Time to put some meat on those bones

Food is my big issue right now.  I need calories and I need lots of them.  My TPN provides about 1500 calories on T-T-S-S and about 1900 calories on MWF.  This averages out to just under 1700 calories which a bit lacking for someone 6'3" and who used to be 200 pounds (currently about 175).

As some of you know, I tried some solid food about 1.5 weeks ago.  I had some Popeye's Mashed potatoes and Gravy on a Friday night and then some cream of chicken and rice soup on Sunday night.  Starting Monday, my bowels were backed up again and they just finally started moving a week after the soup.  This means I have had almost 1.5 weeks without supplementing my TPN and it shows.

Based on my prior weight, I should be getting about 2250 calories a day just to maintain that weight.  Being about 500 calories shy of that mark means that I will continue to lose weight at a rate of about a pound a week which is exactly what we don't want to have happen.

So, we are returning to a liquid based diet and I have spoken to the nutritionist at the Dr's office about what my options are at this point.  There are a number of things I can try (some by the makers of Boost or Ensure) and I will begin giving those a run around the block in my attempt to put on the weight.  I would love to be over 180 pounds by the time of surgery but that is a lot to accomplish in the four short weeks I have left.

I had hoped to return to work last Friday but the fatigue that set in with my lack of eating has set those plans back as well.  I am torn right now.  I feel like a complete slug for my lack of doing anything useful here on the couch but I know I need to be conserving energy and building up my body.  Just like anyone else out there, I have a need to be needed and to be useful.

So, will I go back to part time work before my surgery?  I don't know.  I have to find a way to accomplish both the desire to build up some more body mass as well as the desire to be useful.  I thought I was on the path to that 2 weeks ago but the roadblock I have run into has made me question the direction I was heading.

So, for the next couple of days.  The focus will be on calories and processing what I am able to consume and we will re-evaluate after that.