Here I am, enjoying "The Far Side" of WLS! (GRUMPY POST)

Dec 11, 2009

Well, I got what I wanted. Yep. Sure did. As Mr. Spock once said on Star Trek, "The having is often not so pleasant a thing as the wanting."

My surgery went well. Not too much pain with the lovely morphine button clutched in my clammy hand. The private room I was promised turned out to be a revolving door of various roommates, which ticked me off no end. Impossible to get any real sleep.

The first day I was mostly out of it, which made the IV fluid drip a godsend. I don't think I drank anything that day, except for a particularily noxious radio opaque fluid to check for leaks. NOT my first beverage of choice, I can tell you. Started me gagging, and gave me four days of uncontrollable runs.

My bad day was day three. I had been directed to swallow several ground up medications every day; diabetic meds, blood pressure meds, Zoloft. There is a very good reason these bitter compounds come in PILLS! I did my best, but by day three my chest felt on fire and the throwing up started. Misery incorporated. I refused any more ground up pills. The puking stopped.

I came home on day 4 still sporting a blood-filled JP drain, which I have to empty (and measure the output) several times a day. Ew. Smelly and gross. Also painful. Oh yes.... and my Doctor has no time to see me next week for the surgical follow up appointment. Am I supposed to walk around with this awful drain for two weeks??? My plan is to show up at his office and just sit there, talking to his prospective patients, until they fit me in.

I've decided I will go on Insulin if I have to until I can either swallow pills again or don't need diabetic meds anymore (my dream result!) And the Zoloft will just have to take a hike. My BP pills - well, not sure about those. Right now I'm not taking anything except for the Lovenox injection every day, which are not as bad as I thought they would be. And vitamins.

Unfortunately for me, hunger is still an issue. A BIG issue. I woke up from surgery hungry. It is not just head hunger, it is gnawing, growling, full on starvation. This is not making me happy, because I can't eat enough to stop the pain.

Enough whining for today. Maybe this is all part of the "hormonal and emotional changes" we hear about. Apparently, they make you hungry as well as grumpy.

Oh, and I've lost 4 pounds since Monday.

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