Betty.Draughon@p10.f1.n360.z1.fidonet.org (Betty Draughon) (01/31/91)
Index Number: 13258
If some of this is repetition, please forgive me, for this will be
cross-posted in the Coffee Club, ABLED and RECOVERY, and I can't
remember where I've posted what.
I spoke with Nadine last night, and despite our hopes and prayers
her physical condition remains unchanged.
Each day presents a new challenge to get out of bed. She has to
lie there and concentrate on moving each part of her body to
negotiate arising from the supine position.
Yesterday morning, she had difficulty thinking about which part of
her body to move first. It would have been so much easier just to
give in and not get out of bed, but she knew that she could not
allow that.
On Wednesday she has an appointment with the ophthalmologist. As
of last night she didn't have a ride and didn't know if she could
run the risk of another trip in the handi-taxi or whatever they're
called in Tucson, after the one she had last Friday when she
twisted her arm, neck, shoulder, back and knee trying to back her
tri-cart on the ramp, and the guard not being up and almost falling
off - backwards.
There is a glimmer of hope. Voc Rehab has agreed to furnish her
with a new tri-cart that fits her and is easier to move (the one
she has is borrowed - cast off by a neighbor and is old and too
small for her, but without it, she wouldn't be able to move about
at all). They won't be able to purchase it for her until April.
Yesterday the Voc Rehab people called her and told her that there
was a possibility that they could lease it for her now, with the
lease payments going toward the purchase price in April. That made
her feel some better. She will, however, have to purchase the rack
to carry the tri-cart for her car, and the lift. They don't come
cheap.
Her eye has not improved. She tried to read some of her mailbags,
but apparently the cornea became clouded and more painful, and she
felt as though she was reading through a veil. This was one of the
danger signs her physician told her to be aware of, so she stopped
that, too.
She wants small things, but even they are beyond her reach. She
wants to get into her storage shed on her patio and take inventory
of her jigsaw puzzles, with the names and numbers of pieces, so
that she can sell them to make a little money. That is beyond her
physical capability. Not only can she not get to the patio, or to
the shed, but she can't read the names on the boxes with the
numbers of pieces, and even if she could, she couldn't write them
down. No, the wrist and hand are not yet functional either.
She's used up her "help" allotment. She's only allowed "help" for
two weeks after each hospitalization, and it's been well over two
weeks since she was last hospitalized. Even then, she has to pay
for the help, prorated by income, but she still has to pay
something.
She promises me that she is eating, checking her blood sugars and
taking her insulin. I have my doubts.
She did sound a bit brighter than the last time we talked, which
was Saturday evening. She is scared about the Persian Gulf
situation, and is so frightened about it that I think it has helped
her to think of something besides her own dismal condition.
I plan to talk with her again on Wednesday night, to see what the
ophthalmologist had to say.
Remember her in your prayers, your thoughts, your lighted candles,
and send her a card if you can. If not, leave me a message to give
to her and I will forward it to her. She loves you all very much,
and it brightens her day when I tell her that you said hello.
Until the next time, I remain hanging on to hope for Nadine...
Betty
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