simply amazed

Hi guys.  I just ate breakfast.  Yep, all 2.5 oz of it.  HOLLA!!  You know that worry about not getting to drink right away?  Well, I know my meal was liquid, but I really could not drink another drop for at least a half hour! Holy Hanna!

Ok, for those of you who haven't been with me the whole time lets go back a bit....Monday, they took me back and had me change out of everything into one of their little gowns.  I got the sexy stockings and an IV.  They took blood, gave me a shot in my stomach, half a pill of Dramamine (that was gross) met the anesthesiologist and they let my family come back to see me for a bit.  Dr. Trieu came in and met the family.  He seemed all pumped to go.  They took my vitals for the first of a million times and got me one of those sweet blue hats to wear.  They gave me something that they said could just relax me or knock me out and wheeled me off...well, I must be a cheap date because about all I remember is rounding the corner,,

The next memory I have is of throwing up.  Of course there wasn't much, but I was going through the motions.  There were doctors and nurses around and finally they got me a med that helped hold back the nausea.  It took awhile I guess but I got there.  I don't remember much pain other than when I threw up.  I had a morphine drip that I could click but the nurses all commented that I didn't use it much.  Monday night into Tuesday morning the nausea came back...I thought it was because I wasn't keeping up with the pain so I tried clicking the morphine more...in hindsight, I think the morphine might have made the nausea worse.  The nurses were all very sweet to me and my only frustration was the foley catheter...it made me feel like I had to pee all the time!  Ok, so Tuesday morning the good news? that darn catheter came out!  The bad news? yeah dry heaving some more...more nausea meds to help with that.  Still not allowed to drink.

I think it was about 8am when then took me down for the sleeve x-ray.  I'd been walking some but they wheeled me down.  The x-ray machine was set up so I could just stand in front of it and see the computer screen as the image was taken. I took a sip of the liquid concoction they need to see go through...guess what??  yeah...that was not staying down..I actually heard the doctors watching the screen say "yeah, that's coming back up" while I was busy asking for a bucket.  Fortunately, they were able to get enough motion (up and down, I guess) that with the additional still shots they took Dr. Trieu was able to get a good look and he said the sleeve looked perfect!

Now, I could finally sip water...of course, when I did...yep, came right back up...but it got better.  They brought me broth and jello...the broth was good...jello was gross...I had broth and decaf tea for the rest of my meals.  They also were giving me antacid meds in my IV...you really don't want to lay down or it feels like a ton of acid hitting your stomach.  I got heparin through Wednesday as well,  The compression sleeves came off on Tuesday but the socks stayed on until my shower on Wednesday.  They put big pieces of plastic over my IV and my belly button to shower.. Dr. Trieu told me that he had put some gauze in there there would need to be repacked each time I change the bandage.  I think the nurse and I were expecting a much bigger piece but it was just a little thing. :)

I stopped throwing up by Wed morning and Dr. Trieu said that was very normal with a sleeve and he had expected it to be gone about 48 hours out.  So just like that!  I got the ok to go home!  ;)

Truthfully, Tuesday and Wednesday were mostly sleeping days.  I tried to walk some but I was really tired.  Thursday was a nice day.  I wanted to go for a ride in the sun...and I need to walk but be able to sit often...the best place?  The casino of course!! ;)  I even won $100!  I walked about a mile spending the afternoon there.  Got water to drink the whole time.  It's so weird not to think about food the whole time I was there.

Got home and made some protein soup and protein pudding.  Ate about 2.5 oz of soup and maybe 1 oz of pudding,..trying hard not to push the limits but it's very hard to adjust to how little I really need....and be FULL.

So maybe you noticed the one thing missing on Monday??  No one (that I saw) weighed me.  Of course I stepped on the scale before I left so I had a pre-surgery weight in my head.  Wednesday night I decided to step on our scale to see how much surgery weight I had gained...I mean they were pumping stuff into me for days...the fluid weight alone has got to be bad, right?  So I prepared myself for a gain......nope......I had lost a pound.  WOW.  So Thursday morning I stepped on again... I had lost another 1.5 lbs...as of this morning?  I've lost 6 lbs since Monday...that's right 29 lbs total since April!

It kind of floors me!  I know it happens fast but 6 lbs in 4 days! wow!  I could be in Onederland by this weekend!!  How amazing is that?? I could have dieted for months and not got here.  I have! LOL
I have not taken any pain med since I left the hospital...for one thing I got a taste of a liquid dose on Wednesday and let me tell you for as expensive as it is, they do not waste anything on taste!!
Jay bought me a great reading pillow that I sleep on to keep elevated and haven't had heartburn too bad...I will start those meds in a week or so.  9 days until my post op visit and I get cleared for pureed foods... I will say the only thing I've been craving is meat.  They said my blood work shows my iron level a little low so I guess that isn't a surprise.  I'll start vitamins at two weeks out too.

Water...this battle is starting over.  I got about 35oz in yesterday.  It's hard to get as much in when you need to drink slower.  BUT I will keep chipping away at it.  Gotta go walk....cause you know...little steps lead to big changes!!

Thanks for staying with me!

~ Mikki
.