Darcys2

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So I have made it to day 10.  Really not as hard as I thought it was going to be.  Eating 2oz. of food has really been OK.  Ask me before surgery if I would be able to do it...answer, NO WAY.  I guess your mentality is different once you have surgery,"I have come this far do I want to put that in my new little pouch".  It is kind of the same feeling I had when starting my kids out on their "first" foods and even now, I really pay attention to what goes in their stomachs and now I will take on that same importance for me.  It is going to be interesting since my husband eats no fruits or veggies.  Crazy I know. 

My pain has gone away and really has been gone since day 5.  The other days didn't promote pain, it was just you noticed you had surgery.  I haven't had any problems sleeping.  Was in my bed the night after surgery.  They gave me a hernia type girdle, which was and has been a saver to moving around and feeling secure.  I think it really helped with me being able to sleep on my side right away.  It just supported everything.  If you have a chance ask your Dr. or pick one up before surgery.

The only real bizarre thing that has happened, sorry TMI....my first BM @ 7 days post op was not what I had expected or anyone had talked about, it was very much like diarrhea but just a little bit.  Understandable since I've only been on liquids for the last week.  Now day 10, had a BM like a newborn baby....black and tar like in color.  I know gross but hey maybe you have had the same issue.  Hopefully once I get to stage 3 of my diet which will add in my first solid foods it will change!!

Which leads me to a question for anyone reading this blog....I have one more week of soft liquids, which consists of yogurt, SF pudding, cream of wheat, cream of rice, SF custard, creamed soups (strained) and applesauce.  Any suggestions of what you had during your stage 2 or second week post op.  Interesting enough my NUT and Dr.'s don't suggest protein drinks, so as much as I would love some protein right about now, I will wait until next Friday 8/6 to start with that.  I also share the concern as others do, about putting actual food into your mouth after so long not chewing a thing.  I know eat slow and chew 30 times before swallowing but man I am still afraid.

I can still see why this is just a tool in the WL journey.  I battle daily of what I see on TV advertisements regarding restaurants, I see what my husband makes himself for dinner or just walking in the grocery store and seeing someone drinking a Starbucks....man is it hard.  I also am finding how much things my family did seemed to work around food.  We would leave early in the morning to get to Costco or Sam's to grocery shop and pick up McDonald's for breakfast.  Shop for the day and pick up lunch at Costco or even pick up a pizza to bring home.  Now I know I am only 10 days post op, but that is the first thing I thought of this weekend when we went shopping.  This is going to be a hard battle to win.  How are you coping with this???

Well until next time....

So recovery wise I feel pretty good.  I am still very surprised how easy it was to heal from this surgery.  I have to remember that I did undergo major surgery and that I still need to take it easy.  My energy level tells me that so I know I won't over do it.  The weight loss program Kaiser has doesn't have us taking any protein other then what we get in our Stage 2 soft food stage.  I want so badly to add some protein or drink a shake.  Maybe it is just the anesthesia hasn't worn off, but I feel like my head is in a fog and disconnected from my body.  Not sure if anyone else has gone through this, but man I just feel if I could have some protein I would feel so much better.

I started stage 2 yesterday, and really isn't that bad.  I am really trying to pick the things that keep me feeling full, ie. SF pudding, Chaboni yogurt, cream of wheat.  I still enjoy a cup of beef bouillon.  I find it hard to get in all my fluid again with the program plan I have to follow.  I have to take Carafate (liquid band aide) that has to be taken 1hr before we eat and between the spreading out of the vitamins and no drinking until an hour after we eat, it is just challenging.  Once I am off the Carafate things should be much easier.

I have been very afraid of being constipated.  They said usually 5-6 days and you should have your first BM.  I stopped my pain meds at day 3 in fear that that adds complications in being able to go.  Well today was a success, now I can mark that concern off my list of things.  I know you are thinking, OMG she went there, and yes I did, mainly because this is my blog of my steps and journey to WL.  Some things will just be told.  LOL I certainly couldn't tell you in person. ;o)

Until later....

So I meant to get on the night before my surgery, but too many things to do before we left to the hospital.  I was so nervous on the 2 hr. drive to the hospital.  Very mixed emotions but mostly just scared...did I make the right decision.  Well now that I have come through surgery and am on day 3...Yes, not as bad as I had expected.  I have had two previous OB surgeries and one  C-sec, this surgery was not as bad to recover from as any of those.  The hardest thing I have found is making sure I drink 1oz of clear liquid every 15 mins. as my fear of being dehydrated is huge.  The other fear I have is a blood clot, all preop classes appts. w/ Dr. seemed to make a great deal of it, which is understandable, but man I am afraid in the back of my head.  When I wake up in the middle of the night I make sure to walk around the house a few times just to reassure I did everything I needed to prevent it from happening. 

Anyone else have problems taking their vitamins?  For some reason I have been so scared to take them while on the clear liquids.  Tomorrow I start my stage 2 soft food diet for two weeks.  I am going to re-start my vitamins then with dedicated results.  I am going to my first support group tomorrow, which hopefully they can answer a few questions that have come up since I have actually had surgery.  Anyone have any great different ideas for stage 2 soft food diet?  Has anyone used a Vita mix with stage 2...if so what did they make with it??

I really hope through this process I can over time heal my brain from mindless eating.  I think if I can figure that out it will help with my success life long.  It is so interesting how much I snack ate while getting meals ready, giving my kids snacks or just bored.  WOW  A couple of times while on liquids I almost put a bit of something in my mouth.  Is that crazy?? I know crazy huh??  I am also extremely afraid to throw up, I haven't yet, but am really afraid to start putting food in my mouth.  And what happens if I throw up...will I rip the stitches...or hurt something else.  There isn't a lot to our new stomachs, so how much do you throw up...can't be much.  Man this is huge bunch of concern.

On to stage 2, I wish me luck...

So I was driving in the car a little excited this week.  This was a different feeling I had been feeling, up until now I have been feeling afraid, am I doing the right thing, will I be able to care for my two young kids, can I really do this "whole lifestyle" change forever??  All of these things have flooded my brain these last few months.  I really am excited, but how could I not reserve some of that excited feeling to alittle uncertainty as well.  It seems like most people are on liquid diet weeks prior, however Kaiser has us eating a 1200 cal. diet months prior to surgery.  It has been hard and I have gone out to dinner to a couple of times.  I have been taking the left over prenatal vita until the bariatric vita came in the mail this week.

Things to do:
Order medical bracelet
Good after surgery cookbook

More to come....