A Stall in Progress

Jim has no appetite and nothing seems to appeal. He has hit a recovery plateau; the nutritionist told us this would happen. Nothing tastes good, even though pictures of food are appetizing. This is something he has to wait out. Today he had a bit of cereal, milk and banana and some mango juice, but nothing else. He is weak and tired, partly because he doesn't want to eat, partly because he is monumentally bored by the situation. I tried to interest him in some barley or a soft boiled egg. He was having none of it. We'll try again tomorrow.

This recovery thing is getting depressing for both of us. Jim is unhappy with the rate of progress; I am unhappy that he is unhappy. I can see that he is a bit better, although some days he is quite fatigued and it is hard for me to gauge just how much progress he has made. If he manages to get a good nap in the morning, the rest of the day is pretty good. If he misses that rest, he fades at about 5:30 or 6 and is done for the day. I am using the "food by mouth" scale as a measure. The more he eats the better I like it. Sometimes he fades because he has neglected to take in sufficient calories through the feeding tube; he just forgets that this is the way he lives now! The sooner he gets off that routine, the better he will feel, and the more in control he will feel. Right now, it's ALL about control!

The north wind came blasting into Davis last night, kept up most of the day, and is still with us. It should be down in the 30's tonight. No rain is forecast until next week, perhaps by Wednesday.