Disclaimer: I try to be honest about my HPS life – but sometimes it requires being….well, let’s just say don’t read this if you have a weak stomach or are eating.
I’ve been doing so great these past few weeks. I was very worried about how my stamina would hold up on this trip, but I did okay overall. I think it helped that I had some down time built into the trip. One day I did have to stay in bed. I had a bad night and was up 14 times to go to the bathroom. Between all the peeing I was doing trying to keep hydrated (I also had a UTI going and so was drinking cranberry juice) and all the diarrhea I was having (probably because of the aforementioned cranberry juice) – well by morning I felt like crap and there was no way I was moving.
My runs were much improved from the average on the trip, however. I’ve been trying to figure out why. I have a few theories. Frankly, I missed a lot of doses of my medications. Traveling gets your schedule all out of whack. When I’m home I take my meds out of habit – it’s a routine – but when you’re not home the routine is destroyed and it’s easy to miss doses. I suspect that while I need my medications, some of them might be contributing to my diarrhea problem.
My other theory, especially since my GI was doing well in Chicago, is that I ate certain things I don’t normally eat at home that maybe I should try eating more often.
Carmen and Janet and Ariel’s family were giving me quite the education in Puerto Rican food. I ate several meals with plantains – something I never eat (not even sure if I’d ever eaten a plantain before) – and what do you know but they seemed to regulate my tummy. I get the same effect with bananas at home if things get bad. Since they’re similar foods, maybe the plantains were helping.
The other thing I ate more of than usual on the road was peanut butter. Readers might get the impression (false impression) that we eat out constantly on these trips. Well, we probably take more photos when we eat out, but we eat in a lot too. We try to save every dollar we can. So, when we arrive in a city the first trip is to a grocery store. We get a fridge in the hotel room and we eat breakfast in the room, and then we make peanut butter and jelly sandwich sack lunches to carry with us during the day. Food at those convention centers is expensive and generally not all that good. We save a lot of money that way.
I keep peanut butter on hand to eat when my diarrhea is bad, but it’s one of those foods I’m not wild about. I don’t like it, but I don’t hate it. It does help stop the runs though – and so maybe I should start making myself eat more peanut butter.
I’ve been a bit of a mess since getting home. I’ve slept a lot. I’m sure I was worn out from the trip. I’ve also, however, been an allergy disaster area. I’m extremely allergic to grass. It’s the rainy time of year here and everything grows quickly. I think the land lord mows the lawn here about every other day. He has to or it would become a jungle. Even if I’m inside with all the windows shut, as soon as he starts mowing the hives start popping out all over me.
My sinuses have been a mess since I landed at the airport. My nose runs constantly and I’ve got a sore throat from the nasal drip. This is despite taking the max dose of Allegra twice a day, plus Singular, plus Flonaise (I had cut that med, but have had to add it back). And, I’ve been taking Benadryl on top of that – thus contributing to the fatigue I’m sure. If I don’t keep the allergies in check, however, my asthma gets pretty bad.
I’m also allergic to wheat and corn – and it’s Kansas, so soon harvest will start and that won’t help, even though I live in the city. (Wheat and corn don’t bother me if it’s been processed, like in bread. It’s when they harvest in the field that I have trouble.)
Yesterday I went to the grocery store and was having trouble breathing just half way there – and since I was just walking around San Diego fine – I have no doubt allergies were playing a role.
All this sleeping has, once again, gotten my sleep patterns all out of whack. So, last night, in an attempt to get regulated again, I went to bed at a normal time even though I wasn’t the least bit tired. I took an Ambien to help me sleep. Well, it worked. It worked so well that I wasn’t up at all, not even my usual three or four potty runs.
When I woke up my ostomy had exploded in the bed. There is nothing more disgusting than that! EWWUUEE Yuck! I don’t know how the mattress was saved, but it was. The sheets, on the other hand, are ruined. No amount of washing is going to get rid of those stains, and those were sheets I’ve only used for a few months! Thankfully because of the warm weather my favorite quilts and blankets weren’t on the bed.
I washed the sheets, and then cut them up and threw away the bits with stains. I’ve been making a rag rug from the remains of damaged clothing etc. So, I ripped the sheets up for the rag rug.
All day today it’s been as if I’ve got a faucet going. I’ve slept a lot, and when I wake up I’m on the verge of another explosion. I’ve taken the max dose of Lomodel and it’s only slowed things down.
