Don’t Look Up

The last of the staples have been removed. Again, Renee refused to let me pull them. This lack of trust in my surgical skills has me really ticked off. “NO! Just let the nurse do it!” So, I get to deal with a bag-o-BM but staple pulling I’ve got to leave to the pros? I know where that puts me on this totem pole, sandwiched between the cold earth and the bottom of Nurse Huffnpuff. Ouch!

As you can tell from the above, the patient is getting a little more boisterous. This means progress, if Renee’s got the strength to fight off my ridiculousness than she’s on the right road to recovery. Her appetite is non-existent, she tires out faster than a home health care nurse facing a flight of stairs, she’s got extreme soreness throughout her abdomen (imagine that!) and at this stage there does not appear to be a way to get a solid seal around the stoma. Nothing here is out of the ordinary for a J-Pouch surgery patient.

We are told the bag fitting should be easier after normal post-op swelling has reduced. Strength will return after the pain subsides and after her taste buds wake up. They seem to have taken a break also. Renee says she can’t taste anything so she’s not really eating. This may be due to the general numbness which comes along with the pain pills.

Don’t worry I’m feeding her. How’s shrimp scampi over linguini sound? That’s what I made for dinner last night. I even let Renee watch me eat it. Yes, I let her have some. How cruel do you think I am? But if she can’t taste it, isn’t that a waste? Shouldn’t I just blindfold her and give her white bread with butter and tell her its shrimp scampi?

I must now put on my apron and whip up another gourmet meal to waste on a set of deadened taste buds. Renee’s taking portions so small right now that it doesn’t much matter. I’m really just cooking for me and giving her a “taster” plate. She’s really living on jello and diced peaches with maybe a yogurt thrown in.

“Oh, and how about Cassidy,” you’re asking? She bailed out to a friend’s and is probably trying to figure out a way to sponge a meal off of them. She’s also on a non-eating week. I don’t think she’ll do too much damage to their pantry.

I’m going Italian tonight, sausage rigatoni.

Arrivederci!