jessiquoi

11/20 - first full day home -- ahhhh sleeping in my own bed last night was fabulous. I am taking my pain meds every 6 hours. No hero here. Today I start following my nutritionist's instructions. 2 oz Protein shake, wait 1/2 hr, Breakfast, wait 1/2 hr, 2 oz Protein Shake and more fluids as tolerated, lunch, 2 oz protein shake and more fluids, dinner, 2 oz protein shake. Each meal consists of 1/2 cup of stuff, like Jello, popsicle, crystal light, any clear fluids. I'm on clear liquid for one week post op. Here's what I actually managed to get in: total of 4 oz protein shake, 1/4 cup jello, 10 oz other fluids. Total: 18 oz Fluid. I'm not having any trouble getting stuff down, but I can't stay awake and I know rest is the most important thing today. Got on the scale and gained 8 pounds over presurgery weight from the fluid they pumped in me. Time to start peeing more.

11/19 - first day post op! My pain has been managed and the gas is minimal. I feel so much better than I expected, especially now that I have my blood sugar under control. But last night was a horror. I felt awful (I think due to blood sugar and exhaustion) and they woke me up more than once an hour for vitals etc. Here's the worst: I rang the bell for the floor nurse to come turn on my light so I could walk to the bathroom. She answered, and couldn't hear anything from me, kept going "hello? is anyone there?" while i kept saying "yes i'm here". Then she hung up. AND NEVER CAME TO CHECK ON ME. Freaked me out. Did it again, same result, and I finally dragged myself to the nurses station to see what's up. OMG a ruckus ensued. Head nurse freaking out on her staff, not allowing me to be left alone until she found another room with working call button system, sitting up waiting for them to move me for 2 hrs in the middle of the night. It was the worst night I could have imagined, and my bf is considering a lawsuit based the lack of response and the diabetes (lack of) care. I am not litiginous, and will talk him out of it. Passed the leak test!!! And got served this beautiful meal, on doilies!!! 2 oz Protein shake, 2 oz broth, 2 oz Jello. Yum! No trouble keeping anything down, and I'm cleared to go home. Thank god. Long visit from the Nurses Manager to follow up on last night's fiasco before we left. John is still incensed. I just want to get out of here. Feeling great physically, but I'm sure it's due to the pain meds. Pulling the drain out SUCKED!!! It was horrible, but very very short in endurance so don't worry about it. 3 seconds and you're done.

11/18 - The Day! We showed up to the pre-op area before they opened. Eager, ya think? Everything went great in the pre-op area. My surgeon and the anaesthesiologist both came to see me, the last blood work from Quest was received, and I went into the OR on schedule at 7:45 am. The surgery went well, and by 2:45 I was in my room, catheter removed and sitting up in a chair. I urinated on my own. MY PEE WAS GREEN! lol. Didn't expect this. thought I'd mention it so you don't freak if you're the freaking type. Some kind of dye they used. My pain was well managed by the nurses. I was getting Toradol every 6 hrs, and only once did I ask for morphine. I walked a couple of times around the floor, but that is a lot of walking for me bc of my legs and back, so I was pleased. Ice chips only until tomorrow after the leak test. My biggest concern was that my surgeon didn't allow me to wear my insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring system during surgery, and the nurses wouldn't allow me to put it back in and take over my diabetes management. I had them call my endocrinologist, and they told me she would be coming by to see me after her office hours. Meanwhile, my blood sugar has reached 285 and I was pissed as well as not feeling well. Healing and preventing infections are difficult enough for people with diabetes. Having my blood sugar controlled was, to me, a medical necessity and I just couldn't wrap my head around why they just wouldn't give me more insulin! "We have a protocol that tells us how much to give based on your blood sugar". I have my OWN protocol written out by my endocrinologist!!! You can't treat every diabetic the same. OMG I could rant about this for hours, but I won't. Just want to say to my fellow Type 1s, get your endocrinologist on board early and don't expect the floor nurses to get Type 1 stuff at all... they are used to Type 2s and I practically ran a class today. They thought my CGM was magic. sigh. My endo came finally at 5:30 pm and gave them a stern talking to, because they didn't ask her if I could use the pump, they just asked for a consult. She would have answered immediately YES. Feeling vindicated but still yukky due to high blood sugar.

So, I used only my pillow, phone, charger and diabetes supplies. Sweetie pie forgot the chapstick, wished I had it.

i thought i had seen one earlier in my journey, but i can't find it. thanks!

Home yesterday. Dealing with the gas. Walking helps so much. So do drugs . Sleeping a lot still.

Home yesterday after one night in the hospital. Surgery didn't bother me while there. home is a different story. Had a low blood sugar last night (type 1 diabetic ) and drank a little too fast. Suffered all night with pain and nausea. Learned my lesson. Starting today off right with 2 ozs of protein shake. Nothing feels as good as walking does.

Wish me luck people.

