An Anniverary Of Sorts.

So I was looking through some of my old post when I came across a blog I wrote just over a year ago..... And I missed an anniversary of sorts.

In this particular blog I mentioned how I had received the all clear on the tumor that they found in my esophagus. And with that came the news that I was all done with my trips down to the Mayo Clinic. I had ended one big part of this journey. A little over a year ago the hospitalization portion of this adventure stopped and it is kind of a big deal.

You see since then: 

I have not had to be admitted back into the hospital even once. 

I have not had to worry about how I was going to get to and from Rochester or who was going to drive me.

I have not had to worry about strictures.

I have not had to have dilations, or talk about getting another “damn stent”. 

I have not had a I.V. stuck in my arm.

I have not been put to sleep.

Now that is not to say that this year was filled with sunbeams and unicorns. Plenty of things have happened to take the place of hospital stays, as they say "life goes on". I also don't go a day without being reminded that I do not have a stomach. I have to think about it every time I eat, because if I don't then something gets stuck. Yes, even after all this time without a stomach, I still get food stuck on more occasions than I care to admit. When food gets stuck, then the area where the food is stuck swells and nothing goes down. Not even water. So once this happens there is nothing I can do about it except wait it out.

It is just my new normal but it is a new normal without a hospital stay.

On a side note, I have finished getting the steroid injections for my scar. All in all I had four sets of steroid injections. They were painful but they seem to have done the trick. My scar is not as pronounced as it once was.

The next step in this process happens on May 3rd when I go back to the U of M for a “training” session . They are going to be training on a new laser procedure which they hope will help reduce the redness of the scar tissue. Since it is a training session, there will be 25-30 people in the room when they do the procedure and I will be their test rat. Test Rat, another bucket list item checked off.

Funny story though. When the Dr. was “selling” me on this idea, he mentioned that it was totally safe and I didn’t need to worry about it. The most common side effect was an upset stomach. I just stared at him.
He went on to tell me that they could give me some medication before the procedure to lessen the impact to my stomach if I was concerned about it. Again I didn’t say anything I just looked at him and smiled. Really? 
It must have been five minutes later when he stopped mid-sentence and started to laugh. “telling a guy without a stomach that I could give him something to calm his stomach…. It’s gonna be a long day.” 
And I agreed to let this guy shoot me with a laser!  At least the procedure is free.

Hear the echoes and feel yourself starting to turn
Don't know why you should feel
That there's something to learn
It's just a game that you play

(Time Passages.  Al Stewart)

Week One Is In The Books

So I have successfully completed my first week at my new job. This week has been filled with onboarding meetings. They were stacked one after another. There was three onboarding lunches that I had to worry my way through, but with the exception of Tuesday all of them went just fine.

Did I tell them about my stomach, or lack there of? Yes, I did on the first day. There was talk about taking me to a popular pizza buffet, so I decided it was probably in my best interest to tell them. At first they had the normal questions I get asked like, "You can live without a stomach"? "Where does the food go"? But then the topics just switched and we were done the questions. In the end there is a lot of work to be done and they are glad that I am there, no stomach and all.

The hardest part of this week has been trying to keep my weight up. I have lost six pounds over the last eight days. I kind of figured I would loose some weight, but the six pounds is a little much. I am currently sitting around 183 pounds. I really don't want to get much lower. However with the meeting running back to back it left little time for me to keep up with my eating.

Next week should be better. There is still onboarding and a trip but things should slow down and I should be able to get into a rhythm of eating during the day.

But for this weekend I will relax.
What is on the docket for this weekend?
Well it is Easter.
What would you think of a gutless Easter Bunny.
I will post pictures. Have a great weekend.

She's somebody's hero
A hero to her baby with a skinned up knee
A little kiss is all she needs
The keeper of the cheerios
The voice that brings snow white to life
Bedtime stories every night
That smile lets her know
She somebody's hero
(Somebody's Hero  Jamie O'Neil)

For my Brother-In-Law Jim
Sending Our Love...