I wanted to tell you guys thank you for the kind thoughts this past week - which has been bar none -probably the most hellish week of my life.

My VSG surgery was last Monday afternoon (May 21, 2012) My husband had this same surgery done on Tuesday, May 9th and sailed through it - we brought him home the next morning. Unfortunately I have not experienced the same kind of luck with my own recovery.

In a nutshell, I was supposed to go home on Tuesday morning, but I became tachardic (heart rate off the charts) and my red blood cells counts dropped so low that I was about as white as the sheet on my bed, as it turns out I was bleeding internally. Over the next few days I was given two blood transfusions, the first showed little improvement, then slowly the red blood cells started to return after the 4th unit of blood on the second transfusion.

I was finally released on Friday morning - only to come home and have one of the 6 incisions on my belly rupture after I was home for about an hour - bleeding so profusely that it was like I had been hit by a shotgun blast.We ended up back in the ER once again that evening, having soaked through all of the towels, ratty clothes, and absorptive things in the house lol.

They took yet another CBC (complete blood count) - which makes about 17 blood draws on someone who has teeny tiny veins, and can barely swallow .5 ounce of water - they were threatening to insert a central line and go back in to find the bleeding - Good news is that the numbers are looking better, so they did not need to. I was also 20 lbs. higher than my surgery day weight from blood pooling in the tummy and the insane amount of fluids they pushed all week. Right before I left the hospital they gave me a shot of lasix and put a Dulcolax suppository in the bum - lets just say I we had to stop a coule of times on the way home - we are not even that far from the hospital.

6 days out and it is the first day that I have actually start to feel okay. Now my stomach looks like a giant black and blue sack of potatoes - its has assumed shapes I have never known it could. Gotta get a picture of it before it goes away - it really is quite a spectacle.

After the process I have gone through this past year with the nutrition, psych, and medical counseling and then having the surgery - it is in no way the easy route - merely the most successful in helping people as obese as myself hope to live a bit longer. Yesterday I was able to start getting all of my vitamins in, and am working hard to get my protein and fluids - it really is true, your tastes can really change after surgery. The only things that taste okay now are melted sugar free popsicles, protein chicken soup broth (strained), proti-diet protein drinks and powerade zero.

I am very grateful to be feeling better for the moment - it think it might be a while before I have much energy. Frankly I am just glad to be alive - thank you guys for your enduring love and friendship.