I Puked Today....and sleevie has been a jerk the rest of the day.

It was not good.  My medication is broken up into smaller pieces.  One of the last pieces was kinda big and managed to drag its way down the back of my throat, triggering my ultra sensitive gag reflex.  Gag?  Yes, yes I did.  Twice.  The second gag was forceful enough to initiate my saliva production into over-drive.  Seconds later, sleevie cleared out all contents....my tablespoon of plain yogurt and tablespoon of frozen blueberries.  Thankfully I still had the container I had just finished eating out of because I had no time to make it to the bathroom.  It sucked.  The rest of my meals today were protested by sleevie with 45 minutes of a squeezing-like-a-ball-python kinda feeling.  I am not sure if I: ate too fast, didn't chew thoroughly enough, the food was too dry or a combination of all three.  Whatever it was, it was a sucky, sucky day.

The Scale Goes Down

Saw my GP today for my weekly vitamin B12 shot and weigh in.....I'm down 5 pounds bringing me to 235 pounds for a total of 26 pounds lost in 4 weeks.  I haven't been in the 230's since I got married in 2008 and while I should be happy, I am just "meh" about the weight loss.  I *am* disappointed that I only lost 5 pounds this week, I was hoping for a larger number, say 8-10 pounds.  With that being said, I am bloated and retaining water from my period and I haven't taken a poop in a few days, so perhaps that is screwing up a bigger weight loss number, say 8 pounds?  Grrrrr, Mother Nature, grrrrr!!!!!  Also, how stupid is this, since I keep thinking that I'm going to fail and gain the weight back (because that is what I am used to happening) I am not allowing myself to squee and jump up and down from excitement.  Yeah, I know, fucked up; something I have got to work on.

Soft Foods, Stitches & Working Out

I am officially onto "soft foods" - yayyyy!!!!  I have passed my 3 week post-op and am heading into 4 weeks post-op.  According to my post-op information guide from Dr. Almanza, I am now able to introduce the following:

3^rd to 4^th Week Post-Op (Home Soft Diet):

·     Blended meat and poultry (the texture of baby food), soft poached eggs

·     Canned and/or jarred baby foods that are low in sugar and higher in protein (meat and chicken) are acceptable.

·     Low fat cottage cheese, sugar free puddings

·     Unsweetened applesauce, pureed canned peaches (not in syrup), mashed ripe bananas

·     Blended soft cooked vegetables, or overcooked and mashed with a fork

·     Oatmeal, grits, farina

I am naturally very excited about these "new" foods, as I had said before, I am getting tired of having no texture.  I have been enjoying scrambled eggs with some feta cheese and mixed shredded cheese as well as hard boiled eggs made into an egg salad and everything has gone down without any problems - sleevie approves!  I did try canned tuna with regular mayo and it sleevie did not like it....at all.  I'm not sure if it was the mayo or the tuna fish, but I felt like I had swallowed an orange, my stomach/esophagus area felt very, very tight and it was a very long 45 minutes speckled with nausea.  I have switched to non-fat mayo that I have been using in egg salads, but I will not be testing the tuna/mayo mix anytime soon.  Lately I have been eating slow-cooked chicken, tofu, potato, carrot and sweet potato and those have all been approved by sleevie.  As far as the baby food goes.....yeaaaaa, not so much.  I've managed to eat a few teaspoons of pears, but that is all I can manage without gagging and that's just barely.  I can't bring myself to eat the baby food I bought, the thought makes me want to gag and I don't want to trigger sleevie into a full out vomiting session.  I have tired oatmeal, but not really all that much.  One morning I made my usual scrambled egg, oatmeal and a tablespoon of mango for breakfast.  After I had eaten my egg, I enjoyed the mango (mmmmmmm, so good!) and then I had the teeniest little bite of oatmeal and that was it, I was done.

Breakfast - Eggs with cheese (purple), mango (pink) and oatmeal (yellow)

Which brings me to.....I know when sleevie is full!!!!!  This is an exciting discovery for me because I have been preoccupied (and obsessing a little) on figuring out when I am full so I don't overeat (and stretch sleevie).  I have noticed as I start to get full, I begin to burp.  After each burp sleevie gets "tight".  If I continue to eat, things get extremely tight, to the point where it feels like it could be hard to breath (I know it's not, but that is how it feels) and the food seems to sit right where my "adam's apple" is.  Then I endure about 45 minutes of uncomfortable, nausea-filled times.  So there it is, my warning sign is burping - subtle at first then more insistent. 

It has almost been two weeks since I started using the fucidin cream on my incision sites which are looking a lot better.  I think they are taking a longer amount of time to heal, but that could be because I am not getting in enough protein (I'm trying, but it's hard!).  So far so good though.

2 weeks post

3.5 weeks post

3.5 weeks post

2 weeks post

2 weeks post

3.5 weeks post

Working on my fitness

Hit the gym for the first time today and it actually felt really good, mentally, even if it was "just" cardio.  I went on the reclining bike for 30 minutes at a gentle level....level one.  Hey, it was my FIRST day!!!  LOL.  Physically it was ok.  My legs felt a little shaky afterwards,  but as soon as I had breakfast that went away.

Memories

Funny how pictures and other items can trigger strong memories and emotions, good and bad.  A picture of my Grandma makes me remember the delicious scalloped potatoes she used to make...how they smelled, how velvety-creamy and soft they tasted.  The things we used to talk about.  A picture of myself when I was skinny, about 6 years ago, standing in my bedroom.  How damn good it felt to be able to wear those skinny jeans, the tight t-shits, the cute bra and panty sets, and how active I used to be.  A piece of olive wood, shaped like an egg, painted with a beautiful flower and the word "Jerusalem" just below it, brings back memories from that week in Israel.  All of the sites we visited and learned about.  A clay pot with horses on it reminds me of my honeymoon in the 4 Corner's area in the US; how fun it was taking a road trip with my hubby and how free I felt, like a nomad, even if it was only for a few weeks.  A hand carved little jewellery box with mother of pearl inlay from Syria makes me remember the wonderful people that we met along our travels and wondering around in the ancient site of Palmyria, practically by ourselves, thinking about whose footsteps were here before mine.  Some of the memories are not so good....quite painful.

