SueAS
August 24, 2007 - 288 lbs
Thanks to PJ Wilsen I've been introduced to this website and my first blog experience. I've been slowly moving toward the Roux-n-y procedure since May 2007 and hopefully I'm down to the last few weeks before surgery. I have a few more tests (EKG, chest x-ray and labs), I'm waiting for a response regarding my appeal to my insurance company - a little more paper, a few more phone calls and I will schedule the date that I begin this new adventure. I'm very excited and full of anticipation. I'm a planner and list maker, so I have completed all the pre-shopping: chewable vitamins, ice packs, a body length pillow, 30 mg protein powder and liquid containers that will measure my intake, to name a few things. Someone should develop a shopping list for this stuff, don't you think? I'll post a photo...I have nothing to hide. Welcome to my world!
August 28, 2007
CIGNA denied my appeal, but I've scheduled my surgery anyway. The $45k will be worth the improvement in life I plan to experience. In 3 days I go for my pre-op with Dr Nishi. Tomorrow I will receive a fax from Cedars with what I need to schedule as last minute tests (labs, EKG and chest x-ray) with my general practitioner and then 2 weeks to prep my head. Today I had a 2 hr session at Cedars about before, during and immediately after surgery, as well as reviewing all the previous info about week 1 = liquids, etc. I'm not excited-Yippee, but I'm excited-good kind of scared, like being at the top of the hill on the roller coaster, just before going down while screaming. Here I go...........!!!
September 3, 2007 - 292 lbs
At my pre-op appointment, the same information was repeated and I received the "risks" handout for the 4th time. Routine and repetition is the name of the game, I guess. What you don't hear the first time, you might hear by the 4th. The one thing I did hear this time was that I need to get B-12 that disolves under my tongue. I've started grinding up my chewable vitamins and calcium. Not bad tasting, just interesting getting the chalk to all go down with as little water as possible. Practise, Practise, Practise. My emotions are starting to spin out on occasion. The "oh my gosh", "what am I doing?", "Can I really be sure I won't fail", etc. are kicking in. I can tell it's time to set up regular, not just once in a while appointments with a therapist for a while. I'm also going to be spending lots of time reading about others here. It really helps to hear successes and what's worked for others. I'll try to remember that too, so that when I'm successful, I write the "why" I was so others can read my profile and get tips. My appointment for the last tests is on 9-10 - also my birthday!
September 13, 2007
One week to go! All my labs, ekg and chest x-ray are done. I've finished shopping for the first few weeks post-op and I'm packing my overnight bag. Here comes 9-19! I'm much calmer this week than I was last week, became calmer right after scheduling the actual date. This is the right thing to do and all will be well.
September 15, 2007
Had my last pizza and cinamon sticks from Dominos for a while! Feels freeing, but it still tasted great going down. Left a couple of pieces for breakfast.
September 18, 2007
Surgery tomorrow. Only liquids yesterday and today. I'm hungry, I feel weak (hate it) and I want to do things, but have no energy. My last day of work and I'm so glad I work at home because I can hardly type this note. Maybe I need a nap. I keep giving myself pep talks. Only one more day, this feeling of hunger is temporary, tomorrow is a great adventure, tomorrow is the start of my new life, I am as ready as I can be, there are people who will help me....oh, and I get a massage tonight to celebrate!
