Part 70 Euphoria


In what seems like a flash it is over and I am slowly waking. Becah and Jeanette come by and greet me. I am happy beyond belief that it all went as planned. I joke with them and the staff, almost giddy. Dr. Ra- has told Becah that my esophagus is now at 12 centimeters dilated, with much less ulceration apparent. I should be able to swallow larger amounts of fluids more easily. I laugh and say I am ready for some enchiladas. I cannot ingest any solids yet, though, and another surgery will be necessary to reach the desired esophageal width of 20 cm. I also will need to remain overnight in the hospital for monitoring. An older Indian nurse named Ruth attends to me that evening. Her mannerisms and abrupt dialect irritate me initially, but after a while I discover that she is very professional and caring and I really like her by the time her shift is over in the morning. By afternoon I am prescribed oral antibiotics for the road and discharged. To celebrate at home, I take a sip of beer – it tastes terrible!




Part 71 Down face dog


July 21. My first day back at home, and I feel great. The water goes down easily in the morning, as does a little root beer on ice. For lunch I mix a shake, using milk and ice cream to enhance the Ensure (or is it to boost the Boost?). I must get on with exercising, so I try some yoga in the game room. Despite my malfunctioning left arm, I find some strength is returning - I am able to do yoga positions like the plank and down face dog. Some fine motor skills are also returning; I am able to grip a roll of paper towels with my left hand and tear with the right.

The following day I exercise more, adding jogging and some light weight lifting. I feel much better being able to do the physical activity, which would normally be a daily component of my life. I am keeping the kids at home while Becah works. I spend more time than I would like on the phone hassling people about medical billings for treatments and their payment responsibilities versus mine. No matter how much better you feel, another surprise bill in the mailbox will bring you down quickly. I also make some calls to set up the procedure for next week.

Taking a break, I read a book about British prime minister Tony Blair while listening to Poco, a fairly strange combination. We go across the street later to lounge at the pool for Fun Friday, and Brooke wants to swim with me, which makes me happy. I am swallowing better today and try Tawny Port, a sweet wine that actually tastes very good to me.

Saturday we go for dinner at Red Robin, where I enjoy my beer, one half cup of clam chowder, and one and one half French fries. I would love to eat more, but this is all I can do without spending most of the night at the restaurant. It is tough chewing so cautiously and sparingly while everyone else is rapidly downing their meals. Later at home Becah and I find ourselves in another raging argument and I am aware that as I inch along toward healing, she is struggling with her increasingly demanding caregiver duties.

Closing out the week, we attend the contemporary service at church and drop by Barnes and Noble for the kids to check out books and play with the train set. While there, the pain in my groin kicks in rapidly, so I suggest we head home so I can ice it down. Later in the day we watch together the delightful animated film “Despicable Me”.

I return for a half day of work Monday to find the building in disarray and the air conditioner off. Later in the morning it kicks on and by noon I am comfortable. Despite the heat outside, I am not too bothered, as I am filled with anticipation today that I will be back at the medical center tomorrow to wrap up the process of widening my esophagus so that in a matter of days I will be eating pizza, pancakes and pasta again, just like in the old days. Maybe soon even a big sandwich on whole grain bread, which I find I crave more than anything.