Adventures in tube feeding

Yesterday was a very long day for me, hence no post.  The emotional drain of Saturday showed its toll on Sunday as I felt like I had been hit by a truck and could not stop coughing.  Any day for me that starts with Motrin is going to be rough.

I would not miss the Holiday Market for anything, though.  We wandered around and were able to knock out the last few Hanukkah gifts.  We remembered to bring to go containers so I could bring Pad Thai home. Barbara found some things and Kelly took notes for Christmas (I'm hoping).  Fun and happy, but I was exhausted by the time we got home.

The Pad Thai was interesting.  Despite quadruple peanut sauce, it still needed a lot of thinning.  I used a lot of  almond milk and still it had to go back in the blender once.  I was so tired that it was hard to push the syringe.  Also, because it was thick it was hard to push the syringe.  Kelly tried to help me out.  I tried to warn him that when you feel resistance don't force it.  Unfortunately he didn't heed that advice. The syringe was forced out of the valve and sprayed liquefied Pad Thai all over about a quarter of the kitchen.  Good thing we own our house, because I don't think we'd be getting our cleaning deposit back.

I played mindless games on the computer and had some Cesar's salad as a snack.  That was interesting, but good.  I had intended to help with dinner.  I really did.  Sometimes you just can't.  Karina, Barbara and Karissa made latkes, but mostly Karina.  I am so proud of her.  They aren't rocket science, but they are messy to make and messy to cook and require quite a bit of patience.  They were a nice compliment to Kelly's brisket.  I threw one soggy one in with my mixed veggies, piece of brisket and beef broth from the pan.  No applesauce or sour cream though.  Maybe next year.  I also managed to jam up the syringe (at the table, no less) and sprayed my dinner across the table unclogging it.  Nice.

I assume that my family had good times playing games, etc. while I crawled into a hot shower followed by a hot bath.  No swallowing.  Coughing has continued all day.  I did come out in time to play a few turns of Catan for Kelly, gaining him a few points, but in a master stroke Karina built two roads to take back the longest road and a settlement, winning the game.  Again, very proud of her.

That coughing from all day-- make that all night.  Coughing fit, suction, re-position, sleep for a bit and then repeat, all night long.  I was non-functional this morning for getting Karissa dressed and out the door.  I was still in bed when Karina came in to say goodbye before driving back to Corvallis. I'd probably still be in bed except there is one last box of Hanukkah gifts to send and it would be nice if they got there by the last night. Barbara does have a plan to pack me off for a nap so she can mop the nasty kitchen floor.

I did manage breakfast with minimal spraying, but clearly there is a learning curve here.  We'll see how much of lunch I end up wearing.  Maybe I'll wait until after we go to the post office...