proudmommy

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One month down and a lifetime to go.
This has been a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Yes I have had my days where I have been discouraged but overall I am happy! 35 lbs down in a month (including 17lbs from 2 week preop liquid diet). After about a week of not loosing I am finally loosing again... I have lost the 4lbs I gained (I am sure water retention) plus another 2 in the past 5 days... my clothes are falling off and I am really starting to notice a difference... and other people are too!

Right now emotions are pretty good. My baby girl (almost 5 months) came home today. Daddy brought her to me while I was napping.. I have to say it was the best feeling to wake up to her smiling face. I can't pick her up or really hold her for about 2 weeks... she is a heavy little one. I am typing now watching her sleep and want to hold her so bad. But I know this is going to be for the better ... I want to follow all of my doctors orders. I am just happy that I have made the 1st step in many to give her a healthier happier mommy!

I am not going to lie... the last 24 hours have been rough. We got home about 4pm yesterday. I went through the mail, got things prepared for the night and then went an laid down while my hunny ran to the store to get a few things for me. We have a king size bed that is pretty high off the ground.. well me and that bed do not get along right now. I called Ott crying (1st time I had cried) "I can't lay down" baaaabaaabaaa.... LOL (funny now... not last night) So he said he would try to find something at walmart... in the meantime I took the large couch coushin off of the back of the couch and propped it up so that I was sitting like I was in the hosp. This worked and allowed me to sleep. When hubby got home he brought all my drugs.. helped me crush my pills (not as bad as I thought it would be). I woke up about every 3 to 4 hours... this morning was ROUGH!!! I woke up at 6:30 in a ton of pain ... the anesthesia has completely worn off by this point so I am feeling everything. My stomach is very sore... tender... that is the pain I am feeling... it feels like I have been hit multiple times in the stomach with a bat. (not that that has ever happened). I took my pain meds and went back to bed... woke up at 7:30 this morning very nauseas. I started drinking water... thinking I was nauseas b/c I was dehydrated. About 8 I called a girlfriend who had the surgery a little over a year ago and she confirmed what I thought. She suggested getting in my 64 oz of fluid today and to see how I felt. Well it is almost 9pm and I feel fantastic. I have had 64 oz of water and about 20 ounces of broth today. After the 1st bottle of water the nausea went away. I do notice that I am more sore after getting up from a nap. I have done quit a bit around the house today just to be moving and to hopfully get the soreness to subside some. SF popsicles are my best friend right now. And I am loving some ice. I am not getting my protein... one thing I would def suggest is to make sure you have the protein you want in the clear liquid form before going into the hospital. I can not stomach the unflavored Unjury and that is what they gave me in the hospital. I like the chicken soup but only had 2 packets... It was going to cost me $40 to overnight it ... so dh is going to the vitamin shoppe or GNC tomorrow to see what else I can do... I have my list so I am going to have him get a sample of everything I can do... hopefully something will work. 

Day 2 was alot like the evening of day 1.. lots of sleep, I got my first tray of "food" which consisted of chicken broth, jello, crystal light, and an unflavored Unjury packet. I was able to get down about 4 or 5 tsp of the broth (with about a tbsp of Unjury) so needless to say I did not get much protein. I did not have any trouble with nausea while in the hospital. I took 4 walks on the 2nd day. The meals were the same for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all 4 days. I thought I would be going home in 3 days but it was 4. No complications.. just what my doc wanted.  I was able to take a shower the evening of the 2nd day... thank goodness dh was there to help me... they did have a seat in the shower... but I did not even have the energy to wash my own hair. After the shower each day my nurse changed the dressing on my 2 drain sites. I have one drain that is a little over a foot long (I will get it taken out next Tuesday). The other is inside my stomach... just looks like a big whole.. it is about an inch deep. The 4th day my nurse took the drain out of it... now I just have to clean it out with a long qtip and peroxcide twice a day. They removed my cath day 2. I was not able to drink much fluid... not due to nausea... eating and drinking are just the last thing you want to do. My nurse told me they were going to have to do an in and out cath if I was not able to urinate in the next 2 hours.... you better believe I drank everything I possibly could... from that point on I had no trouble urinating. I still had not passed gas... WARNING... if you have a week stomach stop reading now and move to my next entry. The rest of this post is not pretty. About 4 pm on day 2 they told me I was going to have to get a suppository. I had never had a suppository before (not even sure if I am spelling that right)That night around oh I would guess 8 or 9 I went to the bathroom and thought I had gone #2... the nurse said no it was just the suppository coming out... she said that we may have to do another one... and I asked her to wait until day # b/c I did not want to deal with that during the night. She agreed. Well about 5:30am I wake up went. I thought I had dreamt that I passed gas.. when I woke up I thought I had started my cycle... so I called the nurse and God bless her heart... she was so sweet. She helped me to the bathroom and I soon realized that I had just pooped myself... in my sleep. Now to be a grown woman and poop yourself is not a fun thing. She changed my sheets... assured me this happens all the time... and not to be embarressed. So I get cleaned up and get back to bed...  Day 3 and 4 were pretty much the same. Alot of rest, fluids and walking.