September 29, 2007 - 285 lbs
10 days post op and feeling better and better each day. I'm losing a pound a day and I'm not a bit surprised because I'm ALWAYS hungry. I'm looking forward to my first post op appointment on Tuesday. Maybe they'll let me add eggs or something hearty to the list of things I can eat. So far, it's two scoops of protein powder in 16 ounces of skim milk twice a day (that gives me the required 75 grams of protein), Progresso hearty tomato soup with the chunks of tom strained out, Andersen's pea soup, sugar free jello, jello pudding and popcicles, cottage cheese, water and tea. After 10 days, I'm pretty darn bored and the feeling of being hungry most of the day is getting very old! Sure is fun to hop on the scale every day, however. My dear friend Bibi flew down from San Fran to spend part of each day with me Mon-Sat this week. She did some shopping for me and cleaned out my frig which I will be eternally greatful for. It's the little things, y' know? I also appreciate all the emails, cards, flowers and phone calls that I've received from my many well wishers. Sure is wonderful to feel the love! Gets me through the short periods of time when I sit in my rocking chair, my eyes puddle up and I'm feeling sorry for myself thinking, "What the hell have I done?" I've read many other's pages on this site, so I know it's very normal, and for me it only lasts a few minutes and then I'm out the door for a walk or flipping through my book and distracting my head. I'm one impatient gal, looking forward to a few months from now when the pounds have really come off and I can see why I did this to myself. I'm looking forward to not having one thing in my drawers or closet that fit me. What a concept!
October 3, 2007 282 or 277
Surgeon's office scale says potato, I say potatoe...whatever! Not sure exactly how much I've lost or how much I weigh because my home scale says less than the Surgeon's office. Had my first post op appointment yesterday and Dr. Nishi says I'm healing and progressing right on schedule. The sutured areas are healing fine and I've been applying Vitamin E and Neosporin, so scars will be at a minimum....but last time I wore a bikini, I was 10 years old so I'm not sweating the battle scar idea. I am now able to drive, so will be less dependent on others, but I'm still going to walk to the market and post office whenever possible. The Doc says I can add the regular third and fourth week foods which will include tofu, fish and soft vegis; remembering as I plan, that protein comes first. I have huge vats of protein powder, so that will continue to be a staple, especially when traveling for work which begins again in a couple of weeks. The other interesting tidbit was learning that my blood pressure is too low....me? I thought the puny feeling of not enough spunk and a funny back ache was due to recovering, but I began cutting my blood pressure meds in half today and that was the culprit! I have much more energy, no need for a nap and the achy, breaky feeling is much less. I found some terrific soups at Vons. All ready made and better than the canned stuff, so I've been enjoying the new, richer more fulfilling tastes. So far, so good with feeling ok eating them and I'm an avid label reader-the less sugar and fat, the better. Can't wait for my first mashed potato tomorrow. The question will be butter or margarine?
October 5, 2007
One more week off from work and then back to the desk. Working from home will be a blessing because I still lack energy. A little weepy yesterday afternoon and today because as of yesterday it's been three weeks and I was given the go ahead to add some foods, but only eggs agree with my body. Tuna with spices and mashed potatos didn't. I was in bed all afternoon and felt like I had the flu. No nausea, just achy and icky feeling. Slept it off, but the "poor me" set in once I woke up. I keep on telling myself to be thankful for cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs, powdered protein in milk, popcicles and soup. The few things I can eat that are nourishing me. I'm using the distraction method for staying out of the poor me pit. I'm also keeping my house filled with vases of flowers. I can't smell them (my sense of smell and taste are still out of commision), but I can see the beautiful roses I picked up at the street market. Not being able to taste may be a blessing down the line. If I can't smell the chocolate cake and pizza, maybe it won't be as interesting to me. Thank goodness for my friends and family who keep calling and sending me quick pick me up emails saying how proud they are of me. I love the applause, that's for sure.
October 13, 2007
The weight loss has slowed down, but I'm not eating or drinking any more than I was and the inches are falling off. I have started a box that I'm tossing clothing into that're too large to wear now. I have figured out some of the tips for not feeling poorly during the day. It's all about food combinations, eating and sipping slowly. This is certainly a learning process. I feel much more energy, but I can see why the Dr says not to start back to the gym for six weeks. My head is ready, but I still get tired after a brisk walk. Not enough calorie intake for heavy exercise. Foods that were not exciting to me prior to surgery are now my favorites: Refried beans, plain scrambed egg whites, yogurts (especially lemon chiffon) and cottage cheese with salsa and avocado. I had my first restaurant experience and it went really well. I ordered broiled salmon and mashed pots, ate eight bites and took the rest home for three more meals! Such a cheap date. I start back to work on Monday and I'm ready. The more I don't dwell in my head about what's going on, the better. It will all come down to planning ahead which has always been a talent anyway.
