April 5, 2019
The first week of each month rolls around, and I anxiously await the weigh-in. Will it be higher? Lower? The same? The hospice nurse is at the facility when I arrive. I look at her; she looks at me. We both know there's "A Question" hanging in the air.
Frankly, he doesn't appear to have lost weight to me. But he doesn't appear to have gained any, either. And that's probably not a big deal. The caregivers continue to feed him double portions plus Ensure. I would be packing on the pounds, but he is restless and only sits, exhausted, for a minute or two before resuming his endless pacing. This reportedly goes on all day, but he is often sitting briefly somewhere or other when I arrive, rather than wandering around. He's apparently burning a lot of calories, though that's hard to imagine, especially given the snail's pace at which he walks.
The nurse opens her binder and smiles at me. That's my cue to approach her. She looks at his chart. She compares his weight to previous entries. He seems to have lost half a pound. It could be a minor blip, or last month's weight might have been off a bit, or the weigh-in wasn't exactly accurate. She looks up at me reassuringly. Nothing to worry about, no need to be concerned.
I should be breathing a sigh of relief, but I'm not. I'm not even sure I remember what that's like, exactly. We'll see what Pins and Needles, Part 4, brings.
Yes, and now my spouse posts his weight and bp every day. We have removed salt from his diet,added another pill, and, in a week, he is 8 pounds lighter. But the hardening arteries are not only in his lungs. Write your memoir quickly, before it is gone....
ReplyDeleteOh, no! I am praying for him (and you) every day. Thank you for this update.
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