Cody Updates by Mom

This post is to all of those of us that have had to have a Total Gastrectomy or TG as we call it in our world.  I do not know everything and I have had a lot of bumps (mountains) along the way.  However, I am five years past having my stomach removed and I am still happy that I made the decision for life instead of playing roulette.

So, I (we) do not have a stomach.  Our intestines do all the work for our nutrition and breaking down food.  We can do so much to help this process, but what I have learned is that we can do even more to make this process work harder.

Let’s play, did ya know.

• Did you know your heart beat increases when your system is digesting?  Did you know that it can be really bad if all you eat is carbs.  Oh, baby, a full on carb meal can make me need a nap like no ones business.

Okay, so we are not here to learn about all the ins and outs of eating when you do not have a stomach.  We are here to talk about the big turn.

Background – without a stomach your intestines and esophagus (thank god for spell check) are connected, straight up.  Some of us have pouches, but I do not.  I never had a feeding tube and I had learn eating on day one.  I am actually grateful for that due to the possible side effects of tubes and stuff in your body.

So, your intestines actually take their first big turn to the left.  Down, left, straight, right and so on.  The left one is by far the most important.

Tonight we had amazing steak, homemade mac and cheese and bread.  If I was a good girl, I would eat slowly, taking lots of breaks and not drinking my beer as fast as I want.  Well, that didn’t happen.  I was on the last of three bites of my steak when I knew I had an issue.  The trains in the train station were pushing to get out and the road ahead had steak and noodles.  Yep, the good ole, you ate too fast and now you suffer thing.

Like a moderately good girl, I spit out what was in my mouth and went to lay down.  Now the key is to lay on your left side.  See, gravity can help.  Trust me, it didn’t take five years to learn about gravity.  Actually, the fact that they hung me upside down to keep my kid in more than 21 years ago makes me understand gravity.  BTW – he is 21 and just fine.

Now, laying there, you have to help.  Forcing burping can help release air to help the food move.  Rubbing can help as well but I am not a fan of it.

What’s interesting is the feeling.  I can feel when the food has moved around the corner.  There is a feeling of less and a feeling that if I get up, I can function.

Now you may say this is not good and I need to chew and not drink and not overeat and not, not , not.  I have learned to be in tune with my body and learn what it needs.

So, tonight, after 15 minutes in bed on my left side I felt the steak/macaroni mixture move its way around the corner and I knew I was ok.

There are many that would maybe say I am not being good.  I know that the steak I had tasted amazing.  The mac and cheese was good and the bread was garlicy.  If that is how I am going to go out then ok, at least my taste buds were happy.

My motto?  Eat what tastes good and figure out the digestion later.

In the end, don’t ever give up.  We TG’s can eat, we just have to know how.

There are at least two species that do not have stomachs.  The seahorse and the platypus.  May all of us be at least one or the other.