So Close, But No Belt!

It’s finally starting to get cold out, which is agreeable for Styxxie because she likes snuggle weather.  Of course, for Styxxie any weather is snuggle weather (much to my dismay, even in the Summer months!)  I love her anyway.  How do you not love that cute face?

It has been a week.  Not a thrilling week, nor a terrible week.  For me, I have been laid out flat on my back a lot still.  Due to the hernia I still only am up for very short bursts at a time (10-15 minutes at best, unless I need to leave the house for an appointment, but that just always sucks).  Anyway, I managed to injure my back severely enough while I was sleeping that I needed my walker so Master Pravus took me to the chiropractor the other day to get fixed up.  I’m not using my walker in the house anymore and I’m walking much better and without mobility aids.  Wootz!

I’ve been really struggling a lot physically with everything.  The gastroparesis, my joints, Gob.  Everything.

Master did get that third interview with that other company and it did sound like things went well but one of the people who helps make the deciding choice is out of the country for a week so we may not hear back for another week or so one way or another.  That’s cool, I guess.  I just got my hopes way up.  I really should not do that.

Master Pravus has been so busy between side gigs at night (3-4 nights a week, mainly on the weekends) and usually 2-3 surveys or taste tests per week during the day.  When he’s home he’s either helping me press buttons for the Mewtique (I cannot press buttons at all with the hernia, so it’s up to him to keep them in stock basically, though I can sew for very small 5-10 minute bursts) or he’s on the phone with someone doing a phone interview or setting up for an in-person interview.  It’s busy.  It seems that as soon as Thanksgiving ended the phone calls started pouring in again which is a really good thing.

Of course, 90% of the jobs that he is getting calls for are contracts and we’re just not ready to give in to one of those again yet.  The really funny/insulting job offers are the ones which are for job contracts out of state.  We’re not opposed to moving but..  You want us to sell our hours and relocate..  For a contract?  Nope.  Not even.  There are plenty of local contracts we would take before we sold our house packed up and MOVED for one.  Thanks but no thanks.

My parastomal hernia belt arrived and what a disappointment that turned out to be.  I saw it on the porch and immediately me and Master started getting excited about how I could try going out with him on errands the next day if I felt up to it (we had been tracking it so we knew it was the belt!).  We tore the box open and read the instructions.  I laid down on the bed for ten minutes because you have to lay flat so the hernia can reduce.  Then I wrapped the belt around me.  The elastic part that goes around your waist?  That part fit just fine.  It’s adjustable too, so even if my waist was literally one inch wide it would still fit fine (but I guess there would be a huge extra flap of elastic though.  I have a sewing machine so making the thing smaller wouldn’t be so much of an issue.  I digress..)

The problem is with the hole that you put your bag through.  They spent a lot of time measuring for this, but there’s a good one and a half inch gap around that when I slide Gob into it.  That won’t work at all.  It won’t give me any actual support or hold the bag in place and while I can probably alter the belt a little on my own if I needed to, we’re going to call the clinic on Monday since this is clearly their error (their measurements, not mine!) so they will have to fix it.  I can’t use a “normal” hernia belt because I have an ileostomy.  If you use a normal hernia belt for people without ostomies, your ostomy won’t be able to drain.  So, no relief for me at this time.

It’s just such a bummer because I thought I would be getting up and around a bit more but I’m going to be stuck on the couch at least through the weekend because the clinic isn’t even open until Monday and they don’t usually do ostomies until Thursday.  We have a crazy busy week ahead too so I’m not even sure when we will be able to get in there.  Then, they have to reorder the new belt, so I’m just really bummed.  I know we will fix this, but we were so close!  Ack!