October 23, 2007 273 lbs
Went to my general practitioner yesterday. She said she may take me off blood pressure meds next month, since mine is so normal now. That was fast! She is concerned about some congestion I have in my lungs so gave me Advair to enhale for a few weeks and sent me to get a chest x-ray. She also asked me to talk to the Dietician about Zinc and Magnesium, saying I may need more in order to get my senses of taste and smell back. Today I'm going on a business trip. I can't wait to see how the seat feels! To date, I can:
Sit in a chair with arms
Sit in a chair, bend over and put on shoes and socks
Sit in a chair and put lotion on my legs down to my feet
Fit in a movie theater seat
Bend backward enough to clean everywhere (nough said)
Stand for a while and not get uncomfortable
Walk and do house work without huffing and puffing
Move the car seat closer to the stirring wheel
Sit in a resaurant booth without my belly touching the table
Wear my car seatbelt all the time
Raise my arms over my head without choking myself
October 30, 2007 268 lbs
Five weeks since surgery and I have lost 29 pounds. I had my one month post op appointment today. My surgeon and the hospital group gauge the weight loss with a percentage calculation instead of by the number of pounds a person loses following surgery. Dr. Nishi said that he doesn’t agree with the weight chart that’s used, giving the example that with my height, the chart says I should weigh 130 pounds. I told him that’s good since I haven’t weighed that since I was 16 yrs old. Anyway, using their calculation: From surgery date, I needed to lose 162 pounds. 80% of 162 is 128 pounds and I should lose this by 12-18 months after surgery date. In other words, 29 down. 99 bottles of beer on the wall. He said I’ve lost 15% in a month, which is average. I asked him why I have a rocky sounding voice, I have congestion in my lungs, I can’t smell anything and I can’t taste very many things. He said everyone is different and no one knows enough about the surgery yet, to know the answers or whether I’ll get any of those things back. Hmmm. I sang through a day long rehearsal last weekend and did ok, especially with breath control, but my voice is certainly not back to anything close to normal. Maybe those are the sacrifices I’ll have to make for the rest of my life, in order to be healthier and live longer. Two of my senses and talking like Lauren or Demi isn’t too much to give to live to see my grandchildren grow up, is it? Good things: I can’t smell car exhaust and cigarette smoke smells like marijuana burning. Bad things: the smell of coffee smells like burning dirt and I can’t smell flowers or food cooking very well. A good thing: since food doesn’t taste that great any more, I don’t really care what I can and can’t eat, so sticking to high protein and low sugar and fat isn’t that big a deal. Having different textures and being able to have an occasional saltine or low sugar gelato seems to solve the problem of not feeling deprived. An obvious bad thing: I can’t taste a spicy, garlic sauce or a smooth, sweet chocolate. More good and new things: I go back to the gym in one week, I’m looking and smiling at people in public more and I see them looking back, I sat in an airplane seat on a 757, a 737 and even a small C-7 and didn’t need a seat extension for any of them! I walked comfortably down the aisle of the airplane, didn’t squish other people, could easily reach the air and light buttons above my seat and could sit in the small airport waiting area seating without being squished. One bad thing about the trip was that my cans of high protein pudding didn't make it through Security. I wake up bright eyed and rested early in the morning and have energy all day long. I can walk at an incline without having to stop for breath and without sweating and I can stand much longer than five minutes without looking for somewhere to sit down because my back hurts. I’m looking forward to next April when I can fit through the Dodger Stadium turn style without being squished and holding up the line, I can easily sit in the little bitty seats in the stadium and jump up and down all I want to cheer without getting bruises all over my butt and legs. (that last part is for my mom) This week I have had ground beef in marinara sauce, salsa and bbq sauce with onions and other soft vegis and it goes down just fine. I've learned that after I eat, I can wait 15 minutes and then drink a lot of water to start flushing everything through and then I don't feel any kind of "stuck" or "stuffed" feeling. I’ll be trying my first chicken tomorrow to celebrate Halloween this year, instead of diving into a bag of chocolate bars while I wait for trick or treaters. Here come the holidays!
