one or two months ago, the doctor from cgh told me that my dad's kidneys are failing and that we should not give him any salt in his diet - read - no salt... not even low salt. that got us all worried cos without salt, things will be bland and will be a real challenge for my dad. and that is definitely not to way to spent your last days on earth. and some time later, the doctor at national cancer center told us that we should give him what he wants cos his time is almost up. and one week later, when my dad was hospitalised again, the doctor told us that we need not avoid salt altogether but should minimise salt intake to lessen the stress on his kidneys. well, all these instructions sound kinda conflicting but it all boils down to one common theme - avoid or lessen the salt content at all cost.
this of cos sounds easy. and so over the last couple of weeks, we've been used very little salty stuff in our cooking. we took great care to not add salt, or at most, just a wee little bit of soya sauce in his food. being a fussy eater, my dad had complained that the food is not nice and had asked for coffee shop food etc. we are literally caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. add a bit more salt, spoil his kidney, add less salt, he will not eat and hypoglycaemia will set-in very quickly. either way, it won't do. we are all at our wits ends. and my mum has resorted to giving him milo or cooking sweet potato porridge.
couple of days ago, he called me and asked my to buy hor fun for him. told him no. he cannot eat such food. yesterday, he called me at my office and asked me to buy popiah for him. again i told him no. while my refusal was based on the desire to minimize stress on his kidneys, i am somewhat disturbed by the fact that if i do not buy for him, i will probably be ridden with the guilt of not fulfilling a dying man's wish to eat what he wants when he dies in the very near future.
difficult. difficult. such a simple act, yet such dilemmas.
in the end, i relented and bought him a popiah today. but i controlled. got the popiah less chinese sausage and restricted his intake by giving him only 2 slices of it. is this too much salt? well, i do not know. but all i know is that i have tried to balance between giving him and restricting him. that is about the most i can do now.
this of cos sounds easy. and so over the last couple of weeks, we've been used very little salty stuff in our cooking. we took great care to not add salt, or at most, just a wee little bit of soya sauce in his food. being a fussy eater, my dad had complained that the food is not nice and had asked for coffee shop food etc. we are literally caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. add a bit more salt, spoil his kidney, add less salt, he will not eat and hypoglycaemia will set-in very quickly. either way, it won't do. we are all at our wits ends. and my mum has resorted to giving him milo or cooking sweet potato porridge.
couple of days ago, he called me and asked my to buy hor fun for him. told him no. he cannot eat such food. yesterday, he called me at my office and asked me to buy popiah for him. again i told him no. while my refusal was based on the desire to minimize stress on his kidneys, i am somewhat disturbed by the fact that if i do not buy for him, i will probably be ridden with the guilt of not fulfilling a dying man's wish to eat what he wants when he dies in the very near future.
difficult. difficult. such a simple act, yet such dilemmas.
in the end, i relented and bought him a popiah today. but i controlled. got the popiah less chinese sausage and restricted his intake by giving him only 2 slices of it. is this too much salt? well, i do not know. but all i know is that i have tried to balance between giving him and restricting him. that is about the most i can do now.
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