Alex came and took me home yesterday. I was the first of my small group to come in, and the last one to leave. Isn't that always the way?
There is still pain, there is still unbelievable pain, mostly at the drainage site but it's been made a lot easier by a phenomenal group of nurses and case assistants, and by a group of friends that I've made over the last week. Cissy, Sarah, Christine and I have formed a bit of an alliance. LOL. Well, it's more like a parade. Everyone on the A3 floor would wave to us and cheer us on. The cleaning staff encouraged us to dance down the hall and would dance a little bit to encourage us. There was a patient at the other end of the hall, this nice older lady who had major surgery, but would walk down to our end of the hall specifically to check up on all of us. I've got to say, it was inspirational to see how people band together and support each other in a place like that.
I'm eternally thankful to the staff of floor A3. Thank you to the nurses who encouraged us to get up and walk and continued to give us the shots we asked them to skip just this once. Thank you to the case assistants who took our vital signs like clockwork, even at 4 in the morning when we were passed out and cranky, or when we were in so much pain calling them seemed like the only thing we could do. (And we did that A LOT!) Thank you to Dr. Ameri and his staff for doing an amazing job with all of us. (And Dr. Sabor for Chirstine) Thank you to the other patients on the floor who made me smile when we walked around, and who would share their incredible stories with us when we would stop. Thank you to all of my friends and family who came to visit me in the hospital, or who called Alex to get an update on my condition, or who just sent me a message letting me know that they were thinking about me. I never would have gotten through this without you.
And last but certainly not least, thank you to my walking friends. To Christine, who shared her mother and sister with us. Watching your experience, since it was so drastically different than ours was a learning tool for us. Listening to you and how you were adjusting was amazing, thank you.
To Sarah, my pre-op buddy. We didn't end up being roomies, and in the end it was ok. I think if we were roomies we wouldn't have met our other 2 buddies, and it was fabulous making a larger support group. Your texts in the middle of random procedures, like getting a draining tube removed, made me laugh until it hurt. I love that I have someone to run things by and talk to about all of this. You are definitely a life friend. Thank you.
To Cissy, my roommate. Girl, you kill me! I'm so sorry that I made you laugh so much that you thought that your staples were going to pop. But thank you for sharing your babies, you hot boy ;-) and your stories at 11 at night with me. Thank you for getting all dolled up for me on our last day. Pretty lady! I hope that you keep in touch. It's going to be amazing to watch your journey.
I know that the 4 of us are going to make it through this successfully. In 10 years we are going to look back and laugh about our times at Winchester Hospital, while we are all skinny and fabulous! (Not that we aren't already)
I'm so happy that I met the 3 of you in the process. We all have the same, new birthday and the same new lives coming. I can't wait to watch and share this with you ladies!
Showing posts with label Phase 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phase 1. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2010
Water.....1/20/10
It's day #3 in the hospital. Things have been going really well so far. Yesterday was the worst day though.
This is the deal; after your surgery you wake up with a binding on your stomach, to keep your stitches steady. Also, coming out of one of the stitched areas is a drain. It drains out small amounts of blood and any other liquid that is building up. (Gross I know) So they have to empty the drain a few times a day. Most of the time, it is not a big deal. The drain looks like a water balloon that is plastic, so it has a plug in it that opens easily. The problem is that every now and again they need to "strip the tube" that comes out of your belly into the drain. Basically, they hold onto the end closest to your tummy, and then they take the nail and squeeze the tube until they get to the drain. The process only takes a few seconds, and it helps keep the drain from getting clotted. This is EXTREMELY painful. The pain was so much that I was bent over for a few hours yesterday before I could get my pain meds again. It was horrible.
That is all I have wanted since Monday. I need water more than I can express. Swabbing your mouth just is not the same as actually drinking something. It's just a tease....hold on here comes the nurse.
15 minutes later....I was just given my first little tiny sip of water in 3 days. OMG that was the best thing ever. I knew that I was thirsty but I had NO idea I was that thirsty! They give us 6 cups that are 2 Tbsp apiece. I'm on my second round and am SO happy....SO happy.
