Angecakes

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I had my 2 week post-op appointment today and got good news and bad news... 

I have lost 55 pounds since October 14 (12 lbs since surgery) and 11 BMI points, my incisions look good, and I'm doing great.  

The bad news is the result of the liver biopsy they did at the same time I had surgery... My doctor, though she did not tell me this before surgery, thought for sure that I had Cirrhosis because my liver enzymes were the highest she has ever seen in anybody who wasn't in ICU in the process of dying.  She said she was baffled and somebody "up there" likes me.  

So, I don't have Cirrhosis, but I have NASH (Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis), the diagnosis between Fatty Liver Disease and Cirrhosis.  The scariest part is that I scored 3/4 on the NASH progression scale and I had no idea that I was so close to having Cirrhosis!  I don't drink alcohol or do other things that contribute to liver disease aside from being overweight and taking medications that can affect the liver, so I was just blow away.  It's irreversible and there's not really any treatment, but at least I have an opportunity to prevent the progression to Cirrhosis.  The doctor said that this surgery probably saved my life, even more than I had thought.

So what now?  Well, I'm gonna keep on losing weight and wait for an appointment with a gastroenterologist who will do some blood tests and maybe an MRI.  The GI will check me for Hepatitis A,B, & C and check out my auto-immune system, for starters.  After that, who knows?  I am just relieved that I am recovering well and I don't have Cirrhosis.  Focus on the positives!  OH!  And I get to have puree'd food just in time fore Thanksgiving!  :D

Party on, Wayne!

Man alive.... What a recovery time I've been having!  

My surgery was on Weds., November 11.  I've lost about 8 lbs since then, but I've had a rought recovery.  

A strong wind storm blew over my area here in WA state and our power was out for 6 nights!  I went into the hospital on Wedsnesday and came home on Saturday night and then the power went out on Tuesday evening...  Our electricity came back on at about 6pm tonight (Sunday).  My bedroom got down to about 56 degrees... No warm soup...  Just Jello, pudding, and baby food.  Our wedding anniversary was on Thursday, so my mother-in-law got us a hotel room for the night, THANK GOD!  I was at my wits end.... No shower, no lights, no heat.... The break was nice.  I wanted to stay there another night but the whole hotel and pretty much all other hotels around were booked full.  I'm just so greatful the power is back on.  

Diet.  The hardest thing post-surgery, for me anyway, is not being able to chug my ice water.  I was always a fast drinker so it's very hard to do sips at a time for me... Sometimes I forget and start out chugging.  It's been a little hard being around people eating good things but all in all it really hasn't been too bad.  I get to start start pureed food on Friday so I am excited for that!  I have my first post-op appointment on Tuesday morning so I hope that goes well.  At least the hot water is back so I can take a shower before the appointment and not go in there smelly like an old rotten crawdad or something!  Haha!

Celebrate vitamins are AWESOME.  I paid $3.00 for a sample pack and I recieved it and ws really suprised regarding how much stuff they sent me!  What I have tasted so far has been excellent.  Crushing my pills isn't working so great for me so having a chewable option in as many pills as possible is a blessing.  It's really hard to mix so much bitter pill powder into a food and not gag.

Hello from the other side of the surgery!  My surgery was on Wednesday, (11/11) so I guess I'm 5 days post-op.  I'm feeling pretty good, considering.  I stayed in the hospital until Saturday and I'm still adjusting here at home.  My surgeon said my surgery went perfectly with no bumps or surprises - YAY!  Only bad news is that I contracted Pink Eye while I was in the hospital - Ugh!  An incredibly strange thing happened, too.  I was in the recovery room, waking up from anesthesia and I heard a familiar name being said next to me, behind the curtain... I said, "Did they just say *name*?" and the nurse looked at me like she couldn't really say anything (HIPPA) and she finally said, "Do you know somebody by that name?" and I said, "Yes, that's my maiden name!"  lol  It turned out to be my cousin Missy having the same procedure!  What are the odds?!?!  

