@mklapperich, I am so glad that you have connected with us here on Connect! And especially happy that you and @2011panc have met each other!
I think that we all can learn a lot from each other and support each other in many ways. Even with our wide variety of health conditions, we share one common goal - to advocate for our own health and to take care of ourselves!

I'm getting by easy tomorrow-just cooking for my husband and myself. We were all together last weekend for a wedding, so our kids are going elsewhere this Thanksgiving.

How does it make you feel when you have to cook things or be around things that you cannot eat? Do you have any helpful hints to share?
Rosemary

@mklapperich @rosemarya I too often prepare food for all but I generally just leave out the salt and then I can eat it. Of course I do prepare sweets that I can not really eat since I am mildly diabetic (with my A1c the nurse that did my pre-registration prior to my hospital admission for my knee said, What? That’s not diabetic!) but I do watch it carefully so will only have a small taste of sweets, I sort of figure my diet is healthy so I’m doing others a favor by giving them a healthy diet too! I do turn opportunities to eat out. My very soon to be son-in-law wants to take us out for Chinese food on Friday night but hot only is that too salty for me, but due to the pain in my leg I am not really ready to sit at a table through a restaurant meal. At home I eat my meals sitting horizontally on a sofa with my legs up. I thought the end of the pain might be in sight but then I had a horrible day yesterday. This is really getting old.
JK

JK @contentandwell

It sounds like you are making a good choice to avoid the Chinese food! I'm sorry to hear that your pain is still so bothersome. I too thought that the end might be in sight. When do you see the doctor again?

Teresa

@hopeful33250 Teresa, I see my surgeon on Thursday. I am really getting discouraged. I have always been one of those people who got better quicker than most so this is very unfamiliar to me and I do not like it at all. I definitely think it is somehow related to my post-transplant medications. They say part of my problem is not being able to take some OTC things like ibuprofen or Aleve.

I would be fine if they would go out without me on Friday night but they won’t. I hate being the person who puts the kabosh on things. 🙁
JK

I hear you @contentandwell. I always feel bad when my need to slow down (or eliminate an activity) keeps others from their plans. It feels disheartening, doesn't it?

I can understand how the inability to take Advil/Aleve would affect your pain. While OTC products are good for pain they are also anti-inflammatories that really go to the root cause of the problem. Are you able to use pain patches, creams, etc. with lidocaine?

I hope your doctor is able to give you some relief (and hope).

Take care,

Teresa

@hopeful33250 I never thought topical and they haven’t mentioned them but I suspect that would be fine. Thanks for the suggestion. Tylenol is helping with the pain a little bit but of course it does not have the anti-inflammatory ability that the NSAIDS do.
JK

@contentandwell JK, I think that you have a wonderfully supportive family who will change their plans to accommodate your needs. It really demonstrates their love for you. I do understand your way of thinking, though.

As far as your knee pain, do you feel that the pain is easing just a little bit? As I may have said before, it has been my experience that everything seems to take longer to heal for me since transplant. But, as you have indicated, this is getting old. I hope you can hold out until Thursday.
Rosemary

@rosemarya Yep, they really are good. Venk, my son in law as of tomorrow, just left to pick up takeout pizzas. I am not generally a pizza person but for some reason I’ve been craving it. I will have one slice and a salad. He knows we have put a lot of effort into tomorrow so he really did want to take us out but sitting at a table for any length of time in a restaurant would not be comfortable for me.
I do think the pain is finally easing a bit. I’m not sure if I just have it under better control with the regimen I am on now, or if really is less. Hopefully it really is less. I plan to get off the narcotics immediately after my daughter’s reception in two weeks so I can get back to having my independence and driving.
I am on dilaudid and tramadol. Have any of you had experience with those and if so did you have to ween off of them?
JK

@mklapperich - Well I have not had a transplant yet but I'm following Jenny Craig to lose weight to prepare for my transplant. That means I'm cooking for my daughter and can't eat her food. I have gotten used to that but Thanksgiving was a challenge - especially with dessert. I did try a few things but very small portions and not what I would have had had in the past. I do like making food that others enjoy but what I really noticed this year is how much our society pivots around food. When you go to an event people get concerned if you don't eat and drink something other than water and it does make you feel like an outsider. I guess I will just have to let it roll off and remind myself that I'm doing these things for my health and to ignore the social pressures.

@lcamino you are right, so much does revolve around food. In my family there is always way too much food too. I can only imagine the leftovers that will be left over after tomorrow. There’s also an old Irish expression that when you go to someone’s home you should have to “ring the doorbell with your elbow”. Tomorrow will be the first time that my daughter’s fiance’s parents will be here so of course I won’t to be a really good hostess. I am trying very hard to not over-indulge but with so many yummy things around it’s difficult
JK