Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday Leftovers

It's Friday already. Normally that'd be great but tonight's going to be a long work night for me, so I'm kind of wishing it were Saturday already. But oh well, that'll be here soon enough.

Word Association

Play along here.

1. Alarm :: ring
2. Guest :: house
3. Worm :: hole
4. Puppies :: kittens
5. Honor :: brave
6. No! :: Don't!
7. Stomach :: pain
8. Counter :: clockwise
9. Waffles :: eggo
10. Plates :: tectonics

Nothing really shocking. I guess I had geology on my mind for the last one.

Dad Update

My dad was released from the hospital on Tuesday evening. He'd been in there for nearly a week as he was taken to the ER the Wednesday before. He was in about as good condition as he could be when he was let go. We learned a few valuable things about him while he was in there.

One, he can't really eat solid food and certainly can't drink any more liquids. For his food, we need to either feed him soft foods like applesauce and mashed potatoes and the like, or we need to mash up his food for him. Part of the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, or PSP, is that it breaks down the ability to swallow properly, and this could lead to aspiration pneumonia. He was starting to develop this so we need to prevent it from getting worse, thus this seemingly drastic action.

After a while, he will likely need to use a feeding tube because even soft foods and such won't be enough to prevent him from aspirating. For liquids we have to use a thickening powder to get the liquids to have the consistency of honey. That includes liquids like water and milk but also broth in his soups and things like that.

So, if you had any ideas for foods or recipes that might help my dad out, that'd be great. My mom already tries to provide him a somewhat modified diet in terms of foods that are soft and the like but I might want to do some cooking for my folks if I can.

Two, his spirits are high. Thus, he hated being in the hospital. He wanted to go home and his last day there he was anxious to get out. He ripped the IV out of his arm and tried to stand on several occasions. Luckily my mom and I were able to reach him before he did so, because he can't stand on his own.

The best thing is that he was able to take the trip to Hawaii after all. Danny and his wife flew with my parents to Hawaii. They rented a condo for 10 days that's right on the beach so they will be able to spend some time on the islands. I'll see if Danny wants to share any more pictures when they come back from Hawaii. He was able to send me this one from his phone. I'm incredibly happy that they made it because it looked like his trip to the hospital would have prevented that.

Musical Influence

I neglected to mention music in my post yesterday about thoughts during running. It's funny because I used to rely heavily in my iPod. Now, I have progressed to the point where if I don't have my iPod on, it's no big deal.

While I still use it and still plan out playlists and the like, I think if I had to run without it I'd be fine. I guess that's why it didn't come to mind.

I do think it's great and preferable to have one handy and music does and can help you get motivated but if you rely solely on music to get you through your runs, that may not be the best course of action.

I'm not as militant as some Lopers are about running without an iPod. I don't wear one during our long runs and neither do most Lopers. But that doesn't mean that I'm anti-iPod. I like the iPod and look forward to running to certain songs or groups, but I know that I can run without it.

LB's Song Of The Week

I guess it's only appropriate to have a song about the color pink as the song of the week. Given my post and picture earlier this week about my own choice of wearing the color pink, this was a natural fit.

This song is by the group Rocknoceros and the song is called Pink.

Or rather, PINK!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

It's Pink! It's Pink! It's Pink, Pink, Pink!

Cute!

Funny you should mention that about your iPod. I used to use mine all the time, too, but in the last year I leave it at home when I go out. Do you remember my post about it? I had decided to use my run time as my time for prayer and meditation. It works for me!

Lissaloo said...

My girls are gonna have to check out that song :)
I'm glad your father is able to be home, that is always more comfortable.

Tattoos and Teething Rings said...

My grandmother was on a feeding tube for the last two years of her life, hopefully your father can avoid that. My mom is a nurse in a skilled nursing facility, I will ask her about the "mush" diet.

Jephy's Mom said...

Boy your dad is really having a rough time of it. I'm glad your brother got him to Hawaii. You've got to do things while you can. Helps keep the spirits up too.

Word Association - I have no idea what tectonics are.

I'm still not loving your kid's music. The singing and beat weren't terrible but it was the lyrics and rhymes that really turned me off this one.

Lisa said...

Hi L.B., thanks for becomming a follower of my blog. I look forward to getting to know you and following your training. Re the iPod, I though and iPod was a must have but the sound of my breathing and my shoes pounding the pavement are soothing sounds. Sometimes you just get lost in your thoughts and I enjoy that.

Kerrie said...

LB, so sorry to read this about your dad. That's great that he was able to go to Hawaii!

I have a Zune since my husband works for Microsoft. ;) I love my Zune and I usually take it with me on my runs. I've been doing long runs with a friend and so we usually talk (yeah, we don't run very fast). When I push my son in the BOB, however, I have a portable CD player that has speakers. I put music on for him, usually Disney Classics. Have you ever run to the Lion King soundtrack before? It's actually not too bad. :)

I'm sorry to tell you that an 18-mile run in Seattle toward the end of November is probably going to be cold and rainy. Sorry. :( Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking picking my first Half at the end of November. I'm not expecting good weather.

I don't have any good suggestions on where to run 18, unfortunately. You should check out Mel's blog called Tall Mom on the Run. She lives around me and has run a marathon before, so she probably has some good ideas for you.

Good luck on your training and thanks for the follow at Mom vs. Marathon!

Angie Eats Peace said...

I am so glad to hear your dad is out of the hospital, and that he was able to go to Hawaii! I hope he enjoyed himself.

oleyfriends said...

Good luck with your Dad.

If he ends up on tube feeding, the Oley Foundation can be a great resource for him and your whole family.

We offer free information and peer support for families with a member on home tube or IV feeding. Check out our website at www.oley.org.

In particular you might be interested in the

• Tube Feeding Tips page
http://www.oley.org/tubetalks.html

• Meet Patients Section (try all three links)
http://www.oley.org/volunteers.html
http://www.oley.org/call.html
http://www.oley.org/forum.htm

• Tube Feeding Complication Chart
http://www.oley.org/charts/newHEN.pdf

If you have any questions or would like to be introduced to another family, feel free to contact me.

Warm regards,
Roslyn Dahl
Oley Foundation Staff Member
dahlr@mail.amc.edu
(800) 776-OLEY

L.B. said...

Thank you Roslyn for your concern and offer. I will keep your information handy in case he ever needs a feeding tube.