Today I feel really good...I had an amazing surgery experience...I had my surgery with Dr. Alvarez in Piedgras Negras, Mexico. After waking up from anethesia, I did not have any pain. I am sure the IV meds helped with that but overall I have not any any pain other than my travel day. The walking the airport and the turbelent plane ride and sitting in the plane seat itself was hard on my incisions but after taking a pain pill that night, I woke up just fine. About day three, I had gas (air they pumped in me to see while performing the surgery) trapped in my shoulder and that was a little umcomfortable. However, I took a 15 minute walk twice over about an hour and it released and has been fine since.

I am still struggling to get all my fluids in and have only been getting in about 30 grams a protein each day, thanks to the Unjury brand protein products. I also have fallen in love with decaffinated chai tea made with skim milk and sugar free caramel syrup. I am still amazed how full I am off so little. It takes me hours to eat one jello cup. And drinking 8 ounces of liquid, I could do that without taking a breath before surgery...Now, I am taking in a teaspoonful every couple of minutes. I was not required to do a pre-op diet but I did a self-imposed 5 day liquid diet. It resulted in me losing 5lbs pre-surgery.

My healing is going well. I have five incicisions with my excess stomach coming out of the incisions to the left (in attached photos has 4 steri strips). All my steri strips are still in place at this point and the only incision that I still really feel is the largest one that they took my stomach out of and even it does not prevent me from laying on it. I had planned on going back to work today but decided to give myself one more day in order to manage my fluids more. I got a little light headed yesterday after going for a walk and then to the grocery store...I have a desk job so no physical labor involved.

Normally, I will weigh in and blog on Friday's as my sleeve day was a Friday. However, in my FB August Sleevers group, we weigh in on Wednesday so I thought I would post my first blog entry today as well.

And for the numbers.....

SD 08/17/12

HT 5'8

HW 232

SW 227

CW 221.8