This is the deal; after your surgery you wake up with a binding on your stomach, to keep your stitches steady. Also, coming out of one of the stitched areas is a drain. It drains out small amounts of blood and any other liquid that is building up. (Gross I know) So they have to empty the drain a few times a day. Most of the time, it is not a big deal. The drain looks like a water balloon that is plastic, so it has a plug in it that opens easily. The problem is that every now and again they need to "strip the tube" that comes out of your belly into the drain. Basically, they hold onto the end closest to your tummy, and then they take the nail and squeeze the tube until they get to the drain. The process only takes a few seconds, and it helps keep the drain from getting clotted. This is EXTREMELY painful. The pain was so much that I was bent over for a few hours yesterday before I could get my pain meds again. It was horrible.
That is all I have wanted since Monday. I need water more than I can express. Swabbing your mouth just is not the same as actually drinking something. It's just a tease....hold on here comes the nurse.
15 minutes later....I was just given my first little tiny sip of water in 3 days. OMG that was the best thing ever. I knew that I was thirsty but I had NO idea I was that thirsty! They give us 6 cups that are 2 Tbsp apiece. I'm on my second round and am SO happy....SO happy.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Staying on the Wagon.
I have to go back to my usual taping location. Sorry about the graininess of this one.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Parties and Mourning
This weekend presented me with my first food test… and I barely survived.
On Saturday, my whole family gathered at my mother’s house to celebrate my sister Violet and our Uncle Henry's birthdays. My mother put together a beautiful spread. Cheese platter with salami, a HUGE veggie platter, chicken wings, steak tips, shrimp, bread with butter and... OMG my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
My mother even waited until everyone showed up to begin cooking everything. In that moment, I honestly didn't think I was going to make it through the day. I was ready to go home... or eat a bunch of chicken wings! What I did was leave the kitchen, and sit in the living room, by myself. So not only did I have to seperate myself from my whole family, but I sat on a chair and stared at a TV I could barely hear. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Once the food was put away I was relatively ok. (I helped put the cheese plate away just so I could lick my fingers and get a taste of the cheese.)
So sure, I passed my first test, however Sunday was almost as bad as Saturday, if not worse.
I've read a number of times that people who have Gastric Bypass Surgery end up mourning food. Food is supposedly a friend and a family member to them... and when I read this I thought it was ridiculous. It didn't take me long to think about it a little more and realize how much my life revolved around food. Whenever I hang out with my friends I suggest we go out to eat. When friends come over, we plan a meal, or snacks. When we go to a friends home we plan food or drinks to bring! Now I can't do that. Now I need to be able to sit in a room filled with foods that I thoroughly enjoy and miss but not eat any of it.
So yeah, I was REALLY down on Sunday. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I felt super depressed. I couldn't figure out why until late in the day. We went to our weekly "family night" where we hang out with friends and I realized I missed eating with people. I missed staying in the kitchen and munching on stuff while I talked. I missed my glass (or 3) of wine. I miss every aspect of food! Staying home curled in my blanket sounded like a WONDERFUL plan.... for the next few weeks. All because of how much I wanted something to chew.
This is something I'm obviously going to have to get over. Luckily, I have 9 more weeks of this to help me get used to it.
Aren't you jealous?
On Saturday, my whole family gathered at my mother’s house to celebrate my sister Violet and our Uncle Henry's birthdays. My mother put together a beautiful spread. Cheese platter with salami, a HUGE veggie platter, chicken wings, steak tips, shrimp, bread with butter and... OMG my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
My mother even waited until everyone showed up to begin cooking everything. In that moment, I honestly didn't think I was going to make it through the day. I was ready to go home... or eat a bunch of chicken wings! What I did was leave the kitchen, and sit in the living room, by myself. So not only did I have to seperate myself from my whole family, but I sat on a chair and stared at a TV I could barely hear. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Once the food was put away I was relatively ok. (I helped put the cheese plate away just so I could lick my fingers and get a taste of the cheese.)
So sure, I passed my first test, however Sunday was almost as bad as Saturday, if not worse.
