Rejoice With Me--"Swallow-Up"

At risk of sounding like the food channel, I'm responding to the many questions I've been receiving about what I've been able to eat in the last twenty four hours. So, here's a little follow-up.

Today's intake was some orange juice, a half biscuit with gravy, a banana (4 hours to get the banana down), a chocolate shake (3 hours for the shake--but a delicious 3 hours), a half dozen bites of Joanna's enchiladas, a couple Pringles, 1/6 of a donut, and water. To close the night I tried some ice cream, but by then my swallower was so tired I called it a day. A highlight of the day was to stop at a public drinking fountain to take a sip for the first time in almost 18 months…ah, the small pleasures of life.

All this was good and encouraging, but by 6:00pm I started to get concerned. Even though I had a beverage or food item in my hand almost the entire day, I wasn't going to be able to get the calories and hydration needed to sustain myself. Swallowing requires dozens of muscles and nerves to cooperate, and after 18 months of dormancy these little guys were definitely starting to feel the effects of the sudden two day workout.

I decided to make one last effort with my feeding tube before going to the Emergency Room. I asked my nephew--a man of many talents--if he had the right tool needed. He assured me he did. The operation was quick and successful. No, I didn't remove my feeding tube from my own stomach…I simply removed a portion of my feeding tube. I know that some of you are automatically worried by this kind of independent action, but hey, if something had gone wrong a little duct tape would have been all I would have needed to patch myself up until I made it to the ER.

I'm happy to announce that although my feeding tube is now a few inches shorter, it is operable again. It turns out the culprits causing the problem were some nasty little raspberry seeds from the yogurt the day before. Those little rascals are tough! Neither Pepsi could dissolve them nor Joanna could dislodge them.

Having surgically removed the blockage, my tube flowed freely again. I immediately gave myself an effortless drink of twelve ounces of water and threw in a can of 300 calorie formula for good measure. The beauty of this is that now I'll be able to continue to eat by mouth--as I'm able--without the pressure of having to sustain my life in that manner. As the muscles build more endurance and coordination, I'll have to rely on the tube less and less. But for now, this has brought relief. Who says you can't have your tube and eateth, too?

I'm now an ambidextrous eater. Are you impressed? Probably not, but I'll have to say that I'm impressed by you. The outpouring of your congratulations and celebration has been very fun and encouraging. (Yes, Joanna and I still read every blog comment.) Thanks for "mourning with those who mourn" for so many months…and now, thank you for "rejoicing with those who rejoice!" You are a gift to us. It has been so good to not have to travel this road alone.