3/19/24

 Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Spring equinox

In bed at 10, moved to the LZB at 11, moved to the BL at midnight, a 1:45 PS took me back to the LZB, 3:05 PS took me onto the bed, but at  3:25, shoulder pain sent me back to the BL.  5 a.m. temperature is 30°, wind chill of 18°, high of 49°.  The wind is SW at 18 mph, 10-20/36.  Sunrise at 6:55 at 90°E, sunset at 7:03 at 271W, 12+7.  Solar noon at 12:57 p.m., altitude 47°.    

Pain, etc.  I applied Diclofenac before bedtime and took 2 extra-strength Tylenol.  The shoulder pain was moderate during the night and my sleeplessness may have been more insomnia-related than pain-related.  At 7:45 this morning, the resting pain was not bad, but my ROM was very limited so I took 2 more extra strength Tylenol, hoping to deal with my post-bleed suppository and the initial set of PT stretches later this morning.  I took a photo of my leg ulcer which has been supporating and will send it to Dr. Chatt as instructed by Kim.  I'll also ask about a referral to the Geriatric Clinic. . .  Dr. Chatt confirmed the sore is a leg ulcer and referred me to the Wound Care Clinic and to the Geriatric Clinic.  

I'm grateful for my solitude time early in the morning, even though I know I am getting entirely too much of it in recent months.  I'm lonely when Geri is out of town and especially lonely when both she and Lilly are away, but not during the long predawn hours I spend reading and writing. Some mornings I light my votive candle and meditate a bit.  Our good friend Janine told me after her mother died and while her father was still among us that she worried about him because 'they did everything together.'  Of course, that was something of an overstatement, but I'm sure that generally it was true.  They had married young after WW II and were blessed with a long, fruitful, happy life together until the mother died.  How different Geri and I are, having both been married and divorced before our marriage in middle age, each of us with 2 children.  We spend most of our days engaged in individual pursuits, she with her reading, knitting, studying stuff on her iPad, organizing, planning, conversing with family and friends on the phone, walking, etc., and I reading, writing, 'tending my wounds,' painting (except for the last couple of months😟), and little else.  We may watch some news programming around lunchtime but generally don't watch TV together until dinnertime and in the evening.  Geri tends to our agéd Lilly much more than I do and I am immensely grateful for how lovingly she cares for all of Lilly's needs, including her medical needs.  Geri also does all the preparation of evening meals and I do the clean-up, although recently she has undertaken some of the clean-up herself when I am particularly hobbled by arthritis and/or shoulder pain.  When the weather warms up, she takes care of all the gardening and outdoor tasks, which can be considerable.  I am so aware of the fact that the only reason I am able to live in this wonderful house is because Geri takes care of most that needs to be taken care of.  I love her dearly and am sorry that I contribute so much less to our daily lives than she does.

I'm becoming a Night Creature, living monk hours but without the prayers or chants.  I have 'sleep sounds' playing softly on the bedroom tv and on the Samsung.  Why am I not tired and sleepy at midnight?  Am I becoming like Kitty, a real insomniac?  . . . I dozed for a while then got up again at 1:45 for a PS, and dozed again on the LZB till 3;05 when I tried to lie on the bed and sleep, but shoulder pain had me up and back in the TV room at 3:25.  At 4:40, I'm cooking a pot of steel cut oatmeal.  By 6ish, I dozed off again and slept until 7:45 when Geri got up.  Today I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open and am half brain dead.