I've read a number of times that people who have Gastric Bypass Surgery end up mourning food. Food is supposedly a friend and a family member to them... and when I read this I thought it was ridiculous. It didn't take me long to think about it a little more and realize how much my life revolved around food. Whenever I hang out with my friends I suggest we go out to eat. When friends come over, we plan a meal, or snacks. When we go to a friends home we plan food or drinks to bring! Now I can't do that. Now I need to be able to sit in a room filled with foods that I thoroughly enjoy and miss but not eat any of it.
So yeah, I was REALLY down on Sunday. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I felt super depressed. I couldn't figure out why until late in the day. We went to our weekly "family night" where we hang out with friends and I realized I missed eating with people. I missed staying in the kitchen and munching on stuff while I talked. I missed my glass (or 3) of wine. I miss every aspect of food! Staying home curled in my blanket sounded like a WONDERFUL plan.... for the next few weeks. All because of how much I wanted something to chew.
This is something I'm obviously going to have to get over. Luckily, I have 9 more weeks of this to help me get used to it.
Aren't you jealous?
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Dr. Visits, pudding and the scale.
Yesterday I went to see my surgeon. The visit lasted over an hour and a half. Quite long! However, it was extremely educational. What I learned was the surgery is going to be a piece of cake.... excuse the food reference...but post-op will not be so easy.
Again, I go in for surgery on Monday, January 18th. On Tuesday and Wednesday I will still be in the hospital. I will not be allowed to drink or eat anything, which makes sense. My stomach is getting cut and my intestines are being moved...I found out that I WILL have to have a catheter put in at night though. Ummm..ouch. No me gusta. I didn't even know about that. How did I miss that in all of the blogs and talking to everyone? Oh because no one tells you the bad stuff!
So, Thursday I am supposed to go home, but only AFTER I have sipped down some water in a medicine cup to make sure I can keep it down. If I can’t handle the water, I can’t go home.
Oh, I almost forgot, while I'm in the hospital I need to use a special tube to make sure that I take deep breaths. I don't know much about this process but be assured; as I learn more at my pre-op testing appointment on Monday, January 11th I will fill you in. I'm telling you, this ride becomes more and more interesting.
When I do get to go home, I'm going to be on clear liquids at least until the weekend. Staying hydrated is going to be the most important thing I can do. Apparently that is going to be really tough. Many people end up re-hospitalized because they don't drink enough water post-op. So...that's what I'm going to focus on. Who cares if I'm hungry as long as I drink my water? Right?
These are mostly things that I should have expected but no one ever told me about. I don't know why I never thought about some of these things. They just never occurred to me. But all in all, the appointment went really well. They are impressed with my attitude, general knowledge of after care and my dedication to do this right.
On a different note, I'm testing out so many different foods; I thought I would share something else that I enjoyed. I found a sugar free pudding made by Jell-O that is Dulce de Leche. OMG! It's the best pudding I've ever eaten. I have to say that it's nice to have something that I thoroughly enjoy. Didn't expect that...nor did I expect that when I went to my Dr.'s appointment, the scale would be in the same place as it was in May of 09. I lucked out and didn't gain a single pound, despite my eating everything that I will not be able to have for years. Crazy!
And, the saga continues.
Stay tuned.
Again, I go in for surgery on Monday, January 18th. On Tuesday and Wednesday I will still be in the hospital. I will not be allowed to drink or eat anything, which makes sense. My stomach is getting cut and my intestines are being moved...I found out that I WILL have to have a catheter put in at night though. Ummm..ouch. No me gusta. I didn't even know about that. How did I miss that in all of the blogs and talking to everyone? Oh because no one tells you the bad stuff!
So, Thursday I am supposed to go home, but only AFTER I have sipped down some water in a medicine cup to make sure I can keep it down. If I can’t handle the water, I can’t go home.
Oh, I almost forgot, while I'm in the hospital I need to use a special tube to make sure that I take deep breaths. I don't know much about this process but be assured; as I learn more at my pre-op testing appointment on Monday, January 11th I will fill you in. I'm telling you, this ride becomes more and more interesting.
When I do get to go home, I'm going to be on clear liquids at least until the weekend. Staying hydrated is going to be the most important thing I can do. Apparently that is going to be really tough. Many people end up re-hospitalized because they don't drink enough water post-op. So...that's what I'm going to focus on. Who cares if I'm hungry as long as I drink my water? Right?
