Well I am officially one week post-op, and feeling great! Mum and I started walking yesterday, and it feels so good to be out and walking around. Even though I am still in a fair bit of pain, I found that I had a lot more energy for walking, that I WANTED to go for walks, and that I really enjoyed it! We went for a quick walk yesterday to the mailbox, and then today we did about 1/4 of a mile, with a stop at the playground for Miss Jellybean! It just felt SO amazing to be out in the sunshine! Well, today at least! Yesterday, it was quite windy but we decided to go anyway. We were gone about 2 minutes and it started raining. Then after we got the mail, it started raining harder, and the wind picked up, making it feel like we were getting pelted with little razors!! Then, just as we were coming in the door, it started to snow in blizzard formation! It was crazy! Then, 1/2 an hour later, it was sunny again! Crazy Prairie weather :)
Things are going well from a recovery point of view. Two of my small incisions are nearly completely healed, but my 3 larger ones are still very painful and unhealed. I have little steri-strips covering the incisions, but at this point, they are all starting to come off. I'm a little freaked out, though, because I'm afraid that something is going to pop out!
I am able to shower for the most part on my own, which is AWESOME, and I am slowly getting my mobility back. I am still stuck sleeping on my side mostly, as it is still really painful to be on my tummy, and I have to make sure I am on the right side, not the left as that is where the majority of my incisions are. If I lie on the left side, I get a terrible muscle cramp from the bottom of my stomach all the way up to my chest. My poor hubby has been woken up more than a few times by me moaning in pain! Luckily I am able to find a comfortable position with just a bit of work :)
Other than that, life is just ticking right along, and life is good :) My mum has been taking SUCH great care of all of us, and has been experimenting with all kinds of pureed foods. She made some amazing creamy rice pudding for me, and then tonight, she cooked up some chicken and pureed it with broccoli, green beans and carrots with some cream of mushroom soup. IT WAS SO GOOD!! I am now able to have some textured foods, and had Cream of Wheat this morning for the first time in about 25 years. I am already feeling more energy and am feeling good; I'm ready to tackle the rest of my life!
I'll keep you posted!
Love J
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
A Whole New World!
Well, I am 5 days post-surgery, and life is good :) I've had a lot of people asking about the surgery and what it was like and how things are feeling and the like, so I am going to do that here. I have a couple of pictures, but I won't post any of the incisions or anything like that :)
The Lead Up:
So as I have posted before, I was on a liquid fast for the 3 weeks leading up to the surgery. It was hard, but I ended up losing 30 pounds on it so I really can't complain!!
The Day-Of:
Getting ready to go in!
We got to the hospital at 8am, and by 9 we were all checked in. They started my IV around 10, and started me on saline and an antibiotic to make sure I didn't get an infection after surgery. I am a really hard start with IV's, and they got it on only 3 tries!!! (This is compared to the 27 tries when I was in hospital after Gracie was born!) After that, we got to play the waiting game. I was due to go in at noon, and got delayed until about 2pm.
When I got wheeled down to the OR waiting area, my doctor, Dr Church (AMAZING SURGEON!!), came to discuss the surgery and make sure I was ready to go. I made a point to make sure to ask if he was feeling steady and if he'd had a good sleep :) Then, the anaesthesiologist came over to chat and tell me about the anaesthetic part of the surgery. Then, I waited about 20 minutes and the nurse came to get me and she wheeled me down to the Operating Room. When we got down there, I was introduced to the other doctors and nurses in the room, and I was transferred onto the operating table and my legs were strapped down. The sweet nurse came and held my hand, and the last thing I remember was her promising me that they would take good care of me :)
When I woke up, I had a blood pressure cuff on my arm and compression stockings on my legs that help prevent blood clots. I was super groggy when I woke up, and kept asking why I had 3 blood pressure cuffs on :) And I must have asked at least a half-dozen times if the lap-band was in; I was assured several times that it was :) I was really nauseous and it quite a lot of pain, so I ended up staying in the Recovery Room for 4 hours; poor Keith! He was such a trooper, and he stayed the entire time I was there, so he was on his own for about 8 hours all together.
After the Recovery Room, I was taken back to the Day Surgery area which would be my home for the next 18 hours, and I was FINALLY able to see Keith. It was a tearful reunion! Or at least, it was tearful for me! I got to have my first sips of water, which was HEAVENLY, and then I was taken off all liquids until the next day as I had to do a Swallow Test, where you swallow some fluid and they take an X-Ray to make sure that the band is in place and that it all looks good before they send you home. A couple of hours later, the surgeon came in again to chat with me and I was told that everything looked good and I was cleared to go home! YAY!!! We waited for a wheel chair for about 90 minutes, and then we were on our way!
