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First Setback - Hopefully Nothing

OK. I've been jumping through all the hoops. Did the psych eval, went for the sleep study, got the CPAP machine. Did the pulminology tests and blood tests, had my an ultra sound of my heart and EKG. Everything checked out fine up to that point.   THEN today I had a stress test and I was told that my heart was skipping a beat occasionally even at rest before the test. :scared0: They sent me home with a heart monitor for 24 hours. Besides the fact this it's itchy, and I'm ready to rip the connectors off my skin, I'm paranoid that they may find something to deny my sleeve surgery. :thumbup1:   Please keep your fingers crossed and say some prayers that there is nothing seriously wrong and that I get the clearance I need from the cardiologist!!
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

9
 

2 weeks Post-Op - And the scale says....

Well today is 2 weeks since my surgery. I'm feeling almost back to normal. I'm still getting tired by the early evening and I'm still struggling to get enough liquids in. So far the most I've done is 40 oz.   All in all, things are going pretty well, but I can't wait until tomorrow. I finally get to start eating mushies tomorrow. - I'm so sick of broth, jello, and protein shakes as my only foods. Tomorrow is going to be a great day.   I started back to work at 8 days post-op and worked just a few hours a day. Today, at 14 days post-op I worked my first full day. It went well, just a bit tired.   So here's the exciting news. The scale says I've lost 21 pounds. Woot Woot.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

6
 

2 Days til Mushies and counting!!

I can't wait until Tuesday when I finally get to start eating mushies. I went grocery shopping already in anticipation of the occasion and I'm laughing at myself. I bought everything that was on the list of allowable foods. When I got home I realized that with my new stomach size, I probably bought enough for 6 weeks of mushies. Oh well, some habits die hard.   :scared0:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

5
 

4 Weeks Post-op Today

Can't believe 4 weeks have passed since my surgery. Tomorrow I get to start on regular foods. I have absolutely no idea what I'm even going to try. All I know is that I'm tired of the mushies. I'm sure tomorrow isn't going to be the greatest day as far as the recommended diet, but I'm going to at least enjoy eating something that I really want to eat. Then I'll have to start working on what my day to day diet is going to look like.   As of today, I've lost 28 pounds and 7.75 inches. I'm pretty happy about that.  
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

5
 

5 Weeks Post-Op - 30 lbs. GONE !!

It's been 5 week today since my surgery. I've lost a total of 30 pounds. So far I'm doing really well.   I did something stupid tonight, though. I had pizza for the first time. Pizza is one of my favorite foods. Stupid me, I totally forgot that I have a tiny stomach and I started eating it at the pace and bite size of my pre-surgery days. Needless to say, I was in alot of pain after about 3-4 bites. I only ate about 1/2 of one slice. It tasted REALLY Good, but I wish I hadn't ruined to moment by eating it too fast.   I posted a comparison picture of me pre-op and one tonight (5 weeks post-op). I can actually see the difference - Woot Woot.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

5
 

APPROVED today!!!! Woot Woot!!!

I can't believe it. I was settling in for a 30 wait for insurance approval and than, this morning, I got the email from my surgeons office that I've been approved. Woot Woot!!! I was told in the beginning that surgery is usually scheduled 4-6 weeks from date of approval. That means probably June!!! :cursing:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

4
 

I'm sleeved

Came home from the hospital this afternoon. On pain meds, so it's not too bad. The worst part is getting out of or into a chair or bed. Very painful. Once I'm sitting or standing, it's not too bad.   They gave me protein shake in the hopital before I left. I can tell that it's going to take some effort to get enough fluids in. - I really don't want to throw up.   Wow, pain med starting to kick in, all post again later.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

4
 

My Surgery - The play by play

I arrived at the hopital at 7 am and was taken back to the pre-op area. There I was given a shot in my stomach to prevent blod clots and the nurse tried to put the IV in my left hand. It was awful and she couldn't get it to work. I different nurse had to come in and put the IV in my right arm just below the bend of my elbow.   My husband was trying to keep me occupied so I wouldn't freak out. (I really am not good with needles.) I was also upset because I only go to speak to 2 of my 3 children before surgery. My one daughter had gone to a friends and wasn't answering her cell phone. I was being very emotional about that. So we started naming all of the musicals I've seen on Broadway. That was fun and kept my mind off things.   I really don't remember anything else until I was in my room. I'm told that the surgery took an hour and a half and that everything went very smoothly. I have only 3 incisions and had no drain tube and I had no catheter either. I'm told that I was talking while in the recovery room, but I really don't remember even being in the recovery room at all.   I remember waking up in my hospital room and my wonderfull husband was right there with me. I was pretty groggy and would doze on and off. But every time I moved my right arm the alarm on the IV unit would go off. I had the IV in one arm and a pressure cuff on the other. It was so annoying not to be able to move.   They told me that they would come in a few hours to get me walking, but I think they forgot about me. Finally I had to use the rest room so badly that I initiated that by myself. I was a little annoyed when the nurse admitted that she thought I had a catheter. You would think they should have known they I didn't.   Anyway, we walked 3 times the first day and I used the lung thing thats supposed to prevent pnuemonia.   The night wouldn't have been too bad except that nurses kept coming in about every hour to do something. At 3 they took blood. I was like what the heck, couldn't they do that in the morning. They woke me up to do a breathing treatment too. It was crazy and annoying all night. God Bless my husband, but he slept through it all. In the morning someone came in just as I was waking up and asked my husband how my night was and he told them great. I opened my eyes and said "Speak for yourself, you slept through it all"   They brought me a protein shake and clear liquids for breakfast. I managed to sip down most of the protein shake, but couldn't consume any more.   The surgeon came in and discharged me at about 10:30 am and it took forever for the nurse to come in and remove the IV. I felt so much better once that was removed.   The road leaving the hospital was in desparate need of fixing and every bump was painful. I was hugging a rolled up blanket against my tummy and that help some.   Now I'm at home and trying to figure out how to get all the liquid in. I didn't do very well yesterday (my first day home) Hopefully today will be better. The pain is there but not real bad so I'm trying to not take percocet. (It makes me itchy).   I guess that's it. We'll see how today goes.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

