It was an odd night. Mary Ann struggled with the hallucinations and restlessness again last night. I was up late working on last night’s blog post. After settling, she slept reasonably well. I got up this morning to get her ready for Bible Study. Her need to sleep trumped her will to get to Bible Study. It was clear that she would not be able to get up.
I had showered and cleaned up in preparation for getting her ready to go. When it was clear that she would not be going, I laid back down on the bed, since I had accumulated a need for sleep also. It was not until almost noon that I woke up. She got up about forty-five minutes later. As I was getting dressed she asked if we could use the Visine again this morning. She had not yet opened her eyes, which is not unusual for her — one of the collection of problems that come with the Parkinson’s and the medications used to treat it.
When she lay down for me to put the Visine on her eyes I saw it. There was a swelling about the size of a small marble, more accurately, the size of a garbanzo bean (how is that for descriptive) in the corner of her right eye next to her nose. It looked as if a tear duct might be clogged.
Mary Ann has had problems for a long time with her eyes. She has had the struggle to open them frequently. They have on occasion started watering profusely. It has not been unusual for her to ask for the Visine. In recent weeks sometimes there has been a large quantity of matter at the edge of her eyelids, usually her right eye.
Today’s swelling precipitated the call to the Ophthalmologist (an Eye Doctor with an MD). At first the call was a little uncomfortable. The receptionist seemed almost annoyed that I was calling about an appointment. She tried to get us to go to our Primary Care Physician or Optometrist first. I made the point that we would just end up back with the Ophthalmologist. I had explained what was going on with Mary Ann, and finally she said she would try to talk with the Dr.’s nurse. Gratefully, when she returned, there were a couple of options for tomorrow. We will see the Doctor at 2pm. I was puzzled that from the moment the call began the tone of the receptionist seemed to suggest that I had no business calling to get an appointment. I have met the doctor before, years ago when I had a cyst on an eyelid removed. She seemed very pleasant and very competent.
This afternoon we had another appointment with Stacey about the remodel. She brought some great options for window coverings for the new sunroom, and a book of samples of cork flooring for that new space. The look of the cork, its durability, the warm feel of it, its ease of installation and its ability to cushion a fall have all combined to convince me that the cork is the way to go. One thing drawing me to it also is that it is not one thing pretending to be another. Ceramic tile would hurt Mary Ann if she fell. The laminates look great, but still try to look like something they are not. There is more deciding to do, but we seem to be progressing.
In reflecting in last night’s post on my retirement and the grief work that needs to be done as I let go of a life-long career and identity, I concluded the post this way: “I now serve here at my house. The need here is clear.” The grief work that is going on at this point in my journey involves letting go of what has been. It also includes making the transition to what my life is about now. I suspect that transition is not yet complete. One of the reasons writing these posts is so helpful is that doing so provides me the opportunity to gain a better understanding of what is going on in my own heart and mind as we tackle the Parkinson’s and its consequences in our lives. Sometimes my mind is in one place and my gut in another in acceptance, feelings of fulfillment, and finding meaning in what we are doing her together.
The journey goes on, the processing of each experience is another step in that journey. Just as is so at this time of the year in the thawing streets of this city in Kansas, there are a lot of potholes to be negotiated.
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The Caregiver Calling 
January 13, 2010 at 11:12 pm
Peter: I commend you for “taking the bull by the horns and calling the ophthalmologist directly. That was wonderful. It is a shame that professional gatekeepers at medical providers offices often add to the stress of caregivers through inflexibility because of the need to follow the office/system protocol by rote. The rules and regs of the system have created a system that is unable to be flexible to the ever changing circumstances encountered with chronic illness.
I had a question about the cork. Would that type of flooring, although soft, create a fall hazard for Mary Ann? If she has a Parkinson’s gait or shuffle a cork flooring might impede her shuffling making it more difficult for her to walk safely. It is just a thought.
You and Mary Ann continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Blessings-Kent
January 14, 2010 at 3:47 am
The cork is finished much like a hardwood floor, so it should not be a problem. It feels hard and smooth to the touch. There is some cushioning for insulating purposes sandwiched between the layer of cork and the bottom layer of hard material. While we have been accommodating our environment to the challenges for 23 year and have become sort of experts in such things, it is sometimes the obvious that gets overlooked. Thank you for asking and giving us pause to think about that issue and make sure we are not creating problems.