Incontinence bedpads

An earlier post (16/12/15) discusses incontinence pads and pants. But as even the best of these are by no means foolproof, many people also use washable or disposable bedpads which can go between sheets and the bed user. These are often referred to as 'Kylies' (actually a brand name). I used to use washable ones until I found disposables that do a very good job of keeping sheets dry and have 'wings' which help to keep them in place. They are Attends Cover-Dri Plus 80 x 170cm and they come in packs of 30. Prices vary so you need to shop around online. I think they are good value, bearing in mind that you will be spending money every time you wash and dry a washable Kylie. Attends and other firms make various sizes of disposable pads but these are the only ones I've found that stay in place (because of the wings).

What kind of fits?

I haven't blogged much recently. I seem to be spending more time checking up on S when I'm alone here and she is resting or sleeping. When the PAs are here, I still spend a lot of time with S.

I'm still very concerned about the 'seizures/fits', particularly their length and apparently increasing frequency. This morning I've found this very interesting website which seems to describe every known type of seizure:

http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-seizures

What happens to S doesn't come close to matching any of the detailed descriptions on this site. Also, I haven't searched exhaustively but all the duration times mentioned are much less than the 10-12 minutes which S's events seem to have lasted, though as the event seems to gradually morph into very deep sleep it's difficult to be sure. It's all very perplexing.

Another thing I've picked up from the site is the possibility that Omega 3/oily fish may help reduce the number and duration of seizures. This may be worth trying even bearing in mind the possibility that these are not epileptic seizures

Fit number 5

S had another fit today - the fifth, I think. This time I hadn't even got her up. I was upstairs on the exercise bike and I always have the baby monitor attached to the handlebars. I was suddenly aware that S was making the horrible gargling which I now know means 'fit'. Straight downstairs and no doubt about it. As I have her sleeping in what is just about the recovery position there wasn't much to be done. I felt a little calmer than the last time but it's always horrible being on your own. I tried a few calls to people who might have been available. The first few weren't, but eventually I had a friend, a Carer/PA who was due later and came straight round and S's daughter plus husband and kids. By the time the first of them arrived, things were definitely on the mend and S was in a deep sleep. Every so often there was a bit of drool from her mouth including a faint trace of blood which I reckon was probably because she'd bitten her tongue slightly. After about 12 minutes I gave her the Buccolam spray (prescribed sedative) but not the whole syringe full as she coughed a bit as I squirted it onto her inner cheek.

Don't know how long she slept but she had her first drink not much later than she usually has it (around 10 a.m.) followed by pretty much normal breakfast.

S's daughter and family stayed right into early p.m. and daughter has said to call her straight away if there are any further problems.

There's been some progress in dealing with the fits in a way. After each of the first two we spent most of the day at A & E and weren't much the wiser after all the testing. Following fit 3 we phoned the surgery as the GP had suggested and he came round shortly after. During fit 4 we were able to talk to him on the phone. This time we couldn't even do that because of the weekend but I'm not really worried. Hopefully, we'll have 3 or 4 months before the next one.

Anniversary of the first fit

A year ago yesterday S had her first fit. I've just looked back at what I wrote during the first few days after the fit and I sound pretty hopeful that S would walk again. Several thoughts occur to me about this now. One is that if we had not been so let down by physios she could have managed to walk again - after a fashion and never without support. But I also see now that her walking was becoming more and more erratic in the weeks leading up to the fit and it's very likely that, even without the fit, we would probably have been in a a very similar situation regarding walking as we are now. In fact, S can take a few paces with support and we get her doing this at least once a week She is always keen to do it and I'm sure it does her good in a number of ways. It also makes me think that, in the event of a fire, we could stagger to and out of the front door which is only a couple of metres from the bedroom door.

I also realise that had we not had the crisis a year ago we may have struggled on with the fairly modest level of help we had (6 hours a week) for much longer and that situation could easily have led to more potentially serious falls. It's also unlikely that we would ever have met the wonderful carer K and our other very good carer who have made such a difference to both our lives. And, of course, it's quite possible that, although we would have had to get more help eventually we would not now have nearly as much as we do.

Finally, it's important for me to keep reminding myself that S is not essentially different from how she was just before the fit a year ago and she is actually better cared for now than she was then.