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What follows is an email I got today from a friend of my mother's who visited her yesterday.
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Hi Judith
I was shocked to see how much weight that Rosalie has lost. I know that you have a tough time yourself, but if I may offer a suggestion, buy those protein drinks called BOOST with vitamins and minerals for Rosalie. The girl is malnourished. By the way did you ever fill out he passport forms? It will tale a couple of months to process the renewal application. You know how those government agencies are !
Tony
My reply...
Hi Tony
I'm sorry you're shocked but I've been shocked and appalled for the better part of a year. This email is going to be very rude but you know what, I'm not going to apologize for it because quite frankly, I'm kind of pissed off that your first assumption is that I'm doing a bad job looking after my mother. Like I said, if YOU can get her to eat, be my guest.
1. I HAVE tried both BOOST and Ensure as well as several other nutrient drinks in a multitude of flavours and she either flat out doesn't like them, or waters them down so much that they become useless in terms of nutritional value.
2. I flip between home cooked meals, store bought stuff and TV dinners trying to find things that not only will she eat, but she will eat more than once.
3. Each meal takes about three hours because that's the amount of time it takes to cajole her into actually eating, rather than doing something else. By then it's time to lather rinse and repeat for the next meal.
4. Whatever food I do manage to get her to eat probably gets instantaneously burned off because she never stops moving.
I provide as many healthy food options as I can but short of hooking her up to an IV or shoving the food down her throat, there's not a lot I can do about it. I would love for my mother to be back to a healthy weight but the past three months have taught me that it's going to be a long and difficult climb back to that point and I have had to drastically lower my expectations. If you have any other helpful suggestions, that don't involve kinds of food, because that isn't the issue that is the problem, I'd be happy to hear them.
As to the passport, I am aware of how long it takes to get one but honestly, considering the fact that she's not going to be able to travel alone and I am not going to be in any position to travel with her for a long time yet, it's about third on my list of priorities. I'll deal with it when it becomes a blip on the horizon. Unless you want to take the time to take her to Barbados yourself, then again I say, have at it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hi Judith
I was shocked to see how much weight that Rosalie has lost. I know that you have a tough time yourself, but if I may offer a suggestion, buy those protein drinks called BOOST with vitamins and minerals for Rosalie. The girl is malnourished. By the way did you ever fill out he passport forms? It will tale a couple of months to process the renewal application. You know how those government agencies are !
Tony
My reply...
Hi Tony
I'm sorry you're shocked but I've been shocked and appalled for the better part of a year. This email is going to be very rude but you know what, I'm not going to apologize for it because quite frankly, I'm kind of pissed off that your first assumption is that I'm doing a bad job looking after my mother. Like I said, if YOU can get her to eat, be my guest.
1. I HAVE tried both BOOST and Ensure as well as several other nutrient drinks in a multitude of flavours and she either flat out doesn't like them, or waters them down so much that they become useless in terms of nutritional value.
2. I flip between home cooked meals, store bought stuff and TV dinners trying to find things that not only will she eat, but she will eat more than once.
3. Each meal takes about three hours because that's the amount of time it takes to cajole her into actually eating, rather than doing something else. By then it's time to lather rinse and repeat for the next meal.
4. Whatever food I do manage to get her to eat probably gets instantaneously burned off because she never stops moving.
I provide as many healthy food options as I can but short of hooking her up to an IV or shoving the food down her throat, there's not a lot I can do about it. I would love for my mother to be back to a healthy weight but the past three months have taught me that it's going to be a long and difficult climb back to that point and I have had to drastically lower my expectations. If you have any other helpful suggestions, that don't involve kinds of food, because that isn't the issue that is the problem, I'd be happy to hear them.
As to the passport, I am aware of how long it takes to get one but honestly, considering the fact that she's not going to be able to travel alone and I am not going to be in any position to travel with her for a long time yet, it's about third on my list of priorities. I'll deal with it when it becomes a blip on the horizon. Unless you want to take the time to take her to Barbados yourself, then again I say, have at it.
