Jason bought a box of sugar-free chocolates and ate some today. He says it didn't give him any problems eventho he's technically still supposed to be on a puree diet till January 19.
For the past few days, he has had pimento cheese, pureed beef ribs, mashed potatoes, soft scrambled eggs, turkey spam and refried beans.
He does need to get some vegetables into his diet tho.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Starting on the Puree diet
Jason started on his puree diet today. The book says he should consume a 1/4 cup three times a day.
In the morning he had grits. And turkey spam+ mayo mush (ewww) in the afternoon and evening (eww, ewww)
He refuses to eat baby food and thinks it's gross (apparently turkey spam + mayo mush is not gross).
In between meals, he has been drinking his protein shakes (he blends his liquid vitamins into his shakes because he says those vitamins are nasty, but I think half of those vitamins ends up going down the drain)
Also, G2 and Isopure has been his source of hydration.
He has been feeling bored and edgy and impatient with everyone. Tonight, we went to the
grocery store and he rode in the electric cart.
I'll try to make some Shepherd's pie tomorrow. That would make a decent puree.
God help us get through this Christmas!
In the morning he had grits. And turkey spam+ mayo mush (ewww) in the afternoon and evening (eww, ewww)
He refuses to eat baby food and thinks it's gross (apparently turkey spam + mayo mush is not gross).
In between meals, he has been drinking his protein shakes (he blends his liquid vitamins into his shakes because he says those vitamins are nasty, but I think half of those vitamins ends up going down the drain)
Also, G2 and Isopure has been his source of hydration.
He has been feeling bored and edgy and impatient with everyone. Tonight, we went to the
grocery store and he rode in the electric cart.I'll try to make some Shepherd's pie tomorrow. That would make a decent puree.
God help us get through this Christmas!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Post surgery update
It's been 6 days since the surgery.
Jason is doing great and healing well. He feels strong and thinks he can do everything by himself which drives me up the wall sometimes.
We still monitor his blood pressure and temperature every few hours. Blood pressure still looks a little high so we may need to call the doctor's office tomorrow and ask for advice.
Yesterday was his first time out of the house. He got a haircut and we went to the pharmacy. Both places were less than 5 minutes away so he did not have to ride in the car for long.
He is also walking a little more every day which is really good. We visited some neighbors across the street and we took a longer slow walk around the neighborhood yesterday (in the rain!)
Other than that, I think he's getting bored staying at home.
He's still on a liquid diet - drinking lots of water, G2, Isopure protein drinks, broth and an occasional jello. We have to measure every amount of liquid intake he gets because he needs atleast 1440 cc to stay hydrated so he needs to be sipping liquids every minute.
He's also still taking his pain medication (Loratab) every 6 hours.
On Tuesday he gets to start on a puree diet but he feels he can start that tomorrow. So we'll see.
As for me, I am just exhausted.
Jason is doing great and healing well. He feels strong and thinks he can do everything by himself which drives me up the wall sometimes.
We still monitor his blood pressure and temperature every few hours. Blood pressure still looks a little high so we may need to call the doctor's office tomorrow and ask for advice.
Yesterday was his first time out of the house. He got a haircut and we went to the pharmacy. Both places were less than 5 minutes away so he did not have to ride in the car for long.
He is also walking a little more every day which is really good. We visited some neighbors across the street and we took a longer slow walk around the neighborhood yesterday (in the rain!)
Other than that, I think he's getting bored staying at home.
He's still on a liquid diet - drinking lots of water, G2, Isopure protein drinks, broth and an occasional jello. We have to measure every amount of liquid intake he gets because he needs atleast 1440 cc to stay hydrated so he needs to be sipping liquids every minute.
He's also still taking his pain medication (Loratab) every 6 hours.
On Tuesday he gets to start on a puree diet but he feels he can start that tomorrow. So we'll see.
As for me, I am just exhausted.
Monday, December 15, 2008
The big day
We arrived at the hospital at 8.30am. Checked in. Waited.
They called Jason in at 9am and got him all dressed in the hospital gown and all ready.
