Yike my friends - this is hard. I was finally allowed to shower this morning - thank God or JC would have slept in the car. It felt wonderful. Also removed all the bandages and the catheters today also - the caths were in my chest feeding pain medicine directly to the incisions. All went well.
But God am I tired. I would sleep all day if I was allowed. But I have to walk a LOT each day - and although I promised to dream about long walks in the Alps Dr. Syn said I needed to really walk to make it productive.
I hope you are reading all the fun comments from my wonderful and crazy friends all over the world. Mary and Diane tramping around New England,, Simon outside London, Eddie from Boise, and many others to be named in another blog.
I have to admit that I just didn't think it would be this much discomfort and trouble moving around. The pain pills are wonderful and never out of my reach. Some of these "products" they have suggested I try in get in - get this - 110 grams of New Whey - a liquid protein drink with 40 grams in each 3 oz serving - just imagine. The Chocolate pudding is wonderful thank God but much of the rest of the stuff leaves lots to be desired.
JC is here for another 1.5 days and then he is driving back to Nebraska to be with his lovely wife Mary while she has rotator cuff surgery. I told him his retirement profession should be a nurse. Edwin arrives on Tuesday and life will change dramatically with his endless energy and New York accent. Pray for me.
It is time for more drugs then bed - bless you all for being in my life.
Chuck
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Not quite 100%
I was told that the second day after surgery would be the worst - they were right - very right. There is a lot of pain when getting up and down but finding a comfortable position to sit or lie isn't easy. I did my first blended meat this morning - do not, I Repeat DO NOT add this to your diet unless it is life or death.
JC is the worlds best caregiver and his input from his experience at this surgery has been very helpful.
This will be short with hopes the the coming days will be better and I am able to write more.
Much love - Chuck
JC is the worlds best caregiver and his input from his experience at this surgery has been very helpful.
This will be short with hopes the the coming days will be better and I am able to write more.
Much love - Chuck
Friday, September 28, 2007
The view from my bed
I made it!!! I am sitting in my hospital bed with a beautiful view of the skyline of Lubbock and just received the word I will be released today. It all seems to have gone well. And shortly JC will drive back to the hotel and I will sleep for hours. Following that I will attempt to write something more interesting that this.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
A night in Lubbock
I cannot seem to find the right temperature in my lovely apartment in the Residence Inn of Lubbock. We just had one of those surprise severe storms common on the Texas plain and the power was off for about an hour. Interesting way to begin my first night in town.
Tomorrow the festivities begin. I will go into surgery at 7am with the actual event to happen about 8. My former seminary roomie JC will be arriving in the morning to spend a week with me. JC has this same surgery almost 2 years ago and is barely recognizable from our days of living together in Berkeley. He will be a big help as he is a natural caregiver and, of course, has firsts hand knowledge of what I will be going through.
When JC leaves my old friend from Tampa, Edwin, will arrive and spend a week, driving back to Albuquerque with me and spending some time there. It is a very special thing to have friends willing to put their lives on hold to help out a friend. I am very grateful for their presence in my life.
When I arrived in town I stopped at the Health Food Market, recommended by Dr. Syn, and picked up nourishment for the next week. Well - nourishment is a very lose term for the various forms of liquid protein I will be living on for a week. Later in the week I get to add blended meat to the diet. Blended meat! Think about that! Chicken in a blender - I think I am going to try chicken, a little fat free sour cream, and some salsa and hope it tastes like a liquid burrito. Time will tell.
Well its off to bed now so that I am chipper and ready at 7am. I love you all. I do love to see the comments on the blog by the way so keep them coming. Tomorrow (or sometime shortly after that I will be writing to you as a thinner person - we hope).
Tomorrow the festivities begin. I will go into surgery at 7am with the actual event to happen about 8. My former seminary roomie JC will be arriving in the morning to spend a week with me. JC has this same surgery almost 2 years ago and is barely recognizable from our days of living together in Berkeley. He will be a big help as he is a natural caregiver and, of course, has firsts hand knowledge of what I will be going through.
