Today I feel marvelous. I have been singing to myself, cooking, and dancing almost all day. It feels like I'm a love-sick Cinderella sweeping through the room, broom in hand. "...so this is love."
My first follow-up was Friday, and I'm 11 pounds lighter than I was before surgery. I had my surgical staples removed, and was wrangled into attending a support group meeting. Turns out my incisions are healing well, and were covered with medical tape. The attending Nurse Practitioner (who looks like Taylor Hicks!), gave me a clean bill of health and the go-ahead to try solid, non-pureed foods. The whole process was all very brief, and lasted around a couple hours.
The next day - yesterday for those keeping track, DH and I went shopping. I picked up some awesome new pieces for the summer, in a size or two too small so I have something to look forward to, and all told, walked a total of around 2 or 3 miles. When we arrived home, I realized that this is the first time I've not had knee pain after a day out in over a year.
I tried my first piece of solid food today, after church. An all-beef hotdog with a couple tablespoons of chili and a bit of mustard. With baby bites and chewing the living crap out of everything I put in my mouth (around 30 chews per bite), I got everything down, and kept it down. Allow me to break here and express my happiness that I have not vomited, spat up, became nauseous, or had any problems tolerating food since my band was placed. So...yay. But anyway...
Because of the combination of these things, I've just been really chipper all day. In addition, DH has been super attentive, grabbing my newly-developing waist and kissing me from behind, and surprising me with flowers. Very romantic. All in all, today has seemed like a kind of mundane fairy tale.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Post Op - Days Two and Three
I apologize for my absence yesterday, as my fever began to climb, and I became increasingly weak by the hour. Yesterday, was, in a word - rough. I woke up feeling pretty good. I found it easier to get up and down from sitting and lying down. I was able to get more fluid in my pouch, my fever was down a few points, and I slept better than I did the night before. I was even able to get up and walk to the end of my in-law's driveway. I began declining towards 4:00 on. I was growing increasingly weak and feverish. My old stomach was still catching up to my new pouch in the hunger department. I was pretty miserable. I also felt very dehydrated. I wasn't able to get in my 64oz. of fluids yesterday, and I certainly felt it. However, I was able to shower yesterday, and DH dressed my incisions (which I'll post pictures of later). They're painful, but healing. Incredibly itchy. And while we're on the topic of DH, he was able to visit an after-hours clinic for his sore throat. He tested positive for Strep. So there's two of us in the house feeling pretty under the weather.
But today, once again is a different story. I woke up feeling great. I was able to walk out of my driveway, all the way to my in-law's house. I sat on their front porch and chatted with my MIL while watching spring happen all around us. It is absolutely beautiful where I live. Daffodils, hyacinths, Magic Lillies. It's just magnificent, even looking out my front door is like a breath of fresh air. Winter has been so dull and dead that when we pulled up into the drive way the day after I left the hospital, I was shocked at how much color we have here in our little place in the mountains. Even with all the turmoil going on in the world - the riots, the new war in Libya, the gas prices, it all seems so far away from my mind right now. I feel totally at peace and calm.
On another note, today is the first day I begin my full liquids. For the past 5 days, I have been drinking only clear liquids, but today I've been able to partake of my protein supplements, and am able to tolerate them. Another milestone is done. Speaking of milestones, today I shocked myself. On my walk with DH, I was able to head down the stairs normally, instead of having to step down each step with one foot, and then another. It doesn't seem like much, but the pressure of the gas in my abdomen made stair climbing very difficult. When you undergo weight loss surgery, you find that little things become big milestones. Descending stairs was a big deal, so was walking the length of my in-law's 60 ft. driveway. It felt marvelous. I'm three days post-op and am already seeing weight loss. I feel like I'm on top of world. I'm learning it's a great thing to be on the losers bench.
