DAY 226 Day 129 in Recovery Paradise

Today marks the first week back at work. I am working part-time - half days at the chamber. It has been tough for a couple of reasons. I was a bit rusty after four months off, and my health was barely up to the half days. I was used to taking a nap in the morning and another in the afternoon. I got really tired by the time noon rolled around and often went to sleep as soon as I returned home.

The other issue is my mouth and throat. My mouth is very dry and my throat is still sore. I talk a lot in my job and often my voice is gone by 10 a.m. About five phone calls and my mouth is so dry that I have to sip water during a conversation just to get it to work. My voice sounds as if I just came from the dentist.

I have a couple of months of part-time available with the intent to go full-time in March. I hope it doesn't last that long.

I have lost about two pounds since I went back to work, but still hover around 141-143 lbs. All my clothes hang on me a bit, but I feel ok.

My plan is to get my feeding tube removed at the end of month. I have an appointment on the 28th but it is too late in the afternoon and conflicts with a family outing so I'll have to change that. I have to stop taking Warfarin (blood thinner) for a week beforehand and show up 45 minutes in advance for a half-hour procedure. I suppose it is for anesthetic.

I have been able to eat most things and even had about 1/3 of a meatball sandwich tonight. I had been envying my family eating them while I was on the tube. I still had a problem with the bread but managed to eat some.

Overall, I feel pretty good and I think the half-days at work is good for my mental attitude. I work, come home for lunch, take a nap, and get up in time to go get my daughter from school and come home to fix dinner. Days are not so boring any more.

Song of the day: Beatles - Only a Northern Song