Surgery was a sucess!!

Finally, my day came. Surgery day!! The one I've been waiting for, for 7 years. So yesterday I checked into the hospital at 10- filled out some paperwork and waited in the lobby until I was called back. I was nervous, I will admit it! I got on my gown and waited.....and waited. My husband needed to go get our son at daycare so he couldn't stay but my mom stayed with me. They tried to put an IV in my left hand and ended up blowing out 2 veins, bruised my hand and had to call someone else to do it. So they also couldn't get a good vein in my other hand so they had to use my fore arm. After I filled out a few more consent forms the nurse asked me if I was read for some "happy juice". I had no idea what she was referring to but I gladly accepted the invitation because my nerves were going crazy.


Within a couple minutes of adding the "happy juice" to my IV I felt like I had just drank 2 bottles of wine. After that I don't remember much....I remember my mom leaving the room and getting wheeled back into the OR with those huge and bright lights. They scooted me onto the operating table. The anesthesiologist asked me a few questions about my kids, I felt them strap my arms down and place a mask on my face...and thats IT!


I started to wake up in recovery and everyone saying my name out loud and it took me hours before I was no longer groggy. I did have some pain and my lungs felt like they were on fire but it subsided within a few hours. The most painful part was my throat from the breathing tube. The night of the surgery I didn't get any sleep. The nurses kept coming in every half hour giving me pain meds and suppositories (hated that so much). On top of that every time my heart rate would drop under 50 from being asleep the machine would start beeping, which was every time I dosed off. UGH! I just wanted to sleep!!! I discovered I had a drainage tube running from my stomach out of my skin with a bulb syringe. That was gross.


So this morning was more meds and more walking around. My parents came to visit and I ended up being discharged while they were there. They brought me a shake for breakfast and another for lunch. They were disgusting! So I hardly drank any of them. My Dr. said everything went great, no complications. My starting weight after surgery is 237. Now, that is according to the hospitals scale which I have never weighed on before. My scale at home said 235.4. So I am going to use that one since that's the one I will use for my pre-op loss. It was 17.4 lbs total.


I am so ready to start this journey, FINALLY!

Pre-op diet day 15- Is it EVER going to get here??

Seriously, the last month has been the longest month of my life. I am convinced Monday is never going to come. It's all I can think about. I just want to do this already! I only have 3 more days of work and surgery day will be here. Until then I'll keep chugging along. My mom wants to be there, which makes me feel good. It will be nice to have her there. I took 13 days off work to recover, my husband will be home with me the first 3 days and after that I am hoping to feel somewhat human. Hunger makes me so frustrated. I've always been able to give in to my hunger and cravings and now all the sudden I am not able to do that and its so irritating. Finding ways to tell myself I can't eat is difficult to say the least but it's temporary....3 days to go!!

Pre-op diet day 13

I'm officially down 13 pounds! I couldn't be happier with that number. A pound a day! I'll take it! The countdown has officially begun till surgery-a week from today. Wow, I cannot believe the day is finally approaching. I am excited, nervous, a bit scared but mostly anxious to get it done and out of the way. My mom gave me an Origami Owl charm necklace for starting my journey. I love it!! If you haven't seen them they are basically a clear locket that you put tiny charms in. She got me a birth stone for each of my kids, the year 2014 for the year of my surgery, the word "strength", an hourglass because time will pass, sooner or later, and the last charm says "follow your dreams". It really signifies my journey through this entire process and I hope to add a charm every year on my "surg-iversary" date.


Now I need to figure out what to pack for the hospital...

Pre-op Appointment with surgeon=DONE!

I met with my surgeon this morning. We went over my Biopsy results from my endoscopy. I do have a stomach infection so he is putting me on antibiotics but he said the infection wont hinder my surgery. So that was a relief. I'm starting to feel excited and upbeat- I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! I was telling him how much the pre-op diet really shows you how much we depend on food for everything; emotions, functionality, feelings, socialization. Its all connected and somehow we have to re-direct all of those things away from food and channel it into something different. It's hard. Especially when food is what you've relied on for so long.


6 days to go! I don't have to do clear liquids 2 days before, so yay, I guess....

Pre-op Diet Day 11

The days are going by, but very slowly. I am so over this liquid diet but I know I still have a very long way to go since for 2 weeks after surgery I will be on all liquids again. UGH! I am just so ready to get this over with. I meet with my surgeon in 2 days for my final pre-op appt. I weighed myself and I am down 9 pounds since starting. I would be lying if I said I haven't cheated, because I have. I am a hypocrite, I know, but I feel if I can't come clean on my own blog, then why have it? This has been the hardest thing I have ever done-mentally and emotionally.


I started thinking the other day that I really think there is more to this pre-op diet than just dropping weight and shrinking your liver. I think the main purpose of this diet is to identify your triggers and recognize your weak moments before you go through the surgery. Its an opportunity to give you a taste of what it will be like after surgery and give an opportunity to change your mind. Otherwise you wouldn't know how hard it really is until after your surgery and then its too late.


I only have 5 more days of work until surgery day....someone find the fast forward button!

Pre-op diet: Day 6

It feels like this pre-op diet will never end. I am so over it and ready to get the surgery over with. I dread the shakes, I don't even want to drink them, I would rather just skip them but I know I can't do that.


Yesterday I was feeling very emotional again. I spent 10 minutes crying in the shower and then I was fine. A few minutes later I was crying again. My emotions are all over the place and its frustrating. I called my nutritionist today because I am starting to gag on the shakes. She suggested Kefir as an alternative. I will have to go look for those on payday. I also might just try the pre-mad shakes as the clumps of mix are what make me gag.


I left work early last night to catch up on my sleep. I feel better. I have just been so exhausted lately which is weird. I just have no energy. I slept for 10 1/2 hours last night so I am feeling much more refreshed. I will be glad when I am done with this phase! It's AWEFUL!!!


I meet with my surgeon in 1 week for my last pre-op appointment. So thankful its almost here!

Pre-op diet day 4

Well, things are chugging along as far as my liquid diet goes. I have found ways to make the shakes a little more tolerable, but they still don't hit the spot. I usually exceed my daily calories by around 56, but the scale is going down. I typically have a shake for breakfast, some broth or tomato soup for lunch another before I go to work and my last shake around 10pm. I am getting about 90 grams of protein in a day so that's definitely good.


I hit an emotional period at the end of day two and part of day 3 where I just felt like I will never be able to have food again, which is not true. Since I am getting the sleeve surgery, not the gastric bypass I will still be able to eat any foods I want eventually but just in much smaller quantities, which is what I need. I just needed to do a quick update. I feel very tired and don't have much energy-just blah really, but I did notice today I don't feel as bloated. I cannot wait to be done with the pre-op diet- IT SUCKS!! But its necessary and this too shall pass.