Continuing Change

Just when you thought things might be slowing down, Uncle ALS throws you another curveball. Since my swallowing has been slowly copromised, fear of choking has been in the forefront. After a recent episode that required a trip to the emergency room, we decided to bite the bullet and get a G-tube placement. For those of you not familiar with a Gastric tube, it is a small tube that is in direct contact with your stomach. So all my food is now liquid and delivered throughout the day with no more worries about choking. The peace of mind this has brought has been well worth it. Onward and upward!

Hurt me, beat me

When you get far enough along in the adventure, your caregiver takes on the role of being the Mistress of the Tower, you know, as in the Tower of London. Being confined to a wheelchair all day, because you have lost the majority of your ability to move your limbs, requires someone to move them for you to help your circulation. Sometimes, this is uncomfortable because your muscles have decided they’re not really interested in moving. So hurt me, beat me, takes on a new connotation and one that is absolutely necessary: You gotta keep movin’.