Dear Friends-- It was so heart-warming to find all your messages of loving
support for Peter and me when we got home at noon today. Wish we could
have you all over for "tea" and cookies
to celebrate! Peter is napping now, in his own bed, having had some
lunch which went down better than the hospital food---they kept sending the
wrong items, and I twice returned the trays because they were loaded with
protein and not enough carbohydrates to "balance" them. When I spoke with
the dietitian I told her about Kathrynne Holden's book, and later left a
copy for her of the free NPF extracted version---hope she reads it and
orders the full copy!
Peter's pain did NOT return this AM, so it was apparently due to the
intestinal blockage. His doc said, "call when you need me". He also asked
if I could manage at home OK---how refreshing to have the CG considered
also! (and I DID get a good 8.5 hours of sleep last night. thank you...)
I was glad to see from your messages that many of you CGs already practice
"safe hospitalization" by taking written directions, meds, etc. along, and
being there to advocate for the PWP. It was a help to the night nurses who
had to "cover" for me while I got that sleep. This time, as the doc had
ordered it in writing, no one hassled me about my giving the meds, either.
Several have asked what we do to prevent this from happening
again---actually this was his 2nd hospitalization for acute constipation.
We have worked out our own routine, after years of experimentation, which
Peter finds works well MOST of the time. We could NOT tell from his
records of "results" that he was at risk. That's the scary part. I would
emphasize that nothing works all the time to prevent constipation and its
attendant problems--as some famous old American statesman said, "Eternal
vigilence is the price....." (he said of Liberty, I say of bowel
function.) Some smart person on the list commented that if you have a
room full of 100 people, you have a room full of 100 folks with
constipation! I think this is NOT emphasized enough in what we are
told--it , like depression, is not often listed as a common symptom---but
we know better, don't we?
I can't reply individually to all who wished us well, though I'd like
to....but please know your words were read, shared, and much appreciated,
with helpful suggestions noted! It's good to be back.....
Camilla Flintermann, CG for Peter 81/70/55
Oxford, Ohio
http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/camilla/one.htm
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