Chapter 6 – ewwww that smell

While the ability to eat solid, or semi solid food again was great, it also brought on more embarrassment and degradation. For the last 3 months I had been fed through a tube in my stomach; this was all liquid and it came out that way mostly.  Now I was eating things like vegetables, fruit and meat.   These were not going to be coming out liquid.

I remember the day after I had been able to eat something other than Jello and Pudding…. I had a big mac, well it was a big mac to begin with, but I could not open my mouth far enough to eat it, so I made a mess and tore it apart and ate each layer.

That next morning I awoke and something smelt foul; this is why fast food is horrible.  I called the nurse in and she did not have to ask me what was wrong, she knew.  “Oh boy, smells like your digestive system works quickly.  Don’t be embarrassed, we are used to cleaning people up who are incontinent.”

I began to cry, “Why did this have to happen to me, why?” I blubbered; I pretty much was in a funk the rest of the day, not talking much or anything.

Later on the nurse came in with a green pill I had never seen before. “These are chlorophyll, they for lack of a better term make things not stink, if you know what I mean.  The doctor thinks it would be best to have you take these before each meal”

She went on to tell me that they will turn my messes green, but it will not stink as bad, but may be softer too.  She said it might also turn my tongue green too, but that the goal was to make the bowel messes less stinky.  So I took them.

My days started to fly by.  Each day it was the same, get woke up, get changed, eat, work out in physical therapy, eat lunch, work out some more, eat dinner and watch TV.

Probably 4.5 months after my accident, I was transferred to a rehab unit, where they tried to teach me how to care for myself.  That was really hard when I had a hard back brace on that kept me from bending over.

I did learn how to get in and out of bed with the help of a trapeze, but it was hard, and one time I dropped myself and hit my head, which bled a lot and needed stitches.

It was now closing in on 7 months after the day that changed everything, I was getting close to being able to go home. Now that I was able to sit up, eat normal food, and such, I settled into a routine.  I had therapy each day, two times a day, 3 meals, 4 to 6 diaper changes.  Finally! After about eight and a half months, it was time to get out of this joint.  I would still have therapy at home, and probably for the next year have this brace on my back, which keeps my ability to move down.