Caregiver Series 2: When Dealing with Cold Weather

     About two weeks ago, a spate of cool weather blanketed Oahu. Out came my flannel peejays, relishing the thought of nice sleeping weather. But not Hubby who thinks 80 degrees is cold - an idea which makes me tease him, a half-Norwegian, "a disgrace to his Viking ancestors." Over the years, ALS took away much of his natural insulation -  muscles and fat - making him shiver away, even while the rest of us enjoy the "most perfect weather in the planet." So what to do in addition to the thick blanket and flannel sheets?

1. Socks and gloves, Hubby-style.  I found knee-high white plush socks at Bed, Bath and Beyond at The Grove in LA, years ago. Fortunately, I bought three pairs at once, because the next year, the knee-high style was discontinued. My children sent me what they could find online - ankle-highs.  So, I wash what I still have in gentle cycle. In a mesh bag. With the frilly underwear (mine, in case you were wondering). I am fiercely online looking for replacement, as socks are aging fast.

I found another use for the ankle-highs though.  I used to struggle with regular five-fingered gloves, making sure I guide each of his fingers into their proper sleeves, a feat which could one day qualify as an Olympic sport. So, until somebody sends me mittens, ankle-high plush socks will do. I just position the thumbs where the heels go.

And oh. They have to be white. Pastels would do, except my Macho Hubby cringes at the hot pinks.  Light colored fabrics are great for finding ants and other creepy crawlies fast.

2. Space-heaters.  Hubby has one at the office and two at home (I like spares.)  UH Saunders Hall is centrally ac'ed. Duct-taping cardboard on the vents works for a while until the law of gravity exerts itself. Hubby buys the heaters online from Best Buy at less than $50 each, from the same company each time.  However, the last one he bought blew our outlet - the plug heated up. We want to keep him warm; not cooked.

3. Environmental management: windows, ceiling fan vs. heatlamp.  This aspect is where, if we are ever going to part ways, this would be THE issue. Having grown-up in Manila (in a neighborhood Son calls a ghetto), in an apartment with few and grilled windows, I love the house we live in now, with its mostly windowed walls letting the fresh windward Hawaii air wend its way through the house.  When we remodeled the master bedroom to accommodate Hubby's needs, we mistakenly put his bed in the path of cross-ventilation.  Hence, at night, he wants the windows closed, and of course, I want them open.  Since all marriages survive on compromise, we have designated some windows, His and others, Hers. Like towels. When I turn on the ceiling fan right above my bed, he can have blazing the heatlamp above his own. (There's also a heatlamp over the potty, where he spends quite a bit of his lifetime, a Robillard trait it seems.)

So there. While I am trying to make light an issue which has the potential for creating discomfort and divorce, let's not forget the fact that when living with ALS, weather temperature is one factor to deal with.  Hubby's beef with 80degree weather notwithstanding, we are still lucky we live Hawaii.