Because 999 times just wasn’t enough: May 2018 wrap up

So, a lot has happened this month (I saw Hamilton! Went to the movies! Read very few books!), but most of that has been eclipsed by my stomach issues (STILL) and figuring out what to do about them. But before I get into that, I’ll explain my post title first.

At the end of last semester, I was talking to my office mate about how I have to tell my students stuff a ton before they get it (if they get it). For example, I had my students print out their papers all semester, and I would always tell them to print it out and read it when they were revising or editing.

The day after class (but before they turned in their final papers) a student came to see me to look over her final paper with her printed draft. “Oh!” she said in surprise. “When I print out my paper, I notice stuff about it that I didn’t see when it was on my computer.”

To which I replied, “Sixteen weeks, and the day after class ends, you finally understand what I’ve been saying all semester.”

“Sixteen weeks!” I threw up my hands and told my office mate.

And he told me some story about a coach who said he had to tell his players something 1,000 times before they got it and when a reporter asked him why, he said, “Because 999 times just wasn’t enough.”

All of this to say that I am behind on my reintroduction (still) because I keep having outsized reactions to foods. As in, I have had a reaction to every single food I have reintroduced so far, which has just been heartbreaking.

So I went to see the gastroenterologist last Friday, and he told me there was nothing really he could do–so I just need to finish the reintroduction and then contact him when I’m done. Also, have I tried a probiotic? Or peppermint capsules?

Needless to say, I was not happy after that meeting. Like, at all. In fact, I was in a pretty pissy mood for most of the rest of the day. But as the day went on, I realized something:

I’ve been here before.

About five years ago, I was in a similar situation with my stomach. I was miserable all the time, sick all the time. Nothing I ate seemed to work for me, including what I thought were safe foods. And when I saw the specialist that time, he asked me, “Have you always weighed this much?” And that’s the only thing the specialist this time didn’t ask me, but it’s probably the one thing he should have.

So yeah, I am almost up to the same weight I was last time, and my stomach really started acting up after/during winter break when I laid around like a slug and gained, you know, that much weight. Add to that the fact that I got a car which means I’ve been walking less, and, well, you get the picture.

So, yes, last time, I lost weight and that alleviated my symptoms. So that is the plan. And that’s my only goal for June right now: to lose 4-8 lbs. Well, that, and finish this semester with aplomb. That, at least, I am well on my way to doing since I just caught up on all my grading from May. (And the only goal I completed from April was changing the battery in my wall clock. So that’s that for goals.)

I read two books in May:

• Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (middle grade)
• Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (adult)

Two retellings! One was less disappointing than the other! This was not a great reading month, basically.

No progress towards #MustReadin2018 or Read Harder. And, of course, some progress towards my reading goal of 75 books but now I’m behind schedule. I’m not worried. I’ll easily make that up before the year is out. It would help if I were in the mood for audiobooks, probably. Maybe tomorrow.