Then they called us in at 9.45am to be with him. We met his anesthesia doctors, nurses, CRNA, Dr. Kuwada's assistant and Dr. Kuwada himself. And Jason was wheeled in at 10.30am.
We waited in the waiting room.
At 12.30pm, the hospital staff told us that the Operating Room called and informed that they were still working on Jason.
We waited some more.
Three more hours passed. No news yet.
It was the longest and most nerve-wrecking moment ever. I was scared to death because we weren't expecting the surgery to take this long. Negative thoughts were going through my head at this point.
Finally, Dr Kuwada walked in at 1.50pm. He looked tired. I was terrified at what he was going to say. Then he smiled and I was relieved. He told us the surgery went well. His liver did not shrink as much as he wanted it to, but it did not cause him any trouble.
He told us he'll be in recovery for the next two hours. So we went upstairs and waited in the recovery room.
At 2.30pm, we were informed they had moved Jason to the ICU because of breathing problems.
We were allowed to go in and see him around 4pm.
He was hooked up with all sorts of wires, machine and tubes and electrodes. We watched his readings on a monitor. Each time his breathing dropped to 5 the alarm would go off, and if he doesn't wake up, the number would drop further and we'll see a flat line on the screen when it reached zero. That was scary. We kept trying to wake him up every 2 minutes because the alarm kept going off as his breathing dropped.
Finally at 6pm, his breathing stabilized at around 20.
The nurse that was on duty at that time was annoyingly useless. I don't think I could have trusted her to wake Jason up at all. She kept trying to tell us how busy she was and that she had her reports to finish up before she goes home. I don't care about her stupid reports. I just want my husband alive.
Being in the ICU, we had to leave at 11pm because they did not allow visitors from 11pm-8am.
I could not sleep at all that night.
My mind kept saying "wake up Jason! Wake up!"
They called Jason in at 9am and got him all dressed in the hospital gown and all ready.
Then they called us in at 9.45am to be with him. We met his anesthesia doctors, nurses, CRNA, Dr. Kuwada's assistant and Dr. Kuwada himself. And Jason was wheeled in at 10.30am.
We waited in the waiting room.
At 12.30pm, the hospital staff told us that the Operating Room called and informed that they were still working on Jason.
We waited some more.
Three more hours passed. No news yet.
It was the longest and most nerve-wrecking moment ever. I was scared to death because we weren't expecting the surgery to take this long. Negative thoughts were going through my head at this point.
Finally, Dr Kuwada walked in at 1.50pm. He looked tired. I was terrified at what he was going to say. Then he smiled and I was relieved. He told us the surgery went well. His liver did not shrink as much as he wanted it to, but it did not cause him any trouble.
He told us he'll be in recovery for the next two hours. So we went upstairs and waited in the recovery room.
At 2.30pm, we were informed they had moved Jason to the ICU because of breathing problems.
We were allowed to go in and see him around 4pm.
He was hooked up with all sorts of wires, machine and tubes and electrodes. We watched his readings on a monitor. Each time his breathing dropped to 5 the alarm would go off, and if he doesn't wake up, the number would drop further and we'll see a flat line on the screen when it reached zero. That was scary. We kept trying to wake him up every 2 minutes because the alarm kept going off as his breathing dropped.
Finally at 6pm, his breathing stabilized at around 20.
The nurse that was on duty at that time was annoyingly useless. I don't think I could have trusted her to wake Jason up at all. She kept trying to tell us how busy she was and that she had her reports to finish up before she goes home. I don't care about her stupid reports. I just want my husband alive.
Being in the ICU, we had to leave at 11pm because they did not allow visitors from 11pm-8am.
I could not sleep at all that night.
My mind kept saying "wake up Jason! Wake up!"
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The night before surgery
Dr. Timothy called up to check on Jason and asked him if he was all ready.
Jason is.
I am not.
I am just scared and nervous as can be.
Jason will not be allowed to drink or eat anything after midnight.
We are packed and will be at the hospital before 9am tomorrow morning. His surgery is scheduled for 11am.
Jason is.
I am not.
I am just scared and nervous as can be.
Jason will not be allowed to drink or eat anything after midnight.