But today, once again is a different story. I woke up feeling great. I was able to walk out of my driveway, all the way to my in-law's house. I sat on their front porch and chatted with my MIL while watching spring happen all around us. It is absolutely beautiful where I live. Daffodils, hyacinths, Magic Lillies. It's just magnificent, even looking out my front door is like a breath of fresh air. Winter has been so dull and dead that when we pulled up into the drive way the day after I left the hospital, I was shocked at how much color we have here in our little place in the mountains. Even with all the turmoil going on in the world - the riots, the new war in Libya, the gas prices, it all seems so far away from my mind right now. I feel totally at peace and calm.
On another note, today is the first day I begin my full liquids. For the past 5 days, I have been drinking only clear liquids, but today I've been able to partake of my protein supplements, and am able to tolerate them. Another milestone is done. Speaking of milestones, today I shocked myself. On my walk with DH, I was able to head down the stairs normally, instead of having to step down each step with one foot, and then another. It doesn't seem like much, but the pressure of the gas in my abdomen made stair climbing very difficult. When you undergo weight loss surgery, you find that little things become big milestones. Descending stairs was a big deal, so was walking the length of my in-law's 60 ft. driveway. It felt marvelous. I'm three days post-op and am already seeing weight loss. I feel like I'm on top of world. I'm learning it's a great thing to be on the losers bench.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Post Op - Day One
It is finished. I suppose this is the point in which I tell you all the gruesome details, so here goes...
I'm fine. I'm pretty sore, but overall, I would rate my pain as 3 or 4. A bit more when I'm standing and walking. I'm still getting used to the type of pain involved, but it is totally manageable and I'm so relieved it is not worse. I'll start from the beginning.
I live 3 hours away from my hospital so my sister graciously housed me for a few days beforehand for my pre-op appointments. I arrived there on a Wednesday, my surgery was Friday. When I arrived, my stomach was turning in knots partly due to nerves, and partly due to the Devil's Drano, Milk of Magnesia. I was starving. I was close to gnawing my hand off before the operation. I was also on liquids two days prior to this. Understandable, right? When I arrived, I was placed in the pre-op "holding tank" where I got to meet my post-care nurse, and briefly speak with my surgeon again (who, by the way looks like a younger Steve Guttenburg). I also met my anesthesiologist (who looked quite a bit like Robert Irvine). And as an aside, my Nutrition Specialist looks like Amy Poehler. I was totally star struck throughout my whole experience. LOL.
I was hooked up to an IV, incorrectly at first, but then the situation was mended after some stern words with the nurse, and was given a dose of some relaxants. Wow, did that stuff work fast. Almost immediately, it felt as if I had taken 3 shots of tequila, and was ready to hit the floor. It certainly did not disappoint. I got to spend my last few minutes as a free woman with DH by my side, which improved the situation dramatically. I got one quick smooch in before I was whisked away into the operating room. The whole time, I was praying and praising God that this whole part of my life was over. As I was staring at the overhead fluorescent lights, I was in tears (happy tears, mind you) and my surgeon was concerned. I just whimpered "I'm so happy" and was out like a light. It may not sound like much, but it was a very moving experience. I still get a little weepy thinking about the new life I get to live. No more worries about digging my own grave with a knife and fork.
