"Foreign Body Reaction"

Somehow, along the timeline that is my life, I managed to swallow a fishbone. Not too large, not too small.... about the size of a sewing pin. Well, in my toddler years, apparently it went through the mouth, passed the throat into the esophagus... and stopped. Couldn't cough it up, couldn't choke it down... and so there it stayed. Eventually, it seems, my body encapsulated it, and moved it back out of the way. Unfortunately, it has since developed a mind of its own, and decided to make a whole lot of trouble for me.

Lately, it tends to become irritated by one thing or another, and then all the tissue surrounding the damn thing becomes edematous (swollen), leading to me having a chronic choking sensation, along with an esophagus with a diameter 1/3 of what it should be. (This is what my GI calls the 'foreign body reaction' within me)

I like to think of it as having the esophagus of a baby bird. Nothing can pass through without me choking, and I can't seem to chew enough times to create a thin enough 'meal' (pardon the pun) to pass through. The last time I had my wonderful stricture dilated, I ended up in the hospital for 8 days, because I had a reactive swelling, that completely closed off my esophagus, and caused me to have immense pain, even with something so simple as swallowing my own saliva .

Sound miserable? IT IS.

Either way, at this point, my GI doc (and a little bit my hero), has put me on a puree / liquid diet ONLY, until  my damn esophagus can be dilated again, but this time in a tertiary care center, in case there are 'complications;' such as a) another swelling reaction or worse: b) a perforation of my esophagus. For those who went through medical school (as I have 3/4 way completed!!! yayyy), that is one of the cardinal 5 sources of chest pain that can kill you.

"In MI, USA, the Aorta dissed PE, and the esophagus ruptured." (that is my mnemonic. (C). )
1. Myocardial Infarction
2. Unstable Angina
3. Aortic Dissection
4. Pulmonary Embolus
5. Esophageal Rupture

Enjoy.

The point is, that I now am stuck eating mush until everyone is sure I can be safely dilated, with professionals in the room who know what they are doing. I.e. after the holidays, when the experienced persons are all back from vacation. Basically - ain't no residents going to be touching this shit... (No offense, future me, and friends).

If any of you have ever been on a 'mush' diet - it's quite unappealing a) to look at and b) to taste. And furthermore, it's REALLY hard to incorporate MEAT! (which, for those of you who DON'T know me that well, is my favorite food group).

I'm not talking protein, like undercooked eggs, or powder, or tofu (ugh), I'm talking RED MEAT FRESH FROM THE COW.

Anyway. the next few posts will be the strange, delicious, or failed recipes that I've managed to create in order to satisfy my picky picky picky taste buds (and iron deficiency).

Love and best dishes, from our kitchen, to yours - pretend that was Paula Deen - that's how I meant it.