The facility where my husband is explained to me when I questioned his very dry skin that the disease and medications tend to dry them out a lot faster. It is very important to keep them well hydrated. I still put lotion on his arms head and face when I am there to help the situation.
our dermatologist recommended cetaphil -DH has extreme sensitivtiy==its pretty safe and no allergic issues and otc at cvs or walgreens. 10dol for a lb of it. its worked marvels on DH legs, forehead, back and feet. dry isnt the word! it sux it up as soon as it hits the skin. water, water, hydration is key. divvi
My husband still will eat a decent breakfast, he sleeps through lunch and the last couple weeks hasn't been eating well at dinner. He has started pocketing his food after a couple bites. Tonight I tried Carnation Breakfast Drink...Hospice nurse suggested this, which he drank the whole glass. He will eat applesauce with sugar & cinnamon added for his medication. He did eat some cantaloupe. Question: Do you think this is enough for a evening meal?
Your hubby eats quite well for not getting exercise: decent breakfast, light dinner, fruit in between. I am now watching my anemic husband eating less and less. I think it is nature's way. I don't like to see him lose weight but I can't force him to eat more. He just wants sweets which isn't good. My dh isn't ready for hospice yet. Eating is one area I can't control. I offer all sorts of things but if he doesn't want it there isn't much I can do about it.
Shirley, Thank you for your response. And you are correct, since he no longer walks, there is no exercise. He has lost 20 lbs. since the middle of March...and he was eating well until a couple weeks ago. I guess if I can get him to eat breakfast & drink the Breakfast drink, I am doing okay. It is very hard to see a strong, athletic man wither away to nothing.
kadee my DH is about in the same place as yours. eats a decent breakfast then wanes thru the day .. but i also give anything with calories in it he will eat. my DH is also losing all his muscle and lbs. regardless due to lack of exercise and mainly bedbound. i give icecream shakes mixed with boost almost every day now- add some icrecream to it and blend. its more calories. i also can get him to eat soft oatmeal with honey and cinammon in the evening or softened cereal in milk with small chunx of berries which is fiber. jellos, pudding cups, anything that goes down easily. like you i am not worrying about 'healthy' so much at this point but calories. hospice agrees give anything they will eat.
"It is very hard to see a strong, athletic man wither away to nothing."
Kadee I so understand. Since joining this wonderful site back in 2008, Lynn's wasting has been a constant battle for me. And yes, it is so very painful to witness......
Lynn is the opposite in that he doesn't really eat breakfast but eats a good lunch and a decent dinner. He drinks mighty shakes; they are high protein/high calorie nutritional supplement drinks. Lynn loves these and gets a minimum of 3 a day. With his medicine he is also given a nutritional drink called TwoCal HN, this is also a high protein/calorie supplement meant for those who have low food intake.
I am not sure about your DH? But Lynn is on a puree diet only. Some foods he just doesn't like pureed and I don't blame him! lol. It took some work but we now have his menu worked out perfect and he is eating much better. Most days I am able to get him to eat 80-100% of his lunch, and the staff gets him to eat an average of 50% of his dinner. Breakfast is mainly drinks and a few bites of whatever they give him. I worried it wasn't enough, as even when he use to eat all the time, he was still dropping weight. Lynn too is unable to walk; at one time he was down to 92 pounds... sooooooooo heartbreaking!! With the Marinol, the shakes and continuing to go in to feed him daily he is finally stable and holding his weight at about 122-125.
And I agree it is more about calories at this point Divvi. Lynn gets ice cream 3 times a day and loves it :)