Confirmed Diverticulitis

The doctor's office called me about 10 a.m. yesterday morning.  My CT scan Monday afternoon confirmed the doctor's diagnosis of Diverticulitis.  I had picked up my prescription of generic Flagyl Monday evening.  I started taking it at midnight that night.  Just like when I was on Flagyl for C-diff back during the chemo days, I have set my alarm for 8 a.m, 4 p.m., and midnight so that I can take it thee times a day at exactly 8 hours apart.

Tomorrow's cruise just keeps going south.  Not only is the weather going to be rainy most of the time, but my food has now been drastically curtailed.  NO ALCOHOL while on Flagyl!  I don't remember that restriction back in 2010-11, but maybe I just never drank then on chemo.  So I'm on Flagyl right up until the last night of the cruise.  Also, starting after the doctor's call yesterday, I have been told to eat only clear liquids and/or a very bland diet, non-acidic.  Nothing fried, too acidic, too spicy, too fatty, too fibrous or raw veggies.  And as if that's not enough, NO COFFEE!  No decaf, no tea, nothing with caffeine.  Nothing with acid, so no juice or soda either. That no coffee or tea thing might be the worst thing of all. I'm sure I'm going to have a caffeine-withdrawal headache soon!

So there is almost nothing in the house that was like that.  I had already eaten my yogurt and Morningstar links for breakfast before she called.  So for lunch I had a can of kosher clear chicken broth.  Then I took out all the frozen leftover Passover turkey and boiled it for about two hours to pick all the meat off.  I made a huge pot of soup.  I looked up what I can eat on a bland diet, so in the soup I only put shredded carrots, a can of green beans, and some white rice along with the turkey.  I ate some of the cooked turkey meat at 4 p.m. to go with the flagyl and then two bowls of soup for dinner.  At midnight I ate one of my last two yogurts to go with the flagyl.

So far this morning, I have only eaten the last yogurt in the house.  There isn't much else here to eat at this point. I had planned to go to water aerobics this morning with Mark and then shop for a few more things that I can eat today.  Honestly, after I showered and moved around a lot this morning, I have decided I should not do the exercise.  I can still feel the discomfort, the heavy feeling in the lower abdomen.  I have an infection in there!!  I really think another day of babying myself is in order.

Mark and I have Facetimed Evey two days in a row to watch Kiwi play.  Kiwi is changing the dynamics in the Gaertner household, which is what any new addition to a household will do.  Eric didn't grow up with pets, and he's not really a "dog" person, so this is a huge learning curve for him.  She is such a sweet dog that I am sure she will win him over if he gives her half a chance.  Evey is totally in love, and I'm already in love with her, too! I can't wait to see Kiwi in person in August.  I feel confident that the three of them will be a strong family of three once Kiwi settles down to her new life, but it's going to take a few months to get there, for sure.

Mark and I both started a six hour online AARP Safe Driving Course for Seniors yesterday.  I finished four of the six units, which did indeed take about four hours.  So I will complete the last two hours today.  Then we'll get a nice discount on our car insurance.

So this is my day:
Watch what I eat
Put away laundry
Finish the last two hours of the driving course
PACK for the cruise
Rest and recuperate!

Tomorrow we are supposed to board the ship between 1:30 and 4:30.  It's not sailing away until 6 p.m.  That's because they are refurbishing some staterooms and have pushed off the sail away time. We are thinking that we won't be going to a sail away party since our dinner time is also 6 p.m.  With all my food restrictions, we might eat in the buffet most of the time where I can have more control over what I choose.  The good thing about Carnival is that grilled salmon, baked potato, and cooked carrots/green beans is usually an option every single night.  That would work for me.

One final note, I lost weight yesterday.  LOL!  I was 275 this morning.  Maybe this will be the first cruise ever where I actually lose weight.  Look on the bright side of everything, right?  RIGHT!