CoCo's Corner

  Well, the day has come and gone.  I got my new and fancy attachment coming out of my face.  It was a horrible experience.  I thought I was going to go absolutely insane and take out the people putting it in me.  But, let's talk about it real quick. I got an NJ tube.  I thought I was going to be getting an NG tube.  What is an NJ tube?  It's a tube for feeding that is placed through the nose and snaked down past the stomach and into the jejunal.  The jejunal is in the small intestine.  The nasojejunal tube is more complex and has a few more risks than the nasogastric tube.  But, apparently, it's the best choice for me.   So let's talk about the actual procedure.  I knew from the beginning, when they squirted lidocaine in my two nostrils to kind of deaden it that it was going to be COMPLETELY horrible!!!  And then needed me to sniff it down to kind of deaden my throat, to make the tube a little more comfortable g...

  It is a never-ending cycle.   People thinking I do not eat, and that if I did, all my issues would be solved.  All my issues would be corrected.  That I'm just doing this to myself, because I refuse to eat.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I may not eat what many people do.  Not as many calories, because I really have the smallest of pouches, so I get full faster.  My meals tend to be cut into smaller and more frequent.  For example, I have first breakfast.  I have second breakfast.  I have lunch.  I have midafternoon meal.  I have dinner. Then a snack a while before bed.  And finally, I take a snack to bed with me.   My gastric surgeon told me, that when I get my NG tube, I will need to keep an intricate diary of my food, to see what I am taking in.  What I am eating.  And how many calories.  So, I did a practice run and by the end of the day, I was around 1450 calories....

Sun wasn't even up when I headed to the hospital Today, I had my first albumin infusion.  I have it at the Cancer Center.  It lasts about four hours.  They get an IV started and slowly infuse the albumin.  Today, I learned a lot: Don't take your own snacks.  They have great snacks and beverages.  And you don't have to haul all that stuff. Four hours, sitting in a little curtained room, is really not bad.  I snoozed, I snacked, I watched TV, I played on my phone. Make sure you take your power pack. If they ask you if you want a heated blanket, the answer is always YES.  I had three by the time I left.  I told the adorable CNA fella that I planned to just look like a pile of blankets by the time I was ready to leave. In October, we wear Halloween fare The side effects are headaches and achy muscles.  I'm the lucky one that gets both.  I'm doing ok tonight.  I don't get headaches, I'm used to achy muscles.  I limit my intake ...