I woke up at 4am this morning, took a shower, fed my baby girl, then my hubby and I made our way to the hospital. I never really had a "nervous" moment. I was very prepared going into this surgery and was not afraid at all. I got to the hospital, waited a few minutes, then they started getting me prepared. Spent the last few minutes with my husband... just chit chatting... you would not think I was about to go into major surgery. He was a nervous wreck but I would have never known... he hid it well. The nurse wheeled me off to surgery and I said bye to Ott. My surgery started around 8:30am and at 1:00pm the doctor came out and talked to Ott... told him all went well. I was in the recovery area for a couple of hours. When I came too I was in an awful amount of pain. Pain that is hard to even describe. They immediately gave me a morphin pump. The nurse explained to me that the pain I was feeling was gas and the meds would not help. The only thing that helped that pain was belching... so I belched and I belched... I was saying excuse me after each belch and finally I said I am only saying excuse me once to each person I belch in front of.... lol... So about 3pm they took me to my room. My husband (Ott), my best friend (Sarah), and my cousin (Chelsea) were there waiting on me. I could tell by the look on their faces that I looked a little rough... looked as though I was in  a great amount of pain.  The next few hours are a blur... I remember being very thirsty, and that my mouth was very dry. I was knocked out most of that night.  About 6:30 pm my nurse got me up to walk... I do not remember this walk... I was heavily medicated. I still had a cathedar. I walked a total of about 15 -20 feet total. Chelsea spent the night with me the first night. I had the absolute best nurses. They did their very best not to wake me up. I slept through them getting my vitals, taking blood and shots. GOOD PAIN MEDS!

Wow ... what an experience... I am going to do my best to journal my entire experience. I am doing this so that I can always come back here and read of this journey and use this tool I have been blessed with to the best of my ability. I am also writing this to share with any of you who are embarking on this journey soon... so that you may know what to expect and so that maybe you will not be discouraged by the bumps in the road.

Well only 4 more days of my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I wish that I could say that I have not cheated... but I have. I have not had a meal but have had a bite or two in the last couple of days... I have still lost 8lbs though! I think what has hurt me is knowing that alot of people I have talked to ... either on here or personal friends have only had a week or some even 2 days of a liquid diet... My goal is from here on out to stick with it and have ONLY liquid... no solid... no matter how small of a bite it is. I am writing this to keep myself accountable. If you would like to be encouraging feel free to comment... if not... please keep your comment to yourself.

This journey is bringing out some interesting feelings and emotions. I have always been a closet eater... eat my normal meal with everyone else... then eat a little (or alot) more when no one is around. I know this is only day 3 of my 2 week liquid diet... but I am so PROUD of myslef! I would not say it has been easy but it has been alot easier than I thought it would be. I have gone on (and off) more diets than I care to list... but this is so different. I guess it is because I KNOW (instead of just hoping) that my life is changing forever! Part of my job (Executive Assistant) is to order, set up, and clean up lunch everyday for our executive wing. Monday - Pizza, Tuesday - Hobo Chicken, carrots, rolls, salad and desert platter, Today - Chick -Fil-A... fried chicken, salad, chicken wraps, fruit, and walnut choc brownies. You would think that this would be the hardest part of my day during these 2 weeks.... but instead it is one of the better parts of my work day.... simply because I am proving to myself that I can do this! I just finished setting up lunch and I am about to go fix myslef a cup of broth... and enjoy every sip! Just thought I would take a minute and share. I have not even had surgery yet and I already am loving the new me!

I am on day 3 of my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. It feels good not to be cheating... I have stuck to the diet 100%! I am looking forward to see how much I loose before surgery date... 12 days left (including today)!

Well I am 19 days pre-surgery and I could not be more excited. I will start my 2 week liquid diet on Monday. (may not be so excited come Tuesday or Wednesday ) I am a little nervous... mainly about my 4 month old daughter... I know daddy will take great care of her but I am going to miss her like crazy while I am in the hospital ... not to meniton the 2 weeks of not getting up with her every other night... (that might be a nice break though). I have the most supportive husband anyone could ask for! I am nervous for him... he does not like to see me in pain and I know this process is not going to be easy for either of us.... but will be so worth it in the end. Wish me luck!