Up The Farway Tree

Variety is the Spice of Life




I should really have known that by mentioning the words "IV free" in my last blog, that I would be tempting fate. In response, my chest decided to flare up the day after I made this bold statement and I am now back on IV antibiotics. I think the sinus infection was probably the culprit, but at least the facial pain from that has eased a little this week, and I'm sure the IV's will help clear it up further. I am therefore just trying to take things easy, do lots of physio and make sure I remember to eat. I had another little 'talk' from the doctor about my weight. I actually haven't lost any, I just have stopped putting it back on. She feels that I have not really pulled out of this frequent infection cycle, and that some extra weight may well be the way forward. One of the reasons for needing this transplant is the frequency of my infections, but the irony is that I actually need to be infection free at the time of the transplant, so the need to lengthen these windows of opportunity is utmost.

I know, to most people, it will seem completely alien to struggle with weight gain, as opposed to weight loss but the two are actually remarkably similar. Both focus on food; monitoring the kind of food you eat, when you eat it and ultimately how many calories are consumed in a day. Regardless of the intended end goal, the process is similar, and at the end of the day, it is tiresome, unnatural and turns eating into a daily chore instead of an enjoyment. In CF, the required calorie intake is much higher than normal yet this is set on the background of food not being absorbed efficiently due to enzyme deficiencies, trying to keep blood sugars stable in CF related diabetes, and active infections leading to nausea and appetite loss. This imbalance, unsurprisingly, can lead to a constant battle of wills. I manage to offset this imbalance with overnight feeds, which provide me with an additional 1500 calories a day. Although it may be hard to believe, I do actually eat three main meals during the day, although I admit that portion size is on the small side. In addition, there are many supplemental drinks, powders and potions (I believe I have tried them all over the years) that can be added to foods, or taken on their own. Some of them are more bearable, especially the milkshake style drinks, so you would think it would be easy to just have one or two of these supplements a day and be done with it. However, I could maybe liken this to the Slimfat diet or similar - I am sure in the first week of such a diet, you think "hey this is great, these shakes actually don't taste too bad. I can manage one of these a day", but after a few weeks pass you really couldn't face even looking at one, never mind drinking it. In any diet, motivation soon starts to wane and in true Scottish terms "you just take a scunner." Based on this observation my new weight gain plan is going to be based on real food, but in edible portions and of varying types, because if eating can be made somewhat less of a chore, I can perhaps start moving in the right direction. A little of what you fancy is never a bad thing, so I suspect a trip to the local M+S food store may be a productive first step, where they have lots of mini deserts you can just eat from the pots, and those big tubs of mini bite treats in every variety. After all, they do say that variety is the spice of life.

To end on a completely random note, I have added this video of Seb from my mobile phone. This was taken to illustrate the fact Seb cannot actually be seen in the garden when it has been snowing, which I guess is testimony to his Tibetan roots. On calling him it seems that he has not responded, until this little dot just appears from nowhere and flies into the house. I am not sure why I find it so amusing, but I do. Simple things eh.