I have 5 incisions on my belly; one in the middle under my bustline, one about 3 inches below that, one to the right and between the two, and then two on the left side. The one at the bottom in the middle is the largest incision and is about 2-3 inches long, and the ones under my bustline and on the top left are currently the most painful. I also had my tummy pumped full of gas during the surgery, so there has been a lot of pain from that as it tries to escape as well. At one point I was worried that I would need a string tied to my wrist so I wouldn't float away! The worst was that the pain gets deferred from the diaphragm to the shoulder, so it felt like every muscle in my left shoulder and across my chest was cramping at the same time. It was brutal! Luckily that only lasted for a couple of days, and the pain I'm feeling now is mostly from the incisions. The gas pain is slowly ebbing, thank God, and I'm very slowly beginning to feel a bit better. I was given liquid codeine to help with the pain, and I definitely can't take that again. I get horrible dizzy spells and bouts of nausea, so I have only taken that twice since I've been home. Liquid Tylenol has been my best friend, although I REALLY don't understand why it is so ridiculously sweet!! No wonder Gracie always wants to take her "medicine"!!
This is the surprise I came home to! It smells heavenly in our room right now!!
I have been resting a lot, and have had lots of cuddles from the best little nurse in training :) My sweet mum has been cooking and cleaning and taking care of my little girl, and my wonderful hubby had just been amazing. He's been camping out on the floor of our room in a sleeping bag, just in case I need help in the night :) He has been so supportive and amazing, and I don't think I could have done this without him!!
And that's basically it! I am down 55 pounds since I started the Weight Management Program last year, and I feel like a new woman! Here is a very blurry "After" shot :) Please keep in mind that I have a very painful incision in my bustline, so the "Girls" aren't up where they should be!
Love J
The Lead Up:
So as I have posted before, I was on a liquid fast for the 3 weeks leading up to the surgery. It was hard, but I ended up losing 30 pounds on it so I really can't complain!!
The Day-Of:
Getting ready to go in!When I got wheeled down to the OR waiting area, my doctor, Dr Church (AMAZING SURGEON!!), came to discuss the surgery and make sure I was ready to go. I made a point to make sure to ask if he was feeling steady and if he'd had a good sleep :) Then, the anaesthesiologist came over to chat and tell me about the anaesthetic part of the surgery. Then, I waited about 20 minutes and the nurse came to get me and she wheeled me down to the Operating Room. When we got down there, I was introduced to the other doctors and nurses in the room, and I was transferred onto the operating table and my legs were strapped down. The sweet nurse came and held my hand, and the last thing I remember was her promising me that they would take good care of me :)
When I woke up, I had a blood pressure cuff on my arm and compression stockings on my legs that help prevent blood clots. I was super groggy when I woke up, and kept asking why I had 3 blood pressure cuffs on :) And I must have asked at least a half-dozen times if the lap-band was in; I was assured several times that it was :) I was really nauseous and it quite a lot of pain, so I ended up staying in the Recovery Room for 4 hours; poor Keith! He was such a trooper, and he stayed the entire time I was there, so he was on his own for about 8 hours all together.
After the Recovery Room, I was taken back to the Day Surgery area which would be my home for the next 18 hours, and I was FINALLY able to see Keith. It was a tearful reunion! Or at least, it was tearful for me! I got to have my first sips of water, which was HEAVENLY, and then I was taken off all liquids until the next day as I had to do a Swallow Test, where you swallow some fluid and they take an X-Ray to make sure that the band is in place and that it all looks good before they send you home. A couple of hours later, the surgeon came in again to chat with me and I was told that everything looked good and I was cleared to go home! YAY!!! We waited for a wheel chair for about 90 minutes, and then we were on our way!
I have 5 incisions on my belly; one in the middle under my bustline, one about 3 inches below that, one to the right and between the two, and then two on the left side. The one at the bottom in the middle is the largest incision and is about 2-3 inches long, and the ones under my bustline and on the top left are currently the most painful. I also had my tummy pumped full of gas during the surgery, so there has been a lot of pain from that as it tries to escape as well. At one point I was worried that I would need a string tied to my wrist so I wouldn't float away! The worst was that the pain gets deferred from the diaphragm to the shoulder, so it felt like every muscle in my left shoulder and across my chest was cramping at the same time. It was brutal! Luckily that only lasted for a couple of days, and the pain I'm feeling now is mostly from the incisions. The gas pain is slowly ebbing, thank God, and I'm very slowly beginning to feel a bit better. I was given liquid codeine to help with the pain, and I definitely can't take that again. I get horrible dizzy spells and bouts of nausea, so I have only taken that twice since I've been home. Liquid Tylenol has been my best friend, although I REALLY don't understand why it is so ridiculously sweet!! No wonder Gracie always wants to take her "medicine"!!
