Update and a SV!

So my surgery took place this past Monday, and I got back from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. Not going to lie, the hospital time was awful.  Major thumbs up though for my surgeons -- I met all three but only remember Dr. Urbach (very handsome and kind) and Dr Willard Wong (I think he's a resident - young but very competent and very friendly, he visited me at least twice during my stay).  The person *****ally saved the day for me was the anaesthetist. I don't remember his name but he was a very kind and calm Asian man. I found the operating room a little scary, and he was so kind to me because he could see I was having a hard time.  I'm very thankful for his kindness that day. 

My stay at TWH was a bit difficult. They were concerned that I might have a complication, thankfully that wasn't the case but it was quite scary to live through.  I had some awful after effects from the anaesthesia too. They weren't out of the ordinary (flu-like symptoms) but I hadn't been expecting to feel that way.  I found all of this a bit overwhelming. But I was able to go home a day later than expected and that's when things got better. 

At first when I got home I was really stressed and a bit panicked. I was still worried that something might be "wrong" (the complication scare really got to me). I was also freaking out about being able to consume all the fluids and supplements that I was supposed to. It was too much to deal with. Thankfully I almost immediately started to heal. My pain was pretty minimal (I didn't need to use any of the prescription pain meds and only a couple of tylenols). And it got better each day. By Friday, I felt quite good and by Saturday I had zero pain and discomfort. I can now sleep on either side and my insides feel completely normal. My incisions seem to be healing normally. My biggest problem now is making myself remember that I just had surgery so I shouldnt lift anything heavy or move too rapidly (it's easy to forget if you don't feel any pain). 

My friends REALLY stepped up for me. Two of them took care of my pets while I was away (which isn't as easy as it sounds when one of those pets is a stubborn Scottish terrier who needs to have boots and a sweater put on before she goes out onto the bitterly cold, salty downtown streets).  To add to their saintliness, these two left a lovely bouquet of tulips and a tea-to-go thermos with matching tea (both from DavidsTea) as a welcome home gift. 

The other saint in my life was my friend who came with me on surgery day and also came to stay with me at home for three days after.  She has two little kids at home and a very demanding job but she took time off from both of those things to see me through this very scary experience. I can never ever express to her how grateful and humbled I am to have such a wonderful person as a friend.  The days we spent together after the surgery actually ended up being a lot of fun for both of us. She helped me with the things I couldn't manage, walked my dog, helped prepare my shakes and other liquids, and put up with my cat (who hates everyone but me and isn't shy about making his views known).  This convalescence gave us a great opportunity to reconnect as friends. We've always been close but work and personal demands inherently limit the time you get to spend with your close friends as you move into midlife. We spent hours talking and laughing and watching movies.  It was a celebration of our 17 year friendship and a side benefit from this surgery that I will cherish for years to come. 

So far I've had no problems with any of the foods I'm able to eat in the liquids phase. The only one that was iffy was cottage cheese. My pouch grumbled about it so I got the message loud and clear and will wait awhile before I try that again. The good news is that aside from the first day back from the hospital (when almost all smells and strong flavours were nauseating to me), my palate doesn't seem to have changed. I've made a protein shake with my favourite Isoflex powder and it tasted great to me!  As have all the other soups and things I've eaten. This made me very happy and I hope I continue to feel this way.

Yesterday, to complete things even further, a huge, "Get Well Soon" bouquet of flowers from my work colleagues was delivered to me.  In all, today I'm feeling like the luckiest girl on the planet. The icing on this no-carb, sugar-free cake? I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm down 10lbs from my weight on the day of surgery. Wow.  This past week has been the craziest roller coaster that I've experienced in years. Huge highs and huge lows but honestly the best and healthiest start to a New Year that I've ever had.  2015 is my year and I'm going to give it everything I've got!

Thanks too to everyone on OH who have given their support and humour during my year long process toward surgery. This is such a supportive and valuable community. I'm so grateful to be a part of it!

Cheers and best wishes to all!

GS 

Hey Missus !! 

I'm so glad you're home and on the mend ! I agree it must have been pretty scary when they think something is wrong . But you're past that now and you have a wonderful attitude which , in my opinion,  goes leaps and bounds towards healing well . 

What a nice time it sounds like with your friend. I would have loved that to come home to ! Instead I was graced with my Mother in Law for a week ......Nightmare ! I shouldn't really complain as she fed my guys while I was gome but she drives everyone nuts . I felt my healing really began when she went home ! Lol 

As for your palate , I will say , I'm almost 4 weeks out now . I felt pretty much the same as you've described for maybe the first 2 weeks or so . Then something changed , and I feel real restriction, and have almost no appetite or any real ' desire' for any type of food . I am eating of course , I'm getting everything in with no problems . It's just nothing appeals to me . I hope this changes as I do like to cook and enjoy good food . And I had hoped I would keep that but just learn to eat really well with portion control . We shall see. 

Anyway , I'm very happy for you dear , it's great to be on the other side now isn't it ? I catch myself having to remind myself " Oh that's right you did the surgery already !" lol ....so weird after a long time of waiting and dreaming.  And congratulations on the weight loss so far ! It's crazy how it just comes off !! 

Keep doing what you are doing , and stay positive lovey 

Jax x

Awww, thanks for the kind words, Jax!  It is truly wonderful to be on "the other side".   For me, surgery was a big, looming, scary hurdle that I had to get over and I'm really glad that it is behind me.