3
 

False Alarm, but a bit of a scare this morning

I was woken up from sleep by pain in my left shoulder area. My husband, being the wonderful, caring, protective man that he is, remembered that the surgeon told us that pain in the left shoulder area is one possible symptoms of the stomach leak. :thumbup1:   Needless to say, my husband refused to take any chances and we went on the hour drive to the hopital to check things out. I must admit, I was a little bit nervous.   After spending the WHOLE day at the hospital, mostly just waiting. They did a CT Scan and determined that there was no leak, :scared0: but I had some condition in my lungs (mostly the left one) that, if not reversed, could turn into pneumonia. :thumbup:   Basically they told me to use the incentive spirometer (the lung ball game looking thing) more often.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

3
 

1 week out today

Wow - Can't believe it's been a week already since surgery. Time flies...   The week in review.   Had Surgery Monday morning, 6/14 Release from hospital by noon on Tuesday, 6/15 - Only had 3 incisions and no drain tube.   The first 3-4 days were the hardest for both pain and consumption of fluids. I could only consume about 8-10 ounces per day   Day 5 went back to hospital with pain in left upper chest and left shoulder. Went through tests, no stomach leak, but beginnings of what could become pneumonia - remedy - use the spriometer more!!! and all seems well now.   Day 6 - Started feeling more normal, no more holding my stomach in when walking and finally able to sleep on my side in my own bed!!!!! (That in itself did wonders for my moral) - Finally making some progress with liquid consumption. Was able to drink 24 oz. Only had a few tears at dinnertime when the kids made an awesome father's day meal and I had 4 oz of chicken broth.   Day 7 - Feeling a bit better each day. Went on a short walk outside for the first time and just reread some paperwork from the surgeon and realized that I was supposed to start taking vitamins right away. Oops, I'll have to get right on that. I took pictures and stood on the scale tonight. So far I lost 4.2 lbs on my 4 day pre-op liquid diet and 9.4 lbs since my surgery for a total of 13.6 lbs lost so far!!! :crying:   Next stop - 2nd and final week of all liquid diet. :scared0:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

3
 

3 Weeks Post-op

I finally got to start eating mushies this week. One more week on mushies and then I get to start add regular foods. I can't wait.   In the mean time, I'm enjoying my Chicken Noodle soup with ricotta cheese in it, I love the instant mashed potatoes and the lentils. So far, I'm tolerating everything pretty well. I'm just not getting the amount of protein or liquids in yet. I get between 32-40 ounce of liquids in per day (I'm supposed to get to 64 ounces) and I get about 52-55 grams of protein (I'm supposed to get 60-80). I'll keep trying!!!   My incisions are healing nicely. All in all, I'm feeling almost back to normal. I'm up to a 1 mile walk per day and I'll be trying to gradually increase that. I'd like to get to 2 miles/day.   So far I've lost about 24 lbs. I didn't lose as much this week, but I switched to mushies this week and I had my monthly visitor, so I still think I'm doing well. :scared0:   Tough times for me are when there are delicious food smells in the house from the rest of the family. The smell of bacon really got to me!!! I'm still being true to my post-op diet, but sometimes I'm really being challenged. :crying:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

3
 

8 week Comparison

It's been 8 weeks since surgery and I'm still doing pretty well. I've had no trouble eating different foods. I've been pretty happy with my weight loss progress so far. 38.8 pounds in 8 weeks :thumbup:    
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

3
 

I've officially lost my marbles

Somehow, I let my oldest daughter, who is only home for the summer, to convince me to do a yard sale. We've been going throught the whole house and the yard sale is scheduled for next weekend right before my Monday 6/14 surgery. I knew I would be able to do it afterward, so we're squeezing it in before.   Who knows, maybe it will help me keep my mind off of things. It sure is keeping us busy!!!
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

2
 

Last Meal before Liquid Diet - Yum

Start Liquid Diet tomorrow. Tonight I had a delicious dinner from Applebees. Had Steak with Shrimp and Parmesian. - Yum. :thumbup1:   Can't believe I'm starting my liquid diet tomorrow. Surgery is on Monday. Time is starting to fly. I must admit, I'm getting nervous.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