This is the surprise I came home to! It smells heavenly in our room right now!!And that's basically it! I am down 55 pounds since I started the Weight Management Program last year, and I feel like a new woman! Here is a very blurry "After" shot :) Please keep in mind that I have a very painful incision in my bustline, so the "Girls" aren't up where they should be!
You can see how bloaty my poor tummy still is. But look! I have collarbones!! HOORAY!!
Love J
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tomorrow! Tomorrow! It's Only A Day Away!
I wasn't nervous about tomorrow until I got my surgery time. I've managed to keep myself busy and distracted all this time, but now that I have my time, it's all so real! I'm down to my last two opti-fast shakes, and this is it! After midnight, no food, no water until after my surgery, and even then it will be ice chips and small sips of water. Then, the next day, I can start on my thin fluids! I never thought I'd beexcited about drinkable yogurt!! I have now lost 30 pounds in the last 3 weeks, and I can't even begin to tell you how good that feels! I am down nearly 50 all together; only 150 to go! I am 1/4 of the way to my goal weight! I have NEVER been 1/4 of the way before! I'm so proud of myself, and I can't wait to keep going with this!
I'm trying to decide what is making me the most nervous. I'm nervous about the surgery (obviously!!), but I think what scares me is not waking up afterwards. I feel like I need to say goodybye to everyone before I go in, and that I need to tell everyone I love them, just in case! And I'm also scared of gaining weight back after I am allowed to start eating again. And I think that, after my terrible infection after my c-section with Gracie, I'm scared that this won't go well, or that it won't heal. But, I think that above and beyond all of that, that I won't have done enough to get the surgery, that my liver won't be small enough to be able to do it. What if there was something more I could have done? What if I shouldn't have had sugar-free jello? What if what if what if? I've really been putting my faith in God, and I have just been praying that everything will go according to plan. There's nothing that I can do at this point, and it is what it is. So hopefully GOd will be on my side tomorrow, and by this time tomorrow, I will be in recovery and then after that, hopefully I will be on my way home!
I'll keep you posted!
I'm trying to decide what is making me the most nervous. I'm nervous about the surgery (obviously!!), but I think what scares me is not waking up afterwards. I feel like I need to say goodybye to everyone before I go in, and that I need to tell everyone I love them, just in case! And I'm also scared of gaining weight back after I am allowed to start eating again. And I think that, after my terrible infection after my c-section with Gracie, I'm scared that this won't go well, or that it won't heal. But, I think that above and beyond all of that, that I won't have done enough to get the surgery, that my liver won't be small enough to be able to do it. What if there was something more I could have done? What if I shouldn't have had sugar-free jello? What if what if what if? I've really been putting my faith in God, and I have just been praying that everything will go according to plan. There's nothing that I can do at this point, and it is what it is. So hopefully GOd will be on my side tomorrow, and by this time tomorrow, I will be in recovery and then after that, hopefully I will be on my way home!
I'll keep you posted!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
It's the final countdown!
This time 4 days from now, I will be comfortable at home drinking thin yogurt and having REAL FOOD! I CANNOT believe how fast this has gone. When I first started, I thought that 3 weeks sounded like a lifetime. But now, here I am at day 20 of the fast, and I feel amazing!! I went shopping with my mum today, and I could not believe the differences I was seeing in myself. I was able to walk faster and farther, and it was the first time in ages that I have walked that far. It was amazing. I didn't realize how much I was letting my weight control my life, and how much of my life it had taken over. Now that I am down 43 lbs., I can't believe that I haven't done this sooner!
It struck me today how very, very lucky I am. I have some amazing family and friends supporting me through this, and I can't believe how lucky I am, and how blessed my family and I are to have such wonderful friends. One of my girlfriends, whom I have known since high school, has offered to make meals and to help out wherever she can. She has 3 small children of her own, one of whom has been very sick off and on in the last few months, and she is also actively involved in her Faith and in her community. Not only that, she lives on the complete opposite side of the city. And she has offered her time and skills to help me after my surgery. That blew me away!! Another wonderful friend has offered to take my daughter to preschool so she won't have to miss any school while I can't drive. My sweet mum has offered to stay for 5 weeks, to make sure I am feeling well enough to take care of Jellybean. She has a life and a home and responsibilities of her own at home, yet she dropped everything to be here with us. My husband has worked hours and hours of overtime to get the time off to take me to the hospital and stay with me the day of, and to drive me to various appointments. He has also been the biggest source of moral, emotional and physical support, and I thank God every day that I get to be married to this amazing man! His love has seen me through these last weeks, and I can't imagine doing this without him! And then, there is, of course, the support of the littlest love in my life; my sweet, beautiful daughter. She is always quick with a kind word and a huge hug when I feel down, or like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, and her sweet, quirky nature has been such an amazing source of happiness for me going through this! And then there is the wonderful thoughts, prayers and love that I receive on a daily basis from everyone. I am so thankful to each and every one of you; I couldn't do this without you!!!
