Back to Work

I went into work today and mad it a total of 6 hours. I didn't think that was too bad. I have tomorrow off and only have 4 days of work each of the next two weeks. It felt really good to be back at work as I was going stir crazy at home. I had to go back to get another vial of blood drawn today after I left work as they forgot a vial when I went in yesterday. I figured that it should be enough time for Dr. Graber's office to receive the results by my appointment on Tuesday, July 3rd.

I went to my 2nd Support Group Meeting and had a grand time. I met a bunch of different people and found out all of the quirky things I have been experiencing are NORMAL. The first thing that is normal is...I had to call the doctors on Tuesday as I hadn't had a bowel movement since the Thursday before. They suggested that I use Miralax 1 dose daily until things started to move. I finally had some movement today, but I not back to normal. The other thing that I found out is normal is when I stand up sometimes I get very lightheaded. That is just my body getting used to the way it works now.

I got on the scale this morning and have lost a total of 14 pounds since the surgery and 42 since I began the process. I'm very excited about how things are going. I went out to lunch with a good friend on Tuesday and had a side mashed potatoes. They were probably the best thing I've had since my surgery. I had lunch and dinner and threw out more than half of what I was given. I had to laugh, I was a cheap date $1.19 hehehehe

My aunt and uncle are coming into town this weekend. They haven't seen me in at least a month or better, I can't wait to see what they say. We are all going out to dinner tomorrow and I am very much looking forward to my mashed potatoes. My Father is stressing about them not having mashed potatoes and I told him not to worry, I can handle it. He is fixated on things not being right for me :)

Wow... The Scales Say....

Well I finally bugged my husband enough to let me get the scales and weigh myself. We had agreed to wait until I went to Dr. Graber's, but I just couldn't wait that long. I got on the scales this morning and I have to say I was impressed. I have lost 12 pounds since the surgery. Holy crap. If I didn't see it myself I wouldn't have believed it. I've worked my way up to a tablespoon of food 3 times a day plus 2 protein shakes and seem to be handling it well. I've been sipping away on my water, but sometimes if I take a nap it makes it hard to get my water in.

I have now tried mashed potatoes, yogurt, cottage cheese and applesauce. I still have to try oatmeal, but that might be later today. They all seem to be agreeing with my pouch as I haven't had any major problems other than some minor gas.

I was toying with the idea of going back to work earlier than I planned, but I am thinking that might not be a good idea. I still am having to take a nap most days. I'll probably stick with my plan of Thursday.

Cottage Cheese, Applesauce, Mashed Potatoes....mmmmmmmmm good!!!

Well today was my first day of eating some real food. I had a teaspoon of cottage cheese for breakfast, a teaspoon of applesauce for lunch and 1.5 teaspoons of mashed potatoes. I'm not sure that I've ever been happier having food before in my life!!! I need to work up to 2 tablespoons per meal by the end of the week so I figure that if I add a teaspoon per meal per day I'll be at 2 tablespoons by Thursday which coincidentally is the first day I plan on going into work. I'm thinking that I might talk to my husband and see what he thinks of me working a couple of half days this week prior to going back full time the week after. I'll see what he thinks!!

I made homemade mashed potatoes for dinner. I got a large baking potato and boiled it and then put it in the blender and add 2% milk (as that is what my husband had in the house) and some fudder (fake butter spray) and they didn't come out half bad, if I don't say so myself. Tomorrow I'll probably add some yogurt and maybe some oatmeal. I do have to say that I could probably live on cottage cheese and mashed potatoes, so I don't think that the next week will be too tough :)

So the other thing that has been going on is that I had an allergic reaction to the Dermabond (glue) that they used to seal my incisions. For the past 4 days they ahve been red, puffy and really itchy. After calling Dr. Graber's office and speaking with a nurse she told me to take Benadryl orally or use a Benadryl topical ointment to sooth the irritation. I had Benadryl Gel in the house and I tried that first. That really didn't cut the mustard... I then started taking 25mg of Benadryl every 4 hours until and that seemed to help. The next day I made another trip to Walmart and picked up Benadryl Cream to try that. Well I have to say the cream was the cats meow. It contained the same amount of the active anti-itch ingredient as the gel, but the cream had a skin protectant. That skin protectant helped out a great deal. I am now on my way not having an itchy stomach.... yeah!!!

