The last two days were rough. Sunday through to 430am Monday morning was spent in pain, but then there were signs of recovery and I was able to get a couple hours of sleep before putting in a full day and then some at work yesterday. (Typical state worker, going to work after a sleepless night of pain and then working an extra long work day at a job he hates because of his stupid work ethic…oh, wait…that’s not what you’ve heard about state workers?)
Although yesterday I was slowly returning to normal, I was hesitant to announce I was safe and through the current attack until I had a few days of normalcy under my belt (literally…well, if I was wearing a belt.) As of this morning (after a much needed good night’s sleep) I appear to be on the mend. I’m sticking to mostly liquids for the week, but allowed myself an egg for dinner last night and an egg for breakfast this morning and that sat well, so I will have an egg a day supplemented with ensure and bouillon until I feel secure enough to add in some light meals consisting of a small portion of one “safe” food item (fish, mashed potatoes, green beans, soup, etc.) When I’m eating so little, I abandon low-carb goals and focus on soft, easily digestible, low-residue foods that go easy on my system. The focus has to be getting daily nutrients and vitamins and regaining my energy and strength, even if it means ingesting small amounts of awful-yet-delicious carb loaded food. So if I must eat mashed potatoes for awhile, I will endure *smirk* I will gradually add in lean chicken to up my protein and cooked vegetables for vitamins. While it’s always great to be past the pain, it’s a slow careful process to add solid foods back into my diet, and I always take a “better safe than sorry” stance so I will be on an extremely cautious and careful eating plan for the next 2 weeks. (And hey, if I shed a few more pounds because of it, so be it!)
Sadly, these episodes are not uncommon for me, although they’ve been recurring more frequently of late. (I’m sure the stress from my job has a major impact on my health, as stress is a factor in Gastroparesis and IBD flare ups.) I’m used to having them once every few months, but definitely not twice in a couple weeks. It may be time to bite the bullet and request an appointment with my GI to discuss what’s going on. I’ve been trying to avoid all non-essential appointments while the pandemic rages, sticking solely to my required Remicade infusions every 8 weeks thus far, but I might just have to take the added risk and get checked out.
I look forward to being among the land of the living and being able to do basic every day tasks again – cooking, cleaning, laundry, showering – all things that are hard to do when you can’t stand up for any length of time, let alone move about comfortably. Poor Jeffrey launches right into full-time care and housekeeping mode during these bouts, so I try to return to helping out around the house as soon as possible.
So that’s where things stand. My pass day is Friday making it a 3-day weekend, so I just need to make it through the next 3 workdays as stress free as possible, then I can relax for the long weekend.
If anyone has good recipes for the following 3 ingredients – Bouillon, Ensure, Tea – please feel free to send them my way.
Stay safe, all!
Idle Eyes and a Dormy 
When you have these episodes and can’t eat, do you get hungry? Or does it hurt so much that hunger isn’t even an issue? I’m most thankful that things seem to be clearing up somewhat, and hope it only gets better.
My mom went into the hospital Sunday night with bowel blockage, again. This happens about once a year or so. She feels much better today, and “things” are “moving” again. Lordy, lordy, these gut issues are inconvenient.
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I do feel hungry (or at least, my stomach hurts from being empty) but the first few days I’m so relieved the pain is gone I don’t want to put more in my body than I have to. After a few days of recovery, the hunger and cravings start to kick in more intensely, and it gets harder to stay the course, but I do. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s because of my disease, or just how my body is conditioned after all these years, but I don’t think I ever get hungry the way other people do. I have cravings, for sure, but not full on hungry. I rarely have that “I need to eat something right now” feeling, unless you count the general weakness from malnutrition, and I can go an entire day without eating without realizing it. It is not uncommon fir me to realize at 7:00pm that I have not eaten anything all day. This is not to say I don’t eat. (I’m a compulsive/binge eater and snacker when my body allows) Bit it’s rarely because I feel like I have to – usually it’s because I want to.
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Here’s another use on potatoes – you can clean them then a little oil and salt and pepper. Pierce each potato first. Then microwave them for 6-7 minutes. Take them out, cut them into small pieces. Use the oil left on the plate to put in a pan with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and turmeric and maybe some paprika. Over medium heat fry them for 7-10 minutes. So in 13 to 17 minutes you can have what I call delicious home fries.
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Sounds delicious.
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Oh yeah. It is. Now the normal method is to take raw potatoes and cut them up. But that takes more than 45 minutes start to finish. The microwave cheat works very well.
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What about tumeric Tea, is that helpful? And can you freeze the ensure and then add a teeny bit of fruit to make it more smoothy-ish?
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I do take turmeric supplements, and several hot teas are a staple and provide some comfort (peppermint, fennel, and ginger) but I’ve not tried turmeric tea yet. I shall.
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And the adding the fruit idea is a good idea. I never thought of that. Don’t know if I’d freeze it, but I could definitely blend some fruit into vanilla for a tasty boost!
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I have been seeing my leg surgeon every other week. I feel safe in the MDs office.
todd has been doing the grocery shopping since my legs are still a bit painful to stand/walk for long periods. I would think you would pick up more germs in a grocery store than an MDs office.
light at the end of the tunnel is a good sign. and yes, I think an MD visit for you is a necessity.
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Happy that you are on the mend and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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Fingers crossed that you get through the rest of the work week okay. Tell your coworkers to be especially nice to you!
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What a roller coaster the last few weeks have been for you. I am sorry. I, like others, hope that you can get thru the week and enjoy a 3 day weekend. Hoping that there will be a LONG period of no pain and no stomach problems. You have earned that! All I can offer is hugs, sympathetic thoughts and LOTS of good wishes.
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You are like the rocks at Stonehenge: nothing knocks you down.
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I sometimes ask myself, would my office stress over me, as much as I stress over it? All too often it is a one sided relationship.
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I agree. And I get that on a cerebral level. I just haven’t figure out how to just stop stressing.
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