LIFE: When you live in an old drafty house you never know who’s going to drop in for a visit. We have had visits by mice; and flying squirrels. If our walls were glass or clear plastic, it would look like a huge ant farm in the walls. Last week we had the annual October infestation of Asian lady beetles. When… Read more →
Tag: swallowing
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 →
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 →
Getting back into a schedule
CAREGIVING: The following few weeks in June had their ups and downs but at least it wasn’t the roller coaster that it was when Kathy was in the hospital. There is a routine that we got into and although there are always changes and tweaks, a schedule helps a Huntington’s Disease patient. It is one less thing to get anxious about,… Read more →
A Nose for Food
HOSPITAL / May 29th & 30th: Thursday afternoon Kathy’s sister Trisha arrived from New Mexico. She rented a car and drove up from Bradley Airport. She called on her cell phone to warn me she was on the same floor as Kathy’s room. Very courteous to warn me. She didn’t want to just barge in. I welcomed the company and help working… Read more →
Breathing
HOSPITAL / May 28th: Wednesday and Thursday were whirlwind days at Baystate. Because it was cool out I brought Marty with me. I parked in garages both days so he was safe and I could go out and we would go for sniff and pee walks. Well I drank a coffee. Marty did his thing. I contacted our dog sitter Joanne and… 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 →