Hanging in there

HLosing a stomach at the end of November makes for a semi-jealous me as Christmas arrives and I'm still on a mostly liquid diet, and there are all these foods being advertised. Timing ya'll... It's all about timing. Of course taking care of a ring of bleeding tumors in the stomach is more important, so I know it's the right choice, as tough as it is.

Ki has been working hard to make shakes with high calorie and low sugar counts that actually are drinkable. Most start with a base of Boost or Ensure (both shakes and faux juice) and then bump up the calories so I can hit at least 2,350 calories to not keep dropping lbs. With a small "pouch" in place of the stomach it can't handle too much. So the 3 to 4 shakes need to be 500 plus calories at least. 

My surgeon Dr Reed said I could eat steak and such as long as I chewed the heck out of it before swallowing...needless to say I'm holding off on food that solid for a bit. Soups that are mostly smooth like tomato (and its variants) are good. We increase calories with some heavy cream if we're low on calories as well.  Too much sugar causes dumping syndrome on the potty, so we have to watch the sugar amount as passing too much reduces nutrition etc.

I have had 2 of my favorite slushies since, but have to drink half of the 12oz and put the rest in the fridge for later to keep sugar within range, but boy are they good (similar to slush puppy, but labeled Romano's Italian Slushie.) At age 46 it cracks me up how much I love to drink these, but hey, part lime and watermelon is great!

My first foray into soft foods just may be via chef boyaredee options such as the beefaroni and mini raviolis with meatballs so I can chew them up well easily before swallowing. These (and others) have over 500 calories a can when you look at the number of servings. I think these should be easy to start with, and then move onto trying things like Lasagna (similar digestible profiles I imagine.) 

My weight dropped a lot in the hospital as I had days with no eating, and just bags of fluid and lipids. I've increased just a bit, but I'm at 185 as of my Keytruda infusion yesterday. For me, I need to get over  215 and for that I'll be drinking and eating what I can.

I wish all who read a very merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  Here's our lovely red Christmas chair.

Hospitals vs. Stomachs

So the time has come for a more doable drastic measure to control my blood issues.

Last week, I had a new trip to the Good Sam ER for a blood level going down (was around 6.8,) which was making me feel tired and goofy eyed... So Ki and I decided to preempt another ride in the ambulance and checked into the ER.

After a consultation with a wide variety of specialists, we decided to remove my stomach which had quite a few unresectable bleeding tumors. Rather than keep bleeding, this felt like the most advantageous way to extend my time. While performing the surgery, my primary surgeon discovered a few undiscovered tumors in the upper intestines, and as we'd discussed prior to the surgery, he removed what he found.

I've now been recovering in the hospital since Tuesday 11/24. It's been quite painful, and my diet will be adjusted multiple times in the coming months. Besides smaller and more frequent meals. This morning I'm being a test monkey with a powder you mix with a variety of liquids. It's called Juvens and is a bit Tang-like, and it so far rates 4 out of 5, it's best mixed well with cold water.

The adjustment of diet plus healing will be a real interesting period for me. At least I'm not having serious issues in my 3 x daily walks and using the breathing tools, rather both are improving. I'll might be discharged on Friday, but more likely on Monday.