I had a busy few days in Nashville. I had appointments with my gastroenterologist, nutrition NP, and surgeon. I was really hopeful that my surgeon would remove my JP drain. This drain is not comfortable and I am ready for it to be out. This did not happen. However, he is letting me eat!! Originally he had said that he wanted me to have limited enteral intake for 6 weeks, then he increased that to 8 weeks. It has only been 4 weeks post surgery today, so I was super surprised when he said the next step is letting me start eating a little and see what happens. He is still concerned with the pain I am having and wants to keep the drain until I am able to tolerate a diet. I have another appointment next week. I am excited to get to eat, but also worried about getting sick, so I am going super slow. I had a smoothie, some soup, and some crackers yesterday, and had a protein shake this morning. I will be out of work another week, but hopeful that this will give me a little more time to get my body ready to go back to real life. I am still in conflict with my mind and body. My mind wants to be well! I want to run, work on papers, outstanding projects, and be productive. My body doesn’t always agree. I am sleeping and resting so much. I take daily naps and am in bed 8-10 hours per night. I am optimistic that I will continue to improve, I just need to be patient!