Not Sleeping Through the Night.

It is kind of like having a newborn in the house. They get on a schedule, and you have to readjust it. Well this time, it is me causing the problem. When in the hospital, my pain meds would start to wear off around 3:30am. I would then buzz for the Nurse to bring me some. By the time she came in, gave me the meds, did my vitals, emptied the incision drain, and maybe me empty my drain, (go to the bathroom), I would be up until at least 4:30am. Well, my schedule was set to do that after only 2 nights in the hospital. I am also a side sleeper, and with the 5 incisions on my belly, rolling is just not good. I went to the drug store today and picked up some liquid Tylenol. (Everything has to be liquid, solutabs or crushed.) I am officially going to be done with my Roxicet. Dennis has helped me change 2 of the 5 incisions dressings. The other 3 look pretty good, with no chance of the water from taking a shower getting into the Tegaderm. They are looking pretty good and starting to itch. So that is a good sign. I am getting around pretty well. I have gone to the mall to walk around to move some of the gas bubbles hopefully out. My stomach has gone down a bit, but is still quite distended. It all takes time.

Four Days Post Op

Well, we had a busy day today! It is Dennis’s last day of his vacation. What a way for him to spend a vacation hey? We went for a walk at Mayfair Mall. Well, maybe a stroll. It was good to get up and about. I have gas bubbles which feel like an air bubble curtain in a fish aquarium. It is a very different feeling. Often they do not hurt. Just make lots of noise and feel real weird. Sometimes to do cause cramps. We then went to Walgreens and the grocery store. I did take a nap in between. I haven’t done any homework for college all week, so worked on that a bit tonight. I am now eating Jello, Popsicles, 4 oz of protein shakes four times a day, drinking sugar free liquids. I then have a meal three times a day which consist of one; pudding, yogurt, pureed soup. Nothing but the best.. Panera’s soup. Very tasty. I am on the hunt for sugar free Root Beer Popsicles. Keep your eyes open! I will be on this diet for one week.

Thanks again for all of your support. I means a ton to me!

Back Home!

I am back home! Everything went very well. I have five incisions where they went in laproscopicaly to do there business. The most pain that I have is from the incision and gas pains. Lots of bubbles. I walk around to get rid of those. They keep you very busy while you are in the hospital. Between vitals, including temp, lungs, heart, checking the incisions, your tummy, legs and glucose, there is little time for much else except for a nap! I am good at those! I had insulin numerous times while in the hospital. My Doctor is a firm believer that you heal faster if your levels are on target. I was in the normal range by the time it was time to go home. It is very hot here. Heat index of 100 degrees. My husband had the house all cooled down ready for my home coming. I think he is glad to have me home. He has a week of vacation this week to spend with me. He is very patient, however keeps me on my eating/drinking task which is very good. I will write more later, just wanted to let everyone know that I was at home and doing well. Thanks for the thoughts, prayers, flowers and cares! They really mean a lot to me! The name of my blogg, is so true! Another starting point...
Blessings!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! I made it through all of the eating challenges this past week. If you were to ask me the one thing that I would love to eat right now, it would be anything crunchy and salty. Drink of choice? Margarita of course! Sounds like, chips, salsa, Guacamole and a Jumbo Margarita on the rock! I digress.
Kept busy this weekend cleaning the house. With me traveling so much, it was out of control. It still needs work, oh well, don’t we all.

I am to report to Elmbrook Memorial Hospital, in Brookfield Wisconsin by 5:15am tomorrow. They will give me a shot of Lovenox, to reduce the chance of blood clots, do a type and cross of my blood and a pregnancy test. The positive results of that one would be enough to have a code 4!

I will write when I get back home. Thoughts and prayers would be welcomed and appreciated. Thank you all so much for your support. I could not have made it these last almost 6 months without all of your support. I will need more very soon!

Thanks again!

Hey, Is It Friday?

Before I finish typing this entry, I will have finished my week of protein shakes! Wow! I made it! Not that I ever really had a doubt. I can usually set my mind to something, and “Get ‘Er Done!” This was not an easy task. I didn’t leave my house much, and didn’t watch food commercials. I will tell you tomorrow, well almost today, what I will be eating for the weekend. When I went to get my pedicure and nails done tonight, the grocery store was frying the chicken. This is why I have not gone out much! I passed how many restaurants and billboards for food? Of course getting a pedicure was a high priority! After all, I have a date with a nice looking surgeon! Blessing!

Day Two Sugery Pre-Op Diet

Day Two complete!
I got so that I really did not want to drink the protein shake and I did not want anything else sweet. Everything is sweet. Flavored protein shakes, Jello, flavored drinks, popsicles… so I heated up some beef broth. Not too bad. I finally drank my last protein shake around 9:30 and you know what? I made me feel better. So we are going with that mental strategy. I would like something crunchy… I am a texture eater. One to day three!

