janiebow
First Follow-up
Dec 02, 2012
I went back to the surgeon Friday for my 1-2 week follow-up. So far so good. I have lost 25.5 pounds since my preop workup on November 7th and am down 49 pounds since my first visit on the 24th of July. I am now 403.5, which is a vast improvement for me in this short time. I go back the 18th of December for my one month postop followup and then it will be three more months after that.
The doctor told me I can get back in the pool Monday! Yea!!!! The nurse practitioner told me to wait another week, but Dr. Hata asked me if I was really dying to get back in the pool and I said yes and he said to go ahead. That made me a happy puppy (or should I say guppy?)! I love the pool. I know I will have to take it easy when I go back for a while, but at least I can get some more exercise in. I have three bad disks in my back and walking is hard for me for any distance, but in the pool I am able to walk, jog, dance or whatever without any trouble so I am looking forward to Monday!
The past few weeks have been interesting. It took just 30 minutes for the surgery. They actually worried my mom. They had told her they would call when they took me in and then all of a sudden they called for them to go up to the 6th floor conference room and my mama knew that something had happened to me, but they were actually through! He said I did well on my preop liquid diet and my liver had shrunk to the point that he could do do the surgery easier and more quickly. I just stayed in the hospital overnight, I really have not had much pain. I have just been a little sore and weak, but am getting better everyday.
I had a protein drink and cream of chicken soup for Thanksgiving. It was not bad though. I will be on pretty much a standard bariatric diet by Christmas, just a LOT LESS and no fat or sugar!
I am now on smooth consistency diet. I have been able to add applesauce, cooked veggies, scrambled eggs, low fat cheese, mashed potatoes and a few other things this week. It feels good to actually be able to "eat" something other than "drinking" soup or protein shakes. The closest thing to a "bite" of food in the last 20 days has been Jell-O. That first bite of scrambled egg felt good. I am supposed to chew 30 times before swallowing, but it is impossible to chew a scrambled egg 30 times! It just disintegrates way before the 30th chew! The hardest part is getting in the meals. You truly forget to eat if you do not schedule them. It is the same with drinking. Now that I am eating some more solid foods I have keep the fluids and solids separate. I have to stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal and not drink until 30 minutes after. The stomach is so small they don't want it to get full before you eat and it can wash the food out, making you hungrier sooner if you drink with your meal or immediately after.
Be back soon! I will let you know how the pool workout goes.
