Post-Op: Day 23 & 24 - It happened

So after my last Dr. appointment I got my clearance to go back to work Mon the 19th but my work office had been closed due to some issues with the HVac system. Since thats the case I've been doing some more babysitting for my aunt who normally babysits since she out of town visiting our new little cousin (aka her Grandson). Things have overall been going well since surgery... nothing really eventful to report... till yesterday that is.

Now I've been gradually adding different things back into my diet to see how I do with them. I tried eggs for a 2nd time and that was still kinda "eh" causing me some nausea but I blame that mostly on the piece of toast I attempted with it. The 2 times since that I've made a "dippy" egg for breakfast I've done very well with... no nausea or anything. In this time I've had other foods like Sloppy Joes (from Aiden's birthday party) and potato salad (which is the best in the world cuz my dad made it)... both in very small and slow increments and did well there too. Grapes and watermelon also were mixed in there in addition to other chicken and fish that I've already tried successfully.

So we get to yesterday. I've been doing really well with everything I've tried... been trying to drink as much fluids as I can to keep hydrated... and finally started my vitamins which really aren't bad and overall besides some soreness I'm doing pretty well... feeling "normal" again. I only had one girl to babysit yesterday so with mom's consent I brought her over to our house a whole 3 minutes away to play with Aiden. After we get to my house I realize I forgot her lunch back at my Aunt's place. Well I have to feed Aiden and my hubby too so naturally the decision is to make mac n cheese. "I can have a small bowl of this right...? It's just a small amount... it's just cheese... not "too" greasy or anything... and it looks soooo good..." So I make the decision to have 1 small scoop of Mac and cheese with everyone else. This, as it turns out, was a very stupid decision. I felt fine as I ate... slowly... chew chew chew... wait a few seconds before the next bite.... chew chew chew.... There... that wasn't so bad!.... Not! About 10-20 mins later my tummy starts to gurgle a little, turn a little more, more... ugh this sucks! Within I'd say a half hour at most I am thoroughly nauseated and ready to throw in the towel. I keep reminding myself how stupid that was as I'm doing some deliberately slow/deep breaths... in the nose... out the mouth... repeat. Ugh! This is the worst nausea Ive felt since surgery. After getting the kids down for a nap, I lay down myself for a good 20 minutes. Then... Uh oh.... is that.... or is it....? Uh Oh! I quickly decide that a trip to the little girlies room is needed... now! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is "dumping".
Note to self: don't do that again.

Later that evening we decide to have tacos for dinner. Not Taco Bell tacos... home made tacos. Easy and healthy. Ground Turkey browned (it comes in like 2.25lb packages from Wal-Mart and you'll be surprised how much less fat/grease drains off of Turkey than beef), drain, add 2 packets of dry taco seasoning w/ 1.5 cups of water to ground Turkey and let simmer and you're good to go. Just add your toppings as you choose. We have lite sour cream, shreaded cheese, kidney beans (which are high in protein!), lime juice (just try it... it's amazing on Mexican and lots of other things too!), and then hot sauce n jalapenos for my hubby. He prefers to put them all on Tostitos but I'm a soft taco shell kinda girl. So I make myself one soft taco (normally I would have started with 3) and sit down to eat. I started with 2, maybe 3 bites in the wrap before deciding to just eat the inside and leave the wrap (even though it is a whole wheat tortilla shell). I have a few more small bites and I'm full... leaving behind half a shell and a bit of meat. Yum... I had missed tacos! And guess what... no nausea!

That brings us to today... Friday. My last babysitting day before my aunt gets home from Florida (lucky duck!) The kids are about ready for lunch (which usually starts around 11am). I get everyone's lunches out and give them their designated sandwiches and heat up their Easy Mac (ugh... no thanks) and it's my turn for lunch. I have a left over piece of burger from a few days ago that's about the size if a silver dollar. I have some sloppy Joes too but that gets set to the side. Mind you... I successfully ate part of a burger a few days ago... no problem... hence leftovers. Today I start eating it while standing up next to the kids at the table who are also eating. The size of my burger takes only a few small bites. I had a tiny piece of sloppy joe but then decide I not to bother. After a minute or two I start to have some discomfort in my back (which can be a sign that you're full) so I'm thinking... ok... I'm good. But then it gets worse until I am very uncomfortable. It's not a sharp pain but enough pressure that I have to go sit down. I try to drink some water (which normally you aren't supposed to do as that causes the food to move through your system quicker and lose your "I'm full" feeling faster) but in this case... I had to. I kept drinking but nothing, no relief.

The kids are finishing up their lunches and being surprisingly good so I excuse myself for a minute to the restroom and that's when it happened. I butterflied. (For those who don't know: "butterflied" is a term a friend of mine and I coined in college for throwing up/vomiting. We decided that when you don't feel good and you know you're going to get sick... that you don't want to hear those words cuz they'll make you do it... so we decided we needed a better... prettier word for it... hence "butterflied". I know... we're weird.) I was doing so good thus far so I was very disappointed that this happened. My best guess is that I didn't chew one if the bites I took thoroughly enough and it got lodged in my stoma (aka where the esophagus and stomach meet because it's smaller now.) After butterflying though I immediately felt better. That's the only good news about the whole thing. And the fact that I definitely learned my lesson.

The rest of the day is to be filled with babysitting and a possible trip to the Transfer Harvest Home Festival or just relaxing around the house. Who knows.
Here's hoping the rest of the days meals are more uneventful!

Post-Op Day 13: Post-Op Checkup (Crab Stuffed Talapia Recipe)

Today is my first follow up appointment with my surgeon Dr. Wilcox since surgery. I'm very excited about this as I'm hoping to confirm my actual total weight loss as well as get bumped to Phase 2 eating and get a few minor questions answered. I'm not excited to be dropping about $100 on my vitamins and supplements but considering how little I'm eating compared to before I'm still on the + side when it comes to finances so I'll suck it up.

