Grapes and Sweet Potato Fries

           

That's pretty much what my diet consists of these days. But YUM- are they tasty! I've never been a big grape snacker...I've never been a big fruit or veggie anything snacker. And now, grapes are like little balls of sweet juicy goodness, and I love them especially when they're frozen. And sweet potato fries? We've been friends for a long time, but now we are inseparable! Slice up a yam or sweet potato, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and 20 minutes in the oven later you're good to go with a plate full of crispy delicious fries. Along with these two foods, I've also been enjoying this:

 

    

Mmmm tilapia. I just saute it in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper and add a little lemon juice, and it is sooo tasty. And I've been snacking on raw carrots or cooking them glazed. It's a totally different way of eating than what I'm used to. I'm a chip, cookie, bread and candy lover. But life is quite different now, and my eating habits are too.

I've had the feeding tube in for over 3 weeks now. I started on a soy based formula (since I'm avoiding dairy), and was also eating food with it. My favorite meal was scrambled eggs with soymilk and sauteed spinach. But I kept getting bloated, day after day, and constipated and blaahhh. So my dietician changed my formula to a completely elemental one which means it's already really broken down and easier to digest. And she also said no food for 48 hours. :( 

Life without food is so depressing to me. I guess I need to change my attitude and remember that we eat to live and not live to eat. But the point was to give my bowels a rest. I decided it's easier to go without food in the hospital, rather than in everyday life when it's surrounding you. I went Saturday and Sunday without food and just did tube feeding, and lo and behold, my bloating went down! On Monday, she gave me the go ahead to try one meat and one vegetable and see how my body tolerated it. Starting from square one. 

So I ate my beloved sweet potato fries for lunch, and a tilapia fillet for dinner, and both were heavenly. The next day, I introduced red grapes- YUM. And still no bloating, so things were good. The next day, I ate an egg and spinach, just to experiment and see how my body would handle it. By that night, I was bloated and in pain. Hmmm eggs seem to be a culprit, dangit. 

I think (and I'm hoping) that the reason I'm still bloated is because of the eggs, and not from something else I've been eating. I've added in other things like oranges, strawberries, raspberries, tuna fish, and tonight I had some chicken and brown rice.

                                           

                               

So everything is very simple, natural, healthy, and part of something called the FODMAPS diet. It's an extreme diet for people with irritable bowels, and eliminates a bunch of fruits, vegetables, dairy, gluten, fructose and beans. Normally, this would totally overwhelm and depress me as to how few options are left, but this "experimenting" has been good for me. I have a much greater appreciation and understanding of natural foods and ingredients, and what I'm putting into my body and what my body is telling me.

Although I'm getting nutrition and have gone from 108 lbs last week to 116 lbs today, we all know I still have problems. I am still planning on going to the Mayo Clinic, and we're waiting to hear from them in the next couple days. We sent all my medical records and doctor referral letters last week, and I'm just hoping there will be doctors there that can figure out how to help me get healthy! That would suck to go through all this, get our hopes up so high, and then still not have any answers in the end. But we'll not think about that. I have high hopes that this too shall pass, that the feeding tube and bloating will go, that the Iritis will go away and my hair will grow back!

I'm doing pretty good though. I never thought I would get used to a feeding tube, but I actually hardly even feel it in my throat anymore. It's just a process to pour the 6 cans of formula in a bag every day, and salt water in another bag, get it all set up and situated in the backpack, and be hooked up for 16 hours. It's definitely frustrating when I have to go pee in the middle of the night and I get all tangled in the cords. But otherwise, I'm feeling pretty good and have been able to go out and do things and go places and enjoy my mom being here. Both she and my mother-in-law have been life savers, helping me take care of the girls, getting projects and cleaning done around the house, and keeping me company. Thank you!!! 

Here's a picture of me and little Lexie Lou last week after church.