After getting my tooth extracted on Friday I stood on my trembling legs in the dentist's reception area thanking all deities that I had my crutches to stop me landing in an undignified heap on the floor in front of the others there.
I had to have two capsules of the freeze injected before the tooth was successfully extracted, it's roots had a hook on one of them causing the difficulty the dentist experienced trying to remove it, and still have the pain and discomfort while my gum fully heals and hardens up enough to chew on again.
Yup, it's right where I would usually chew food, so I am chewing on one side of my mouth only so that makes my jaw sorer and I'm not eating and drinking as much.
Well, I need to loose some weight, so no loss there. Excuse the pun.
I am currently waiting in for the Occupational Therapist to drop off the stool and bed rail/grip that she said she would come with today. No sign so far and no call to say she isn't coming or can't come today.
I only hope I haven't stayed in and not went about our usual Monday shopping for no reason at all. My father has went out and will pick up essentials and luckily we have some tinned food we can fall back on for our meals today but if she doesn't turn up today we can't stay in all day tomorrow on the off chance she does come then as Tuesdays/Thursdays we have my youngest nephew and he has nursery in the afternoons and as the only driver in our house I am needed to take him into school tomorrow regardless of other factors.
We expected her around 11am which was the time she came on Thursday past, or at least we hoped she'd call to confirm a time today when she would arrive. But not a peep since she left on Thursday.
My brother is disgusted I was told I needed a split-level shower - which he says is basically a walk in shower like he has in his on suite bathroom - due to the degeneration of my disability but they don't put them into upstairs bathrooms. Something several neighbours in our street say is rubbish, the woman around the corner got offered one in her upstairs bathroom just before Christmas but refused because her son lives with her and needs the bath for his back problem so removing it entirely isn't feasible.
My brother asked if she said why this type of shower isn't put into upstairs bathroom, how it's different from a walk in shower which has been put in many upstairs baths. But I was that shocked when first she agreed a needed a different type of shower for my advancing disability but they didn't put them into upstairs baths. I was so shocked I never thought to ask.
I was doubling shocked with her solutions to my problem:
- She could bring me a bigger bath seat for my current over-bath shower. Wouldn't help as I can't get into the bath to use the shower so a bigger seat wouldn't make a single bit of difference as I would still be unable to get into the tub itself to use said seat or the shower itself. She agreed with that at least.
- Asked if I was considering moving house any-time soon, to a flat with a downstairs bath I assume, but as we waited years to be rehoused here from our previous split level flat that's a no. Also I can't expect me elderly parents to move from the type of house and the very area they've been trying to get housed in for over 40 years just because of the bath being upstairs. Which it is in the majority of council houses in our town anyway.
- Applying for planning permission from the council to put in this shower. But she couldn't say if she thought I had a hope of this happening and I know from my brother's experience that applying for planning permission is expensive and we couldn't afford it. We would literally have to get a loan to pay for applying alone which could be wasted if there is no hope of them agreeing. Not a feasible option either.
So not a good outcome at all. While I greatly will appreciate both the stool and the hand rail as I really need them my biggest problem was my shower. It's great she agrees with my OT @ the hospital who referred her to me but the OT @ the hospital saw no problem getting a walk-in shower installed so I don't know how a 'split-level' shower differs as I can't find any info on them online. Only level showers which are basically another way of saying walk-in shower. Both of which are installed easily in upstairs baths and have been done in many houses in our area in the past.
But enough rambling on about that, I only depress myself more as I look forward to a future of hand washing my body in a bowl of tepid water once again. No difference, it's what I'm doing presently anyway.
Biggest stupid statement she was her idea, "why don't you get someone to help you in/out the shower instead?". Like I hadn't thought of that already. In fact that's what I was doing before it became impossible to get me into said bath. How stupid does she really think I am? Would I be struggling with washing myself my hand like some-one in Regency Britain if the answer had been that simple.
I know I suffer from memory problems and fibro-fog but I assure you that the brain cells I still have are functioning enough for me to have thought of that idea long long ago. It was the way she said it to me, with so much condescension to be honest. Like have you thought of that?!
Sorry it sort of ticked me off, especially the way she said it to me and looked at me while saying it. There I was standing gripping my crutches as I weaved to and fro like a boxer that had been punched in the head once too often recently. Having watched me struggle up the stairs on my two crutches she had to know I was weaving from exhaustion and pain not impairment from another corner.
Sorry, rambling again.
I'll sign off here before I irritate myself even more. Goodbye for now from (in)patiently waiting for OT arrival!
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