shnookumzz
New Life... New Goals
Jul 28, 2008
Right after I had my surgery I was determined as I could be. I was out taking walks around my block several times per day to get myself up to doing more. I remember the first walk I took around my small block was exhausting! It's not that it was prior to surgery... I was actually very capable of walking even a couple of miles in spite of my size. But, it meant more to me to do it after my surgery. In my mind there is NO choice, but to do what I need to in order to succeed with this process. If I'm not going to do the right things, then there is really no point in having the surgery. I know it's a harsh point of view, but it's the one I need to keep me in line. And it works beautifly for me.
Anyway... within a few weeks those walks were hour long walks all around my neighborhood and I was back up to my normal walking ability. I was actually getting bored with walking and decided it was time to reactivate my gym membership. I remember also my delight at being able to spend an hour on the elyptical. I had remembered it as such a torturous device and it really didn't seem so bad anymore.
What I wanted most out of my gym membership was the lap pool... ahh, swimming. I sucked at it, but wanted to be good at it. I started swimming laps with a snorkel so that I didn't have to worry about how to breathe at first and could just focus on being able to swim as long as I needed to. Eventually I started taking a lap here or there without the snorkel... I'm sure I must have seemed quite silly to some of the more experienced swimmers, but I don't care. I was determined to be a swimmer and damn it I am a swimmer now. I currently swim 30 laps, first thing in the morning, 4 days per week. This means that I get up at 5:00 AM on Tuesday and Thursday just to get my laps in. This means that even on Saturday and Sunday I am up at 6:30 to get my laps in. I don't get to sleep in any more... which is a major lifestyle change for me too. I used to stay up WAYYYYY to late sitting on my arse doing nothing then sleep 1/2 the day. Life is so much more meaningful when you are actually awake!
So... I'm finding I actually really enjoy setting these physical goals for myself. And what a great opportunity to do what my body needs while working on something that drives me and stimulates me!!! So, I have set myself a bigger challenge.
I am going to compete in a triathlon July 2009. I have just under a year to get ready for it. The triathlon I will compete in is called Eppie's Great Race. It's been a tradition in Sacramento (very close to where I live) for 35 years. It consists of a 6 mile run, 12 mile bike ride, and 6 miles of paddling. This is quite a challenge for me... I plan to participate in the IronWoman division. I can't even believe how excited I am at the prospect of accomplishing this. I have NEVER been able to run a single mile without stopping... let alone six! So I definitely will have my work cut out for me.
Tonight was the first time I've attempted to jog and I actually did 1/2 a mile non-stop! I walked for about 7 minutes... then did another 1/4 mile, walked another 7 minutes and did another 1/4 mile. While it's a disjointed mile it's a start. I am not willing to push myself so hard that I hurt myself. I want to be successful and injuries aren't going to help me get there. I'm so proud of myself for that 1/2 mile... I can't believe that I jogged 1/2 a mile... ME... I did it!
I can only imagine my exhiliration as I continue to improve. I won't truly begin working on the running until the weather here starts to cool. I love the swimming and now that I can do 30 laps consistently, I'm working on improving my time. (it takes me an hour right now... if I get too fast I'll add more laps in) But... I am thinking that I may start using the treadmill one day per week to work on the jogging just a little bit. I don't expect much improvement on one day per week... but, it's a starting point until the fall comes and I move indoors.
Oh... and I do enjoy trying to get to a yoga class one day per week also. My husband believes that the yoga and flexibility will help me in the long run so that I don't hurt myself. I think he's got a good point... I just love Yoga because it makes me feel strong after I do it. It is relaxing and refreshing and gives me strength. What a super combination!
Okay... I'm done. I'm just so excited about my new goal and my accomplishment from today I wanted to put it in writing so I can remember my entusiasm on days when it's harder to keep myself going. I need to be my own cheerleader sometimes... hopefully this blog will help me do that!
Still Doing Great!
Mar 30, 2008
I am still doing great! I had my post-op appointment on Thursday, March 27th. The doctors were very happy with the progress I've made. They were also very happy with my adherance to the plan. I was extremely happy to get the stinking staples pulled out!!! My incisions look great. The redness where the staples are should subside with time... I'm sure it will all look good eventually.
