Tag: PEG

The final decline

CAREGIVING: This is really a post about the week or so before Kathy passed away. I’m writing so I can remember. I need to go a few steps backward. Then maybe I can move forward. The indications were all there.  Kathy was starting to have digestion issues again. Besides having diarrhea, she was regurgitating food. She wasn’t vomiting but when… Read more →

Wednesday in the ER

CAREGIVING:  Last Wednesday started out kind of normal. Louise arrived to help wash Kathy and help me change her. Since she arrives at 10 am on Wednesdays, that gives me a chance to give her her medicine and clean her teeth. And to take a shower, myself. Kathy’s nights have been restful since the last scare. It was probably a… Read more →

Second thoughts; and third ones too

CAREGIVING:  This week was another wild ride emotionally. The big debate was whether Kathy should be taken to the hospital. I was having second thoughts and third thoughts and more. I mean, it isn’t like it is life or death…  Oh, wait it is. These are tough decisions, and probably some of the toughest ones you and I have to… Read more →

Declining? (Part 2)

CAREGIVING: When we last checked in I was told Kathy was “declining.” That episode was probably related to medication issues – Atropine, in particular. By the next nursing visit, her vitals were pretty good. Unfortunately, caregiving is a rollercoaster. What goes up doesn’t keep going up. Each up is lower than the last up. You are lucky if you level out for a day. Or… Read more →

Feeding tube: plumbing hacks

CAREGIVING:  Last week Kathy’s feeding tube started acting up. Well, actually it has been a gradual thing. A few months ago I noticed the purple plug end of the tubing (coming from the feeding bag) was slipping out of her stomach port. I fixed that by lightly roughing-up the plug of each bag with a little piece of sandpaper. It is just enough to grip it… Read more →

Dodging a bullet

CAREGIVING: Sometimes it is hard to tell how things are going. I tend to write when things have levelled off rather than when there is a crisis. Things that would be a problem for someone else are things that I am used to in the ebb and flow of caregiving. The last few nights I was able to sleep in my bed… Read more →

Turning the other cheek-

CAREGIVING: Kathy has had some setbacks lately. Separated by a few days of normal. Followed by a false alarm. I guess I forgot to knock on wood. Keeping it Down: Last weekend it was a stomach issue. She kept regurgitating her feeding formula; or her meds and water; or both. That is dangerous because it can go back down into the lungs… Read more →