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| Could it be more beautiful in Tasmania? |
Taking my time to pack, suddenly it’s time to wrap it up. Tomorrow morning, we’ll leave the house for the airport at 7:30 am for a 10:10 am flight. Unfortunately, there’s road construction on the highway to Hobart that we heard will make the otherwise 45-minute ride take as long as 90 minutes.
With Tom’s usual worrying about arriving on time, we’ll most likely be out the door even earlier. So I’d better make sure all odds and ends are packed today with only the bags to zip at the last minute before heading out the door.
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| Farmland, mountains, and forest in the Huon Valley. |
We have great leftovers for today’s main meal. Since I’ve had a terrible time with digestion with this current condition, we’ve been eating at 1:00 pm, allowing plenty of time to digest the meal long before bedtime.
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| What a view! |
I’ve been splitting the meal into two portions the past few days and having the second half when I feel I need to eat again. This way, I understand how eating two half portions meals will leave me feeling an hour later. So far, so good, although I seem to be hungrier than ever before.
Yesterday was the last day of the seven-day course of the huge doses of two antibiotics with a PPI (proton pump inhibitor). Unfortunately, the symptoms remain, although I’ve seen about a 40% improvement.
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| Alpaca enjoying the sunshine with chubby cheeks filled with grass. |
We talked it over, deciding another trip to the doctor before taking the last meds last night would be necessary. Based on the literature on these three combo drugs, many patients with this particular bacterial infection often require 14 days of dosing.
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| Old farm truck at the Geeveston car show. |
Sure, I’m concerned over “gut bacteria” after taking antibiotics for this extended period. In any other case, I’d tough it out without them. But, this condition can contribute to developing bleeding ulcers and stomach cancer, leaving us to weigh the risks carefully.
I opted for the second round of meds, for this reason, hoping to feel 100% better by the end of the cruise. I’m eating unsweetened yogurt and taking high-quality refrigerated probiotics. Hopefully, they’ll have the proper yogurt on the ship, but it’s improbable. Most people only consume sweetened yogurt with fruit added.
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| The Huon River’s bright blue waters. |
We headed to Geeveston, where I met with the doctor who agreed to prescribe another seven-day pack. I can’t imagine having this condition on a ship and hardly eating much at any given meal. However, even with my restricted eating habits, I’ve enjoyed the food on cruises when the chefs have been great at being creative.
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| Gorgeous white sand beaches. |
But, now only able to consume about a cup of food at a time to avoid distress shortly after the meal and for several hours thereafter, we’ve decided we may actually attend meals three times per day.
I’ll have the protein smoothie for breakfast. I purchased small ziplock bags filling 12 bags (for a 12-night cruise) with all of the powders required to make the drink. Also, I found a special mug with a spiral whisk-like gadget to place inside the mug when shaking it up. Wow! This works! No blender required! No lumps!
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| Tom’s first ocean fishing experience. |
We’ll dine in the dining room each evening and switch between the buffet and main dining room for lunch. I’ll have tiny portions during each meal. The buffets usually have a gluten-free section, but many items contain sugar and gluten-free grains, and high carb items that I don’t consume. There’s always a cook at the gluten-free table, making it easy to determine the ingredients in the offered dishes.
Adding my restrictive way of eating to yet another list of foods to avoid with the H Pylori, my meals are limited; no beef, no pork, no cruciferous or hard-to-digest vegetables, and no raw veg. Instead, I’ll have a small portion of plain chicken or salmon with a small plate of cooked veggies for most meals.
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| Oceanview in Southport, Tasmania. |
I revised my printed food list for the head chef, which we’ll deliver as soon as we board the ship to ensure my first meal will be prepared appropriately. Anne, our property owner, printed off several copies, placing them in a plastic sleeve.
Thank you, Anne and Rob, for all you’ve done to make our stay at the Anchorage Apartment so pleasant and easy. It’s been a pleasure staying in your beautiful property and meeting the two of you and your two sweet dogs.
Tomorrow, we’ll be back with a short post with the final expenses for the six weeks in the Huon Valley. Please check back then!
Photo from one year ago today, February 28, 2016:
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| Lillies blooming in the lily pad in the huge stone pot in the yard of the second home in Fiji. It seems so long ago we were there. For more photos, please click here. |