Hey, I Think There's Something On Your Nose!?

Thursday, 7 September 2006

After work, fed Dad lunch and then took him to Queen's Hospital. Donning my mask, you might not have been able to tell which one the admitting patient was, but when we rolled up to the valet (I had no idea hospitals had valet parking...shows you how often I go to the hospital) and then to the Speech Therapist's office, they recognized that I must have a cold. Dad said I didn't have to wear the mask while I was driving, but I figured if we were breathing the same air, I might as well use it, even if I did feel like a SARS patient.

Bernice met us there, and we were all trained on how to use Dad's new communication devices....a.k.a. brand new Inspiron Dell notebook with silver dots on the nose. Yes, my father has to put a silver dot on his nose, and then his nose becomes the mouse. Several neck spasms later, he is learning how to navigate the keyboard and computer using his nose. With this device, he will be able to surf the internet, write documents, and check email. The speech therapist told us that some patients with ALS and cerebral palsy have written their Master's Thesis and given speeches with devices like this. I told Dad he better watch out or I'll color the dot red. And we joked about how often we'll have to exfoliate and clean his face with astringent as the dot doesn't stick well to oily, greasy skin.

After loading our new devices in the car (we got a new rolling table too - the kind that you have in hospital rooms), along with Dad and the wheelchair, I was more than breaking a sweat. But, all in a hard day's work. Off to the florist's we went to buy some flowers for my stepmom, and when we got home, I had to search for his wedding band to see exactly what anniversary this was. After looking at the inscription, I discovered that today makes it their 4th wedding anniversary. I wrote the message on the card for Dad, set the roses in the kitchen, just in time for Bernie to come home from work early (so I didn't need to bathe Dad.).

Since I skipped yoga yesterday, I wanted to try and go tonight. I put myself in the back row to "take it easy" but found myself challenging myself through the entire 90 minutes, as my body seemed fine. It was a great class, and our teacher Fiona reminded us that it's good to come at the start of a cold. Glad I didn't miss it. Caught up on the phone with some friends and did some work before I turned in for the evening.