Friday, January 1, 2010

Back to the Grind

I can't believe that it has been a little over 2 weeks since my last post.  Christmas flew by and I am grateful for that. Family stress is not something that I need right now.

It is New Years Day and I am sitting here at the computer while my hubby naps.  I am super anxious about going back to work on Monday. I was fortunate to be able to take 6 weeks off post-op which bled into the holiday period that my employer is closed. I have not been to work in 8 weeks!

This transition has seemed easy at times but often feels overwhelming still.  I think about food and fluids much more than I ever did pre-op which chews up a lot of time (pardon the pun!). Also, the last few days have been wonky. I have had a few more stuck issues that induced vomiting (I am guessing from not chewing enough or taking bites that are too big.) I also am developing problems with certain types of foods but it seems that this varies by day. For example, I ate something for dinner on Monday and it was fine. I ate it again on Tuesday and it wouldn't go down. It is maddening sometimes that there is no rhyme or reason!

Also, my concern is growing over the quality of the aftercare that my surgical program is providing.  I feel as if they were all over me before surgery but since then, I've been dropped on my ass. I guess I must have more complex questions than most patients because of the amount of people that I talk to and research that I do but even so, they should be making more of an effort.

Some of the major issues have been:
1) Stage 5 (and final) diet is overwhelming. I was given a list of how many servings of each food group that I need to eat and examples of serving sizes.  However, when I asked what volume of food I should be eating at a sitting - the nutritionist had no answer! How can that be? I mean really...how biig is my stomach and how much food should I be putting in there are one time? How complicated is that?  She told me that "my body would tell me what was appropriate". All well and good until things get stretched out in there...
2) I was told nothing about the actual surgery except they would "make my stomach smaller and bypass part of my intestines". Well, that can mean all kinds of things...how much of my intestines is gone? How much was bypassed? What does that mean for absorption of medication and food?
3) I was told to take a number of vitamins and pills but was never told what needed to be spaced out or what type of schedule I should have with these. What a waste of time to find out that I was taking things too close together and therefore was getting no benefits? Not to mention the money that I was more or less flushing down the toilet.
4) Lastly, there seems to be no concern for helping me out with my anti-depressant post-op. I was told I couldn't take the long release tablets I was taking and that I needed to see the doctor to discuss it. I was told that the reason was because the pills didn't stay in my body long enough to be effective. When I did, he told me he had no experience with post bypass patients and potential problems with pill absorption. Unreal! I wasted time (waiting more than 2 weeks for the appointment and then the time spent in his office) not to mention an exorbitant co-pay for a useless appointment.

Look out medical staff...I am coming for ya! :) These questions need to be answered because I am the one that has to live in this altered body for the rest of my life. One of the things that the program taught me was to advocate for myself....don't know that they thought it would be so effective in terms of the service they were providing!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Christmas Countdown

So, Christmas is much closer than I thought and with that comes going back to work. January 4th I will be back at my desk! It is hard to believe that it has been 5 weeks since surgery...it literally feels like days.

I am learning new habits every day. No major issues still, however I did have my first significant "stuck" issue last night. It was my first time going out to dinner and I ate broiled chicken. I am not sure if I ate too fast, if my pouch didn't agree with blackened chicken or what but it was more than unpleasant. It was stuck for nearly an hour before it finally came up. When it did, it was INSTANT relief! Ugh...never want that to happen again.

I am still surprised at what my diet consists of as I never would have guessed that these sorts of things would appeal to me. Boca Burgers, turkey meatballs, Babybel Light cheese with saltines, creamed soups are all on the menu. Interesting to say the least...

I haven't been on the scale since my 2 week visit but I am certain I am getting smaller. I am trying to focus more on my size than the number of pounds. I am wearing a pair of jeans that were tight before surgery and I can pull them down without unbuttoning them with ease! Shocking!

I see the nutritionist on Monday for my 6 week follow up and a weigh in is part of that appointment. We shall see.

I also decided that I am going to take a picture of myself every 2 months so I have a good record of the loss. See you next week (with pics)!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Nearly one month out...

This week has been great. I have had more energy than I have had in a while and I am happy to report that a lot of my clothing is getting bigger. Last weekend, we put up our Christmas Tree and I am thrilled! I am home from work this year and I am enjoying every second of sitting by that tree in the evenings once it gets dark. There is nothing better to put me in the holiday spirit!

