Cloaked

I have no recollection of doing it, but I am old, and, perhaps, my memory isn't what it what was. Whatever the case, I have, somehow and apparently, donned my invisibility cloak. I have written about my invisibility problem more than once, but throughout my life, I have managed to get lost from plain view.

This time it has to do with catheters and the obtaining of such devices.

After I was shown how to apply an intermittent, self-care catheter, I was discharged from the roster immediately and forthwith. 

On the discharge occasion, I did tell the nurse that were were having trouble sourcing them. She assured us that she was about to see a long-standing, catheter-using client on that very day. She would note his supplier and get back to us.

Meanwhile, she had left us with the two-week supply of freebies, and then we were also able to purchase some at a local IDA pharmacy.

It was going well . . . until it wasn't.

Suddenly, I was finding it harder to insert the catheter. Then, once inserted, it was becoming more aggravating going in and out. It was also sometimes leaking around the outside rather than all fluid running through the tube. Fortunately, I was still able to direct the discharge into the commode, but the situation wasn't quite right.

Is this TMI for you poor souls? If you've made it this far, rest assured that the rest isn't quite so personal.

When I explained my difficulties to Sue, she discovered that we had run out of the original devices that we had been given and were now using the ones that we had purchased from the pharmacy. Clearly, they were not working as well as the others for me.

We began looking around for another supplier, but I soon became aware that I had, somehow, once again, cloaked myself in invisibility.

1. The nurse never called back with a supplier link. After the two week supply was gone, I was left on my own to. somehow, get on with the rest of my invisible life. 
   
   
2. I did call the nursing agency for assistance and left a message. I wasn't looking for much, maybe a phone call and a link. My invisibility cloak held firm; they did not call back. I guess a discharge is a discharge is a discharge and picking up a phoine would violate protocol in some way.
   
   
3. We found two suppliers online. They both indicated on their websites that they would send us a few free trial catheters. This seemed good to us because we did want to make sure that we would get ones that worked for me before we were to purchase them in bulk. Keep in mind that we did not beg for free trial catheters; the offer was displayed on their websites for all to see.
   
   
4. I filled out a questionnaire for one of the sites. When I was done, a notice came up that they would call me. That was three days ago. The only ringing has been in my tinnitus-plagued ears.
   
   
5. Sue telephoned the other supplier. She talked to a nice lady for a considerable time. They promised to  Fed Ex several types of catheters for me to try. It's three days later. Fed Ex must have lost the Ex part.
   
   
6. We drove into Smiths Falls to visit what we knew from previous experience was a good and helpful medical supplier. The mall had changed but their signs were up. We walked around the building looking for the door. We did not find the door. After some enquiries at an adjacent shop, we were told that they were out of business.
   
   
7. But they also told us that there was a new supplier in downtown Smiths Falls. We drove to the store but discovered that they did not have any catheters in stock.  Their Perth outlet did have some — expensive but available. Now get this. The road from there to Perth was closed. We drove home.

Shauna has been able to source some via her work at the seniors residence. She has ordered a box of 50. We are not sure when they will be delivered. Sha and the kids will be away on vacay next week, but we will drive to Perth to pick them up if they don't get shipped by the end of this week.

Meanwhile, I have many of the nasty catheters left, and Sha has also been able to lay her hands on a few others. They are a smaller diameter than what I am supposed to use, but they are an option.

I am not sure why I so easily and often become the invisible man. I am over 6' tall, or at least I was, although I have probably shrunk a little. I also am was not altogether displeasing in appearance. On the other hand, I have never been a boisterous type of dude, so maybe that is the explanation.