S
steven
Guest
This requires a bit of background information... Two years ago I underwent surgery to correct/remove a small (2mm) spot of cancer in my throat. The surgery went bad, really bad, and I awoke from a coma several months later missing most of my esophagus, all of my stomach and part of my intestines. I am fed through a tube and anything I swallow exits a fistula (little hole) on/in my chest into a 1-liter stick-on bag. Other than the tube in my belly (pretty much always hidden), any bulging from things I've swallowed into the bag (from unnoticeable when empty to sorta odd looking when full) and some scaring on my neck from the Tracheotomy (since removed but some scarring), I look 99% normal. In most aspects I can function normally too. My doctors still have me as "disabled" and won't clear me to go back to work, but I can do most things if I'm careful. Even eat. Pretty much anything and it just goes into the bag. It doesn't provide any nutrition, but I still enjoy it occasionally (some days I eat 3 meals, some days none). Which brings me to my question.
Sometimes when I'm bored or depressed, I find that (much like many Americans), I like to go and eat - or even "Pig Out"... It's not really as satisfying as it is when you actually can get full, but I can enjoy as much as I want of anything I want pretty much guilt free as it doesn't effect my "diet". I just have to make a trip to the bathroom once about every liter or so of "stuff" I eat or drink and drain the contents of the bag into the toilet, seal the bottom of the bag back up and I'm good to go with whatever I want to eat. A buddy of mine pointed out that I was really cheating the all-you-can-eat type places since hypothetically I could continue eating until my jaw muscles gave out..
While I concede that this is possible, I find that I really don't generally "consume" much more now that I had previously with the exception of drinks - I can and often do drink a *lot* these days (soda, tea, water, etc - booze is too expensive and a total waste!)
So I guess I'm interested in the opinions of a few strangers as to if this is a real issue that I should be concerned about or not...
(an interesting sidebar discussion might be would the same logic apply to a bulimic as I'm sort of effectively (bizarre) bulimic, LOL!)
RE: Jane
LOL! Trust me after 5 months in ICU/coma and 4 months in rehab, *nothing* will ever be to personal ever again. You learn to accept so much intrusion into what was once "personal space" that you become shy about nothing...
It was interesting to go to sleep and wake up to find your world changed - my wife had to send our (then) 5 year old daughter 1250 miles away to live with my sister, the company I worked for virtually disappeared, my daughter was now 6 (big change @ that age), I couldn't initially walk,talk,sit up, eat... I was basically a mess. I spent a couple of days being sorry for myself and then got to work at my physical rehab and in 15 weeks I *walked* (against doc recommendations, lol!) out of rehab and been living life ever since as best I am able...
RE: odessyboina
again, no offense taken, it's a fairly unique situation (of the 2 dozen doctors i've seen since the accident, only 1 has even heard of a simular situation, let alone seen it in person)
As to why, well, having eaten pretty much every day several times a day for about 40 years it's pretty much a habbit for one. I'm also an amature chef of sorts and have always done the cooking for my family - I'm not *quite* snobby enough to call myself a 'foodie', but I'm *real* close
As to what i subsist on, right now I'm in bed on my phone typing this out and i have a little pump with a 2 liter bag attached filled with is basically pumping into the tube sticking out of my gut an expensive (6$ a can, 10 cans a night in the bag) version of Ensure (those nasty tasting nutrition 'shakes' that they give old people) It has about 2500 calories and all the fiber (lots of fiber, lol!) and viatimin/minerals you need. i'm just greatful i don't have to taste it!
Sometimes when I'm bored or depressed, I find that (much like many Americans), I like to go and eat - or even "Pig Out"... It's not really as satisfying as it is when you actually can get full, but I can enjoy as much as I want of anything I want pretty much guilt free as it doesn't effect my "diet". I just have to make a trip to the bathroom once about every liter or so of "stuff" I eat or drink and drain the contents of the bag into the toilet, seal the bottom of the bag back up and I'm good to go with whatever I want to eat. A buddy of mine pointed out that I was really cheating the all-you-can-eat type places since hypothetically I could continue eating until my jaw muscles gave out..
While I concede that this is possible, I find that I really don't generally "consume" much more now that I had previously with the exception of drinks - I can and often do drink a *lot* these days (soda, tea, water, etc - booze is too expensive and a total waste!)So I guess I'm interested in the opinions of a few strangers as to if this is a real issue that I should be concerned about or not...
(an interesting sidebar discussion might be would the same logic apply to a bulimic as I'm sort of effectively (bizarre) bulimic, LOL!)
RE: Jane
LOL! Trust me after 5 months in ICU/coma and 4 months in rehab, *nothing* will ever be to personal ever again. You learn to accept so much intrusion into what was once "personal space" that you become shy about nothing...
It was interesting to go to sleep and wake up to find your world changed - my wife had to send our (then) 5 year old daughter 1250 miles away to live with my sister, the company I worked for virtually disappeared, my daughter was now 6 (big change @ that age), I couldn't initially walk,talk,sit up, eat... I was basically a mess. I spent a couple of days being sorry for myself and then got to work at my physical rehab and in 15 weeks I *walked* (against doc recommendations, lol!) out of rehab and been living life ever since as best I am able...
RE: odessyboina
again, no offense taken, it's a fairly unique situation (of the 2 dozen doctors i've seen since the accident, only 1 has even heard of a simular situation, let alone seen it in person)
As to why, well, having eaten pretty much every day several times a day for about 40 years it's pretty much a habbit for one. I'm also an amature chef of sorts and have always done the cooking for my family - I'm not *quite* snobby enough to call myself a 'foodie', but I'm *real* close
As to what i subsist on, right now I'm in bed on my phone typing this out and i have a little pump with a 2 liter bag attached filled with is basically pumping into the tube sticking out of my gut an expensive (6$ a can, 10 cans a night in the bag) version of Ensure (those nasty tasting nutrition 'shakes' that they give old people) It has about 2500 calories and all the fiber (lots of fiber, lol!) and viatimin/minerals you need. i'm just greatful i don't have to taste it!