I have now been informed that my wife, Starprincess, is approaching her End of Life. A difficult time for us both. Spends most of her time sleeping with her Hepatic Encephalopathy.
To keep her strength up, what can I feed her? Star Princess is now experiencing difficulties in swallowing as most solid foods are hard to chew. Doctor says it could be a few weeks but not months! Hard times.
Keep telling her to hold on, it's our anniversary soon, in March, would be 49yrs and April would be her 73rd Birthday!
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Starprincess
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Hello there.I'm sorry to hear that,really am. Try and make the best of what time is left .
Is your wife on any protein shakes at all....just drink those,but packed with protein and minerals,vitamins etc..such as what I have ,ensure plus,or fortsip
Any thing soft ,cottage pie etc. Lasagne cut up very small,anything to easily slide down.....custard,ice cream,mashed up banana.
What an upsetting position your both in,I feel for you both..
Thoughts are with you,try and stay a positive as you can.
Just an idea,have you got a blender?.I helped look after a close friend who sadly had throat cancer....so could only have pureed foods. I would cook a meal as normal,then put it in the blender,so he had all the taste of the meal, but it slipped down easily without him gagging....it seemed to work,plus getting all of the nutrients needed.
So sorry to hear this, 1 or 2 fortisips a day doesn't seem much. My hubby was on 4 Ensure a day along with food to keep up his protein and calorie intake but I guess anything you can get down her now is important. Look after yourselves, I hope you get to celebrate your next anniversary in some way.
I don't know whether you've see the BLT publication on Planning for the Future - I know it's not something any of us want to think about but it does cover some of the options for help as end of life becomes an unfortunate inevitabilty. britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
Any food that can be liquidised along with the protein drinks is a bonus. I do remember being very ill one time - and those overly-sweet protein drinks becoming unpalatable - maybe vary with something savoury like soup (apologies if you're already doing this - it's just a thought).
I thinkredpoint72 has a good idea - you may not feel much like cooking, perhaps the odd ready-meal microwaved and blended would be palatable for your wife?
Also consider ready-prepared baby-food - those little sachets that you just warm in hot water for about ten minutes.
Remember to look after yourself too, you will need all your physical and emotional strength to get through these next few weeks.
I hope you get to spend some quality-time with your wife. Sincere sympathy to you.
So sad to read your post. May time give you the opportunity to be with your dear wife on your Wedding Anniversary so that you can comfort her with the loving memories of your devoted time together. Deepest warmth and thoughts to you both. God bless. x
Oh my goodness My thoughts & prayers are with you both 🙏
When I was seriously ill I ate yogurt, rice puddings ensure drinks. Anything easy to get down really. Even if only a few spoonfuls Anything is better than nothing. Ensure she is sipping water or juice to keep her hydrated
I will pray for you both, & God willing you will celebrate your anniversary together ❤️
Thank you all for those encouraging comments. Starprincess has had a comfortable night, slept like a new born baby! She is very frail and her arms are very easily bruised (a by-product of her Liver issues). I'll be trying some porridge and honey soon! She so easily chokes as swallowing is becoming an issue especially now she is in this 'deep sleep' stage.Thank you again for your prayers, they do help.
I’m so sorry to hear your news. It’s such a heartbreaking situation. It’s difficult to know what to advise when she has problems swallowing. Fortisip would be my suggestion (as Chris and Katie have suggested) and ice lollies like mini-milk can be soothing and slip down easily. Be led by her and what she can tolerate. She may not ant to eat, and hard as it is for you, that’s what her body is telling her.
Have you got the community nurses visiting? They were an enormous help to me. They can give you advice and support. My local hospice got them involved but GPS and hospitals can also refer.
Sending you strength to help you get through this terribly hard time.
My thoughts are with you at this very difficult time. My husband enjoyed sucking on an ice lolly when he couldn't eat and the hospice gave him lots of ice cream. Anything that can be tolerated is a bonus.I pray she improves and you are both able to celebrate your anniversary.
bone broth can be purchased as well as regular broth, pudding and nutritional drinks are always to help her get some nutrition as well as much needed liquid. We boil whole or part chickens and beef bones for hours with vegetables for a tastier broth if you have the wherewithal. Ice cream is high in sugar but at this point anything that may bring you both some joy to share is always important. Prayers for your peace.
Very very new here but couldnt read and run. Great ideas on the smoothies! I made a fantastic dessert recently using frozen strawberries and coconut milk in a food processor or blender, sweetened to taste. Its not quite ice cream and not quite sorbet, and really nice. Might help with the swallowing as its not as thick as smoothies or blended foods. Are there any foods or flavours that she really loves? Perhaps you could incorporate those?
Bone broth is a great shout (above). Always better if you can make your own but I did find ready made in Waitrose last week.
Sending much love and strength to you at what must be an incredibly difficult time.
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