Media-crity

I’ve been home for about 4 days now and each day I notice improvement. The biggest challenge has been “re-feeding,” which is essentially trying to eat normally again. With all of the acid reflux and the ulcers in my esophagus, a lot of foods were just too painful. All I could handle in the hospital was broth and water, then a little bit of sherbet, then some graham crackers and milk. Now, though, every day I’m finding new things that work. My last day in the hospital, they tried to give me real food for lunch. I took one bite of mashed potatoes and cried from the pain. I mean, imagine eating or drinking something, having it be fine in your mouth, then somewhere around your breastbone, it’s like you just chugged a glass of hydrochloric acid.

Now that I’m home, I’ve been able to handle bowls of cheerios, a frozen Stouffer’s Mac&Cheese (comfort food, mmmm), a little bit of yogurt, a bagel and cream cheese, and random bites of Nate’s dinners (ravioli, grilled cheese, etc). I even managed diluted apple juice last night! Liquids/drinks have been a much harder road. I’ve mostly stuck to water, because it quickly neutralizes any pain flare-ups when I eat something. Yogurt, for instance, still hurts, but if I chase each bite with water, I can eat it. I’m still a pretty long way off from diet coke (whimper), but I’m well on my way.

My laptop has saved me from going completely insane. I think if all I had to do all day was lie on the couch and doze, I’d be recovering a lot slower, because I’d have nothing to do, and I’d just get depressed. My laptop lets me stay comfy on the couch, but keep my brain moving, and stay in touch with family and friends. My mom and my uncle did a wonderful job keeping everyone updated via email while I was in there, but now I want to catch up with everyone. So email me! Email is much better than the phone, because I can send emails, doze off, wake up, and respond. The phone would just exhaust me, having to keep retelling things.

Tomorrow I’m hoping to get in for my follow-up appointment and see how well I’ve progressed. It’s a walk-in clinic, so I’ll have to be there right at 8, blaaaahhhh.