Mood:
Now Playing: Day 603-The Final Road To Survival
I had to give into the ole Drano today. The pressure pain from my intestines kept me up tossing and turning all night. By 2:00pm I had enough and vowed to finally do treatment. Luckily I have quite a few things to do around the house in order to keep me moving in between glasses of toxic poison.
Here's my Drano day in pictures:
1-At 3pm I got my glasses ready and set the kitchen stove timer. One full glass every fifteen minutes. Most stayed down but you can't win them all in the game of Drano aka Hell-In-A-Jug. At least the new refills don't taste so much like plastic unlike the last batch, UGGGG!
2-Finally my friend returned from 24 hours straight of working at the jail then drill for the Army. Guess what he brought me back? Popcorn for my very spoiled wildlife gang outside and the usual candy that is 'GP friendly.' How nice and thoughtful was that?! Since I was still consuming glass after glass of treatment I told him I would wake him up around 8pm. This allows him enough time to catch some sleep before having to get back up, take a shower and head to work at the jail then straight to the armory again. Wow! Must be nice to have so much energy! I am tired just thinking about all the hours he has to work this weekend. YIKES!
3-Within a few hours the treatment started working although one can never tell how bad its going to affect you. This time it was a sneak attack! Not only did it hit me but it seemed all at once. The only thing I did differently this time was not consume any fluids after midnight. Maybe that was the trick although I was in so much pain I wasn't thirsty. By 7:30pm I lost track how many times I was in the bathroom. A TV would be perfect in there! Maybe even a heated toilet seat, hahahaha! So much for a brilliant idea to run up to the post office in the middle of treatment. DUMB! My friend drove of course after he got up at 8pm because I thought I would be OK. Even OK enough to stop and get my local newspaper delivery boy a holiday gift. So we got the gift but I had to walk out of the store very slowly in order not to pass out and instead wait in the car. Let's just say it was a fast trip! What was I thinking? Sadly on Drano that's the problem...you don't think. All will be worth it to see the smile on the young man's face tomorrow.
4-After a exhausting day in between Drano and doing more than my fair share of house chores I am BEAT! Stick a fork in me and call me DONE! Unfortunately it was a must to do treatment so I don't end up in the hospital with an obstruction. Not so good being home this evening alone since family are all sick with the flu or other viruses. These are my fur nurses who will be keeping a close eye on Mom tonight into the early morning hours when my friend will be back to check on me in between jobs.
5-By 10pm I wasn't the only one struggling to stay awake. I think even the fur gang are tired and ready for bed. Good thing at least one of us will be able to sleep, hahahaha! Back to Drano land for this gal...

Honestly I didn't do too much today because I was still trying to wake up my tired body. At least I was able to touch up my gray hairs that Mr. Gastroparesis gives me (of what hair I still have left on my head) then finished up a few loads of wash, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen sink. My friend was also exhausted since he had to go straight from work at 7am to take his son to school then run to the post office and do a few other errands. By the time he got back to the house it was 10:30am. This evening as I was brushing PreciousKitty I looked over to see him passed out on the recliner. That makes two seeing once I was finished grooming Precious she too was out like a light! Hahahaha!

After a great night of sleep that went into the early afternoon at 3pm my pharmacy called to let me know they got the rest of the Drano in today. WHOAHOA! My friend wanted to head out anyways to find a New Years Eve outfit. Just 'in case' my GP wants to be on the nice list for the holidays he will have something to wear. If you wait until after Xmas to find an outfit then you might as well forget it! I remember being in my 20's and waiting until after Christmas to find a New Years dress and it was always slim pickings. Now I am much older and wiser. BUY NOW!
I told my friend to smile on the way out and pose next to their GP car magnet that says, "Gastroparesis & Food Kills." Maybe instead I should design a magnet with a huge jug on it saying, "Drano & Gastroparesis Kills." Once we placed all the bags in the back of his car we barely had any room left. Like I mentioned before, surely they can find alternatives to a jug of chlorinated sodium water to flush your intestines out. Maybe in a chocolate bar with a kick?! At least it would finally rid any and all chocolate cravings I have, hahahaha! Could you imagine? Well anything is possible to me lately.
This evening I decided to try a new recipe and make some gingerbread cookies. Thank goodness I was never much on cookies especially gingerbread or gingersnap. I don't need any temptations around the house right now being already a few days behind treatment. I am still passing last treatment at a snails pace. I am aiming for this weekend but taking it one day at a time. The cookies turned out really good but the best part is the house now smells AMAZING! Maybe I need to buy a gingerbread scented candle? I am starting to like gingerbread. Its not so bad after all. Well...I better put these gingerbread guys on a plate before they magically disappear...Not by the elves either...
Thank goodness for getting lots of sleep lately because I can't say the same for last night or this afternoon. I had some wicked nausea and intestinal pain. I did nothing but toss and turn all night. Sure, I need to really do treatment later this afternoon but with the burning and pressure pain it might not be such a good idea. When I am not feeling well on treatment day I tend to go with my instincts. My friend is really good at giving his opinion too!
NO! More like, "HOLY DRANO!" HAHAHAHA!