A wedding picture of my Grandma and Grandpa from 1969 has me remembering some painful stuff, that I have fought so hard to forget.  My Grandpa was not my biological grandfather.  He adopted my Mom and her brothers way back when.  Anyhow, this man was a very cruel and mean person when he wasn't drunk which was about 10% of the time that I had ever seen him.  For some reason, he always made sure to insult me.  I remember being a young child, 6 or 7, and him telling me "jeez you're an ugly kid".  I guess he though if he laughed while he said it, it made it better ?  Without fail, he made sure to tell me this opinion of me.  As I got older into my teens, he started remarking on how "big" I was getting and how ugly I was (can't forget the original insult), which is really fucked up because as a teen I can remember being 116-120 pounds, and quite slender, tiny actually.  As the years went on and I got bigger, the comments centralized on how "big" I was (size 16), "jeez you're getting big".  I thought well, at least there's finally some fucking truth to what this prick is saying.  

At one point in my life, I bought a horse.  I can remember being so excited, this was truly a dream come true for me.  As a child all I ever wanted was a horse - "A horse, a horse!  My kingdom for a horse!"  I remember telling my Grandma that I had bought a horse and how happy she was for me, especially since a love of horses had "bitten" my Great-Grandmother, Grandma, my Mom and myself.  She was even more excited when I told her I planned on showing my horse (which I later did do).  Stories of her youth, horses and parades were shared with me.  She even gave me a crown she had gotten one year from one of the rodeo parades she was in.  Yup, great memories there.  

Grandpa, not so much.  He seemed like he didn't care or couldn't care.  I can't actually remember what he said or if he even said anything at this time, but I do remember what he said a few years later.  It was at my graduation ceremony.  Two and a half years of busting my ass working full time, attending school part time, showing my horse and later breeding her and keep the foal (it was a lot of work!), all the while maintaining an "A" average.  I was pretty proud of myself.  I had worked really hard.  Grandpa came to the ceremony half drunk, my Grandma shooting lots of "shut the hell up looks" every second she got seemed to keep him at bay for a short while.  Until I found myself alone with him for a moment and he took his chance.  He asked me if I still had "that horse".  Eager to have any kind of conversation with Grandpa that might turn out positive, I replied that I did still have her and was about to tell him my show plans for her, when he cut me off and said that he "felt sorry for the horse" and snickered then laughed at me.  I tell you, it was so hard to choke back those tears and keep up the happy face so I wouldn't ruin things for my Grandma and my Mom who were so very proud of me.  That night I remember crying myself to sleep.  I just could not figure out what his problem was, why he seemed to despise me so much.  All I ever wanted was a relationship with my Grandpa.  It was comments like that that made me not want to visit my Grandma very much because his insults became so very impossible to forget.  

The first words out of his mouth during East one year were, "Jeeze, you're getting to be as big as an amazon......jeeze you're big".  I remember suddenly losing my appetite and just wanted to sink away.  I sat at the table choking back tears and picking at my plate.  It is one thing when a stranger comments about your weight, but when a family member comments about it and is so cruel, it is so much more painful and devastating to your soul.  

When he died, I wrote him a letter and put it into his pocket and said good-bye.  I told him I hoped he would finally get the peace he so very much wanted and that I was sorry we did not get a chance to know each other as Grandfather and Granddaughter; something that I had always longed for so very much.  Sometimes, I can hear his words like he is standing right behind me.

To top off my shitty memory day, my Mother asks if I'm "allowed" to have Japanese food yet.  I explain that I can not have rice just as yet (I will eventually, but not for another several weeks) but could eat the meat and veggies that are well done and potatoes that can be mashed up.  She decides to point out that potatoes are fattening, rice is better for me and I'd "better not gain back the weight that I've lost".  Gee, thanks for the confidence Mom......FAIL, EPIC FAIL.   

Special Delivery.....

Woke up this morning to...nothing, no poop, no dueces dropped, nada, zilch.  I just figured that the laxative didn't work since it had been so long since I had gone and I had resigned myself to picking up the fleet enema after dinner.  I was out and about, helping my hubby with some work errands he had to do and we ended up in an industrial-type area.  No biggie.  I was sipping on my water and reading my book.....when suddenly, I felt *something* deep from the depths of my bowels descending down my colon and it was unstoppable and slightly painful.  "It'sa coming...ohhhh lordy-lordy-lordy!!!" I told myself wondering just how big this loaf would be if it felt like I was being shanked a few times.  If ever there was a time that I doubted my little Pontiac G5 could fly, it is gone.  My little beast hauled ass to the gas station which was only a few blocks away in record time although, I seriously didn't think I would even make it, I was sure that my rectal muscles were not going to be able to assist me and that I should, in fact, have worn "Depends" just as I had speculated the night before.  Alas, I somehow made it into the bathroom with miliseconds to spare.  The moment that followed was nothing short of the heavens opening, bright beams of sunlight cascading down upon me with Angels singing......yep, it was a very, very good thing because I really, really did not want to do that enema. 

