Always be Prepared. That was the Scout motto when I was a kid and one I’ve taken to heart for survival purposes now that I’m a caregiver. The need to always have a “plan B” keeps me on my toes and planning ahead for the “just in case” life I now live.
Today is Saturday. So far this morning, I’ve spent the majority of my time cooking large pots of vegetables. I try to keep several containers of all the essential foods Lynn has to eat each week in the freezer. By cooking in large quantities, I can work up to the last minute and pull a meal together out of the refrigerator or freezer without needing too much lead time. In fact, I have a freezer in the garage devoted to his food. I usually cook about 15-20 servings of something at a time and put them in individual-sized plastic containers. I then slap on a label of what’s in it and when I cooked it and off it goes to the freezer to be stacked with the others of its kind. I do the same with my meats. I fill my oven with the meat of choice and then create 3-4 ounce servings for use at a later time. Then for the meal, I pull containers, dump them on a plate, and cover them in tin foil and wa la, I have a meal to throw into the oven to slowly heat till I’m ready to serve.
For short trips to the doctor (which is about the only place we go anymore), I have a tote bag that comes along. Much like the diaper bag Moms carry for their young, I have a bag full of necessities. I carry enough catheter kits and supplies for the number of times I expect he will need to have his bladder emptied while we are gone. But I also carry two extra of everything, just in case, AND an indwelling catheter insertion kit and catheter in case the car breaks down and I have to use up my spare intermittent catheter supplies. Besides catheter supplies, I carry a spare change of clothes, wipes, and an air pump in case the air cushion he sits on springs a leak. (For longer trips, I actually take an extra air cushion with me.)
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