Tag: swallowing

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 →

Two Steps Sideways….

Saturday and Sunday seem normal (looking back from Tuesday at least.) Normal is a relative term around here. Saturday morning I got Kathy up, we danced to the commode and I cleaned her up. Really it was just changing a depends. I made her some french toast and she ate a slice or two. Pat came around noon and gave her a thorough bed bath. I… 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 →