November 9, 2007
I'm moving easier every day. Traveling to NYC and Newark was so much easier this week. Instead of dreading walking the long NYC blocks, I looked forward to it! No more sweating, back pain and having to zig zag to avoid running into others. Amazing what 30+ pounds less does. Can't wait to see what more off feels like. Used up the last of a Lane Bryant gift card to buy a pair of jeans. Nice to be four sizes smaller. Can't wait to hit the teens in sizes. Right around the corner. Figuring out foods is still my mission. I tend to stick to the things that work, especially when in public or traveling. Who wants to feel icky when with others? So I limit to trying new things when alone and at home in case any issues come up. So far chicken doesn't work well and canned tuna/salmon are difficult. Ground beef and eggs are my best friends and get protein in, other than the protein powder and milk. I've stopped feeling hungry, just kind of empty every once in a while. I discovered another positive to this surgery....I have no stomach, so I have no car sickness! I drove/road up a windy road the other day and didn't feel queasy at all. Amazingly fun to discover! Can't wait to start back at the gym this week. I got the go ahead. Here I go!
November 18, 2007 261 lbs
Good news and bad news. The good news is I went to the gym and started back on the eliptical for 30 minutes. I don't sweat as much as I used to, but I feel it doing it's thing because I'm a little sore. Felt good to be at it again. Now to make it a routine. It's walking distance to the YMCA, so I have no excuses except the ones I make up in my head. The other good news is that I continue to lose pounds and inches. The bad news is I had an emotional breakdown and physical ick yesterday. I found myself truly doing an addictive behavior, went through the cycle of denial, shame, anger, etc. Since I was home alone, I decided to try new foods. I went to the local dive and got a beef tostada with no rice. I ate about a third of it and didn't eat much lettuce at all, but it gave me a chance to try a different kind of beef, a little lettuce and some guac. Everything went down and stayed down fine. I also bought a piece of baklava. I'm sure you see what's coming. I enjoyed every last lick of the honey as it went down. mmmmmm, but it all came up five minutes later. Wow, I've never been so sick, so fast in my life! So THAT's what sugar and butter do. Now I know and now I know why I don't eat rich, sugary things. The great thing about getting sick on something, is that it's over as quickly as it started. Once I vomited it all up, I felt as if I'd never eaten it. Just a little sore throat, which is gone this morning. I then had a meltdown and entered the pity party. Lots of tears and I'll never be able to eat agains and why did I have this stupid surgery, etc. etc. Today it all just feels like part of the process. I still feel some shame for buying and eating that baklava, but I guess these are the hard lessons that I will learn along the way, along with the fun ones like having to buy a smaller size of clothing. No one said life was going to be easy!
June 10, 2008 224
Weight loss has slowed waaaay down, but I'm down to a size 18 and I feel great. I started going to the gym three days a week on June 1st. 30 minutes on the elyptical and then a few weight machines. I have had some problems keeping food down when I'm not paying attention to how fast I'm eating, but that's the lesson along the way. 24 more to go before one-derland!
October 19, 2008 218
Same size, a little less weight. Very happy and healthy and content. no more problems keeping food down. Others are pressuring me to work harder, faster, exercise to get to the end, etc. I'm trying to dance to my own drummer.
December 6, 2007 256 lbs - 42 lbs off!
