Since his fall, the hubster sleeps most of the day. While he still eats his full breakfast and dinner, he’s eating very little lunch (like 1/4-1/3 of it). So I’m thinking I should give him a meal-replacement shake instead of lunch–especially since he drinks too little.
I’m not going to go to the trouble of making him a 4 oz shake (and I sure don’t need the extra calories by drinking the rest!). Also, the commercial shakes have added vitamins & minerals as well as protein. Reading a bit online, it sounds like Ensure Enlive might be the right kind. Ideas??
He’s pretty frail now–like my mother, although he’s 73 and she’s 96 and still has her marbles (more or less). He couldn’t stand by himself when my Sunday morning aide tried to move him from bed to wheelchair–she held him up while I pulled up his pants. So he just got a bed bath today. She’s a nursing student and thinks he might’ve damaged his brain with his last fall, maybe had a seizure. but how would I not know? his seizures involve noisy rebooting of his breathing. At least they used to.
Speaking of going downhill, I have my first non-covid illness since the pandemic. Sinus/bronchitis. Maybe because one of my aides brought her sick child to work with her about 10 days ago (she said an ear infection, but the kid was coughing). I catch respiratory illnesses easily. I haven’t been masking in most places lately. I pretty much whip through stores and only mask when I’m “captive” like in a waiting room.
I’m so sorry to hear this,Astro - a good Ensure is the Ensure Plus too - there are many different protein drinks out there…if you can find one he likes and will drink. Do you have aides 24/7 or just at sporadic times? Remember if you don’t take care of YOU, you can’t take care of him so catch a break when you can…even take a walk outside just to clear your head while an aide is there. Thinking of you and hoping for the best outcome.
I have aides a few hours a day (different hours on different days). I can’t afford full-time help–and I don’t need it. He sleeps at least 12 hours at night, sometimes as long as 16 hours. I have help from around 8:30am to various times between 10:30am and 1pm. And again at 3-5 or 4-6pm (so I can cook without having to check on him) on weekdays, but just briefly on weekends around 7pm to put on his night diaper and tuck him in bed (takes maybe 15 minutes–I give Jourdan $10 for stopping by on her way home from weekend clinicals).
I used to give him breakfast in bed every day, but lately about half the time he’s still sleeping when the morning aide arrives.
I can’t tell you how sorry I am to hear that this is happening. Knowing it’s inevitable, and probably closer than you had anticipated, is one thing. Seeing that it is actually happening is heartbreaking. I send caring hugs to you.
The Ensure drinks you mention sound fine.
I wonder, too, if he suffered some sort of brain trauma from that last fall. The consequences aren’t always immediately obvious. There could be gradual swelling. I don’t know if you want to talk to the hospice nurse about that and see what she thinks.
What are you taking for your respiratory infection? Andrographis can be super helpful for respiratory infections. I like the one by Planetary Herbals, and I’d take at least 2 a day till you really begin to improve. Oreganol too. I like the Super Strength one, and take 4 drops at a time with cold water. Or if you hate the taste, get the soft gels and take 2 4 times/day and start to reduce the dose as you improve. There’s also black elderberry, and for that I like HerbPharm. It’s a dropper with some water 3x/day. And especially since your sinuses are involved, and they are difficult to deal with, I would steam twice a day with herbs that are antimicrobial and/or anti-inflammatory and/or mucous liquifying. I find that can make a decisive difference. Combine herbs/teas like nettle, thyme, licorice, marshmallow root, olive leaf. Boil a medium-sized pot of water, turn off the flame, drop in the herbs, and cover immediately. Let steep 5-10 minutes. (If you find them in teabags, remove from the bag. If unbagged, use teabag amount. Have them ready to drop into the pot all together so you can cover immediately and not lose any of the good stuff in steam.) After steeping, uncover and drape your head in a bath towel that you also wrap around the pot to prevent steam escaping. Breathe in to your lungs a bit, then your through your nose, and go back and forth.
Sheila, I’m taking andrographis, black elderberry, and oreganol. It’s helping. I feel better tonight than I did last night. I take a long, hot shower when my late afternoon/evening aide comes to help break up chest congestion. I had some old leftover liquid guaiatussin, which seems to help (and tastes like licorice I sometimes put a heating pad–or hot laptop(!) or my cup of tea–on my chest. If I have the energy I’ll breathe in some tea steam tomorrow. I need to shop for a few things in the morning and do a hubster laundry. I will have 4-5 hrs of caregiving tomorrow. (8/9am to 1pm) so I can actually take some time to lie down in bed. For the next 3 days my afternoon/evening aide has her mother visiting so she’ll only come long enough to put the hubster to bed–dinner’s mine to feed him.
BTW, he ate very little dinner today. Only good meal was breakfast. He’s been gibbering/whining for the past hour. I have him a glass of water, caressed & kissed him and spoke gently to him, but he started up again, quieter this time. His breath smells like poo(?)–and has hasn’t;t had a poo for a few days…maybe it’s backed up. Colace w/breakfast!
Over the weekend I took 2 1/2 year old “guaiatussin” (guaifenesin with codeine?), and it worked fine. My new prescription didn’t arrive from the dr’s office at the pharmacy in time for me to get it before my aide leaves (in 5 minutes–even though I called when the office opened at 8:30). I have an even older bottle–3 1/2 years old–of guaifenesin with codeine, with enough left for tonight and tomorrow. Does that seem safe to take? I will sniff it and take little lick before taking a full 10ml, like I did with the other one.
Expiration dates on drugs mean only one thing: that the manufacturer warrants therapeutic efficacy to that date.
Most drugs, if kept in a cool dark place will last much longer, especially if unopened.
The cough syrup in question probably has some added sweetener, so the risk of bugs growing in it is nonzero - I’d apply the same smell/look test as I would for the Tomb of the Unknown Leftover in the back of the fridge.
But the guaifenisen and the codeine in it are pretty chemically inert. And it’s only 3-1/2 years old.
| 
I sometimes put a heating pad–or hot laptop(!) or my cup of tea–on my chest. If I have the energy I’ll breathe in some tea steam tomorrow. I need to shop for a few things in the morning and do a hubster laundry. I will have 4-5 hrs of caregiving tomorrow. (8/9am to 1pm) so I can actually take some time to lie down in bed. For the next 3 days my afternoon/evening aide has her mother visiting so she’ll only come long enough to put the hubster to bed–dinner’s mine to feed him.