner rather than later at least 3 times. I keep deferring it.)
Another pre-vacation ritual is my getting cranky. At some point in the preparations, I'll crank out. It really comes down to a fundamental difference in packing: what Skip wants to bring is greater than what I think is necessary for a vacation. And I don't want to pack it all, schlepp the bags to the destination, unpack them, repack the lot of it (including the clothes never worn during vacation!), etc.
Over the years, we've come to an accommodation. We agree to a set number of pants and shirts, based on the number of days of vacation. It's usually something like 1 pair of pants per vacation day and 1.2 shirts per vacation day. Believe it or not, this results in packing less clothes than if Skip brought everything she wanted!
The challenge on this trip will be getting Skip to recognize that our destination has a washer and dryer, so we can bring less clothes than if we were going to a hotel.
If we can get through the minefield of clothes packing, another possibility for crankiness is the sheer magnitude of things to bring. I think the straw that will break this camel's back will be the request that we bring our bedroom fan. It's big, heavy and awkwardly sized so won't be easy to pack efficiently in the car. We've already had a couple of skirmishes about the necessity of bringing it along. I know in my heart the only way to keep Skip from getting cranky herself on this item is just to pack it up. But I am not convinced it's necessary to have with us, so am continuing to put up some resistance. In the end, though, I know I'll find room for the fan along with the manual wheelchair, the shower chair, the foodstuffs, the dog beds and so on.
A successful pre-trip preparation will be one where I climb into the driver's seat of the car, ready to drive to Maine in happy spirits.
Wish us all luck tomorrow morning!
Before then, I'll have helped Skip with all the usual "start the day" activities. Along with some vacation packing additions ...
Before she gets in the shower, we'll go through her closet to pick out the clothes she'll bring. She'll want to bring more pants and shirts than I want to pack. And then we'll go to the shoes. For someone who doesn't walk, she has an amazing number of shoes, and she'll want to bring more pairs than I want her to bring. (She has already mentioned the shoe selection process as something she wants to do sooner rather than later at least 3 times. I keep deferring it.)
Another pre-vacation ritual is my getting cranky. At some point in the preparations, I'll crank out. It really comes down to a fundamental difference in packing: what Skip wants to bring is greater than what I think is necessary for a vacation. And I don't want to pack it all, schlepp the bags to the destination, unpack them, repack the lot of it (including the clothes never worn during vacation!), etc.
Over the years, we've come to an accommodation. We agree to a set number of pants and shirts, based on the number of days of vacation. It's usually something like 1 pair of pants per vacation day and 1.2 shirts per vacation day. Believe it or not, this results in packing less clothes than if Skip brought everything she wanted!
The challenge on this trip will be getting Skip to recognize that our destination has a washer and dryer, so we can bring less clothes than if we were going to a hotel.
If we can get through the minefield of clothes packing, another possibility for crankiness is the sheer magnitude of things to bring. I think the straw that will break this camel's back will be the request that we bring our bedroom fan. It's big, heavy and awkwardly sized so won't be easy to pack efficiently in the car. We've already had a couple of skirmishes about the necessity of bringing it along. I know in my heart the only way to keep Skip from getting cranky herself on this item is just to pack it up. But I am not convinced it's necessary to have with us, so am continuing to put up some resistance. In the end, though, I know I'll find room for the fan along with the manual wheelchair, the shower chair, the foodstuffs, the dog beds and so on.
A successful pre-trip preparation will be one where I climb into the driver's seat of the car, ready to drive to Maine in happy spirits.
Wish us all luck tomorrow morning!
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