Monday October 11.1943
Dear Mom and Dad: Gee, you have me so worried. I sure hope you come out ok, if it be ulcers, as they think, why try this diet or perhaps you have one. And do be careful about your diet ”˜cause I know how you love to eat pickles and etc. And see another Dr. if you don”™t get better. Dr. Bailey is a crack wizard on such things, if Dr. Geyerman were only alive, he was a honey. I took care of his sister-in-law. She had ulcers and boy she would hemorrhage all over, in such large amounts. He kept her on strict milk and cream diet and we would get her up on a bland diet but when she showed any signs again we would put her back on the milk and cream. In the diet where it says cereals, this means a soft cooked cereal, such as cream of wheat, oatmeal (run thru a sieve) to extract the buck. You see you want to give the ulcer a chance to heal and bulk foods will scratch it, thus producing pain upon eating, then hemorrhage and vomiting. One thing is if you vomit too much over a period of days, see that you have an intravenous to get fluids, because if you lose too much fluid, your tissues will become dehydrated and cause you to vomit from lack of fluid. And if it doesn”™t get better, providing an ulcer be the cause, please have an operation. Do you understand? And don”™t drink too much cold stuff. Stay out of the ice box, you know how you always are eating ice and I guess I”™ll have to see that Slip keeps you from eating snow, so there. We (Dopey) and I have figured it all out. The Easter card was meant for both of you but our supply is rather limited here so we take what we can get. I was just up to see the dentist, boy oh boy, more fun. Thanks for the picture, gee it sure looks nice and the snow. I”™ve been tempted to eat the picture, but then I would look up and see Slip”™s picture staring at me and I”™ll be hanged, if only I could eat it. I went down and had some pictures taken in uniform -Elaine and Olive shall have one and of course if you are real good, maybe I”™ll send you an extra special one, maybe two. How”™s that? Have you ever received the album? Hope so by now? I am going to send Elaine some more poems as she likes them. She writes such nice letters I sure do enjoy them I am thinking of making her an album of Hawaiian scenes if I can get it to her. Well do be careful and get well soon. Love -AraBelle