We are packed and will be at the hospital before 9am tomorrow morning. His surgery is scheduled for 11am.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The system here
This is strange. Almost ridiculous that nobody can tell us how much this surgery would cost.
We asked the hospital what our out-of-pocket expenses would be for the surgery. They told us we need to call and ask the Insurance company and gave us a CPT code as reference.
We call the Insurance company and they cannot give us an estimate figure but that we're responsible for 10% of the allowed charges which would be billed after the Insurance Company handles the claim.
So, how can one know if they can afford the surgery if they are not told what the cost would be?
We asked the hospital what our out-of-pocket expenses would be for the surgery. They told us we need to call and ask the Insurance company and gave us a CPT code as reference.
We call the Insurance company and they cannot give us an estimate figure but that we're responsible for 10% of the allowed charges which would be billed after the Insurance Company handles the claim.
So, how can one know if they can afford the surgery if they are not told what the cost would be?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
No eggs
So I emailed the nutritionist and asked if eggs were allowed.
She replied "No".
I rest my case.
She replied "No".
I rest my case.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Liquid Diet - Day Two
Day Two was similar to yesterday. Except, he added an egg into his chicken broth for dinner. Egg was not listed as an "OK" to have on the liquid diet.
Ofcourse he says he hasn't broken any rules and doesn't see why an egg is not allowed since eggs are basically protein and he is allowed protein.
But here's what I found :
One chicken egg contains :
I think the fat content in an egg disqualifies it from being OK to have on the liquid diet.
I wish he would just follow the rules.
I've cleaned out the pantry and the fridge. Made sacrifices with my own personal diet. And I am making sure I won't cook anything that might make it hard for him to resist.
But I have not gone as far as keeping the fridge free of eggs. I hope I won't have to. That is a HUGE sacrifice to make. I love eggs too much.
Ofcourse he says he hasn't broken any rules and doesn't see why an egg is not allowed since eggs are basically protein and he is allowed protein.
But here's what I found :
One chicken egg contains :
| Carbohydrates | 1.12 g |
|---|---|
| Fat | 10.6 g |
| Protein | 12.6 g |
| Water | 75 g |
| Vitamin A equiv. 140 μg | 16% |
| Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.66 mg | 51% |
| Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.5 mg | 33% |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.4 mg | 28% |
| Folate (Vit. B9) 44 μg | 11% |
| Calcium 50 mg | 5% |
| Iron 1.2 mg | 10% |
| Magnesium 10 mg | 3% |
| Phosphorus 172 mg | 25% |
| Potassium 126 mg | 3% |
| Zinc 1.0 mg | 10% |
| Choline | 225 mg |
| Cholesterol | 424 mg |
I think the fat content in an egg disqualifies it from being OK to have on the liquid diet.
I wish he would just follow the rules.
I've cleaned out the pantry and the fridge. Made sacrifices with my own personal diet. And I am making sure I won't cook anything that might make it hard for him to resist.
But I have not gone as far as keeping the fridge free of eggs. I hope I won't have to. That is a HUGE sacrifice to make. I love eggs too much.
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Liquid Diet
Today, Jason starts his liquid diet. He had already lost 5 lbs prior to this because he and I both had the stomach flu and was not eating anything for almost 2 days.
His day started out with a protein shake.
For lunch he had another protein shake and a can of cream of onion soup.
For dinner he had a plate of raw salad with Soy Ginger dressing, and another protein shake.
Between meals, he snacked on 3 packets of carrots, a cup of yoghurt and a jello pudding.
From reading other people's experiences, most say these 2 weeks are the most difficult.
Hopefully, Jason will be able to make it. He had endured 5 days of the lemonade diet a few months ago so hopefully this will be a breeze for him.
His day started out with a protein shake.
For lunch he had another protein shake and a can of cream of onion soup.
For dinner he had a plate of raw salad with Soy Ginger dressing, and another protein shake.
Between meals, he snacked on 3 packets of carrots, a cup of yoghurt and a jello pudding.
From reading other people's experiences, most say these 2 weeks are the most difficult.
Hopefully, Jason will be able to make it. He had endured 5 days of the lemonade diet a few months ago so hopefully this will be a breeze for him.
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