It's been a day of 2 parts today.
First thing this morning, after body had decided it would graciously obey the mind's instructions to MOVE, I went out to feed the birds. (I'm going to have to create a new bird feeding station though, the one I have is falling apart.) I take a relatively large bucket with food out to put some on the wee table, some on the ground on the slabs and fill the actual feeder. Usually I hear all the birds in the surrounding hedges sound the battle drums, the call to breakfast!
Today I was also aware of being watched from the roof, the gutter just above the living room window to be precise. A solitary, and not very large, pigeon (most of our resident pigeons are quite substantial). What absolutely gorgeous colours it had.
Poor thing must have been hungry because as soon as I had tipped some seed onto the table it flapped in. I was still at the table, bending over, getting another beaker full. I heard the wings, I felt the down draft and I felt really quite humbled that the poor thing would risk my immediate presence.
I didn't freak, I didn't shriek, I just stayed bent over until the pigeon had made its mind up whether to try landing or return to the gutter.
It tried again as I put the seed on the ground.
Finally I just had to look at it and suggest it give me about 20 or 30 seconds to fill the feeder and step away. It gave me that look - the "are you talking to me" look.
Job finished, I stepped away, one step, just to see how desperate/brave the pigeon was. Yup, SWOOP! Straight in, wings about 6 inches from my nose.
AWESOME - I don't use that word lightly but I did feel it was a particularly awesome moment.
This was followed by the usual frenetic "breakfast" issues, followed by a delayed departure for dad's weekly shopping trip (due to an unscheduled, pre-breakfast trip into town by my sister, following a call from her son), followed by a "proper" shopping trip.
It was just after 1 p.m.when I finally got to stretch out on my bed, until then pain hadn't been too bad & all limbs worked reasonably well.
Just after 2 p.m. Mum shouts "I need help!"
I tried to spring out of bed, hit the floor running and see what the problem was. Reality, sit up - deal with resultant dizzy spell. Get feet on floor to find one foot seems to want to not work right. Try to stand up, immediately sit back onto bed, deal with more dizziness. Eventually get to feet. Hand braced against wall. Right foot still not wanting to work accompanied by this rather nasty red hot tearing pain around heel (which is already damaged) and ankle. Pause, deep breath, put down pain. Stagger through to Mum's room.
"I think I've had a bowel motion," I'm informed. Not exactly a 999 situation.
When you become a carer, in the sense of providing physical care, you soon learn there is nothing about someone else's body you will not become more familiar with than you might otherwise care to. Consequently, I know my mother's bowel habits as well as I know my own. So, when informed of this situation, I realise I am either headed to a "pebble" situation, a "turd" situation or a liquid mess situation. Worst one is the liquid one.
So, bearing in mind that body has not acclimatised to being in an upright position, right leg feels massive but empty, left leg is as iffy as it usually is and back is saying "don't you dare bend over yet".
Yes, I could raise Mum's bed up - it certainly has that facility. But, in order to deal with this situation, Mum needs to be on her side. If her bed is elevated she has a drop between her and dad's bed. Sooooo the choice is - raise the bed up, save my back but have Mum wobble around so much it's impossible to have 2 hands free OR have her bed down, propped against dad's bed and potentially injure my back. What a choice!
Situation sorted, everyone cleaned, freshened, ointment on etc etc etc. Mum a bit better frame of mind. Me? Back killing me, right leg filled with red hot liquid pain and left leg laughing at me when I instruct it to move.
So, aside from cooking, delivering & helping consumption of supper & putting a load of washing on, I haven't done much this afternoon. Now I seem to have a red hot steel spike in my right ankle, I do hope it eases off soon, it's a bloody nuisance.
No comments:
Post a Comment