We had a birthday this week at the house. It was Oreo's 13th birthday! To me he will always be my puppy. Oreo is such a affectionate fur kid and is also very generous especially when it comes to his birthday gifts. Seems it must be a Husky thing with Littleblue. What's his is hers and what's hers....Is hers! Hahahaha! Oreo got all sorts of new toys, treats and a sporty blue collar. What's a birthday when you can't share it with the rest of the gang? Even those who were a bit stingy...Like Littleblue, heeheeheehee!
Touching...

Once we finished and put our oars away I decided it might be a good time to shift focus. Why not start making the traditional holiday buckeye candies? GREAT IDEA! Not only is it a multi-step process but a wonderful way to shift focus on something more pleasant. Once I got all the bowls together I turned on holiday music and rolled away on the buckeyes. I make them every year. This might be the 9th year? Honestly I lost track. Its fun to make homemade goodies for others. I might not be able to personally enjoy them but I get the same satisfaction watching others enjoy my cooking. In fact I cook more now than before I got sick with Idiopathic Gastroparesis. Personally I enjoy the smells of the season and it doesn't always require having to eat. You can also find various holiday scented candles around my house. One has to be creative when life suddenly stops evolving around one important part of living which is eating food. This year so far I have made around sixty buckeyes which will be placed into individual holiday containers for family and friends. If I can't gain weight by golly hopefully someone else can for me.
Might sound bad but I have done all I can to gain weight and failed. Keeping my weight safe not to go under 105 pounds is a huge feat but so far so good. With it being the flu season if anyone is sick I must be safe to wait until they are 100 percent better. Its just not worth my health nor being stuck in the hospital again for the holidays.
The Bengals played the Steelers today. The Bengals literally got walked on, maybe RAN OVER instead. Once I turned the TV on in the living room I could hear my friend also turn on their television. I laughed as I saw the score. It got awfully quiet in the house. I should had placed a bet on this game seeing hands down I would had won! Its not unusual every time our home team gets cocky they end up blowing it. Not the first nor the last. Of course I had to sport my Steelers hoodie all day. We even ran up to the local store so I could grab a few things. Needless to say no one said a word. Even those wearing their Bengals gear. I guess they saw the game today too! I am usually not one for sports but I like to tease my friend and its fun! We both like to taunt each other,hahahaha!

Its the long overdue Drano aka Hell-In-A-Jug day. Although I can't stand drinking this foul stuff it sure beats ending back in the hospital with a partial or full obstruction. I did my best to sleep in today. I didn't get to bed until 5:30am. My sleep time seems to be between 5-6am. Yes, us VAMPIRES evolve around the seasons, hahahaha! I don't want to rely on pain medication in order to get rest. I have seen first hand living with someone who was addicted to pain medication what it can do. It literally changes a person and not for the best. Some say I might even be a bit scared of medication from seeing the consequences of those who abused the same drugs that should help me to live a higher quality of life. I don't feel like being another statistic to the problem of drug abuse. With my severe Gastroparesis pills just seem to sit in my intestines anyways so whats the point?
What a crazy sleep pattern I am on lately! I can't sleep then when I do go to sleep I can't get up. My body is all out of whack and the darn vomiting is also driving me nuts. Its now a mandatory part of going to bed routine placing peppermint oil on a piece of paper towel on my cart. This allows the smell to be right next to me on the couch bed. My friend said they came in this morning and when he went to check on me since Mr. Puke pan was back out he couldn't tell if I was breathing or not.
BearKitty is my pillow buddy. Littleblue is my sleeping buddy but she likes to sleep keeping my feet warm. Crystalblue would do the exact same thing. They are like my second shadow. Its nice waking up to the fur kids watching over me. SantaPaws will surely be extra nice to them this year. They already got a few gifts under their tree. Just like kids, they know when its Christmas! This evening I wrapped up the last of the gifts. Thank you LadyGaga. How nice was she to do that?! Heeheeheehee! 
What a busy, busy day! No time for anymore teeth to fall out although if any did I would just gum my way through the day, hahahaha!
Now it only stays cold for around 10 minutes compared to when it was in a can you could promise yourself at least an hour. Things could be worse though...They could discontinue the entire line, YIKES! I got a free coupon for any variety so I am going to try the ole powder high protein Slimfast in a blender again. Keep you posted on the results!
