Brian has been recently hospitalized for five days and treated for a few stones in his bile duct. It is all part of an ongoing problem called PSC or Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Basically, his bile ducts don’t work right and are scarred causing a backup of bile into his liver which has cirrhosis. He needs a liver transplant and is on the UNOS list to get one.
If all of that isn’t quite bad enough consider the food he was given to help him get better.
1. Coffee. Forgive me here but is this really at the top of the health chart? It might soothe someone who needs it, ie me. But to someone who suffers from heartburn and is fighting to stay out of pain it isn’t very understandale. I drank every cup they brought him.
2. Carrots. He is allergic. We told them. They brought cooked carrots. They then quizzed me on why he wasn’t eating.
3. Fake mashed potatoes. I don’t really get this other than it must cost less to produce and be easier to make for the several hundred patients. They had a bad aftertaste that was something metallic. Not really home cooking at it’s finest.
On the upside. The rolls, applesauce, jello, salad and popsicles were alright. It’s just that they rarely asked what he would like from one meal to the next. I am sure that in terms of his dietary restrictions they were doing the right thing. Unfortunately they also were trying to just get him to eat under extremely rugged circumstances and feeding him food that was variously overcooked and cold by the time he was able to eat it. I cannot say I’d do better but I do not think I would do worse.