Getting by with the Peg Tube

Good morning all,

It has been some tome since I updated the blog. I have been having a great deal of difficulty with the new gastric tube and a the nausea associated with it. Dr. Campbell had me on a protocol of 4 different drugs to fight the upset in my stomach. When Dolores and I read the book about each of the drugs, in most cases one or two of the side affects were "vomiting and nausea". The very things we were trying to get beyond. By a process of gradual elimination we are down to "Zofran" as the only vomiting and nausea drug I am currently taking. It has lots of side effects some more unpleasant than others but for the most part the nausea is being dealt with satisfactorily. I still have a vomiting problem and I want to tell you it has been a trying 7 weeks since the tube was inserted December 31, 2009.

Most days I must stay close to the house and I have little or no energy to do much of anything. My patience has been pushed to the limit and I really have to fight to stay positive when there seems to be so little to look forward to in the short term. Today I'm fighting with cramps as a new experience to the general malaise.

On a positive side, Dolores and I were married here at the farm on Friday evening Feb. 12th. It was a small gathering with Mother, Milton, Dolores and I. David and Michelle and her three children (7, 14 and 17) along with Louella and Wes Novack. (Louella is one of Dolores' closest friends). The marriage Commissioner had the the date right but had the day wrong. She thought the 12th was Saturday evening. I phoned her at 7:20 PM and asked her where she was? Good thing I did because that's when she told me she thought she was coming on Saturday night. She was here within 40 minutes so it was a manageable delay and we all were able to chuckle about it afterward.

The extra excitement of the day along with the ceremony took their toll on me and by 10:00 PM I was completely done in and had to call it a day. We have commenced looking into having Dolores become a beneficiary on my pension plan which will thereby enable her to join my extended health care plan. It is an expensive proposition in terms of the actuarial deduction that will be taken from my pension and it may not prove to be worth while but we must look into it. I will call my lawyer this week and get the process started to have a joint will made up. Dolores will also start looking into her retirement benefits once she gets within 9 months of her retirement date which is Aug. 9th, 2010.

In closing, Dolores has been off work since the last week in December due to a bad back. She has been seeing Dr. Tony Kim and acupuncturist and acupressure specialist and she sees him this afternoon for perhaps the last time and will start back to work on Wednesday. I hope she is able to manage it.

Sorry that my news has tended to be on the downside but, the Peg Tube has NOT been a fun experience. I see Dr. Campbell next Friday and I think she will try to get me in to see Dr. Palarme (the Doctor who inserted the tube) on an emergency basis. Perhaps there is a problem with its positioning of the tube in my stomach or some other minor little glitch which will fix me right up. Who knows.

I will try to post more often and try to keep you all up to date. Bye for now.

Love and hugs to everyone,

Rick

Addendum to Yesterdays Post

Good evening all,

I was in a funk last night when I posted and there are a few things I should clarify. The food tube (Peg Tube) was inserted because of the Fistula between the esophagus and the Trachea itself. Because of the danger of aspirating Dr. Filatov decided that the Peg Tube was required for my betterment and right now. It took less than 18 hours from when he decided it was required until it was in place.

This is my second food tube, but, with the last tube I was able to eat and drink to a certain degree. With this tube, I am unable to swallow anything through my mouth, no water or any other liquid and certainly no food. BUMMER!!! I've had a difficult time getting accustomed to the tube feed. Right from the get go I've suffered from vomiting and nausea. The side affects of all of the anti nausea drugs are vomiting and nausea, who would suspect that.

Anyway, this new drug Zofran seems to be the answer and it has eliminated most of the nausea and vomiting, not all but most. I now can get through 6 cans of tube feed a day as well as two Protein Shakes. That gives me enough calories per day to maintain my current weight and actually gain weight slowly.

That should give a little more background to last nights post.

If you have questions drop me a line or call.

Bye for now, Love and Hugs.

Rick

Into a New Month

Good afternoon to everyone

Well, January has come and gone and for me it was a very poor month and I'm glad to see it gone. There were highlights of course including the birthdays of my brothers John and Stephen, my soon to be brother in law Milton, nephew Tom, Friend Bob Pavich and I'm sure there are others I've overlooked. But, from a health point of view it was dreadful.

As I've told you, I had the Peg Tube inserted Dec. 31, 2009 and that was the beginning of the trouble for me. The doctors were experimenting with various anti nausea drugs for most of the month and I was miserable throughout all of that time. My weight dropped to a low of 156 and has climbed back to 158/59 but, always just short of 160.

Finally toward the end of the month Dr. Campbell prescribed Zofran to go along with the three other drugs I take along with the tube food to fight the nausea and it works. Hooray! The downside is it costs $368 for 30 pills. I cut them in two and use three 1/2 pills a day. Pharmacare does not cover this drug so I'm hoping Manulife, my supplemental Health Care Provider will cover 90% of the cost. I've sent in a claim form and have my fingers crossed.

I am looking forward to February and especially Friday night the 12th when Dolores and I are going to be married here at the farm. Please don't worry about me I am on the mend and the first three paragraphs were a just a rant and now I am feeling better. I try to get out to the wood pile twice a day for exercise and much needed fresh air.

Send me some e-mail to cheer me up. That always does me good. ( rdhoney@tlpg.com )

I'll post more in a week or so. I see Dr. Campbell this coming Friday, Feb 5th and I'll bring you up to date then.

Until then, Love and hugs,

Rick