sallyjr
Merry Christmas!
Dec 25, 2007
Just a quick note to wish everyone a merry Christmas. Our holiday was wonderful and relaxing. We had both sons home from college and one brought his new fiancee with him. One daughter sang a solo at our Christmas eve church service last night, and the other one played a solo on bells. What a great couple of days.
Tomorrow we leave for a short trip to visit relatives; most of them have not seen me since surgery, so it should be fun. I am down 97 pounds as of my five-month anniversary two days ago. At first I was bummed that I would not reach 100 by then, or by Christmas, or whatever. Then I thought, why do I care when I reach it? This is not a race! I will continue to follow my plan and it will come off when it comes off.
I have not yet "cheated" (if that's what you call it), although temptation around the holidays is high. I avoid eating the things I want to skip by telling myself that I will just not have it this year. Next year, I might, but I am going to skip it this year while my weight loss is still active and I'm just over halfway done. I know I can skip chocolate peanut clusters one year, for sure!
I did some extra workouts last week and hope to still get some in this week, though I'm not sure I'll be able to while we're out of town. My protein and calories are up most days, which may be helping my weight loss. My biggest problem since surgery continues to be constipation. I have a six-month follow-up with my surgeon in about a month, so we will be discussing this. I added magnesium, but it doesn't seem to have helped. However, I feel great, I look pretty good, and I am still so glad I had this surgery. I'm wearing clothes I thought I would never wear again, and I'm wearing sizes found in a regular store! Wow! To put things in perspective, last time I weighed this was January 10, 1989, the day after my second son was born. I've taken off almost 19 years worth of fat!
For Christmas I got a new food scale and a new body scale, among other things, so if I show a gain during my morning weigh-in tomorrow, it will be because I am starting on a new scale, and I will go from there from now on.
I'm off to bed so I can drive three hours tomorrow and still look great! Happy New Year!
Tomorrow we leave for a short trip to visit relatives; most of them have not seen me since surgery, so it should be fun. I am down 97 pounds as of my five-month anniversary two days ago. At first I was bummed that I would not reach 100 by then, or by Christmas, or whatever. Then I thought, why do I care when I reach it? This is not a race! I will continue to follow my plan and it will come off when it comes off.
I have not yet "cheated" (if that's what you call it), although temptation around the holidays is high. I avoid eating the things I want to skip by telling myself that I will just not have it this year. Next year, I might, but I am going to skip it this year while my weight loss is still active and I'm just over halfway done. I know I can skip chocolate peanut clusters one year, for sure!
I did some extra workouts last week and hope to still get some in this week, though I'm not sure I'll be able to while we're out of town. My protein and calories are up most days, which may be helping my weight loss. My biggest problem since surgery continues to be constipation. I have a six-month follow-up with my surgeon in about a month, so we will be discussing this. I added magnesium, but it doesn't seem to have helped. However, I feel great, I look pretty good, and I am still so glad I had this surgery. I'm wearing clothes I thought I would never wear again, and I'm wearing sizes found in a regular store! Wow! To put things in perspective, last time I weighed this was January 10, 1989, the day after my second son was born. I've taken off almost 19 years worth of fat!
For Christmas I got a new food scale and a new body scale, among other things, so if I show a gain during my morning weigh-in tomorrow, it will be because I am starting on a new scale, and I will go from there from now on.
I'm off to bed so I can drive three hours tomorrow and still look great! Happy New Year!
ACK! I missed November!
Dec 01, 2007
Wow! Time just flies around here.
It's late but I want to post a little about where I am now, before I miss December as well. I am down almost 90 pounds, which makes me half done! I wanted to get 120 off by six months, but I don't see that happening at the rate I'm losing. I'm in the middle of a stall, and I'm trying to low-carb it away. I'm still ecstatic about my progress.
I hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year and had my family and some new friends (possibly future family - oldest son's girlfriend's family!) over for dinner. It went great. I tasted a lot of things, tried some sugar-free desserts, and everyone had a great time. I even managed to lose some weight that weekend.