I also went out by myself for a while today to visit my friends at the local quilt shop. I love to quilt and have developed many great friendships with my fellow quilters. It was just what I needed after being cooped up at home for a solid week by myself.

Bored Out of My Mind!!!

I am so bored I can't stand it and I've got another week to go before I am planning on going back to work. I've got the pattern down of getting up at 7am (regardless of me wanting to, thanks to my husband), having my protein shake for breakfast (hey I'm up to 3.5 ounces 3 x day) waiting an hour to start drinking water and have my meds and vitamins, then watching television, taking a shower, wandering around the house, having my protein shake for lunch, waiting another hour for water, taking a stroll outside to the mailbox then watching more television and waiting for my husband to come home. I actually received a phone call from a friend today and talked for 20 minutes which was a great thing to spice up my day.

I have to give my husband credit, as miserable as I am in the morning he makes me get up at 7am whether I want to or not. He is right when he says that I need to stay on a schedule both for my food intake and my internal clock. I just don't look forward to it as I am NOT a morning person.

I haven't been walking too much as I don't want to go out by myself during the day in case I don't feel well and my house isn't really large enough to stroll around in. I do my best, but my husband and I try to walk outside for a bit when he gets home. He is very protective of my while I am healing so he won't let me do to much. I'm very much looking forward to walking more and possibly start using that free month at the local gym after I am cleared for it by the doctor. I'm thinking I might aim for starting Saturday the 7th if they are open.

I have to say the thing that I will miss the most when I go back to work is my darling Jack Russell, Sparks. He has diligently been my protector, confidant and snuggle buddy while I've been recovering. I wish I could take him to work with me, I'd certainly be more comfortable.

My new best friend is Gas-X. I have to say they weren't kidding about having a lot of gas after surgery. I've had to take at least 1 soft gel everyday. I haven't had to resort to taking 2 at a time yet, but I'm sure at some point I will have to.

As sad as this sounds I'm looking forward to going to Walmart in the next day or two to pick up some things I will need for next week: Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Oatmeal, Mashed Potatoes, etc. I went to visit my parent's last night and had a good time. It tired me out, but I definitely needed to get out of the house.

Update from my trip to Walmart....

Walmart kicked my butt and handed it to me on a platter. I'm exhausted. Who would have ever thought a simple trip to the grocery store 6 days after surgery would have such an impact. I had to sit down a couple of times while I was shopping. Unreal!!

My 1st Good Day...

Today was my first good day after surgery. I felt good enough to shave my legs when I was in the shower this morning and I didn't take a nap today either.

I'm up to 2.5 ounces of protein shake 3 times a day. I just finished my shake so I'll have to wait an hour before I can start drinking water again. I might actually have some juice later on and see how that goes. I'm really looking forward to seeing what every day brings.

I did a bunch of research today on low fat and low sugar yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, and oatmeal. The thing that I was most surprised about was the differences in the yogurt. I looked at organic yogurt and normal yogurt and I was truly surprised that in a fat and sugar aspect the regular run of the mill yogurt had less fat and sugar. I've been giving a lot of thought to organic eating and I think as I am going through this process that I will give it a shot. I'm sure I won't eat 100% organically as it would be too expensive, but I am going to give it the ol' college try.

The other decision that my husband and I decided is that we hid the scale. (He actually hid it so that I can't find it) We decided that my first weigh in will be at the doctor's office on July 3rd. That way it would be more dramatic and I don't have to deal with the ups and downs of getting the anesthesia out of my system.

The Details...

The surgery went great. I went into surgery around 12:30 on Thursday and was in recovery for a couple of hours ( I think at least... I was a little hazy at that point). The first thing that I thought of was that I was alive and have made it through the hard part of having surgery. My husband was there when I got out of recovery and I was really happy to see him. I was in a room by myself for most of the night. I wasn't really in too much pain. I was glad for the Perkiest every 4 hours though. I was up and walking around the floor a few hours after surgery. My husband kept telling me that I was wearing him out, I know it was all in good humor, but boy did it feel good to get out of the bed. The only other funny thing that happened in the few hours after my surgery was that my bladder was shy. I always had someone standing outside of the bathroom door and I had to turn the water on to make me be able to go. I did laugh quite a few times about that.

