Even so, it was a fairly bedraggled JFo who fronted up for today’s enema, and I only managed one question.
Q: I hope you don’t have to smell poo all day long – do you?
A: No. The only time staff can smell poo is when they are working in the ‘HPI Preparation’ room. Even then, there are large vents that suck away the poo-ey air. Having said that, staff are also very experienced at holding their breath!
S came to check up on my progress today. She reminded me again that it may be some time before the success of the transplants is known – I don’t know why they keep doing that, I guess some patients are unnecessarily interpreting their ‘downs’ as signs that the treatment won’t work.
I’ve managed to put that kind of thing out of my mind – I’ve been waiting 8.5 years for relief, I can wait a few months more!
That said, I am dying to eat some ‘normal’ food, now that we have a possible light at the end of the tunnel. Given that the hospital don’t really deal with diet (other than to recommend a low-fibre diet just before starting poo transplants, and a high-fibre diet afterwards), S has advised me to introduce foods back into my diet as I see fit.
I’ve decided to stay on my current restricted diet (with increased fibre) until my follow-up appointment. Otherwise I risk bad reactions to reintroduced foods, and that could confuse my assessment of my progress.
After that, I’ll introduce foods that have ‘medium’ irritants over the period of one month, followed by a month of ‘high’ irritant foods, and finally, a month of ‘very high’ irritant foods – well, assuming everything goes to plan, of course!
I paid for my second week’s treatment today - $1565. I felt better handing over my credit card this time as I’ve discovered that its possible to claim for some of the fee back during my next tax assessment.
The way that it works is that you are rebated 20% of every dollar you spend on medical treatment over $1500 (after Medicare/private health fund claims are taken into consideration) in a financial year. For example, I spent $1800 on Vancomycin and Rifaximin last year, which is $300 over the ‘limit’. Therefore, my accountant claimed $60 for me.
So far this financial year I’ve spent $3445 (not including my private health fund’s hospital excess). So I should be looking at a minimum $389 return at tax time.
Anyways, S asked me to book my follow-up appointment with Prof Borody. Although I’ve been given eight weeks’ worth of symptom sheets to complete, they don’t want me back until 12 weeks, which is a bit strange, but whatever.
So my follow-up appointment has been made for 20 October (aka ‘Day 81’). God – it sounds so far away, but maybe, like the last fortnight, it will fly!
Anally retentive thoughts
Nah….still all thunked out!