Went to my weekly visit with my GP to get my vitamin B12 shot and weigh-in.  Down 6 pounds, for a total loss of 21 pounds, now weighing 240 pounds from 261 pounds.  Amazing, BUT not spectacular.  I managed to get down to 240 pounds last summer from 250 pounds, so while this is really good, it is not a "new" number for me....hopefully next week will show numbers I haven't seen in years on the scale.  My doctor has cleared me for exercise, but cardio equipement only - elliptical, treadmill, bike, stair master - but still no pushing, pulling or lifting.  At least this is something since I've been going a little stir-crazy being inside a lot.  I just hope I have enough energy to actually do some cardio.  I'll start small, 15-20 minutes and see how that goes.  My incisions are looking better, much better.  I'll post some pics of them tomorrow. 

I am also officially onto soft foods tomorrow - pureed meat (chicken & fish), scrambled & poached eggs, etc. - although I had starting eating eggs earlier this week.  I just couldn't do the soup broth anymore, it was making me gag.  This is really exciting, I'll be reviewing my food guide from the hospital so I know what I am able to eat at this stage and have it posted in the kitchen for quick viewing.  Yup, life is gooooooood.  Now if I could just have that bath........

Constipation, Nausea, Disgusting Protein Powder and my Breakfast today

I am constipated  :(  I honestly thought that this would not be a problem for me as I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and "dropping a duece" is usually a twice, some times thrice, occurrence a day.  Well, I have not gone since Saturday, despite adding "Bene-Fiber" into my liquids.  I took two extra-strength  Ex-Lax tablets a few hours ago.  The back of the bottle says it produces a bowel movement in 6-12 hours.  Well, I damn hope so!!!!  The next step would be to trot on over to Shopper's Drug Mart and get a fleet Enema.  Can't say I'm thrilled about that thought.  I guess my other alternative would be to go down to the emergency department, but honestly, if something's gotta go up my ass, I'd prefer to do it myself, thanks.  I know that this what will happen as I work in the health care system and I have a pretty good idea what steps they would be taking.  If I don't drop a duece by dinner time tomorrow, I guess I'll be "fleeting".  Ahhhh, living the dream peeps, living the dream! 

My nausea has really started to subside, I'm quite thrilled about that.  I was taking my sub-lingual pills every 8 hours, on the 8 hour mark, because the nausea was so damn persistent.  However, I've been really monitoring my liquid intake, trying to get as much as I can get in and it seems to have paid off.  The past two days I've only had to take my anti-puke pills first thing in the morning and then I'm ok for the rest of the day.  The only reason I think I am having to take them first thing in the morning is due to dehydration from the 8-10 hours of sleep when I am ko'd.  I've got a water bottle on my night stand now, we'll see if that helps at all.

Tried a protein shake last night.  I used one scoop of "Gourmet Whey" Milk Chocolate and one cup of skim milk.....yeah, it was disgusting.  I tried two sips of it and came close to spewing chunks everywhere.  At least I tried it.  It was disappointing though, I naively expected it to taste like Milk Chocolate, I should have known better.  It is so hard to find a decent protein powder that doesn't taste like spluge.  I do have a Vanilla flavored protein powder, also by "Gourmet Whey".  I may try that in a few days, we'll see.  

Had real food for breakfast today - one scrambled egg, 1 tsp shredded Tex-Mex three cheese blend and 2 tsp light feta cheese.  OMGosh it was delish!!!!  Mmmmm, REAL food.....yummy.  Hey, it's the little things in life, right?   :)

Top 10 Things I'm looking forward to.......

1.  I think I have the most amazing, F-AWESOME husband ever.  I was treated to a mini-shopping spree at my all-time favorite pampering place, LUSH.  Ahhhh, wonderful smells and products.  Whenever I use a bath bomb from here, I feel like a million bucks when I get out of the bath, which brings me to item number one, TAKING A LONG HOT BATH!!!!  If you haven't been to LUSH or heard about it, check them out  http://www.lush.com/   I am still about a month out before that will happen though but I am already envisioning all the LUSH goodness I will be partaking in that day.    I could easily drop a $500 in here if I don't pay attention to what I eagerly put into my basket.  Which reminds me, I should check my lotto tickets I bought before I had surgery......

2.  Coming in at a close second, surprising even myself, is being able to work out.  I'm not talking about walking around the block or taking the dogs for a walk, but a good weight-lifting session, preferably a leg session cause my legs are pretty strong.  I am really looking forward to listening to my nasty, mean music and burning up my legs.  I find these sudden urges very comical, as going to the gym has not been something I've actually longed to do for about 6 years.  My mentality the past few years has been "why bother", as I don't seem to lose weight.  Well, that is going to change, for damn sure!

3.  Trying out yoga with the two killer deals I just got off of "living social" and "groupon".  I am really looking forward to increasing my flexibility and getting toned.  I've done Bikram's Yoga before and I noticed a huge difference in my flexibility in less than 5 sessions.

4.  Being able to bend over and tie my shoes without losing my breath and damn near passing out.  I am soooo embarrassed by even admitting this.

5.  My heel/knee/hip pain going away.  My GP is convinced, as am I, that this pain is due to my weight.  I have noticed that since the surgery, my pain has lessoned a great deal and that is AMAZING.  

6.  Wearing a bikini and not feeling like a beached whale, more like a sexy siren.  Yup, there I said it - "sexy siren".  Yes, I want to be sexy in a bathing suit for ME and for my hubby.  I'm only 32 not 92, I should be able to wear sexy things and go out with my hubby and want to be seen in outfits as opposed to wanting to cover up and hide all of the time.

7.  Getting off all the prescription drugs related to my weight.  It bothers me a lot that I am on two medications for high blood pressure, one for GERD, one for depression, one for depression/sleep disorder, one for sleeping (related to the depression).  Again, I'm only 32, this is messed up!!!!