Day One Surgery Prep

Day One Surgery Prep.
Here we go! It is officially “The Week before SURGERY!”
We went to visit our oldest son Jared and his girlfriend Stephanie last weekend. We enjoyed food and some margaritas together. They are doing well.
Monday morning started out the preparatory diet to cleanse your system, and shrink your liver, since they will be working behind it. I am so happy that I only have to do one week! The diet consists of:

Soy protein mixed with 8 ounces of skim milk three times a day. I have both chocolate and vanilla, along with caramel, hazelnut, raspberry and orange extracts which I can add.

4 ounces of 100% fruit juice twice a day.

At least 6 cups- 48 ounces of a combination of the following:
Water
Broth Bouillon
Sugar Free Jello
Sugar Free popsicles
Crystal Light or Diet Snapple (no tea flavors)
Fruit 2 O or Propel

Day 1, was not too bad. I found that I prefer the protein shakes blended with ice to make it taste more like a bad Ovaltein malt shake. It makes the volume more, but taste a bit better. My youngest son Darren just likes to chug it down. He is being supportive and joining in.

Day of Pre-Op Appointments

Busy day today. I started out with a fasting blood draw, chest x-ray and an appointment with the Dietician. The Dietician was very excited about me having to do only one week of protein shakes. I also got some clarification. I can mix the power with milk. Much better that water. I can also have sugar free no fruit Popsicles and sugar free Jello. That seems helpful. I will lay out the dietary weeks as they approach. Then off to lunch with my Mom and two sisters at Harvey Moy’s for Chinese Buffet. I was given a bracelet by my family to remind me that they are on the journey with me. My family has been through a lot growing up. We are always there for each other. I rushed back to the appointment with the Nurse Practitioner, Karen. As I have mentioned before, we use to work at the hospital together and I now see her for my yearly GYN needs. Karen is also a certified hypnotherapist. She offered to help me prepare for the protein shakes, surgery and recovery process. It is another adventure to add to list on this journey.
For those of you who are curious, Karen had me start breathing through my nose and out through my mouth, concentrating on my body getting the oxygen that it needs. I closed my eyes, and she talked about visualizing walking along a river, the noises that I hear and the wind blowing through the grass along the banks and the leaves on the trees. I was still breathing pretty hard, so she told me that the path was not a hard one it was flat and nothing was in my way. She had me visualize stopping a moment and looking around. My breathing slowed down as she described the area, and how my body was relaxing. She had me visualize walking farther up the path with the incline becoming a bit harder. There were a few obstacles in the way on the path, however if I looked down the path I could see that it was clear past them. She then talked about the items that I having coming up that are small obstacles on the way, with a clear path in the future. At this point my body felt very heavy and like I was sinking into the chair. I don’t think that I could have picked up my arms. However my legs felt like they were floating upward. My eyes did a lot of fluttering, which she said is very normal. After a bit she told me that we were going to walk back away from the river, but that I could come back any time I needed to. She said that she was going to count to 3 and I could open my eyes when ever I wanted to. We then talked about the experience and what I thought about it. I came in with an open mind, and I found it very interesting. I have one more appointment with here before surgery.

Pre-OP Doctor Visit

Well… I was 1 pound, 2 ounces short of my goal. I was not a very happy girl. The nurse asked if we could compromise. She said that she would ask the Doctor is I could start the protein and water on Thursday, instead of Monday. Well that sounds better….
When he came in, he said that he thought I had done a very good job. However he was not going for the compromise. L I did such a good job, I only had to do one week.!!!!!!!!!!! HURRAY!!! Tomorrow I have labs, chest x-ray, dietician appointment, lunch with Mom and Sister Michelle and one more very interesting appointment. The Physicians assistant that I see for my GYN appointments, I know from working at the hospital. She had gastric bypass about 3 years ago. She has been a great support to me. She is also certified in hypnotherapy. She offered to do some sessions with me as a gift. So, another adventure on this journey. If I come out acting like a chicken… just kidding!

An update...

Tomorrow is the big day! I have been working hard in many ways toward this date. It is my pre-op visit with my surgeon. First, I worked very hard to get all of the requirements fulfilled, then to get the insurance approval. During all of this, Dennis and I have been very busy working out. When I travel for work or pleasure, I locate the Anytime Fitness Clubs in the area. Who would have ever guessed? My youngest son Darren is home from college for the summer, and has also joined for the summer. Everyone is working hard. When I went to my first meeting ever, they talked about you BMI (Body Mass Index) and the requirements per your body mass index prior to surgery. Your BMI determines if you are required to do one, two or three weeks of only protein shakes and water. The purpose is to shrink your liver, since your stomach is located behind it. When I did my BMI, I was immediately determined to loose enough weight so that I would only have to do 1 week of protein shakes. This is why tomorrow is the big day! When I weigh in on their scale!
I think it is going to be closer than I would like it to be!