Medications, etc

I took Mary to the doctor hm, when was it? Last week? Time seems so inconsequential; it’s hard for me to remember. Anyway, she just needed to have her blood work checked. Dr R says the itching of her underarms is just dry skin and to put Elidel on it, which we’ve been doing, but it doesn’t seem to help. Maybe I’ll try the cortisol cream again. The doctor was very concerned about her toes and wants her to go to a podiatrist to see about getting shoes fitted specifically for her. The doctor’s office is really kind and arranges an appointment for us, but they wanted to send us to Dr Myka (sp?) again and I asked for a different doctor because he already saw Mary and didn’t take her toes seriously—and at that time they were much worse! Luckily the doc’s office understood. They also arranged for Mary to see an ear doctor to see about getting a hearing aid. I’m really curious to see if she needs one. I’m pretty sure she does. I hope she’ll be pleasantly surprised at being able to hear again. Oh, and Dr R wants us to keep the nebulizer with compressor in case Mary starts coughing again. Oddly enough, Mary seemed to have coughed all night long last night. I got up several times to give her some water but eventually fell asleep. I never know what to do. Should I have given her a Coricidin? I hate to give her more pills; she takes so many already. If you ask her if she’s ok, she says she is.

I also took her to the dentist. I was rather nervous because back in August they said she was maybe getting some cavities and I knew we hadn’t been brushing enough back in the fall and winter. They said (again) that they really wanted her to use Prevident, a really strong fluoride rinse that requires a prescription. I agreed this time. They didn’t really give me any choice. I haven’t agreed in the past because it costs $15 a bottle, but, get this, with Mary’s insurance it’s $5 (although I think that may be going up since it’s a brand name product, not generic). But I can’t believe it—the dentist wants her to use it four times a day! That wouldn’t be so bad except that she can’t have anything to eat or drink for half an hour after she swishes with it. It’s a major annoyance because Mary likes to string out her cup of coffee after meals. I just can’t remember to keep on her butt to finish her coffee and then go and get this Prevident out of the bathroom. I’ve thought about keeping some in a bottle in the kitchen, but there’s still the issue with the coffee. Then there’s the problem with making sure she has somewhere to spit it out. It’s all just such a bother! I have problems making sure she gets her teeth brushed, so how can I deal with this? That’s on top of her pills and breathing and toes, which I’m supposed to wash with soap (only Dove white) and water twice a day! I’ve decided to bump her showers up to three times a week. I’ll do her Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and I’ll take mine Tuesday, Thursday and either Saturday or Sunday. Also, Dr R says I should rub her all over with Vaseline after her shower just like I was going to pop her in the oven and bake her, like you do a baby. Hmph. I’ve never had a baby. Have you ever tried rubbing Vaseline all over somebody? Lotion is easier. I tried baby oil, but it didn’t stay on all day like the Vaseline. Luckily Mary doesn’t mind. I’d feel all goopy. The thing is that her skin is so dry and lotion has alcohol in it. I think as you get older your skin doesn’t produce as much oil.

Mary and I made some cookies this evening. She said she wasn’t interested in helping but I got her to do the sifting and then the squashing with a fork. They’re called Afghans and I got the recipe from a friend from New Zealand. They’re chocolate and have crushed corn flakes in them. They’re good—not too sweet. It’s just butter, flour, baking powder, sugar and cocoa.

Mary called Angie today. All by herself. I asked her this morning if she wanted to go visit Angie, but she said she didn’t care, so we didn’t go. I was sort of eavesdropping and I think Angie said she didn’t feel good. That’s a shame considering the weather was so beautiful. Neither she nor Anna have called her since, you know, the incident.