Colleen O.

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Hey everyone-I'm 16 days post op, been back to work since last Monday and feeling great.  High energy, and losing weight like nobody's business.  It took a while for me to figure out my body, it's likes and dislikes and how to work with this new pouch of mine.  At first, I felt like I was battling it.  We've since come to an understanding.  We work together like old friends.  My favorite foods are cottage cheese and soft scrambled eggs.  No desire for sweets, which is nice.  Trouble getting all my fluids in, but working on it.  

All good for now-report more later. 

Hey everyone!  So I recovered enough to go back to work today.  I think my hubby would have killed me if I hadn't.  I'd become so stir crazy in the last 4 days since coming home from the hospital that I was going nuts.  I didn't sleep a wink last night which is what has happened 3 of the 4 nights I've been home.  Seriously-I just laid in bed with my mind rolling a hundred ways to Sunday.  Finally, I just got up and made coffee and prepared to go to work.  I left work today at noon because I didn't want to overdo it.  I'm home now.  Had some nice broth for lunch. 




I feel hungry sometimes but I'm more trying to feel my body out for other stuff.  When I get up in the morning I have leg cramps-dehydration.  I had a headache I just couldn't handle that lasted almost 5 days-caffeine withdrawal.  Now I will break out in a sweat for no reason and sweat profusely-not sure about that one yet, but I dress in layers! 

This is a learning experience for me, but isn't if a learning experience for everyone here?

Holy moley!  When they say medicine is not an exact science, they mean it!  I had a terrible thing happen to me, but thankfully I'm alright and I expect that I'll recover fairly normally.  As is the normal practice for Duke Weight Loss Surgery patients, I was given a blood thinner prior to surgery.  My blood was thin enough I guess, because I 'sprung a leak' at a staple site on my pouch the day after surgery.  I have never felt that amount of pain in my life.  My whole left side felt like it was being knifed.  I couldn't take a breath!  My heart rate stayed at or over 140 while resting, and shot to 180 when I was distressed.  When they finally figured out it was a leak, they gave me 4 units of blood to make up for what leaked out into my abdomen.  I have a really funky bruise going on from where the blood pooled in my stomach. 

Anyway, not to concentrate on the bad, I have been feeling much better as each day goes by.  I don't 'blame' the docs at Duke, this stuff happens.  I wish they could have diagnosed the problem much sooner so I didn't have to go through what I went through for as long. 

So today is Saturday.  I am 5 days post op.  I certainly hope I continue to improve each day, and as always I consult this site often and thank goodness it's here.

I have to be at Duke hospital tomorrow at 5:45am.  We've recently had a storm, so the roads are very icy-believe it or not in North Carolina!  We'll leave a little after 4am.  I'm a bit hungry, since today was a clear liquid diet, but I'm excited too.  I've used this website to alleviate my fears and find information at the same time.  When I return home from the hospital I plan on posting what it was like.  The experience of having the surgery will be new and wild. 

My job has been extremely busy lately, so I have come home exhausted.  Thankfully, since I would probably just think about things.  I'm nervous, but not for any reason except that I want to heal quickly and get back to work.  I love my job and as I said it's a busy time.  I expect to go back after one week. 

I'll probably take a few good pictures this weekend.  Wish me luck everyone!

I just got back from grocery shopping for my liquid phase after the surgery on 2/1.  Friday I had a group meeting.  It was a bunch of folks like me who are getting the surgery.  In came the coordinator, then the psychiatrist, then the nutritionist, and then the staff nurse.  I'm telling you, the Duke Metabolic Weight Loss Surgery process is a well oiled machine.  No question is stupid and believe me, after belonging to obesityhelp.com I have asked about a million questions!  I'm going to ask my stylist what kind of hairstyle would camoflauge my upcoming hair loss.  Not being negative, just being real.  I was told 70% of folks lose a great amount of hair after the surgery because their organs and other parts of their body need the nutrition and there's not enough left over for hair to stay healthy. 

I also researched how to escape plastic surgery after weight loss.  I guess if you're young enough, excercise and creams can stave off the plastic surgeon.  We'll see if 44 is 'young enough'!

Enough for now, I'll be back next week.....

Well, I've been all over this website and I've 'virtually' met a lot of great people.  It seems like a camaraderie has formed on this website.  Perhaps more like a family at times.  I'm still finding a way to meet up with folks in my area who are getting this procedure done.  I'll figure it out. 

Anyway, we went to Costco today and I got the vitamins I'll need after the surgery.  I am going to start taking them now because it seems that my energy level will be raised and I'll be able to exercise more easily.  The instructions from my surgeon say to increase activity prior to surgery with at least 30 minutes of planned exercise 3-4 times a week.  This should help with the recovery.  I plan on taking 5 days off of work-that's all.  Hopefully there won't be any snags. 

So I guess I'll keep my blog going and I'll reach out to some peeps for friendship and they can read my blog and correct me on anything I may be going astray with. 

Over and out.