I woke up shortly after in a recovery room with the sweetest little nurse I've ever met. Surprisingly enough, as soon as I woke up, I was having coherent conversations with her, answering such questions as my name, what I'm in here for, my spouse's name, my surgeon's name. This is surprising because if one can recall, I had a rather unpleasant episode waking up from my EGD. The nurse was surprised as well, and remarked that it was the fastest that anyone has ever "came to" after being under General Anesthesia that she had ever seen. I was shortly moved into the outpatient room with a not-too-sweet nurse and to my surprise (the whole day was full of them, apparently) my hubby. I was asked to try to sit up, but the pain was so weird that I couldn't wrap my head around it. I was still a little foggy from the anesthesia, and couldn't do it. For those curious, the pain from the surgery was nothing compared to the problems I was having with my throat. There were so many different sensations of pain I didn't know what to do, so I just cried. I begged the nurse for more meds and analgesic throat spray. It's not that the pain from the surgery was severe, but so many different kinds was hard to take. To begin with, The discomfort from the incisions was there, layered on top was discomfort from the band around my stomach, layered on top of that was hunger pangs that I had no idea how to decipher. My newly formed pouch was full from the ice chips I had eaten in the recovery room, but my old stomach was growling like I hadn't eaten in weeks. The worst of it, though, was my throat. A few days before the surgery, DH so thoughtfully let me contract some of his chest congestion and sore throat. The sore throat was worse the morning of the surgery than it had been since I got it, and when I woke up and was able to talk, I sounded like an 80 year old with smokers cough. The pain in my throat was almost unbearable. I was in desperate need to swallow, but my mouth was so dry that when I did, my throat would stick together and make it worse. Even ice chips did nothing for me. It turns out, they placed a breathing tube down my throat to aide in oxygen saturation, and it aggravated the throat problem to a downright scary degree. In addition, I was having to cough up infected sputum while bracing my incisions from feeling like my intestines were going to pop out.
But that was yesterday. This morning, I awoke around 2:30 and was unable to get back to sleep. Turns out DH was awake as well and we then decided to book it back home where I could be miserable in my own bed. The trip down was a little scary, and the hubs was still pretty tired from not sleeping well, but we arrived safe and sound at about 6:30 this morning.
All in all, as the day progressed, my pain subsided. I'll begin here by telling everyone that the worst part about any kind of abdominal surgery is the O2 (or maybe it's Co2) they pump your stomach with to inflate it to have room to work. They can't remove all the gas, so it ends up settling in your shoulder, intestines, anywhere your body has a cavity. Next is walking and standing. To me, and I still haven't quite figured out the pain I'm feeling, it feels like gravity is pulling everything down around your lungs. For a while there, I was convinced that one of my lungs collapsed because I had such a hard time breathing. This is especially scary for because I'm a musician, and I pride myself with having an abnormally large lung capacity. But this too, goes away with walking and time.
I'm still finding it difficult to get up and down from a seated or lying position. Luckily, the hubby is here with me until Monday morning, which, by then, I should be able to handle. But the most remarkable thing so far? I've eaten 3 square meals of 4 oz of chicken broth, and I am FULL. I'm not having buyers remorse, I'm not craving food. I feel great. I feel alive. I feel more feminine. I'm no longer eating the same portions as my male partner.
This has been a nice release for me. Tomorrow, expect more. :)
I'm fine. I'm pretty sore, but overall, I would rate my pain as 3 or 4. A bit more when I'm standing and walking. I'm still getting used to the type of pain involved, but it is totally manageable and I'm so relieved it is not worse. I'll start from the beginning.
I live 3 hours away from my hospital so my sister graciously housed me for a few days beforehand for my pre-op appointments. I arrived there on a Wednesday, my surgery was Friday. When I arrived, my stomach was turning in knots partly due to nerves, and partly due to the Devil's Drano, Milk of Magnesia. I was starving. I was close to gnawing my hand off before the operation. I was also on liquids two days prior to this. Understandable, right? When I arrived, I was placed in the pre-op "holding tank" where I got to meet my post-care nurse, and briefly speak with my surgeon again (who, by the way looks like a younger Steve Guttenburg). I also met my anesthesiologist (who looked quite a bit like Robert Irvine). And as an aside, my Nutrition Specialist looks like Amy Poehler. I was totally star struck throughout my whole experience. LOL.
I was hooked up to an IV, incorrectly at first, but then the situation was mended after some stern words with the nurse, and was given a dose of some relaxants. Wow, did that stuff work fast. Almost immediately, it felt as if I had taken 3 shots of tequila, and was ready to hit the floor. It certainly did not disappoint. I got to spend my last few minutes as a free woman with DH by my side, which improved the situation dramatically. I got one quick smooch in before I was whisked away into the operating room. The whole time, I was praying and praising God that this whole part of my life was over. As I was staring at the overhead fluorescent lights, I was in tears (happy tears, mind you) and my surgeon was concerned. I just whimpered "I'm so happy" and was out like a light. It may not sound like much, but it was a very moving experience. I still get a little weepy thinking about the new life I get to live. No more worries about digging my own grave with a knife and fork.
