Waiting in the strangest place - with Reese

It's odd for me.  And how Reese Peanut Butter cups help.  

I write this as the wife of the man whose body is failing him.  I write because he won't, because he originally asked to "not be the poster child for this disease...whatever it is", because I care with every breath of my being that he be around for his family for a very, very long time.   I write to understand, to share in order to help others, and to try to make some sense of the process.  

I breathe fine.  I work every day - all day, to ensure that life continues as it has been and always will be.  I do too much, and on days like today (extremely lazy and enjoying a holiday) feel like I do far too little.  Keith rests.  He does that a lot - and that is his job right now, to rest, eat, and get as much strength as he can for what lies ahead.   Could I be doing more?  Probably, but to burn myself out at this point doesn't make much sense.  

It's been a week since I wrote, and people have asked me many questions about what is going on, so an update.  We got a call on Monday last and an appointment has been scheduled for mid-September for Keith to have his assessment at TGH.  This is a 5 day process that:

"The assessment process is an in-depth review of your suitability for a lung transplant. As part of this process, multiple tests are carried out to evaluate your lungs and other organs such as your heart, kidneys, gut and liver. Usually, these tests take about one week to complete. Most people do these tests as outpatients. During this time, you and your support person(s) will also meet with many members of the lung transplant team such as the transplant co-ordinator, nutritionist, social worker, and anaesthesiologist to determine if you are physically and psychologically ready to manage with the stresses of a transplant." 

(http://www.torontoadultcf.com/cf-information/lung-transplant-–-basic-facts-and-general-overview)

We had been told that this meeting might take 3 months to schedule so were pleased to get one in 5.  I guess at this point, we wait this 5 weeks, aim to put on at least 5 pounds in this time (huge feat, but the case of Reese Peanut Butter cups seems to be helping.  Yes, I know they contain dairy, but at this point, if Keith wants them and they don't make things worse (which for some odd reason they don't seem to) then that's what we do.  

In the meantime, I will continue to Tweet (@LHMaintenance) and post on Facebook.  Life continues to go on, and the prayers, good wishes and help are so appreciated.  Please send more Reese...the stock is running low!  :)  S

Jack Sprat and his wife - Remember them? FOOD post

It's actually a daily occurrence in my brain that this poem goes through my head - 

(I had to look up to make sure I got the words right)

Jack Sprat could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean
And so betwixt the two of them
They licked the platter clean.  

It continues from there, but I thought I'd start my post this way to explain an interesting little phenom that surrounds this home right now.  Between Keith, who needs as many calories as is humanly possible in order to try to put some poundage on him, and me and two daughters who try to watch what we eat in order to keep our girlish figures, its a struggle.

A big part of what I am doing for Keith is encouraging him to eat the highest calorie meals, in small doses, frequently.  It's my dream, but I cannot live it - I have to watch.  Hence the paradox that relates to the above poem.

I thought I'd post about food, so I can tell what foods I am feeding him, and to ask for suggestions about what I can be doing differently.  A few points to note: Keith eats dairy free, as dairy exacerbates his mucous production and makes breathing that much more difficult.  Almond milk is beverage of choice, we use a product called Mimiccreme in our coffee (which is heavenly when you are dairy free and love cream in your coffee).  I cook from scratch about 80% of what we eat and try to purchase non GMO and organic to keep things as close to natural state as I can.  Olive oil features heavily in his meals (I add it to smoothies to increase calories - have one recipe that is a 1100 calorie smoothie - I give him at least one a day).

He gets cankers if he eats too many sweets, otherwise feeding him dairy free chocolate bars all day would be the answer.  I make a lot of soups, adding olive oil to his at the table.  He gets exhausted eating things that require lots of cutting, so I'm at the point of soups, stews and casseroles are best.  I want every calorie to count, and am looking for suggestions.  As long as they are dairy free, and soft to eat and easy to have on hand, I'd love the help.  He's tucking into my homemade hummus with soft flatbread and extra olive oil right now.

Please send me any and all suggestions you have for high calorie foods, snacks, drinks (not soft drinks - not ready for the gas leaks thank you very much) etc.  Thanks everyone, and once again, thank you for all your help!

Mine :(