My eyeballs don't know that my stomach is 85% smaller, so these 1/4 cup servings seem ridiculous, but my stomach is pleased with them.  I've had a hard time "forcing" myself to eat, but I'm moving right along.  I can't wait for the incisions to heal up - they hurt and I'm tired of sleeping on my back!  lol  I have been putting a big ice pack on my stomach and that seems to be helping with the swelling and pain.  I haven't weighed myself since the day of surgery.  I never realized how much air I used to swallow!  I sure realize it now!  I get painful air bubbles and I just sit there and pat on my stomach and it helps, but people look at me like I'm an idiot, but I don't even care.  lol  A huge adjustment for me is drinking slowly.  I was a "chugger" before, and now I have to drink slow, one swallow at a time.  Oye!  

Well, that's the latest and greatest from here!  

Well, tomorrow is the big day.

It's finally arrived after a whole year in the making.

How am I feeling?  Grateful to have this opportunity.  Curious about the future.  Excited to be moving forward.  Perhaps a little tiny bit nervous, just because I know it's going to hurt when I wake up.  All in all, I'm feeling pretty laid back and ready to go.  I'm certainly feeling the loss of my protein shakes today, being on the only-clearliquids-day-before-surgery diet part.... I'm hungry and very tired, but I found some delight in having a cup of apple juice!  

My ship sets sail tomorrow and I'm excited to experience this journey and see where it takes me.  I feel that I have made the best decision for myself and I hope I remember that when people start saying things, and I am sure they will.  I still don't know who I am going to tell, if anybody else.  My husband, mother-n-law, best friend, and my mother are the only people I've told, and I may just decide to keep it that way.  A "don't ask, don't tell" kind of thing.  I hope that I can heal up quickly and without issue and move on to whatever comes next.  I can't believe how helpful this site has been and I anticipate will continue to be in the future!  So much help and real information and it's free!  I am glad I took the chance and started here. 

Signing off until after the surgery!  

By this time next week, I should be out of surgery.  I'm not nervous so much as I am anxious.  I hope this week flies by because so far, the days have been dragging!  I've been having intense food cravings the past few days after a week without any good food.  lol  I'm getting mighty burnt out on protein shakes.  I did, however, try the cinnamon roll shake recipe and it was insane how much it actually tasted like a cinnamon roll!  I was shocked.  A lot of the recipes I have found have too many calories, so I've had to go through and calculate each recipe's nutritional content and it's been annoying - especially when I find a recipe that sounds amazing and by the end of the calculations, I find that it has too many calories, etc.  Oye, it's painful!  Halloween passed and I have done really well.  The only things I really wanted were Reeses PB Cups, Snickers, and Cupcakes.  lol  I didn't touch a single one though!  :)  

I can't wait to get to the post surgery time when I can have more variety.  I'm looking forward to some puree'd tuna noodle casserole - Angela style!  I know it will be a while before that can happen, but ohhhhh I can't wait.  :p  I found some little bowls that are measured out as 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup, and 1 cup.  I think those will be quite helpful, so I was happy to find them.  They are glass, which is important to me... I hate plastic food containers etc.  I haven't weighed in since last week so I don't know where I am as far as pre-op weight loss, but my husband says he sees the loss.... I can't really SEE it, but I can feel it when I put on my pants and my hoodie is quite a bit baggier.  :D  Things are coming along and I anticipate (and hope for) a wonderful outcome.  :D  

I told my best friend last night about the surgery.... I was really scared to, but I did.  She was supportive in the fact that she didn't say anything negative, just asked a lot of questions.  It was nice to let somebody near and dear to me know what I am up to.  I am a recluse and hate to leave my house, so it was quite a proud moment when I went over to her house for a coloring date.  We like to get together and color in our coloring books and watch Spongebob Squarepants and movies etc.  We have been coloring as adults for over 10 years.... As she says, "We liked adult coloring before it was cool!"  A lot of adults are embracing coloring these days and it's great for them and great for us because we get more book variety!  :D  

But anyway, one week to go!  