8.  My GERD going away - forever!  This is a most painful condition if I don't stay medicated.  It would be similar to swallowing acid and puking it up throughout the day.  I have had to resume this medication as of a few days ago, but I'm really hoping eventually with the weight-loss and once my stomach is healed this will be a thing of the past.

9.  Eating "normal food".  Although I don't have food cravings per say, I *do* miss CHEWING and chewing TEXTURE.  I need something to sink my teeth into and chomp away at.

10.  Being involved in life and not watching it pass me by like an out of control freight train.

Stitches are out....gross pics (for some), you've been warned!

It's here - free stuff!!!!

I got some free stuff in the mail today, I LOVE free stuff!!!!  Celebrate Vitamins sells vitamins/supplements exclusively for gastric surgery patients.  On the web site, a few days before my surgery, I ordered a free sampler pack and it came in the mail today.  I was given a bunch of goodies which I am excited to try out.  The pack comes with a bunch of chewable vitamins in a variety of flavors - grape, forest berry, cherry tart, strawberry creme, chocolate, pineapple-strawberry - as well as a multivitamin/calcium drink mix.  Very cool.  Check them out at http://www.celebratevitamins.com/  If you are not sure what to get or where to start, click on the "order builder" icon on the left, select your surgery and the site gets you started on vitamin recommendations based on the type of surgery that you had.

Lots of goodies to try out

 Got my stitches out, so happy about that, but I have a mild infection....no surprise there.  I am a slow healer and with having a rough two weeks, I'm not surprised my sites are mildly infected.  At least they are mild and it could be a lot worse.  Also had my vit B12 shot today, I'm hoping that it will give me some more energy, I could sure use it.  The greyish stuff is tape residue, just so you know it's not so other freaky skin thing.  Oh, aaaaaaannnnd, down another 2 lbs for a total of 15 lbs in 2 weeks.  I'm happy with that.

Incision under my left ribcage

Where my drainage tube was

The most disturbing one (to me) on my lower abdomen; it looks so deep, but it's not

I decided to treat myself to a pedicure today since my feet are so dry and they could use a good soak, scrub and pampering.  Besides, the last time I had a pedi was last summer!!!!!  I usually just scrub my own feet, but bending over still hurts a wee bit, so I figured this pedi was totally justifiable and for $27 how could I say "no"?

Yes, I'm still alive.....

I was going to blog sooner, but things have been a little rough to say the least. The surgery itself went very well but I had internal swelling which left me dehydrated which in turn left me nauseated for the first 6 days after surgery. It was a nasty cycle....nauseated from dehydration, dehydrated because my intake was low, intake was low because of internal swelling, ie: painful to swallow anything. I was just starting to feel human for the first 3 days that I was home and then woke up feeling hella nauseated and it just went on all day. Dehydrated again. I ended up in the Emergency Department for seven hours. After almost an hour spent just trying to get the IV in, I was given IV liquids and IV anti-nauseant and sent home with some hard core anti-nauseants that are taken under the tongue since gravol was not working for me. These pills that I was given are insanely expensive - $470 for 20 pills, yes 20 pills. I am so glad that my extended health care, Pacific Blue Cross, covers them. My out-of-pocket portion was $1.20, thank God, because quite honestly if I had to pay the full amount, I would not be able to afford them right now. Yesterday and today have been a lot better with the help of these pills. I have been able to really up my liquid intake and that makes all the difference. It's a slippery slope once you start becoming dehydrated and the nausea sets in; it's really hard to get ahead of it so I have been really, really aware of my liquid intake and being on top of things.


I haven't really talked about my pre and post op experience as I had planned on doing on a daily basis, so I'll do that now.


June 27th - and so it begins....


My surgery was booked for July 2. I started my pre-op fasting on June 27 and really, it was not nearly as bad as I had thought it was going to be. The first day was really the hardest, as I mentioned earlier, cheeseburgers & poutine fries were dancing in my head. After that, it was relatively simple. "Ensure" extra protein with a scoop of protein powder, chicken & beef broth, jello, herbal teas, popsicles and lots of water. I didn't think it was really all that difficult, more like too easy. I did get some head-hunger pangs but nothing I couldn't shrug off. I think a big part of getting through the week was being very busy while at work. My shifts were busy and before I knew it I was going home and passing out as soon as my head hit the pillow.


June 29th - Taking a laxative + liquid diet = fearful times


Three days before surgery I was to take a laxative according to the pre-op instructions. I was dreading this day. I was envisioning anal leakage on a mass scale and seriously considered buying a pack of "depends" just to make sure I didn't get soaked with any anal leakage, but there were no problems. I just went about 3 or 4 times that day, but that was about it.


June 30th - Mom is tired


Hubby, Mother and I headed off to Seattle, leaving around 11am.  The border wait going into the US was an hour to get through, but it went fast.   If I haven't asked before, why are US border agents such assholes?  While going through the normal spew of questions, where are you going? how long? what is the purpose of your trip?, idjiot border agent says to me after I told him where and why I was having surgery in TJ, "Tijuana, why would you want to go there?!?!" (I just told you I'm having surgery ass-hat and why I'm going to TJ) "Don't you know there's a war going on there right now?"  Obviously he didn't notice that we've been to the Middle East and Israel while there was a "war going on" and the drug war he was referring to is not much different from the drug wars seen in the province where I live.  Ugh.  Some people.  Anyhow, on we went with a stop off at the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip and the WalMart megastore.  Bought myself some loose fitting clothing that I can later use for exercise clothing, new shoes and sandals and staples like socks and underwear.  We checked into our hotel, Seattle Comfort Inn & Suites, around 6 pm and sadly, I crawled into bed shortly thereafter.  I was tired, hubby was tired and mom was tired.

