I'm a big boy now!

I'm a big boy now! One of my secret weapons to facing the daily difficulties of living with ALS is the beautiful woman who has been by my side every step of the way since my diagnosis. Gina supports, encourages, pushes, helps, provides and is a phenomenal caretaker, but more importantly remains my beautiful bride. Last week her Mom was facing major surgery down in New Orleans and she needed to be there for a few days...uh oh, what, three days without Gina? OK, I can do this - it's not that big a deal, right? Well, days aren't a problem because my home health aids are here, but after 6pm...Ryan was working offshore but would be back in before Gina left, so Dad duty for him. Tuesday after work Gina headed out leaving us to man up and handle things. Ryan is a big help around the house but has not faced clean the caboose or shower time before. Now maybe it's just me, or maybe it's a man thing, but I have not been ready to allow any of my children to do these tasks for me, and guess what, I'm still not. Home health sends out a new worker and within an hour they have access to the rear exit, but my kids no way, no how. I realize that one day I may have to give in on this, but I hope for a long time I can be the one who cleaned and bathed them without them returning the favor. Our biggest concern was really whether or not I would be able to wake Ryan to help get me out of bed for a middle of the night potty run; he solved that by staying awake until I called for him around 2:30am. Luckily for us no clean up needed! We made it through day two as well a the wake up took a lot longer this time. Thanks to Ryan for the help! Meme's surgery was a success, she provided some great entertainment while on the heavy duty pain meds, and Gina headed home Thursday evening. So I'm a big boy now and know that I can make it without her, at least for a few days. This is a big deal because caregivers have a fantastically difficult job, and need a chance to get away for a break every once in a while. I know I can handle it and she can make plans for a girl's weekend coming up soon because I'm a big boy now.