Holy smokes.  Need I say this sucks?  lol  I'm surrounded by cupcakes and smells of pizza and my facebook wall is plastered with yummy pumpkin recipes.  My mother-in-law was talking about salted caramel something-or-others last night and my husband yelled at her to stop because I was standing there drinking my protein shake, sulking.  lol  To top things off, I'm really limited on my popsicle choices.  I found a bag of sugar-free ones, but they are still 8 carbs per popsicle,  I saw on the side of the sugar-free popsicle box that there are tropical flavors, so I looked online and there are no stores that sell them within 50 miles of my zip code!  lol  Good thing I like strawberry Jello I guess.  :)  

I had my 2nd appointment with the nutritionist on Tuesday.  He was extremely impressed by my food log which I created in Excel.  I love Excel and it's such a great way to log food and keep track of where you are at.  I don't have or want a smart phone, so I don't use all of the different Apps.   As of Tuesday, I was down 20 lbs since the beginning of this pre-op diet process.  Now I am on the all liquid stage and.... yeah.  I miss my one meal!  I'm going to make it though.  I can do this!  

Since my liver enzymes are still high, the ARNP who will be taking care of me after surgery has requested that the surgeon do a liver biopsy while they are in there doing the surgery on my stomach.  I am all for it because no way do I want one while I'm awake!  A big old needle in the abdomen?  Yeah, no thanks!  Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!  :p  Hopefully my surgeon agrees and allows the biopsy.                                                                     

I am getting pretty burnt out on my chocolate Pure Protein shakes...  I think I am going to have to branch out and try some of the recipes everybody has posted in the forums.  I'm supposed to drink 5-7 shakes per day and blah.... I'm going to have to find a really good one for that to happen.... Or a few good ones.... lol  My counselor asked me if I am worried or scared of anything and I told her that I'm not and I really meant it.  I guess I feel that I have a really good care team and my surgeon is one of the best.  I told her that I guess I feel that I am in good hands.  I am doing my part and will continue to do so, so everything should go well.  crossing fingers  

Onward, my trusty steed!  

Oh what a night.  

I am on Pre-Op Diet Stage One, Day 12 - 3-4 protein shakes and 1 meal/day.  Last night, I made a really yummy meal consisting of teriyaki salmon and steamed broccoli.  It was delicious!  I picked out the pin bones from my fish and put them on the side of my plate, like I usually do.  I finished eating and felt something in my throat, so I drank some water.  Well, that didn't help, so I stuck my finger back there to see if I could get it, but I ended up gagging myself.  I threw up my WHOLE dinner before I was able to reach back there and get the pin bone out of my throat and get the involuntary muscles to stop forcing me to throw up.  I was absolutely devastated, but at least I got to taste it, unlike other situations like dropping it on the floor.  My one meal for the day, ruined.  It was sad.  My son was scared to death because I was sitting there and all the sudden I'm throwing up in my garbage can next to my desk.  Apparently the pin bone that got lodged in my throat slid over to my broccoli and was disguised because my last bite was broccoli.  Ugh.... :(  Of course I only bought enough for the one meal, no extras.  From now on, I will be picking the bones out before I even put it on my plate. 

I don't know if it's normal or just me, but I've been very edgy the past 2-3 days - irritable for no apparent reason.  I don't know if it's me being frustrated with seeing and smelling all the good things everybody around me is eating or just me being bitchy - maybe a bit of both.  I see my endocrinologist tomorrow and then the dietician on Tuesday...  Hopefully I've made good progress and can move on to Pre-Op Diet Stage Two - All shakes.  Eeks!  