Poor you re: the MIL!  Mixed blessing for sure!

The rapid weight loss is a bit stunning actually.  I mean, you know intellectually that it's going to happen but when it does, it's still hard to wrap your head around.  I survived in the hospital for three and a half days on jus****er and tea and one bowl of broth.  The jello they kept bringing me was nauseating and there was no way I was going to eat it.  So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I've lost so much so quickly.  Now the challenge is to keep the furnace stoked with all the nutrients that it needs!  It's going to be a full time job over the next few weeks!

Keep well, Jax!  And let me know when you'll be in Toronto again -- it would be great to get some of the girls together for coffee if you have other appointments at TWH!

GS

Agreed, I think we were discussing end of February, as everyone hopefully will be mostly recouped and ready for a girls majour chat session! 

Sorry you went through all that! I would have been feeling exactly as you were once released, and I also would have been freaked out for sure. I am just glad it has all turned out OK, and that you are in better spirits.

I know the beginning isn't all sunshine abd rainbows, it's tough,  some days I was beyond emotional wondering if I had made a mistake. It really was, for me, learning to build a whole new relationship with food. I'm still struggling on some days, and or eating something that doesn't quite make my pouch happy, it's a learning experience. I'm assuming life long. 

But totally worth it! 

and seriously, if you find yourself struggling or in need of something, let me know! We're pretty much neighbours :) 

Thanks, Jen!  I think I also vastly underestimated the effect that all the drugs would have on both my body and moods.  It got lots better once my system was cleared out.  Now I'm making a plan for the week ahead to get myself organized for the road ahead.  I'm researching foods and menus I can make for the next few phases and also planning the cooking I'll do in the last week before I return to work to make sure that I'll never be without a properly portioned, WLS friendly meal once I get back into the more hectic phase of my life.  I'll be sure I don't overdo it, but I also want to be sure that I'm thinking far enough ahead that I'm ready.  Even though some of my planning (and purchasing) in advance of my surgery was for naught, just having so many options in case of different cir****tances comforted me and made a hard time easier.  I'm going to apply the same focus to my post-op phase!

Really looking forward to a great year full of change and excitement!  It's so much fun to see your updates and know that much of the same is waiting for me two months out!

Exactly! Sometimes when I post an update, I'm thinking 'geez Jen, shut up, no one needs to hear, or cares about all your mini goals or thoughts' but I can't help it, I want to share how great I'm feeling now at 10 weeks out. I hope it helps some of those who may be struggling post op in the very beginning stages, and while our healing progress is all different, I just like to spread the word that better days are a coming' 

Your planning, and organization sounds like you might just be the most prepared person ever, I wouldn't worry. You got this! 

So glad to hear that things are going really well! I had the same experience with the anaesthetist (he had an Australian accent too, right?)--he was so lovely and calming. He tried to distract me on the way to the OR asking me about my job, and then in the OR, when I started to cry on the table, he just kept reassuring me and telling me I was doing great. I wish I could remember his name! 

Sounds like things are going really well for you! I'm still taking the painkillers, but I think I'm a bit of a wuss. I also ended up in the ER last night for 9 hours because after I tried oatmeal (it's on the list so I thought I'd be fine), I had my first dumping episode, which resulted in some blood in my first BM since surgery. Funny thing is, in the ER, they knew nothing about gastric bypass, so the doctor asked if I had any diagrams of what they'd done. 

So today has been strictly protein shakes and yogurt since I know I can handle it! So much better!

If it makes you feel any better, I started crying when I got up on the operating table too.  I was completely terrified.  I wonder if this is actually a really common reaction for people having their first major surgery?

I'm so sorry to hear about your oatmeal fiasco!  How scary!  I know the first two days after coming home I would try a new food on the list and my friend would watch me like I was a grenade with the pin falling out.  Both of us would wait breathlessly for a half hour to see what was going to happen. Thankfully nothing awful yet. Cottage cheese didn't seem to be my friend - I didn't throw it up but my pouch felt "cringey" about it so I stopped eating.  I tried a SF pudding tonight and that certainly didn't go down well (kinda serves me right - I should've had yogurt instead).  I won't be eating any of that again either.  It's kind of like playing that game Minefield. You just never know when the square you choose is going to turn out to be a mine!  I'm actually more worried about the purée stage.  I'm finding it a challenge to eat as slowly as they suggest.  Ironically, before surgery I was always a very slow eater but even I'm not as slow as they suggest.  I've got another week to tackle those skills before it gets more complicated!

I find it scary that the emerg doc had no clue what a gastric bypass looks like!  I remember when my family doc had no clue about the difference between RNY and VSG when I wanted to discuss the procedures prior to my referral. Also cringeworthy, IMO!

In any case, I wish you the best with the rest of the liquids phase.  I haven't tried oatmeal yet but I'll likely hold off until late next week. I'm mostly eating soups, protein shakes and yogurt.  I can't wait to have some texture!

Keep well, Swell and stay in touch!  

Thanks! I admit, I'm definitely afraid to try anything different now, although I know I'll just have to do it. I'll wait until my husband is home though. 

Also, on the bright side, just got back from having more blood work done because of Saturday's incident, and it turns out everything is okay (no internal bleeding!). Phew!