So it has been a little while since I have posted an update.

My only excuse is that I am living my new life. I am playing with my kids. Going with my wife to her favorite stores (who knew there were so many HomeGoods in and around Northern Virginia). And, I am back to work, and have been for about a month now.

I started slowly at first by just working 5-6 hours a couple times a week. After a couple of weeks, I worked up to my current full duty day (8-9 hours), 5 days a week.

To get to this point, the biggest hurdle I had to overcome (besides recovering from my tumor/stomach removal, chemo, and gallbladder surgery) was feeding myself.

Over the course of two weeks in mid-January, I weened off of my TPN regime under the guidance of my oncological nutritionist. During that time, I alternated days of TPN and eating on my own.

Though the eating was tough, I regularly met my 2,000 calories a day goal…its amazing how many calories mayonnaise and Ranch dressing add to what you eat, but I don’t recommend them on your cereal.

At the end of the two weeks, I knew I was ready to pull my PICC line. So, on 28 January 2020, my surgical oncologist performed the following:

All 43 centimeters (or 17 inches) of spaghetti tubing came out without issues.

For four months, I survived on the 1900 calories a day the TPN provided. I would not have made it through chemotherapy or the cholecystectomy (aka gallbladder removal surgery) I endured without the white liquid gold that flowed through my veins for 14 hours a day, seven days a week.

Two times a day, my wife had to flush my PICC line to prevent a blood clot from forming and blocking the TPN flow. She was amazing and never allowed the line to get blocked up.

In stark contrast, my line seemed to get blocked during every hospital stay…it was very annoying getting the line unblocked. I think that speaks volumes to my wife’s dedication and support to me, every day, two times a day for four months. A little bit (or a whole lot) of love goes a long way in caring for someone.

That leads to today.

I am eating on my own. Just like a big boy.

Unfortunately, I don’t get to eat big boy food.

No steak, hamburgers (with or without cheese), french fries, BBQ, chili (with or without carne), wings, or even salad (only to be used as garnish or on top of burgers). Or really anything tasty. But there are a few exceptions.

Pizza seems to be OK for some odd reason. But the pie has to be plain old cheese pizza…no pepperoni, sausage, onions, bell peppers, or mushrooms – an by the way, pineapple is never allowed on pizza!

I am slowly learning what I can eat. It still consists of lots of rice and potatoes (mashed, not fried or roasted), for now.

Scrambled or hard boiled eggs are OK, but bacon or breakfast sausage are no-no’s.

A little bit of pasta, but without any crazy sauces…except for my wife’s other worldly Ragu…not the nasty store-bought brand, rather the homemade variety! Delizioso!

High fiber fruits and vegetables are out of my diet for now. Without a stomach to breakdown them down, I have to stick to a select set of cooked veggies and skinless fruit.

And, don’t get me started on sugar products. Refined sugar is a gut buster…literally.

But, everyday I am getting stronger. Everyday I am learning what foods I can (and can’t) eat. Everyday I am going back to the gym. Everyday I am doing things with my wife and kids – especially playing a lot of Mario on the Nintendo Switch…lots of Mario.

It’s all good!

I am alive and living my new life…and I am excited to see where it takes me.

While I explore my new “normal”, I’ll just try to avoid blue shells: