Gastric Bypass Adventures 6

Gastric Bypass Adventures 6

Post Surgery-Eating Again

Well when I last left you, Tool Man had brought me home and put me to bed after coming home from a doctor's appointment and my release from the hospital. I was so happy to be home! But quickly discovered that sleeping in bed wasn't going to be comfortable for a while...so I retired to the recliner in the living room. Much more comfortable and much easier to get up from when you have an incision on your belly! The Bear (who was 4 years old at the time) was warned that Mommy's tummy got fixed and that we had to be careful around her. Bear was in the habit of dive bombing people from across the room when she wanted attention or to sit with you!

24 days after surgery!

So with me settled in the recliner in the living room...Tool Man was left to run the house for a little while. Before my surgery I had made a big chart and left it on the fridge ....as to what I could and could not eat! Of course I had to start out with things like chicken broth, canned is not my favorite....and saltines. I graduated from a single saltine cracker for the entire day to eating scrambled eggs, which happen to be one of my comfort foods! I quickly learned that my hubby as sweet as he is...doesn't know how to make scrambled eggs...he gets to impatient and turns the heat up to high! But that first scrambled egg that he made me after my surgery was pure ambrosia! Of course I ate about two bites and was full...but it was a wonderful two bites.

They suggest that you not drink before you at at this time....the liquid fills your tummy and you can't eat what you need. Considering I am one of those people that have a hard time eating without something to drink....this was kinda hard for me! You are also warned not to lie down after eating or drinking for at least 15 minutes....and believe me these are wise words!

I eventually graduated to being able to eat crackers and cheese. That is still my all time favorite food! Eating has been a trail and error process for me over the last couple of years. For those of you that have never been around someone who has had this surgery....well....we tend to throw up a lot! I feel really luck if I go several days without throwing something up. That is what I meant by the whole trail and error thing. Some days I can eat certain foods and they stay down...other days they don't...some days nothing stays down! It all depends on what I eat and if I have taken my stomach meds that day.

The only prescription that I am currently taking is Nexium....which keeps my stomach lined out so that I can eat. I don't know if everyone that has had this surgery is on some kind of acid reducer medication....but if I don't take mine....I get to where I throw everything up, no matter what it is...and I start having severe stomach cramps...so this is a necessary medication for me. I learned the hard way to take this medication on a daily basis...now I am currently taking a much more economical version of this that I obtain over the counter....so don't panic and think you have to take this high priced medication....the stuff that you can get over the counter works just fine...for me at least!

After my surgery trying to get my protein shakes and my newly required vitamins down was a chore! And one that I didn't take quietly! I still don't like either but have been at this game long enough to see the benefits of both...and also the consequences of not taking them! Without my protein shakes....I have no energy! I get sick and start filling weak...anyone that knows me knows how busy I keep myself! I NEED that protein to keep going everyday ! My issue was that trying to drink 8 oz. of fluid in one setting was difficult. Getting three 8 oz. protein shakes and all my vitamins in everyday took up all my time (it seemed) and trying to fit real food in there was hard.

My vitamins, now I don't notice so much with them, but ladies if you have ever taken prenatal vitamins....super shiny, growing hair, strong, hard nails, glowing skin!!! This is what you get from bariatric vitamins. Now when I first began this journey I took about 10 vitamins a day...all in pill form! I hate taking pills....especially handfuls of them multiple times a day! Fortunately for me they came out with a chewable vitamins that you only have to take 4 times a day and just one at a time...and they have all you need plus some! My favorite kind is Baratric Fusion, Mixed Berry Flavor...they taste like Flintstones Vitamins to me

My last issue that I will share with you was the not bending over thing! Can you imagine being an independent woman...that likes to do her own dishes, laundry...OK hold on I don't necessarily like doing those chores, I just get embarrassed when someone else has to do them for me and I am not in a condition to take care of my family myself...so me being me was driven crazy by the fact that I wasn't supposed to bend over to load my dishwasher or take clothes from the dryer. I had to depend on my mother and husband for all these things....unless I caught them gone!

I was so happy when I had my checkup with Dr. Warnock. He said that I was doing good and could start eating fresh fruits and veggies again! The first thing that Tool Man did was take me to Logan's Steak House for lunch...I of course ordered a salad and look longingly at the rolls. But my salad was wonderful! I was just happy to be able to eat real food again! Soft stuff gets old after a couple of weeks! And of course the fact that I had already lost about 32 lbs didn't hurt anything!!

As most of you can tell....there are some really not fun, pleasant or otherwise glamorous about this surgery. BUT if you know of someone besides me that has had this surgery and you ask them if it was worth it and if they would do it all over again...you will probably get a resounding yes! Well from me you would! Honestly it is not easy being careful all the time! But when my little girl can wrap her arms all the way around me and give me a hug. Or my husband gives me "that" look! Or when I can confidently say that I am living healthy! I think it is all worth it!

I hope that those on Spring Break this week have a happy and safe one! I am nearing the end of my story....I intend on adding some extras...like my protein shake recipes and my weight loss chart...oh and some skinny pics to go along with all these fat pics!

Until next time!
God Bless,
Mama D

Gastric Bypass Adventures 5

Gastric Bypass Adventures 5

Surgery and Hospital Stay

Now you would think that I wouldn't remember anything from the time they knocked me out until I woke up! Never having had surgery before I didn't know that I wasn't gonna be completely gone before they wheeled me in that operating room! Maybe that isn't the norm....I don't know...all I know is that faced with all that STUFF in the operating room and being asked to transfer myself from the nice comfy hospital bed onto the operating table....I panicked! I did my best to cooperate...I transferred myself from one bed to another. Considering I weighed 300 pounds at the time this was probably a good thing....I wouldn't want those nurses to strain a muscle trying to move me or anything! I wouldn't wish that on anyone! They had just better be glad that they put whatever kind of knock out drug they had in my IV about that time....because I was once again ready to swing my legs off that table go find my hubby and Daddy and go home! I would just stay fat...I didn't care at that point! Can you tell I was just a wee bit scared???

Of course after transferring myself I woke up in the recovery room...relieved, kinda confused, and the first thing that goes through my head. "Oh @#@#@! It's too late!" I was very glad that I was incapable of coherent speech at that point. I had some very nice nurses that took care of me and couldn't understand my hand motions looking for my glasses. I later found out that Tool Man had taken them off my face before I left for surgery and he returned them when he saw me again. My sweet hubby knows how much I depend on those things....and when I miss place them HE is always the one that finds them for me!  Now for some reason anytime I have some sort of medical procedure done....I get to be practiced on by the trainees. Of all things to remember I remember that one of my nurses in the recovery room was a trainee...funny what sticks in your head, huh? Of course it was better than when I gave birth....during that experience I had a WHOLE class watching!

After dozing off and on in the recovery room....wishing I had my glasses...and wondering where my Hubby and Daddy were...they gave me another ride on the moving bed, this time to my home away from home for the next couple of days! Now you would think that considering I now supported a 10 inch incision from just below my sternum to just above my belly button that I would get just a little help moving myself around....NOPE I once again was asked to transfer myself from one bed to the other! SIGH....what happened to the big burly orderlies that are supposed to help with things like that??? What surprised my nurses....is that they asked me to do this...and I just did it...no problem....scooted my bottom over and got into the other bed! I was just happy to be still for a while.

The next thing I knew my sweet hubby and Daddy were at the end of the bed to see me...what aggravated me...I got a pat on the foot and they went to lunch! Do you see how much I am loved!??? OK she's OK...where do you want to eat? The rest of this day is kinda fuzzy...it takes a while for the drugs to wear off and of course you have pain meds going to...which always make me sleepy! I know that my Momma and Little Sister came for a visit that evening....I am pretty sure I slept through most of that visit. Tool Man was there when I needed him.

Now you would think that I would get to lay in that hospital bed for a little while....but NO....I had to get up and walk once an hour! They gave me time for the meds to wear off where I wouldn't fall...but I had to get up and walk down the hall! At some point during the afternoon I found that I had this huge elastic support band around my middle...this wonderful thing helps to support your belly as you heal! You become very dependant on this very quickly! Because you feel as though you guts are gonna fall out that 10 inch incision. I don't tell you this to scare you...just to warn you....the feeling does go away...but you have to wean yourself off that belt thingy.  This really helped when I was walking up and down the halls...along with the small pillow that they suggested that I use to hold my belly.

My Tool Man was the most helpful and supportive husband during all this....silly man wouldn't let me get away with anything! He was great about helping me up out of the bed....but he also was the one poking me to get up when all I wanted to do was lay there.

Another thing that I had to endure...nothing to drink. Because of the nature of the surgery all they would let me have is this little sponge thing soaked in water to swab my mouth with every so often. Now they were really nice and kept the water fresh and put ice in the water so that it would stay cold. But I was thirsty! I wanted a drink! But no can do....just swab your mouth! When I finally got to the point where I could have a drink I was so grateful! Of course my new tummy could only tolerate a couple of sips...but at least it wasn't a swab!

The nurses are trained to have you do as much as possible for yourself as quickly as you can. They are not there to baby you! After the first 24 hours I was shown how to get myself out of the bed to go potty and to get up and walk. The nurse wouldn't help me and they didn't want Tool Man helping me. As long as I could do it, I was asked to do it for myself! I could go into details about my stay in the hospital...but I am not a very good patient...and this was not very fun...however it was necessary! So I am going to sum it up pretty quickly. As long as I got up and walked every so often and did what they asked...I got pain meds and then I got released on Thursday.

Another surprising thing to me....I didn't have to ride in a wheel chair to leave. I was escorted by a nurse...but I walked out on my own. Of course I didn't go very far....I had a doctor's appointment the next day and Dr. Warnock wanted me to stay close to the hospital...just in case...so Tool Man and I went back to the little motel across the street. They have rooms special for patients like me....with huge recliners in them. The only problem for me...was that the recliner was huge even for me and it was one of those that you have to lean back in to get the foot rest up and then push really hard down on the get it back down....at that point I just wasn't capable of operating it...so I still slept in the bed. And my Tool Man slept in the chair.

Now if you are wondering I haven't had a bite to eat since Sunday, it is Thursday by this time and I am supposed to be able to eat broth or even a cracker. But I am having a hard time drinking watered down apple juice so I am scared to try and eat anything. So I don't. I didn't actually eat anything until I got home. I went to my Doctor's appointment on Friday and then Tool Man took me home and put me to bed before going to get my Bear!

Until next time.
God Bless,
Mama D

Gastric Bypass Adventures 3

Gastric Bypass vs. Lap Band

EWWWW...Fat Me and My Momma!

Hello again folks! Well this topic happens to be on my mind a lot lately...so these posts are coming faster than I originally intended....bi-weekly has turned into every other day! However, I suppose that this is a good thing for those of you impatient souls, that don't like things drawn out like they do on those silly reality shows!

One of my first hurtles had been met. I decided to quit smoking! And I accomplished that with no problems other than internal worry.

My second hurtle was abiding by the pre-surgery diet. Basically quit eating...simple enough for a fat chick! YEAH RIGHT!!!! I was to drink a protein shake (made with water!) for breakfast, lunch and dinner and for lunch I could have (oh JOY JOY!) a side salad with spray dressing and a small serving of lean meat. Oh and I had to leave off all the really good salad things like grated cheese, croutons....you know all that stuff that makes salad taste good! UGH!

Needless to say, I didn't do to well on this diet! It was the protein that killed me the most! I made the mistake of getting lemonade flavored! Can I just say YUCK!!! OK folks, my doctor's office has what is called a Resource Center, they have all kinds of protein powders, vitamins, samples....basically all the supplements that you need before and after surgery! When the lady at the counter recommends you get a certain type of protein...listen to her...she knows what she is talking about! She suggested chocolate or vanilla....those happen to be my favorites...now that I have learned how to drink the stuff without gagging! It took me a year and a half to find a combination that didn't just make me want to throw up after each swallow! I promise to share my recipes before this series is over!

Oh and did I mention that part of this diet was not drinking anything but water??? Oh yeah that was part of the plan too! I could have as much water as I could drink and the only flavoring that I could put in was those Crystal Light things! No coffee, tea, SODAS, milk, juice...nothing but water! (A plan to break you of all caffine if I ever saw one!)

I finally figured out that this diet had a dual purpose!

Firstly it was to prep your body for surgery. You see when you go on such and extreme diet you do lose weight (I lost 11 pounds in 3 days), but more importantly you lose weight internally. Which it so happens helps your surgeon when he is working on you. So no matter how bad it is...your gonna want to do this diet or whatever diet your doctor puts you on...because in the long run it helps you and him both!

And I am pretty sure the other reason is that it gives you a preview of what your eating style is going to be in the future! Sad but true!

Now my third task from my first office visit was fairly straight forward. I had to choose between lap band and gastric bypass. Now Dr. Warnock explained both procedures to me by drawing on the paper that they use to cover the examination table. I wasn't sitting on it at the time....I was tearfully holding Tool Man's hand for support and trying to internalize all this new information I was being bombarded with.

OK...from what I can remember your stomach is set up pretty simply. Food goes into you mouth, travels down you esophagus, into your stomach, exits your stomach into your intestines, and then travels onward.

The lap-band procedure literately puts a band around the upper part of your stomach that restricts the amount of food that can go into your stomach. There are silicone sacks around that band that are adjusted as needed through a port in your side.

Okay this didn't appeal to me on so many levels.

1. The whole adjusting thing sound like to much temptation to me...."well the holidays are coming up and I have all these parties...and I enjoy eating." Kinda defeats the whole purpose...I am not that strong willed!

2. The foreign object in my body....I could just see some kind of allergic reaction to all that hardware...then I met a woman that had lap band surgery done previously and was in the office to have gastric bypass done, she had gained back about 80 pounds and her stomach had grown up around the band! Can I just say YUCK, again??

3. Your weight loss is about half as fast with lap band. Now that seems like a really silly reason...I know it is safer to lose weight slowly...however I need my weight off and I needed it off last year...not 2 or 3 years down the road.

Now Gastric Bypass is a little more complected and involved. They actually go in and make you a pouch out of your own stomach (about the size of an egg) and connect that pouch to your small intestines at a certain spot. You see your intestines have certain areas that absorb food/nutrients differently. The very first part of the intestines right below your stomach absorb all the bad stuff you ingest, sugar, fats, now you go on a little further and the intestines get a little pickier....it only absorbs the good stuff and it rejects the bad...sometimes in a violent manner. This picky area is where they attach your new stomach pouch! My doctor also highly recommended removing my gall bladder while he was in there....said it was totally unnecessary and would save problems in the future!

OK...I wanted my weight loss to be permanent. I didn't want to go back to being unhealthy and fat. I wanted to avoid diabetes if I could. The thing I found out through my own research is that patients that have gastric bypass, rarely have a problem with diabetes. They are finding out that alot of people's problem with diabetes is coming from what is being absorbed in that very first part of the intestines....and when you have had gastric bypass...that problem is resolved! Also many people who have this surgery that have previously suffered from things like diabetes, high blood pressure and a variety of other illnesses no longer have to take their medication just DAYS after surgery!

Do you see how appealing this is sounding to a person that has the possibility of suffering from one if not all of these maladies? I was already having problems breathing, suffered from sleep apnea and arthritis....I could see myself going downhill fast! I couldn't control how I ate so I felt I needed a governor switch on my stomach! (hey I really like that analogy!)

Now this is a big decision. My doctor had already recommend gastric bypass, and that is the way I and my Tool Man were leaning....but my Daddy had other ideas. Now you will find out quickly that my parents love me and are very protective of me and they were very worried for me! Not only for the current state of my health but the extremes that I was willing to go to rectify the situation with my body. What parent wants to watch their child go under a surgeon knife voluntarily??? I know mine didn't but on the other hand they understood mine and Tool Man's decision. My Daddy's opinion was that I needed to have the less invasive lap-band. Part of his reasoning was that it was fully reversable...and that if this was doing me more harm than good then I could just have all that paraphenial removed. As much as I love and admire my Daddy I had to disagree...and in the mean time I did a little more research, made a couple of phone calls and found out that the gastric bypass is also fully reversible! They don't remove your stomach...it is just dormant in your body, so you can change your mind and have things reversed if you want to....but seriously...who would want to????

Now before my next appointment I had made the decision that gastric bypass was the way for me to go...now I just had to wait to hear from the insurance company.....I don't like waiting.....Patience is a Virture!

Until next time....
God Bless,
Mama D

Ok Folk...this here is my disclaimer... all research, thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone. DO NOT take my word as fact! This is intended as a shared learning experience. I just want those who I know and love to understand why I have done this surgery. And I pray that my story helps someone in some way in the future, weather I know that person or not. God Bless, Mama D