Much love to everyone! I'll keep you posted!!
It struck me today how very, very lucky I am. I have some amazing family and friends supporting me through this, and I can't believe how lucky I am, and how blessed my family and I are to have such wonderful friends. One of my girlfriends, whom I have known since high school, has offered to make meals and to help out wherever she can. She has 3 small children of her own, one of whom has been very sick off and on in the last few months, and she is also actively involved in her Faith and in her community. Not only that, she lives on the complete opposite side of the city. And she has offered her time and skills to help me after my surgery. That blew me away!! Another wonderful friend has offered to take my daughter to preschool so she won't have to miss any school while I can't drive. My sweet mum has offered to stay for 5 weeks, to make sure I am feeling well enough to take care of Jellybean. She has a life and a home and responsibilities of her own at home, yet she dropped everything to be here with us. My husband has worked hours and hours of overtime to get the time off to take me to the hospital and stay with me the day of, and to drive me to various appointments. He has also been the biggest source of moral, emotional and physical support, and I thank God every day that I get to be married to this amazing man! His love has seen me through these last weeks, and I can't imagine doing this without him! And then, there is, of course, the support of the littlest love in my life; my sweet, beautiful daughter. She is always quick with a kind word and a huge hug when I feel down, or like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, and her sweet, quirky nature has been such an amazing source of happiness for me going through this! And then there is the wonderful thoughts, prayers and love that I receive on a daily basis from everyone. I am so thankful to each and every one of you; I couldn't do this without you!!!
Much love to everyone! I'll keep you posted!!
Friday, March 2, 2012
There IS light at the end of the tunnel!!
Well here I am, Day 17! Only 4 days left until I am done my Opti-Fast fasting, and only 5 until my surgery! I can't believe how fast (pun intended!) this has gone! I thought that it was going to be much worse than it was, but I am actually surviving!
My sweet mama got here yesterday, and I am so happy to have her here! She will be here for at least a few weeks to help me recover, and I am SO thankful to her! Not only does my daughter adore her, it's been SO great to have someone here to help me out with the kiddos as I have been battling some severe tummy issues as I near the end of this. Knowing that someone is here to make sure my little girl is safe just means so much! It is just one less thing to have to worry about :) I don't know what I would do without her! I'm so very lucky to have her. She has always been so supportive and helpful, always pitching in where she can. I'm such a lucky girl! I guess I am also pretty lucky that my dad was able to spare her for a month :) Thanks, Chief!
As I near my surgery date, I am keeping my life as stress-free as possible. I am doing things that I love (Pampered Chef, shopping with my mama, spending time with my hubby and of course, playing with my beautiful little girl!), doing a lot of mental cleansing, meditating and enjoying life to the fullest. I am so excited to begin this new chapter, and I am starting it with a whole new mindset. I have a beautiful friend, Tina, who has been such an inspiration to me over the years, and how she made a decision to change her life. I was the fortunate winner of a free copy of the e-book that she wrote, and I have been trying to save it as a treat for when I am recovering next week, but I keep peeking at it! I am so excited to read it!! (You should, too! http://the40by40.com/landing/the-decision/). Her story is so inspiring and beautiful, and I can't wait to read more! I love the thought of making a decision to change your way of life, your thoughts and your attitude. One more new change coming up in my new life!!
I am getting so close! I'll keep you posted!!
My sweet mama got here yesterday, and I am so happy to have her here! She will be here for at least a few weeks to help me recover, and I am SO thankful to her! Not only does my daughter adore her, it's been SO great to have someone here to help me out with the kiddos as I have been battling some severe tummy issues as I near the end of this. Knowing that someone is here to make sure my little girl is safe just means so much! It is just one less thing to have to worry about :) I don't know what I would do without her! I'm so very lucky to have her. She has always been so supportive and helpful, always pitching in where she can. I'm such a lucky girl! I guess I am also pretty lucky that my dad was able to spare her for a month :) Thanks, Chief!
As I near my surgery date, I am keeping my life as stress-free as possible. I am doing things that I love (Pampered Chef, shopping with my mama, spending time with my hubby and of course, playing with my beautiful little girl!), doing a lot of mental cleansing, meditating and enjoying life to the fullest. I am so excited to begin this new chapter, and I am starting it with a whole new mindset. I have a beautiful friend, Tina, who has been such an inspiration to me over the years, and how she made a decision to change her life. I was the fortunate winner of a free copy of the e-book that she wrote, and I have been trying to save it as a treat for when I am recovering next week, but I keep peeking at it! I am so excited to read it!! (You should, too! http://the40by40.com/landing/the-decision/). Her story is so inspiring and beautiful, and I can't wait to read more! I love the thought of making a decision to change your way of life, your thoughts and your attitude. One more new change coming up in my new life!!
I am getting so close! I'll keep you posted!!
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