I do plan to get my picture back up here when my younger son gets home from college and can help me. Can you spell L-A-M-E? But hey, I'm proud that I even have a blog - not every 47- year-old can say that.
Oh, one new thing. I'm going to start taking magnesium tonight before bed with my last dose of calcium. I've heard it helps with regularity, something I haven't experienced since about two-and-half months after surgery.
More later.
It's late but I want to post a little about where I am now, before I miss December as well. I am down almost 90 pounds, which makes me half done! I wanted to get 120 off by six months, but I don't see that happening at the rate I'm losing. I'm in the middle of a stall, and I'm trying to low-carb it away. I'm still ecstatic about my progress.
I hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year and had my family and some new friends (possibly future family - oldest son's girlfriend's family!) over for dinner. It went great. I tasted a lot of things, tried some sugar-free desserts, and everyone had a great time. I even managed to lose some weight that weekend.
I do plan to get my picture back up here when my younger son gets home from college and can help me. Can you spell L-A-M-E? But hey, I'm proud that I even have a blog - not every 47- year-old can say that.
Oh, one new thing. I'm going to start taking magnesium tonight before bed with my last dose of calcium. I've heard it helps with regularity, something I haven't experienced since about two-and-half months after surgery.
More later.
October's Over
Oct 30, 2007
Another month, and I'm still going strong. I have been so busy with school in session that I almost forget to get even a monthly post here. I am now down 76 pounds in the three months since surgery! I am thrilled with that progress.
I did have my worst case of constipation since I got out of the hospital while we were on a weekend trip to St. Louis. I thought I was dying, but instead I only grew a few new hemorroids. I'm still working on getting more water and fiber to counteract this problem.
I am so happy with my decision, and I keep adding new wow moments every day. Today I even got my wedding ring off for the first time in six years! I may go get it cleaned to celebrate.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
I did have my worst case of constipation since I got out of the hospital while we were on a weekend trip to St. Louis. I thought I was dying, but instead I only grew a few new hemorroids. I'm still working on getting more water and fiber to counteract this problem.
I am so happy with my decision, and I keep adding new wow moments every day. Today I even got my wedding ring off for the first time in six years! I may go get it cleaned to celebrate.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
OMG - I missed September!
Sep 30, 2007
Wow, where has the time gone? The school year started, so I went back to work. That has really cut into my free time for reading the message boards and posting about my weight loss journey! I will try to jot down a few notes so as not to forget.
I feel great! I saw Dr. Opie at six weeks out, and he thought I was doing very well. He said he thought I didn't need more than 50 grams of protein per day to keep losing well, and also not to start weight training until I get the weight off. His justification for the lack of weight training is that if I have the energy to work out at all, he wants me to be spending it on cardio activities. And he definitely wants me to do cardio on a regular basis. I can go along with that. As to the low number of protein grams, he reminded me that protein has calories, too. Well, at my first post-op visit, he said my goal in calories was no more than 800. At 50 grams of protein, I would still have 600 to use up how - as fats or carbs? No thanks. So I am going to gradually add some more protein grams. My nut and the bariatric coordinator of the hospital both agree I could use more, and after following his plan for a few weeks, it seems my losses slowed. So I am going to try to work my way back to about 60-70 grams per day, which is what was printed in the literature about his program he originally gave me.
I have been trying new things and learning about my new pouch every day. I went to the support group meeting in September and met my friend Dorothy who I've "spoken" to here on OH several times.
The only things I struggle with are constipation, which is always waiting at the door for me if I let up on my fiber or my stool softener, and I still get the " foamies" more than I should. Sometimes, I know what causes it (eating too fast or too much), but sometimes I have no idea why I got it. I only know that I feel encouraged the episodes are getting further and further apart.
