Tuesday, November 25, 2008

cooking, cooking and more cooking

Whoa, the day just escaped me!  Must be all the cooking I am doing. Thanksgiving is at the Stolen Colon's house this year.  Since I'm no longer a ball of energy, I am trying to do most of the cooking in shifts.  I do plan to enjoy the holiday feast, well maybe not the feast part.  I can eat everything except the mashed taters and green bean casserole, due to the dairy in them.  I also have to eat very small amounts of food at one time.  I guess I'll just be enjoying many mini thanksgivings through out the day!  That actually doesn't sound too bad.  

I met with my colorectal surgeon and his nurses today.  Yup nurses, I got two of them since, as Dr. Kim put it, I am a mystery.  Yeah! I stumped one of the premier colorectal surgeons.  And I didn't even realize I was having problems. . . well kind of.  Starting in the evenings I get these intense cramps.  It starts by the old stoma site and migrates to the j-pouch area.  And it will feel like I have get to a toilet. . . immediately.  Once I sit on the throne, I only seem to produce a few mouse size turds.  Sometimes this will go on for hours, and in the worse cases, through out the night.  Eventually, I'll have a larger liquid movement and the cramping/intense urgency will disappear and I can fall asleep.  I assumed (wrongly so) that this was just life with a j-pouch, and that my body was adjusting.   Well not so much so.  

After having a half hour conversation with the Doc and nurses (wow!  I got is full attention of 30 mins, unbelievable!)  I left with a prescription for Bentyl, an antispasmodic and orders to irrigate the pouch, daily.  (I'll save you from the details on this. For now anyways.)  I also was given strict orders, to call his nurse if I have any discomfort and not to just wait till my next appointment (which is in 5 weeks! Hopefully this means I get to go a WHOLE month before going back there.  A new record. Um, I hope I didn't just jinx myself.)  

And for today's tidbit Thankfulness. . .  I am thankful for how blessed I am.  Through this whole ordeal I have met a bunch of different people with different illnesses.  I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am.  In the whole scheme of things, I'm not sick.  Yeah I lost an organ. . . but I avoided chemo right?!  And I found a doctor who is going to try and save a few more organs and help me escape chemo again!  The crap I deal with now is really just small potholes when compared to the craters that others have to deal with on a daily basis.   

Just the fact that my FAP was diagnosed when it was is something in of its own to be incredibly thankful for.  Just one more month could of made a world of difference.  

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you guys! I hope your new med helps and you have less discomfort.

FYI - you can make mashed potatoes without "real" milk. I use chicken broth or rice milk (which is non dairy and comes in a carton which is shelf stable so I can keep the pantry stocked with it!). The broth is a nice option because it gives a little more flavor to the potatoes.

Anonymous said...

Steph,
I never knew you were such a Chef, I want to come to your house for Thanksgiving! Will you let Gracie have a little bit of turkey? You have made me realize how much in life there is to be thankful for, and you keep me from dwelling on the problems and issues I have that are minimal compared to yours.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving Day Feast!
Love Aunt Paula

Anonymous said...

Well Steph, I am thankful for how articulate you are. Because you write in this blog I feel as tho I know you better and what you are going thro. Your strength is Phenomenal. Enjoy your day. Love, Aunt Teri

Mandy said...

Hope you were able to enjoy all the food you prepared! I know I did...too much!

aunt colleen said...

By and large, Steph, we all need to remember that gratitude in our hearts keeps the fear at bay. I haven't commented much lately, but I always check in on you on a daily basis - no matter what you are are going through - you find it in your heart to reach out and touch all of us -
I am grateful this Thanksgiving that you have bloggers offering you sound advice, and that you have doctors that care & family to support you. One day at a time.

Christina said...

I cannot believe that you had Thanksgiving at your house!! Way to go! I'm totally impressed and I'm glad you got to indulge in one of your favorite things!

Anonymous said...

Steph,
This is one of your fellow FAPer's from the Yahoo! group... A week ago I commented to a friend that I wasn't thankful for my health issues. You reminded me that I have so much to be thankful for, including my health.

-Jeannie