Update on my husband's progress: After four & 1/2 LONG months, Jim is eating FOOD! I'm not talking milk or Ensure as substitute/replacement meals, either. He would TRY to eat food & take tiny bites, in the past. He would gag- or worse- even at the thought of food. It was the polar opposite of my former foodie-chef partner. This weekend marked a take-out meal of a fish dinner from a local place with pasta & apple sauce. He didn't finish it; but he ate slowly & ate until he was full! (Yes, his stomach has been growling for months but he couldn't get & keep food in that hungry belly.) I saw a smile as I saw him snacking on Ritz crackers, peanut butter & jelly before bed. (He couldn't do this a week prior because swallowing was difficult.) Saturday started with chocolate & white milk (breakfast), as usual, then "trying" (AND FINISHING) a full grilled ham & cheese sandwich on Saturday! Blood sugar stayed stable... & then he finished the evening with 1/2 a piece of pizza (to try)! (Ensure drinks during the day.) Today, he was adamant that he wanted to try pancakes, eggs & sausage with maple syrup, butter & milk. That would be a lot of work if he couldn't eat it... but he had good success the past two days, so I made what he asked for. He asked for seconds (!!!) & ate until his stomach was full. He is so NOT used to eating that his face (jaws) are sore from chewing! THREE DAYS IN A ROW OF REAL FOOD!!! There is a TRUE happiness for him. To see a human suffer "less" is a reason to tear up. His weight is extremely low but hopefully, now, we have FINALLY hit bottom & are rebounding. I thought that before... but his weight KEPT going down as he had no appetite. Taste & appetite are both finally back... We may see some weight returning- fast or slowly. I just want a healthy weight & strength so he can regain a normal life, again. He says he can't wait to take a big bite of sandwich like Guy Fieri. I just smile as I HEAR his personality returning...
For dinner: Jim ate FOOD, again- a baked potato with sour cream, broccoli, a hamburger (1/2 pound- but he only ate 1/2) and a diet (no sugar) 7up. The carbonation helps him burp when he "can't." I am so optimistic, I can't stand it. We go for a dr appt this week to discuss the results of the endoscopy with his primary care physician & Jim's drop in insulin needs. Do we continue on the appetite meds? Do we NEED to do another CAT scan? --I know no one can "do" anything to help but I find comfort sharing these updates. -I've had people offer practical help, here. I truly appreciate the offers... but I know that your life is just as busy as ours. To drag someone from their family to help ours seems selfish. Chores eventually get done & having a quiet place for Jim to not worry about his appearance is important to me. -I promise not to post every meal he has this week...but this weekend has been so significant, I needed to let the world know. Thank you, Everyone, for caring. We don't do much, socially, anymore. We fell off the face of the planet, some time ago... Sharing this ordeal is a way of letting people know that dark times come & they stick around sometimes for longer than you expect. Sometimes life gets better, quickly... Sometimes it stays down for longer than we think we can handle it... The human experience- good & bad - life & death puts things into perspective to appreciate everything- eating, breathing, family, friendship, offers of help & support, each day...
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