Survived Thanksgiving, have had another general practitioner appnt and all my Christmas presents are purchased, wrapped and have been mailed to my loved ones who are too far away. Thanksgiving with the family was a hoot. All eyes were on my plate to see what I ate and didn’t eat and how I ate it. Lots of questions and since we do a potluck dinner every year, everyone asked questions ahead of time to figure out what they should bring. I didn’t feel too awfully queer however, because many other members of my family have health issues which dictate what they can and can not eat also. I’m not the only freak these days. One with high cholesterol, one who had heart surgery and doesn’t eat anything green, another who had a liver transplant and doesn’t eat high choloric stuff, then there was me who can’t eat poultry…but that meant I didn’t have a triptifan coma after dinner anyway! Mom prepared a regular turkey and a tofurky….it was as hard and dry as a stone, but it was the thought that counted. Loved the spinach casserole and only had a spoon of this and a spoon of that and didn’t feel deprived at all. I didn’t chance the pies, but they’re not my favorite thing in the world anyway, so no big deal. I’ve started my elliptical routine two or three times a week. I hope to get more faithful as the weeks go on, but walking around the neighborhood has continued and I don’t even huff and puff any more. It feels terrific. I can’t remember the last time I was in the 250 range, so another feel good moment was seeing the scale go there and finally, the one night I was feeling like I was never going to be able to eat anything fun ever again, for the rest of my life, for ever and ever (you know, drama queen extraordinare), a dear friend drove me to the mall, walked me into a pizza slice place where I ate three bites and was done and he ate the rest. He then took me to a gelato place and we got a sugar free gelato. Again, I ate a few bites and was done and he ate the rest. It was the perfect answer to the poor me syndrome. I discovered that I CAN eat popcorn and peanuts and apple jacks, just a few bites and no more. A couple of other things that I’ve learned the hard way. I have been very careful since the baklava incident mentioned above, but still had another episode when I ate the correct things, just one bite too many or maybe a bad mixture. Haven’t quite figured it out. I had a quarter cup of roast beef in small bites with the juice, some carrots and then a half a banana with some peanut butter on it. Something caused the eruption, but it was over in a flash and no sore throat this time. I just wish I knew what did it. Now, of course I don’t want any more of any of those items because I don’t know what did it! The other icky thing that’s still going on is the occasional cough for no reason. I don’t have a cold, I’m not on blood pressure meds any more (the type I was on had throat irritation as a side effect) and it’s been plenty of time for my throat and lungs to have healed from the trake tube, but I still have lung congestion once or twice a day. I’m hoping I just need a little time for whatever it is to go away and trying to be patient. It doesn’t keep me from doing anything, it’s just irritating. I started coughing after chewing my multivitamins today and started wondering if something in them is the cause, so I’ll pay attention to that tomorrow and see if they cause it again. Who knows. Live and learn and always something new in this adventure. Christmas will be with friends and family at Uncle John and Aunt Ellie’s house, but otherwise working through the holidays. Vacation in Belize in January, however!
December 29, 2007
I remember wondering what the end of the year would feel/seem like when I had the surgery last September and now I'm here! Life after getting a smaller stomach is getting easier and easier and I'm reaping the fruits of all the hassle. I WANT to walk instead of drive these days. That in itself is an amazing thing. This month I drove to Porterville, California and saw many cousins I haven't visited with in years, I spent Christmas day with other cousins from Washington state who I rarely get to play with and the day was filled with family and fun and a little bit of food. Food is simply becoming lower on the list of my priorities and when I feel "deprived", I look at my "Delay, distract, distance, determine and decide" saying and if I'm really feeling down, I look at my list of things I can do to help me distract and move my attention away from whatever it is that set me off and I get right back on track. I'm so thankful that I'm generally a positive and uplifted person. Down and depressed doesn't last long and I can divert quickly. What a blessing! So a little ham, a small twice baked potatoe, a few bites of salad, a half a roll with my farmer cousin's home-made jelly and a few bites of pie and I was set. I've started drinking a little caffeine and diet hot chocolate. What a treat! I rarely weigh myself these days, but I put 50 down on my holiday card this year, because I know I'm near that, if not exactly at it. At 50 lbs, I promised myself a trip to my favorite island in Belize, so my reservations are made and I'm going mid January. I used to say that tan fat is more beautiful than white fat, but I have less fat to tan this time. Yippee!
