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Nicolle's Blog
Overview Part 1
From a thread I just answered: A few kind people posted, asking about my whereabouts. Thanks for caring, guys. I just needed to hunker down with my hubby on my surgery trip and work on my well-being, I guess. Here's an update: I just got back to Chicago late last night after my February 22 DS with Dr. Rabkin in San Francisco. The surgery was textbook-style--no surprises, no weird stuff, thank God. I had surgery on Friday and was out of the hospital on Tuesday. I felt fragile, but okay. We went out for walks every day, we ate at restaurants, we hung out. I got stronger every day. My husband and I treated the last few days of our SF visit like sort of a vacation--we visited family members and did a few touristy things like visited Fisherman's Wharf. We drove down the coast and saw a spectacular sunset. I nibbled food and tested my tummy, item by item. I had a couple of minor problems along the way, but all is good. One infected incision (healed now), drainage tube site is still draining, thrush on my tongue, and exhaustion. I also learned that I have low D and potassium pre-op, so my aftercare will include massive doses of these. My poops are okay, and I can tell when I'm going to poop early enough to get somewhere safe. I have taken the advice of our pioneers very seriously--"never trust a fart," so I have not yet had any "sharting" episodes. I'm just tired and trying to figure out this darn food thing. Particularly protein--aargh! I have not found a protein supplement I can stomach and I'm not getting in a whole lot. This is troubling me a bit. I am eating protein as every meal (beef, eggs, etc.), but I'm still low, since my tummy is so small. I need to re-double my efforts. Thankfully, my surgeon's requirements are low--50-80 grams of protein daily for women. I'll get there, especially when my tummy will be able to eat more. I DID have a crisis of DS faith on Day 6, post-sugery. Call it depression, buyer's remose, whatever. I even cried on the phone with my amazing angel, Lola. I was in the dumps, trying to be brave and trying not to cry all day. Immediately, she really helped me put things in perspective and reminded me of sooo many good things. Then, as if by magic, my mood lifed, my health jumped ahead and I enjoyed Day 7 immensely. I felt close to "human" on Day 7. Lola told me the same happened to her on or about Day 7 when she was in Brazil. Lola is a wondeful, smart, compassionate angel. Thank God for her! I have a bunch of fun stories and factoids and wisdom from MY experience that I can dole out as needed on OH. But here are some high points for pre-ops: --work out now, especially your arms and torso--it will help you get around in the hospital, recover and you will lose less muscle after --ask someone to be your angel--someone you connect with here on OH --bring someone with you during your hospital stay, if possible. Someone you're extremely close to, as they can literally wipe your butt when you can't! --if you feel like crap, wait until Day 7 or 8--it'll get better --walk, walk, walk afterwards! You'll get stronger quicker and youll pass uncomfortable gas faster --Maalox is your friend for gas --wear nightgowns if you're a lady--pants are tough --wear slip-on shoes, shoelaces can suck And I want to say "bless your souls" to the wonderful nurses who took care of me at St. Mary's. Good nursing care made all the difference to me and my hospital stay. I feel so lucky to have this second chance at life!!!! I learned I had become diabetic in the last few months. Now I can say, "so long, sucker!" to diabetes. My liver biopsy showed that I only have a "mild" level of fat in/on it. Life is good. If any newbies or pre-ops have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them from my own experience. Feel free to PM me anytime! 0 Comment(s)
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