There’s a sharp frost in Southrepps this morning, and the cars are sparkling white in the street outside our house. It feels very cold, just looking out from the warmth of the house! I put up no resistance when my wife says that she’ll take the dog out this morning.
I’m feeling particularly shaky when I’m sitting down on the sofa drinking my cup of tea – and then I remember that I’m still on my night time device settings. I increase the voltages to their daytime values, and immediately I’m feeling calmer!
My mother, who has advanced Parkinson’s Disease, was taken into hospital a couple of days ago because she was unable to stand. The consultant that she saw at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital was unsure of the reason, but surmised that it was probably due to progression of Parkinson’s Disease and that she may never walk again. When I called the hospital yesterday, they said that she had been using a walker, and they were transferring her to a rehabilitation centre nearby – good news! Today they have had to cancel the transfer due to a lack of beds at the rehabilitation centre, so she’s stuck in a geriatric ward at the Norfolk and Norwich for the time being. We make the trek into Norwich to visit her late this afternoon (it’s almost a 50 mile round trip). We are outside of visiting hours, but I ring the ward before we arrive, and they agree that we can visit until mealtime. Mum seems pleased to see us, and has been up and walking (using a walker) again. We have the usual communication problems… her voice is scarcely a whisper (most of the time) and my hearing leaves a lot to be desired (all of the time). We use my wife as a go-between because her hearing is (almost) sharp enough to hear what my mother is saying (most of the time). We stay until we are ejected by the nursing staff when they serve dinner.
I’m getting tired now, and I can feel my walking is getting worse. I’m aware that my left foot is making a scuffing sound as we walk back to the car. I’ll be glad to get home and slump in front of the telly for the evening.