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Today, school started.  My students are quite nice, but my "on again, off again" schedule will really kill me.... I teach each odd period and have each even period off....  I suppose it is well and good, though.  I can rest in between.

I am kind of sad today too.  This weekend, a "friend' of mine came over to visit and brought a bottle of opened wine and a plastic bag of beignets (doughnuts).  She also made a comment and asked if I were "doing my little exercises"....  I took this as very condescending.  But I bit my tongue.

Well, today, my oldest child (10 years old) came home and told me that during her class, her friend (this friend of mine's daughter)  said that her mother said that my child's mother was fat!  My child said that she couldn't even concentrate in school this day at all....  I don't quite know what to do...  any advice.

Well, as of today, I am down almost 50 pounds from January (pre-surgery and surgery weight) !  So anyway ....  I am fine.

Any advice from you?  How did you handle (if you had to?) a similar situation?

Jeannie

Today, I ran my department meeting and it went very  well, but I really put myself to the brink of exhaustion....  Not that I will be able to rest again - school starts on Monday - but woah, I've got a lot of work ahead of me....

I am happy to be alive and healthy and in love

:-)

Jeannie

Today, I met Dr. Cantor for the first time since surgery (well, he did come to the sip test).  I was weighed and went down to 262!  (my home scale said 260, though).  That was about a 10-13 pound weight loss since pre-surgery.

So... anyway - the doctor said that I am doing great.  He took out the drain - which was gross...... it felt like it was a 20 feet long..... EWWWWW!  Did I say EWWWWW!

Let's go on....  the good news is I'm doing great.

The bad news is that I had a high pulse of 107 -but I needed an IV of 2 liters - which was just lovely....  it took two hours !

After that, I went to work !  Yes - back to work - I spent from noon to four thirty there... it was  a lot, but I was OK.  My husband and kids came to pick me up and they helped me arrange my classroom.

The day was stressful because of the colleagues I work with - everyone is always quite intersted in everything related to classrooms (I'm the department head).... and I wish everyone would be calm and realize I just had surgery and try to solve some of their own problems....

I am going to try for work tomorrow too.... We'll see what happens.

:-)  smiles to all !

jeannie (who is thrilled that the awful pain from the gas leaving my abdomen)

Five days out (5.5, really) and I'm hanging in there.  I didn't know about the drain I'd be wearing - that is just lovely....  but necessary, I suppose.

I am feeling wrong to be complaining - it is guilt.  I should be so happy to have had this surgery.  With my HMO, I was asked for a $5.00 co-pay when I checked into the hospital.  I am so lucky that I am a teacher with a good health system with great health benefits...  and I'm complaining of gas or whatever this pain is from.

To get personal, I have only been burping it up - no tooting - I don't know if this is normal.  I have tooted a few times since surgery - but truly, only a few... 

I am walking more and today I did the laundry - because my husband  "doesn't like to fold" clothes and I hate the thought of wrinkly clothes....  talk about stubborn. 

I was even able to slowly bend down and pick up kids' toys on the floor.  Good hubby took them out to the fair to play.  They came home happy, he came home nauseated after too many rides.... makes me laugh, because he always used to call me weak!  Ha!

I couldn't sleep last night due to this pain.  I hope tonight I can sleep.  Hubby woke up at one point and accused me of "chatting" with my French pen-pal from the 90s....  I wasn't even - and even so - we are both married (happily - I might add!) people who have no concern for anything but friendship - family friendship.  I was so worked up about being wrongly accused of chatting (which shouldn't be a problem anyway) that I cried, got all stuffy and couldn't breathe well.

So, dummy me - I put on the CPAP mask (thinking how much it would help me breathe) and then, since it was already getting light out - put on a room darkening mask (that my dad bought me before surgery for relaxation) and started to sleep..... Well, funny to me that I thought I was being choked - it was the mask for sleeping covering the air output on the CPAP mask - I could have died (OK - being overly dramatic here).....  but a word of warning....

Please don't think my hubby is crazy jealous - he is so not that type - he is just from a culture where women and men are not "just friends".....  but I am blessed to have this old friend (pen-pal, really, we've never met) in my life again too.

OK - that was a big journal entry.  If you read this - please understand that I am on dilaudid and maybe I even know I should not share so much - then, again - I am not using my real name here....

Take care all !

I'm getting " ready to soar " !!!

