Ken lost a lot of weight during his recovery. He’s an average sized man to begin with and in very good shape for a 79 year old but the recovery process really took its toll. He looks emaciated. There’s a bowl of Hershey’s kisses on the coffee table from which he regularly eats and I’ve been cooking and there is a ton of stuff that people have brought over, like cookies and breads. He is eating but he still lost a pound last week.
When he was in the rehab center Mom lost weight as well. Partly, I imagine, from worrying and partly from the fact that she’d drive up to Ashville to be with him and be too busy to eat and too tired when she got home to eat. For Mom this was a benefit.
And now we have all the stuff people bring and she has made some fudge and Russian tea cakes and a chocolate cake and a mince meat pie and a pumpkin pie and, and, and ….and, of course, I’m cooking. So she keeps talking about how much weight she’s going to gain.
We called my cousin a few days ago to say happy birthday and found out that she had a stomach flu. She’d been unable to eat for a few days but the GOOD news is …yes…she lost weight.
So, people having surgeries, worrying about their spouses and having the flu is good because you lose weight but having a professional cook your dinner and having friends who bring you things they make with love for a holiday is bad.
It’s just crazy.