Carer Sandithi

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THE LONGEST DAY
Not the most infuriating of days.
But possibly the most frustrating.
Errors, accidents & mistakes.
My self-esteem, well, what bit I have left, anyway, collapsed as I made cock-ups, errors, mistakes after mistake.
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Have to be a quickie. It is not Thursday, and I am only just starting this blog. Life is so hectic. My dream of peace & quiet in retirement has crumbled. So much to do yet;
1) Call oligarchal British Gas to tell them they have (supposedly) sent an engineer to check out the Gas meter five times, guaranteeing he would arrive, and not one has managed to get here in well over a year. They keep sending me emails demanding I supply them with a reading. Carer Ejaz has called them repeatedly, but he isn’t calling as often now. He sent them a photo of the meter. Which is out of date. They have increased my payments. What the &^)+#, can I do?
2) Both hearing aids are not working; I have to get someone to call the Audio Clinic, but make sure it does not clash with any other appointments.
3) The Dentist appointment needs arranging. Make sure it does not clash with any other appointments.
4) I’m still waiting for an appointment at the EENT to have the cataract laser treated.
5) Waiting for an appointment with Mental Health at Haywood House Hospital to get the results from the test and be referred to someone.
6) A neurology appointment to re-scan the TBI; is also on the waiting list.
7) Yesterday & this morning, the Doctor’s surgery phoned. Still wanting a Carer to call them re an appointment. I asked Carer Andrew three times yesterday. Said he could not get through the navigator AI waffle. Earlier this morning Thurs, I got Andrew again. Too early to even ask him to ring the Doctor. Then they sent a new Carer to join Andrew… and Andrew teaching someone what to do is a recipe for disaster. Looks like the new lad, Raj, will be calling now, so Ejaz and Mirza may call even less often. This is scary for me. They are both so supportive. Driving me to silly thoughts. I realised the futility of the situation while talking to the Doctor’s receptionist.
8) The bank needs to interview me again.
9) I’ve been told by two different sources that my chances of getting into a home are approximately zero.
10) The new instructions that I need to go to the QMC A&E told me that when the Catheter blocks, I must go by taxi, as this is a Medical Emergency.
The one time I went, once there and £24 out of pocket on the taxi there, it was for hours before a Doctor saw me. He could not replace the Catheter tube in three attempts. Then I was taken to another Doctor to try. He got it in on his second try. But the only instructions given were not to let the array pad holding the tubes in place come off. It fell off of its own accord the next morning. I phoned the hospital, got the department, and was told to see your district nurses. Even now, months later, I can’t figure out why I had to make sure the pad stayed in place.
11) Each of these appointment visits & arrangements will involve taxis and Carer costs.
Impossible to do without my hearing aids; Carers not ringing to make appointments when I asked them to (Only one, but that was the one who is hard work, and determined to do as little as possible and then as badly as possible). Such as laundry returned still wet, mopped the kitchen in only 5 minutes; I timed him and pointed out the dirt marks still on the floor between the floor cupboards. My future looks bleak, Care-wise.
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Through frustration, I over-waffled there. No time for a proper blog; I’ll just put the photos on.
It was all mayhem anyway. Three pages of notes made too; I’ll select and pick just a few.
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I’ve got too much to do for Thursday; no chance of doing a blog. I’ll try to put some old odes on WP.
Nurses’ visit, Social Lady, deliveries, doctors’ problems to sort, appointments to make…
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My Plans were destroyed again.
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This was tomorrow; I ended up in the hospital again. I’ll try to get something on the books for the 11-hour visit tomorrow. Writing this at 11:40hrs, when I got back from the QMC on Thursday. With the most painful & most uncomfortable, bloodied Catheter setup ever! Got to kiss tons off on this Wednesday one, and try to get something done on Friday about Thursday’s abysmal failures.
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The start of the rot, Catheter-wise.

Doctor rang again wanting to speak to Carer; said I’d ask them again, but not interested yet.

Misra helped with showering, very much appreciated.

