Mad, I really hope you can find what is causing your discomfort. That is bothersome, as it could be something serious or not. Good for you for getting some trail walking in. How has your weather been?

Good Morning Carol Sue and Madeleine. The thickening of the liquids is because of an irritated throat from a pill getting lodged in his throat or dissolved in his throat and scratched and burned it as it went down. They also think he may have acid reflux since all the throat/swallow tests were clear... no aspiration. The SPT at the hospital thinks he won't have to drink thickened liquids when the throat heals. Of course, now in Rehab he will have new primary doctor while there and he will have new therapists. I've want to see someone after he is there for a few days and see what they think.

I just called Daddy's room and the nurse answered and said they were getting him ready for a shower. I know he is going to love that as my Daddy is one to take 2 showers a day and he hasn't had one since DH got him in the shower the morning before he went in the hospital. That was last Tuesday morning. Of course, being in Rehab they are keeping him up in the wheelchair and he also has a recliner in the room where he can sit if he wants too. They told us any of us can spend the night if we like and sleep in the recliner. I see why it is 5* and never had any issues or complaints. From what I can tell from what I read online, this is nation wide company and even accepts Medicare/Medicaide as well as other insurance but it is extremely clean and nice. Having worked in nursing homes, I have to say it is top notch.... better than any I have ever seen. We are blessed.

DS and I are praying he will find some new friends there and begin fellowshipping with them and be so happy there that he will want to stay. It is a really nice nursing/retirement home as well as a rehab. Wouldn't care if he found some woman or women he likes. I was surprised he was kind of joking and flirting with the one of the young nurses at hospital when we left. DS and I see a lot of elder ladies looking at him when we are out so it wouldn't hurt for him to find a lady friend. LOL!!!

Madeleine I'm so sorry for your discomfort. It is terrible to have a problem and no one can find the answers for you. Could it be caused by something you are eating? I know I cannot eat a whole lot of fiber like the doctor wanted me to when I had the colonoscopy. Thank God my primary didn't think it was all that necessary if I couldn't handle it. I can eat it but not as much as they told me to.

Carol Sue Sorry you are dealing with the high bp. Maybe you can ask the doctor to wait until next time since you are starting to lose weight. Sometimes they will work with you when you are working at it too. Just a suggestion.

I am thinking about Slimfast to get myself jump started again, but can't decided. I hate to purchase it and then not ever drink it although it is nice to have on hand in a pinch. I've some on FB CAD mention using it. It was just I grained in me the importance of chew power so I don't trust me to stick to it even for a couple of weeks. I joined the Slimfast group on FB last night so I will see what kind of support group they have. I don't think I would want to do it all the time.

I'm waiting until DH gets up today for us to go to see Daddy. I need to go by his apartment and get his heart monitor and info so I can call to see how to hook it up at Rehab Center. They have a nice man who will help me set it up while on the phone. I just remember who it was. I hope the info is still in the notebook we brought home from the hospital last year. I'll be glad when DBIL is well enough for them to go out some so we can alternate days going. Until then I will be going everyday. I've got to try to find out his therapy schedule so I know when to go out there. I drive so far that I don't want to have to go sit an hour or two in his room by myself. LOL

Well this is a book so far so I guess I better go. If you have read all this... God bless you.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Trish, things sound really good for your Dad. It seems that he is comfortable with this Rehab facility and you are, too. I am looking forward to hearing what type of aggressive therapy they will do on him, and if it works to improve his strength.

If I were you I would buy a small amount of the Slimfast just to have on hand. It's something you can always grab in an emergency when you need something, maybe to take with you when you go to visit your Dad. I don't think it would work for me because of my issues with shakes, but I know you have used them successfully in the past.

I have had 1082 calories today. I am a little bit hungry, so I might eat a small snack at bedtime, maybe some cheese. I took a water pill today but it didn't help with my BP. Sometimes it's good, but mostly it's bad. I checked right now and it was 155/65. As you can see, my top number is high but my bottom number is not. This is called isolated systolic hypertension and as far as I can see, happens in some older people with heart problems. I have been having this problem for a couple years, and I keep making excuses to the doctor so he will not change my meds. I'm afraid the bottom number will go too low, or he will put me on an expensive med. Once they put you on them they never want to take you off. I have been dodging the bullet but I think this time he will do something. I wish he would put me on one or two that work instead of 5 that are not working. So I don't think I am going to take the water pill tomorrow since it did not help today.

