Oh Happy Day

As I type this, I am eating a tasty bowl of chicken broth and sipping on a tall goblet of ice water. Mmmm, water...

Dr. Smith called this evening - after five, which was surprising - with some interesting news. He'd been in consultation all week with some other doctors about my case, and had come to a surprising conclusion. His review had been prompted by the fact that I was four weeks into recovery from an injury that should have been relatively healed in half that time.

Apparently, my throat wound is doing something that, in Dr. Smith's words, he'd never encountered during his medical career. Instead of healing from the outside-in - that is, from the outside of esophagus in towards the center - my wound had scarred over from the inner surface, and was healing in reverse. I was thus left with an injury that was basically encysting upon itself and shrinking slowly.

Then came the big news: "Well, Justin, I think you can start drinking again. Try some ice water, maybe avoid carbonated beverages, and call me if there are any problems or bad drainage. You can have soup, but just broth, no chicken." My heart stopped, and then leapt - it was a chaotic three seconds of emotion - and Dr. Smith continued: "You can skip next week's scan. Come in on Tuesday, and if everything went well this weekend, you can try solids. I know you're anxious to get off the TPN." Solid food!

What solid food means to me:

Chinese dumplings
Pizza
Salmon steaks
Tortellini with alfredo sauce
Quesadillas
Those little sausages wrapped in crispy dough
Steak tartare
Sushi... spicy tuna rolls... wasabi... octopus...
Bacon

I can't wait!

So, I had my first meal in a month tonight - pictures are forthcoming. I started simply - a glass of water and a bowl of soup. I didn't choke, or cough - there was no pain. Everything works normally, although my throat feels tight. I can feel a small spot in the back that must be the injury site, but it's hardly noticeable.

Tomorrow's plan: Stock up on soups! Soups and drink mixes - I might make lemonade for the hot weekend. Ah, it's like a new world. More to come.