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.
Showing posts with label absorbing nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label absorbing nutrition. Show all posts
Friday, April 12, 2019
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Seizures
January 2, 2019 (Happy New Year to you, dear reader!)
My husband had another seizure this morning. They seem to be happening with increased frequency and intensity, with the last two being December 22 and January 2 (this morning). These are not minor little "blank out seizures." They are more like grand mal, with foaming at the mouth and biting of the tongue. They seem to occur in the early morning generally, so far. I haven't witnessed one, but the description by the caregiver is quite dramatic. Since my husband and I have had no first-hand experience with seizures before, this is another learning curve for me. And of course it's also another source of stress. I find that my worry journal is very effective at helping me sort stress out these days!
The hospice nurse is called when my husband has a health event, and he or she visits in person to do an assessment, reports his or her findings to the doctor, and the doctor decides what to do about treatment, if any. Everything is handled direct with the facility, and I get a phone call from the facility to report the incident to me, then a phone call from the nurse to report observations, possible medication changes, and so on. When a stressful phone call wakes you out of a deep sleep and someone starts rattling off medication names and doses, it isn't always easy to grasp the conversation through the thick fog and the adrenaline. I've decided that whenever this happens, I will ask the medical technician at the facility for a new printout of medication orders for my file. I hope this will help me stay on top of things that have a tendency to spiral out of control at the drop of a hat.
When I went to see my husband today, he was rather lethargic, seemed to have a headache (He is unable to say, "I have a headache," but he did cup his hand on his head, exclaiming, "Ouch!"), and mostly wanted to curl up on his bed. All of that is apparently normal following a seizure. In spite of all that, he did eat all of his meal, which was served in his room. His appetite continues to be very good. And speaking of his appetite, I think I may have mentioned his substantial weight loss (from almost 200 lbs. down to 154 lbs.) and the fact that hospice has requested that he be given double portions if he will tolerate them. This is to ascertain whether his body is not processing nutrients or whether he isn't getting enough calories for weight maintenance.
The good news is that he tolerates the additional food and has gained five pounds! Anyone else would have gained 20 with the size helpings they put on his plate and the Ensure nutritional supplement, but I'll take the five. Apparently, his continuous pacing (though at a snail's pace) is causing his body to burn through the fuel provided. He can still absorb nutrition. Or at least if he isn't able to soak up everything, he's still able to absorb quite a bit.
I'd say this weight gain is an addendum to our Christmas miracle. Wouldn't you?
My husband had another seizure this morning. They seem to be happening with increased frequency and intensity, with the last two being December 22 and January 2 (this morning). These are not minor little "blank out seizures." They are more like grand mal, with foaming at the mouth and biting of the tongue. They seem to occur in the early morning generally, so far. I haven't witnessed one, but the description by the caregiver is quite dramatic. Since my husband and I have had no first-hand experience with seizures before, this is another learning curve for me. And of course it's also another source of stress. I find that my worry journal is very effective at helping me sort stress out these days!
The hospice nurse is called when my husband has a health event, and he or she visits in person to do an assessment, reports his or her findings to the doctor, and the doctor decides what to do about treatment, if any. Everything is handled direct with the facility, and I get a phone call from the facility to report the incident to me, then a phone call from the nurse to report observations, possible medication changes, and so on. When a stressful phone call wakes you out of a deep sleep and someone starts rattling off medication names and doses, it isn't always easy to grasp the conversation through the thick fog and the adrenaline. I've decided that whenever this happens, I will ask the medical technician at the facility for a new printout of medication orders for my file. I hope this will help me stay on top of things that have a tendency to spiral out of control at the drop of a hat.
When I went to see my husband today, he was rather lethargic, seemed to have a headache (He is unable to say, "I have a headache," but he did cup his hand on his head, exclaiming, "Ouch!"), and mostly wanted to curl up on his bed. All of that is apparently normal following a seizure. In spite of all that, he did eat all of his meal, which was served in his room. His appetite continues to be very good. And speaking of his appetite, I think I may have mentioned his substantial weight loss (from almost 200 lbs. down to 154 lbs.) and the fact that hospice has requested that he be given double portions if he will tolerate them. This is to ascertain whether his body is not processing nutrients or whether he isn't getting enough calories for weight maintenance.
The good news is that he tolerates the additional food and has gained five pounds! Anyone else would have gained 20 with the size helpings they put on his plate and the Ensure nutritional supplement, but I'll take the five. Apparently, his continuous pacing (though at a snail's pace) is causing his body to burn through the fuel provided. He can still absorb nutrition. Or at least if he isn't able to soak up everything, he's still able to absorb quite a bit.
I'd say this weight gain is an addendum to our Christmas miracle. Wouldn't you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)