My First Holiday Without Food

As you all know, this Thursday is Thanksgiving, the American holiday that is centered around sharing a meal with your loved (or not so loved) ones. But what do you do without food on a holiday that is centered around food? I'm about to find out.

This will be my first holiday without eating and I know that it is going to be difficult. I've gone to a few family events since being on TPN and its always an awkward experience. First of all, everyone wants to feed me. People keep asking me "can you eat this" or "what do you want? I'll make you a plate" and when I explain to them that my GI track isn't working and I get all my nutrients through a tube in my chest, they still want to feed me for some unknown reason.

Image Description: A large wood table set for Thanksgiving dinner. The table is set with plates, wineglasses, napkins, silverware, candles, pumpkin ans squash decor, ribbon, flowers, and food. The food includes a turkey, corn, and many vegetable and grain side dishes.

Luckily, I was able to get advice from some of my mito friends. The best advice I was given was to make myself a very tiny plate and act like I'm eating. Move the food around and do the whole shebang. This will apparently get people to stop trying to make me eat.

That is only part of the problem though. The truth is that I want to eat. I miss food and it's hard watching people eat delicious food that I can't have. My soul is telling me "one bite won't hurt" but my brain is telling me "you will definitely regret this". What it comes down to is if I give in and decide to eat, I will spend the next 12 hours with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. For me, eating isn't worth the consequence.

So, I am curious to see if this plate trick will work its magic and I'll have a more peaceful Thanksgiving with less food pushing. I will keep you updated!