I am very careful about what and how much I eat, and I try to stay under 8 grams of sugar per serving of anything, so I don't know yet whether I dump. Of course I am assuming I will, so as to avoid testing it. I keep track of my eating on fitday.com. I would recommend this surgery to anyone ready for such a life-altering commitment. I love seeing the changes in myself and watching people watch me ("what's she going to eat?" "can she have that?"). It's priceless.
I feel great! I saw Dr. Opie at six weeks out, and he thought I was doing very well. He said he thought I didn't need more than 50 grams of protein per day to keep losing well, and also not to start weight training until I get the weight off. His justification for the lack of weight training is that if I have the energy to work out at all, he wants me to be spending it on cardio activities. And he definitely wants me to do cardio on a regular basis. I can go along with that. As to the low number of protein grams, he reminded me that protein has calories, too. Well, at my first post-op visit, he said my goal in calories was no more than 800. At 50 grams of protein, I would still have 600 to use up how - as fats or carbs? No thanks. So I am going to gradually add some more protein grams. My nut and the bariatric coordinator of the hospital both agree I could use more, and after following his plan for a few weeks, it seems my losses slowed. So I am going to try to work my way back to about 60-70 grams per day, which is what was printed in the literature about his program he originally gave me.
I have been trying new things and learning about my new pouch every day. I went to the support group meeting in September and met my friend Dorothy who I've "spoken" to here on OH several times.
The only things I struggle with are constipation, which is always waiting at the door for me if I let up on my fiber or my stool softener, and I still get the " foamies" more than I should. Sometimes, I know what causes it (eating too fast or too much), but sometimes I have no idea why I got it. I only know that I feel encouraged the episodes are getting further and further apart.
I am very careful about what and how much I eat, and I try to stay under 8 grams of sugar per serving of anything, so I don't know yet whether I dump. Of course I am assuming I will, so as to avoid testing it. I keep track of my eating on fitday.com. I would recommend this surgery to anyone ready for such a life-altering commitment. I love seeing the changes in myself and watching people watch me ("what's she going to eat?" "can she have that?"). It's priceless.
Happy first month - yakking
Aug 23, 2007
Well, today was my one-month anniversary, and it was also my first support group meeting since surgery. I was so looking forward to going. However, after eating one tablespoon of ff refried beans with cheese, I started feeling nauseous. I didn't have time to be sick! I had to run a few errands with my daughter, so I dry heaved over the bathroom sink at CVS for ten minutes. Then we finished the errands with my nausea growing, and I started praying I would make it home in time. I drove like a maniac to beat a train so I wouldn't yak in the car with my daughter.
I continued with the "foamies" at home for an hour. My husband said, "Do you think you should go to the meeting?" Of course, I reply, this won't last long, and maybe they'll have advice on how to avoid this in the future. So I drove through town throwing up all the way, and sat in the parking lot still gagging. I finally started crying when I realized I was now 30 minutes late and still felt nauseous, so I drove home. Altogether, this episode lasted from 5:30 to 8:15. Over one tablespoon of food I've eaten at least seven times since surgery.
I'm still not sure what I did to bring this on. How can you trust food at work and in public if for no reason it bites you this way? It does seem eating is getting more difficult, rather than less so. And I am supposed to start on solids next Tuesday. My doc should have started them sooner. Now I'm not sure I can make the transition.
On a brighter note, I've stopped my blood pressure medicine and I'm monitoring it at home. It was getting rather low on the new medicine I tried, so we'll see where it is in two weeks when I visit my surgeon. And I've lost some serious inches - hopefully enough in the hips to fit through the turnstile tomorrow night! It's my girls' 9th birthday and they want to spend it watching the Royals game and fireworks after.
I continued with the "foamies" at home for an hour. My husband said, "Do you think you should go to the meeting?" Of course, I reply, this won't last long, and maybe they'll have advice on how to avoid this in the future. So I drove through town throwing up all the way, and sat in the parking lot still gagging. I finally started crying when I realized I was now 30 minutes late and still felt nauseous, so I drove home. Altogether, this episode lasted from 5:30 to 8:15. Over one tablespoon of food I've eaten at least seven times since surgery.
