What a difference a month makes....
A month ago my mother arrived....about 105 lbs., shaky, barely walking, pale as death, dehydrated, unable to tolerate cold, exhausted, able to eat 1 or maybe 2 cartons of yogurt and nothing else in a day, taking morphine 4 or 5 times a day, and essentially waiting to die.
Today...she weighs 117, is not at all dehydrated, her color is good, goes for a walk every day with my son, walked 3500 steps with me on the beach on Sunday, eats normal meals (and then some), and is antsy to go home and dig in her garden. She is off morphine, and takes a single Lortab a day for pain...before bed, so her sleep is not disturbed.
Today was an eye opener....her menu....
Breakfast....two slices toast with butter and peanut butter, cup of tea
Mid-morning snack...carton of yogurt, juice with pedialyte
Lunch....salad bar at Ruby Tuesday's, iced tea
Mid-afternoon snack...can of Campbell's brand canned spaghetti, juice with pedialyte
Late-afternoon snack...Dove ice cream bar
Dinner...Chicken leg (big one, from a roasting hen), corn, broccoli, and juice with pedialyte
Evening snack....who knows....but there has been one every night lately
Overnight....12 hours of TPN
Is it any wonder she's gaining half a pound a day?
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 I'm not tall enough to ride emotional roller coasters |