The day begins with a little morning jaunt over to my Aunts house to see what kids show up. My other aunt has graciously agreed to watch them in my absence so I didn't have to reschedule this appointment. Two munchkins show up and shortly there after so does my hubby with our son and my back up babysitter and off we go. Chad had an appointment first so we take care of that and one other stop before heading to Pittsburgh. For once we're running ahead of schedule so we decide to stop at Pilot where 79 & 422 meet to get some lunch. Options at a truck stop are limited for patients such as myself, but luckily they have a Subway and not just a McDonalds and Subway has tuna salad. Though McD's sounded pretty good... then again so does everything else when you're not aloud to have it, we headed over to Subway and I made my odd request of just a scoop of tuna... nothing else. No bread, no toppings... just tuna. The guy looked at me kinda funny but was very accommodating. So past the delicious looking cookies I go to the register and Chad follows behind with his sandwich. A few drink purchases later, we head out to the car to eat. I ate cautiously, not having my 1/4 measuring cup to know exactly how much to eat, but slow, deliberate bites (i ate about 1 scoop even though he gave me 2...) Again... no problems with the tuna and it was surprisingly good. 

Now on 79 s/b towards Pittsburgh we make our way to the doctors appointment. We get there a bit early but head in anyway. I talk to the ridiculously sweet secretary to sign in and take a seat. I get called up to fill out some paperwork and upon returning it she asks me if I know they have a 'kit' of vitamins/supplements, which I did not. A 90 day supply of Everything that I need for $127. Considering I was planning on getting a 30 day supply of some at around $100 or so, I was pretty happy with this 'deal'. Sign me up - so we get everything purchased before I even get into see the doctor. 

Now for those of you who don't know this... during full Gastric Bypass they not only make your actual stomach smaller but they kind of 're-route' things including part of your intestines that absorb a lot of the bad calories and good things like vitamins, minerals, etc. This means that after surgery you have to take vitamins, mineral supplements, calcium, B12, etc... for Life. Yes... Life. I know a lot of bypass patients stop taking them after awhile but I'm going to follow this to a T. I don't want any complications. After this surgery, you're limited as to what pills you can take. Basically nothing bigger than a tic-tac, so everything you take has to be either liquid or chew-able.  (For example, my pain medication after surgery was liquid Percocet w/Tylenol - good stuff haha.) The supplements offered at the office are "Bariatric Advantage" and are specially formatted for better absorption and are either chew-able or they dissolve under the tongue. I wanted to get a good start so I bought everything from the office. Next time around I can go look at GNC or other places to see if I can find the equivalent for a lower price. 

This office is normally pretty on time or even early, but today is running about 45 mins behind. No big deal. The Dr himself and the staff are some of the sweetest and most competent I've met (and that's saying something considering how many doctors I've seen in my lifetime already.) I get called back and onto the scale I go for my official weigh in. 170.7! Down some more. Starting weight was 285.5 so that brings my Total Weight Loss in 13 days to 14.8lbs! I am very, very happy with this! 

Into the room we go to wait for the doctor. In he comes asking how I'm feeling and I can't reply anything but "Great!". I truly am surprised at how easy this process has been since surgery (physically at least - but we'll get to that). With the exception of the 2-3 days after surgery that I was in some pain from the surgery itself, I've had no other complications. I continue to answer his questions... "Keeping everything down? No trouble swallowing?" Yes and No! I did mention to him that the night before I had a bit of nausea, but that I believed I just drank my protein shake a little too fast. He agreed that's probably what it was and gave me an example: "Your stomach is like a funnel. You can pour liquids in it constantly at a slower pace and you'll be fine but if you pour too much in at one time... what happens?" "... it overflows" I respond. I like examples like that. It helps me to understand why I'm doing what I'm doing and makes it easy for me to explain to others as well. So after verifying that their office can fill out paperwork to confirm I had the surgery (for work) and if I have to watch my carb intake (too much can result in 'dumping' - so I just have to be cautions), I confirmed I can officially move onto Phase 2 (for 1 week) and then Phase 3 (for 2 weeks), and then go to regular foods, obviously being smart and sticking to healthy foods and small portions. Dr. said that the hardest part is not falling back into old habits but I am not going to let that happen. He tells me he'll see me again in a month and we're all set. 

I head back out to the main office and ask Sherri (that wonderful secretary I mentioned before) if I send her paperwork if she can get it filled out to vouch that I had the surgery, it was paid for by insurance and all that other random info that work will need to pay me while I was out. I tell her there's no hurry and she responds with "I was going to do it while you're standing there." .... Wait... what? A doctors office is going to do something right away... like... now-ish? That's awesome! And sure enough... she asked me what needed to be in the letter and typed it all up for me as I waited. How awesome is that? I take my letter and tell her again how impressed I am with the staff at Hope Bariatrics. She thanks me, I do the same for her and we're on our way. 

I feel a great sense of relief as I leave the doctors office. The scale at home wasn't wrong. I Am Losing Weight! For the first time in years, I am losing weight! I'm excited to get on a scale and the numbers are going Down instead of up! These first two weeks have been relatively easy... physically. Mentally it has been a battle with myself... a very difficult one at times, and I'm sure there's a lot more of that to come. I would have never been able to be this disciplined on my own, without this surgery. This is all still new to me and I'm being very cautious. I'm sure as it gets to be 'normal' that it'll be easier for me to slip but I am going to try like hell to stay on the right path. I'm not going to be perfect and I'm going to screw up here and there but I am more hopeful that I've been about my weight and health in years. As cliche' as it is: I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and I know it's not a train this time. This isn't a temporary fix. 

It's a new life for me... and I'm feelin' good!

