Blogging in my Recliner
A lot has transpired since my last post. I was granted MELD exception points and now my score is 24; this is good news as it puts me within 1 or 2 points of being able to receive “the call”. This happened on December 24th, so that was a nice way to end the year. It couldn’t have come at a better time as I’ve been feeling worse lately. The jaundice is deepening and now I have two new health issues to deal with: a giant belly and deliriously edematous feet paired with a matching set of cankles. Suffice it to say, end stage liver failure is NOT a sexy disease.
Aside from looking gross and disgusting, the swelling in my abdomen is surprisingly painful. It stings the higher up it goes and it’s risen just above my lower ribs. Everything leaves me short of breath (and not in a “wow! How exhilarating” type of way). Daily meals have become a multi-step process whereby the following questions must be answered before the first bite or sip: 1. How hungry or thirsty am I? 2. How bloated/swollen is my stomach right now? 3. How much can I consume and still be able to breathe, sit up straight and not be in constant pain until the food moves down my intestinal tract?
My feet, which started to look horrible 2 years ago with all the burst capillaries, now look heinous. They are so swollen that the puffy TOP of my foot will bubble out of my flats. Since I’m anemic, my foot looks freakishly white – which makes the swelling look like the head of beluga whale or an old timey spat worn over a black shoe. For my young readership who might not know what a spat is: do a Google picture search on Mr. Peanut and look at his feet.
I have 4 pairs of pants I can still wear and they’re all leggings. I’ve been looking at maternity clothes which seem to fall into 3 categories: 1. Too Young for Me (interesting fact: most childbearing women are not in their early to mid-50’s) 2. Jeans with holes in them (super cute but not suitable for work) 3. Very nice, but crazy expensive.
I still have a few pairs of jeans I can wear because they are low rise and my stomach can hang over the top of them (just like that man who still wears the same size jeans as in high school, but is 50 lbs heavier).
I’m judiciously watching my sodium intake to try and reduce the swelling. Mrs. Dash, fresh lemon juice, garlic powder, rice vinegar and Portuguese Fermented Red Pepper Flakes have become my best friends. I’m hoping at my next appointment with the Transplant Group that they’ll put me on a diuretic as well.
I like to end my posts on a positive note, so here goes: yesterday, my step-sister was in town and we got together for breakfast at Ria’s Bluebird in the Cabbage Town area of Atlanta. The company was wonderful and the food divine! I’ve included a photo (please note the tragic, tightly curled hair courtesy of the only set of hot rollers Target had in stock Friday night).
Thanks for walking this journey with me! All Hail the Queen…