Mom has passed out

July 1st - Happy Canada Day!!!


The hotel was nice enough to give us a late check-out of 12 noon as our flight wasn't until 2:30pm.  The day was pretty uneventful.  We got up, ate (I drank my soup broth), took the hotel shuttle to the airport, waited for 45 minutes, got onto the plane to San Diego for 2 hours and 20 minutes, got off the plane and was picked up by the Hampton Inn Hotel shuttle.  Check in was fast and friendly.  I was dying for a hot bath as I knew it would be the last one for a while, so I relished in my hot bath sipping my beef broth and downing huge amounts of liquids before midnight approached.  Nothing to eat or drink after midnight, so I was trying to get really hydrated.


July 2nd - 5:30 am comes quick


The hotel shuttle took us to the Jet Blue Terminal at the San Diego airport for 8am.  It was at this time I met another gal who was not only having her surgery with Dr. Almanza but was also a fellow Canadian (!!!!!) and had brought along her sister for support.  Once we got to the Jet Blue Terminal others began to show up.   A lady from LA, another Canadian girl from Saskatchewan (!!!!) and her friend as well as a man from Chicago.  I felt somewhat relieved that I was not the only one getting the surgery done that day as I really wanted to keep in touch with fellow sleevers from the same day/surgeon as me.  The driver showed up shortly thereafter and off we went.  Crossing the border was unusual.  The van was not stopped, it simply went through a lane that took pictures of it and off we went.  We were at the hospital within 30 minutes.  It was here, at this exact moment, that I had a second of doubt, the only time I might add, and a sense of "what the hell did I get myself into" as we pulled into a strip mall and I saw the hospital beside a "Staples" store and a paint store. Yes, it was at this moment that I thought "uuuuhhhhhhhh.....yeeeeeeeeeeah, I think I made a bad choice, a really seriously fucking bad choice".  I quickly snapped out of that as I remembered that I WAS in Mexico and this hospital being in a strip mall is not much different from seeing a Medical Clinic located in a strip mall like at home.  The first thing I noticed was how CLEAN the hospital is.  It smells clean and it looks very clean.  It seems like the floor is washed and dried only to be washed again.  The bathrooms are immaculate clean and I was very, very impressed with how clean the hospital is and how the staff are very good about hand-washing.  Once inside the hospital our information was taken and our consultations began.  I had my vitals and blood taken, IV started and calf compressors applied by my nurse, Lupita, whom was a doll, just so kind and compassionate.  I later had my assessment with the Cardiologist and an ECG done.

Dr Almanza and some of us

Dr Almanza & myself

Later Dr Almanza, who is a sweetheart, showed up and greeted us all, explained the surgery to us and answered our questions.  You can tell how passionate he is about this surgery and he and his staff have the process down to a science.  His english is not 100% (neither is my spanish) but we were all able to understand what he was explaining to us and there are more than enough staff that do speak fluent english, so it all balances out.  We then had our pictures taken with him -  he likes to have group pictures with the patients he does for the day, in addition to individual pictures.  

Post ab showing, lol

Waiting for my turn

Someone had asked a question, I think it was about how big the incisions would be and scarring that resulted in him lifting up his shirt to reveal not a 6 pack, but a 12 pack!!  Yes ladies, a 12 pack -  Good Lord, is he ever ripped.  He made all of the girls blush and the guys jealous.  He had the surgery done as well, 6 months prior (?), and has lost a lot of weight; actually there are many of the staff whom have had the surgery, so they KNOW exactly what you are going through.  After a few minutes Dr. Almanza left to begin the surgeries for the day.  At this point, it was "hurry up and wait"!!!  I can't remember what time I went in for surgery, but it happened fast.  Lupita arrived and away I went.  I walked into the OR suite, climbed up on the table and chatted with the OR nurse and the anesthesiologist while he gave me an injection and the last thing I remember, seconds after that injection, was saying to myself, "I feel fucked up and it feels good".  LOL.  Next thing I know I was waking up, my Mom was sitting there smiling and then Lupita and another nurse helped me up and I was walking, then I saw my husband and walked some more.  Actually, I walked a lot that night. I was having really bad gas pains and I just could not get comfortable for the life of me.  Then I had to pee.  Then I walked some more.  Went pee again.  Walked some more.  Tried to lay down.  Got up again.  Went pee again...each and every time with hubby pulling down my panties and then pulling them up again.  Jokingly hubby said as he was pulling up my panties, "well, I wasn't expecting to be pulling UP your panties for many, many years yet" LMFAO.  The humor did me good.  And so it continued, up and walking, laying down, up and peeing, laying down.  At one point, while going to the bathroom, I felt super nauseated and broke out into a sweat so bad it looked like I had just gotten out of a shower.  So here I was sitting on the toilet, peeing and puking (dry heaves) at the same time, then crying from the pain.  Puking/dry heaving a few hours out of surgery is NOT fun - it's really, really painful.  I looked like shit, felt like shit.  My hubby was in the bathroom with me and a male nurse (can't remember his name, but super nice and caring) came in and was very encouraging whilst doing my thing.  He immediately prepped a pain/anti-nauseant for me and helped me get settled into bed and gave me the drugs.  I managed to pass out for a few hours and then was up again walking and peeing.  My husband accompanying me to the bathroom every time, pulling down my underwear and then pulling them up again.  Yep, this experience brought our relationship to a whole new level.  We did go outside and get some fresh air and that made a huge difference; just sitting on the bench outside of the hospital and feeling the cool breeze did wonders for me.  Later I had my first fart and that was wonderful ;)  Burping, not so much.  I found it painful to burp up until a few days ago, so a week and a half post-op.  Because of how much air is pumped into your abdominal cavity, getting rid of it is a prime concern and to do so fast.  This is done by burping and farting, not by a belly-button valve which a few of us had joked about.  It would be so much easier to just open the valve.....ppppssssssst.


