LIFE: Today Kathy and I went out to lunch. To the average person, going out to eat is no big deal. But when you are taking care of someone with Huntington’s or dementia or any number of conditions, going out might be a challenge. Part of it is just fear of the unknown: Will feeding an adult in public make… Read more →
Tag: medicine
Time Flies
CAREGIVING: It seems like another week has slipped by but maybe that’s a good thing. No major calamities but there is always stuff to work on. I installed another grab bar in the living room. And I put away the rest of the Christmas stuff. One important thing is I’ll be adjusting Kathy’s meds this week. I always keep a… Read more →
Once you have seen one person with HD…
CAREGIVING: Happy New Years Eve, so far. I just joined an online Huntington’s Disease Caregiving support group and a post from one of the members brought back a lot of memories about life with a pHD (that’s our code for “person with Huntington’s Disease”). “I seldom post, but have been a member for several years. I do read most everything.… Read more →
Snow Phobia
LIFE: Even when we were both healthy, the winters were rough at our house. Since the house is so close to the road, the plows push the snow on to our porch and bury our car. I should rephrase that: The road is so close to the house. Since the house has been there since the Civil War the road… Read more →
Last Day for Su
CAREGIVING: Wednesday was Su’s last day. I’m making up the spelling of Su, by the way. Here real name is Suhsien, she is the extroverted health aide from Taiwan. We really enjoyed her help, and her cooking. More importantly Kathy really liked her. She decided to go to a different agency. I’m not sure they actually pay more per hour… Read more →
Tough Pills to Swallow
CAREGIVING: One part of Kathy’s Huntington’s Disease that is a constant battle is choking and swallowing problems. Actually Aspiration Pneumonia is the most common complication that results in death in late stage HD. Patients get a fatal infection from unintentionally inhaling a piece of food. ¹ Kathy is still middle stage (more or less) but it is still scary. The biggest problem… Read more →
Snow is a four letter word.
CAREGIVING: Friday. I decided that, with the first snowstorm of the winter on its way, we would go shopping on Friday and not our usual Sunday routine. I’m also realizing that taking Kathy out is getting more and more difficult. And with her coughing we need to be careful. Friday it was cold but it was sunny out, so we… Read more →