When JC leaves my old friend from Tampa, Edwin, will arrive and spend a week, driving back to Albuquerque with me and spending some time there. It is a very special thing to have friends willing to put their lives on hold to help out a friend. I am very grateful for their presence in my life.
When I arrived in town I stopped at the Health Food Market, recommended by Dr. Syn, and picked up nourishment for the next week. Well - nourishment is a very lose term for the various forms of liquid protein I will be living on for a week. Later in the week I get to add blended meat to the diet. Blended meat! Think about that! Chicken in a blender - I think I am going to try chicken, a little fat free sour cream, and some salsa and hope it tastes like a liquid burrito. Time will tell.
Well its off to bed now so that I am chipper and ready at 7am. I love you all. I do love to see the comments on the blog by the way so keep them coming. Tomorrow (or sometime shortly after that I will be writing to you as a thinner person - we hope).
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Last day at home
Today I am packing for my journey and preparing my home for my return (in laypersons terms that means laundry and cleaning two of my least favorite things). Let me also apologize for not using spell check on my last posting - although I did go back and correct the typos. The problem with having so many smart and kind friends is they have a tendency to tell you when you have screwed up - and thanks to Michale I will always now remember to use spell check.
As all this fuss goes on I have been reflecting on the reasons for the events of this week.
Most of you reading this blog didn't know me when I was thin and yes - I was once very thin. There is a picture of me in 11th grade hanging right in front of me while I am writing and skinny is really a better term.
Who knows why certain people gain a lot of weight? I have spent many hours over the years trying to figure it out for me and to no avail. There are many speculations out there but none of them seem to ring completely true. Possibly that means they are all true to an extent. What I know is that I love food. I love cooking it, eating it, serving it, experimenting with it and as many of you know watching it be cooked on the Food Network. My relationship with food has been significant all my life.
When I was in junior high school I used to stay home "sick" so I could spend the day cooking. I loved sorting through my mother's cookbook(s) and finding something I could prepare for the family that night. These cooking adventures were pretty good in general but always difficult to explain how I suddenly felt well enough to cook all day.
As time went on food just became more important to me and as so many people with weight issues I considered food a drug. It made me feel better. It was safe. Eating was hardly something I could screw up - but today as I pack to have surgery to assist me in controlling my food issues - I realize even eating can be done wrong.
The goal, of course, is to become healthier and to get my life back. The few of you on this list who have been in my life for a very long time remember me as a pretty active person. I didn't usually play weekend football but I loved camping, traveling, swimming, and there was a time I lived on a bicycle. Football will never be on the list of things I chose to do - but I look forward to a much more active life and a much longer one. All the better to keep you all in my life for more time.
I have a wonderful friend who has just lost a lot of weight and she sent me a very special email today in which she said, "I am so sick of being encased in a body that has nothing to do with my spirit". Wow! I believe she has spoken for me also.
Have a glorious day.
As all this fuss goes on I have been reflecting on the reasons for the events of this week.
Most of you reading this blog didn't know me when I was thin and yes - I was once very thin. There is a picture of me in 11th grade hanging right in front of me while I am writing and skinny is really a better term.
Who knows why certain people gain a lot of weight? I have spent many hours over the years trying to figure it out for me and to no avail. There are many speculations out there but none of them seem to ring completely true. Possibly that means they are all true to an extent. What I know is that I love food. I love cooking it, eating it, serving it, experimenting with it and as many of you know watching it be cooked on the Food Network. My relationship with food has been significant all my life.
When I was in junior high school I used to stay home "sick" so I could spend the day cooking. I loved sorting through my mother's cookbook(s) and finding something I could prepare for the family that night. These cooking adventures were pretty good in general but always difficult to explain how I suddenly felt well enough to cook all day.
As time went on food just became more important to me and as so many people with weight issues I considered food a drug. It made me feel better. It was safe. Eating was hardly something I could screw up - but today as I pack to have surgery to assist me in controlling my food issues - I realize even eating can be done wrong.
The goal, of course, is to become healthier and to get my life back. The few of you on this list who have been in my life for a very long time remember me as a pretty active person. I didn't usually play weekend football but I loved camping, traveling, swimming, and there was a time I lived on a bicycle. Football will never be on the list of things I chose to do - but I look forward to a much more active life and a much longer one. All the better to keep you all in my life for more time.