July 3rd - Good Morning!

Getting some fresh air

Site clean and drainage

When I woke up, I went outside to get some fresh air and move around. I later went back inside and my drain was emptied and my bandages were changed.  It was then that I learned I actually had two drains.  One with a ballon-type attachment on the end to collect blood and another, latex piece kept underneath the bandage.  Can't remember what its purpose was, but either way, the both of them grossed me out.  We were then transferred to the guest house. The guest house is about 10 minutes from the hospital and is in a private, gated community and it is beautiful. Big comfy sofas and chairs, kitchen table, computer, board games/card games to play, DVD player, flat screen TV with HBO and channels galore, bathroom downstairs, 2 bathrooms upstairs, lots of beds for patients and their guests, hardwood floors, comfy beds, a little backyard with table and chairs to sit outside and a water fountain (very lovely) and very, very clean.  There is a cook there for the greater part of the day to make meals for the guests and the patients as well as for the hospital (lunch is made and brought to the hospital).  There is also a nurse there 24 hours as well as a care aide (black uniform).  I didn't do too much today other than sleep, munch on popsicles, fart and burp, but sleevie seemed to protest a lot.  My Mom ended up transferring over to the Hotel Tijuan so she could have some privacy and a bed.  There were no extra beds and hubby ended up sleeping in a sleeper chair at the foot of my bed.


July 4th - Happy Independence Day!!

Gross purple shat

Today was the swallow test.  I awoke to a bottle filled with purple stuff at my bedside and my nurse, Severo telling me to drink the whole thing.  Yep, it's gross.  Tastes mildly salty.  Around 9am everyone was taken to the radiology clinic to have the leak test done.  I was feeling really, really nauseaus at this point but I assumed it was from the purple crap I had to drink and didn't think much of it.  I waited about 15 minutes, went in to the room with one of the care aides.  The technician gave him a cup that had what looked to be water in it and I was asked to drink it, swallow and then stay still.  How hard could that be? Besides that, the stuff in the cup looked harmless enough, it was clear, how bad could it be, right  Wrong.  OMFGosh it was nastier than anything I had ever imagined, no shit.  The first time, I put it in my mouth to swallow and I was already gagging and spit it out.  Luckily there was a HUGE garbage can located to my right for my puking convenience (how thoughtful!).  I tried a second time, swallowing the putrid concoction, only to puke up everything right down to my bile out of sleevie and it was loud, heaving barfing - "nice".  Painful.  The third time I just told myself, "you have to get this done", and somehow I managed to keep in down long enough for the xray and then puked all of that out too  :(   After we were all done we went back to the hospital for the doctor to check out xrays.  Except for myself and one other girl everyone else went back.  I was dehydrated and found to have internal swelling.  I was there less than 20 minutes and I was throwing up again.  I had a complete stranger grab my IV bag and help me to the bathroom while I puked.  It was comforting to see that people still cared about one another, whether you know them or not.  Shortly after, Lupita re-set my IV as my vein had collapsed, and hooked me up to some hydration, antibiotics and gravol.  Once I'd had my bag, we went back to the guest house.  I had another two bags of IV re-hydration and pretty much rested for the remainder of the day.  I didn't get my tubes out that night though :( Everyone else in my surgery group did, but because of my swelling, they wanted my tubes to stay in another day.  Later that night, I was feeling a little better, so I was eating my popsicles and up walking around.  A few houses up from where we were, there was a live band playing, food being grilled and a family celebrating two birthday parties.  Hubby and I walked up and were invited to come and sit down, so we did.  We stayed for a few songs then walked back to the guest house because I was starting to feel nauseous again.  I had hubby try to "burp" me by patting my back, which did help bring up a few burps, which in turn did make me feel better, but I was back to feeling nauseous again.  I sat with my back to the table and leaned forward against the kitchen counter.  I was feeling rough.  I told my nurse, Severo, and he sat beside me while I sipped on my water.  Severo was rubbing my back as my nausea reared it's ugly head.  Have you ever had a nurse do this on their own accord?  I have not, not ever never.  Next thing I know, hubby has come over (he didn't realize I was feeling so shitty) and is rubbing my back while I puke up everything.  Sigh.  More pain, sleevie unhappy.  Severo had my injection ready for me and a sleeping pill and sent me to bed.  I dragged hubby into bed with me because I wanted him nearby as opposed to on the couch downstairs.  I sleep better with him.  I slept and it was good.


July 5th - Tubes OUT!!!!!


I woke up feeling better today.  I started sipping my water and eating my popsicles.  I was moving around, up and walking.  My surgery group all went home today, except for me.  It was a good thing that I booked an extra two days because I ended up needing it.  I managed to get out and do some shopping today which was nice.  Picked up some nice jewelry, two day of the dead skulls, vanilla extract, new luggage (one of ours ended up getting ruined and we needed another 2 smaller pieces to bring our goodies home) and hubby bought 4 bottles of Tequilla, a wrestling mask and some other things.  My Mom bought a hat and later revealed that she had gotten a tattoo the night before on her stomach "free spirit" in spanish.  We went out for something to eat, I had my water and a container with some soup broth in it from the guest house, and everyone else had HUGE burritos. Insanely HUGE.  Yeah, I was jealous BUT not actually hungry for it....head hungry, yes, stomach hungry, no.  

Ewwwww, can't look, too gross!

