Meatballs

 Meatballs in tomato sauce. Mashed potatoes in white gravy. Buttered corn. Peach crumble. Iced tea. With utensils. First meal.

The swallow test was a total success! So, within an hour or so, lunch was brought on a tray... with aromas. Can he hold a fork and spoon, yes. But, negotiating where the meatball is in reference to his mouth can be a little tricky sometimes. Also, there needs to be enough food on the fork to encourage chewing and not just swallowing. That is a choke hazard as much as too much food on the fork.

Although Jim is always the last to leave a dining table as the slowest eater under normal circumstances, the objective here is to get the food in him. Protein. Carbs. Energy. Calories. And, there is a bit of a schedule to consider, like PT and OT, so for the sake of time and efficiency, I got the privilege of managing the utensils as he picked what he wanted . Mostly meatballs. Almost all the meatballs... And a reasonable amount of corn and potatoes. All the iced tea, and a small bottle of water with a straw . Not keen on the peach crumble, but that's not new. He decided he was still hungry, so he used the fork to stab more meatballs and corn kernels, and tried to drink the peaches, forgetting he didn't like them. Then we were done. 

The lunch tray doesn't have to be picked up on time, but he does need to get his physical work in. That schedule changes daily and can be anywhere from 8 am  to 2pm. His tube feedings were like clockwork. Expose the feed tube and valves...protein mixture....Water.... Done and done.

What a delightful dilemma. Factoring in  food trays to physical workouts with terrific therapists who are putting those calories to use to build strength and balance.

Meatballs. Yum.