Bed Turnover

I spent most of my day today sleeping. Certainly there was the morning routine, where Kathy got my up at 11:00 AM for ablutions, a shower, and dressing. Then, of course, there were exercises, something which always leaves me worn out. I ate my sandwiches, my regular Monday treat. Then, as Kathy left, I parked myself in front of my window, drifting off almost immediately.

When the wheelchair repairman came, I slept through most of that, actually engaging in sleep based conversation, invoking him in parts of my dreams. Once he left, at about 2:30 PM, I settlted into deep slumber until 4:30 PM, when Kabari came to check my catheter bag and to ensure I had taken my pills. After she left, I slept a bit more, finally becoming active, yet still tired, at about 5:00 PM.

For the last hour and a half, I have been putting together a proposal to AISH, the Albertat Assured Income for the Severly Handicapped, to purchase an adjustable bed for me. This would be a queen sized adjustable bed, as opposed to a standard sized hospital bed. I've spend a lot of time in the standard hospital beds. They are built for standard sized people, with an average height of 5' 10" and an average width of skinny. I am neither.

The biggest problem for me in the standard hospital bed is that I cannot roll over. I have to be yanked to one side of the bed, then tilted into a rolled over position. This requires third party assistance. It also means I have to wake up completely, call for help, wait until they get there, then try and get back to sleep. Even with a live-in, this is an unsettling process. Better that I have the right bed.

In some ways doing the proposal was fun. I got to used some of my business skills, including price researching, gathering proposals from vendors, and putting together the written proposal. I enjoyed doing it. Now all I have to hope for is that AISH will approve it, and I will get a bed that will sit me up. Otherwise I will have to go with a hospital bed, most likely on loan from the ALS Society. Then it will be a constant battle against pressure sores, because I can't turn over in those beds.