Tag: health care

Another visit to the ER

CAREGIVING:  Friday started out pretty normal. We ended up making a trip to the hospital for a new feeding tube. Normal means I got to run out and buy Marty some dog food down at Brown’s, our local dog and feed store. Normal means on the way home I got a call from home that aide #2 had not arrived… Read more →

“Work?!”

“Work?!” ~ Maynard G. Krebs LIFE:  Many of the musicians or artists I know have one or more “day jobs.” Those are the jobs that pay most of the bills, put the food on the table, buy health insurance and let them make some art or play some songs. My day job, besides taking care of Kathy, is graphic design. Lehndorff… Read more →

Updates on the follow-ups

CAREGIVING:  After Kathy’s appointment with Dr. Jackson a lot of ‘stuff’ has started happening. Or not, depending on how you look at it. A referral call was made to Baystate Hospice. The nurse left a message and was going to come over to do the intake. I called her back and told her that we were requesting palliative care, first. Also I told her,… Read more →

the Followup Visit and other news

CAREGIVING: Yesterday was Kathy’s followup visit with Dr. Jackson, her new primary doctor at Riverbend. The ambulance guys arrived on time. It was drizzling a little. I guess the ambulances are all equipped differently. This one used a tiny “stair chair” that looked more like an uncomfortable beach chair than medical equipment. It was similar to this blue one except I… Read more →

S is for Social Security

CAREGIVING:  Kathy has her second appointment with Doctor Jackson tomorrow afternoon. I confirmed the appointment and the ambulance arrival time. It is supposed to be reasonably mild out for December but it might be drizzling. I am hoping that she will be more alert this time but it is always a crap shoot. Maybe an injection of coffee is in order. I… Read more →

Thanksgiving and other news

LIFE: Happy Black Friday. Saturday and Sunday! We survived the overhyped snowstorm on Wednesday and Thanksgiving was a fairly normal day. Betsy, our daytime aide, had the holiday off, but Pat came and got Kathy ready for bed. I shovelled as much as I could without killing myself. I need to keep the little parking area as clear as I can… Read more →

Emergency Planning

CAREGIVING: We are expecting a snow storm for Thanksgiving. I’ve given emergency planning a lot of thought lately. I thought it might be useful to think out loud about it: What to do with a bed-bound Huntington’s patient during an emergency. Getting Advice The biggest worry I have during the winter is a power outage. Without power there will be no heat, no water… Read more →