I think I was a bit whinny as I didn't get more than 15 minutes of sleep at any time during the night. I ended up with a roommate at about 1am so I was up for quite a while with that. They had to keep checking my sugar levels as at one point they had spiked to 196 or so. I ended up getting Insulin (how IRONIC is that) at least 3 times, maybe more. Dr. Graber came in to see me after the surgery as well as in the morning. He was happy with how I was moving around and told me to take a shower. He thought that there was a good possibility that he would discharge me later in the afternoon. I was really really happy to hear that. I do have to say that taking a shower in the hospital was the best thing that I could ever have done. I let the hot water beat on my abdomen for a while and it helped reduce the muscle soreness and help relieve some of the gas. I was up walking around doing laps around the floor most of the afternoon prior to being discharged.

They released me about 4pm on Friday and I was thrilled. The main thing that I am having trouble with currently is the muscle soreness in my abdomen. I have 6 incisions from my belly button up to my sternum. I am only on Tylenol for pain and that is handling it very well.

I've made up for not sleeping really well I took 2 two hour naps yesterday after I got home and then slept from about Midnight to 7:30 am. I got up took some tylenol had 1 ounce of a protein shake and promptly went back to bed by 10am. I woke up about 1pm and have been doing well ever since. Since waking up at 1pm I am sip, sip, sipping on my 2nd 16.9 ounce bottle of water and I know how hard it will be to get 64 oz. per day in especially while I am sleeping and "eating" my protein shakes. I have to say the protein shake that I had this morning was heaven on earth. After not being able to have anything other than clear liquids since Monday morning at midnight it was totally AWESOME.

For fun and games I got on the scale this morning and I actually weigh one more pound than I did prior to surgery. It doesn't bother me at all. With all the fluids and medications that they were pushing I'm surprised it isn't more. I will go back to weighing myself once a week on Thursdays starting this coming Thursday June 21st.

Well I'm off to sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk.

I'm Home

I'm home....

I exhausted and sore, but I am home. I got home about 4:30 or so and have taken a couple of naps. I'm looking forward to a good nights sleep. I just wanted to let everyone know I made it home. More later.....

The Day Has Finally Arrived....

Well surgery day is here. I'm nervous, but that is to be expected. I figure that if anything bad happens my Grandfather will be waiting at the Pearly Gates to kick my butt back here :)

I got on the scales for my official weigh in and lost 12 lbs from last week to this week. I'm positive that some of that weight was water weight as my cycle interfered. Even if I go by my weight from June 4th I lost 8.5 pounds in two weeks. Holy Crap!!!!

I'm tired, nervous, excited, scared and ready to go. Its about 7:15 am and that would give me an hour and 15 minutes prior to having to leave for the hospital. My husband is in the shower and getting ready so maybe we'll head to Walmart prior to going to the surgery. He stopped at Walmart and picked up an electronic Sudoku game and when he got it home the top row and the far right column didn't work. He needs to take it back for another one. I'm hoping if he gets a new one that will keep him occupied for a few minutes while I'm in surgery.

Since I know he'll read this blog when he gets home tonight.... Honey, thank you for your support and love. You have made this whole process easier to deal with. Have some ice cream on me and toast to our long life ahead with lots of kids running around. ILYAAF

I'll post when I get home from the hospital.

The Countdown Has Begun....

Well here I sit at 9am and only have 28 hours before my surgery. I'm at work and am wrapping things up for my 2 week "vacation". I decided that I will come back to work on Thursday, June 28th. I'll work that day and then have the 29th off as it is one of our Friday's off. I'll then work July 2nd and 3rd and have the 4th off for Independence Day. I'll work the 5th and 6th and then have the weekend off and then the following week I'll work the 9th through the 12th and have the 13th off as another Friday off. That way I will slowly work my way back into working full time. Something truly amazing happened this morning. I got on the scale and for the first time since we were married I weigh less than my husband does!!! Not that I think a liquid diet is the way to go, but I lost close to 5 pounds from yesterday morning to this morning. I'm very anxious for my official morning of surgery weigh in so that I can update my weight ticker.

