rachelkork

Today I had my drains removed. That was quite the experience, not the most painful thing but the most uncomfortable thing ever. I thought the drain tube was only a few inches inside me, I was wrong. Those tubes are like 1.5 feet long with a thick plastic ending. My stomach area is pretty sore from the drain removal but other than that I'm doing great. I must say I feel like I could eat anything as long as I chew it enough. I had campbells chicken noodle soup today. Chewed the noodles/chicken many times before I swallowed and it went great, no indigestion or anything. Finally figured out how to make a good protein shake (thank you booster juice). I also had some nibbles of a cheese string and a few bites of scrambled egg whites. I know the stomach takes time to heal, but after that terrible 2 week pre op diet I couldn't wait anymore to chew something. Hopefully my eating doesn't cause any problems. In my defence the first week post op was water and juice only as I was still in the hospital with complications, not from my stomach but a nick in my cavity. In other news, I'm currently wearing a shirt that I haven't worn in 2 years due to my size.

highest weight - 318 weight before pre-op diet - 294 weight before surgery - 274 current weight - 247 I can't believe it's been a month since my surgery. I feel absolutely amazing..and look pretty amazing too. I bought myself a gym pass this past week, the first time I went I did get a little light headed but it's all good now. This week I went shopping for some new clothes. I bought myself size 16 jeans (was a 22) and some L/XL shirts (was a 3X). At first I thought I would need some sort of reconstructive surgery but my skin is not loose or saggy at all. I guess it's true what they say age and length of obesity really does play a part in skin elasticity.

Woke up sunday morning with a sore throat/head cold. Woke up this morning dry heaving and feeling like a bus ran me over. I called the surgeons office to let them know how I'm feeling and I was told to take some gravel and if the nausea doesn't go away that I need to come to the hospital. Im feeling alright now but still kinda scared. The last thing I need right now is a leak. Other than not feeling great I'm doing ok. I'm getting in most of my protein, I'm supposed to get 60-80g a day and I'm getting in at least 55g a day. My weight is steadily going down, today I weighed in at 258. Even with the complications I had, this was the best decision I've ever made.

I'm on the meditrim 2 week diet. 2 protein shakes, 1 protein bar, 2 cups of veggies and plenty of liquids. I've lost 10 pounds in 4 days and was told I would only lose 15-20 in the 2 weeks. So I was wondering, how many pounds did you lose on the pre-op diet?

I only had drains because I had internal bleeding (something was nicked during surgery) and this was the best way to monitor my recovery. When I woke up from my vsg I had no drains, but when I woke up from the second surgery (drain blood/bloodclots) I had 2 JP drains.

The internal bleed was not from my sleeve line but from when they were cutting/cauterizing the layer of fat/muscle away from the stomach. A rare thing to happen.

I had VSG on Monday Feb 28, 2011. Everything seemed to be going well when I woke up after the surgery but as the hours passed I knew something wasn't right. I was rushed back to the O.R. on March 1, where the doctors drained internal bleeding and huge bloodclots. I have never felt so sick in my entire life. Wednesday was terrible as I had to do leaks tests and could barely keep the dye I had to drink down. Thursday and Friday went great, a little queasy and sore (my back) but other than that I was fine. I went home Saturday morning with two drains in me that will be removed (hopefully) on Tuesday. Everyday I'm doing better and better, and losing some serious weight.

I had my surgery on Feb.28, I went back under on March 1 to drain internal bleeding and remove blood clots. I'm now at home resting and doing well.

I will be sleeved february 28th by Dr. Hardy at Victoria Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Today I made a cup of tea with rotten skim milk. Somehow I didn't notice till half way done when, when my stomach started to gurgle. Not fun! Only 2 more sleeps till my surgery.

So I can't stand the music on the zumba game but I love the wii fit plus. My boyfriend and I compete each other in workouts. It's actually really fun and playing with him makes it seem like we're not working out. I noticed that somewhere over the past 2 weeks I must have missed a few protein shakes, hopefully this won't affect anything. I've got everything I need for after my surgery, well except the book that I ordered. Now I'm left just counting the hours down.

Day 11 - I cheated. I had 1 light part skim mozzarella cheese string. I know most wouldn't consider that cheating but I do. I just caved, I needed something solid in my stomach. It was amazing, I didn't feel guilty at all and I still lost another pound. The bio oil I bought the other day is amazing. I used it on my face and the back of my arms. I can already tell a difference is skin tone, it's not as uneven. The coco butter is probably my favourite lotion ever. It smells amazing and made my skin so smooth.

Today I bought bio oil, palmers coco butter (for after pregnancy and weight loss) and a body scrubbing brush. I know these products aren't a tummy tuck/body lift in a bottle, but even if they don't reduce scars/stretch marks or firm my skin up at least i'll have really soft, even toned skin. I don't think i'm going to have that big of a problem with excess skin but you never know. All of my excess weight is pretty evenly spread out over my body, no bulging belly or backside. In other news I've had a headache since 3pm. I took a tylenol but without an advil (which I can't take) there's not much hope. Hopefully it won't last too much longer.

I just bought the zumba game for the Wii. It comes with a belt that you slip the wii remote into. The belt size is about 50 inches but you could easily add more velcro. The game itself is a pretty good workout but if you don't like latin/international music I don't recommend it. I could see this game being hard for people who aren't coordinated on their feet. I used to dance/cheerlead so I picked up the dance moves pretty fast. I liked that you could choose between a single routine or a class session. Theres tons of different dances to choose from and each one has a beginner, intermediate and expert stage. A workout calendar is also programmed in the game that you can customize. I'd say this game is good for people who love to shake "it" and workout.

Today I had my final appointment before my surgery. I met with the anesthesiologist to go over my medical history and talk about the surgery day. I totally forgot about the breathing tube, I knew you needed one while under general anesthesia but for some reason it slipped my mind. I was also put off with the fact that after they take the breathing tube out I can't have water for 2 hours. I hate having a scratchy throat and no water. Over the weekend I ordered the book I'm going to read while in the hospital, if I'm awake. Technically it's not a book but a graphic novel, The Walking Dead omnibus 3. I have to mention that I have a thing for zombies. Only 6 more sleeps!