Turkey day and am having a hard time being grateful
 

Turkey day is just a few hours away - a big deal at our house= complete with big dinner, xmas decorations being put out, flagg foot ball, and midnight window/wish shopping....

Not this year. Not at this rate anyway...

And here I sit in tears of frustration and am P.O'd.... because I'm not lasting long enough (even on the mestinon) before "pzzzzzhhhhh" -and there I go feeling/acting like a deflated balloon - so I took a (much needed) break from prep and tried to find the humor, a way to accomplish what I want to do and a reason to be grateful after the first escapade of the day....

It seems as if Tom Turkey has more fight in him then I do at this point- I went to wrestle his innards out and give him a butter massage and instead dropped both of us on the floor and had to argue with the 3 cats that TOM was NOT their dinner before i could rescue the bird, stand up and wash him off and try again... picture a grown woman sitting on the floor trying to hug a 19 lb turkey with 3 mewing tomcats surrounding and circling her..... I will definitely be asking for help putting the bird in/getting him out for his sauna...

The mash potatoes this year are going to have to be instant unless I try to do like a grape masher / wine press and stomp on them while I sit on my stool - wonder what my mother-in-law would think of that (omg I just might do it hehe)

The vegetable snack tray - just hid all the knifes in the house and tell hub he has to go buy a store tray one - we can't cut vegetables with butterknives.

I wonder if anyone will really notice if I don't shred the bread for stuffing and we have stuffing slices instead?

Pumpkin pie? hummm send hub back to store again.

Deviled eggs? maybe we'll just have angel eggs this year - boiled egg whites but no stuffing mix in them?

Gravy - Campbell's to the rescue assuming I can operate the can opener.

Squash - do I really have to cut it open and deseed it to cook it?

Wardolf salad - hum, substitute grandson's prepacked apple slices and carmel dip - ditto on the cheese and cracker tray -use his string cheese in package.

Homemade biscuits are definitely out - but am I commiting doughicide if I toast that Philsbury dough boy since I can't seem to open the stupid roll?

Forget the "good" dishes they're on the top shelf... send hub back to store for the good "chinette" - wonder if he's as tired as me yet?

Have blender on standby if I can't swallow again tonight....and then puree everything for everybody so they can share and "know how I feel" Urrrrggg

Use superglue on the utensils so no one can pick them up off the table and eat.

Plan for next year: pizza place on speed dial as back up....

Any other ideas?

MG maybe robbing my strength but I can be grateful I'm still crazy!

That is exactly how I felt last year. On Friday I was wiped out. Thank the Good Lord I feel better this year. God I love your sense of humor which is a big plus with this disease. Hope all turns out well for you.
Hugs
Mike

I definitely understand your frustration, yet I think looking at it this way may help...or make you mad:)


It could be must worse, you could not have a family to celebrate with..so what if it is with store bought food, or instant potatoes..right? Atleast your not in the hospital on a ventilator?

I know these things are harder to grasp but the last two thanksgivings I have spent in the hospital, the first on a vent, and the second with meningitis..so im just happppppy not to be in the hospital and be able to spend it with my family..


If you cant swallow, thats an emergnecy and you should not be living off puree food..you need more agressive treatment in my opinion.

If mestinon is all your taking and you have generalized myasthenia..get to a neurologist and start some other long term medications, mestinon is like a bandaid..and a pathetic one at that i dispise the drug.

Anyway! Enjoy your holiday even though its not how it usually is..just embrace your walking the earth.

Have a good one
Tyson

I understand your frustration and I really really appreciate your humor! The last 2 thansgivings I've been pretty bad off as well. I made hub cook! That was awesome... Thankfully I'm up n at it this year, but slough it off on the fam! There is a book written by a myasthenic about how we got this. It is very interesting to think because we overdid ourselves our bodies gave up... Take a break! If this doesn't qualify you for a rest what will?

I believe we all went through this (very hard) phase of realizing that we just can't do what we (easily) did before.
I have said many times that one of the hardest things about this illness is that you think you can do what you really can't.

You found yourself on the floor struggling with the Turkey, and I found myself in my clinic with the patient in my room going to call someone for help, instead of me taking care of him.

Or was being gently told by one of my colleagues that even if I don't mind being totally out of breath after performing a routine procedure, it does scare my patients.

It took me time to find the core-what makes me able to be the same person for my family, patients, colleagues and friends. Even if I can't physically do even a margin of what I was able to do before.

And it took me even longer to be able to honestly admit to myself and to them how frustrating it can be at times.

And it's not you that is crazy, it is this illness.

I also think you should tell your neurologist that you are overall not doing better with the mestinon. ( Do you happen to know what type of MG you have?). Don't be too stoic about it, because things can get worse.