I have been extremely dilligent in keeping my food logs every day and making sure I get plenty of protein and liquids in my daily diet. Friday I got to start phase e ~ pureed foods. Ooh la la! This has allowed me to try several new things. So far I have had: cottage cheese, tuna, ham, pintos & cheese (no cheese LOL) and a little bit of carrots (that were cooked w/the ham). I've had no issues with food so far. I'm eating about 1/4 cup of food per meal. Eating 4 times a day and drinking constantly (except 30 minutes before/after eating). I have to say this phase is a little harder than the 2nd phase, simply because it's harder to force myself to eat when I have NO hunger than it was to get myself to drink over the last couple of weeks. It also makes getting in all the liquid a bigger challenge, but I am adjusting well. I imagine I'll have a bit of an adjustment period as I move on to each new phase in the diet. I'm sure I can handle it... well... except, I have no idea how I'm going to get in that 5th meal by the time I get to the final phase. I'll figure out something. LOL
My post-op weight loss has been steady at about 5 pounds per week. this is actually about the same as I did pre-op. I went to my first appointment with the surgeons on January 25th and lost 26 pounds by the time I had surgery on March 13th. It was basically 6 weeks. I imagine if I hadn't lost so much weight so quickly right before surgery that my loss might be faster post-op. It doesn't really matter though, I'm seriously not complaining. Five pounds a week is awesome. And honestly, I've never had trouble losing weight when I seriously work at it... it's the maintaining that I struggle with. My motivations for surgery came from the fact that I had lost and regained weight so many times that the thought of going through that process again would make me cry. I would get so sad before I ever even started, because while I knew I could lose it... that I knew in the end I'd gain it all back... plus more. It was a horrible, horrible pattern. One I am hoping I never, ever return to.
I went and played poker again on Tuesday and Friday night. Had a great time (for the most part). Tuesday night was okay... there were just a few people there that I really didn't care for. Once they left, I had a much better time. Friday night I went to someone's game I've never gone to before. This man is seriously committed to the game. He lives alone (I think) and has basically converted 90% of the living space in his modest home to hosting poker games. He's got 3 tables in a fairly small space, but he runs things smoothly and people really seem to have a good time. I did too... well, except I lost. :-)
Easter
Mar 24, 2008
I'm doing spectacular!!! The only complaint I have really is that I get bored sitting at home. I'll probably have a friend pick me up tomorrow night so I can go play poker just to get out of the house. I did that last week too. :-) Thursday I should be released for driving then I will be able to get out every once in a while without having to feel like I'm helpless. It's really hard to become dependent on other people when I'm soooo used to taking care of myself.
Yesterday I even cooked Easter dinner for my parent's, Greg's Mom and my family. I kept it a little more simple than I normally would... but, it was still a change of pace and I enjoyed cooking. Although, there were two things that were super funny (to me anyway). First, I learned that there are things I cook by taste and doing that when you are still on a liquid diet is a challenge. I had to run around handing samples to people to figure out if I had it right. Second, I have a problem with eating out of habit. I still have absolutely no hunger. Sometimes I feel kinda full, but I never feel hunger. Despite no hunger... there were a couple of times where I reached for things I love, just because they were in front of me. It's pretty eye opening really. Luckily, I realized what I was about to do and stopped myself before I did anything stupid!!!
Once I had my family and all the food out on the patio to eat I warmed up my blended soup and went to sit with them. My Mom was making pouty faces when I came out with my tiny little four ounce bowl. But, I felt great and told her to stop it! I told her I didn't feel bad, so she certainly shouldn't. I don't want other people's thoughts to become mine. I actually had a great time cooking for them and felt great because I was totally comfortable being around all of that food and not eating it. For me... the day was a bit of a test. I figured it would be better to figure out my comfort level around such things in a safe environment. If the food was getting to me here I could always go hang out in my bedroom for a while. Thankfully, it never came to that. Now I can feel comfortable knowing that being around others while they eat isn't an issue for me.
1 Week Down!
Mar 21, 2008
I have been VERY active and have felt great. I haven't even taken a nap in about 3 days. I have taken 3 walks almost every day. One day I missed one because I was just going stir crazy and needed to get out of the house and go do something. I chose poker. :-) so, that took up my evening and I wasn't able to walk. I did have a great time seeing a group of poker friends I hadn't seen since before Christmas. They were all like "oh my, you've lost a lot of weight". That totally didn't suck! I didn't get my 3rd walk in yesterday either because I was cleaning, which was more physically challenging then a walk anyway so I really don't feel bad.
We are moving in June. We've lived in the same house for the last 6 1/2 years... so, there is tons of crap we have accumulated. Last evening I started going through some of the junk. I'm not lifting anything heavy. If anything seems like it's over the 10 pound threshold set by my docs I get someone else to deal with it. But, it felt great to get started on the process. My husband and I worked on a room in our house that has a bunch of built in shelves and has totally become a point of "junk collection". That room is looking great now. There is very little that we kept and it will be much easier to move what remains.
Ummm... trying to think of anything else noteworthy in my progress. Oh... my last Lovenox injection is in less than an hour!!! I'm totally stoked about that!!! Having to have 2 shots in the abdomen a day totally sucks!
