Life After Total Gastrectomy for Stomach Cancer (My Journey to find a New Normal)

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Posts Tagged ‘health medical quality of life stomach cancer total gastrectomy’

too funny not to share

Posted by docdude on December 18, 2011

Don’t be afraid to laugh with us when we laugh at ourselves…  (my comment is almost worthy of a blog post)

http://mycrazycolon.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/1448/#comment-161

 

My comment:   So true!!! My frequent nausea and dry heaves will sometimes occur without warning and in the most inconvenient places (like there is any place that it is convenient to dry heave). I was standing in the line at a store when I started dry heaving. People turned to watch and after the wave passed, I simply said “Hairball.” and shrugged. Most people gave me that weak oh-you-poor-thing-you look but a couple people will burst into laughter. I love the ones who will quip something like “Put a bit of butter on the tip of your nose and lick it off….works for my cat.”

Posted in Diagnosis, Emotional, Food/Eating, Humor, Random Thoughts, Surgery and Treatment, Tests and Procedures | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Another hospital visit…but luckily not mine!!

Posted by docdude on December 17, 2010

I was very pleased to return a very special favor to a good friend.  She needed a ride to the hospital for a routine colonoscopy.   Considering that I have already “been there/done that” I was able to keep her thinking positively.  Everything turned out okay and she tooted her way home in my car blissfully mellowed from the medications.

I will be planning another hospital visit myself…unfortunately.  I will be meeting with the surgeon on January 13th to discuss when to plan the 2nd surgical intervention.  My case was presented to the group of GI docs and surgeons last week.   It was a doctor group consensus that I have a partial blockage that needs to be resolved.  This will solve part of the problems I have been struggling with over the past year.  I am currently on a low starting dose of a  medication that might address the other problem – esophageal spasms.   The medication has a downside of lowering blood pressure and mine is already a little low.  Today, they upped the dose so if there are going to be problems they will probably be present soon enough.

They also bumped me from12-hour pump cycle back up to a 14-hour pump cycle because I was having some serious sugar crashes during the time off the pump.  So, I will be monitor both my blood sugars and my blood pressure a couple times a day.

I am plugging along on TPN/iv nutrition.  I’ve had problems with swollen joints, water weight gain, hair loss, bruises, cold feet and hands, sore muscles…..but I know it make take some time to tweaking my formula.  I am trying to start a very light exercise program right now to build up so much of the muscles lost during the last year. I do have a little more energy during the day – I only have short cat naps now and then instead of sleeping for hours at a time.

I’ve decided not to post anymore about the surgical issue until after I meet the surgeon on the 13th of January.  DON’T PANIC!  I will still be posting but not about the upcoming surgery.  I am not in a good place about the surgery and my chances for “complete recovery”.  I will chat about this more after I meet with the surgeon.  Right now, I just want to keep my mind focused on other things.  I need the mental strength about for the holidays.  They are going to be draining me as it is – emotionally, physically and financially.  Today is the last day of school for 2 weeks for the boys…oh joy…I wonder how many minutes it will take until I hear the all-to-familiar “I’m so bored”.

I will be posting daily – my goal!  These will be general postings about my observations of the world around me.  I think you will enjoy my twisted displays of humor.

Posted in Emotional, Food/Eating, Humor, Random Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »