“I gratefully thank You, O living and eternal King….great is your faithfulness. Blessed are you, o L-rd our G-d, King of the universe who has fashioned man with wisdom and created within him many openings and cavities. It is obvious and known before your throne of glory that if one of them were to be ruptured or but one of them were to be blocked it would be impossible to survive and to stand and praise You this morning. Blessed are You, o L-rd, who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.”
-Ohel Sarah Women’s Prayerbook, Artscroll
What a month it’s been!! Can you even believe the prayer above??? Religious Jews say it every morning upon awaking. I used to joke about this prayer. And when I prayed it in the morning, glossed over its importance with a yeah, yeah, or chuckled under my breath. Last month John had an obstruction to the point where his large intestine actually ruptured!!!! Thank goodness we had gone to Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. Thank goodness we had the absolute best surgeons for the job. Thank goodness they got it just in the nick of time. Thank goodness for modern day antibiotics, medical equipment and lifesaving procedures. He spent almost 3 1/2 weeks in ICU. I was able to stay by his side through the ordeal – there was that 14-16 hour period when his life hung in the balance. It was hair raising to say the least. I prayed a lot. Thank G-d for His mercy and faithfulness.
Now we are home. OK. So we had the option of going to shikoom, or a convalescent hospital. But our medical provider/HMO only authorized four places in the North. We knew three of them. They are overcrowded, understaffed, and not as clean as my specifications or OCDness can deal with. I would have only certain visiting hours. They were all at best at least 30 minutes away. I petitioned the doctors to let John do his shikoom at home. So now I’ve taken on nursing duties: changing dressings, taking vitals, giving meds. Because John is on a super specific diet to make sure his intestines are truly functioning smoothly, I’m now trying to come up with menus and meal plans. No salt. No meat (beef). No nuts or seeds. No grains (except for bleached white bread which provides little or no nutrition). No fiber. No acids, tomatoes or citrus. Fruits cannot have little seeds, must be peeled and cooked. No cruciferous veg, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower… All veg must be cooked and without peels. Dairy should be up to 5% milkfat.
So, how to provide a balanced diet? To get in the proper amount of fats and proteins? He’s lost 22 pounds, so…. Without resorting to Ensure? Plus, after being completely cleaned out it’s important that his gut flora is gently restored. I have had two dietitians visit in the past week. I think I’m doing great. Eggs (he detests hard boiled eggs. Who knew?), cottage cheese, avocado, smoothies, goat yogurt.
Recently, I found this new superfood. It’s easily digested and low glycemic. Very high in protein. Nonfat. Low in cholesterol. Low in salt. Like quinoa, it’s pretty amazing and very inexpensive (at least here). It’s called fonio. It’s like little white seeds a bit like a millet that has a mildly nutty taste. I cooked it like cream of wheat with water and goat milk. I also added PB, a peanut butter protein powder for an extra boost. Topped it off with more goat yogurt, some cinnamon and honey and bananas. It’s really quite hearty, very tasty, and totally nutritious. I even put blueberries in mine for the antioxidants.
I’ve made Mac n Cheese from scratch and a salmon loaf. And the soups! Zucchini mushroom; potato leek; carrot and sweet potato with coconut milk; chicken soup with matzoh balls and of course, the hour I got home I started a crockpot with soup bones, onions, root veg, herbs to cook up a 48-hour bone broth. So awesome!!
Salmon Loaf
This is easy to make. You can use fresh salmon