Clear diet

As I sip my coffee this morning and wait for my toast to pop, I'm thinking about my mom. While her surgery isn't until Friday at noon, she's required to start preparing today. That means as of midnight last night until midnight Thursday, she can only consume clear items. On Friday, she gets absolutely nothing.

As you munch on your delicious meal or snack and savour the way it fills your belly, think about how unsatisfying broth, jello or black coffee/tea would be after the first three or four hours. Then imagine two days of saitiating your hunger with only clear fluids (I'm not sure jello qualifies as a solid).

Apple juice, broth (beef, chicken, oriental), black coffee, tea, jello, etc. are great to accompany other foods - they're NOT a meal.

I feel sorry for my mom and commiserate with her. As much as it wouldn't hurt me to stop eating because I have enough stores (read: fat), that doesn't mean I'm giving up food too. I like it way too much - and therein lies my problem.

But this preparation means her surgery is quickly approaching. While the operation will be painful, it's the first step on my mom's road to renewed health. By Friday night, the surgeon's scalpel will have removed her ureter, where the damn cancer lives, and her kidney. Even if she needs preventative chemotherapy to ensure all traces of the nasty disease are gone, this operation places her at the starting line on her road to recovery.

But I don't envy my mom with her clear diet preparation and wish her good luck.

Tina