5 Days Post-Op and Getting Better Bit by Bit

I can't believe it's already been five days since my surgery.  Overall it's really been an easier recovery than I expected.  I am quite sore in and around my incisions but the pain is getting easier to tolerate each day.  I'm on a liquid diet and tolerating protein shakes and diluted smooth soups pretty well as long as I go slow.  I came home from the hospital really swollen and actually didn't get back to my day of surgery weight until this morning because of all the IV fluids.  I can't drive yet so I am sticking close to home resting a lot, playing online and checking in with my June 30th surgery buddies on www.bariatricpal.com and watching season one of Veep, my newest favorite!

A New Day

What a difference some sleep makes! I feel pretty darn good today, especially when I take my painkillers.

Cranky lady

Came home from the hospital a couple of hours ago.  I am feeling torn between the blog post I feel I SHOULD write about how blessed I am because my surgery went so smoothly and my first day of recovery has been pretty darn easy from a medical standpoint... but unfortunately the honest truth at this moment is that I am feeling really cranky and annoyed at the world, including my cellphone, which randomly completely died yesterday and has been total unresponsive to my attempts at resuscitation, the nurse who misinformed me of the hospital pharmacy's closing time so it was already closed when my mom went to get my medication. After visiting 2 other pharmacies and calling 4 others and striking out every time, I finally gave up and called my surgeon's office and the answering service paged the doctor. He called me immediately (love him!) and was very sweet and he called in a different, more readily available medication, which my mom is out picking up now.  I can't seem to find a comfortable position to rest in and my autistic son is having a really, really hard time with the changes to his routine that are necessary this week.  Our plan that my mom would take care of me so my partner could take care of our son sounded reasonable in advance but is proving far more complicated for a variety of reasons. The most comfortable chair in our house happens to be the cat's favorite too and no matter how many times I shoo her away she keeps trying to climb back into my (very sore) lap. Did I mention there was also an explosive diarrhea episode (my son's, not mine) which my poor partner had to deal with all on her own because I am definitely not up to scrubbing the soiled carpet? We all just need to get through the next hour and then we can hopefully all get some much neded sleep. The bus will pick my son up tomorrow around 8am and I am so looking forward to having time to rest and relax while he is at camp.

Surgery is Over

Well I had my surgery yesterday and so far I am doing pretty well.  I had a lot of pain when I first woke up from anesthesia but they gave me medication in my IV that gave me major relief quickly.  Since then I have mostly felt crampy and sore, which ranges from quite mild to fairly uncomfortable, but I have asked for more pain meds when it gets stronger (about every 3-4 hours) and they work quite well.  I have been up walking around doing laps on my hospital floor and it feels good to move. They gave me my first meal a few minutes ago- broth, jello, and lemon flavored water.  I tried a tiny spoonful of the broth but it smelled yucky and I decided against having any more of it.  The jello tastes good and I have had about 3 spoons full, which has felt fine. I have been very fortunate and haven't had much nausea, which is great.  The doctor should be by in a few hours and then I should get to go home. I am a little worried about the pain getting worse at home without the iv meds option but I think it will be ok.

Today's the day

Surgery!  I head to the hospital in one hour.  I am nervous but still 100% committed to doing this.  Here I go...

The final countdown!

My surgery is in less than 48 hours!  I'm feeling calmer than I expected- definitely somewhat nervous but not so much that I am questioning my decision to do this thing.  I continue to feel a lot of relief that I will no longer be so overwhelmed by my struggle with obesity because I will have the powerful tool of the sleeve, the support of my surgeon and his team, the awesome community of fellow sleevers I am discovering online, especially on www.bariatricpal.com, and lots of friends, family and co-workers cheering me on.  Of course I am worried about pain and how difficult the first few weeks (months?) of recovery will be, but this still seems like the smartest choice and investment in myself I've ever made.

Pre-op Diet

I am on day 3 of my required one week pre-op diet. I get 3 protein shakes per day plus unlimited raw or steamed non-starchy vegetables, one small fruit, up to 2 tablespoons of oil or salad dressing, broth and sugar-free liquids.  It has been mostly ok so far except for last night when I had a terrible headache.  My favorite part is that sugar free Popsicles and jello count as liquids, which is nice because they still feel like a treat.  I have two more days of this stage and then the final two days before my surgery are just shakes and liquids, no fruits or veggies.  Not clear to me if I will be used to this by then or I will be ravenous.  Nerves are kicking in about my surgery but so far it hasn't been too overwhelming.  I ran into an acquaintance today who had gastric sleeve surgery two months ago from the same surgeon and she looked fantastic and said she is feeling great.  This is really happening!