My stomach comes out tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow I’ll be sleeved. Just thinking about tomorrow Makes me want it over too much to be believed. When I think of the day, my day of surgery I just picture me shrinking every day! My stomach comes out tomorrow I just have to hold on till tomorrow. Drink away! Tomorrow, tomorrow, they’ll sleeve me tomorrow. It’s only a day away. obviously i'm giddy from lack of sustenance.

i'll only be there overnight, so i don't want to overpack, and i only live 10 minutes away so my boyfriend COULD go home and get me whatever i decided i want... but i prefer to be prepared. thanks for your replies!

i was always a fan of their "skinny" lattes, which are non fat and sugar free. my fave was the skinny vanilla

tomorrow the 18th is my day too! i have to be at the hospital at 6am and surgery is at 7:45. i've been on a liquid only diet since friday. it wasn't as hard as i thought it would be, but i went through some depressed periods thinking about how much i enjoy eating and wondering how badly i will miss food. i try to just keep focusing on the final prize at the end of the journey, but it's not always easy, is it? good luck to us all!

i didn't tell, and i'm getting sleeved tomorrow. i told them i needed surgery, and took one week off and then will be working from home for 3 weeks afterward. i may tell people afterwards, i'm not sure, but i didn't want to hear anything at all that would bring up any negative emotions (anger, fear, doubt, etc) plus i just wasn't in the mood to explain over and over again. afterwards, i have a feeling i may become an advocate and broadcast it to the world... but for now, nope.

i don't know how far out from surgery you are, but if you're newly sleeved, is it possible that you are eating/drinking too quickly?

best wishes! my day is tomorrow, and i look forward to your posts post-op.

tomorrow's my day, and i'm kinda nervous. i have to keep reminding myself of the end prize, and remember all of the stories read here of those that have already been sleeved and are on their way to or already thriving. but i'm definitely going through that "wtf am i doing???"

Today I started my liquid pre-op diet. John is incredibly supportive and helpful. My daughter and John's sister are both coming to visit this weekend, and he went out this morning to buy a few things so we could feed the company. We included on the list the things I needed for my liquid diet. The list was not very long lol. He came home with $400 worth of groceries. Four. Hundred. Dollars. I'm not exaggerating. While he was in the store, he started imagining all these meals we could make. He totally forgot that I can't eat. For like a month. I can't stop laughing, and he's still trying to fit it all into the refrigerator.

i love black bean soup! i cook it with a piece of ham, and then puree it. yummy!

this morning i start my pre-op liquid diet. my surgeon requires 4 days only. last night i had a very emotional evening. it's finally here! it's the moment i've been thinking about for over a year now -- the moment when i end my toxic relationship with food. the months leading up to this have prepared me in every way to make this break, and yet i had some somber, tear-filled times throughout the night. i realize that, in time, i will be able to eat anything i want to again, albeit in tiny quantities... but never again will i gorge mindlessly to give myself pleasure, to assuage negative emotions, to fill empty hours. no more will the most constant and dependable "friend" be able to numb me from feeling and dealing with life. i'm giving up the temporary good feelings that food gave me, because they were temporary, and masked the damage that overeating caused to my health and well being. goodbye, my life-long toxic friend! i happily kick you out the door and slam it behind you! i had my food funerals in the last few weeks, and found them surprisingly very unsatisfying. none of my favorites gave me the same thrill or momentary sense of peace that i had always counted on before. i just wasn't that into what i was eating. and my new habits of eating slower and consciously made it difficult and even unpleasant to finish the food in front of me. i felt simultaneously pleased at the progress i've made, knowing that the gradual changes to my diet have caused my tastes to change, and saddened, as i would feel at the loss of a friend. right now, all i feel is happiness. i'm so proud to have found the strength to go through this difficult process. i've got my eyes firmly fixed on the prize at the end of the journey -- getting off of blood pressure and cholesterol medications, regaining the ability to be physically active, enjoying getting dressed in the funky outfits i prefer, keeping up with the wonderfully supportive man in my life, frolicking with the grandchildren i expect my daughter will provide me, traveling freely and comfortably around the world, and finally gaining some semblance of control over the one area of my life that has always confounded me in the past. i've followed so many of you closely through your own journeys, and it has helped me tremendously. i'm ready. i really am! thank you for sharing your experiences. i plan on doing the same. i'm counting the hours until 7:45 am EST on 11/18/14. i am so going to rock my sleeve!

started my pre-op liquid diet today, and i'm ready! counting the hours until 7:45am 11/18.

today i start my pre-op liquid diet (only 4 days...i'm scheduled for 11/18) and last night was very emotional for me. i had a few somber moments as i recognized that as of that night, my relationship with food has changed forever. it was a heavy moment. i'm looking forward to being on the other side of surgery!

banana nut is my favorite muffin, and i look forward to trying this!

thank you for your wonderful post! i love the way you mention the things you had trouble with as well as the things that are better... so real, and so helpful. congratulations on your continued success.

go go go!!!! joining you next week!

oh, so i did get weighed in at the pre-op, as you all told me i probably would. i weighed in exactly the same as my last weigh in about a month ago. to achieve that i had to realllllllly be diligent the few days before! i practically fasted for the last three days, but it worked! happy happy joy joy!