Its now 10 am and I am exhausted. I could curl up and go to sleep under my desk. I'm so ready to just have the surgery so I can go to sleep and work my way back to at least protein shakes. I think the no protein is making the biggest difference. I'm also freezing cold, I'd love a big blanket right now!!!

So it is about noon and I'm doing okay. My comprehension level is way down today so hopefully I didn't mess up anything too bad that I've worked on today. I'm hanging in there as I only have about 25 hours left or so. I think once I get settled in at the hospital tomorrow I will be a happy camper, especially with the Valium. I am still tired and sitting at a computer so the two don't really mix. I'm relatively calm currently and hope that this frame of mind continues.

So much for okay. It is now about 1:30 and I am just completely done. I'm tired, I'm getting cranky and I just want to get this done. NOW!!! I'm pretty much set for tomorrow... I just have to get a bag out to put my stuff in. I have to program numbers into my husband's cell phone tonight too so that he knows who to call. I have a few friends and co-workers that would like to hear how things went. The dog was stuck to me this morning so I'm beginning to think that he is more human than dog.... He is definitely concerned. He wanted to go upstairs with me this morning rather than going outside and that never happens. I ended up taking him out so that he would do his business and he dragged me to the cars and was pacing between the doors looking at me like take me with you (and he hates riding in the car). He'll be fine and so will I, it just breaks my heart that I can't explain to him what is going on.

Its only a half an hour later (2pm) but I am feeling somewhat energized. No idea why, but I'm not going to ask. I'm still really looking forward to going home at 4:30 today. I just want to vegetate tonight and do a few odds n ends.

So I am now at 3pm and not giving a crap about much. I'd really like to pack up my things and leave work, but I will try to wait until at least 4pm. I'm definitely still tired and I think the adrenaline of my impending surgery is the only thing getting me through. It definitely isn't sugar that's for sure!!! I'm really looking forward to curling up on the couch with the dog and watching some television when I get home. Quiet time would be good. I've only had water today as nothing else sounds good. I've managed to drink 101 oz. so far today. I think it is because its a habit now to drink instead of eat :)

I've now managed to make it to 3:45 and am planning on leaving at 4pm. I have a date with my couch and dog when I get home. I'm very happy to be having this surgery and I can't wait until I get home after it to start my "new" life.

I did leave at 4pm and I am home now sitting in "my" recliner. I use the term "my" loosely as my dog, a wonderful 16 lb. Jack Russell Terrier, has staked his claim in it... oh well he'll have to learn to share for the next two weeks! I have laundry going as I want to have it all done and put away before I leave for the hospital tomorrow. The nice thing is that I don' t have any dishes to do as I'm not eating anything and my husband tends to eat else were so I don't have to smell it or see it. I have all my stuffed packed for my hospital stay with the exception of my pillow that I'll be taking. Since it a long skinny pillow I have to wash the pillow case tonight as I only made one pillow case for it. Who needs a bunch of long skinny pillow cases?!?!?!?

So I'm now winding down for the day. Its about 7:30pm and I'm getting ready to take a bath and go to bed. I probably won't go to sleep immediately, but I'll watch some television. I had another bottle of water and some jello a little while ago. I'll probably have some more water before I go to be so that I don't feel like I am dehydrated tomorrow. I have to say I am really excited, but I am getting a little nervous. I just hope that all goes well and that I become the healthy person that I want to be. My husband has been running around since he left work doing odds n ends, but right now I just need a hug and him to tell me everything will be okay. Hopefully he'll be home soon and be able to do that for me. I have a load of laundry in the dryer and one in the washer. The only thing that is left after those two loads are a few towels. I'm sure my husband can throw those in later when he gets home. I'll make sure I update my weight ticker prior to leaving tomorrow for the hospital.

Wow... Wow... WOW!!!!

