A Drink in the Desert

Aaaaahhhhhh, sweet food, have you ever seen such deliciousness?

This bowl of soup, pudding, jello, and thickened apple juice may not look like much to you but I can guarantee it is a huge improvement over feeding tube fare which does not even get near the mouth on its way to the stomach. Can you imagine what it would be like to taste the most simple of hospital purees when just a week ago you were not sure you would ever get to suck on an ice chip again? It would be like finding a drink of water after wandering through the desert for days without.

Wait... my Father is in the desert and he could not have even a drink for days and days. So it is exactly like that.

The state of things a couple of weeks ago when Father of Food first got his feeding tube was grim, but things are improving. Father of Food was moved to a regular hospital bed and is out of the ICU. He still has a feeding tube, but he has been working with a speech therapist who has helped him strengthen his swallow and speech. This has allowed him to progress to drinking thickened liquids. Thank you everyone who has sent cards, left comments on the blog, sent e-mails, visited, and called. It is better therapy than any other.