I have a wonderful friend who has just lost a lot of weight and she sent me a very special email today in which she said, "I am so sick of being encased in a body that has nothing to do with my spirit". Wow! I believe she has spoken for me also.
Have a glorious day.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Different Forms of Journeys
There are many parts to each journey and the physical part of the journey to Lubbock is a very interesting part of this journey for me.
The six hour drive is easily divided into 3 approximately 100 mile segments.
The first 100 miles is very typical boring interstate highway driving from Albuquerque to Santa Rosa New Mexico. This route is lined with McDonalds and the like with the infamous Clines Corners half way. Clines Corners is one of those tributes to traveler resting places that dotted the American highway when some of us were kids. Filled to the brim with rattlesnake gift items (I have yet to decide to just whom one would give a rattlesnake gift item), tacky dolls, bad tshirts, passable restrooms and food that my trainer would faint if he saw me eating.
The Second 100 miles is much more interesting although there is almost nothing at all on the drive. From Santa Rosa to Fort Sumner where Billy the Kid is buried the landscape does not speak much of human habitation. There are very often herds of antelope, goats, of course cows, and even a farm with Llamas, goats and alpacas. The Antelope are beautiful animals who literally bounce across the vistas and make one feel they are on a real adventure.
Now the last 100 miles is pretty much entirely inside Texas and is heavy into farming, feed yards, and Republicans. Makes for a very smelly drive.
Cooks Restaurant in Clovis New Mexico makes the best hamburger I have eaten in years. I had one this past week as a goodbye to that type of food for a long time. It made the taste even better.
As the gum chewing server said to me as I left after asking what made the burger so good she said, "honey, we take good New Mexican beef raised in Texas and fry the hell out of it" Well she did hit the mark on that one - and a joyfilled farewell it was for me.
The six hour drive is easily divided into 3 approximately 100 mile segments.
The first 100 miles is very typical boring interstate highway driving from Albuquerque to Santa Rosa New Mexico. This route is lined with McDonalds and the like with the infamous Clines Corners half way. Clines Corners is one of those tributes to traveler resting places that dotted the American highway when some of us were kids. Filled to the brim with rattlesnake gift items (I have yet to decide to just whom one would give a rattlesnake gift item), tacky dolls, bad tshirts, passable restrooms and food that my trainer would faint if he saw me eating.
The Second 100 miles is much more interesting although there is almost nothing at all on the drive. From Santa Rosa to Fort Sumner where Billy the Kid is buried the landscape does not speak much of human habitation. There are very often herds of antelope, goats, of course cows, and even a farm with Llamas, goats and alpacas. The Antelope are beautiful animals who literally bounce across the vistas and make one feel they are on a real adventure.
Now the last 100 miles is pretty much entirely inside Texas and is heavy into farming, feed yards, and Republicans. Makes for a very smelly drive.
Cooks Restaurant in Clovis New Mexico makes the best hamburger I have eaten in years. I had one this past week as a goodbye to that type of food for a long time. It made the taste even better.
As the gum chewing server said to me as I left after asking what made the burger so good she said, "honey, we take good New Mexican beef raised in Texas and fry the hell out of it" Well she did hit the mark on that one - and a joyfilled farewell it was for me.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
In the beginning. . .
Although I have been in the process of preparing for this surgery, today is the day it became real. Today I have been given the surgery date. Next Thursday, the 27th of September, 2007.
My wish is to update this blog often and almost daily for the next few weeks and frequently after that and to do that for a 2 year period. Yes, I am aware that after a while most people wont care to follow the progress daily but it will give me a complete picture of my journey and who knows - books come from such things.
So today the journey begins.
The accompanying picture was taken a few weeks ago to provide Dr. Syn a before picture.
My wish is to update this blog often and almost daily for the next few weeks and frequently after that and to do that for a 2 year period. Yes, I am aware that after a while most people wont care to follow the progress daily but it will give me a complete picture of my journey and who knows - books come from such things.
So today the journey begins.
The accompanying picture was taken a few weeks ago to provide Dr. Syn a before picture.
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