Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Wednesday evening.


Well, here I am again. As faithful as the sunset every day. I rarely let a day go by without posting, do I? It's an ingrained habit that is hard to shed and I wouldn't very quickly give it up, unless I felt pretty bad, and I don't now. There are moments in the day that I do, but they are moments and not long periods. Little mini funks.

I hardly slept last night. After initially falling asleep on the sofa, I woke up again around midnight and stayed up until 4 AM, not realizing that I had forgotten to take my medicines until much later than usual. That was part of the problem. I was also a little bit wound up about the coming day, because I was going to ergo therapy and I had something to share there.

The alarm clock woke me up at 7 AM with much reluctance on my part, because I was trying very hard to ignore it, but it just kept on beeping and it wouldn't stop. I took my sweet old time to drink my coffee and have my cigarettes, about 45 minutes and then I had to rush to get ready. I did everything in a hurry, as far as that was possible, but I can't rush the dog when I take him out. He doesn't do his business on command, so I have to be patient.

Just as I was getting ready to leave, my very old neighbors asked me to set their digital thermostat for them, because they still have not figured out how it works and various family members come and mess around with it. This time it was turned down to 10 degrees Celsius. What are these people thinking? I showed them how it works and hope they understand it now, but I don't think so.

I got to ergo therapy on time to have a cup of espresso in the smoking room and be early morning moody with everybody else. Some days are just like that and I am not much of a talker anyway, so that doesn't stimulate things either. I should have a good joke to tell.

At ergo therapy I immediately took the opportunity to say how much it bothered me to be told that my time was going to be up without being told when and that it spoiled all my pleasure of coming there and that I would rather know a date than be left dangling in the unknown like this. The therapist tried to play the ball back into my court by asking me why that made me so insecure, but I insisted on not being told anymore that my time was running out without being told a date, because otherwise I was just going to quit.

I told her, that the next time we have an evaluation in May, with my SPN, we could discuss it and then pick an ending date if we all decided that my time was up and that was all I wanted to hear about it. Luckily, I got support from the group, none of whom wanted to be told that their time was running out.

I think I have made myself clear enough now and I realize that I am the victim of the government's cutbacks who want all people in short term treatments that are supposed to last 6 months and then whatever ails them is supposed to be cured, whether or not that is true. It's a new policy, whereas before people could take all the time they needed. Two years if they wanted to. Now, out you go into the real world, ready or not, and you can't come back until another six months have gone by, should you need to, and go on a waiting list first.

This present government is one of the worst we've had when it comes to taking the care out of care and privatizing medical institutions, amongst other things. And we're finding out that there is a lot of mismanagement and that top salaries and big bonuses are paid to people who fail at their jobs as caretakers and managers. It's a big scandal and we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg. I'm all for turning things around the way they were and as quickly as possible. Well, I don't have to tell you that. Some things don't belong in the free market. Hey, I'm a Western European socialist.

Anyway, this socialist went shopping at the yuppie supermarket this afternoon, but I shop there because it is close to my house and they have the largest variety of products. I do want choice when I shop and if I have to pay 5 cents more, I don't really care. I can't get the dog and cat food I want at the other supermarket, nor can I find the milk that I want. There are cheap supermarkets where you can shop, but I am not going to nickel and dime everything to death and ride my bike all over the place. My shopping list is too simple for that.

I have the Überhund's diet all figured out now. He gets Butcher's in the morning, which is all natural meat and in the evening he gets a small bowl of little chunks of Frolic. He likes eating them, because he enjoys chewing them. He sort of slurps them up like an elephant would slurp up a dish of water. He vacuums them out of his dish and likes them.

He is so funny when he starts to eat, because he stares at the dish and then at me and then at the dish again, as if he tries to figure out if I'm playing a joke on him. He starts to eat very nonchalantly, as if he really doesn't care, but soon his taste buds open wide and all the food disappears. It makes me very happy to see him enjoy his food. It means I bought the right stuff. Now I just need to see some weight loss.

I don't think his eye is ever going to be okay again. I am applying the ointment and it isn't getting worse, but I see no real improvement. I lifted his eye lid and had a real good look tonight and it is still red and swollen. It's like we say here, mopping the floors with the faucet turned on.

Well now, I suppose that's it for me for tonight. I am going to get comfortable and lazy and watch TV.

Have a good evening everyone. I feel sleep overtaking me.

Ciao...

10 comments:

Maggie May said...

Pleased you brought up your fear of being told to leave at the Ergo therapy. And you see, everyone else has the same fear.
It is the same in our country too. Cut backs & privatization. Not a good thing. People are just numbers these days and feelings don't come into it.
Hope you sleep well tonight, Irene.X

Grit said...

you are right irene; you should be fully part of the decision making process based on what you need. i shall wave some flags for you from over here.

Catherine said...

this made me think you were writing about the Irish health system which is cutback central and patient care is suffering from it. So I can empathise with you and I am a card-carrying Socialist, against all the privatisation of health care that is creeping in. The core services like home support will be first hit even though they are the most economical and cost-effective, but they are also the cinderella services, rarely seen and unglamorous low-tech stuff, like home help. I work in the public community sector so I know it in-depth.
By the way thanks for your comment on the entitlement of the Anglo-Irish(West Brit) aristocracy, I responded in the post below it on my blogpost comments if you want to see it, if you haven't already done so.
All the best with your health and lobby like mad to keep the therapies that you need. People power on the streets will show the government they cannot ride over people.

Maureen said...

Good for you for speaking out and airing your feelings!

I loved your description of the Uberhund's eating habits... I can just picture him.

Sleep well!

Mad Man Writing said...

FTW. Don't let the B's grind you down. Hope you catch up with the sleep and say Hi to Uberhund from
my two pooches - they're great fans of Uberhund! ;-)

Take Care & Stay Strong.
HYSTM

Jeannette StG said...

Wow, it sounds like the year of exposure of greedy people - across the globe! Hope by the time your therapy stops, you have gotten used to the idea. The thing in Holl. is that prvate counseling centers are hard to find. Her in L.A. we have too many, LOL
good chatting with you:)

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

I don't understand the sense in cutting back services such as these! They are clearly good for you and your overall well-being! Here they've just decided that a 6 week course of free phsyio for those injured shall become a thing of the past. makes no sense for otherwise healthy people to not be able to work because they can't afford the physio...

You sound otherwise well which I am pleased about! I enjoy your visits:) thankyou! you are much better at the visitng bit than I am...

Hope this publishes!

among found objects said...

No post today? Hope your day was lovely.

Wisewebwoman said...

Creeping corporatocracy is everywhere Irene, we have to fight it. They love to privatize and drum down the already beaten and make another buck. It enrages me. All the public wealth has vanished into the pockets of our overlords. It is despicable.
You got me started, sorry.
Good on you for standing up to your overlords today.
Attagirl!
XO
WWW

John M. Mora said...

I need a yuppie cup of coffee right now - we all overslept and I am on a later train - less crowded.

Tonight wife and kids go to the circus so I get to clown around alone until round midnight.

Take care, my friend.