Song of the Day: Hospital Food
Today's song celebrates (and mourns) the fact that Amacker is eating on her own, and not eating on her own, but has the choice to eat hospital food. It's also a double-shot.
From his acoustic iTunes Originals album, and also from studio album Life in Slow Motion, two very different versions of David Gray's "Hospital Food"
8 Comments:
from your last post: "Further, she is very saddened to discover the parts of her brain that aren't working correctly."
Richard, please be on the look out for depression. It is very common in trauma patients when dealing with multiple new disabilities and pain. It may be a reason she isn't interested in eating.
Also, many hospitals have pet therapy. Especially those with attached children's hospitals like Stanford has. Pet therapy animals have been approved by the hospital as gentle and obedient enough to visit patients. She loves animals so much that she might really enjoy it.
-Sara
She was alternating in and out of depression when I saw her. The depression transfers quickly to frustration and anger. Parts of the accident still don't make sense to her, and she approaches calling us liars, but doesn't quite get that far. She is frustrated when she can't find words, or when she does find words that turn out not to be the ones she wanted. And the depression is being voiced as a longing for her cat, and a fear that no one will visit her.
She doesn't eat because she is bored. But not bored in a "she needs amusement" sort of way, exclusively. I think that, at times, the effort of thinking is just too much - and she just gives up, announcing that she just doesn't care. Same with eating. The food is uninspiring, at best, and it is an effort to eat. Too much effort to be interesting. Therefore - boring.
I came back to Chicago yesterday. I miss her already. Please somebody post about your visits with her, so that I can live vicariously! I talked with her briefly today - I want to see her!
By the way - as for "learning French" - Amacker was good enough at French in High School to pass herself off as French hierarchy to a visiting Frenchman. She would probably LOVE to re-learn the language that she has always enjoyed and found amusing. French - good idea!
Would Richard/Alden/Don/others very close to Amacker please post the bestest Amacker-food items that would be good for us to bring on our visits? Things that are both healthful and that you know she loves and hopefully will want to eat? Such as a burrito from a favorite taqueria, chinese dish, other tasty treats that are real food, not cookies and cakes and sweet stuff, which she probably should not have much of until she resumes more physical activity.
Also, a suggestion for those visiting: bring some fun/interesting "weird news" type tidbits to read to her, the type of stuff she would send to us on Bruhaha. The more squirrel stories, the better!!
Perhaps someone should evaluate her then. Richard, is this something you can bring up when you talk to her doctor? Perhaps they can have a phychiatrist stop by to check on her?
Addressing and treating the depression may be very important toward her getting better. She's got a lot of struggle ahead with physical therapy and she needs to not only be willing to eat now to keep up her strengh and allow he body to heal (nutrition is vital!) but also need to have the will to try despite the frustration and pain. Depression may get in the way of both.
-Sara
Food: I mentioned to her that someone had mentioned bringing her lasagna, and her face lit up.
She has also requested shrimp, and chicken breast. She would love a real steak - not the hospital's version - if it is tender and diced.
All food that isn't soft needs to be diced, so far.
The hospital makes a wide variety of foods - but all of it bland. She needs flavor. NOT spice, but flavor. (She loves spicy food, just wouldn't be good for her now) So far she has eaten the pasta best at the hospital. I know she loves Chinese, but I don't know what she orders there.
Remember - FISH ALLERGY. Shrimp, ok. No other fish.
I think she would also welcome interesting breakfast food. French toast? The scrambled eggs at the hospital are SO disappointing. She just can't ever seem to choke down breakfast. It is just hospital at it's dullest. Coffee is out.
As for depression: the hospital staff is on the lookout for it. If it gets beyond the "I can't believe I was in an accident and I'm stuck in this boring bed" depression, they'll know.
As for news: she was amused to hear about Paris being in and out and in and out of jail. And of the fires in Lake Tahoe. Any news is interesting to her. The more bizarre the better - she is Amacker, after all.
I have a bunch of French podcasts I will be glad to offload to CD for transfer to an iPod for her. Or just look at the ipod podcast directory. Couple of really good ones there.
It was funny to come home now and read these comments. I had similar thoughts.
Today I loaded her laptop with every Daily Show and Colbert Report episode since the accident. I don't know if she'll watch them, but she has them.
It's how I get my news anyway, but it's certainly a lighter way to look at the world.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home