Food is not a humorous subject with hospice patients and their families . . .

When the hospice medical director reminded the patient’s nurse to get a mac, my stomach grumbled.

The nurse nodded. There seemed to be an immediate, unspoken agreement.

A mac? What did the doctor mean? They couldn’t mean a Macintosh computer from Apple, could they? That didn’t make sense. But thoughts of digital apples made me think about real food: had they meant Mac & Cheese? While I’m not a fan of the packaged pasta and cheese, it is one of my wife’s favorite comfort foods.

My food wondering continued. What about a Big Mac? Could the doctor have been recommending a fast food burger? (When younger, I loved McDonald’s flagship burger. The Big Mac debuted, with fanfare and a high calorie count, around the time I started college. If I could scrounge a few extra quarters, I’d always go for the extra all-beef patty and special sauce!)

But we hospice professionals couldn’t have been talking meal deals . . . right? Read More →

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