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Poison Pen

Care Conference seems like a big waste of time and energy. Not enough follow thru. Email and signs don't teach newcomers nor old timers. Still no emphasis on time consciousness. Whenever I'm changed they ought to hold their breath, or breathe thru a straw with a clothespin on their nose, then perhaps they'll rush to raise my head and get pillows under my arms so I can get a good breath.

Regarding the room issues, the overhead light closest to the windows has already been replaced. Never fixed. Always flashes intermittently, which interferes with Tobii operation. Nobody gives whole story. Tell Tate the history. I'm always asleep when he arrives. Same story with the DVD Player, never Finishes downloading the movies on Netflix since I got the new one.(Tate has already addressed all of these this very morning). Thank you Tate.

I'm the weak link. Everyone assumes I can fend for myself but I cannot rely on the tobii working.  Dayshift doesn't place tobii in front of me to communicate. A whole batch of  new people never got appropriate training for assisting the ALS patient when the last batch graduated nursing school and moved on. They don't even know how to move my neck when it's 90-degrees, short-circuiting my brain, and overextending my neck and shoulder muscles. Or prevent me from choking every morning because my throat is so dehydrated, it sticks together. They all just ask if I'm having breakfast (their goal), instead of helping me to achieve my goal of breathing and  being able to communicate.

Can you blame me for my cynicism?!

Do not get me started on food! I was promised that slurries would go away in August.  They did not.Every day I am frustrated by  food. Either I'm shorted  menu items or they arrive too dry to make a bolus, too watery to consume safely. Offering bananas that arrive browned are a waste. I respectfully suggest having the PCTs cut them up. They do this brilliantly. Trust them. Cut Fruit is arriving much improved, larger pieces are so much easier to manage.

Eggs are awesome, scrambled, poached, and with Hollandaise sauce! Grits and malt-O-meal cause choking, like rices and orzos. For some reason, oatmeal goes down well. I add coconut oil. I cannot tolerate thin liquids nor the cold cereal. Jello is treacherous, I avoid it.

As I reported previously, lemon cake, jello cake, and bread pudding are moist enough without alteration. The other cakes and cookies are acceptable with ice cream. However, to serve it ala mode before it leaves the kitchen is foolhardy. It melts and makes a disgusting, inedible mess. Slurries are not an option! They are an insult.

The taste has improved measurably in the chili, and the mexican foods, enchiladas and tamales. Thank you so much! Fish taco with a sour cream sauce would be a welcome addition using your pico de gallo and a fish stick. Try one at  Taco  Del Mar sometime.

Thank you for the Beet and Goat Cheese salad!!! The Chicken salad is incredible. The Shrimp Louis is a frightful disappointment when I get nothing but shrimp. At least send up cocktail sauce so I have a Shrimp Cocktail. By the way, a Louis should have thousand island dressing. I keep that in my fridge.


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