https://maryfrancismcninch.com/2022/04/17/murdo-girl-easter-is-a-joyful-time/

I have been fortunate while caring for my husband who has melanoma brain cancer, that neighbors have stopped in once in a while and stayed with him while I take a walk with the dog or go out with friends for lunch or do errands. It’s nice to take a break and just short ones can go a long way in renewing your energy. We have one friend who brings treats and snacks.

This friend brought over homemade chocolate brownies with chopped walnuts. We chatted a bit then suggested we go sit in the sun out on the patio out front where it was sunny and warm. I got Ken down the two steps on our front porch going backwards just like the kind young Occupational Therapist had trained me to do. We two sat in lawn chairs and my husband sat comfortably in the wheelchair with a baseball cap on just soaking up the delicious sunshine. What an idea to simply take our conversation outside. The move immediately lifted our spirits, helping not only the patient but helping the caregiver and visitor. Then I decided to bring the brownies outside. Not only were we in sunshine warmth but now we reveled in chocolatey heaven, munching on chewy delicious brownies. It did us all good.

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES

The breaks you take don’t have to be long nor far away. The simplest ones feel like a long nap, rejuvenating every sore muscle and aching back. Our brownie backing phenom is an angel in disguise. While my husband and I get frustrated sitting at home waiting for the next meal when I give him his next round of pills, this good friend comes by with treats and stories to share while we sit in the bright spring sunshine. He has also brought a giant jar of biscotti, a plate of chocolate chip yum cookies, a frozen lasagne, and also shared books he finds helpful.

Another neighbor came over this week to say hi to us as we sat outside and walked casually over to the front porch.

“You haven’t gotten ramps made yet for the wheelchair. I can make them. I’ve got the supplies,” he said nonchalantly. He pulled out a tape measure and started measuring the doorway, then the first step down out the front door. The next step at the porch end he measure next as talked the whole time. He is known in the neighborhood as a real chatterbox and you don’t get much chance to cut in once he starts gabbing. We just let him go. As he left with measurements recorded on his phone, I mentioned we could maybe pay him or reimburse him for materials. Geez, was that a mistake. He wanted to help us out since we were having to go through cancer and tough times in our old age.

He brought one ramp the next day and the last one the following day complete with indoor/outdoor carpet lining both ramps. They were definitely homemade but did the trick. No more struggling to get my husband in his wheelchair out the front door and into the car for appointments. This neighbor definitely is a true helpful person. We had put off getting ramps and just struggled through for months. This kind man helped immensely with just a simple gesture and our life was easier in just a couple days time. We are so thankful for our neighbor.

When people have cancer, you know they are on a lot of meds plus they are dealing with maybe chemo or immunotherapy treatments. Prescriptions pile up. We have one entire shelf in our kitchen stocked with medication, vitamins and dare I say it? Yup, laxatives. Old folks get to be pretty familiar with the subject.

It can be embarrassing, emotional and moving, quite moving, when it comes to – dare I say – constipation, another difficult word. It’s an education in itself knowing which laxatives work. There are little pills in bright colors, liquids, gritty powders, white milky concoctions, one even combines the words MIRACLE AND LAX, and there are flavored candy ones, and don’t get me started on the difference between laxatives and here goes, stool softeners. I will admit you can get involved more than you intend with reading labels and finding which products work. And you might need time to determine if a laxative, pardon me, produces results. Don’t give up though, however frustrating the search can be. Constipation is uncomfortable to experience as well as discuss on any level, especially if you’re young.

There is also a tea you can drink to help get unstuck. It’s called Smooth Move and it is a laxative also. It’s a soothing, hot and relaxing drink. I think the word “laxative” comes down to another word: relax. It’s important to relax and let the relaxative work.

When I was younger, I would’ve fainted with embarrassment discussing constipation, laxatives and being regular. Those were dirty words which I avoided like other terms: bowel movement, diarrhea, colons and so on. Heaven forbid even thinking of those, Who needs those bad words in their fresh young mind?

Our 40 year old son recently helped grocery shop and accidentally bought a popular laxative for us (if laxatives can even be popular) since they weren’t what we wanted. He brought home by mistake suppositories not pills. We asked him to please return them. He kindly obliged. Taking the bottle of suppositories and the receipt back to the pharmacy counter, he explained to the young man behind the counter that he didn’t want this laxative type – suppositories. The pharmacy sales representative looked confused and said they WERE a laxative – why weren’t they satisfactory? So our son explained that they were suppositories and tried to crudely explain how they’re used but our son got cut off. The sales representative held up his hand halfway through the explanation and stopped the conversation.

“Say no more, please,” the young man replied and proceeded to refund our son the money and take back the bottle of suppositories, no more explaining needed.

Here’s hoping you’re doing well in the regularity department and can be just a regular person in more ways than one.

I gotta go now and drink my prune juice. Hey! Don’t get me started again.

DRIED PRUNES WORK WELL ALSO.