I'm still not sure what I did to bring this on. How can you trust food at work and in public if for no reason it bites you this way? It does seem eating is getting more difficult, rather than less so. And I am supposed to start on solids next Tuesday. My doc should have started them sooner. Now I'm not sure I can make the transition.
On a brighter note, I've stopped my blood pressure medicine and I'm monitoring it at home. It was getting rather low on the new medicine I tried, so we'll see where it is in two weeks when I visit my surgeon. And I've lost some serious inches - hopefully enough in the hips to fit through the turnstile tomorrow night! It's my girls' 9th birthday and they want to spend it watching the Royals game and fireworks after.
Almost four weeks and humming along
Aug 18, 2007
I guess it's time for an update. When I saw my surgeon at two weeks post-op, he didn't want to discuss weight loss or supplements. They didn't even take my blood pressure! I'm not sure why I was there, but he did advance me to pureed food, which I was quite happy about. Four weeks of liquids had taken their toll on me. He did tell me to get lots of extra fluids because my bp med is a diuretic. He said I may just be one of the people who has to continue on bp meds. I must say that would disappoint me, but not really surprise me. Many regular-sized people in my family have had high bp.
The day I saw Dr. Opie, I also saw a dermatologist for what turned out to be a staph infection on the back of my leg. It looked like a huge, draining cyst - gross! She prescribed an antibiotic, but said when the cultures were done she might adjust the antibiotic to something my particular infection is sensitive to. Well, I didn't want to take extra meds - I'm protecting my pouch! So since it seemed to be improving, I decided to wait until she knew for sure what I should be on so I didn't end up taking extra meds for nothing. Well, the cultures took 11 days. I finally talked to her yesterday and she asked me how I was doing. I confessed I hadn't taken any antibiotics yet and there might be a second infected area. She said the first antibiotic would have done me some good, but since I had waited she would fax a different antibiotic over to my pharmacy, one just for my infection. I went to pick it up today (Saturday) and of course they didn't get the fax. So now I have to wait another two days to get started. By the way, I totally think I picked up the infection in the hospital. It showed up less than 48 hours after I was released, and I've never had anything like it before.
I saw a doctor at my pcp's office a week ago yesterday (enough with the doctors already!) to check my potassium. I had been having leg cramps and I was concerned, and the nurse at my surgeon's office said to see my pcp, since he was the one who prescribed my HCTZ. It turns out I was in the low range of normal on potassium and actually low on chloride, so he wants me to switch to a beta blocker for hbp. I hope it doesn't have side effects or that I start retaining a bunch of water. If I do, I may want to switch back and just eat 1/2 a banana every day.
My only complaint is that I finally had my first nasty food experience today. I threw up on 1/8 of a cup of tuna! Tuna? I love tuna and I've already eaten it in the pureed food stage! But today, 1/8 of a cup was too much, and after a lot of pain and nausea and trying to avoid it, I finally threw up. It was awful, but after an hour the only real damage was to my pride and my worry level. Pride, because I pride myself on never getting sick (even through all my pregnancies), and worry, because it causes a mistrust of food. I only have 25 minutes for lunch at school, and I can't afford to be sick for an hour (not to mention I wouldn't want to stand over the sink in the teacher's bathroom and let others watch what I went through today). But tomorrow, I'll get back in the saddle with semi-solids again (not tuna for now). The rest of today I just had soup, water and a protein shake.
I still get the majority of my protein from two protein shakes per day, but I also make sure I get protein from food sources every day, too. And I've started adding milk to my shakes to up the protein and calcium, since I'm not on additional calcium yet. I feel really great, considering it has been less than four weeks since major surgery. I know Opie wants me to work my way up to 800 calories in 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. So far, I'm eating 2 shakes and 2 meals and approximately 400-500 calories on my good days, which is way up from the 200-300 a day I was eating at two weeks post-op. I think additional calories will speed my losses, so I will keep working on it. Oh, and I walked a mile today for the first time since surgery!
