We Need Some Help Here!

Hi, folks. We’ll get to the Kristina Update in a second, but right now there is a pressing need: weekend caregivers.

I just spoke to the first non-medical person who volunteered for duty, and she assures me it’s no big deal. You show up at 9 p.m. on Friday or Saturday and stay with Kristina for 24 hours, but you’re not at all stuck in the apartment. She is somewhat mobile.

The food, the medications, everything is all laid out for you and very straightforward. Of course, Kristina is very well-informed and knows exactly what to do. Basically, you make sure she gets her meds three times a day (all pills plus one oil that she puts in her mouth), you check her glucose level once a day (no needles, just a tiny pin prick on her finger), you do laundry, and you follow simple instructions for food handling.

In short, it’s nothing mysterious, nothing scary or threatening – but it is something that is desperately needed. There is a weekend this month that is not covered, and several days in January, as well. Please consider taking this opportunity to help!

Consult this calendar to find available dates, and then contact Kristina at her home. If you don’t have her number or email address, email me (paul@paulgerald.com) and I will forward it along. As of this posting, we need people for Dec. 29 and 30 and Jan. 12, 19, 20, 26 and 27.

Kristina is home and doing pretty well, all things considered. It’s been a whirlwind couple of days transitioning from hospital to home, and she’s pretty worn out. She said Thursday and Friday were “kind of a nosebleed” with all the stuff that had to be taken care of.

She’s having a harder time than she anticipated, mainly with getting around and stuff like standing up from a seated or kneeled-over position. Her eyesight has also been affected, and she has the occasional bout of nausea. She’s a little shaky and says she can’t read her own handwriting.

Still, the blood numbers are good, and the GVH is not too bad. Her biggest complaint seems to be that one of the meds she’s taking – a steroid which is in oil form and has to be sort of sprayed into her mouth – apparently makes everything she eats or drinks taste like the medication. Perhaps related to this, her appetite isn’t much, but last night she had her first real full-night’s sleep she can remember.

Don’t forget the fundraiser on Dec. 19 – invite friends, tell everyone you know, post the flyer in various places, and so on.

Also, please go visit Kristina – unless you’re sick, in which case stay away. When I talked to her today, I could hear in the background people meeting each other for the first time, after heard about each other through all of this. I can’t wait to meet a bunch of you when I come up from Portland on the 19th!