Sunday, April 6, 2008

It has been two months since surgery. Linda and I took a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon. It was a beautiful day and a pleasant walk. I don't know the objective temperature. I do know that Linda was warm and I was cold, even bundled up with coat, hat and gloves.

I'm doing pretty well some days, and tolerable or better most days. There is still an occasional awful day, just to keep life interesting.

We saw a gastroenterologist for the first time last Wednesday. There were three significant observations.

First is that my situation is now mostly in the GI (gastrointestinal) category. We've dealt with everything else, and what I'm left with are GI issues, some of which will continue the rest of my life. I suspect that Dr. Ehrenpreis and I will become good friends.

Second is that we should expect a year for everything to settle down to whatever “new normal” is going to be. I think the progress is much faster than that, but expecting another ten months is probably good for me . . . patience . . . breathe deeply . . . one day at a time . . . and so on.

Third is that one of the things removed in the first surgery is part or all of the section of the intestines that processes fat. This has several consequences. One is that it will always be difficult to gain weight, because fat is calorically about three times as dense as carbohydrates and protein. (I consider this generally a good thing, although I could use another five pounds right now.) Second is that fat will pass through me. (I consider this generally a bad thing.) Third is that I will need to supplement the fat soluble vitamins A, E, D and K, because I won’t get an adequate amount by diet alone, and I will need a vitamin B12 shot every month. (I consider this disappointing but manageable.)

With this news, and the prospect of months and years of upkeep and maintenance and nothing much changing, we will do a soft shutdown of CaringBridge. If I end up in an emergency room, we’ll post. If the PMP comes back, we’ll post. But I suspect the risks are higher that I’ll have a climbing accident (yes, I’m climbing again) or motorcycle accident (it’s been too cold to have much fun on the bike, but I’ve been out once so far this year), than that something related to cancer and surgery will cause a serious problem.

I do have a blog which has been completely inactive until now. A copy of this message has been posted as the opening entry. Chances are the blog will be very very slow, but even at that, more lively than CaringBridge. See chriskimball.blogspot.com.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to every person who posted, and every person who read and thought about me. Your good wishes and prayers and jokes and Haikus and general thoughtfulness have meant the world to me.

Chris Kimball
6 April 2008
Evanston, Illinois
ckimball@pobox.com

3 comments:

Elizabeth Fama said...

A transition from CaringBridge (which is designed to keep friends and family abreast of catastrophic health events) to blogger (a place to flap your lips about anything and everything that crosses your mind) is an utter triumph. In the words of the great Amy Timberlake, "Woo hoo!"

Tom Scharbach said...

I am astounded. Enjoy blogging. You'll find it addictive.

grandmom k said...

My new computer has not been consistent in email notification but I did get the recent/last 'Caring Bridge posting detailing your latest adventures.
Noting the address of this blog, I saw your name contains a summary of approach to your journey:
risk all. This attitude seems to be evident not only with physical treatments, but also with other life arenas. 'Go forth and conquer' while taking the hardest hurdle of submission to what was required
is an incredible balance. Thank you for journaling your story. It has been a gift as I make my own adjustments to personal good health. My best to you and Linda ~ k. carpenter