Friday I pretty much lost my sense of taste. Everything now tastes like cardboard which has killed my motivation to eat. Over the weekend I experimented a little bit trying to find things to eat that I could still in enjoy. So far the only things that don't taste disgusting are ice berg lettuce, cucumbers and vanilla ice cream. Being that they're already pretty plain I have no expectation of flavor so I enjoy them for their texture and coolness. Which is welcome due to the sores and rawness that I started feeling in my mouth as of Friday.
Speaking of which, the pain level in my mouth was about a 3-4 today but on the way home it increased to a 6-7. So after dinner I brought out the Magic Mouthwash from the fridge and tried it. Doesn't really seem to be cutting it.
I'm pretty much switched to a liquid diet now. I have a few protein/nutrition shakes I'm taking. I'm drinking Ensure Enlive and a couple different Orgain protein drinks. The Enlive "tastes" or should I say smells the best. The Orgain which is usually pretty good has been reduced to tasting like liquid chalk, but being that it's liquid I can just down it. Far worst is the formula that I received as supplemental nutrition. That I'm going to have to put down my g-tube to tolerate. I basically have to take down six of these a day to get my full amount of daily calories.
Not being able to eat really sucks! I'm bombarded with food commercials, restaurant smells and general delicious food sights and smells everywhere. This really is Hell. Now I'm REALLY counting down the days!
Let's see, what else. Still have a rash (contact dermatitis) around my g-tube. I've been putting hydrocortizone creme on it and it hasn't spread and looks like it's getting better. I have an appointment on Friday with my dermatologist so we'll see if they have anything better to offer.
The ringing in my ears is still there, but seems like it's getting incrementally quieter each day.
I did do another g-tube feeding last night and it went in pretty good. Holding, refilling and repeating the process until completion with a 60 ml bolus syringe is a pain in the ass. So I requested I be switched to gravity bags from my primary care doctor today. I could buy them online, but why pay for them if I can get my insurance to pay for them? If they don't switch me I will end up buying them myself. It'll save me countless hassle.
My weight is holding at 149.4 for the past few days, which is good since I know I haven't been getting the calories I should. I really need to make more of an effort to get the calories I need. I've had to make a lot of adjustments in the past few weeks so I'm not getting worked up over this. I just need to make that one of my goals.
February 20th cannot come fast enough. Until then I just need to distract myself with work and other things so I'm trying to keep my schedule busy. The less I think about it, the better. Then hopefully, before I know it, the 20th will be here and I'll be done.
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