Frump to Fab - Summer Solstice Sizzler

LameWolf

GWS, Sparkles.

For WW and anyone else who's interested, here's Lucy:
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/LameWolf/?action=view&current=25bf52b8.mp4

lessonlearned

Grrrrrrrrrr :mad::mad::mad:

Whatever you do before you get sick make sure you have plenty of money. As Aunty S always said don't rely on the state to help you. When you need them they won't be there.

I have been trying to get an adult support chair for OH - you would think I was asking for the moon. I freely admit they don't come cheap - £2/3K but dammit he needs this.

I have been on the phone all morning and have got nowhere.........

OH desperately needs one of these - to help with his breathing problems - he needs proper support because the muscles in his torso no longer work properly. He needs to be seated at an angle so that his chest can relax and expand properly so that his lungs can do what they are supposed to.

Will they cough up (sorry for the pun) the money - will they bu**ery. They just want to pass the buck.

I can see me forking out .............again - just like I did with the stairlift and the advance payment for his wheelchair accessible vehicle, not to mention all the other bits and bobs over the years.

Yes I might eventually get a chair which is a half-hearted gesture but which doesn't really fulfil it's function because they will do it on the cheap - if I do constant battle and wait for at least a year - by which time OH will have had several chest infections and his lungs will have been destroyed. Or, if they wait long enough, he'll die and won't need it anyway.

I'll do what I always do - slap it on the credit card and worry about finding the money later.

Actually I know I can speak to our families and they will have a whip round but really why should this be necessary.???

Rant over - am going to pop into the new disability shop and see if I can hire a recliner chair as a temporary measure. It's not the best chair for him but it will help for now.

I've asked the nursing home if they have any spare recliners we can borrow - of course not - they are strapped for cash too. Most of the furniture they have is dropping to bits.

We're all in this together.:rotfl:

maman

lessonlearned wrote: »

Grrrrrrrrrr :mad::mad::mad:

We're all in this together.:rotfl:

This will be a short post otherwise will become a political rant. Sending you a hug LL. People say that Mr Arrogant Posh Boy understands ordinary people because he had a disabled son and used the NHS. That may be so but do you imagine he needed to be phoning around all over the place trying to get essential equipment!!

Lucy's lovely LW, I didn't expect moving pictures. And I'm sure I saw some sun in your garden!!!

Bitsy_Beans

LW Lucy is adorable

have a hug LL xxxxx rant away as you need to.

esmy

LL, I'm not sure how specialist the chair you want is but is there anything here that would be of use to OH? There are a couple of electric reclining chairs in the sale....
http://www.jamesspencer.co.uk/

WelshWoofer

LW - Lucy looks gorgeous, lovely shiny coat and all happy and bouncing. My dog does exactly the same thing and terrorises his chews before actually eating them!

LL - I won't get started on the government and disability etc as I won't stop but you have my sympathy.

Sparkles - hope you're still feeling a bit better and it wasn't false hope?

Well, its the weekend and a long one at that:T Its been a long old slog this week but I survived it unscathed(ish).
Looking forward to a bit of "down time" although the weather already doesn't look like its going to play fair.:(
I've posted a book I sold on ebay today and actually ended up reading it for free - I sold it for the same amount as I bought it new - the cash will go on the credit card - only £8 but it will hopefully all add up.
I need to be a bit more careful with my cash this month as all of teh redecoration and extra jaunts out have put some strain on the old finances. I'm going to sit down and do a budget later on and really try to be a bit more frugal - I'm not overdrawn but a few things have gone on the CC and will have to be paid off soon.
Luckily most of the social things in May have already been paid for so I don't have an excuse to not try!
May outings are....

• Curry night tomorrow (paid for)
• Dog walk on Monday (free apart from petrol)
• Local theatre (Three Tall Women) (paid for and actually getting £6 back as we booked as a group)
• Fat Brenda play (paid for on CC so needs to be paid for)
• Rhod Gilbert live (paid for ages ago but will cost petrol etc)
• Comedy night in local club (£3 a ticket and the cost of a few drinks)

That seems like quite a lot of things to do doesn't it? Hadn't thought about it before - I've gone from virtual hermit to social butterfly!

lessonlearned

esmy wrote: »

LL, I'm not sure how specialist the chair you want is but is there anything here that would be of use to OH? There are a couple of electric reclining chairs in the sale....
http://www.jamesspencer.co.uk/

Esme - thank you so much for that.

I will telephone the company next week and have a chat. I will also get a brochure. I have arranged for an assessment with the Occupational Therapist so I'll get her to have a look and see what she thinks. They are certainly much cheaper - it's just whether or not they are suitable in the longer term. At the moment they may well be but as his muscles continue to weaken - who knows.

Obviously it's hard to tell from a picture so I will see if they have a local stockist and if they do demos.

The one I've seen is the "Rolls Royce" of chairs with special memory foam type filling to stop pressure sores etc. Also it would be custom made to his exact specification. A lot of equipment currently available seems to be for shorter people and if like OH you are 6ft or so it can be quite difficult getting the right sizes. Again another sign of the NHS not being up to date enough. Younger generations are taller than our parents and grandparents were.

We also need to try and plan ahead and find a chair that will meet his future needs too.

The OT did mention a couple of companies this morning which I've already googled but they didn't have prices. I've been talking to Mediquip today and they might be able to help with a loan chair but again not for the long term.

The OT tells me that SS won't fund this chair because OH is in a nursing home and that he is now out of their jurisdiction. The nursing home is supposedly liable for funding equipment.

However, SS are part-funding OH nursing home fees, together with our own top-up. Therefore the nursing home is not going to have spare funds for expensive equipment because they will have to accept SS rates - which do not really meet their full costs.

As I said constant buck passing and we just go round and round in circles. If OH qualified for "Continuing Care" then everything would be funded by the PCT - that's the law.

However, you have to be virtually at death's door to qualify for "Continuing Care" by which time you would be completely bedridden and seating equipment wouldn't be required anyway;)

Talk about a "Kafkaesque Nightmare".

Mark my words - we'll end up self funding as usual.

Anyway sorry to waffle on - I did make an effort for Fab Friday. I hadn't intended to visit OH today but decided I would so that I could keep him appraised of the situation.

I always like to "doll up" a bit for him.:)

esmy

Hope it was helpful LL. I pass the company every day on my way to work and they do seem to have a kind of showroom on the premises.

WelshWoofer

Morning ladies!
I hope we're all well this morning?
I'm up and waiting for the delivery man who is supposed to be coming between 7.30 and 10.30am...

The phone has just rung as I typed and they'll be here within 30 mins - that's a good service! At least I won't be waiting in all day for them.
When the furniture arrives I'll be putting it into the right places and doing a good clean. Then it will be a trip around the food shops and all of the normal weekend chores out of the way by lunchtime. I'm out tonight so will need to do a big dog walk this afternoon to tire him out - won't do me any harm to walk off some of the curry I'll be eating later either.:rotfl:

dannie

Hello folks,

I have not posted for awhile as I am really finding the "frump" to "fab" a difficult task. However, sometimes from reading your posts (thanks) and thinking about what is "uplifting," I obtain clues. Today will try and motivate myself to go out for awhile as I always feel better afterwards. Good Luck with your day etc.