The day I saw Dr. Opie, I also saw a dermatologist for what turned out to be a staph infection on the back of my leg. It looked like a huge, draining cyst - gross! She prescribed an antibiotic, but said when the cultures were done she might adjust the antibiotic to something my particular infection is sensitive to. Well, I didn't want to take extra meds - I'm protecting my pouch! So since it seemed to be improving, I decided to wait until she knew for sure what I should be on so I didn't end up taking extra meds for nothing. Well, the cultures took 11 days. I finally talked to her yesterday and she asked me how I was doing. I confessed I hadn't taken any antibiotics yet and there might be a second infected area. She said the first antibiotic would have done me some good, but since I had waited she would fax a different antibiotic over to my pharmacy, one just for my infection. I went to pick it up today (Saturday) and of course they didn't get the fax. So now I have to wait another two days to get started. By the way, I totally think I picked up the infection in the hospital. It showed up less than 48 hours after I was released, and I've never had anything like it before.
I saw a doctor at my pcp's office a week ago yesterday (enough with the doctors already!) to check my potassium. I had been having leg cramps and I was concerned, and the nurse at my surgeon's office said to see my pcp, since he was the one who prescribed my HCTZ. It turns out I was in the low range of normal on potassium and actually low on chloride, so he wants me to switch to a beta blocker for hbp. I hope it doesn't have side effects or that I start retaining a bunch of water. If I do, I may want to switch back and just eat 1/2 a banana every day.
My only complaint is that I finally had my first nasty food experience today. I threw up on 1/8 of a cup of tuna! Tuna? I love tuna and I've already eaten it in the pureed food stage! But today, 1/8 of a cup was too much, and after a lot of pain and nausea and trying to avoid it, I finally threw up. It was awful, but after an hour the only real damage was to my pride and my worry level. Pride, because I pride myself on never getting sick (even through all my pregnancies), and worry, because it causes a mistrust of food. I only have 25 minutes for lunch at school, and I can't afford to be sick for an hour (not to mention I wouldn't want to stand over the sink in the teacher's bathroom and let others watch what I went through today). But tomorrow, I'll get back in the saddle with semi-solids again (not tuna for now). The rest of today I just had soup, water and a protein shake.
I still get the majority of my protein from two protein shakes per day, but I also make sure I get protein from food sources every day, too. And I've started adding milk to my shakes to up the protein and calcium, since I'm not on additional calcium yet. I feel really great, considering it has been less than four weeks since major surgery. I know Opie wants me to work my way up to 800 calories in 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. So far, I'm eating 2 shakes and 2 meals and approximately 400-500 calories on my good days, which is way up from the 200-300 a day I was eating at two weeks post-op. I think additional calories will speed my losses, so I will keep working on it. Oh, and I walked a mile today for the first time since surgery!
Through the looking-glass, and what I found there...
Aug 06, 2007
Hello from the other side! Today I am two weeks out, and I'm happy. It hasn't been without bumps, but all well worth it, so far. I will try to recount the past two weeks in order to remember it later.
I went to the hospital on Monday morning with my husband and my parents, and the staff moved me pretty quickly through the prep stages - or maybe it just seemed that way because I was a bit nervous. But there were never any second thoughts about going through with it; I just wondered if my legs might turn to jelly as I walked into that OR. They did not. It was scary to climb up on that table, but within seconds I was out like a light. My last thoughts were prayers. Man, did I feel brave!
The next thing I remember was waking up in recovery. ACK! That's a room full of people moaning and yelling. I did not moan or yell. Actually, I felt okay, but my mouth was very dry. What I didn't know at first, but finally got bits and pieces of, was that I had been there a long time while they were waiting for an ICU bed to open up. My blood pressure was running high, but I have yet to hear how high. I was in near oblivion to all around me. Meanwhile, my poor family was in the waiting room and had yet to see me. They knew I was having problems even before I did, and without all the drugs I had, they had nothing to alleviate the worry. My poor husband (who is diabetic) refused to go get something to eat the whole time, in case something happened or he missed the opportunity to see me.