Only 2 days before my surgery. Actually less than that since it is 8:30 pm and my surgery is at 1pm Thursday. So its more like 40.5 hours, not that I'm counting :)

I made it through my second day of liquid diet and I seem to be loosing weight at a tremendous rate. From this morning when I weighed myself until I got home tonight I dropped 2 pounds. That could potentially be part of why I don't feel so good. So I will update my weight on Thursday morning prior to my surgery for my "official" pre-op weight at home.

I went to visit some friends from my quilting circle tonight and had a great time. It definitely took my mind off of eating. However, I'm now at the point that I could give a crap less about food. If I don't eat when I am hungry I usually end up not wanting food at all and that seems to be what is happening now. At work today some of the girls were eating lunch and the thought of even eating anything really made me not feel so hot. I drank a ton of water today and had some jello and popsicles as the bouillon didn't sit well yesterday. I think I am coping really well with not eating.... I haven't cried yet and that is a really good sign.

I've started packing things for the hospital. I have all my personal items (soap, shampoo, deodorant...) and a couple pairs of socks (my feet are always cold) as well as a bathrobe that I can just toss on over my hospital gown. I even have a pair of flip flops to wear while I am pacing the halls!!! I have nice comfy clothes picked out to wear to the hospital and home from it. The only other thing that I really want to take with me is my pillow. I have neck issues and my own pillow will probably help a bunch. I know it will be here soon enough, but man am I anxious and excited!!!

OMG.... I'm Approved :)

Well my phone rang at work at 9am sharp this morning. It was Katie telling me that Aetna approved my surgery. I am so excited I can't even express it in words. I am just thrilled that it went through without a hitch. I was so happy that I sent flowers to Katie with my sincere thanks!!

I started my liquid diet today and am doing okay for now. I have plenty of water, juice, jello and popsicles to get me through the next 3 days. Its about 7:45pm and I survived day one of my liquid diet. I have a slight headache and am a little less spunky than normal but I will make it through. At least I know I won't be dehydrated after 7-16.9 oz bottles of water, 3-6 oz cups of cranberry-raspberry juice (sweetened with splenda), 1-12 oz cup of bouillon and 1 popsicle. I think the hardest part is going to be that I can't drink anything after midnight on the day of surgery and my surgery isn't until about 1pm.

I think that I am going to fall into bed tonight with all the excitement and lack of nourishment.

Bye Bye Food

So I sit here less than 12 hours from starting my liquid diet and am a nervous wreck. I had a protein shake for breakfast since nothing else sounded good and I'm worried about what I want for dinner as it is my last "real" meal for a few weeks. I have much to do today but I just want to be left alone and hibernate for the day. I've successfully managed to hide in the basement for the first part of the day and am planning on going back down there to watch "Flushed Away." I started watching the movie around Easter time but have not gotten back to how it ends. I figure if I watch a movie I'll be able to procrastinate for a few more hours.

I need to finish odds n ends cleaning between now and Thursday and go to the store to pick up a few things for my liquid diet today. I need some Sugar Free Jello and Popsicles as well as Oatmeal, Soy Milk and Chapstick. I can't forget a new thing of chapstick for my hospital stay.

I'm nervous, paranoid, excited, and anxious all rolled into one. I'm feeling confident that Aetna will approve my surgery, but I still haven't heard the official ruling. 4 Days and Counting!!!
_________________

Well I did make some progress today. I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom so that they are spotless. I managed to go to Walmart and pick up some last minute items... SF Popsicles, SF Jello and some Low Sugar Soy Milk for after the surgery. I have read through my instructions for the next 3 days as well as for the weeks after surgery and I can tell you that I am thrilled that the information is as detailed as it is and that I have a copy in paper form for when I have questions. I have 3 days of work before my surgery and have to be on a liquid diet from now until then. I hope that I can keep busy and not think about food!!! I'll be drinking juice, water, bouillon and eating SF Jello and SF Popsicles. It could be worse I've heard of doctors making patients be on a liquid diet for 2 or 4 weeks prior to surgery. I can handle 3 days!!!!

On to the pile of laundry calling my name!!!

Slowly But Surely.....

