CAREGIVING: This is a story about how you think you have a plan, but a much simpler one is “stairing” you in the face. I have been paranoid about the combination of caregiving and winter in this house. Now that Kathy is bed-bound with Huntington’s Disease, keeping her warm and safe is another thing to worry about. Just as a refresher, our house… Read more →
Tag: caregiving
Project: Man-cave
LIFE: I have always joked about my working arrangements. I have posted on Facebook that “Due to the snow emergency, Lehndorff Design will be closing early.” As a self-employed graphic designer, my hours can be long but the commute is easy. With caregiving I need to keep even closer. It has been months since I used my “office” upstairs. My latest ongoing project: to… Read more →
Day One: Roster Changes
Wednesday, the primary care team came from NaviCare, Kathy’s new health plan. (See my previous post about it). It was day one of coverage. Miguel is our Navigator (commercial pun intended). He will be the main contact: getting any approvals for this and that, and he will make Kathy’s first appointment with her new doctor. He will get any needed authorizations for ambulance rides to her doctor and dentist appointments. And… Read more →
Update: Club meds
CAREGIVING: Sorry I’ve been scarce lately. Some friends have contacted me worried – expecting the worst – because I haven’t been blogging lately. Actually things with Kathy have been OK. There are some rough moments for sure, but overall she seems stable and content. I’ve been adjusting the timing of her meds, so she isn’t quite as sleepy during the day. One of her meds, a… Read more →
Feeding Tube: opposing views
CAREGIVING: Kathy and I didn’t want a feeding tube (or PEG tube) … until we changed our minds. I guess sometimes you improvise or play by ear. And that is what we did. Kathy was choking and dying in the hospital with pneumonia. The situation helped change our minds. But like I said in a previous post, feeding tubes are one of those things that a… Read more →
Giving away memories
LIFE: Thursday I started going through some of Kathy’s clothes and things. I was trying to decide what to keep and what to give away. Taking care of someone with Huntington’s or any terminal disease is a long goodbye process. You need to give yourself time to breathe and time to grieve and I’d rather do it a little bit at a time. I… Read more →
The Feeding Tube
CAREGIVING: I’ve wanted to do a post about stomach tube feeding for quite a while. It is one of those topics that some of us have strong opinions about: pro and con. Most studies say that tube feeding does not prolong life or eliminate the possibility of aspiration pneumonia. And eating food is one of those activities that we all enjoy. So this post… Read more →