St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-12-23
COnyalescence and Its Trials.

COnyalescence and Its Trials.
The early part of convalescence is Oft
en- a trying time to the feeble invalid,
The trends about you have heretofore
been so quiet and anxious and fearful,
fearing you We're slipping away from
them into the shadows OF the great I'M
known, that now, the crisis past. their
light Their hustle and talk,
their slight relaxing OF attention, is too
sudden change, and seems to your fee
BILE and weakened senses much like care
lessness, Indifference and lack of heart.
The only trouble is, thew do not quite
comprehend how feeble and i'll and
nervous you still are.
Sometimes in this first part Of conya-
lescence that patient who has hereto
fore been quiet as a mouse, grows all at
once ..toachy'' and hard to suit. The
nerves were at first perhaps too weak
to rebel; now they are jaded and sore,
and no one but those who have had ex
perience can understand how trit1ing a
thing will hurt and jangle them.
Something similar TO these expe-
riences is often felt by the young and
rather feeble mother in the trying after
days. When those about her are re-
ioicing that .'the worstis over" it often
seems to her that the worst has lust ar
rived, and she lies with strength spent
and nerves at once weak and tense, and
weighted down with such varied and
accumulated discomforts as it seems to
her she cannot endure. and often. un-
fortunately, with no one about her who
possesses the wisdom to understand
the miseries of her case. Under these
conditions all hustle should te strictly
prohibited; visits to her and the little
stranger de erred; and all exertion and
anxiety on her part CAREFUL guarded
against. What she Graves is rest, quiet
and soothing influences, and these she
should have.
With convalescence comes an effort
to return to the ordinary habits Of life.
among which is the habit Of eating. At
this stage the nurse re uires not a little
discretion and tact. Sometimes the APP
petite is feeble; sometimes it is rapa-
cious, and re lures curbing and re-
straint. In the latter case it is iniu-
dicious and cruel to bring within sight
of the onvalescent things which cannot
be allowed. or to bring heaped-up
plates Of goodies and expect selfreon-
troll. The better way is to bring into
the sick-room at each meal only what is
permitted. ls SIS. Isl s$
When the appetite is. feeble, and it is
desirable thatit be GENTLY coaxed, it IS
quite as desirable that the plates should
not be overloaded as be ore; an over
flowing cup or piled-up platter will
often produce the opposite effect from
that desired. and turn what was before
only indi erence to food, into absolute
loathing of it. 1t is better, too. not to
harrass the patient with questions as to
what would be preferred. but rather
make trial of this and that which seems
suitable; often something coming mex
pectedly will relish much better with
the sick than what is foreknoWn.
Also it is desirable that the dishes, or
some one Of them, shall have an agree
able and appetizing smell. This may
seem foolish and unimportant, but it is
not. It scarcely need &c said that each
article should be prepared 80 as not
only to have an agreeable taste, but an
agreeable look also; that the dishes. if
not new, should at least be free from
hicks or cracks; that the knives and
silver should be shining, and the nap
kins clean and white. = Country Gentle
man.
The late Mrs. Samuel Russell, OF
Middletown, Conn, willed the Russell
Free Library $4,000; the Domestic
Missionary Society, $4,000; the Ameri-
can Bible Society, $1,000; the American
Tract Society, 900; the State Indus
trial School for Girls, 1000; the Mid
dletoWn Charitable Society. $500; St.
Luke's Home, $500; the Indian Hill.
Cemetery Association, $500; and the
rest of the estate, about 500. 900, to in
dividnals. -Aem Haveaa Register.
A hog belonging to John R. Ellis,
whollives near Etna, Tompkins County.
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