I was excited heading back as I knew that when I got back to the guest house the tubes were coming out. I took a nice long shower and Severo came upstairs and pulled the first one out.  Nothing.  The second one, the one with the drainage container attached was so gross.  I could feel it coming out and it gave me the heebie-jeebies, "get-it-out, get-it-out, get-it-out, ewwwwww-ewwwwwwww, it's-so-gross!!!". Severo and hubby thought it was funny.  My IV port was also taken out as well.  That was good too as this one was located on the inside of my wrist - my choice to have it there as the vein is so visible and lush on that spot for me.  That night my hubby had the bed next to me to sleep in.  Although I slept really good that night, I was still having problems getting comfortable.  It was about the pain, the pain was minimal, I just couldn't get comfortable or stay comfortable for more than about 2 hours at a time.  

Looking at this now makes my hair stand

Tubes are owwwwwt!!!!!

July 6th - Ciproflaxin doesn't like me and I don't like it......

Cipro

Today was my discharge from the guest house day.  I woke up feeling ok, up until I had to take the ciproflaxin antibiotic.  Ugh, this shit is NASSSSSSSSTY, even with juice.  Hubby broke it up into 4 pieces for me and I puked by the third piece.  At first I figured it was just the apricot juice that didn't sit well with me and that I'd be fine after that.  We said our thanks and good-byes to Severo and Sylvester (care aide).  Then off we went and checked into the Hotel Tijuan, where my Mom was waiting for us.  I wasn't feeling too great after being there a little while.  I started shivering and feeling gross, so I slept for a little bit and woke up with the feeling of vomit in my throat.  I spent the greater part of my day with diarrhea and puking in the garbage bucket, but telling myself that "it will go away soon, just keep drinking".  I also broke out in some sort of rash on my face that was itchy to which I decided it must be from the ciproflaxin.  Finally, around 8pm, I told hubby to phone the hospital for me, that I needed another gravol injection.  The hospital care aide/driver showed up 15 minutes later and took us to the hospital.  I nearly collapsed getting out of the truck, my legs felt like jello.  A nurse there took my vitals and gave me a gravol/morphine cocktail and a spoonful of milk of magnesia and I was feeling better within a few minutes.  Back to the hotel.  We packed up all of our stuff as we would be leaving TJ early the next morning.  I threw up about a half hour later, but afterwards, literally passed out on the bed.  I didn't sleep very well though.  The morphine was giving me really messed up dreams so I kept waking up and then passing out again.  To top it off, there was a club or something next to the hotel that was really loud.  There was music playing from 7pm to 5am (!!!!) so none of us really slept all that great.

July 7th - Mmmmmm, Miso soup


Woke up feeling gross again.  Nauseated.  I made a decision that morning that there would be no more ciproflaxin for me.  I would be seeing my family doctor in 4 days and if I developed an infection, I'd deal with it then.  We were picked up at 7:30am and taken back to San Diego.  Coming back across the border into the USA took 3 hours, which is "normal".  I didn't notice too much as I was semi-passed out.   We were dropped off at the Jet Blue Terminal and said our good-byes and thanks to our driver.  The Hampton Inn picked us up shortly after we called and check-in was a breeze.  We were there around 11am and they indeed had a room waiting for us, which was really nice, plus they extended our check-out time until 2pm the next day as our flight wasn't until 6:10pm.  I thought that was very nice of them to accommodate us like that without charging.  I was feeling dizzy and nauseated again and asked hubby to pick me up a popsicle.  Gradually throughout the day I was feeling better.   I had had two popsicles and was drinking as much water as I could tolerate and eventually my nausea dissipated.  I felt so good that I wanted Miso soup and my loving hubby went in search of my request and came back with my Miso soup.  I sure do love him <3.


July 8th - Starting to feel human again


Felt a lot better today, more human, and got to sleep in.  Had miso soup for breakfast which tasted sooooooo good.  Not much else to tell here other than we got all packed and set to go and the Hampton Inn shuttle took us to the airport.  I upgraded two of our tickets to First Class for $100 with Alaska Airlines which was worth the money.  The extra leg room and larger seating really helped make the flight more comfortable.  Hubby found me some chicken noodle soup while we waited in the terminal - he at the "stuff" and I had some of the broth.  On the flight I was feeling good enough that I had watered down apple juice and read some of my book, "Last Night at the Chateau Marmont" (really good read by the way), and I passed a lot of gas.  Yep, I was a farting machine and it felt sooooooo damned good, plus since airplanes tend to be loud, no one heard my toots....not that I would have cared that much at that point anyhow.  I had so much internal pressure, I felt as though my bowels were where my stomach used to be.  Releasing all of the pressure seemed to alleviate my nausea and that was a great thing.   The flight went by really fast at just over 2 hours, considering my last flight prior to flying to San Diego was a 4 hour flight from Jordan to Germany and then a 10 hour, 30 minute flight back into Vancouver; so definitely the 2 hours flew by (no pun intended!)  We made it out of the terminal relatively quick and my Mom shelled out $50 for us to go back to the hotel by Limo.  Yeah, it was worth it!  Huge seats, stretched right out.  Very nice.  We also discovered that they do door to door service back to Canada for $550, which I thought was actually quite reasonable.  Hmmmm, well when I go back for my tummy tuck and/or breast augmentation, I'll definitely keep that in mind as I won't be able to drive anyway.  We could take the train to Seattle and take a limo home....sounds good to me!  After we got settled we wondered across the street to the Casino to have dinner.  I had War Wonton soup broth, very yummy, my hubby and Mom split some chinese food, spent about $30 on pull-tabs and then went out to the 7-11 for a popsicle and walked back to the hotel.  I read a little and then passed out.


