Sunday, June 29, 2025 – Day 320

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Good morning, blog readers…

I’m slowly returning to normal, health-wise. But now I find myself a bit hesitant to do another tube feeding. Somewhere along the way, my mind linked those feedings to the weeklong constipation saga. It’s probably all the nausea I felt after each one. So that’s my next hill to climb…rebuilding some trust in the tube.

That said, there is one clear win with this feeding tube (which, by the way, needs a name). Hydration has never been easier. It takes almost no effort to open the line and drop in two cups of water. That same amount would take 30 minutes by mouth—and a fair portion would dribble out through these charmingly loose lips. So… thumbs-up for that little perk. 👍

Alex joined us yesterday morning for breakfast at one of our local spot…Tony’s. To make it work with Nicole’s airport drop-off, he had to leave their place by 7:00 a.m. to get here by 8:00. I felt bad for stealing precious weekend sleep from him. Then, to top it off, he had to reroute to Midway when Nicole’s AA flight got canceled for mysterious reasons. Thanks for making the trip, Alex…I know Midway isn’t exactly anyone’s favorite airport.

After breakfast, Cindy and I returned home, and I went for a spin using my new shiny red walker. I figured I should be an active participant in this whole “keeping everything moving” thing. It can’t hurt—unless, of course, I fall. For those tracking, my last ALS-related fall was 6/17/25, which brings the total to nine. Don’t worry, folks—there are probably more to come.

The rest of the day was low-key. I’ve got a couple of good books going right now: Hidden Prey and Running With Sherman. Very different reads, which helps prevent plot confusion—though I still have to flip back a few pages each time to remember where I left off.

By 5:00 p.m., Cindy and I were downstairs on the couch reading…something that’s surprisingly rare, since if someone’s on the couch, the TV is usually on. In this case, it was on, but muted, which worked perfectly for me. We were the perfect couple, seated opposite each other, each holding a book and neither one of us nodding off through our respective stories.

Then I looked over and saw that Cindy was enjoying an adult beverage while I had… a glass of water mixed with Miralax. That didn’t seem fair. So I chugged my medicinal cocktail, wiped up the leaks, and asked if I could join her. She’s my bartender now—mostly so we don’t end up with sticky floors from those gin and tonics.

By 8:00 p.m., I stood up and was surprised by a mild ache in my quads. That’s a feeling I’d almost forgotten. Must be from the walks I’ve taken the last couple of days. Honestly, it felt good…like I was exercising again. Of course, my next thought was: did I overdo it and cause more damage to the leg muscles? I can’t worry about…Saturday was a good day.

We’re headed to the Walker Farm today. It’s going on close to two years since I’ve been out there…I’m looking forward to it.

Have a great Sunday.

Love you guys!❤️