Tuesday, May 15, first day out of ICU

Tuesday morning I wake up in my post transplant room; it's room 14 on the 8th floor. It is large, in fact, it's a suite with a sitting area off the hospital room proper. There is a large cabinet for my belongings, a TV, room for 3 chairs in my room and a small couch (that pulls out into a bed) in the sittig area. Juanita comes about 8 a.m., just as the food tray is brought in: Good Grief! I get scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns,a biscuit, butter and jelly, orange juice, coffee and yogurt! I haven't eaten solid since Saturday, so I know not to chow down on all this. The eggs worry me--every time I ate protein before the surgery, the bad breath and nausea would overpower me. So I'm a little leery, but decide I need to find out what's going to happen. I slice the bisuit open and spoon some eggs on it, season with salt and pepper and bite into it. It is manna from heaven!I take a couple of bites of the bacon, mindful of the high sodium and fat content. I stop afer a few bites of the potatoes, not wanting to take a chance on overloading my stomach. I wait for the nausea and bad breath, which never materialize. Later in the day, the dietitian Kay comes in to go over my new diet--4-5 eggs a week, protein at every meal, an extra 900 calories a day while I'm healing, lots of non-fat dairy, lots of fruits and veggies. I remind her that I'm diabetic and that I've always controlled it with diet and exercise. I note that the breakfast was high in fat, high in carbs. She agrees that the kitchen doesn't always make the most healthful choices, and tells me also that the massive doses of steroids (for immunosuppression) I'm taking will tend to elevate my blood sugar, which they will control with insulin. She even tells me that I may have to go home on an insulin protocol, which I will have to self administer. She says that medications for blood sugar control are likely in my future. Crap!