Diary November 2001

Too much

Sometimes, enough is enough. Even on his days off or after his bicycle trips, Hein comes home to a household in need. And it will always be that way. However hard I try to amuse myself. The social workers’ schedule is based around his work hours and whenever friend take care of me, it’s Hein is working too. It doesn’t exactly ease the burden on Hein. In fact, sometimes someone else should be taking care of me when Hein is home, like my mother does. Then again, it’s weird to be at home with a stranger around. And our kids are young and thus not always deployable. Hein does have the option to go out. I can stay home alone for up to two hours, a timeframe dictated by my bathroom use. But I think that “having had enough” is recognisable for many spouses of ALS patients. Very understandable. Like that, we carry on. Continue reading “Diary November 2001”

Diary February 2002

ALS Day

It’s been a busy week. On Wednesday I had a homeopathy appointment and on Thursday I attended ALS Day in Uden. Ineke, a fellow ALS patient from Leiden and her boyfriend carpooled with us, which was nice, despite the fact that I fell asleep in the car. Uden is not closeby; two and a half hours there and two hours back. All of that for an event lasting only four hours. We were late and had already missed a lecture. The good news: they’re building a national ALS centre, a central point for information about ALS. After that, it was a pleasant, laid-back day with only a light programme. We sat at a table, surrounded by familiar faces. I had my ever first reflex zone massage too. While I didn’t have my feet massaged, my hands did get treated. According to my masseuse I shed a lot of toxins. I’ll feel much better tomorrow. It was a love-filled day. People who knew me from my homepage came up to me and some of them hugged me. They politely asked if they could beforehand, mind you. I’ve learned to appreciate days like these. Continue reading “Diary February 2002”