Background
I recently learned my sister, 10 years my senior, also has exactly the same problem and cannot drive at night.
Ch 49 Word
|
More of the big change in Louise's and my lives for nearly 3 months between May and July 2017.
Louise had now been in Nepean Hospital for over a week. She hurt her Right Rotator Cuff almost ten days previous. Her folks have visited every couple of days and Pat and Sam, her brothers, both once up till this period and I had been there every day since she was admitted.
She is not getting a fair go at showering in the hospital. All three other women in her ward could have showers as often as they like. Originally she was supposed to get a shower every other day...it had now disintegrated to once a week because she was considered the "too hard basket" due to needing a couple of nurses to assist her...and she DID NOT WANT male ones assisting. As was her right, of course.
Unfortunately, there were two weird women in that ward. One was very loud and making everyone else uncomfortable. A third we will speak of, later.
I had spoken to Louise on the phone a little while after I got home. She said the noise got worse after I left that afternoon but her brother, Sam, her mum and dad were with her. It was pleasing to hear the crazy noisy one got moved elsewhere during the night so the other patients could sleep better! That was something, anyhow! We then needed our brothers and Sisters in the Lord’s prayers. There were plans to move Louise to Springwood, in the Blue Mountains. She had a choice of staying at Nepean but she needed to have 3 weeks complete rest. Apparently, the physiotherapy had stirred up her injury so they wanted her shoulder to heal over the planned three weeks, before starting anymore physiotherapy.
We were hoping she could stay at Nepean but not in the Geriatric Ward she came from to where she is now. I had been doing really well visiting her every day even at 14 km's each way travel. I could not see myself able to visit Louise every day as I have been, at (as we thought back then) twice the distance. It got worse later!
It is good to know we serve a God that can make these things possible. I didn't think the doctors concerned were aware of our location and the difficulty it would cause me and other visitors if she was moved further West. I also really didn't think, particularly the lady doctor realized what she was proposing. Both of these doctors were lovely people particularly Dr Josh, a lovely devout Jew, who was being supervised by the lady doctor (an Indian lady – also very nice.)
I came home that afternoon and had my tea or supper if you like and just "conked out" watching the TV. I don't believe I even saw the weather forecast…I was out to it. I woke around 40 minutes later. I was worn out from my daily visits. I had permission from Louise to sleep in the next morning. Our original contact with the Rehab Centre at Nepean (Rehab Doctor) came by yesterday with Josh her treating Doctor to check Louise’s right side. We were still in need of prayer. The way things were going it seemed, for the moment they couldn't do much more for Louise, and the doctor was saying Louise might have to put up with the Right Rotator cuff pain to a certain extent, permanently.
Good News! Louise got a Rehab bed sooner than we had hoped! Your prayers were appreciated. God is good! Yay!
When I left she was still in the old ward and even when I rang on arrival at home so I hoped she would be in the Rehab area in the morning. I learned later she actually moved at around 5:30 pm. My brother-in-law was there and assisted in moving her stuff over to the new ward. I had to leave earlier as I needed to get home before dark. I can't drive in the dark something to do with night blindness or headlight glare.
I would see her the next day. We talked on the phone that night.
Louise was in rehab, now. It was a lot further to my favourite place, the cafe, good or bad.
Another good thing about the planned move was there would be a whole new raft of Doctors and OT's and physios. However, we did like the Occupational Therapist and Physio, and some of the nurses in the Geriatric Ward.
The Lord had now placed Louise in a Rehab Ward with a bunch of lovely ladies. One has just turned 90 recently, the name of Maggie I found out today (Saturday.) Another is blind due to a stroke. Then another, recovering from a bowel operation gone wrong. We got to meet her daughter and her lovely little 5-month-old granddaughter today. I believed the Lord might have given Louise a lovely opportunity in this Ward. As it turned out we only scored a couple of continuing contacts from there for the future. I told the Blind lady about Florence Nightingale meeting the doctor and being introduced to Braille for the first time. More about the blind lady, later.
We Praise the Lord for answered prayer! Louise remained at Nepean Hospital, for the time being. She was now in contact online, thanks to her lovely brother Sam and her dad was involved, we learned later, in the purchase of an IPAD Tablet. I connected it to the power but forgot to turn the power point ON! We obviously got it working and I took a short extension lead for her, the next morning, as the power connection was too short for the outlet at the new ward. As we said back then...
"Watch out everyone! I know she will be restricted due to her shoulder injury but Louise is back online even from her hospital bed, in short spurts, I think."
We also met a young woman whom I was pretty sure I knew. She was a nurse there and she had been a pathology collector here in our home a long time ago, now she was also very pregnant, Louise said. Once again we met up with Dr Josh, one of Louise's doctors, as we said earlier, being a Jew, he wore his cap at all times. Such a lovely young man. I showed him a framed picture of the Holy City I managed to score at my in-law's place (they had chucked it) and I had framed. Louise received some lovely flowers, n the other ward.
Ah well! Dumb Geoff left the headlights on the whole day, at the hospital. Praise God for the NRMA. I still got home before dark praise the Lord as you already saw earlier, I needed that. I have an alarm on the lights but for some reason, I never heard it. I do have good and bad days with my hearing so that may have explained that. Bleah! I had thought it would be interesting to see if the car starts, here at home the next morning. It did.
It seemed there was a possibility of more help while Louise was away with our washing and stuff. I did the washing and hung out and bring it in but I was so tired from the regular visiting...the cleaning lady very kindly folded our clothes that afternoon and as it turned out the Home Care Service she came from allowed more hours for me to help with just folding clothes. Melanie was a real blessing for most of the weeks of Louise’s absence.
So tired all the time with daily visitation to the hospital. We were thinking there might be some changes coming but we did not know all the details. You remember at one stage there was the initial talk of Louise being moved to Springwood Hospital. At that time we were all opposed to it, for a number of reasons you read earlier.
We had appreciated everyone’s lovely cards and prayers for Louise. She was also thankful for all the visitors.
Ah well, praise the Lord! Another lot of washing up done. Louise would be pleased when she gets home to see hubby has been doing his apprenticeship in Dishwashing, on a fairly regular basis.
Hey! Talk about a blessing! The doorbell rang earlier and I thought it was one of our ladies from church with some meals for me. WRONG! It was a dear Bro from around the corner whom we call the “St Clair Mafia” because he was born in Sicily. Bro Dominic brought around a scrumptious dish from his dear wife, Lina. Can't wait to get into that. Ain't God good? That lovely old song comes to mind ..."The Lord is Good, tell it wherever you go…" the story about our bro from Sicily, is very interesting.
Bro Dominic has lived in our area longer than we have. One day the Jehovah Witnesses visited him. They left him with a King James Bible. I have never known since or even prior to his experience, the JW’s leaving KJV Bibles at homes. More likely it would have been a “New World Translation” with all of Charles Taze Russell’s* particular angles inserted. *CTR was the founder of the Watchtower Society or the JW’s.
Amazingly, Bro Dominic, on reading some of the King James Bible came to know Christ as his personal saviour right there in his home. We have been friends now for the best part of 25 years.
I just received another supply of food from our lady I mentioned above, from our Church. Wanda did not mind me going ahead and consuming my Sicilian bro's wife's offering before she arrived with her frozen goodies.
Author Notes
Pictures: Top L to R Me; Louise's Elder brother; My Sis-in-law (my brother's wife); My sister - with Louise in the Geriatric Ward. Middle: Part of Nepean Hospital; Bottom Some of the flowers received in the Geriatric Ward.Please be aware all names except ours have been changed for their privacy, as these are all still living.
|
|