My appointment is for 10:20 and it takes about 30 min to get there. I will get up early so I can take my BP meds to get them working before I go. I will also not drink any coffee since I think the caffeine raises BP. I'll do the best I can and see what happens.

My BP is 133/67 this morning. I am going to try to not drink anything before I go and see if it stays down. It is usually higher when I go to the doctor.

Carol Sue I already prayed for you to have a good doctor's appointment.

The Slim-Fast didn't do much for the FBS but my weight was down almost 2 lbs this morning. It is so much easier to throw some fruit in with a bottle of Slim-Fast in the Magic Bullet and drink it with a cup of coffee. It is also easy to just grab a bottle at night instead of grabbing things I shouldn't be eating at night while watching tv. I think I will make that a treat at night like I used to do with the ice cream on the 4 day diet I did years ago. Then I cook a balanced meal for main meal with DH. We are having fish today.

I only plan to do the Slim-Fast for 2 weeks like a jump start, but if it is working really well for me by then I may go longer. I will decide then.

I'm on my way out. I'm going to go get Daddy some toothpaste and a hair brush. I couldn't find his at the house and I think if you look good you feel good. I tried to call but they are evaluating him this morning and he is meeting the doctor who will be his primary while there. I want to know the results of everything. Hopefully they will have some answers along with his rehab schedule by the time I get there. I've always been an optimistic person and a strong person of faith and I've been looking at this situation wrong. He believes he can get well I need to be his "strong" supporter. I've been working on my attitude this morning. I get my strong will from him and I need to stand strong with him.

Madeleine You are in my prayers dear friend. I hope you feel better soon.

Everybody have a great day. Catch y'all later.

.

The Ezekiel bread tastes so much better than any similar bread so I don't mind the cost. I'm the only one who will be eating it so I have it in the freezer and will only eat one slice per day. If I start eating more, I will stop buying it. LOL Here are the ingredients. I like that it has all the sprouted grains, like barley, millet, lentils, soybeans and spelt. I think that's what makes it taste so good.

Ingredients

Organic Sprouted Wheat, Filtered Water, Organic Sprouted Barley, Organic Sprouted Millet, Organic Malted Barley, Organic Sprouted Lentils, Organic Sprouted Soybeans, Organic Sprouted Spelt, Fresh Yeast, Organic Wheat Gluten, Sea Salt.

The store I bought mine in is a very expensive store but it was closer to home than Walmart. Next time I'm in Walmart I will see if they carry it. It would probably be cheaper there.


Have you tried the Aldi brand of sprouted bread? Its allowed on the Trim Healthy Mama plan and less expensive than the Ezekiel bread. Been busy this week, checking in. Weight is still up but I went to the doctor on Friday and my A1c was 5.5 so thats good.

Donna That is a great A1c. I am hoping to get mine back down in the 5s. Doctor is happy with mine being 6.2, but I'm not.

I walked into Daddy's room and they had him up and dressed sitting in the wheelchair. He was very alert and had been down to the gym and had done 15 min on the stationary bike. He enjoyed it so much that he told me not to get rid of his bike at home because he is going to use it. He stood for a few minutes but he didn't walk.

I met the PA who came out to see him and they plan to get him independent again and back home. Yesterday I would have thought there was no way, but today I actually think he can. I think the difference is that he is eating and they bring him water etc to drink so his speech is much better because his mouth isn't so dry. His throat isn't as sore either. The SPT came in and evaluated him and he swallowed so much better that she allowed them to back off the honey thickness. So while it is still thickened, it isn't as thick as it was.

The beautician was there today so I made him an appointment and wrote her a check for him to have a haircut. I left and came home when she came to get him to taken him to the beauty shop to cut his hair. I can relax knowing that he is already improving.

I drank the Slim-fast with fruit for breakfast. Our main meal will be codfish, salad and veggies. I'll have just the shake later tonight. I'm looking forward to see how this does for me. I still have to ride the bike because I need it for my back. However, my doctor wants me to walk? I will be getting a lot of walking in going out to see my Daddy.

