Mommy Says "Update Your Blog"

I know it's time to carve out a few blogging minutes when my mom calls and says "There's nothing new on your blog - is everyone OK?"

Yes, we're OK. Not much more than that, at least for the moment, but OK will cover it.

Kara has been doing well with eating, although not everything is moving as smoothly as we would like. We went to her doctor together yesterday, and he was excited with the way she is handling her food. She has lost 10 pounds since her PICC line came out, but that is just what he expected.

He wants her to hold off on having a new PICC put in. He has been concerned for some time that the polyurethane in the PICC line was causing problems of its own. She has noticed quite a few improvements in different areas that she attributes to the PICC line being out. If she does need a new line, it will be a different material.

She is eating very selectively, and on a rotation diet. That means she eats one food at a time, and doesn't eat that food again for a while. The doctor wants her on a 14-day rotation, which will be a bit of a challenge but I think we can manage.

Coming up with 14 different proteins is a little tricky, especially since she is not doing any seafood. Beef, elk, venison, buffalo, game hen, and lamb have already been on the menu. Ostrich, quail, and chicken are in the freezer, awaiting their turn. Some candidates for the remaining five slots are rabbit, turkey, pheasant, kangaroo, bear, antelope, and camel. It could happen.

The other 2-3 foods she eats each day are vegetables. That adds up to about 35 different veggies. I won't try and list them all. I will say that I admire Kara for being able to eat a pound of asparagus puree for breakfast. She is also rotating through some different oils (safflower, avocado, coconut, etc) which she was not able to do for quite some time before she got her PICC.

Making food takes a lot more time than getting a bottle out of the fridge. Couple this with trips to the hospital last week and the doctor this week, and I have been unfortunately whittling away at my vacation time. Sick time ran out the week before last. But I've been working very hard whenever I can, and I am deludedly hopeful that I can put in a full day at the "office" tomorrow.

The TPN was very expensive, but covered at 100% by insurance. Rabbits and artichokes are not covered at all. Still, both Kara and I have felt for the last little while that we were on the verge of some very great progress. I really think this could be what starts it all.

In other news, Anna lost ANOTHER tooth

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guavalicious Contest Rules

As many of you know, I grew up in Hawaii, in the quaint little village of Laie . Many of you also know that I have been working away at my version of the Great American Novel for the last little while. Due to a bout of homesickness brought on by a cruel Utah winter, my story is set in (surprise) Laie. It was also in Laie that I learned to love the great taste of guava - the same taste I am about to share with a few lucky people in the form of my Guavalicious apple butter. To enter the contest, simply add a comment to this post that completes the following sentence: "A story set in Hawaii simply has to include _____." There are no right or wrong answers. I'm just curious to see what everyone has to say, both "insiders and outsiders". I also think it could be fun to try and use as many of these suggestions as possible. You can make as many as you want, but your name only goes in the hat once. I will add a jar of Guavalicious to the prize pool for every four entr
Read more

Canoe-Paddling Polynesian Guys

Image
We have finally hung a picture on the wall here in our house. The fact that this is a blog-worthy event eighteen months after moving in is, I admit, rather pathetic. But it is also very exciting. I finally feel like we are really moving in. Slowly but surely we're picking away at the projects that need to be done, and (for now) avoiding the temptation to take on any new ones. This picture is called Hoe Kama Kani , which means "paddle with the wind." We found this picture at a home show in Honolulu while we were students, and I just fell in love with it. I stood there and stared at the picture for quite some time, but I simply couldn't justify the $140 price. The salesman told us that they had a smaller print available for much less, but they had sold out at the show. We could look at it if we came by the studio the next week. Unfortunately, the little 8x10 just didn't have the same effect as the full size print. So as you can see, we bit the bullet, got the big on
Read more

The Liar's Game - Post 500

Image
Here it is - the 500th post here at Fifteen Minutes of Delusion. To celebrate, I'm having a contest. You can find the rules here . Post your guesses on this post. And now, on to the game. 1. My lunch with Michael Dorn. For several years, I was the Utah Wing Leader for Angel Flight West, a charity flying organization that donates flights in private aircraft for people who need medical attention. Each October, the Wing Leaders would get together with the board of directors in Long Beach, California, for a Wing Leader Planning Day. The first year I attended, actor and pilot Michael Dorn was on the board. I didn't recognize him at first, but as soon as he spoke, there was no doubt who he was. Kara and I were big Star Trek fans at the time. Although we didn't have any direct interaction, we sat at the same table during lunch. I was pleased to note that he took the onions off of his sandwich, just like me. 2. My flight with Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. One Christmas Kara and
Read more