Saturday, November 24, 2012

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've scheduled my "stoma correction" procedure for December 5th. I don't think it's called a surgery because no body cavities are being opened and no muscles will be cut in half. Instead, my large intestine will be cut away from the skin of my abdomen, it will be pulled out just enough so it no longer folds (it kind of does an 'S' curve just before it reaches the stoma a.k.a. the place it exits my body), it will then be "trimmed" and then it will be restitched to my abdominal skin in the same place it was before.

Dr. Cagir says he may use some cadaver tissue to cover the area where the large intestine is herniating to keep it from poking out anymore. I asked him if I would have nightmares from part of a dead body being inside of me. His nurse practitioner said, "No." I then said, "Not from the tissue itself but from my brain freaking out about dead people being inside me." She shrugged and said I'd be fine. A terrible four-letter word, i.e., "Everything is going to be just fine." I can hear the violin shrieks from the shower scene in Psycho. Hell, I have vivid dreams when I buy a new fish for the aquarium. I can't wait to see what's in store if I do get the cadaver tissue. Maybe I'll be able to channel dead people after this. That would be a cool party trick.

The procedure may result in an overnight stay or it may be an outpatient procedure. I'm voting for outpatient. To tell you the truth, I'm hoping Dr. Cagir will agree to just use a local anesthetic. And then maybe I can watch the procedure perhaps with the help of a mirror. But after watching Braveheart, I'm kind of wondering if intestine being pulled out actually hurts like the movie suggests thus not allowing for only a local. Then again, if all goes well, only a very small portion of my intestine will be...extracted. If he does let me watch the procedure, I plan to quietly feign-scream, "FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" as the inch or two of intestine is pulled out. It's always good to make people laugh when they're gently pulling out an organ.


So, I return to Robert Packer Hospital once again. Hopefully the recovery won't be much of anything. Crossing my fingers (and not my intestine).

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The Great Life Cook Book

I want to share with you The Great Life Cook Book, hands down the best macrobiotic cookbook I have ever laid eyes upon.

In an earlier time in my life, I used at least five different macrobiotic cookbooks and did my best to maintain a macrobiotic diet. In these cookbooks I found recipes I enjoyed, but the design of these cookbooks were basic black & white text, with an occasional hand drawn image. Keep in mind, I was completely grateful for these cookbooks because they were quite informative. Plus, they were given to me by my aunt who was passionate about the incredible health benefits and she taught me weekly (every Tuesday afternoon) all about the essentials of macrobiotic cooking.

Unlike the The Great Life Cook Book, when I excitedly shared my five...black & white...macrobiotic cookbooks...with friends who knew little or nothing of macrobiotics, they flipped through the pages pretty quickly, then handed them back to me and said, "interesting," with a look that said anything but that. It was as if I shared beautiful music with a friend by handing them a textbook about it. It didn't penetrate. And that was how I looked at those five books when I first saw them. But again, I had my aunt lit up and inspired about them, which lit me up and had me dig deep into them for the treasures they held. Plus, I knew the cookbooks were put together by authors and cooks who were highly committed to macrobiotics, and that made a difference for me.

However, with The Great Life Cook Book, you immediately find yourself flipping through a lovely, visual invitation to discover macrobiotics or expand what you already know about it. There are pictures on every page, so you know what the meal will look like, and Hey! I need pictures. When I'm looking for a good recipe, I'm not studying. I'm discovering. I want to be inspired to cook something delicious. And that's what you get with The Great Life Cook Book. It's filled with beautiful images of mouthwatering meals, plus it's designed seasonally so you can use recipes that are made up if the current season's harvest. Click this link to go directly to the The Great Life Cook Book website.


Disclaimer: Lewis & Priscilla are my friends, but I do not receive a free macrobiotic toaster with every cookbook sold!!