Is slim fast available without sugar? I have used the atkins shakes to have something when I don't have time but have been doing my smoothies in batches now, so have 2 for the effort of making one. Keep the 2nd in a canning jar for easy transport. For me its the extra food snack that are killing the diet. Not doing so well. Still deep in grieving. Crying a lot.
My sister also works in a hospital and talked to a chaplain about it. The chaplain called and told me this is more common for people who were with their loved on at death, especially if it wasn't "peaceful". He said he understood I wanted to honour Dad by being there, but there was an emotional toll to being there as he struggled at the end, and just to give myself time. Very reassuring. His explanation is also helping my husband and daughter understand my emotional rollercoaster. The rest of the family is sad but not reacting like me. SO I am just going to give over to it. Let myself be and let grief just happen, and not try to be strong.
Spent some time hosting a gaming afternoon for the neighbourhood kids. Its a holiday here, so they are off school, but its cold and rainy and dreary, so we played games and I made them hot chocolate. that was a good distraction, but wow, that was sweet stuff. I bought the carnation hot chocolate packets, and very sugary stuff. For myself, have been using the godiva dark chocolate, and its not nearly so sugary.
Im just rambling, will check in again soon.

Madeleine The Slim-fast drink with 20 g protein has 6 g carbohydrate of which 5 g is fiber and a net 1 gram of sugar. It doesn't taste sweet. I'm sorry the find print is too small for me to see what it uses for sweetening.

I'm sorry you are having such a difficult time with the passing of your Dad. I wasn't aware of it being harder when you are the one with them when they pass especially if they struggle. It does make sense. You are ever in my prayers. I've remember when my DH passed away that everyone said it was important to go through the grief at my own pace. I remember when my Mama passed away everyone was telling my Daddy how he was supposed to grieve and he told them they couldn't tell him how to grieve because every person grieves in their own way. I really believe that is true. My step-mom told me when DH passed away, "If you want to stand in the middle of the bed and scream at him, you do it". She said she did that when her 1st husband died. I remember going out to DH grave and crying and telling him I couldn't believe he left me to deal with our kids alone. It really did help me. I would say just go with your feelings as I think that helps you heal faster from the hurt.

I am finding that being the one who has had to be there for Daddy without my DS has been more stressful than it was when she was able to be there and share in everything. Even now being at home, I've called him 3 times and didn't get an answer. I know they are probably working with him and I am glad he is there and know he is okay, but I seem to have these feelings of being protective of him. I left a message for him so I'm sure unless he is too tired that he will call back.

It is strange that now I worry about him like he used to worry about me. Odd.

Hi Donna. Good to hear from you. Next time I want to buy sprouted grain bread I will check to see if they have it at my Aldi's, and will try it to see if I like it as much as the Ezekiel. I was wrong about it having 16 gm of protein. I looked online and don't know where I got that info, but it's 4 gm of protein.

Are you still doing Trim Healthy Mama? I remember you talking about it back when you were posting before. I don't know much about it.

Trish, I googled Slimfast and it seems there are a lot of different ones. There are some that are labeled low carb, and there are different protein counts and different bottle sizes. I would be confused. I think I looked at some of the shakes at Walmart but didn't buy any.

I guess it's possible that the Rehab facility could get your Dad back to his original strength, but then you would have to take on the issue of assisted living at some point in the future. I wouldn't know what to do. I think it's best to wait and see how things go.

My doctor's appointment went well. My blood pressure was up, 155/74, but he noticed my weight loss and said BP would continue to go down with more weight loss so he didn't change any meds. I was so glad. I go back to him in 6 months, and back to the PCP in 3 months. I hope to have more weight off by then and lower BP. I have to remember that every day. I didn't feel well after I came home. I think it was because I didn't have coffee. I have felt dragged out all day. I don't usually drink any coffee after morning.

Mad, I agree that everyone grieves differently and you just have to go through it your own way and not try to be strong. You had your Dad with you for a long time and I think the longer you have your parents the harder it is when you lose them. I was only 11 when my father passed away and don't remember him much. I was 34 when my mother passed away, but she was only 64 and I was not with her when she passed. I do remembering feeling bad that she passed in the hospital and we were not there with her at the time. I felt bad that she died alone and always feel bad about that.

I'm really tired. I hope to get a good night's sleep and have a better day tomorrow. It is supposed to go up to 70 degrees tomorrow, but still be cloudy with rain. No snow!!

Carol Sue So glad your doctor's appointment went well. It is good that he noticed your weight loss as well.

I use the Slim-fast with 20 g protein, 5 g fiber and 1 g sugar. They have a 16 g protein, but not sure of the other numbers in it. If I can't get the 20 g protein, I won't buy it. It was hard to find the 20 g, but I think that is because it is the 1st of the year and everyone is trying it because of their New Year's resolutions to lose weight.

