Week 2:
Things are going pretty well. I feel really blessed by all the support from my friends and family. The pathology report came back and it showed cancer had already formed in my stomach. Stage one and the tumor was “poorly differentiated” which means it was very aggressive and unpredictable. I can’t really explain how grateful I am. The tumor didn’t go through the stomach wall, so that is a huge blessing and I will not need further treatment. God is good.
Regarding the recovery, here are few things that I didn’t know about which are important to note:
- My back is very sore. Because my abdomen muscles have been cut in half (open surgery) I mostly rely on my back to sit up straight and walk and whatnot. So my back constantly hurts. A heating pad and frequent breaks help a lot.
- Food and drink require much planning and it’s very involved. Things like a protein shake make me bloated and gassy but I try and push through because protein helps the healing process.
- If I forget to chew the smallest bit of food, it gets stuck somewhere in my esophagus/intestines. That is painful and scary. It feels like I can’t breathe. It lasts for around 15 minutes.
- Don’t eat too fast and don’t try sugar in the beginning. I ate my oatmeal too fast and had a tablespoon of brown sugar and I had dumping syndrome for 3 hours. Really bad cramps. Never felt anything like it. Nearly went to the ER.
- Sip your liquids. Do not take a big drink or gulp. (also results in dumping. Horrible cramps).
Favorite foods (everyone is different):
Peanut butter
Eggs (poached or scrambled)
Potato soup (just go slow). Heat ¼ cup at a time so you don’t overeat and it doesn’t get cold.
Gluten-free mac and cheese
Gluten-free Oatmeal
Gluten-free pancake with Nutella
Pure Protein Shake