Back home again!

Well, we did not want to jinx it by letting people know what our plans are so very few people knew that we got to check out of the hospital on 4/13 and we returned home this morning!!!  It was wonderful seeing the mountains again as our plane flew into Colorado Springs but it is startling how brown things are here after the intense green of New Orleans.

So, here are the details.  I did not get the GJ tube installed and have come home on just the TPN for now.  We are letting the obstruction release a bit right now with nothing by mouth until Monday morning.  At that point, I will begin supplementing the TPN with gatorade or other sports drinks to get more water along with significant additional calories.

Speaking of calories, I have some serious bulking up to do.  I have always been relatively thin and, one year ago, I weighed in at about 205.  When I started cycling seriously again last summer, that quickly dropped to about 195 and I have stayed there until early February.  Well, I just stepped on the scale and I am down to 175.  Obviously, if I were trying to diet, I would be ecstatic but losing 10% of your body weight unintentionally is not something that you want to do too often.

My surgery is still not scheduled but it is somewhat understandable.  Stephanie went to the Dr's main office on Friday to fill out as much paperwork as possible and they showed her my chart.  It currently consists of one folder with my name handwritten on it and one sheet of paper.  All the material that they need is currently at the hospital and I anticipate that it should be transferred early next week.  As part of my discharge paperwork, I was instructed to contact the office to schedule a surgery in the middle of May.

Speaking of surgery, I have one job over the next few weeks and that is to regain some strength.  I was quite shocked this morning when we were walking through the New Orleans airport at how quickly I became tired and how exhausting short walks were.  In order to speed my recovery after the surgery, I need to be as strong and healthy as possible when I roll into that operating room.

So, next week, we start with clear liquids for the first couple of days to see if I can tolerate that.  If so, then I will step it up and start adding in some simple full liquids like Ensure.  The TPN only gives me about 1700 calories (also, amino acids for protein, vitamins, and electrolites) and we would ideally like to consume in excess of 2400 calories per day.

If nothing else, just being home and out of a hospital is wonderful.  I loved riding in a car, breathing outdoor air and sleeping in a non hospital bed.  Here's to a couple of good weeks of weight gain!