Eating and coping with recovery

Hal61 said:

Chef style fanatic with French dressing
Hi Kent and Mary,

Thanks Mary for bringing up the subject of self consciousness. As posters over time have noted, the always available, "well at least I'm doing better that that guy or that gal," is still in play, and there is nothing dishonorable in it. But Kent, you are definitely right in encouraging people to take a step in an effort to emulate your method and your care and understanding. A better understanding of ourselvews and those aound us can be a valuable "leg up" in the fight to acceptance and care.

Sometimes it's simply misinterpretation. I was in my bank one day, when that simulanteous nausea and body overheting that leads directly to the bathroom hit me. Banks don't have public bathrooms, figured they wouldn't. Didn't matter, I needed one a-s-a-p. I told the teller what was up, and with only a instant of confusion on the teller's part I was led by the security gaurd to the innards of the bank, where there was in fact an employee bathroom. I could undertand the looks of the employees as I shuffled by the desks and counting areas on the secure side of the bars. I realized I was the only one on that side wearing a knit cap in the middle of the day, and jacket, who appeared to be rather in a hurry. I quelled the urge to stop at other desk and briefly explain that I was not a bank robber, only a cancer patient, but I didn't have the time to spare and that might have added to the confusion. I didn't feel embarrassed long, and I'm sure as word got around, the employees could feel compassion for my situation and my need, very likely creating an increased awareness on their part. Without their understanding I COULD have been in an embarrassing situation.

Thanks Kent, for your always enlightening and informative posts. I literally just finished my rads so I'm waiting for my mouth to heal and want to get to back to the salads with French dressing I was raised on. If you have any recipes that would make those crisp greens more palatable as my mouth heals . . . Iceberg with flecks of carrot, and cucumber, floated lightly on a shallow pond of bright orange French dressing. That's American! {for a brief period of recovery anyway)

Hal61 said:

Chef style fanatic with French dressing
Hi Kent and Mary,

Thanks Mary for bringing up the subject of self consciousness. As posters over time have noted, the always available, "well at least I'm doing better that that guy or that gal," is still in play, and there is nothing dishonorable in it. But Kent, you are definitely right in encouraging people to take a step in an effort to emulate your method and your care and understanding. A better understanding of ourselvews and those aound us can be a valuable "leg up" in the fight to acceptance and care.

Sometimes it's simply misinterpretation. I was in my bank one day, when that simulanteous nausea and body overheting that leads directly to the bathroom hit me. Banks don't have public bathrooms, figured they wouldn't. Didn't matter, I needed one a-s-a-p. I told the teller what was up, and with only a instant of confusion on the teller's part I was led by the security gaurd to the innards of the bank, where there was in fact an employee bathroom. I could undertand the looks of the employees as I shuffled by the desks and counting areas on the secure side of the bars. I realized I was the only one on that side wearing a knit cap in the middle of the day, and jacket, who appeared to be rather in a hurry. I quelled the urge to stop at other desk and briefly explain that I was not a bank robber, only a cancer patient, but I didn't have the time to spare and that might have added to the confusion. I didn't feel embarrassed long, and I'm sure as word got around, the employees could feel compassion for my situation and my need, very likely creating an increased awareness on their part. Without their understanding I COULD have been in an embarrassing situation.

Thanks Kent, for your always enlightening and informative posts. I literally just finished my rads so I'm waiting for my mouth to heal and want to get to back to the salads with French dressing I was raised on. If you have any recipes that would make those crisp greens more palatable as my mouth heals . . . Iceberg with flecks of carrot, and cucumber, floated lightly on a shallow pond of bright orange French dressing. That's American! {for a brief period of recovery anyway)

Hondo said:

Give me Ranch on mine

Hal
Great to hear you are doing good.


Hi Staceya
You are still not far enough out of treatment so it might still burns a little it will all get better in time, I am now able to eat hot peppers, I love the heat

delnative said:

Hot peppers
I dearly love my hot peppers, to the point that I grow my own nuclear-strength habaneros in our vegetable garden. I dice them on my salad, and my wife and I can our homegrown tomato sauce that's seriously jacked up with habaneros. (Definitely not for civilians!)
The summer I was diagnosed with cancer we wound up composting all our peppers, and for many months after treatment even ketchup was too spicy for me. A single grain of cracked black pepper would light me up.
But a year later I was back growing my beloved peppers, dousing my food with hot sauce and eating everything I used to eat before cancer.
In short, life is good.

--Jim in Delaware

thegirlfriend said:

eating solid food again
I long for the day when my boyfriend Paul can eat a meal with me again.
Hopefully even taste it all. Told my mom the other day, you never realize
how eating normally is such an important and integral part of socializing,
spending time with people, etc. Not just a function for sustaining health.

Keep praying he too makes this progress as so many of you have done. I miss
eating with him.

thegirlfriend, Kathy

thegirlfriend said:

ok people
you really need to tell me again now how important it is for my shoulders to be very very broad, and to have more patience than Job, and to just try and be understanding, and
remember that i am able to eat when someone else cant. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to to stay in that frame of mind when i have thoughts of wanting to ring a neck,
a nicely healed from burns neck that is.

The boyfriend is in a vicious circle right now and he is ringing me around with him in
attitude, despair, unhappiness and mind you, thats with him trying to restrain himself.
Remind me again, he will get better. Remind me.

He cant eat because he cant get the real food down, it sticks from no saliva. If he tries to wash it down, he gags or chokes cause its too much at one time he says. He is fatigued always because he has no fuel to speak of with exception of protein meal replacements, soups maybe, boost, and liquid multivitamins. Those things run right thru him, even if taking fiber, so none of it sticks around long enough in his body to fuel him even with that. So you see he is running around in a circle and isnt feeling like there is any change in view. Throw on top of that the thrush he continues to fight.
He has become more angry. He is a man of a spiritual nature, has a relationship with the Lord, but just isnt happy with His decisions as of late with this food thing. So he is more and more in a foul mood. He tries to keep busy, but cant find anything that really inspires him to do things because he is so aggravated.

sorry just needed to vent

thegirlfriend said:

thanks
thanks for the encouragement. I guess its times like this its probably better to live 8 hours away! but 98% of the time i wish i didnt. I read here all of the time to get suggestions for him, probably good he isnt on here, i wouldnt have my privacy here anymore for sure!! lol! He is not really a computer person, has no internet at home, so no real worries.
If he hears my tone become different, he will sometimes say, ok change the subj, cause he feels a pointless confrontation bubbling. He is commonly referred to as grumpy, because he can be so serious. Ex military/ex cop is sometimes like that. So this last year has really added to his seriousness. I have had lots of patience yet lots of guilt when i eat in front of him. He is an awesome cook (cooking school awesome)so the only remote reason i dont just refuse to eat in front of him is because he wants me to enjoy what he makes. talk about torn right???? lol!

Hawvet, thanks for the food suggestions. I will email him with it to see if he maybe will pick up on some of it.

thanks again, just needed some refuge from the fallout. I really appreciate anything and everything anyone can contribute. (sigh)

Kathy
thegirlfriend

thegirlfriend said:

keeping faith
Thanks Jim, I get scared that his faith is being so tested, and his anger will contribute to his recovery. From stress you know. I want to understand, but the only way would be for it to happen to me, and I know it would upset him for me to say that.