Guess it’s time for peanut butter.
I’ve been doing so great these past few weeks. I was very worried about how my stamina would hold up on this trip, but I did okay overall. I think it helped that I had some down time built into the trip. One day I did have to stay in bed. I had a bad night and was up 14 times to go to the bathroom. Between all the peeing I was doing trying to keep hydrated (I also had a UTI going and so was drinking cranberry juice) and all the diarrhea I was having (probably because of the aforementioned cranberry juice) – well by morning I felt like crap and there was no way I was moving.
My runs were much improved from the average on the trip, however. I’ve been trying to figure out why. I have a few theories. Frankly, I missed a lot of doses of my medications. Traveling gets your schedule all out of whack. When I’m home I take my meds out of habit – it’s a routine – but when you’re not home the routine is destroyed and it’s easy to miss doses. I suspect that while I need my medications, some of them might be contributing to my diarrhea problem.
My other theory, especially since my GI was doing well in Chicago, is that I ate certain things I don’t normally eat at home that maybe I should try eating more often.
Carmen and Janet and Ariel’s family were giving me quite the education in Puerto Rican food. I ate several meals with plantains – something I never eat (not even sure if I’d ever eaten a plantain before) – and what do you know but they seemed to regulate my tummy. I get the same effect with bananas at home if things get bad. Since they’re similar foods, maybe the plantains were helping.
The other thing I ate more of than usual on the road was peanut butter. Readers might get the impression (false impression) that we eat out constantly on these trips. Well, we probably take more photos when we eat out, but we eat in a lot too. We try to save every dollar we can. So, when we arrive in a city the first trip is to a grocery store. We get a fridge in the hotel room and we eat breakfast in the room, and then we make peanut butter and jelly sandwich sack lunches to carry with us during the day. Food at those convention centers is expensive and generally not all that good. We save a lot of money that way.
I keep peanut butter on hand to eat when my diarrhea is bad, but it’s one of those foods I’m not wild about. I don’t like it, but I don’t hate it. It does help stop the runs though – and so maybe I should start making myself eat more peanut butter.
I’ve been a bit of a mess since getting home. I’ve slept a lot. I’m sure I was worn out from the trip. I’ve also, however, been an allergy disaster area. I’m extremely allergic to grass. It’s the rainy time of year here and everything grows quickly. I think the land lord mows the lawn here about every other day. He has to or it would become a jungle. Even if I’m inside with all the windows shut, as soon as he starts mowing the hives start popping out all over me.
My sinuses have been a mess since I landed at the airport. My nose runs constantly and I’ve got a sore throat from the nasal drip. This is despite taking the max dose of Allegra twice a day, plus Singular, plus Flonaise (I had cut that med, but have had to add it back). And, I’ve been taking Benadryl on top of that – thus contributing to the fatigue I’m sure. If I don’t keep the allergies in check, however, my asthma gets pretty bad.
I’m also allergic to wheat and corn – and it’s Kansas, so soon harvest will start and that won’t help, even though I live in the city. (Wheat and corn don’t bother me if it’s been processed, like in bread. It’s when they harvest in the field that I have trouble.)
Yesterday I went to the grocery store and was having trouble breathing just half way there – and since I was just walking around San Diego fine – I have no doubt allergies were playing a role.
All this sleeping has, once again, gotten my sleep patterns all out of whack. So, last night, in an attempt to get regulated again, I went to bed at a normal time even though I wasn’t the least bit tired. I took an Ambien to help me sleep. Well, it worked. It worked so well that I wasn’t up at all, not even my usual three or four potty runs.
When I woke up my ostomy had exploded in the bed. There is nothing more disgusting than that! EWWUUEE Yuck! I don’t know how the mattress was saved, but it was. The sheets, on the other hand, are ruined. No amount of washing is going to get rid of those stains, and those were sheets I’ve only used for a few months! Thankfully because of the warm weather my favorite quilts and blankets weren’t on the bed.
I washed the sheets, and then cut them up and threw away the bits with stains. I’ve been making a rag rug from the remains of damaged clothing etc. So, I ripped the sheets up for the rag rug.
All day today it’s been as if I’ve got a faucet going. I’ve slept a lot, and when I wake up I’m on the verge of another explosion. I’ve taken the max dose of Lomodel and it’s only slowed things down.
Guess it’s time for peanut butter.
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