So, surgery time was shortly after 11:00 a.m., and I think I got wheeled into my room at about 8:00 p.m. My family was waiting for them to get me settled in as I arrived, and they looked quite wrung out for the experience. I'm sure I looked great as well, but I felt fine! ICU knows how to treat their patients: comfy beds and lots of meds. The only painful part was moving, and there was a PT monster who came by to make sure I did. Actually, I knew I was supposed to, so even before the PT monster came by and introduced herself, I asked a nurse if she could help me walk. All those hours in recovery, most people are already up and moving. I didn't want any blood clots on top of everything else.
I spent Monday and Tuesday in ICU, and went home Wednesday evening with two drains. I could tell my husband wasn't really ready for me to come home, so that was lousy. I don't know if he felt overwhelmed by the burden of having me there, or if he just thought I wasn't ready yet. But he had a lot of stress from running the household by himself and having my mother there and me in the hospital, so I don't blame him for acting a little annoyed. Anyway, I did okay on Thursday, but called the surgeon's office to see if I could restart my bp medicine because it was still running high. His nurse never got back to me, so on Friday I called again. BP was even higher, and after several phone calls (doctor was in emergency surgery), his nurse said go ahead and take them and he'll discuss it with you on Tuesday at follow-up. So I did.
At 4:30 on Friday afternoon, I was hit with pain so sharp in my abdomen, I could not stand up. I tried two Lortabs, no relief. I called the doctor's answering service (now after 5, of course), and finally got a call back at 6:00. The surgeon covering for him said to go to the ER. I went in and they took x-rays and a ct scan, and said I still had the contrast material from Tuesday morning's leak test blocking my intestines - not a true surgical blockage yet, but extremely painful and nothing was able to move past it. Plus, my blood pressure was now 199/101. They admitted me, and began the difficult task of trying to get the contrast material to work its way through my bowels. It took all weekend, and I stopped my pain meds Saturday because they said they could contribute to constipation. Finally on Sunday night at midnight I passed the contrast, and on Monday morning my doctor had my first drain pulled and released me to go home.
Since then, I have been on full liquids. Tomorrow I get to see my doctor, and hopefully I will get to advance to purees. My blood pressures are running much lower (99/69!), so he will probably want me to stop my bp medicine. He will also pull my last drain. Yea! The drain isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it is annoying and it makes you feel abnormal at a time when normal is all you want to be.
My husband left for Denver this morning for a much-needed work trip after being home for two weeks (work was never as hard as being here full-time, but that's not news to anyone who has ever stayed home with children). I appreciate what a sacrifice it was on his part to use vacation time for my recovery. My youngest son left for college last week, one day after I got out of the hospital. To say things have been stressful around here is an understatement, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And this time, I'm pretty sure I'll fit through the tunnel!
I went to the hospital on Monday morning with my husband and my parents, and the staff moved me pretty quickly through the prep stages - or maybe it just seemed that way because I was a bit nervous. But there were never any second thoughts about going through with it; I just wondered if my legs might turn to jelly as I walked into that OR. They did not. It was scary to climb up on that table, but within seconds I was out like a light. My last thoughts were prayers. Man, did I feel brave!
The next thing I remember was waking up in recovery. ACK! That's a room full of people moaning and yelling. I did not moan or yell. Actually, I felt okay, but my mouth was very dry. What I didn't know at first, but finally got bits and pieces of, was that I had been there a long time while they were waiting for an ICU bed to open up. My blood pressure was running high, but I have yet to hear how high. I was in near oblivion to all around me. Meanwhile, my poor family was in the waiting room and had yet to see me. They knew I was having problems even before I did, and without all the drugs I had, they had nothing to alleviate the worry. My poor husband (who is diabetic) refused to go get something to eat the whole time, in case something happened or he missed the opportunity to see me.