These are mostly things that I should have expected but no one ever told me about. I don't know why I never thought about some of these things. They just never occurred to me. But all in all, the appointment went really well. They are impressed with my attitude, general knowledge of after care and my dedication to do this right.
On a different note, I'm testing out so many different foods; I thought I would share something else that I enjoyed. I found a sugar free pudding made by Jell-O that is Dulce de Leche. OMG! It's the best pudding I've ever eaten. I have to say that it's nice to have something that I thoroughly enjoy. Didn't expect that...nor did I expect that when I went to my Dr.'s appointment, the scale would be in the same place as it was in May of 09. I lucked out and didn't gain a single pound, despite my eating everything that I will not be able to have for years. Crazy!
And, the saga continues.
Stay tuned.
Monday, January 4, 2010
OMG I have to pee!
So today was the first day of my liquid diet. I had every intention of weighing myself and measuring myself this morning and forgot, so that will begin tomorrow. However let me share my "interesting" day.
How many of you have ever been on a liquid diet? Even for 1 day? OMG! I think I spent most of my day in the bathroom at work than actually working! I will say this, I don't mind the protein shakes. I drank 4; 8oz. servings of protein shakes, 1 half cup serving of sugar free pudding, 1 half cup serving of sugar free Jello, and 8 oz. of really tasty organic free range chicken broth. If you need to be on liquids only, you MUST spend the money on the good broth. SO worth it.
I did find myself lightheaded for a portion of the day today, which is scary. I'm hoping that as time goes on I get better at measuring what I need and what I don't. I'm told that will come with time. Additionally, I NEED to begin the process of writing down everything that goes into my mouth. This is going to take some time, but I'm hoping that I can master this in 2 weeks by my surgery date.
On that note....I'm off to get to the bathroom! Liquids go right through you!
UPDATE: I forgot to metion. Todays weight is 295lbs. Check out the video above.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A New Year and a New Journey
Welcome to 2010, the year my life changes.
On January 18, 2010 I am having Gastric Bypass Surgery. My story is long and drawn out, but I'll try to summarize. I've been overweight my whole life. So much so, my Dr. prescribed Weight Watchers when I was 10 years old! Can you imagine how traumatizing that was? Since then I have dieted every year of my life, sometimes succeeding and always gaining it all back...and then some. Today I'm 29. I have huge issues with body image and a really strange relationship with food. I also have crappy genetics, following in the footsteps of my father and his birth mother; destined to be big, have diabetes and heart disease.
Wow, what a fun future to look forward to. It's time to fight against the genetics, the love of food and the continuous diets. I will begin my new life, one of a potentially healthy adult in 2 weeks. I've lost a majority of my youth to all of this and am hoping to enjoy my 30's as a healthy, attractive woman. I'm going to do my best to blog every day and will keep a food journal and videos to go with this. I really hope that my journey helps someone else who is thinking about, currently in the process of, or supporting someone who has had gastric bypass surgery.
Stay Tuned.
On January 18, 2010 I am having Gastric Bypass Surgery. My story is long and drawn out, but I'll try to summarize. I've been overweight my whole life. So much so, my Dr. prescribed Weight Watchers when I was 10 years old! Can you imagine how traumatizing that was? Since then I have dieted every year of my life, sometimes succeeding and always gaining it all back...and then some. Today I'm 29. I have huge issues with body image and a really strange relationship with food. I also have crappy genetics, following in the footsteps of my father and his birth mother; destined to be big, have diabetes and heart disease.
Wow, what a fun future to look forward to. It's time to fight against the genetics, the love of food and the continuous diets. I will begin my new life, one of a potentially healthy adult in 2 weeks. I've lost a majority of my youth to all of this and am hoping to enjoy my 30's as a healthy, attractive woman. I'm going to do my best to blog every day and will keep a food journal and videos to go with this. I really hope that my journey helps someone else who is thinking about, currently in the process of, or supporting someone who has had gastric bypass surgery.
Stay Tuned.
Posts