Yeah!!! I was fat enough 5 years ago. I heard this morning from Katie at Dr. Graber's office that my weight history came in via fax from my endocrinologist. In February 2003 I weighed 257 pounds which would give me a BMI of 42.7 which is above the 40 BMI requirement by Aetna. She said that she faxed the info to Aetna at 8:15 this morning and wrote urgent all over it. We're hoping that we hear something soon since there are only 3 business days before my surgery. I'm excited and nervous all rolled into one!!

I called Katie a little while ago and she confirmed that Aetna had received all their required paperwork and that it had been forwarded on to Aetna's medical examiner. Katie was hoping to hear something before 5pm or first thing Monday morning. Keep your fingers crossed!!

ONE WEEK!!!

Nothing major to update today. I tried to call Katie at Dr. Graber's office but apparently she only works Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I told them I would call back tomorrow to see if she had gotten my info from my endocrinologist's office. I'm still very nervous about getting the approval but I have come to the realization that I can't really do anything about it so I am just along for the ride. Hopefully it will be a smooth one!!

Holy Crap.... 8 DAYS LEFT

Well 8 Days left before my surgery. I got in touch with Dr. Graber's office today and asked if they thought I was going to have to reschedule my surgery again as my insurance company hadn't rendered their decision yet. When I was talking to Katie, their insurance rep, she mentioned that she heard from Aetna and that the only thing missing was my 5 year weight history. I thought hell would freeze over before I wished I had been fat for long enough, but I did wish that today. (I hope that my weight was high enough 5 years ago to qualify for surgery as apparently I have everything else necessary.) I told Katie I would call my endocrinologist and see if they would fax over the information today. I checked back at 2pm and Katie still hadn't received the weight history so I called back my endocrinologist and basically begged them to send it over. I explained the situation again that I was scheduled for surgery next week and I really needed to get the info to Aetna so that they would hopefully approve my surgery. I was in meetings the rest of the afternoon so I wasn't able the call Katie again to see if she had received the info or not. I will try to call her first thing in the morning. I am anxious to get the answer as I don't want to have to start my three day liquid diet on Monday and then have to do it again later if the insurance company doesn't get their required info in time.

On a different note I have been trying to make up 9 hours of work time during the current pay period for the day I have my surgery so that I don't have to use all of my vacation time. As of the time I left today I only have 15 minutes left to make up. I'll try to get that done tomorrow so that I don't have to worry about making up any more time prior to my surgery.

I'm also getting anxious about telling my friends. I just had a friend invite me to go to lunch with her on June 23rd.... 9 days after my surgery and I'm not sure how to handle it. I told her that I would have to see if my husband had anything planned for us that weekend. I'm afraid of people's opinions of me having the surgery. Not that I will let that sway me in any way about having the surgery, but it will become an issue post-op. I just hope the are accepting of my decision.

No News Is Good News?

That is what I keep trying to tell myself. I am more nervous about getting insurance approval than I am about the surgery. I asked my husband to read through my insurance company's requirements for surgery and he confirmed that I had met all of them. I guess with my surgery scheduled for only 10 days away I am really nervous. That is only 8 more business days for them to approve the surgery. I'm not sure how long ago the insurance company received my info from Dr. Graber's office so I guess all I can do is wait. My plan is to call Dr. Graber's office on Friday if I haven't heard anything to see how they would like me to proceed. I have to start my 3 day liquid diet on Monday and I would rather not get through the 3 days and be told that I can't have the surgery. I am really excited about this next chapter of my life and I want to get on with it!!!

Another Weekend Gone By....

I've been on a dead run since Friday morning. I managed to get all my errands done and made up some time at work for the day of my surgery. I have enough vacation time, but I'd rather not end up using all of it while I am recovering. I'd like to have a little bit in reserve. I've managed to help my husband a little bit every day with construction at our farmhouse too.

Its hard to believe that I have 11 days left before my surgery, soon I'll be down to single digits!!

My husband took me to a movie and dinner on Friday. That was a really nice surprise. We saw Shrek the Third and I loved every minute of it. We had a nice dinner too. He's a keeper :)

Its hard to believe how much I have left to do before my surgery and how much I have done already. I'll just keep whittling away at it.