January 13, 2008 244 lbs. 53 lbs off
Had a wonderful weekend with family sleeping at my home, as they came traveling through town. What fun to talk and see cousins in my own habitat. I'm such a lucky gal to have such darling family. We are all so different, yet accept and love each other dearly. I can't wait until next time. I have not been exercising, eating enough protein or drinking enough liquids this month and my business travel season is coming up. I need a kick start back to three months ago when I was my own priority. With this surgery, it doesn't really matter however. Regardless of whether I go to the gym or not, I'm still losing at the same rate. It's all about not putting much in my mouth. Since I'm rarely hungry, I often forget to eat every few hours and only remember when I start getting a headache or light headed. Yesterday in the middle of a room of people, I started coughing and choking. I went for a walk outside, drank a bottle of water and realized it had been too many hours since eating anything and I hadn't had anything to drink. Come on Sue, get with the program! I wrote about buying a pair of jeans in my log above on Nov 9th. Now that pair of pants is too big. Amazing! It's only been four months, but I can eat a little of almost anything now. On my list of rewards, I have "trip to Belize at 50 lbs", so I'm off to the island for a week to snorkel, read and reflect.
March 6, 2008 234 lbs
Just got home from a week on the road and weighed myself. Oh my gosh! This morning I decided to see how much more lard I needed to remove before getting into size 18 leggings that have been hanging in my closet waiting and....they fit today! A pair of dress slacks I purchased two weeks ago for business are already too loose...weight is flying off. Not all roses, of course. I had a nose bleed once a day for a week, but needed to travel so didn't call a Dr to inquire whether it is a concern. While visiting the grandkids (a perk of business travel and going to New York), I kissed Stella and Judah too much and picked up their cold, but my nose bleeds are gone. Makes me think it was dry weather that was causing the bleeding, now that I'm full of snot...who knows. Bleeding is gone. I had my labs done by my general practitioner and she said I need less B12 (once a week instead of daily) and more iron and D. Otherwise, levels look good. Modern science is amazing. How DO they measure the amount of one vitamin from a drop of blood? I haven't been to the gym regularly, but the weight is falling off any way. Just means I'll be flabbier when I'm smaller. I do want to get into a regular routine, but I just haven't gotten there yet. Life's an adventure these days and today I'm enjoying the ride!
April 7, 2008 230
Embarassing moment #2,070,008 = Sitting in a staff meeting. Looked down, realized that my boobs stick out farther than my stomach for the first time in 20 years. Burst into tears of joy. Luckily, those I work with are some of my biggest cheerleaders and just started laughing with me as I dabbed my eyes with my shirt sleeve. A few days later I told this story to my dear friend Beatrize and she said to tell everyone who reads this blog that she has no pity for me, as her boobs are so small that she's never seen them over her stomach...another example of all being "relative" or "in the eyes of the beholder". 
September 25, 2007 287 pound
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Don’t ask me if I recommend this surgery yet cause I’m still not having fun-ask me in a few weeks, but wait, let me start from the day of surgery, last Wednesday, September 19, 2007:
I waited from 10am until 2pm in the waiting room, before a nurse took me to pre-op. Had a blast joking with the nursing staff as I dis-robed, got weighed AGAIN, answered all the same questions AGAIN, met the anesthesiologist and surgical nurse and told Dr. Nishi, my surgeon to “have fun” before being rolled down the hall and going under with the best “juice”. All good so far, right?
