March 2012

Apr 18, 2012

March 5th - Started my 1 week pre-op clear liquid diet.  I thought I would die on this, but it's actually not too bad.  All in all, I lost 11 lbs. in this week.  Just eating Jello, chicken/veggie broth, and drinking lot's of water. 


March 12th - 10 a.m.  Went in for surgery and took my 16 year old son to the hospital with me.  My husband couldn't take the day off     because he had to do something important at work.  All was well until they tried to give me my IV, and the lady doing it missed the vein (OUCH!)    so she had another guy come in and do it - and thank God he did it right.  The Dr. assistant said I was second in line (behind my friend that I had met at the pre-op appt.  Her appt. was at 8 a.m.).  I got all my paperwork done, changed into the lovely gown that they gave me (all naked underneath of course - don't ask me why).  I had that thing wrapped almost all the way around myself.  I guess it was meant for REALLY big people.  I mean I thought I was REALLY big, but that thing was huge on me.  I wasn't sitting in the holding room for long before they wheeled me off down the hall to the surgery room.  They started talking to me and I last a whole minute before I was out of it, spread eagle on the table, naked of course, for all to see.  I remember waking up and they were going to wheel me to my room, but I felt nauseous, so they backed up and parked me back where I was.  I must have went back to sleep, because I remember being wheeled into my room like an hour later, and there was my lovely son waiting for me.  He later told me that he had been waiting in the room for me for like 2 hours.  LOL!  Poor thing!  I was feeling really thirsty, but they said I could only eat ice chips.  So that is what I was doing.  I slept till about 2 p.m. I woke up and found out that my friend that I had met in the pre-op appt. was staying in the room right across from me.  I went walking with her, then my husband finally showed up and we watched TV and I slept more.  

I do want to say that the night nurse at the Salt Lake Regional Hospital was horrible.  I had one problem, and that was that I felt like I had to go to the bathroom, but I just couldn't.  She said it was because the anastesia meds were still in my system and prohibiting me from urinating, so she had to put a cathater in.  Not fun!  I wanted to walk around and pressed the call button, as I didn't know how to get the compression sleeves on my legs undone, and she came in an HOUR later!  What if that was a real emergency?  Yeah, nice work chick!


March 13th - The director of the hospital came in and asked me about how my stay was, and I told him the truth.  He also asked my friend across the hall and she had a bad experience with that night nurse as well, so he got an earful about her.  Ha Ha!  The hospital brang me some jello and puree'd soup - nasty.  I could only eat a little and was totally done.  I left to go home at about 3 p.m. and that was all she wrote.

FIRST WEEK - I only took 1 week off work.  I'm fully on 1,000 Calcium Citrate.  I don't feel any stomach pain, only a little cramping when I eat, as I can feel all the air that I am swallowing with the food.  Trying to get past the no drinking while eating - that's a hard one for me.  So far, the first week is going good.  I can only drink 2 oz. and I'm totally full.  I can't even drink a full protein shake - maybe about a 1/4 cup.  I feel totally satisfied until the next meal.  Still only on the full liquid diet.  Getting up every two hours to walk, even if it's just around the house or yard.

SECOND WEEK - Back to work.  Didnt' want to go back, but I did.  I could've used one more day off, but I have a desk job, so it wasnt' too bad.  The second day was better.  I also went into the Dr. for my one week post-op appt. and saw the Dr.'s assistant.  All is looking fine.  One of my incisions is looking a little gross, so she put me on an anti-biotic to be safe.  Still only on the full liquid diet.  Having trouble getting all my 64 oz. of water in, so I've been having some dehydration headaches in the morning, but I'm working on that.

THIRD WEEK - I went back to the Dr.'s office to have them check my incision, and I have a rash all over that started on day 10 of taking the anti-biotics.  Oh man this is fun!  It's starting to itch too.  The Dr.'s assitant says it's an allergic reaction to the anti-biotics, so she put me on a different one for 4 days.  Wow!  That's a first.  Also, I found out that I'm allergic to band-aids when I put them on my stomach.  I've been putting them over my incision to hold it closed and it's all red where they were... guess I won't be doing that anymore.  I'm on soft foods now, so I've been eating eggs, refried beans, cottage cheese, yogurt, Jello, fat free pudding, etc.  I can't stand string cheese anymore - the consistancy in my mouth after chewing it really good is gross.  Also, it's giving me indigestion.  Seems I've been getting more of that lately.  I've noticed this week that I'm getting hungry about an hour or so after I eat.  This sensation has been gone for the past few weeks, and I'm not sure why it's coming back now.  I used to feel totally satisfied and not even think about food until the next meal, but now I'm finding myself wanting to snack.  I'm trying to stay away from this thinking by doing something else to keep myself busy...

FOURTH WEEK -  Made sure that when I went in for my 1 month post-op appt., that I saw the Dr. and not the Dr.'s assistant.  My incision on one side is still not closing and just not looking right.  He wants to see me back in another 2 weeks, and said that I am only to see him.  Ha Ha!  I knew that would work.  I'm now moving onto half soft foods/half full foods.  Still being iffy and only trying a few new things at a time.  Bananas and strawberries are working good for me in the fruit department.

I'm down 24 lbs. in the first month!!!  No one at work has noticed, so I'm not saying a word.  My husband and mother say that they can see it, but I dunno.  I can feel the difference like when I'm in the shower washing - I don't have to stretch so far to wash my back and stuff, plus in my waist I know that I've lost inches.  I haven't been measuring myself, so I might want to try. 

 

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