One year

This all started right around this time a year ago.

On Monday January 19^th of last year, I stopped by the University of Minnesota genetics lab in Maple Grove Minnesota and there was a kit waiting for me. One needle prick and 6 or 7 vials of blood later and it was complete. On that day, I didn’t meet with anyone else. They told me that they would know my results within a few weeks and I was on my way. I left that genetics lab wondering how my life would change if the test came back positive. I left hoping that with everything that had happened to our family in 2014 that I could dodge this bullet.   

A lot has changed since that day.

• I no longer have a stomach.
• I have been introduced as “the guy who doesn’t have a stomach”.  Which is still kind of weird to hear people say.  I even had a young lady argue with me that I was making this all up. I had to have a stomach because she was positive that you couldn’t live without one. To this day I don’t believe that she believes me.
• I have had two extended hospital stays, one for the surgery (9 days) and one for a “fun” follow up visit (6 days).
• I have had three dilations and working on planning the 4^th one.
• I have lost 62 pounds and now weigh about what I did when I graduated high school.
• I give myself B-12 injections on the 3^rd of every month. That is a big thing considering my dislike for needles and shots.
• My supplement regiment consists of two chewable Flintstones vitamins and 4 chewable tums every day. I find it amazing that with all the prescription drugs out there that these two are what the Mayo Clinic recommend that I take to maintain my health.
• I will give myself the B-12 shots and take the other supplements for the rest of my life.
• The only over the counter pain medication I can take is Tylenol.
• I haven’t had a diet coke since August 3^rd. Before the surgery, I could put away as much as a six pack a day if the need arose. Today I treat myself to one can of white Monster and/or one cup of coffee a day. It just depends on how I am feeling.
• I drink a lot more water than I used to, but it has to be ice cold. So I fill water bottles about 1/4 of the way full and freeze them.
• Eating is always an adventure. Food gets stuck daily and I am not a good date at a buffet.
• When I do eat out I ask for a to go container as soon as my food arrives and then plan on what I am going to take home.
• Our refrigerator is always stocked with leftovers. Stop by anytime, I can warm something up for you in a second or two.
• I haven’t had a salad since August 3^rd. 
• Sugar is not my friend.
• I can drink beer, Long Islands and wine which is nice. Two glasses in a sitting, sometimes I might stretch it to three (not the long islands though). I did play in a poker tournament recently where, for some reason, I thought it would be ok to have six beers and that did not work out so well for me.
• Earlier this year, another family member (my younger brother Doug) tested negative for the genetic mutation which is amazing news for him and his son. 

See there have been good days and bad days. There have been days that came with good news and days that came with bad news. It is the same as it is for everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you have a stomach or not. Now I didn’t think that hard to come up with that list, so I know that there is more. I just wanted to jot some of them down. You could do the same and your list may be longer with more trials than this list has on it. It is just life.

I guess this was just my way of saying, “I’m Good!”  Let’s start year two!

Pretty soon now you're gonna get older
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

I said that time may change me
But I can't trace time
(Changes   David Bowie)