*Bonus points for those who know where ^ came from ;)


Crab Suffed Talapia: Now that it's "legal" for me to eat Phase 2 foods I thought I'd share my dinner: May not look like much but it was Amazing! Crab Stuffed Talapia! We had 7 pieces of talapia, recipe calls for 4 so we double everything: 2 Cups of Crab meat that we threw in the food processor so it'd be easier to use as a filling. 2/3 cup of light mayo, 2/3 cup of bread crumbs, Lemon pepper & paprika to taste and 2 eggs. Mix it all together. We seasoned our fish with the lemon pepper and paprika before we spooned the filling over it, then roll the fish up starting with the pointy part of the fish. (My Talapia filets were big so we cut them in half... probably should have halved them thickness wise instead cuz they were pretty thick but it cooked fine anyway). After rolling, stick closed with toothpick and place in baking dish. (Easier said than done with certain thicker pieces. I had to use 2 toothpicks in some.) Recipe calls for 6 tbsp of melted butter drizzled over top; we also sprayed lemon juice over the top as well as a bit more lemon pepper and paprika. Bake in oven for 20-25 mins at 350-375? (Chad set the oven so I don't remember - oops!) But either way - it was delicious. Only "bad" things are a small amount of mayo, bread crumbs and butter. Fish is high in protein and the 3 'bad' things were very minimal. We also made some mashed potatoes that we added some of the extra crab mixture to. Very yummy...! I had about a tablespoon or 2 of potatoes and half of the fish/crab wrap and was good to go. Healthy and delicious! (Mind you mine is all cut up in small pieces and I mixed the mashed potatoes in with the crab/fish... I should have taken a pic of them in the pan but either way... Move over Red Lobster!)

Post-Op Day 10 & 11 & 12: New Foods & Weigh In (Breaded Chicken & Chicken Fajita Recipe)

So far things have been going very well. Still minimal with the nausea and soreness from the incision sites. I couldn't be happier. Well... maybe if I could eat something that actually resembled food I would be, but overall I seem to be sailing through this process (knock on wood.) 

Now if I'm being 100% honest here, I have 'cheated' a little bit. And by cheated I mean didn't stick to straight liquids. Look... I'm still a fat kid at heart here so 2 weeks with nothing of real substance is reallllly difficult to maintain. But I didn't cheat by going out and getting an Egg McMuffin or anything... I just picked things from the next Phase up in my eating plan. So there was a day here or there in the past week (week 2 after surgery) that I nibbled on some Greek yogurt. I'm not usually a fan of yogurt but when you've had nothing but flavored waters, broth and jello for over a week you learn to adapt. Then there was that steak & crab day... where I swiped 2-3 tiny pieces of crab that Chad made. Crab sounds like a huge leap but it actually isn't. Phase 2 consists of soft, flaky fish and crab mean is realllly soft so I wasn't too bad. I also did try a scrambled egg one day which is also permitted in Phase 2. I'm not sure why, but this did make me a little nauseated. I think I ate just a little too much of it... or maybe a bit too fast... but either way my tummy wasn't too happy with me for a few hours. Nothing drastic... just enough nausea to realize I may wana wait to try eggs again for a bit. 

Now Dr. Wilcox (my surgeon) said to come see him in a week but due to his schedule it took just a day shy of 2 weeks to get into see him. My husband is an awesome cook. Those 2 things being said... I had my first "real" meal in almost 2 weeks on Saturday (I think it was Saturday...?) Chad made this delicious chicken dish that we love in our house. Boneless, skinless chicken, coat lightly in mayo (yes, mayo. We always use light mayo in our house too btw which is recommended rather than full flavor), and then cover in bread crumbs. Bake for 20-30 mins depending on how big your pieces are at around 400 and Yummmmy! It always comes out really moist so the chicken is very soft and tender. So while feeding this delicious meal to my soon-to-be 2 year old and watching my husband and mother eat it... I said "Screw it! Give me the food processor!" Pureed foods (anything from chicken, beef, fish, veggies, fruits are all aloud on Phase 2. They actually recommend baby food but there was no way I was eating baby food chicken... blah.) So as my hubby laughed at me, he grabbed me the food processor and in went the chicken and a little bit of chicken broth. I processed it down to just shy of baby food consistency and scooped it into a bowl. After a quick 20 second reheat, I made sure I was being careful of how much I was going to eat and scooped some of my chicken mush into a 1/4 measuring cup. Yes... a quarter cup. That's about how big my stomach is nowadays. So finally... I take a bite.... It... Is... Glorious! It tastes exactly the same as had I not processed it. There's actual FLAVOR in this! I was in heaven. So as I literally ate from a 1/4 measuring cup... one slow, deliberate bite at a time, I enjoyed my chicken mush. After almost 2 weeks of liquids... this was great. Best part about it, besides the actual flavor... no nausea! I was a happy camper to say the least!

The next day (Sunday?) came around and my chef hubby made another chicken dish we recently found. Chicken "fajitas"... aka boneless, skinless chicken cut up into small pieces, taco seasoning (mix the seasoning with the water as directed and mix in chicken in large bowl to coat the chicken.) Add in some cut sweet peppers all in a baking dish, oven at 400 for 15-20 mins and Voi-la! More yumminess! Normally we'd put this on a soft taco shell and Chad adds his countless toppings to make it hotter than Haiti, but needless to say I stuck with the basics and into the food processor it went. I added a small scoop of low-fat sour cream, a little bit of lime sauce and Holy Cow we should open a restaurant! (No really... we should. Accepting donations now - lol) Again with the deliciousness and No Nausea!

Also an added note... one of these days we had gone to WallyWorld (Wal-Mart) and I bought a scale. I was actually excited about buying a scale. Scary, huh? Naturally I was trying to be cheap and just got one of the old school ones. When I got it home and out of the box it wasn't "zeroed out". Nothing on it at all and it still says 4 lbs. Seriously...!?!? So i thought, "oh well, I'll just take off 4 lbs"... I stepped on it and if I leaned forward it'd move, backward - it'd move... Ughh. I get off to try to get it to go back to 0. Now its 7lbs with nothing/no one on it and no way to turn the dial to correct it. Grrrr. Back to Wal-Mart it goes. We finally get it exchanged for a digital one and on it I go. Now I couldn't remember exactly what my weight was at the doctors office a few days before my appointment, but I remember I was exactly (no laughing here...) 283.0 the morning of the surgery. Yes... that number is in pounds... not kilograms or space weight. (Hence me doing this surgery). So... new scale... digital... should be pretty accurate. Out of the box.... out of the plastic... set it on the floor... Oook... here goes nothing.......... 272.6.... Hey! That's 11.6lbs already! Hell yeah! *Happy Dance* 

So after my exciting weekend of foods with actual flavor and confirmed weight loss, I started babysitting for my Aunt who is out of town visiting her new grandson. She babysits for a living, and a little extra cash never hurt anyone so *poof* babysitting it is for this week and next. Monday made for some yummy left over chicken mush (the first kind) and it was still very good. 

Nothing else too exciting until tomorrow... my first Post-Op doctors appointment! We'll see how it goes!

Post-Op: Day 7

It's hard to believe that it's been a week since surgery already but it has. I'm feeling pretty good overall. Still tired and a little weak but my stomach is feeling pretty good and it's getting much easier to toss and turn at night in bed. There's still a lot of soreness but I really only use the pain meds before bed now so I'm happy about that. Today was pretty uneventful overall so there's not much to write about.
My plan is to start taking pictures of myself every once in awhile so I can see and share my progress. I'll try to do that soon!

Now that we've gotten through the first week post-op... I'm not going to bore everyone with my daily chores and activities. My game plan is to post the milestones from here on out... I.e. my next doctors appointments, any diet changes or epiphanies I may have along the process (don't hold your breath on the last one). Or maybe if I just feel like sharing something cool... we shall see. :)

Post-Op: Days 5 & 6

Post-Op Day 5 was pretty uneventful. I had to run to Boardman to pick up this adorable turtle sandbox I bought for Aiden for his birthday... Chad got to drive. After that, we headed to Wal-Mart for a bit of shopping. I hadn't taken any pain meds and I was feeling more sore today than the day before it seemed for some weird reason. I think it was because I turned funny last night in bed and pulled my tummy a little more than I should have... at least that's what I'm blaming it on. So as we're getting closer to Wal-Mart I tell Chad... "I'm getting one of those 'go-go-gadget' carts when we get in there... I'm too sore to walk that much and were never quick getting in and out of there." "....you're kidding, right?" He asks. Oh I'm definitely doing this now just to mess with him! So I did. I cruised like a pro around Wally World in my motorized cart along side my hubby... even though he tried to act like he wasn't with me at points... haha!

Chad and I came home afterwords and just were lazy all day. I was feeling pretty blah... kinda weak but more fluids... more sips... same stuff the rest of the day. Nothing exciting.

Post-Op: Day 6

Also mostly uneventful. Chad went with me again to Boardman for a morning meeting I had and then we met a lady who I was buying an extra car seat off of and back home it was.

Today was my first challenging day. I've been feeling hungry again... not as hungry as I had before, but still enough that I'd have to address it with jello or broth or a protein shake which I was aloud to start a day or 2 ago. But today... sucked in the afternoon. My husband started making a steak and crab for dinner. No, no, that's not mean... he has to eat and we have it so why not? The problem this time was that I was hungry... for real hungry... and the smell was soooo gooood. That was the first real time where I was frustrated that I couldn't eat like I wanted to. I was feeling pretty good so I felt the most like me that I had in days so I felt that I could have eaten that and been fine. Now I know that steak would have killed me later... but the crab was so soft and yummy..... I caved... but just a little. 2-3 tiny pieces of crab meat chewed extremely thoroughly... but that's it. Then about 3/4ths of my protein shake (which runs about 10 ounces our so) and I was full.... Full? That's all it took? Cool!

I finally had that realization that I have to pay attention to my body more than I ever have before. That even though I technically did something I wasn't supposed to yet... I didn't eat half the plate like I wanted to. It was a huge mental challenge that I didn't pass but I learned a lot from... and that's still something.

Post-Op: Day 4

Sunday's are always good days to relax and overall, that's what I intend to do. Chad little brothers graduation party was scheduled for noon but some nausea caused me to be even more show moving than usual. Once it passed we got ready and cruised into New Castle for a while. It was a lot like the day before with people asking how I was, me sitting a lot,  watching Aiden run around and lots of yummy food that, out of habit, I wanted to eat. My mother-in-law makes some delicious pasta salad and deviled eggs... both of which I thought... "I could get away with a bite of that"... but sadly for my taste buds... I passed. Into my lunch bag I went for an Italian Ice (see I can eat some yummy things still). I ate about 3/4 off it before calling it quits and going back to my water.

Now this may be "TMI" for some so consider yourself warned: my tummy was a bit rumbly today. Not nauseated per say... but you know that feeling when you're like... "uh oh... is it gas or something else?" With the story of Al Roker in the White House lingering every so prominently in my mind, (Google it if you don't know what I mean), I decided to head to the little girls room. Now let me also mention that during the surgery, that was done laparoscopicly, they use gases/air to inflate in and around your stomach so they have easier access to what they need to get to. This later causes... well... gas. That air has to get out somehow... burping or "expelling excess gas" as my mother would say is common and encouraged after these kinds of procedures. Any air that gets stuck inside can actually be painful as it usually lodges behind your shoulder blade causing a lot of discomfort until you "walk it out". Chad experienced this more so than me after his gallbladder removal. I had some slight discomfort behind my right shoulder for awhile at the reunion Saturday, but the rest of that gas was certainly making its way out Sunday. This was also the first time since the afternoon/evening before surgery that I've used the restroom for anything more than piddling and putting on makeup. We'll put it lightly... there were several trips to the restroom for about an hour or so and it wasn't very lady like... lol.  Then everything was back to normal.

See, that wasn't too bad now was it? ;-)

My husband let me take the car down the street to get gas and that was the first time I drove since Wednesday so that was nice... but I was getting pretty sore. I had decided that I wanted to slow down on the pain meds since they make me so sleepy and blah. I had gone from about 7am since my last dose of pain meds and it was now about 5:30p when we were back on the road home. I caved around 7pm and took some more pain meds and lounged around with the family the rest of the night.

Post-Op: Day 3

Post-Op day 3 brings us to Saturday. My side of the family had a reunion not too far away from our house and I desperately wanted some outdoors time so I wanted to give it a try. I was able to get a shower which was just glorious but also caused me to get pretty warm despite my attempts to keep the air flow going through the bathroom. Once I got out I was over-heated and very nauseous so I had to lay down pretty quick. An ice pack on the neck, some a.c. and about 15 minutes or so took care of the nausea. I was still pretty slow moving and kind of weak feeling at this point. I had been taking my prescription pain killers pretty regularly through the first few days so the pain was still relatively minimal which was a plus.

Also something to note is even though we're 3 days post-op, I still am not feeling hungry at this point... or at least what I knew as my hungry. I'd have these inklings here and there that it was coming, but I focused on drinking my fluids and that seemed to help it pass. It's weird having to get reacquainted with your own body again. I'm not sure what my new hungry or new full is so I've been very hesitant in drinking anything... not wanting to drink too fast or get nauseated.

So I finally get my slow butt ready and we're on our way out. My hubby helped me back my "lunch" so I'd have lots of options and wouldn't be so tempted by all the yummy food at the reunion. We brought a cooler stocked with flavored waters, diet tea, regular water, jello, some Crystal lite packets and juice. I wanted to start with some juice since after "Phase 1" aka liquids only, I won't be able to have juice due to the calorie content. I watered down my juice and started sipping on the way over. I had also taken a dose of pain meds before leaving the house as well. By the time we got to or reunion, I was feeling pretty good ;). I walked in and was greeted by family... some of which knew I had the surgery and some who didn't. It was warm outside and my meds were kicking in so I took a seat pretty quickly. Several family members came over to check on me and asked how I was feeling and it was nice to see that positive response. Other people who didn't know and had learned that day that theI had surgery asked questions, gave hugs and wished me well. It was great.

Now all this time there's a giant table of food lined up against the wall with tons of yummy stuff. Burgers, hot dogs, subs, salads, pop, and more and everyone was eating it all around me! How dare them? (I'm just kidding of course. Everyone isn't going to change their ways because I chose to.) I kinda wanted something... but then I realized I really didn't. I wasn't hungry... actually... I was nauseated. Did I drink the juice too fast? Was it all the "action" or the heat and meds? I'm not sure so I switched to ice water just in case and sat there and relaxed. After a bit of zoning cuz of the meds kicking in... Chad and I decided to take a walk. Slow but sure we walked around and watched Aiden and the other kids run around and have fun. Shortly after we decided to head home. I was tired. That was a lot of work sitting and walking! So we cruised back home.

Nothing really note worthy for the rest of the day. Just relaxing and sipping and sleeping. All good stuff on the road to recovery.

Post-Op: Day 2

Another night of almost no sleep. Ugh. I am tired. I'm expecting to have Lab Tech #5 come in any time but surprisingly, I didn't need labs this morning... or I did and they said "screw that". Either way... no sticks.. yay! I nap between the vitals and the nurse coming into check on me. Cautiously optimistic, I wait for the doctor to come in. This is day 3 in the hospital. I want my own bed, my hubby and my son. He strolls in around 7:30am if I remember right...
Dr: "How ya feeling? Keeping your fluids down?"
Me: Feeling pretty decent considering, ready for this drainage tube to be out though... yes sir, drinking good."
Dr: "Want to go home?"
Me: "Yes Please!"
Dr. "Ok... we'll get the paperwork and she'll be in to get this stuff out of ya. (He gestures to the iv that had been disconnected but was still in my hand). Come see me in about a week."
Me: "You got it! Thank you!"

Yay I get to go home! Woop-Woop! I txt my hunny who I know is still asleep but that way he knows to get his butt moving when he gets up. Discharge time is 11am as so the signs tell me in my room so I know it'll be a bit, but still not that long. Happy Face!

I needed to kill some time, so Facebook it was:
August 2, 2013
"I feel great! I never would have thought I'd be saying that but I do. No nausea, minor discomfort, and the tried and truth test of getting up to go to the little girlies room this morning was the easiest it's been in 2 days even though I still have my drainage tube in. (They did give me drugs right before that though lol) the DT comes out when the nurse finished her rounds, which I'm kinda nervous about, but then I'm officially free of all extra tubes/lines/etc. My amazing husband Chad is already on his way down here for the 3rd day in a row but this time it's to pick me up so I should be home by early afternoon!

Thank you to everyone for your continued thoughts, prayers, comments and texts along the way. If it's not too much to ask, keep 'em coming for when I get home the real challenges begin but I'm ready for them!

Also special thanks to Natalie or coming to visit me as well as Matt who brought me these beautiful flowers upon his visit. They smell so good!"

Speaking of those flowers again: 

 


I wait for the nurse to make it around and she gives me the usual look over but then confirms I'm going home. She gives me my shot of Lovonox (blood thinner to reduce risk of clots, got this Wed and Thursday too) in my tummy and my heartburn meds in my iv (just in case) and then pulls the IV's. My "food" comes so I sip sip some more and wait for her to finish her rounds and come pull my drainage tube. I was totally freaked out about this happening. I don't know why, considering my past history with the central line/wound vac after I had Aiden, but it did. She comes back in and snips the little stitch holding it in place and goes "ok - here we go" and 3 seconds and a funny inside tickle later... it's out. Not a pinch of pain. Well, I freaked myself out for nothing on that one. She gives me my discharge paperwork and Chad walks in not too long after that. He helps me get all my things together and out we go... on our way home right on time... about 10:45am. 

After a mildly nauseating ride home, I plop my behind on the couch to relax. We all (Mommy, Daddy & Grandma) explain to Aiden that Mommy has 'Booboo's" and he has to help out and go easy with Mommy. For the most part... he's been great... but he is still almost 2 so he has his moments as expected but he's a smart little guy and has been as gentle as anyone his age can be. 

I remember being very tired. That wheelchair and car ride were the most action I'd had in 3 days. My hubby went and got my pain meds for me and after a dose, I was off to sleepy land. I desperately wanted a shower but I just felt too weak and too sore still to do it so I put it off till the next day. My biggest issue today was getting in and out of bed. We have a foam mattress so there's really no resistance to push against if you want to turn over so it's all about those tummy muscles again. I slept some and got up, sipped some broth and jello my Mommy made me (Aww... isn't she sweet!?) and was lazy the rest of the day until bed time when I kissed my son goodnight and fell asleep beside my husband again... there really is no place like home. <3

Post-Op: Day 1

My hubby posted a crazy sweet status update on Facebook the night of surgery that forgot to share, so I figured I'd start with something cute:

  July 31, 2013 posted by Chad Carey
 "Day 1 of our new journey is almost in the books! Janelle did great today through her surgery! She showed once again how strong of a woman she is and why she has been my rock since we met! We have been through so much together in such a short time but we come out on the other side of everything we have gone through stronger than before! So glad you had the strength to make this decision for yourself and our family, baby! It's time for both of us to get healthy and start feeling better! I love you!"

So overnight was a bit rough. I'm not a 'back' sleeper as a rule so trying to sleep in a new place/bed, with a newly re-routed tummy, a drainage tube hanging out of the right side of my stomach (did I mention that yet...? Nothing too icky... it just kinda hangs there being annoying) and without my hubby next to me.... not the most restful nights sleep I've ever gotten. But then again, hospitals are not really meant for rest. Someone comes in to check your vitals every 4 hours and then after shift change the nurse trots in to check on you usually when you're about to fall asleep again. That being said... I did get some sleep here and there. 

5:30am rolls around and I've already had my vitals checked (around.... 4am?) and I see the wonderful staff member with that wonderful tray on her arm come into my wonderful room to draw my wonderful blood. Wonderful. (Are we picking up on the sarcasm here...?) Hope everyone likes math cuz here's some numbers for you. 

Lab Tech #1 (yes, they have to be numbered) comes in and I go through the normal routine. "I understand you have to do this but I'm a horrible draw... you wont get anything out of my left arm cuz they haven't in 2 years (with the exception of the 2nd IV they put in during surgery which I'm sure they wouldn't have gotten had I actually been conscious.) They normally get something here (outside upper right arm), here (top of right hand between first and 2nd- sometimes 2nd and 3rd knuckle) or here (right wrist but the first IV they got is already occupying that spot.) Feel free to look around. Once you stick me, if you have to move it around too much, pull it and re-stick.... Oh and tell me if you get it." (Can you tell I've been through this a time or 12.) So Tech #1 tries once.... and Nothing. She's nice so I can deal. 2nd attempt... Nope. She politely say she's not going to keep trying (gee, thanks) and she's gona get someone else up here to draw me. Cool... bring on #2.

Lab Tech #2 rolls in and there's that second... Oh yeah... I remember you. She drew my blood for my post op labs. "They didn't put a central line in you?" she asks. I tell her no... obviously and she gets her 2 attempts in with no real success. (We're up to 4 sticks now in case you're counting.) Now forgive me because amongst my many sticks, I can't remember if Tech 1 or Tech 2 got about 3 drops into the tube... not even enough to crest the rounded bottom of the tube but still.... drops.

So Lab Tech #2 exits my room with her tail between her legs and sends up Techie #3. This young blond spunky chick rolls in with her semi-conceited "I got this" kind of attitude. She lines it up and 'confidently' states "Oh, you've got one here... on and one up here too." Great... this chick seriously thinks she has options...? *Smacks Forehead* So after she gloves up and starts feeling around 'here' number one, and can't find it (surprise, surprise) she goes down to her '2nd option'... in my hand... not on top... not the wrist... in my hand... on my palm, below my thumb. Are you KIDDING me? Fine. What the hell. That's a new one. She goes in with the butterfly..... um OUCH....nothing.... drip.....nothing....nothing....driiip.... blown. Ooooh more drips! Yay :| So she goes back for option number 2 and nada. "We'll send someone up to do a finger stick cuz I don't know what else they're gona do." Wellllll thank you doll. Have a wonderful morning. Yah... if you're STILL counting... that's 6.

A little time goes by and I think... sweet... they gave up when along comes Tech #4. Mrs-Old-Bossy Needs-A-New-Profession-Stick-Up-Her-Butt Tech. By this time, I'm pissed. She comes over and starts poking (with just a finger) around... flick, flick... slap... poke. Grrr! I say "I thought you were going to just do a finger stick? I've already been stuck 6 times." She hastily grabs my fingers and tells me my fingers are too cold to get anything out of them anyway. Fine. 1 last time. I'm being way too complacent looking back. She goes into yet another tender spot and starts acting like shes lining up her pool cue (aka needle) in my arm... after a few seconds... "Pull it"... I've already given her the lecture that the other 3 got... "You need to pull it out" and finally she does. Out with you... I'm done. No one follows her... good thing or I probably would have brought them to tears. 

After that ridiculous morning, I got a little more sleep here and there where I could in between the doctors and nurses coming in. My hubby made it down to visit me and I got to "eat" aka sip on some more liquids. Chicken broth, jello, hot tea, apple juice (halfed with water - everythings really sweet now), and even some fruit punch crystal lite (again, watered down). Sip, Sip, here... Sip, Sip, there. I did have some nausea here and there but surprisingly not as much as I thought I was going to. There were some points where I needed to stop... breathe... cold cloth on the head, kinda nausea... but it was in brief bouts. Chad and I chatted and watched some tv... I made some calls to let family members know I was doing ok... normal hospital monotony. The worse part by far was getting up to pee. That's a LOT of liquids for someone who already has a crappy bladder to begin with (thanks Aiden :-P ) At this point the IV they had running was in my left hand. (Apparently the one the originally put in in my right hand was just for shits n giggles cuz they never used it.) The restroom in my room... closer to the left side, so naturally they wanted to get me out on the left side of the bed. Makes sense, right? Ehh... kinda. 

Let me note at this point that I have 6 incisions total. 2 on my left side, one right in the middle - none of which I even notice. No pain. Just minimal incisions, tiny, that have been glued closed. Now moving onto the right side, we have another 3 incisions. 1 from the drainage tube which is still in place and 2 others, 1 of which is twice the size of the others and is the cause of most of my pain along with that damn drainage tube. That drainage tube is fine and dandy when I'm just laying there but moving around... sucks! So back to this pee trip.... What I discovered in my several trips to and from the little girlies room is that getting out of bed on the left side seemed to make sense but my left leg just dropped right over the bed and onto the floor. No problems there, but that meant that I had to lift my right leg up to slide it over. If you're laying there in bed reading this... try it. Lift up your right leg a few inches off the bed enough to move it far enough to drape over the left side of your bed. Feel it? Yeah... that's called your stomach muscles engaging... in my case... the muscles they just cut through on the side with the drainage tube. Not Fun! It hurt... a lot. There were points this day where I was almost in tears just trying to get up/out/to/from/back in bed. There was a point where I thought, why did I do this? But then I got back in bed, relaxed, the pain went down and remembered that this part is just temporary. I was told by the one Dr that this would be the hardest day and it definitely was. After they disconnected my IV, and realizing it was much easier to get out of the right side of bed... I did so and it was Much easier. Whew.

Amid the day, I was able to get up in my chair and sit to wash off, brush my teeth, "eat", etc. I had sat up the night before for a short time but this time was a bit longer. The day went by relatively uneventfully until Natalie came to visit. It was great catching up with her and b.s.íng for awhile. After she and Chad took off for the evening, I watched part of the Bucco game... trying to make it to 10-10:30pm before caving and going to sleep. Barely after that, I called for my meds (yay pain killers), called to say goodnight to my love and my baby boy. "Bubbies" was still awake. Normally, I rock him to bed every night and sing to him before I put him in bed. I hadn't gotten to do this for two nights in a row now. "Mommy... sing" he says... so I do. "'gain"... and I sing again. I get busted by the nurse when she brings in my meds but I don't mind. I love that my little boy misses me and not being there is really the hardest part of this whole process. After saying "Goodnight", I snapped this little picture with my hospital buddy before calling it a night:

From Facebook Aug 1 2013 (with picture)
This little guy went through surgery with my hubby Chad when he had his hip replaced... then Aiden claimed him for awhile and now it's Mommy's turn to claim him for a few days. 

Weight No More: This is it! Surgery Day!

So you wait, and wait.... and wait and wait... then wait some more and then it's here... finally. 

I was scheduled to be at Sewickley Hospital at 8am. I get a call about 6:15am... "Janelle? We had a cancellation this morning... can you come in early?" Sure! Let's Do This! I was truly excited... and relieved almost. Normally, you get to the hospital and hurry up and wait (are we noticing a theme here?) but I knew since there was a cancellation, this would go a lot faster. No waiting around, taking their time getting me in there, starting the iv, waiting for anesthesia, waiting, waiting, waiting. All giving me time to get nervous. Nope - we were ready to rock.

I had about an hour drive so by the time I got up and out the door, down to the hospital, parked and got to where I needed to go, it was already about 7:45am. Not that early. But we were in business. I was checked in almost immediately, shown to the waiting room where Mom and Chad got to hang out but my butt never hit a chair... they took me right in and started the process. Blood pressure, temp, oxygen level thingie on the finger... here's your gown, go pee in a cup, we'll be in to start your IV. 
This is cool... express lane please! Then it slowed down a bit... I'm a shitty blood draw/iv stick. UGH. I was more upset/nervous/pissed about the labs/iv than the damn surgery itself. 4 Sticks later they have their labs and iv in... wonderful... finally. I had tried to talk them into putting in a central line for their lab draws/medicine pushes while I was going to be in surgery, especially since I'd be in the hospital the next few days but that didn't really fly because no one actually believes the patient needs that until after she's already become the human pin cushion... more on that later.

SO... gown on, iv in, consents signed... check, check, check. Let's go! .......oh wait... the family! "Get the family now... they're waiting for her" So Mom comes in all emotional for the typical pre-surgery lovin's. She's almost in tears and I proceed to tell her "If you're going to cry, get your butt outta here! I'm gona be fine!" Everyone laughs and I get my hug and kiss and my moment with her where she tells me she loves and and is just worried. I reassure her again and she swaps places with my hubby. Kisses, Love you... you're going to do awesome... Love you... Love you..." Annnnnd now we're good! Off I go!