So, surgery time was shortly after 11:00 a.m., and I think I got wheeled into my room at about 8:00 p.m. My family was waiting for them to get me settled in as I arrived, and they looked quite wrung out for the experience. I'm sure I looked great as well, but I felt fine! ICU knows how to treat their patients: comfy beds and lots of meds. The only painful part was moving, and there was a PT monster who came by to make sure I did. Actually, I knew I was supposed to, so even before the PT monster came by and introduced herself, I asked a nurse if she could help me walk. All those hours in recovery, most people are already up and moving. I didn't want any blood clots on top of everything else.
I spent Monday and Tuesday in ICU, and went home Wednesday evening with two drains. I could tell my husband wasn't really ready for me to come home, so that was lousy. I don't know if he felt overwhelmed by the burden of having me there, or if he just thought I wasn't ready yet. But he had a lot of stress from running the household by himself and having my mother there and me in the hospital, so I don't blame him for acting a little annoyed. Anyway, I did okay on Thursday, but called the surgeon's office to see if I could restart my bp medicine because it was still running high. His nurse never got back to me, so on Friday I called again. BP was even higher, and after several phone calls (doctor was in emergency surgery), his nurse said go ahead and take them and he'll discuss it with you on Tuesday at follow-up. So I did.
At 4:30 on Friday afternoon, I was hit with pain so sharp in my abdomen, I could not stand up. I tried two Lortabs, no relief. I called the doctor's answering service (now after 5, of course), and finally got a call back at 6:00. The surgeon covering for him said to go to the ER. I went in and they took x-rays and a ct scan, and said I still had the contrast material from Tuesday morning's leak test blocking my intestines - not a true surgical blockage yet, but extremely painful and nothing was able to move past it. Plus, my blood pressure was now 199/101. They admitted me, and began the difficult task of trying to get the contrast material to work its way through my bowels. It took all weekend, and I stopped my pain meds Saturday because they said they could contribute to constipation. Finally on Sunday night at midnight I passed the contrast, and on Monday morning my doctor had my first drain pulled and released me to go home.
Since then, I have been on full liquids. Tomorrow I get to see my doctor, and hopefully I will get to advance to purees. My blood pressures are running much lower (99/69!), so he will probably want me to stop my bp medicine. He will also pull my last drain. Yea! The drain isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it is annoying and it makes you feel abnormal at a time when normal is all you want to be.
My husband left for Denver this morning for a much-needed work trip after being home for two weeks (work was never as hard as being here full-time, but that's not news to anyone who has ever stayed home with children). I appreciate what a sacrifice it was on his part to use vacation time for my recovery. My youngest son left for college last week, one day after I got out of the hospital. To say things have been stressful around here is an understatement, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And this time, I'm pretty sure I'll fit through the tunnel!
Some Final Thoughts
Jul 21, 2007
I don't think I'll have time to post here again until after my surgery, so I'll just add a note now. I feel like I'm ready, in every sense of the word. I went to Vitamin World today (I didn't know we had one until this week!) and got some protein bullets and sublingual B-12. I have lost 20 pounds since my initial consultation and have been working out some, hoping my liver and lungs are in fighting condition for the big day. I went to church this evening to have a real "last supper," because I may hold off on communion for a few months post-op.
The only difficulty I'm having is when I think about my little girls, if something were to happen to me. My husband and my boys are adults, and they would carry on. Most of what I have to say to my boys has probably been said at one time or another; whether they listened or not time will tell.
But my girls are just getting to the age they'll remember when they grow up, so little of what they have experienced yet will stay with them. They are one of the main reasons I'm having the surgery, second only to my health, and they are the main reason having it is difficult. Don't get me wrong - I do believe I'll do well. And I have been praying for my surgeon, that he'll bring his "A" game on Monday. And my health, well, if this doesn't turn out, I think I would opt for death over constant pain and future disabilities. But my girls may not remember me, and certainly would be justified in wondering why I made the decision I did if I become a casualty. I don't know if I can explain it in a way that would justify losing their mother to them; but the possibility of that is so remote, and the possibility that I will be giving them a healthy, participatory mother so great, that I am willing to go to (figurative) hell and back for it.