My Daddy mentioned tonight that he likes having the meals brought to him and how nice his room is and if he could have a room like that with a refrigerator and microwave he would like that. I'm wondering if he is thinking assisted living. I'm hoping he will decide to on his own to go that way without us having to make that decision.

Are you still doing Trim Healthy Mama? I remember you talking about it back when you were posting before. I don't know much about it.

I have been trying more lately to get on it. I love the recipes but sometimes having too many choices makes me obsess about the food. I'm working on that! I made a chocolate zucchini cake gluten free and sugar free and made myself portion it out to one piece a day and I didn't die LOL!

Donna I think too may choices probably gets me into trouble too. I never thought of that until you just shared that. However, I think I obsess with the food and the diet sometimes and that gets me in trouble as well.

Carol Sue I think I'm going to eat breakfast when I can and use the Slim-fast for evening meal. I know some on CAD use 1 shake for their CM and that would be good to drink in the evening because I don't want to cook for just me. It only has 6g Carbs and 5 of that is Fiber. Hopefully it will keep me from snacking at night.

On days like today, I'm going to wait to go see Daddy this afternoon with DH so I can have my eggs for breakfast, RM when we get home and then a SF shake around 7 or 8. I want to do this with IF. I've decided to do it this way because my FBS is too high using the Slim-fast plan. If I decide that I can't use it at all, I will give them to my DS as she has always used the shakes so it won't go to waste. DH Mother used to drink one every night so I hope I can to.

I have done 20 minutes on the recumbent bike Sunday and Monday. I didn't get to do it before I left to see Daddy yesterday morning so I had to make myself do it last night. I found out I do better if I do it in the morning as it is less of a struggle for me.

Madeleine

Donna, I have a big problem with portioning out things that I make ahead. I always end up going back and having more. This is why I usually have to make just what I'm going to eat. I have always been like that. It's very hard for me to handle the things DH brings into the house. When I lived alone I could not buy ice cream because I would keep eating one bowl after another until it was gone. This was how I developed an eating disorder. I won't go into detail, but it wasn't good. I started going to the convenience store where they sold single ice cream novelties and just buying one and taking it home to eat. This broke my bad habit, because many times I didn't want to get into the car and drive to the store for that one item, so I learned to go without. I became the same way with chocolate. Instead of buying a bag of something to keep at home, I would just buy one candy bar when going through the check out. I ate that and it was gone. It's much more expensive to buy things like that, but in the long run it was better for me. Now DH keeps chocolate in the house so it's more difficult. I gave up sweets for Lent so I'm good for a few more weeks.

My calories were pretty high yesterday because I was tired, and when I'm tired I make poor choices. I was up around 1700, which is too high for me to lose. I think I did well today, but haven't added in my dinner. I had a salad and half of a stuffed pepper. I'm sitting here decided if I should save the other half for tomorrow or toss it. I really need to become better friends with the garbage disposal. LOL

I did some exercise today. Around 30 min or so. I did the bike, some weights and waist twists and side bends. Trish, hearing about your Dad is making me realize how important it is for me to become more consistent with my exercise. I am not so bold to think I will live to be 94, but I want to be mobile at whatever age I reach. I want to be able to stay in this house because of my dog, so I need to be able to get around and take care of myself. I would be more than willing to go into assisted living or senior citizen housing if I didn't have Rusty, but he is so attached to me it would really kill me to have to put him back in a shelter to wait for another family.

I think this Rehab facility is very good for your Dad. He is seeing that someplace like this would be much better than living alone. He would still have his independence, and some places allow you to have your car there if you are still able to drive. I'm glad he's having this experience. How is his exercise going?

I think my DH is back to his old self. He was in the garage most of today, cleaning the cars, checking the oil, etc. Until today, 68 degrees was the record high, dating back 125 years. We reached 75, so it's a new record for this date, and I can't see that record ever being broken. It's unheard of for PA in February. The temps are to stay above normal for the next couple days then we will get back to winter. It's almost over.

My total calories for today were 1124. I have my calories set for 1300 and MFP will not let me go below 1000. I set it for that number because I figure I probably don't get it exact so that gives me a little leeway. The problem is, when Fitbit syncs it show me over my calories for the day. It bases it on the number of calories I've burned minus 500 calories for a deficit. It will continue to rack up calories burned until midnight, so maybe I will get enough burned so that it will not show I went over. I guess this means I need to be more active, which I already know. LOL