Life and the Bidet (not ON)

I guess I should update this thing and let you all know that I am doing better, mentally and emotionally. I think I just needed to get it out and allow myself to feel those very real feelings, as awful as they were.

Some new adjustments just hit me harder than others. I thought that I’d be through “adjusting” by this point and yet, here I am, getting very dehydrated on the weekends from being in the heat (my pharmacist helped me root out the problem), and throwing up every Sunday and most Mondays… I’m supposed to be drinking 1 liter a day, at least that’s what Jeff was asked when we talked to the Univ. of Nebraska yesterday. 1 liter. Good night! I can’t even keep down 4 ounces of water at a time, much less drink an entire liter per day. And considering I can’t eat and drink at the same time, that means most of my day is taken up with putting something in my mouth, either liquid or solid. Don’t exactly have time to be monitoring that so closely with my 3 little ones still little.

However, I realize that if I get too dehydrated, I’ll wind up back in the hospital…where I’d rather not be. My pharmacist (from the infusion company) told me I had two options: 1.) add more fluid to my overnight TPN bag to see if that would help or 2.) hook up to an i.v. bag of straight up fluid during the day. I don’t really like either option, but I’m waiting to see what my doctor decides, and I have to do something.

Potty-training Lexi (2 year old) wasn’t working out so well, so I bailed on that, fully intending to try again later in the summer. It’s too hard for me to try and get myself off the toilet to run her to the potty when the timer goes off, especially if I’m not done. And, to be quite honest, I despise those tiny potties that you can put anywhere. I don’t want to have to clean it. So, I don’t buy the gross potty and I don’t potty train on the real one. One stressor down.

Now that we’ve pinpointed why I’ve been so sick lately, I feel better about that, too, especially knowing there are active steps I can make, even if neither option are particularly appealing. Two stressors down.

Also, now that we have insurance, Jeff has been in contact with the University of Nebraska to check with them about re-enrolling me in their Intestinal Rehabilitation Program, henceforth, IRP. They said they may need a follow-up visit, so the entire Medina clan may be flying up there this summer. I’m kind of excited to see if they can tell if there’s been any growth in my small intestine…though if I have to do the Barium enema again, I might rather NOT know. I had diarrhea for HOURS (until 1 a.m.) after the first one, and it was horrid, absolutely horrid.

As I type, I hear Jeff behind me in the office bathroom. He bought me a present, a bidet, and he’s currently working on installing it! A very nice lady emailed me that with her intestinal problems that led to ‘raw bottom’ a bidet is what helped her. I happened to read Jeff the email and then thought nothing else of it.

The next thing I know, he’s acting all secretive about a present he ordered. I didn’t pay any attention to him, but he kept asking me if a package had come in the mail. Apparently, the version he bought was on back-order. Anyway, when he finally confessed what he’d bought me, I laughed and laughed…and then I thought “what a truly sweet thing to do for me.” It came in the mail just this evening as we were putting the children to bed, and he’s wasted no time in trying to put it together. Basically, it’s not the uber-fancy kind you see in 5-star hotels (or on t.v. shows about 5 star hotels, ‘cause goodness knows, we’ve never stayed in one), but it’s a toilet seat, with a cord, and an electronic panel with buttons, like those massage chairs at pedicure places. He’s grunting and breathing heavy, so it seems like it’s a lot of work because he’s also fidgeting with the tank and flipping through his instruction manual.

I’m sure there will be some funny blogs to follow once I try out this exceptional device. Stay tuned for more….