Dettol & SD card delivered.
Care navigator rang again to speak with Carer, Huh!
No interest when I asked them again to ring him.
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Night shots
Distance
Close-up
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TTFNski, Each
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06:25hrs: I clambered out of the second-hand Charity shop and bought a £300 broken-down, tube-crunching, dried blood-covered, grotty, dirty, creaking, not working, falling-to-pieces recliner.
Removed the night pouch, passed an enormously loud and long passage of wind from my rear-end, and made my way to the Porcelain Throne. I had four visits today, all the same Trotsky Terence style.
Sorted the waste bins into one large bag, and hastened back to the Porcelain Throne with a little worrying if I’d make it in time… only just!
Then did my teggies, as the need for a mug of tea arose. Into the kitchenette, got the kettle on the boil, and made a drink. A Glengettie and Tetley half-cup bags. Nice and strong. Just a splash of full cream milk, and I enjoyed drinking it while I sat there, basking in the few lingering thoughts that were available, and took a snap of the balcony. No threatening sunshine this morning, so I could open the curtains a bit.
A third Throne-Calling had me back in the wet-room on the WC. A little messier this time.
The Carer arrived. Issued the medications. Asked if I wanted a drink of anything to eat, I asked for some cornflakes, explaining I now have a morning nibble. Flakes then bikkies alternate days. I would not risk asking him to make a brew after yesterday’s effort. He got on his mobile.
Shown him where the flakes and milk were, asking him not to put too much milk in the bowl. He drowned the few cornflakes completely. Soggy, inedible. I took a snap of underneath the Carer’s desk.
Later, I took snaps of the wonderful-looking clouds.
The sunshine is making its way over the hills behind the flats.

Then, I had two short, I think mini seizures that I was aware of; they seemed very short to me. I was recovering from the first one when a second hit me. I’ve never had that before. Recovering took me yonks.
I reckon it took me a good half-hour before I was prepared to risk standing up again. And then, I very nearly went over. So glad I thought to use two sticks when I first moved.
I’m not certain about the timings. But it seemed to go by in a flash, from Ejaz leaving to his noon return.
Embarrassingly, I got confused about the Carer Rota Jenny prepared for me. I think Tuesday was for laundry when it used to be Wednesday. Mizra said it was not Tuesday. And started cleaning up and doing a good job for me. Naturally, I thought it must be Wednesday. Ejaz said no, not him anyway. Then Jenny called to explain. But I didn’t grasp things for ages. There is another call half an hour later, which must be for the laundry. Ah, well, I did feel a fool.
Well, let’s face it… I am.

A new-to-me Carer arrived. She took the laundry down, and I phoned Jenny to let her know.
Sandithi returned, checked the Catheter, and had a look at the legs.
Then I told her about the brush & dustpan set from Amazon that had been delivered, but the dustpan was broken. Made in China, wished I’d known. She helped me try to reach the Amazon Helpdesk. As with all Oligarch companies, they make it near impossible and keep telling us to go to the supplier. So we tried, and when we got through, a message told us that Amazon had delivered the parcel and that we needed to go to their helpdesk… round and round, not getting anywhere. We were determined not to give up.
We kept trying different routes, but kept ending up at the same place: contact the supplier. Who repeated. Contact the Amazon helpline or customer service about the problem.
Then we gave up!

She then tried to get a slipper on the undbandaged foot, as it looked less swollen. But it wasn’t, it had just lost the bronze colouring of the last week.

I was still not grasping things properly. And went to take some sky photographs through the kitchen windows. Beautiful!
No strong sunshine got through today, not that it bothered me.

I was going into a depression. As Carer Ejaz arrived on his one visit. I tried to explain and apologise for being my usual self. He did his best to cheer me up. Also got me to write an Email and helped me when he saw I was struggling, to Easy Link. To get a list for Friday, the 15th, for the Audio Centre. Bless him. I made a start on a meal and have it early, so the Carer is not here when I’m eating.

What followed is a mystery to me. Why?
I got up in the morning, thinking I’d already done, finished, pasted and emailed the link to this blog.
Now Thursday 7th May, 13:40, and after a morning of smuggly thinking that I was doing so well today, I discovered I had not done this one yet. I think that my verbal denigration, self-loathing, name-calling and naughty language shook the Carer somewhat as he was helping himself to an ice cream cone. But at least he did ask me if I wanted one. Hehe!

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