Well, today marks 1 week on the Pre-Op Diet Part One.  I had to have labs done today so I went ahead and weighed myself at the office, just out of curiosity.... It's been 1 week and I've lost 15 pounds.  I was shocked because I really don't feel all that different, but my dietician "warned" me this would happen - others will notice before you do.  I haven't been feeling so great the past 2 days thanks to a migraine that brought with it nausea and chills.  Sugar-free Jello does wonders for the nausea though!  Tonight I was looking for something to put on my pork loin chop but could not find any sugar-free barbecue sauce.  Maybe that's an oxymoron?  I have sugar-free all natural ketchup, so I thought there MIGHT be a SF BBQ sauce, but oh well... I found some seasoning that should do the trick.  I made the mistake of putting mint extract in my Pure Protein shake today.  I apparently got some on the top of the can because my lips were numb for a while and I clearly put too much in my shake because it tasted horrible!  It's like last Christmas when I made these cookies called "Eggnog Thumbprints."  They had no eggnog in them, but they did require a little rum extract added to the "eggnog icing" that goes in the center of the cookie.  Well, I must have written the recipe down wrong or the person who created it wrote it down wrong because following the directions, the icing turned out HORRIBLE.  That baking extract is serious business!  

My friend has been kind of questioning my eating choices lately because of all the aspartame and sucralose and other chemical sweetners.  I have spent my life avoiding them but it's almost impossible to find "sugar free" without some kind of chemical sweetner.  I told her that it's only temporary and I'm seeing results, so I am going to carry on doing what my dietician has instructed me to do.  It really does bother me though.  I go through all the labels and try so hard to find something without a chemical sweetner but it just doesn't work with controlled carb and calorie intake.  These kinds of criticisms and challenging questions/opinions are precisely why I haven't really told many people about the surgery.  It's frustrating, but I'm pretending to be oblivious to the effects and such of chemical sweetners.  I just keep telling myself, "It's temporary!"  

On a different note, I have noticed that I am less tired the past few days, which is a miracle!  These little rewards are definitely keeping me motivated and on track.   Marching on!  

So I am on Day 5 of Part I of the Pre-Op diet (3-4 protein shakes and 1 meal).  I've been trying various shakes and have concluded that strawberry is gross, no matter what brand.  Also, I am glad I only bought 1 can of the Pure Protein "Cookies 'n Creme" flavor shake.  Ugh!    My dietician said the first 3 days would be the worst and I agree with her.  The first 3 days I felt miserable, nauseated, and just plain ill, but am feeling pretty good now.  The hunger pangs aren't so bad and if I feel nauseated, a cup of Jello seems to fix it. I have noticed improvement in my energy levels, which is amazing.  I think along with shrinking the liver, this diet detoxifies the liver, and getting all that crap out of there (literally) has truly helped the way I feel daily.  I hope the rest of these next few weeks goes as smoothly.

This diet has been a challenge in other ways than just the obvious.  My grandparents-in-law are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversery (WOW) on Tuesday and everybody wants me to go out to dinner with them.  My mother-in-law gave me a list of restaurants they are considering and told me to see if I can find something on the menu.  I have been eating fish, steamed vegetables and a piece of string cheese, or an omelet with 1 oz of cheese, mushrooms, and steamed broccoli for dinner each night and a lot of the places have a salmon and vegetables dish. However, they always seem to add some kind of sauce or I just can't be sure of the nutrition facts they provide.... So I've decided not to attend and avoid the headache and temptations.  Baking a loaf of banana bread and not having even a taste was torture enough!

I want to tell my friends and family about this huge life change coming up, but I haven't told hardly anybody.  In fact, aside from medical professionals, only my husband and mother-in-law know.  I don't want to hear all the negative judgments and opinions from people who may not agree with my decision and try to change my mind etc.  It really is an extreme measure, but it is what I feel is necessary for me to be able to live a long and happy life.  I will tell more people once it is done.  At least then I will be able to say, "Well, I did it... So what now?"  So far, when people question my unusual diet lately, I just tell them I'm de-toxing my liver so I can have some tests done.   

Onward and upward!