July 9th - Sleevie is disgruntled


Heading home.  Sleevie was disgruntled for the entire day; felt "tight" inside but otherwise I was feeling pretty good.  I just kept drinking small sips to remain hydrated, the last thing I needed was to get sick when I had to drive home.  On the way back we stopped off at the Outlet stores again to hit up "Coach" (yeah, a purse and a wallet), Crabtree & Evelyn and grabbed some supplements/vitamins.  Crossing the border home was simple.  I presented my letter from the coordinator in regards to my surgery, told him how much we spent and a general idea of what we were bringing back and that was it.  Less than 5 minutes.  Got home around dinner time and began settling in.  I missed our pets quite a bit and was amazed at how big they all seemed to be.  We went out for dinner with my cousin and her boyfriend for Indo-Chinese food.  I had War Wonton again - it was good.  I later froze the left-over soup in an ice-cube tray then put all of the frozen pieces into a zip lock bag so I can have fast meals when I need them.  Did a little unpacking, not much though 'cause I was just too tired.


July 10th - Things take longer to do....and that really sucks


Felt pretty good today, almost normal aside from the liquid meals instead of solid foods.  Spent an hour unpacking and re-organizing things but got pretty tired.  Showering takes a lot out of me, took me 2 hours to shower, clean my incisions and get dressed.  On a normal day, it would have only taken me 45 minutes to an hour.  Things just take longer to do these days, I get weak pretty fast.  Hubby keeps reminding me that I am not even 2 weeks post-op and I need to remember that.  Did some more unpacking later on in the day, but still not done.  Rested a bit today in bed with my book.  Not much else.

July 11th - Family Doctor visit 9 days post-op and weigh-in....


Saw my Family Doctor today and had my first weigh in.  Pre-op I was 261 pounds and today I came in at 248 pounds, down 13 pounds.  Yayyyyy!!!!!!  Doc says he'll take the incisions out this friday.  Discussed the ciproflaxin and he said if you don't have an infection, there's no need to take it.  Good, because that stuff is too hard on my system.  Also asked about a liquid pain killer, to which I was given tylenol #3 (yayyyy) which I am happy about.  I don't like taking any sort of pills right now, I prefer everything be liquid, injection or sublingual so I don't have any problems with sleevie protesting.   Which reminds me, my doctor wants me to have weekly vitamin b12 injections for a little while until my stomach is healed.  He said he finds that after gastric surgery, the stomach takes a long time, months, before it can absorb nutrients properly.  Sure, sounds good to me.  I'd rather have the injection anyway.  Spent the rest of my day alternating between unpacking and resting.  Last minute, hubby and I decided to catch a movie, "Hangover 2", at the local cheapie theater.  It was good to get out of the house and have some laughs, even if it did hurt to laugh a little.




July 12th - Unplanned ER visit :(


Woke up feeling mildly nauseous but didn't think much of it.  Figured I would just keep at my liquid intake and I'd be fine.  Well, not so much.  Progressively got worse and worse.  My heartburn had also creeped back full force and that hurts like hell.  Today really sucked emotionally because my recovery was rough and I was finally starting to feel good, human, the past few days and now this.   I finally dragged myself into the Emergency Department and spent 7 hours there getting poked several times (couldn't get at my veins) and had IV meds.  I was really frustrated as I asked the nurses for warm blankets to prep my hands for them, but they didn't listen.  After two attempts, one in each hand, the third time resulted in a really painful bruise, to which the nurse said "I guess we need some warm blankets".  Well no shit lady, that's what I told you!!!!!   Grrrrrr.  The blood work came back good - no infection, electrolytes were normal, everything else seemed "normal".  Doc figures the nausea is from being so dehydrated, heart burn and just well, "healing". Anyhow, I ended up getting a prescription for the nausea that is given to people undergoing chemotherapy.  It is placed under the tongue and dissolves and it's a lifesaver.  There are still very, very slight nausea pangs, but nothing that makes me break out into a sweat, shivering and increased heart rate!   I'm back to my fluid intake - yayyyyy!  Now I just got to get this heartburn under control.  Was doing milk of magnesia (too gross, makes me gag), then Tums (not strong enough) and now Gavisgone (working for now).


July 13th - Feeling back to normal, except for my GERD

Dosa

Mango Lassi 

Felt so much better this morning, back to normal almost.   Heartburn is really, really bad.  I ate 12 Gavisgone in one day and it barely kept things at a mild pain level.  I think my GERD has totally flared up.  Back to the milk of magnesia.  Tastes gross, but it seems to work better.   Had a little treat last night. We went out for Indian food, my favorite food.  I had raita (yogurt with veggies and gentle spices in it) and 1/8 of a miniature potato and a few sips of a mango lassi.  I think I maybe had a total of 3 tablespoons, everything included.  Probably not the best choice/idea considering I'm not even 2 weeks post-op but it mentally did wonders for me and physically there was no pain or anything else negative.

What's inside the dosa - a soft potato/lentil chana.  Raita at the bottom left and plain yogurt on the right

July 14th - I hate you GERD and I love you 1% Milk

Baby Bullet

Had shooting heartburn pain this morning.  It woke me up at 4 am :(   I did some research on my GERD medication, Prevacid, and discovered that you can break open the capsule and mix it in with a tablespoon of yogurt to take it!!!!!  An hour after doing this my heart burn is gone.  Thank you God!  I am feeling normal again.   My liquid intake has mostly been skim milk today.  Water is grossing me out, juice is just icky and I can't even look at "Ensure" today, so I've been drinking milk all day long.  I don't care about it so much, as long as I stay hydrated, that is my biggest concern right now.  I bought a "Baby Bullet" and I'm so glad that I did.  This thing is perfect for making my purees and other soft foods that I will be needing.  I made crock-pot soup and have been drinking the broth but I pureed two batches of this as soup for when I advance to mushy foods.  Can't wait for the mushy foods.  I miss chewing texture.