Part 109 Clipped bridals and cheap bribes


A trip back to the medical center is required for the probe in my nose to be taken out (the probe is a device inserted to photograph images in my esophagus). We return to the center yet again the following day for another physician appointment, me dragging from a rough night’s sleep and feeling nauseous. Just as we turn on to Fannin Street, minutes before our arrival, I abruptly throw up. The grocery bag on the floor board that I brought for an emergency doesn’t get used in time. After a clean up, we meet with Allison, who believes the pain medicine I am taking contributes to the nausea. I am directed to another room, where I lie down to have an x-ray of the stent. As I close my eyes, I experience a mild hallucination, which quickly leaves. The image taken reveals a successful stent placement. Next, in Dr. Bl-s’ office, the bridal under my nose is clipped. However, when Dr. Bl- pulls at the wire to remove it, I panic. The intent is for this long wire wrapped inside my nose to just come out when it is yanked. This is very painful, though, and it doesn’t budge, so I take option two, which is for the doctor to snip it and have the wire drop compliments of gravity down into my stomach. I cough and panic again as it appears that the wire is stuck (it finally falls).

I am still shaky at home. Saturday morning I awake much more rested, although the soreness inside continues, enough for me to take another pill to lessen its jab. Bree is coming off of strep throat but decides she is able to play in her softball game anyway. I am not sure if I can pitch the entire game, but I’ll give it a try. Breanna strikes out her first at bat. In the dugout later I shamelessly offer her five dollars if she gets a hit the next time up. She does, then smacks another one her third time up. She even scores two runs as her team strides to a 14-7 victory. We both finish the entire game, feeling satisfied. Proving as we all know that money can buy wins in sports.

The next few days are highlighted with fatigue at work and poor sleep at night as a result of the discomfort from the stent and drowsiness from the medications. Yes’ “Big Generator” and “Ladder” CDs are rousing and inspiring, but not enough to jolt me out of this condition.

At lunch one day at my “away” campus, I discover my extension tube that I need for pouring liquid into my g-tube is missing. I speed back home on highway 249 and suddenly see flashing lights in my rearview mirror. I ask the policeman to sympathize with my feeding tube situation (okay, maybe I embellish by saying I am in extreme pain), to no avail. He tickets me for doing 65 in a 55 zone, generous since I was easily going 75. Arriving at home, I find a substitute tube and drive back, only to discover it doesn’t fit. I grind up a pain pill, add water, and drink it, along with the Ensure. I realize this is the first time I have ever tasted the drink; I have always just poured it in a tube. It really isn’t bad, although I’ve spilled so much of this stuff on me that I can’t really get excited about drinking it at all. I spin around in the chair and see the missing extension tube on the floor.

Next Saturday I practice hitting some balls with Bree before the game. Her Sea Monkeys win easily 13-6, piling up more runs each game. Her team was actually ahead 13-1 going into the last inning, and since each team gets a five run limit per inning, the Sea Monkeys didn’t even need their last at bat to win. Breanna is three for three at bat, also scoring three runs and batting in two. She is totally on a roll and doesn’t even need my bribes to hit well.