Our limbo world has been a very curious thing. We were neither here nor there. We’ve rid ourselves of various meds and have seen slight improvements, but not as much as one would think. We’ve taken our baby steps and implemented what changes we could and saw some progress. But again, not as much as one would think. Each step forward seemed to have a few backwards just waiting for us which is to be expected but the travel has been slow and less than steady.
As we pondered lately what we would want our story to be, we felt there was something we were missing… a key element to a more significant improvement. Feet still swelling, fatigue still present, poopathon still rolling along. How are we going to manifest the future we envision for ourselves if we still reside in the half world of a patient patient?
As with most of our insights, we needed to gather data. What variables exist in our day that would make one day any better or worse than another? And so, Rich became my research project. Each night a discussion on how he felt with an analysis of food, activity, contact, sleep patterns… you name it, it was dissected. Google research began… reviews of our notes from doctor’s visits, in depth study of our calendar… all our collected information cross referenced. Ah! The romance of recovery! Such pillow talk!
And then one very, very odd event.
I had decided to make bacon jam for some holiday gifts. The bacon was cooked, the fat rendered, the onions caramelized. The pure maple syrup, brown sugar, pepper and hot sauce were all blended together. It was time to slow cook it all into a compote. Rich was on crock pot watch. And by the time I got home from work, we had an excellent batch of bacon charcoal. Black, crumbly, and yet, tar-like charcoal. Our guy had reported that it had burnt… but for some reason, he refused to turn off the crock pot. His reasoning was that I hadn’t told him to. So for an additional seven hours after he felt it had burnt, it continued with heat, all the while the smell was bothering him… but still, he would not turn off the crock pot.
On a number of levels, this was disturbing. And required some consideration. As a type II diabetic, I know that high blood sugar levels can make it hard for me to concentrate and my thought processes get pretty fuzzy. We know Rich’s blood levels are elevated from the prednisone but for some reason, he can’t stop snacking on carboliciousness even though his body doesn’t really give a shit as to why the glucose blood work is high. Doesn’t matter that it’s ‘cuz of his meds, side effects still present themselves and yet, he resists any attempts to lower his sugar intake. This 350 degrees of Kevin Bacon was our turning point.
Since we’ve started this journey, Rich’s eating habits have changed. First, we had to eliminate certain foods that would irritate his cancerous stomach ulcerations and foods that could cause nausea. The chance of a fatal perforation was a very real threat so care had to be taken. As chemo continued, tastes and diet changed once again. The medications prior to the stem cell transplant to protect his stomach and esophagus led us in other directions yet again. The early months post-transplant had its dietary restrictions. This past year with its prednisone intensity brought a whole slew of carb laden cravings followed by a loss of appetite. Stomach discomfort and the continual poopathon seemed to beg for comfort foods. Peripheral neuropathy reacts well to B vitamins… so, sure, add in those yeasty foods. The guy who had snacked on brussel sprouts for decades was long gone.
But looking at the whole picture… activity (or lack thereof), food, medication, symptoms, sleep patterns…again, as a whole instead of bits and pieces, the magic of google began to divulge some possibilities. The discussions on irritable bowel syndrome seemed to have the most significance. Interestingly enough, joint pain, a daily complaint, is a symptom.
One of the many things I’m thankful for is that Rich is, for the most part, open trying whatever craziness I propose. But sometimes it’s all in the timing. While the efforts to get him to move towards more veggies and less carbs has been met with resistance and some half-hearted attempts during our time on this path, following our creation of bacon charcoal he was ready for a change. Sometimes our own odd behavior will force us to rethink and revamp. This was one such time.
Based on the IBS diet, carbs are reduced; gluten and wheat products eliminated or brought to a significant decrease. Same with dairy. Cashews were replaced with almonds. Simple proteins and fresh veggies are our menu along with the elimination of condiments with their hidden sugars and salts. Manuka honey, which had such magical properties and got us through some tough times with stomach pain, is now verboten. Rooibus tea replaces coffee to eliminate the caffeine.
The results are almost instantaneous. Each day there is more energy, more clarity of thought, less bloating, less swelling. At the end of the week, we’re stunned that the relatively small changes that we’ve made have had such an impact in such a short period of time. Just like his allergy shots from the ‘70’s and his childhood vaccinations are no longer effective, what his foods his body tolerates has also been reset. This is such a powerful change.
The story we want to tell of our lives is ready to be manifest. If these changes continue, if our new year leaves this past year of pneumonia and prednisone and mental fog behind, if we can truly begin to set ourselves onto a new path to create our new future, then we can be well satisfied. The possibilities we could only dream about can become our new reality.
Leonardo da Vinci, a man that knew a thing or two, said “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” By once again taking control of our future, we’re ready to go out and happen to things.
As we settled down for the night thinking about our plans, the old roar and rumble of Rich’s stomach has now been quieted. Luckily, his snores have continued to serenade me at night.
Use What Exists 