CAREGIVING: The first few days home were generally pretty good. I guess anything was better than pneumonia in the hospital. But this is still Huntington’s and we are biding time. The first morning was my first poop clean up since the feeding tube started. Took some getting used to but it wasn’t bad. Some of the neighbors called to… Read more →
Tag: drugs
Movement
HOSPITAL / June 4th & 5th: The next two days were consumed with getting the house ready and making sure Kathy was ready for her return trip home. Her feeding rate was gradually increased from 25 ml/hour to 35 ml/hr until she was doing fine with 55 ml/hr. At the same time the nurses were training me to administer her meds… Read more →
Moving and Mowing
HOSPITAL / June 1st: Kathy had a restful night and Sunday Doctor Irani decided to move her from InterCare to a different part of the same department called Telemetry. If I understand it correctly, in a telemetry unit all the patients are monitored remotely in a separate room. A nurse on duty can see or hear when a patient is struggling.… Read more →
9-1-1
CAREGIVING: I’m writing this from Kathy’s hospital room. On Tuesday we got up as usual and Kathy was coughing and couldn’t really eat or drink much of anything. I had figured out that I could get her to take her meds by breaking them up into small pieces and putting them in a little applesauce. Unfortunately the combination of insufficient fluids,… Read more →
Woody Guthrie at Greystone
MUSIC: This is an interesting short film about Woody Guthrie’s years with Huntington’s Disease, when he was a patient at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey. He was picked up by the police and misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia. A similar diagnosis was given to Kathy’s mom in Florida, but at least in Woody’s case they figured out it was… Read more →
and Two Steps Back
CAREGIVING: It’s Friday night, and I finally can sit and try to get caught up a bit. Kathy is asleep — breathing well with the occasional cough. Marty is on his couch. I’m on mine. It is thundering out and pouring rain. One of the main reasons I feel a need to write this stuff down is that time flies – whether you… Read more →
Hospice? Not so fast after all
CAREGIVING: Tuesday had been an emotional ride, what with Erica saying it was probably hospice-time; and realizing that Kathy was making her own decisions quite well. On Wednesday Hope came to give Kathy her shower and stay with her. Monday had been too tough for Kathy so she gave her a sponge bath.She really was due for a full shower.… Read more →