It is a gift I longed to give their brothers, and failed. I vow not to fail them as well.
The only difficulty I'm having is when I think about my little girls, if something were to happen to me. My husband and my boys are adults, and they would carry on. Most of what I have to say to my boys has probably been said at one time or another; whether they listened or not time will tell.
But my girls are just getting to the age they'll remember when they grow up, so little of what they have experienced yet will stay with them. They are one of the main reasons I'm having the surgery, second only to my health, and they are the main reason having it is difficult. Don't get me wrong - I do believe I'll do well. And I have been praying for my surgeon, that he'll bring his "A" game on Monday. And my health, well, if this doesn't turn out, I think I would opt for death over constant pain and future disabilities. But my girls may not remember me, and certainly would be justified in wondering why I made the decision I did if I become a casualty. I don't know if I can explain it in a way that would justify losing their mother to them; but the possibility of that is so remote, and the possibility that I will be giving them a healthy, participatory mother so great, that I am willing to go to (figurative) hell and back for it.
It is a gift I longed to give their brothers, and failed. I vow not to fail them as well.
Better Than Prison Food, I Think...
Jul 10, 2007
Well, I'm through day 2 of the 14-day Optifast, and it is as boring as they say. I thought people were being whiners when they complained about the Optifast, but it is semi-nasty compared to the GNC 100% Whey protein drink I bought to try. My husband said it is because no one is going to prescribe the GNC stuff, so they have to make it good enough for people to want it. The Optifast people really don't care what it tastes like. I'm sure it will make my two weeks of full liquids after surgery look great.
I had my final pre-op appointment with my surgeon on Friday (7/6), and it went well. My husband got to go with me finally. I had lost 11 pounds from my consultation, not nearly as much as I wanted to. If ever I wonder in the weeks after surgery, "Why did I do this?" (and I'm sure I will), I want to remember that even working my behind off and eating less than 1200 calories and 50 carbs a day, I stop losing after two weeks.
I had my final pre-op appointment with my surgeon on Friday (7/6), and it went well. My husband got to go with me finally. I had lost 11 pounds from my consultation, not nearly as much as I wanted to. If ever I wonder in the weeks after surgery, "Why did I do this?" (and I'm sure I will), I want to remember that even working my behind off and eating less than 1200 calories and 50 carbs a day, I stop losing after two weeks.
June Ending
Jun 28, 2007
I weighed in at my gym the first time I was there on June 17, and as of June 28 I have lost 10 pounds! I'm not really afraid to diet right now because I know the wls will allow me to maintain the losses. Recently I had begun to get more and more afraid to take off weight, for fear of regaining it plus more in a few weeks/months. As bad as my weight was, at least it wasn't x pounds heavier, a dieting "guarantee," at least in my world.
I'm still struggling with the idea of a "last supper." I'm just really over food right now, so even though I only have about 10 days left until my pre-surgery liquid diet, there are few things I want enough to de-rail the great losses I'm having. And I am assuming I'll never have alcohol or sugar again. I know in theory I may, but I'm trying to eat certain foods high in sugar with no substitute on the premise that I will dump and will never want to eat those foods again. I finally came up with about four things (not a meal, exactly) and will try to work each one in over the next 10 days while still maintaining my weight loss. Wish me luck!
I'm still struggling with the idea of a "last supper." I'm just really over food right now, so even though I only have about 10 days left until my pre-surgery liquid diet, there are few things I want enough to de-rail the great losses I'm having. And I am assuming I'll never have alcohol or sugar again. I know in theory I may, but I'm trying to eat certain foods high in sugar with no substitute on the premise that I will dump and will never want to eat those foods again. I finally came up with about four things (not a meal, exactly) and will try to work each one in over the next 10 days while still maintaining my weight loss. Wish me luck!
About Me
KS
Location
Surgery
07/23/2007
Surgery Date
Jun 08, 2007
Member Since
