My Return to Normality ... Mostly
Hello everybody! Sorry I haven't posted for so long. It has been really
hectic lately and I just haven't had the chance to sit down and write it
all out. So I got out of the hospital last Thursday! Yay! I was sent
home on a strict regimen of multiple medicines. I also have to measure
all output (ugh!) and only be unhooked from fluids for the maximum of 8
hours. Basically that means when I got to school I come straight home
and immediately have to hook up. It's fine, I would prefer being on a
tight schedule to feeling lousy.
I went back to school on Friday and saw all my friends. I talked to all my teachers and we made plans for make-up work. Unfortunately I ended up missing a couple tests meaning that this past week has consisted of studying, work, and more studying. Being back at school was nice. I really miss talking to people on a regular basis when I'm I the hospital. I am a very talkative person. Ask any of my friends, I just won't shut up! :) Not being able to talk to people is very difficult for me and therefore I tend to make up for it in my first couple days back. Basically that's a nice way of saying my friends all said the same thing " I forget sometimes that you can talk so much and so fast!" Getting back in the swing of things school wise can be very complicated, especially if you're taking a lot of hard classes. With all honors and 2 AP courses my schedule has been studying, writing, reading, and then more studying.
The first couple days out of the hospital I was feeling really good. It has been really obvious the effect of full TPN has had on me. I think and work better at school, I'm not out of breath and I am able to fit in all my clothes again. Most importantly of course is that I feel like I can make it through the school day without needing to go home and hook up to fluids.
Earlier this week we had our follow up appointment where they gave us some rules to stay on the right track. Keeping my diet to starch and fat with a little protein will keep me from over taxing my stomach, also eating lots of small meals throughout the day is good too. They also told me it would be good if I could drink pedialyte, a drink given to infants that contain electrolytes and a little bit of sugar and salt. By having a little bit of salt and sugar it is absorbed will and does not drain your stomach of nutrient like water can when your stomach is healing. Most people find it disgusting but I grew up drinking it when I was dehydrated so I actually like it. Eating 5-6 saltine crackers and cheese every hour and drinking pedialyte is fine in my books. I have slowly been able to introduce other foods and was able to have Thai food last night :)
Also at the appointment we got some test results back from a bone scan we had done a couple weeks ago. I was found to have slightly weak bones. They think I'm fine though, as I am on a regiment of vitamin d and calcium supplements.
It's been a little hard keeping track of everything, like yesterday I accidentally deleted the past 2 days of data before having the chance to sync it with google docs. However in the long run I think this is going to work out and be a big turning point for me.
My advice to anyone going through something similar is this: 1) voice your opinion. Without it, the doctors might not know what you are willing to do, and if you don't do it, you won't get better. 2) make sure that if anything hurts or feels out of the ordinary, tell your doctors. You don't have to make a big deal about it. Just tell them so that they will be able to add it to the calculation. 3) email your teachers and let them know that you want to get work done and appreciate their patience. And lastly 4) when you first get back to school, get all your assignments, but then take a day to just sit with your friends and enjoy being back. If you don't do this, the whole process of getting all your work done can become overwhelming and make your recovery even slower. By hanging out with your friends you get a chance to relax and feel like you are glad to be back.
My doctors have told me that one of the things that really affects the gut is emotions. When you feel anxious or really stressed out, your gut can suffer the consequences. This past week especially I have been doing my best to stay calm and every time I get anxious to take a breath. I have found the best way to do that is to have a firm plan. Have a plan to take a test at lunch and leave time for you to go relax with your friends after. By doing this you can get work done without becoming overwhelmed.
I hope everyone has a good week. I will try to post before 8 days goes by again. Thanks for reading. Please follow or like or comment. Bye!
I went back to school on Friday and saw all my friends. I talked to all my teachers and we made plans for make-up work. Unfortunately I ended up missing a couple tests meaning that this past week has consisted of studying, work, and more studying. Being back at school was nice. I really miss talking to people on a regular basis when I'm I the hospital. I am a very talkative person. Ask any of my friends, I just won't shut up! :) Not being able to talk to people is very difficult for me and therefore I tend to make up for it in my first couple days back. Basically that's a nice way of saying my friends all said the same thing " I forget sometimes that you can talk so much and so fast!" Getting back in the swing of things school wise can be very complicated, especially if you're taking a lot of hard classes. With all honors and 2 AP courses my schedule has been studying, writing, reading, and then more studying.
The first couple days out of the hospital I was feeling really good. It has been really obvious the effect of full TPN has had on me. I think and work better at school, I'm not out of breath and I am able to fit in all my clothes again. Most importantly of course is that I feel like I can make it through the school day without needing to go home and hook up to fluids.
Earlier this week we had our follow up appointment where they gave us some rules to stay on the right track. Keeping my diet to starch and fat with a little protein will keep me from over taxing my stomach, also eating lots of small meals throughout the day is good too. They also told me it would be good if I could drink pedialyte, a drink given to infants that contain electrolytes and a little bit of sugar and salt. By having a little bit of salt and sugar it is absorbed will and does not drain your stomach of nutrient like water can when your stomach is healing. Most people find it disgusting but I grew up drinking it when I was dehydrated so I actually like it. Eating 5-6 saltine crackers and cheese every hour and drinking pedialyte is fine in my books. I have slowly been able to introduce other foods and was able to have Thai food last night :)
Also at the appointment we got some test results back from a bone scan we had done a couple weeks ago. I was found to have slightly weak bones. They think I'm fine though, as I am on a regiment of vitamin d and calcium supplements.
It's been a little hard keeping track of everything, like yesterday I accidentally deleted the past 2 days of data before having the chance to sync it with google docs. However in the long run I think this is going to work out and be a big turning point for me.
My advice to anyone going through something similar is this: 1) voice your opinion. Without it, the doctors might not know what you are willing to do, and if you don't do it, you won't get better. 2) make sure that if anything hurts or feels out of the ordinary, tell your doctors. You don't have to make a big deal about it. Just tell them so that they will be able to add it to the calculation. 3) email your teachers and let them know that you want to get work done and appreciate their patience. And lastly 4) when you first get back to school, get all your assignments, but then take a day to just sit with your friends and enjoy being back. If you don't do this, the whole process of getting all your work done can become overwhelming and make your recovery even slower. By hanging out with your friends you get a chance to relax and feel like you are glad to be back.
My doctors have told me that one of the things that really affects the gut is emotions. When you feel anxious or really stressed out, your gut can suffer the consequences. This past week especially I have been doing my best to stay calm and every time I get anxious to take a breath. I have found the best way to do that is to have a firm plan. Have a plan to take a test at lunch and leave time for you to go relax with your friends after. By doing this you can get work done without becoming overwhelmed.
I hope everyone has a good week. I will try to post before 8 days goes by again. Thanks for reading. Please follow or like or comment. Bye!
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