pattyg

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I had my Nutritionist appointment Tuesday and got clearance to start adding more foods. One a week for now to see how I tolerate things. I am still playing it pretty safe though. I really do NOT want to experience some of the side effects I have heard mentioned!

My weight loss has dramatically increased. I am going to be one of those people who lose for like a week - then nothing for the remainder of the month. I actually recorded a 9 pound weight loss in about a 6 hour period on Tuesday. I know it was due to the difference of scales, but I checked when I got home (I KNOW - stay OFF the SCALES!!!) and I think I am down about 11 pounds this week. WOW!!!

Not doing official weights until the first of every month though - so now I am just concentrate on doing what I am supposed to be doing. Went to a training class at the Y for some of their new equipment - so I am going to start doing that more often. Might as well get good use out of my monthly fee!!!

Clothes are starting to fall off - I am now down to a 16 - I just can not wrap my brain around that fact! I started this journey in a 26! I am loving this right now, but I know I have to stick to the basics, not stray to far or push things - because it is SO easy to slip back into those old habits farther down the road.

Four weeks ago today I was just waking up in Recovery. What a journey it has been already.

Things are getting better. I do not find myself as tired all the time and I am slowly learning the "ways of the pouch" I consider myself lucky as so far I have not had to rough of a time. My weight has stabilized for the last couple weeks - but I know I have lost inches, so I can not complain. I will do an official weight and measurements on Friday and on the first of each month for the next year.

Maybe by THIS time next year I will be at goal and finally be able to bring this rollercoaster of a ride to a stop.

Well - I can not lie. I am kind of having a hard time with this right now. I am three weeks out and my left side is really hurting. Anytime I move, get up, walk too far - or sneeze, cough, etc. it is a sharp stabbing pain. I am trying to increase my exercise, but the pain really bothers me if I do anything to strenuous. I also am still SOOO tired all the time - I was hoping that would ease up by now.

I get very frustrated trying to eat anything new. I am so scared that it will not go down - so I am kind of sticking with the same old stuff day after day and am getting really bored with it. So, I am only getting in about 300-400 calories a day AND Combined with the fact that I have not lost a POUND since seeing my doctor almost two weeks ago I am just getting very frustrated with this whole process.

It just does not seem worth it right now - but I have to focus on the long term goal and realize that it is NOT a quick or easy fix. I know others have been where I have right now, so I just keep reading profiles, telling myself this is normal and give myself a bit more time to heal. It WILL be worth it in the end!

I had my one week post op visit with the doc yesterday. Everything looks great! I am released to drive and go back to work (yuck!). I also am on soft proteins, so I get to add some variety to my day. As soon as he walked in - he is like "give me a hug girl!". That is just him - he is a great guy who LOVES what he does and really wants to see you succeed!!

A bit of a wow happened also. I have been FIGHTING to get into the 230's forever. I have been at a stall since January. I will get really close (like 240.5) and then JUMP back up into the mid 240's. It has been driving me insane, so I finally just gave up! So I really wanted to see something in the 230's at my visit. I got on the scale and low and behold - it was 229.1!!! I skipped the 230's ALL TOGETHER! I have lost 19 pounds since my pre-op visit (exactly 2 weeks ago) and I just can not believe that almost 20 pounds are gone without even TRYING! That would have taken me FOREVER before!!! Also - off ALL meds and I have not been using my cpap and am sleeping fine! Life is GREAT!!

What a difference a Day makes!!! I feel so much better today! Ready to go home and recover. I get my IV out this morning and start on stage 3 diet! The doc releases me at 11 Am, but by the time the nurses get paperwork together and get me ready it is almost 2 PM. The ride home was not bad and my family had my area on the couch all set up for me. The rest of the weekend was spent just hanging around. Walking, burping, sipping, and sleeping. That was pretty much the routine!

Today is Tuesday and I am 1000 percent better. Have not had any pain meds since Sunday and I even made it out to Target to walk around for a bit. Although I do get exhausted very easily and have to take several breaks, but it is getting better every day. Still on Full liquids and that head hunger is a killer - but I see the doc on Thursday and he should release me to soft proteins, so I will get to add some things to my diet. That will be good!!

I thought things were supposed to get BETTER here guys! Man I feel like crap. Pain is not as bad, but every part of my body hurts. I am SO tired and all I am doing is lying around! I get my Foley out today! YEA, but that means constant trips to the bathroom. Even though it is only 4 steps away - it feels like it is a mile.

I start getting protein shakes today! Yea - right. This is NOT happening. I am lucky to get 2 oz down me - but I do work on it when I think about it. My IV blows this morning too, so they just take it out. Doc will probably send me home today anyway we are all thinking! Imagine my surprise when he comes in at 4 PM and tells me my vitals suck. My fever and heart rate is up, my sugar is down and I just do not look good. MMM - OK - then get me out of here!!! No such luck. IV goes back in (they have to call a specialists cuz the nurse can not find a vain!), but pain pump goes away. I switch to liquid lortab - and let me tell you things get better from there. That morphine was throwing me for a loop I guess!

