LizzyF13
11 days out :) My experience so far!!
Jan 21, 2011
So I've been home from the hospital for almost two weeks now and I feel pretty good! Of course I was very sore initially, but day by day it has been getting better and more manageable... I'm done with the pain medication they gave me (it was going to be Percocet tablets but I requested the liquid form instead) which made me so tired whenever I took it. I can't wait for all of my discomfort to be gone entirely, which I'm confident will be relatively soon. The only areas that are still a bit sore are the upper left incision, the lower right incision which has 4 staples in it and the incision at my belly button… besides these spots and occasional cramping when I move around a lot (or too quickly) I'm feeling almost back to normal.
My surgery took place on a Monday morning and I didn't end up coming home from the hospital until that Thursday. I knew I'd be staying at least one night, and I was happy when I found out that I would be staying over for a second. On Wednesday there was a major snowstorm in Boston, so luckily I was able to stay one more night. I didn't mind being at the hospital since my dad has worked there for about 30 years, so it's a very familiar place that I feel very comfortable at, but it was great getting back to my own bed.
A funny incident: While I was staying in the recovery room, as instructed I went on walks around the hospital a few times each day to prevent blood clots etc, which were bearable once I was able to sit up and get out of my bed. At one point my Mom and I saw a scale in the hallway and thought it would be funny if I weighed myself, fully aware of how pointless it would be. Waiting for the screen to tell me that I weighed the same as I did on the morning of the surgery, we were shocked when it said that I was 6 lbs heavier. Being pumped full of fluids and air will do that to you apparently, lol… we had a good laugh over how ridiculous it seemed under the circumstances. To top it off, while we were standing there my surgeon walked by and "caught" me weighing myself (which you're advised to avoid) but she shared our amusement and had a laugh with us… just a funny story to take with us from the hospital.
Once I was at home, it was nice to know that I had two weeks or so to just relax and have some time that would be free of any obligations, despite the fact that I would be recovering from surgery. I stayed at my house for basically the entire time, mainly because the pain meds knocked me out pretty good (and I wasn't going to drive under the influence), and because I wasn't up to doing much, which I had expected. Now that I am getting some energy back and feel a lot better, I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things, and being able to drive again!! Since there was another snowstorm today, I'm probably just going to stay home tonight, but I'm looking forward to getting back out there with my friends soon.
The post-op food plan hasn't been too hard to get used to because my desire to eat is nothing like it used to be, which I'm very thankful for! I'm assuming that my appetite will gradually return somewhat once I have fully recovered and can eat the foods that I would like to; for now I kind of have to force it but I'm fine with that :) Before having the surgery, one of my main concerns/reservations was that I'd feel the same way about eating/food as I had prior to having it done, but physically wouldn't be able to act on my (unhealthy) impulses... The shift in my appetite and the new role food plays in my life are changes that I will happily accept and learn to live with!
At this stage of my recovery (11 days out), the worst part about having the surgery is being unable to swallow whole pills for a few weeks. Taking them crushed is pretty brutal, and I have yet to find a way to entirely mask the gross taste. I know everyone has to endure this for a little while, but I just can't wait until I can start taking them normally again... uugghhh it's just so gross and unpleasant!!
Getting in enough protein is also proving to be a bit of a challenge... I use protein shakes because it seems to be the most efficient way to go, but naturally I'm starting to get very sick of them. Whenever it's time to have another one, I try to get it down as quickly as I comfortably can just to get it over with, like a chore that you just want to get out of the way. It's still difficult for me to actually reach the 70 g/day goal that I'm supposed to meet, but I'm sure this will change when I can eat regular food again, or at least I'm hoping it will.
I have a follow-up appointment with my surgeon on the 25th which I'm looking forward to. Although everything seems to be going smoothly, I'll feel better when I know for sure that my recovery is going as it should. I also think I'll be getting my staples taken out which would be cool, and that I'll be able to move on to stage 4 of the post-op diet... more options will be nice lol. If I'm lucky, this will also be the day that I can stop crushing my pills return to taking them whole, so I'll be crossing my fingers for that.
As of today (1/21/11/) I've lost a total of 24 lbs; my highest weight was 252 lbs, my surgery weight was 239 lbs, and today I weigh 228 lbs. I'm grateful for the loss, but it's only gotten me back down to the weight range I held steadily for a few years, so physically I don't see any progress. To explain a little better, my weight remained within the 225-232 lb range for so long, it became the weight that I associated with (and still do) me being at my heaviest, or looking my worst. When I gained 20 lbs a few months ago, it was hard to accept that I had actually penetrated the boundary that had been keeping me safe for all that time; I had convinced myself that 232# was my maximum and that it couldn't get any worse, and that I would never let it. When I actually did, I started to isolate myself, and hoped that anyone I did end up seeing didn't notice the gain. Whether they did or not, my appearance at 232# is the one that the people in my life know, or at least the one that I believe is the one they know; this is where my weight loss will really start to count.
Anyways, that's what's been going on for the last few weeks, and now all I can do it take each day as it comes, and look forward to everything else that's in store!! If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! :)
