Appetite

My appetite has been pretty poor for awhile. My abused gastrointestinal tract first had a huge tumor grow over it, pressing it down, and then had its large intestine taken temporarily out of commission. Not a prescription for a robust appetite.

Giants Jersey courtesy Eric Helbush

On top of this, as many of you know or have read, chemo can bring on a state where familiar foods smell and taste bland, strange or even nauseous. You know you need to gain weight, but you just can’t produce any saliva or enthusiasm. You choke down a few bites, chase them with a lot of water or juice, and tell yourself it is for your own good. In my own case, a bowl of cereal with yogurt, milk and fruit in the morning and a smoothie (ice cream, banana, berries, protein powder) in the afternoon were the only things that elevated themselves out of the “gag me” realm.

That’s why I’m happy to report that my appetite has returned. Thursday it was pretty good and then yesterday I downed - with enthusiasm - a bowl of cereal, a croissant, a turkey and cheese sandwich and, for dinner, homemade spaghetti sauce cooked by yours truly with help from brother-in-law Hank (chopped all ingredients, ate huge portions and teamed up for the the clean-up) and Terry (vegetables and clean up). Without the ingredients to make a classic Bolognese sauce, I improvised with onion, garlic, anchovy, carrots, stewed tomatoes and ground beef, simmered for 2 1/2 hours. For pasta we mixed 1/2 whole wheat dry with 1/2 traditional fresh (all we had left). It was an improv, but the two pastas added another layer of interest for me.

My Favorite Giant Sergio Romo's Number

For lunch today, a classic Sloppy Joe using the remaining spaghetti sauce. Yum. Such fun to enjoy food again.

If things continue apace, it’s take out Indian food (mild) from Ajanta for our Monday dinner with Carol (one hopes)!