Hello everyone,

I am sure that there will be pain - I just had the VSG on Monday.  I have stomach pain, though, at the incision sites when I walk around.  For how many days can I expect that?

Thank you for any "just got home" advice - I could use it, please .

Jeannie

Hello friends,

I am home from the hospital.  I got home last evening at7ish.  My surgery was the previous morning at about 8am - it lasted about 2.5 hours.

The surgeon said all went well.  We did a sip test and no leaks.

It took the cafeteria at the hospital many hours (over 3) to have a tray of bariatric liquids delievered to my room- which made for a miserable morning.  But I made it ok.  They kept me til 5 to have another tray for dinner.

It was just broth, jello, popsicles and crystal light.

My nurses were great and the program has a Bariatric Coordinator who was like an angel.  The unit's doctor manager was also a good guy.

It was good to sleep last night without being woken up once an hour for vitals....

I am ok - pain in belly (upper area) - how long will this last?  I even have an area on the upper left that is numb (skin only) now. Is this normal?

I am on delauded.  I don't tolerate codeine. Can you tell me how I should feel on the delauded - cause I only don't feel the stomach pain as much - but I don't feel "good" or flying... at all.

I think I am fine- but I don't think I'll be able togo into work for a meeting tomorrow or Friday. I thought I would be able to to...

I am still happy I made this decision - but I am wondering when I'll feel a bit more normal again.  Did you all have this drain thingy ?  The JP?

Take care adn thanks for the answers, if you can and have amoment,
Jeannie

Hello all,

I am getting excited - strange that I am not getting nervous!
This is it !

I will write you tomorrow.
Something strange today - I drank only protein drinks (a new brand Jay Robb) and soup broth (chicken - homemade).  I now have a rash on my back and some other "warm" areas of my body....  Do you think it might be the protein powder ?  I had been using GNC, Unjury and Gotein and there was never any issue....
Thank you, thank you and thank you all for your support.
Talk (write) to you all soon,

Jeannie

Hard to believe it - isn't it!!!!  My weight-loss battle is taking a serious turn.

I am thinking of the tons of money I spent on diets - from good ones like Weight Watchers, to alls kinds of others.........  and gym memberships too....

Now, mys urgery is covered by the health insurance I have and this is finally the one I think will work out!  Correct that - I know it will work out !

I am ready - so ready for this.  I feel like I'm so serious now.  I have lesss than three hours to drink diet soda - and I have two two-liter bottles of it to finish!  I'd better get drinking!

thank you all sincerely for the help you've all given to me.  I appreciate it so much.

I'll see you all next week,

Jeannie

Well, I met with a lovely Kaiser anestesiologist today, Dr. Wallace.  Before that, i arrived at HCH in Silver Spring and checked in. I was brought right in to the ACC area and a nurse checked me in.  She was very sweet and reassuring.  she went through all of the papers with me to sign and my medecines.  I had a vial of blood drawn too.
Dr. Wallace asked me to do the inhalers (which I have only used when I have a cold that goes to my lungs) twice a day to keep any wheezing (not that I have had any in over six months) away..
That is fine.
So, time is counting down.
I am a bit nervous, but not too much...

A good friend who says good thoughts said two good things today -
Breathe through your nose.  (for calming benefits)
Fear is a normal emotion.
Don't look for a problem where there isn't one.
Everything has its time.

I think this was to say, relax, it's ok to be afraid, but not too much - and this is it !  Come on (which means, 'go for it').

That's all for today.
Jeannie, plain and fearful  but still silly

Did I spell that right ?  I am not sure.... you get my point, though, I hope.

I am hating this liquid diet - how much can one chew gum and drink protein drinks and broth....

Tomorrow I will get some more no calorie jello..... this is for the birds.

I did have raw broccoli..... I think that I am feeling so guilty over raw broccoli..... this is crazy.  I must admit I am afraid of my surgeon - which is good.  He is certainly the best in my book, but he is scary too.

I wish there were some type of treatment center for this pre-op diet time, so that I could go away and be locked up in a place without food and without commercials for stupid things like ice cream.  And I am not even an ice cream fanatic....

I hope that I can do this right - I must do this right !  Sorry, this is more like a diary - if you are reading this, this is just my crazy mind thinking on paper (not paper, but on screen).....

I am finding a few friends already here - thank you for being my friend.  I pledge to support you and am so inspired by you.

Off to bed, it's past time anyway !

Jeannie, just jeannie