Otherwise, I'm getting between 60-80 grams of protein in daily. I'm getting in my 48-64 ounces of water daily. Taking vitamins twice per day... taking my meds to prevent ulcers. Haven't had ANYthing for pain since Monday morning when I last took Tylenol. Haven't used the Codeine since Saturday evening (which was only my 3rd day). It's pretty uneventful really. Which is the best possible outcome at this point. I don't want complications and I am thankful that I have had none thus far.
Before...
Mar 19, 2008
Post Op Update!
Mar 17, 2008
I was pretty quickly awake in recovery. The nurses and doctors who were monitoring me were laughing at me because I was making jokes and was pretty lucid. They also said I probably wouldn't remember. I remember some of it... but, not all. I really remember my mouth just being SUPER dry...between the pain meds and anesthesia there was just no moisture there. They provided me with this funky sponge lollipop thing... they'd dip it in water for me to get my lips and mouth wet, but I wasn't able to actually drink anything yet.
Fast forward a little bit and they moved me up to my room on the 12th floor. It was after 8PM, so I had to wave off my Mom and kids. It seemed silly to have them come down when visiting hours were supposed to be over at 9PM. The nurse said they weren't strict about the visiting hours, but I figured it was best not to push it. I figured having Greg there with me until late was better than having a small crowd for a short time. I wanted Greg to be around the first time I got up to walk since he's a big guy and I knew he could support me if I needed it. I finally did get up to walk at about 11:30. I experienced a little bit of nausea, but was able to breathe my way through it (HOORAY!). I did one lap of the wing I was on and that was enough for me at that time... back to bed! I sent my Honey back home so he could get some sleep.
Now started my frustration. I tried 3 times during the night to get the silly nurse to come and take me for a walk. I had heard sooooo many times prior to surgery that walking was a critical element to healing and recovery. So... to have this woman coming between me and what I needed to do was incredibly frustrating. Everytime I asked to walk there was "just one more thing I need to do" before she could get to me. Truth be told... I really just think she didn't want to be bothered. So, sometime between 7 and 8 the new nurse comees on and I unloaded on her. I was like "I've been asking to get out of this bed all night and I've receive no help... blah, blah, blah..." yeah, I was pretty frustrated. I typically am not one to complain, but I was really feeling ignored. She said she had one more patient she needed to check in on before she could help me get up. Shortly after, one of my surgeons and a ton of students stopped by and I again was like "I NEED TO WALK!!!!" He assured me that he would make sure someone got me up quickly. I guess I should note that overall through all of this I was doing great. At the time, and even when I think back... I'm still just frustrated that I was left in bed despite my pleas for help.
Anyway... the day nurse did come back as promised!!! Finally!!!! She removed my cathetar and helped me up and I went and walked 2 laps! WooHoo! I really was feeling quite good. I was avoiding using the morphine button as much as possible. I really hate the way narcotics knock me out! After the two laps though... I was exhausted and went back to bed. LOL When I woke up again, I used the restroom (another step towards checkout) and went and walked again with Greg. Of course... this made me sleepy again. He had some things to take care of... so I sent him on his way again. The nurse brought in my 1 oz cups a little bit later and told me it was time to start drinking. I had to get in 16 ounces before they'd let me go home. For those of you who don't know, it should take a post-op patient 4 hours to drink 16 ounces. I got a little bit of nausea with the first ounce, but was again able to breathe through it. I slowly worked through my cups... one ounce was beef broth from my lunch tray and one ounce was sugar free jello... exciting stuff! Hahaha Needless to say, I got through them all... and got up for another walk at some point as well.
I got home Friday night about 7PM. I was sleepy, but otherwise good. I visited with my parents and my kids and watched TV. Over the weekend and today, I've not done much... mostly laying around, making sure I am getting sufficient fluid, getting out to walk 3 times a day. The walking usually makes me tired and I come home and fall asleep again... however, my walk this morning was awesome. I was out 27 minutes and came home and havne't been back to sleep! Part of that might be that I took myself off the narcotics yesterday. I bought some "melt in your mouth" children's tylenol and was fine with just that yesterday. Today, I've only taken it once, first thing this morning. I'll avoid the narcotics at all costs at this point. I really hate feeling knocked out from the drugs... maybe that's why it's always been easy for me to "Just Say No!" LOL
My current status... eating a 4 ounce cup of crushed ice and water with a baby spoon. I'll be taking my second walk for the day by taking a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond. I hear the Magic Bullet is great for mixing protein drinks, making pureed foods, etc. It's something I never picked up prior to surgery, but am now thinking it would be easier to clean when I make my tiny meals then my full sized blender. I'm trying to keep life simple at this point. I'm pretty happy with my progress... haven't been sick at all, I'm weaning myself off of pain meds. Really the only complaint I could have at this point is the pain in my stomach from the incisions. It mostly just feels like I've done about a thousand crunches. As long as I don't try to move in any extravegant way I'm okay. The things that truly suck: coughing and sneezing. I've had a couple of coughing fits that REALLY REALLY REALLY sucked. Only sneezed about twice. Oh... I imagine laughing too hard would also hurt, so I have avoided watching any comedies thus far. LOL
Ticker Time
Mar 11, 2008
I'm feeling pretty good... I'm less than 48 hours from surgery and I haven't had solid food since Sunday evening. I am absolutely hungry, but that's no surprise since I was on nothing but clear liquids all day and it's nearly 1:30AM now. I'm very eager for Thursday, but not looking forward to tomorrow. The bowel prep is not my idea of a good time!!! LOL
Huge Update
Mar 06, 2008
January 25th I went in for my first appointment with Dr. Fuller at UC Davis. They do group appointments for most of the appointments. You do a portion of the appointment in a class format then the group splits out into appointment rooms after for 1x1 time witha variety of doctors. The appointment on the 25th of January had a lot of redundant information in the class part. It was the same stuff they covered in the orientation. I was okay with that I figure they want everyone to hear this stuff over and over again to make sure they are "getting it".
