Swallow Test #2

I had another swallow test done. While I am progressing, there still is a part that is not fully healed. (Maybe if I get a copy of the DVD I can show you what I am talking about.) Less liquid is pooling in this area--hence the progression--but there is still some liquid there.

What does this mean?

Another 2 weeks of waiting and healing until my third swallow test. Yeah, I'm disappointed. I always am because I set high expectations of myself. But truth be told, I was a little relieved. My tongue is still very much swollen in the middle and I can't possibly imagine trying to eat on my own right now. By eat I mean soup, water, apple juice, Ensure. It takes quite a few swallows to get the water down and I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that my tongue is still swollen and therefore not moving as naturally as it should. Remember when you go to the dentist and they numb you? When you try to drink the water dribbles out of the side of your mouth...it's something like that only my lips aren't numb my tongue is!

Hopefully though, at the next swallow test, I will be healed and be approved to start drinking and eating food with my tube still in. I know you must think, isn't that harder? Point is, I have to be able to get enough calories down on my own since the tube wont be there to do it for me if I cant. Strange, I've grown attached to this thing. It feeds me food every 4 hours. It hydrates me with water every 6 hours. And medicine of any kind is prescribed to me in liquid form which not only goes down faster in the tube but also works faster. Some of you know, I can't swallow pills anyway!

Also on this visit, I saw my plastic surgeon for a follow up. It's been 6 weeks since surgery #2 and I had my feeding tube in (nasal gastric tube) and they are suppose to get removed every month.

What does this mean? What do you think?

I had the pleasure of being awake while they removed the old one to put a new one it! Fun stuff! So they took a smaller tube and shoved it into my left nostril and down into my stomach. They made sure it was in there and then proceeded to remove the old tube. Not only did it seem like forever, the tube just kept coming and coming, but I could taste it. And when I saw the tube out of my nose, the bottom was GREEN. Like algae. It was completely awful. I had no medicine, nothing to drug me up so I wouldn't remember, see it, taste it etc. I was fully awake. Remember the bottom of the tube has been sitting in my stomach bile for 6 weeks! And when the tube comes out the only way out is back through the nostril it went into. But don't forget, it has to pass the back of your throat and your tongue on the way up and out. Alright I'm done grossing you all out.

Lastly, the old tube, since it was put in at surgery, was stitched into my nose...like from one side of the nostril to the other so it would not get pulled out or slide out accidentally. When they went to clip the stitches out (with tubes in both nostrils) I just couldn't help it any longer. I was in complete tears; it hurt like hell. Of all the things I've been through, removing stitches still makes me cringe the most.

I went down to x-rays to make sure the tube was in fact where it was suppose to be and then got the approval to go home. Another long day at the hospital and we did miss 30 minutes of American Idol that day. Thank God for DVR it was recorded :)

There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

This tube is SOOO much thinner. It is really flexible not stiff. It doesn't hurt me or my nose at all when it is clipped to the back of my hair. (I'll have to show you a picture. That's where I keep it so it doesn't get caught on anything. Everyone said it's the first time they've seen someone do that. What can I say? I'm an original.) Food goes down the same, a little slower since the tube is narrower but it doesn't change anything. My face doesn't hurt like it did before which means the tube WAS causing all the pain. They did put me on antibiotics to treat my sinus infection that was caused by the tube. And this tube is just taped to my nose so no more stitches. It's an improvement...let's go with that!