Unfortunately, I woke to a nightmare that I didn’t really remember the details of until three days later. It gradually came back to me and that’s one reason I waited several days before writing this next entry here. I woke choking, not breathing and feeling very angry at whatever was happening to me. I was later told that when they removed the tracheotomy tube, I wouldn’t breath on my own so they had to put it back in. I fought with both hands because I didn’t want that thing in there, so they had to tie my hands to the bed rails. So much for a nice, peaceful awakening after a wonderfully peaceful sleep. I stayed in ICU overnight, with people poking, walking in and out, loud noises, people talking as if I wasn’t in the room, bright lights and not being able to say a word because of the breathing tube and machine. I had two chest x-rays, a cat-scan, they cleaned out the tube a dozen times which caused me to cough violently and it was a most frustrating experience. I kept telling myself everyone was doing what they were taught was the right thing to do, they were all taking care of me, it was all temporary and the nightmare would be over soon. It was. Surgery was 3-5pm, ICU was 6pm until noon the next day and then it was all up hill from there.
The regular hospital room felt like living in luxury after ICU, where I was not able to speak or move. I was able to sip 2 ounces of water once an hour for three hours, then given an assortment of jello, decaf, juice and broth to sip. Everything tasted funny, but interesting enough to try except the decaf…yuck! I had weaned myself off coffee and all things caffeine a few weeks ago anyway, so no loss there. The nursing staff poked me with insulin (no, I’m not diabetic), the blood thinner heparin (although I started walking right away), continued to take blood samples, took blood pressure and temp every few hours, I was hooked up to a regular IV pole, had an IV needle in both arms and a pic in the artery in my left wrist (why? They never needed it…maybe just in case?), hooked up to the pulsometer to monitor my heart with the little sticky dots on my chest, and had a catheter in, so I wasn’t moving very far, very fast. One of the first things I did after getting into my regular hospital room was walk around the 8th floor, however. “I’ll show them I can breath” was what I was thinking. Good way to vent some frustration, right?
By Friday (48 hrs after surgery), I was disconnected from everything, I had walked around the hospital ward a few times, I had some protein drink and my body accepted it, I hadn’t felt any pain-just aches, and I didn’t feel nauseous sipping anything. The only thing I was frustrated about was that I had a sore throat and couldn’t breath in a good, full breath. I was told this was all due to the tracheotomy adventure. That proved to be true because every time I coughed up bloody clots of gunk, I could breath a little easier. Hospital check out was very smooth and quick and I walked out of the hospital in my new, powder blue hospital booties and climbed into mom's car for home. Whew!
It’s been a week now. Each day I have felt a little better. It took two days to figure out what the feeling of full felt like and how many sips, how quick/slow sips could be and how many minutes in between sips had to be so that I felt ok. The first three days I had a horrible head, neck and shoulder ache so I took some liquid Tylenol and that took the edge off. By day four the aches were gone and the incisions started itching like they were healing just fine. My throat is still itchy, I cough throughout the day and wake up coughing at night, but it’s fewer and farther between. As of yesterday (5 days post op), I got 60 fluid ounces in which included skim milk with protein powder mixed in it, tomato soup, water, juice, jello and popsicles. Today I had fat and sugar free green pea soup and it was delicious and I’ve always HATED pea soup….go figure! My frig is full of Brita water, the little ready made sugar free jello containers you can buy at the market, a couple of half used soup cans, little bottles of water, a couple of jugs of no added sugar juice and that’s about it. Oh, I tried a few spoon fulls of cottage cheese today because I’ve been so hungry even after drinking all the protein and fluids and I was able to take a nice, long restful nap. I was sleeping off and on just fine up until last night. All of a sudden, at 2 am I woke up wide awake and read my book for two hours until I could fall asleep again. I’ve always been a heavy sleeper and have slept 8-10 hrs a night, so to not be able to sleep in the middle of the night was weird!
I still can’t say I recommend this surgery for anyone, but people who are one or two years “out” say it takes a couple of months and seeing some results before I’ll feel that way. Still too much drama-trauma going on to feel like it’s all worth it yet. One huge positive even in the first week is that I’ve already lost 10 pounds!
