Recent content by pittsburghgal

My PALS 3 year anniversary is tomorrow ( actually Feb 29 because it was a leap year) , which always brings sadness as I relive the very difficult final weeks before his passing. I was so burned out from caring for him myself all those years that I truly felt that I didn't want to take care of...

V, I am deeply sorry for your loss of your dear husband. You were an amazing, loving caregiver for so many years. He was blessed to have you. Wishing you comfort and peace. Sharon

V, the fact that you have been such a wonderful CALS for so long tells me that you have what it takes to handle what comes next. Few understand how unbelievably difficult it is to be a CALS for so many years. I think of you often and am sending you hugs, comfort and continued strength. Sharon

I would not advise going with carpet. We chose a very low pile commercial carpet for the master bedroom and family room, hoping that it would work with a wheelchair, but the wheelchair did a lot of damage to it and both rooms had to be recarpeted after my PALS died. I also found it very...

Jessie, you have been such an inspiration here. Praying for peace and comfort for you. Sharon

Blaine, My husband was first diagnosed with possible ALS in 2011. He was limb onset (arms) and had very slow progression for many years. He was asked by his pulmonologist early on whether he would choose a trach/vent when necessary and he said that he did not know. He had a bad fall in the...

Welcome, Mary. I had great difficulty moving the hoyer on the carpet ( my husband weighed 240 lb). I ended up putting sheets of plywood down over the carpet in the bedroom and it worked great. Sharon

I am so sorry for your loss of your husband. You and your children are in my thoughts and prayers. Sharon

I am so sorry for your loss of your wife. Your posts always showed what a loving and supportive CALS you were. I am grateful she passed peacefully. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Sharon

Sue, I hope you have a speedy recovery! Sharon

Jon, My husband and I would have loved this if it existed. We did not have a van and the ALSA would only provide transportation for medical visits. We tried a senior transportation service provided by our county at a reasonable rate but once we had to wait 2 hours for them to pick us up to...

Nona, my husband had the same problem you described. He had very delayed gastric emptying and the only thing that worked well was very slow feedings using the kangaroo pump overnight. I also gave him small amounts of the feeding slowly at lunch and dinner but the great majority was overnight...

Jrzy, it seems like you are doing great in your post CALS life and I wish you lots of happiness and contentment in your new home. Sharon

I ordered 2 pairs of adaptive pants for my husband but found that they were too difficult to put on him. I ended up using sweat pants that I cut open along the back seam and just pulled on the pants and tucked them in under him. It looked like he was wearing pants when seated in the...

Frank, you don't need to "expect to croak in the next 6 months in order to qualify for hospice". My husband was on hospice for 13 months before he died. He was reluctant to start hospice and my daughter and I had to really convince him to try it. He ended up liking it very much. You are...