I woke up shortly after in a recovery room with the sweetest little nurse I've ever met. Surprisingly enough, as soon as I woke up, I was having coherent conversations with her, answering such questions as my name, what I'm in here for, my spouse's name, my surgeon's name. This is surprising because if one can recall, I had a rather unpleasant episode waking up from my EGD. The nurse was surprised as well, and remarked that it was the fastest that anyone has ever "came to" after being under General Anesthesia that she had ever seen. I was shortly moved into the outpatient room with a not-too-sweet nurse and to my surprise (the whole day was full of them, apparently) my hubby. I was asked to try to sit up, but the pain was so weird that I couldn't wrap my head around it. I was still a little foggy from the anesthesia, and couldn't do it. For those curious, the pain from the surgery was nothing compared to the problems I was having with my throat. There were so many different sensations of pain I didn't know what to do, so I just cried. I begged the nurse for more meds and analgesic throat spray. It's not that the pain from the surgery was severe, but so many different kinds was hard to take. To begin with, The discomfort from the incisions was there, layered on top was discomfort from the band around my stomach, layered on top of that was hunger pangs that I had no idea how to decipher. My newly formed pouch was full from the ice chips I had eaten in the recovery room, but my old stomach was growling like I hadn't eaten in weeks. The worst of it, though, was my throat. A few days before the surgery, DH so thoughtfully let me contract some of his chest congestion and sore throat. The sore throat was worse the morning of the surgery than it had been since I got it, and when I woke up and was able to talk, I sounded like an 80 year old with smokers cough. The pain in my throat was almost unbearable. I was in desperate need to swallow, but my mouth was so dry that when I did, my throat would stick together and make it worse. Even ice chips did nothing for me. It turns out, they placed a breathing tube down my throat to aide in oxygen saturation, and it aggravated the throat problem to a downright scary degree. In addition, I was having to cough up infected sputum while bracing my incisions from feeling like my intestines were going to pop out.
But that was yesterday. This morning, I awoke around 2:30 and was unable to get back to sleep. Turns out DH was awake as well and we then decided to book it back home where I could be miserable in my own bed. The trip down was a little scary, and the hubs was still pretty tired from not sleeping well, but we arrived safe and sound at about 6:30 this morning.
All in all, as the day progressed, my pain subsided. I'll begin here by telling everyone that the worst part about any kind of abdominal surgery is the O2 (or maybe it's Co2) they pump your stomach with to inflate it to have room to work. They can't remove all the gas, so it ends up settling in your shoulder, intestines, anywhere your body has a cavity. Next is walking and standing. To me, and I still haven't quite figured out the pain I'm feeling, it feels like gravity is pulling everything down around your lungs. For a while there, I was convinced that one of my lungs collapsed because I had such a hard time breathing. This is especially scary for because I'm a musician, and I pride myself with having an abnormally large lung capacity. But this too, goes away with walking and time.
I'm still finding it difficult to get up and down from a seated or lying position. Luckily, the hubby is here with me until Monday morning, which, by then, I should be able to handle. But the most remarkable thing so far? I've eaten 3 square meals of 4 oz of chicken broth, and I am FULL. I'm not having buyers remorse, I'm not craving food. I feel great. I feel alive. I feel more feminine. I'm no longer eating the same portions as my male partner.
This has been a nice release for me. Tomorrow, expect more. :)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
T-Minus 60 hours
Just wanted to let my little circle of readers know that I am scheduled to have my procedure done in four more days. I am currently fighting a nosebleed, so please excuse my brevity.
I'll update more as the time approaches.
I'll update more as the time approaches.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)