My wife told me that she had one item on her bucket list; to spend one more night with me at our home.
She has been in high dependency care for the last 9 years, essentially paraplegic after a fall. Yep, trip over a piece of carpet and bang your head and...... life stops.
It takes three people to safely move her, she has a large automated wheelchair, requires lifting machines to transfer her and of course all of the the associated physical issues.
I had my throat removed 2 years ago due to laryngeal cancer. I sort of speak using a valve, it doesn't always work, and I often can't be bothered to speak - I don't enjoy speaking.
We can do this.
I had a lifting machine from before she had to go into care but - the wheelchair and the lifter wouldn't fit into the bedroom - easy says I (In my head, I talk a lot in my head) - I will move the bed into the lounge, move the furniture out of there and a done deal. Easy ! Off we go and move the lounge furniture, the floor is tiled so no problem and we move it all ok.
Time to move the bed. It is a Queen sized bed wth a full wooden frame that I have had for 40 years and built like....
I'll take the mattress off first. I remember the men who brought it in, I fancied one of them! They had muscles and tight shorts and ... I can't lift the mattress, no actually it isn't that I can't lift the mattress, I can't move the mattress.
No problem. Pure physics, move the centre of gravity, tip and then use the inertia to allow controlled movement.
I get the mattress half way of the bed. How will I move it? Friction we think is our enemy and friend. The next door neighbour leaves his skateboard out all the time, ideal. Skateboard is borrowed {Need any help? No, I sign all is ok!}.
When you tip a mattress onto a skateboard the issues are three fold. I recall them from basic vector equations. I do the calculations in my head as I watch the mattress fall onto the floor. Yep, I forgot gravity and inertia.
Not a problem. I eventually get a corner on the skateboard and push, easy and I didn't need that wall-hanging anyway, place needs painting anyhow, Oh that door? Never used it. We make it to the lounge.
That was easy.
Now for the bed frame It undoes with an Allen key. Except that someone (I ponder who) decided to put coach bolts through the frame in order to reinforce the Allen key bolts. I decide testosterone must have played a part.
Ahh Ha we thinks. I have all of 'his' old tools (well most
) So Spanners and stuff and extension bars and ... you know that muscle loss is quite amazing after 10 years on E .. however I get the thing apart and rebuilt in the lounge.
I collect her. She is so excited!. The first time to spend a night in her home in 9 years!
We have lovely food - home cooked of course!
The carers come in and go as needed (I had professional carers come in to help move and assist etc I also had emergency numbers that would respond if I could not speak)
We lay on the bed, we could see the moon drift across the garden, she could hear the neighbours dog bark, (I realise that my hearing is totally destroyed as I didn't know they had a dog)
I held her hand and she held mine.
We watched the stars twinkle in the sky, the moon light cast its shadow.
I tried to tell her that I love her...my valve failed but it didn't matter - she and I know.
We slept as only those who know what love is.
Cindy
