1 Week Post-Op

Jul 08, 2010

7-8-2010

Hello All!
I have read many folks blogs on here. Many kind of "gloss" over this part of the surgery, but I wanted to be honest with other pre-ops or people wondering what the surgery will feel like, what happens, etc,

It's a slow, steady, day by day and week by week healing process. Can someone "rush" it by doing too much or eating the wrong thing? You Bet! DON'T RUSH it...Imagine that there is a team of the most skilled automotive engineers and artists and they are in your body creating, sculpting and making you the worlds most sleek and expensive automobile! (Your color, your choice.). Would you want this team "rushing" your car and turning out a "clunker" instead of a Lamborghini Sports car?

Sure. Sometimes I feel like I *could* put more in my pouch, or *try* a new food or "cheat" with something. But instead, I measure, measure, measure and make sure to really follow the rules. I want this to work for me. The whole reason I had this surgery was to be around for my beloved Soul Mate and Husband of 25 years, my wonderful and loving adult Autistic son and my disabled MIL. I want to get back into dog and animal rescue and training again.Get into a size UNDER, "X" (3x, 2x, 1x etc.). ALL these things are possible, all I have to do is BE paitient and let the "skilled Enginners" in my pouch heal and finish their work.

OK, so I had my 1 week post-op visit with my surgeon on July 7th. I was down another couple of pounds making my grand total down so far of 29 lbs LOST in just 3 weeks! Not shabby! The doc's office was pleased!

I got bumped up to my next stage of eating, FULL-Liquids which means I can have stuff with cream/milk in it and my protein shakes full time. Wheee! Cream of wheat this morning (with added milk until it was nice and runny and added unflavored UNJURY protein powder was a delicious breakfast! AND, 3 little liquid oz filled me for hours. I had to force myself to eat lunch and have my mid-afternoon protein snack. I was just NOT hungry at all.

Now, a word to the wise. Remember my last post ("It's Alive!"). Please, please, please for the love of all that is sane and holy...DO NOT overdo things if you are feeling better than normal during your two week recovery period.

I did... I was bad... Very bad.
Since I was feeling so well, I decided to bend down onto all fours to help clean out one of the big dog crates the other day and as I was rising to my feet felt this awful "POP!" somewhere deep inside my guts. Then extreme pain that had me laying there on the floor for a good ten minutes. I was TERRIFIED, that I had ruined everything. I was certain I had torn some internal staple line, or made an incisional hernia.

Thankfully that same day was my Dr's appointment, so my surgeon felt carefully all around my incision to make sure there was no immediate herniation. Thankfully there wasn't. And they took out all of my staples and my incisions look good (except for the large lump under the one). The surgeon said I MIGHT have pulled one internal stitch loose or more than likely just "pulled" something and said if I had any more pain orproblems to call the office, come in or head to my nearest ER.  I thankfully have had NO additional pain or problems, and slowly that  area is feeling much better today, but it taught me a valuable lesson.

Activity is good, but over doing it, (Lifting, straining, stuff like that) is not good, even if we feel "up to it".  We have an upcoming Ren Faire we will be visiting in August and I want to be healed enough to be able to ENJOY it. So I've learned no more being a bad girl by overdoing things.

While at the Dr's I also got my Vitamin B-12 shot and the time with my Nutritionist. (The NUT works right there in the Dr's Office since it is a Bariatric Center of Excellence, so everything is 'right there'). They give you a choice of whether you want to do the Vit. B-12 Nasally, Orally (sublingual) or shot. I will be doing the shot myself.

Take care my fellow Losers and as always "Be Good"!
Warmly.
Jackie

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