The rest of this day (while I really wanted to go home) was not bad. Even turn on the TV for awhile - even though nothing is on! But I am finally feeling normal and even get a shower!

OMG What have I done! that is what I was thinking pretty much ALL day today. I was in huge amounts of pain - I just did not think it would be this bad! The first thing on the schedule today was my leak test - which meant getting into a wheelchair with all my tubes/wires/etc. I pushed the pain button before I went and it locked me out! I sat in the hallway - all exposed waiting for them to call me back. Good thing I was in to much pain to notice really!

Finally I get back to the room and they tell me I will need to stand on this platform. Slowly I get up and hobble over there. Then I get to drink this nasty crap that leaves my whole mouth tasting fowl - but of course I can have NOTHING to wash it down with. Pretty cool to watch the screen though! Then turn to one side, then the other. That is it- back in my wheelchair and upstairs for a nap!

The doc is there when I get back (it is about 10 Am) and he says as soon as he gets a report from the lab, we can start on ice chips! YEA RIGHT - needless to say I do not get ice chips any time soon. My mouth is dry and now tastes like dirt! I am in pain and expected to walk every couple hours.


After my afternoon walk (about 2 PM) my nurse wants me to sit in my chair for a bit. OK. Problem is - she sits me right on top of my Foley catheter, so it is pinching my whole bottom. then leaves me with NO pain button and NO nurse call button. About an hour later my IV runs dry - so a nurse comes in to change it and I am crying because I am in so much pain. "why didn't you push the button?" a DUH!! I just look at her! She helps me into bed and gives me toradol in addition to my morphine to take the edge off. It took me a good hour to calm down and finally get a hold of the pain.

Most of this day is dozing on and off and pushing my pain drip. I FINALLY get ice chips about 6 PM and they were great. The first batch I just rubbed on my lips and let it drip down my face! Then around 8 Pm I am brought Jell-O and I ate about 3 bites. That is all I could do! The evening was basically sleep, pain button, sip water, sleep. But I made it through!!

I am awake lying in bed at 3:45 AM. Long before the alarm goes off. I go ahead and shower with my special soap and get dressed. Make sure all my bags are packed and do a post on the boards. I wake my kids to tell them goodbye and take my dogs out and enjoy the peaceful morning before leaving early for the hospital. Lisa and I get there 20 minutes early and go register. I am taken immediately back to a room where I go over paperwork again. This is the first of two zillion times I am asked the name/doctor/procedure question. I also change into my hospital garments, get an IV, a shot of heparin in my stomach and some pepcid. I am only in this area about an hour.

6:00 sharp a wheelchair comes to take me to the surgery holding area. I climb from the wheelchair to the gurney and wait. During this hour I get my lovely "air boots", another shot in my IV and the anesthesiologists and DOC both come to talk to me. it was so nice having my angel with me for someone to talk to. Especially since she has been through this and knew what to expect! Surgery was scheduled for 7:00 and about 7:20 they come wheel me back and my Angel goes to the waiting area.

I get into the surgery room where I have to pass the name/doctor/procedure test again before I can move over the operating table. Once there the flurry of activity begins. Nurses are everywhere. They strap my arm out to the side and start putting electrodes all over my chest/sides. They also put one on my leg and inflate my boots. The anesthesiologist comes over and puts an oxygen mask on and tells me to take a deep breath. Then he looks at someone coming in (doctor I presume) and says - are you ready? They must have said yes because he looks at me and says "pleasant dreams" and I was out.

2:15 PM I wake up in the recovery area long enough to thank god that I am awake! I also notice the time and think there must have been some kind of complication - because that was an awfully long surgery (turns out the camera did not work and they had to order a new one. An hour and half delay before they even started!). A nurse asks if I have any nausea and I say no. Then she asked if I had any pain and I said yes. She must have given me something because I wake up in my room.

3:30 I awake as they are setting me up in my Room. My angel comes in and not long after that my mom and daughter arrive. I really do not remember much about any of the conversations though! I had several visitors that night and feel bad because I know I was pretty much out of it and was not much of a conversationalist. The pain was not bad - but I was still under the effects of the drugs! If I only knew what I was in for!!!

24 Hours. Just 24 hours from now I will be settled in my room and I will be a LOSER!! WOW - it is really hard to comprehend. Maybe that is why I do not seem nervous at all today. Just excited and ready for my life to begin. I am SO hungry right now - but even that does not really seem to be bothering me.

I am getting ready to head out of work - I need some time for myself before things start happening tonight. I want to spend some time with my kids to!

My mom was talking to my dad last night about the surgery (he has not been ALL that supportive, but I did not expect anything less) and he actually asked HER when SHE was going to have it done! haha.

There are SO many people pulling for me and wishing me well and I can FEEL it! It is such an amazing feeling knowing that so many are in my corner and ready to see me succeed at this. I can not imagine going through this without them all.

So - thanks to each and every one of you and I will see you on the losing side!