Thick-It Tips

When ever we go anywhere, we always take thickener along so Dennis is able to drink. Dennis loves, loves his Coke and will also order a beer with dinner. Usually I ask the wait staff to fill the glass only 3/4 full, but that ends up in a confused look and always an explanation. So, if it is a beer, I will usually just drink the top off the beer. For Coke, I always go through the explanation; I dislike Coke as much as Dennis' loves it.

While we were on the cape, I trained Ralph to drink the first third of the beer. By the time we met up with Hamed and Ashley, Ralph was completely in the habit of helping out and did it automatically. While Ralph was drinking, and I was adding thickener, Jane was explaining to Hamed about why Ralph was drinking it and my assertion that every beverage reacted differently to the thickener.

Hamed then proposed a research study - Dennis and I could travel around the world testing different beers and how they responded to the thickener. While every beverage acts different to the thickener, every beer (in my humble experience) also reacts differently. So why not research the project, and save other thickener folks the messy problem of cleaning up a goopy, slippery and sloppy mess?

Sounded good until we figured the market for this research was probably low, and I really don't want to work for the government again, in any capacity - way too much paperwork. But, I could share my experiences with you.

Then I figured I could pass on other coping tools that we have discovered, used, and what value we found in any of these tools.

So, Number One Tip - Using thickener in beverages

• No ice. None. Nada. Not one bit. As it melts, the thickener
• Orange juice needs very little thickener - it keeps getting thicker and thicker
• Use a whisk to mix - it goes much faster and the consistency is more even
• With fizzy beverages, start with a glass half full and add thickener. Then add more pop with the head goes back down. Add more thickener if necessary and never fill the glass full until you are done adding the thickener.
• Use half flat fizzy drinks if possible to start the process. Finish off the drink with a freshly opened drink.
• Wines thicken nicely and there is no overflow problem.
• Treat beer as you would pop - but remember, all beers are different. Go slow when adding mix.
• If your doctor tells you to use thickener, do it. It may just save your life. 
• There are many on-line dealers for Thick-It and if you purchase in bulk, it's not all that expensive.
• Carry a small container of thickener where ever you go.

Do you have any suggestions? Do you have questions that we may have an idea about? Please feel free to email me or drop a comment. I am ready and willing to share or ask around.

Until later,
Ann and Dennis

MSA, Travel, and Dining Out

Like everyone else in this world, when Dennis and I first met, we looked for what we had in common.* Travel was my number one priority, and I found that Dennis had the travel bug, too. It is still one of the most precious parts of our relationship.

Another passion we share is dining in good restaurants. We both like finding new and different places to eat and relax and have a good conversation. Add in a bottle of a good red wine and we were as happy as two clams.

Both travel and eating out have changed so drastically for us these past few years. Three summers ago, we traveled through Spain. Dennis was still able to walk (with a cane), eat anything and everything, and taste the wines in it's original state. He was still understandable, and we had many a day of great conversations over glasses of Malbec and Rioja while munching on Tapas.

Two summers ago, we visited Paris for 2 weeks. Dennis had been using a combination of wheel chair and walker for a few months, and we took his personal wheel chair along for the first time. He was still able to eat a good meal and drink that wonderful French wine. Let's not forget the desserts - he would eat at least one every day. Paris is a wonderful place to indulge, but it was becoming noticeable that accessibility was becoming an issue and travel would need to look different for the two of us.

We went to London that winter, and Dennis was in a wheel chair full time, and was having significant problems eating. He was still able to enjoy a glass of wine, but his energy level had greatly diminished. We ate fewer meals out, and spent more time at Jane and Ralph's home or in the hotel in London. Eating had become noticeably difficult - the drooling issues and swallowing problems were slowing his dining, some foods he couldn't chew and he seemed to be choking quite a bit. One evening in London we were out with Lola and we stopped for a bite. That was the night that we found out lettuce was problematic. Long story short, he couldn't swallow a piece of lettuce, choked and we all (quietly) panicked. Soon a doctor came over and a Heimlich Maneuver later, all was okay.

This summer we spent a couple of weeks in Ireland, and I knew that travel and dining would always be different for us from now on. Dennis drank all liquids threw a straw (yes, much to the Irish chagrin, even Guinness), with a chin tuck. It was necessary to chop up all of his food, and a nice, long dining experience started to become simply a long experience. By now, Dennis is using a wheel-chair full time it rained every time I needed to put Dennis into or take him out of the car. I was exhausted by the end of the trip, but willing to try another trip, once again.

Oh, there is more, but for now, let's just say that we will continue to eat out as often as we can, as long as it is before 2:00pm. We also are not ready to throw in the travel towel, but perhaps next time, we will take someone else along. Everything changes so fast, and everything gets more difficult, almost daily with this rotten disease.

Until later,
Ann and Dennis

*well, not like most everyone, but like most mature people