Realities and rainbows.

David went to the emergency room weighing 180. He now weighs 120.

I will give you a minute to pick your jaw up off of the floor for a little good news.

He did, however, pass the swallow test and is on a mechanical soft food diet.

Yesterday it took all of our tricks and manipulation to help him practice sitting up.
We accomplished...
little.

Today however.... I’ve never seen someone sit up as fast as he did just to take a bite of food.

Granted, he did not use his own strength to sit up; the bed did. But, he was VERY COOPERATIVE today. I was singing in the inside.

They brought me a menu of ALL the stuff he couldn’t eat...  seriously, the only things on the menu that were safe are as follows:
Apple sauce
Steamed carrots
And..that’s it.
I kid you not.

I met with the nutritional manager and tried to figure out what he could have.  It will probably be me that brings him things that he can eat AND have a lot of calories from good fat and plant based protein. There truly are not a lot of options on their menu. Options yes, but with hardly any calories.
Plain steamed vegetables.
Apple sauce.
Ya, that’s not gonna work.

Their diet is way more complicated than ours ever has been.

Many rules to be strictly followed. He can not have liquids just yet. Only thickened liquids. They are still worried that the food will get into the airway. The will be checking him often and he will be monitored for every meal.

Sit up at 99 degrees

Soft foods only

Small bites

Thicken all liquids with the packets of thickener we have. It has the be the consistency of honey.

Drink small drinks of thickened beverage between every bite or two.

Sit up 90 degrees to eat.

Lean head forward and down to swallow.

And stay at 90 degrees for 30 minutes after eating.

(I think that’s everything...
I am probably forgetting something, but it’s all written down and posted on the wall to help us remember everything.)

Me and Hannah have some good ideas about what we can feed him to get his caloric intake up.
Of course, right now, he eats like a bird.
But he was very happy.

I was so afraid all day long that they were going to come in and start discharging him with no where but home to go.

He was a little more positive today.  AND he sat up without complaint. Food has power with that man. ;) and it sure did our hearts good just to see his hope renewed.

Wake up
Get ready
Help David
Repeat

We are going to be ok.
We are.
We are.


Follow the link for a video of his first meal after three months...
Youtube dad first meal

XO
shelli