Bright Ideas

I have just completed a three week medically imposed restriction from my wheelchair and days in my bed. I had two problems: A return of jaw pain and an open pressure sore on my bottom.

Let’s tackle the jaw pain first. I had slowly been reducing pain medicine since the May 11 radiological treatment of jaw pain. One pain reliever requires abstinence from alcohol. In my case, that means wine.

The last Monday of every month during the school year is book club where conversations about books are accompanied with snacks and wine. I was planning to have eliminated the painkiller from my diet, so I could enjoy a small glass of wine with the group.

It isn’t happening, not now, not ever. I’ll be drinking sparkling grape juice with the grandkids, or I’ll stick with water, my favorite drink. There’s nothing better than Ekalaka water.

The second problem was an open pressure sore on my bottom. It came about from too much air in my wheelchair seat cushion. My skin is thin, and the extra firm seat cushion caused a pressure sore on my bottom as I changed position and stretched the skin. The skin wasn’t that flexible. The PA ordered me to bed.

With a Tempur-Pedic mattress, the bed was comfortable, and days and nights were very pleasant. I became accustomed to listening without seeing news and baseball games.

To help the sore heal, we eliminated those range of motion exercises that stretched the skin over the sore: leg lifts and knees to chest. Recently we received approval from our daughter, the nurse, to spend two-hour respites in the chair (enough time to type out a short Bright Idea, and here it is).

The sore isn’t completely healed but headed that way. See you next week.