2
 

Celebrating Little successes

Yesterday was the worst day so far. I was in a significant amount of pain and finally got a new subcription from the doctor. I couldn't take the original pain killer because it made me itch all over.   Took my first shower since surgery last night. I have to admit that I cried a bit before going in. I was afraid. - I guess that's what pain does to you. But it was fine and I felt better afterwards.   I had my first bowel movement since surgery this morning. I was very excited about that. I know - it's a strange thing to be excited about, but I'm glad to know that my insides are starting to function again.   Woke up feeling much better this morning. Less pain, less bloated. I'm hoping today will be better than yesterday. I actually consumed 1/2 of one of those whey protein shots this morning. It only took me an hour and a half to do it, but I'm already doing better than yesterday. I bet I only consumed about 5 oz of anything yesterday. I know that's not enough, but I was so bloated and so sore that I just couldn't do it. Hopefully today will be better.   I'm getting closer to my pre surgery level with the lung incentive apparatus. So I'm doing pretty well with that.   For three days it's felt like I've had to hold my insides from falling out while walking by using both hands or a pillow. Today was the first time I could walk with only slight pressure with one hand on my tummy. Woot, Woot.   I just know things are going to start getting better now!!!!! :thumbup1:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

2
 

3 More days of Mushies :(

OK, I've had enough of the restricted diet. It's not a hunger thing, it's just that I want some variety. I can't wait til this is over!!!   It's been over 4 weeks since I've had "regular", non-mushie, non-liquid food. I just want to sink my teeth into something - even if it is only a few bites!!!!!   It's really hard when the rest of the family is eating. And today we're going to the church picnic and there won't be anything there that I can eat :tongue_smilie:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

2
 

Tiggers don't like CPAP machines

What an awful night. Spent from 10PM to midnight feeling like I couldn't breath on the CPAP machine. After tears of frustration, I ripped the mask off and decided that I couldn't have sleep apnea if I just didn't go to sleep. At about 3 AM I woke up still in a half sitting position with the mask in my hand. I must have been 1/2 asleep and relaxed enough, because I put it on and did fine until the alarm went of at 6:15AM.   Tiggers and I hate CPAP machines !!!:cursing:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

1
 

Yuk - Why didn't anyone warn me?

Just had my post op appt at the hospital and Upper GI XRays. That stuff that make you drink is absolutely disgusting. :thumbup1: I can't believe I was able to keep it down. It's amazing the stuff we are willing to put ourselves through in order to have this surgery!!!   6 more days til surgery!!! Can't believe it.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

1
 

All systems are go!!!

Had an appointment with my surgeon today. All of my pre-op tests were fine and my surgery is acually going to happen on Monday.   Yikes - I'm feeling a little nervous right now. So many changes to make. i hope it's not too overwelming.   I was just given all kinds of stuff to read and information to process. I'm pretty sure I'm confused. :thumbup1:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

1
 

70% of my stomach is gone!

This is Terri's husband, Alan, reporting on her behalf. We arrived at the hospital at 7am this morning. By the time all the prepping, etc., was done, she went into surgery around 9:30am. (The worse part of the pre-op was getting the IV in! First nurse had a little trouble and left a bruise. Second nurse had no problems.) Her surgery went very well. A nurse called me on my cell phone at different times during the surgery to let me know how Terri was doing. Afterwards, the doctor spoke with me and said that everything went fine and that there were no problems. We got settled into a recovery room around 1pm. It's currently 3pm and she's groggy and on pain meds but doing fine. Terri asked me to thank you all for your support and prayers. And everyone scoot over on the loser's bench!
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

1
 

Can you say OUCH!!!

Wow, did I ever make a mistake. I've been having trouble getting in fluids. So I tried drinking some chicken broth instead of the protein shakes and it went down much better. In fact, too well. I think I had about 3/4 of a cup of broth in about 45 minutes. And then the pain started. Oh my goodness, did the pain start. It was awful. :scared0: Talk about learning an important lesson about not consuming too much at one time.   I hope I've learned the lesson well and that I never feel that pain again!! :thumbup1:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

1
 

Starting on CPAP tonight

Well, today I picked up my CPAP machine and I start using it tonight. I really hope that I get used to soon, because I really don't like it. I kind of makes me feel like I'm giving my lungs a workout all night. Oh well, no CPAP machine, no surgery... so I guess I'll have to comply.:cursing:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

0
 

I need a good night's sleep !!!

2nd night on CPAP machine was only a little better. At least there were no tears or tantrums last night. But I stayed up really late to make sure I was very tired when I went to bed. I still had a hard time falling asleep. I can't help the feeling of not being able to breath. Finally fell asleep and slept for 5 hours without a problem. Need sleep tonight!!! :cursing:
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

0
 

Baby Steps

Still struggling with the CPAP machine, but every night it's getting a little easier. My panicky feeling of not being able to breath is getting better. I'm really hoping that I get used to it soon. I'm not getting enough sleep yet!!! Very tired.
BandMomsRock

BandMomsRock

0
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