During my 1x1 time we went over all of the records I had already had forwarded to UC Davis. I had my physical, a ton of labwork, pap smear, breast exam, EKG all done ahead of time. I learned I needed all of this by being thorous in my research before I ever went for the first appointment. Additionally I was able to tell them I had quit drinking caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, taking ibuprofin, etc. They were very impressed with how far along I was for someone just starting the process. So they told me I could be "fast tracked". Basically... a date was set 3 months out for me to have surgery, but if I got all of the remaining steps done sooner they would move it up! Excellent! A very good day that was. It was exactly what I wanted to hear.
The three things they wanted from me were: a chest x-ray, additional lab work and I needed to attend their nutrition class. This was a pretty straight-forward list of things to do. I got the lab work done within a couple of days, got into the nutrition class the following week and actually managed to get the chest x-ray relatively quickly considering my primary care physician is out on medical leave and I am dealing with an HMO that requires a referral for the x-ray. So... i called right away to let them know I was ready for my "next step"!
Next step was the "Second Appointment". This appiontment is with the nutritionist. Before I ever went she had reviewed my additinoal labwork and identified I was Vitamin D deficient and that I had tested positive for the virus that causes ulcers. So... she had a couple of prescriptions ready for me. I took the test that proves I understand the phases of the post-op diet and what will be required for me to be successful. We reviewed my food logs, talked about my exercise program and the progress I had made thus far. (I'd lost about 9 pounds if I recall correctly.)
I left feeling pretty good about things, but also without knowing what my next steps were. So, I sent an email off to the nurse coordinator two days later. A week later I still hadn't heard from her so I called to follow up. (I only waited that long because I was totally swamped at work and didn't really need one more thing to do!) I heard back from her later that afternoon and she said she thought I could get into surgery either March 10th or 17th. Holy Crap! That was SUPER FAST! She was supposed to call me back to confirm... Alas I didn't hear from her that afternoon. The next day was Friday and I KNOW that she's in clinic all day so I waited until Monday to call her back. When we spoke she said I could have surgery on March 13th. This was a little change in the date, but still cool by me. Oh... this was just on this past Monday, March 3rd... so, things were definitely moving fast now. She also told me I'd have my pre-op appointment on Weds., March 5th.
So... yesterday was pre-op. Really nothing new to report from that appointment... well, I lost about 13 pounds total according to their scale!!! We went through an information packet that the nutritionist gave me on my prior appointment, but I had read it twice so I was already familiar with the information. I realize that they have to educate to the lowest-common denominator so I try to just let it roll of me when I'm sitting in a class bored out of my mind. Again, keeping with the standard format... group time first, then individual time. I signed surgery consent forms, met with the one of the PAs there for a quick physical and then they sent me off to meet with someone from Anesthesiology and to have more labs done. That part went really quick and I left... dropped off my new melty prescription they gave me for prevacid. (They prescribe to their patients to help prevent ulcers for the first 6 months after surgery.)
So... now I am just waiting for time to pass. My surgery is one week from today. I've been working like a mad-woman trying to get my work done so that I don't leave my team hanging while I am out... it's been a whirlwind the last few days, but I believe it will all be worth it in the end.
Another hurdle... done!
Jan 02, 2008
First Authorization in Hand
Nov 28, 2007
I've noticed that since I made this decision I have been eating EVERYthing. I am not sure what this means, I just know I'm doing it and I'm sure it's not really what my body needs from me. I guess I'm saying goodbye???
Other than that... I've been kind of down. I would like to be excited, but I'm still so worried that the insurance will say no that I can't be. I just don't know that I have the strength to fight them if they ultimately tell me I am not a candidate. Or even if the surgeons say that... there's just lots that I worry about right now. What's a girl to do?