I was cleared for exercise on Monday when I saw the surgeon. He is very pleased with my progress. I went  to the gym 4 consecutive days this week...that must be a new record for me. I love water aerobics so much and I so happy to be able to move freely and exercise again.

I have still not had any major problems since surgery. The only issue has been taking pills...some are so big and I have to take them so many times a day that sometimes they get stuck. That feeling is the absolute worst! It literally feels like I swallowed an egg whole. I can feel where they are stuck and it is so painful that it takes my breath away and I wish that I could vomit just to move them! I can feel them going all the way down also...which is freaky!

I have found some protein powder that I like and they are doing a 30% off sale so I bought some this morning. It is so much easier when I can have one shake a day to make sure I get up to my protein requirements.

That's all for now...just taking every day as it comes and trying to keep my pace slow (which is hard for me!)

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Lots to be grateful for...

Well, Monday will be three weeks out from surgery. I am starting to get some energy again and I am hoping to get to the gym and walk on the treadmill a bit this week. I am looking forward to seeing my surgeon for my follow-up this week too. Boy, do I have lots of questions for him!

This week was my first holiday post surgery...Thanksgiving. So many people have said to me that I was nuts for having surgery so close to the holidays but I wouldn't have it any other way. I had waited so long that I was ready to go and it didn't matter what else was going in on the world.

Thanksgiving went really well despite the fact that at times my brain wanted to eat like everyone else.  My body is clearly NOT on the same page as my brain. I had my "approved" meal of 2 oz turkey, 1 tbsp squash and 1 tbsp mashed potato. It was delicious and more importantly, it was ENOUGH. One interesting observation though...I was concerned that my slow pace at the table would throw a wrench in dinner because I would be done before others (with their 2nd, 3rd portions, etc). Not so! I have to pay a lot of attention to the clock so that I don't eat too quickly. I was certainly surprised to see that most everyone filled their plate and finished it in less than 10 minutes! All that time and energy to prepare a meal coupled with the unrealistic expectations that every family is like a Norman Rockwell painting and the whole thing was over in 10 minutes? Unreal...

I am feeling good and happy that my husband went out to get a Christmas tree today. Bring on Christmas! I am ready...

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Whole New World

Today is the day before Thanksgiving 2009. I am not sure how to feel about the holiday since everything changed the moment I had gastric bypass surgery on November 9, 2009.

It was a long journey to surgery...18 months to be exact. I struggled every day with the weight loss requirement. I thought that I was ready so I didn't know why the scale wouldn't budge. Little did I know at the time, I had too much in my head and heart that I needed to work out before I was really ready. I suppose I should have gone back to my philosophy that everything happens for a reason...but that's easier said that done in the moment.

Since surgery, my recovery has gone pretty well (from what I hear from others). Went into the hospital on a Monday morning, came home on Wednesday. No nausea, no vomiting, no trouble getting protein in (except that protein shakes are VILE). I am still experimenting with that as we speak.

However, there are some things that I wish someone had told me beforehand such as:
1) The gas is horrible post-op. I literally woke up from surgery burping. I mean, I knew there would be some because of the gas they put in your belly for laproscopic surgery but that's not all that it was. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like "air in the lines" of a fountain soda machine. And the pain is one of the worst things I have ever felt...and it's all over the place. Hard to tell post-op what should be cause for alarm when you are in pain...scary.

2) Protein shakes are ridiculously sweet and your tastes change after surgery. It was so difficult to drink those shakes because of the sweetness and the smell. The smell is vile as well but you have no choice but to get used to it...no other way to get the protein in.

3) That I would be so tired for so long. I am a little more than 2 weeks out and the exhaustion is incredible. I think I am feeling good then I go out and even the walking is tough.

4) That everything has to be chewable or liquid - I was told to get supplements and then told to get different ones after surgery. Though I am part of a comprehensive program with a "team" approach...this is one area where I don't think the team is on the same page.

Overall though, I have no regrets at all. My body is healing very quickly it seems (thanks to my surgeon for not using staples or stitches...the steri-strips are working just fine and the wounds are just about done).

I had my 2 week follow up on Monday with nutrition...I am down 15 pounds in 2 weeks!

I feel great...like I have my whole life ahead of me. It feels different from before since now I know that it was a long and FULL life. I am so excited to start living my dreams and not be limited by this body any more!