They wheel me into the ridiculously cold operating room with some really great people. Anesthesia and nurses and all. Everyone was wonderful (except that one pain in the ass pre-op nurse who wouldn't listen to me when I told her she wasn't getting an IV where she was trying... but that's besides the point). The one nurse (with anesthesia, maybe?) who wheeled me over asked about my hubby since we were all lovie-dovie before they swept me away. So I tell them the readers-diagest version of how we met and that we have Aiden... you know... the random small chit-chat they get you to have as they're giving you some rockin' drugs and trying to make you forget the fact they are about to cut you open and re-route your insides. They then advise me this 'thing' is going to inflate around me so I don't have to physically get up and move myself from one bed to the OR table. Let me tell you.... this thing was COOL. It Literally inflates completely around you and they slide you easily onto the OR table! Yes, you read that right... they Easily Slide someone from table to table who is big enough to qualify for Gastric Bypass. Told you it was cool!

Then the really good drugs hit.... I think I asked them if they just gave me the "good stuff" cuz anytime I get those meds to officially knock you out... the tiles on the ceiling start to move backwards and sure enough.... back they go...! I think next that I told them not to have any "Oops's" while I was in here... and then Nightie Ni...... off to sleepy land I went!


After surgery, there's not much to write about. Grogginess takes over from the anesthesia. I woke up... kinda... in recovery and they wheeled me back to my room. I remember the nurses checking on me periodically and my Mom and Chad being there with me but I was mostly down for the count. I remember hating that I couldnt fully wake up... the pain wasn't that bad, but I thank the nurses with drugs for that. After a few hours, I did wake up enough to talk some and then the wonderful MattMatt came to visit and brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers with him. After visiting for a short while, my eyelids won and I was back asleep.  Pretty much in and out of it all evening, as to be expected. 

I remember at one point having the thought... "Wow... I did it" and smiling as I drifted back off to sleep.

Weight No More: The Process & "Coming Out"

When I first made this decision I was nervous about telling people. I didn't want to tell a lot of people. There can be such a stigma around people who choose this option. I didn't want to know if people close to me wouldn't support me. So it was just between me and the person I trusted the most... my husband. Now, don't get me wrong. He didn't just roll over and say "Yeah, sure"... he had questions. He made the decision with me as we got all the information we needed to make sure this was in fact, right for me. Through this whole process he has been my rock... just like in everything else. He loved me when I was heavy... he's going to love me if I stay heavy... lose 100lbs or bounce between. His strength gives me strength. 

So as I started to learn more about the whole process, I started slowly, to tell other people. My mom, my Aunt, a friend here or there, but that was it. I was nervous every time I told someone. Not wanting to be judged or turned away or told that I was wrong when they have no idea what I'm going through or why I made the decision. At this point in my life it's not just about 'being skinny'.... its about being healthy so I can be around for my husband and son and live a long, amazing life. But people don't see that... they see what they want to based on the little information they have heard. I had to tell people though. It's not like I was getting a tattoo and could hide it under my sleeve... within a year or so I would literally be half the person they knew me to be. It's not exactly something you can disguise... or that I'd want to disguise!

I went through the process... 6 months of meetings with my PCP that are basically glorified weigh in's, a few tests that for me consisted of an Upper GI (swallow some stuff that looks like a vanilla milkshake but doesn't taste like one, swallow some pop rock looking things that make you want to burp without burping, let the guys with the big machines in radiology take some pictures & you're done), and a psychological eval to make sure you understand what you're getting into. Basically you wait 6 months after already making your decision to prove to the insurance company that you've made the decision and hope they approve to pay for it all. After my 'qualifying' stuff was done, the Dr's office sends it off to the insurance company and you wait some more. Üsually just 2-5 days for approval" they said... Right. Finally... about 3 weeks after the Dr's office received everything and sent it for approval, I got the call. I'm approved!

Uh Oh... Shit just got real!

Let's schedule the surgery date and get you down here for your pre-op appointment and then you'll do your pre-op work up and you're all set. All within about 2 weeks from approval. Wait for 6... almost 7 months and it's all going to happen in 2 weeks. Whew!

Now it's do or die. This is real and it's going to happen really really soon. Gotta spill the beans to everyone else or get all the questions later... so I did as public as it gets... Facebook (lol)

Here's my post from June 18, 2013

"As many of you may or may not know, I have made a big decision in regards to my health in the last several months. I have decided to do the Gastric Bypass surgery. This is something that I have considered off and on for several years but finally made the decision last fall with the support of my husband and I began the process this January. This is something I do not take lightly and by no means is it going to be 'the easy way out'. I’ve tried a million other things and now surgery is the tool I need to get to the healthy me that I know I can be. I'm doing this for myself, for my mental and emotional well-being as well as physical health, but most of all I'm doing this for my family... especially Aiden. Motherhood has changed my outlook on life in so many ways. I am so blessed to have such an amazing and beautiful little boy and I want to be around to see him graduate high school and college and have a family of his own. I want to be a Grandma someday (a long, Long, LONG time from now lol) and if I don’t get a grip on my health now, that dream could be cut short or not happen at all. I could list a dozen or more other reasons why I want/need to do this surgery but the point is... it's official. I got the approval from the insurance company today and surgery is scheduled for July 31st! At this point in my life, there's no reason to wait. I've waited long enough and I’m SO ready for this new chapter in my life." 

And to my surprise... I got a really positive response. Positive? No one is judging me and telling me not to do it? What? Really....? Awesome! 

Now in all honestly, I did have a handful of people who did the "Ooooh you are...?" or the "Are you sure you want to do that?" response but they were more in person... which is harder to take than reading a reply online... and there were just a few of them. I had some people that were really excited for me too... some that I hoped for and some I didn't expect it from. It was great. I'd say 92% positive/supportive outlook overall... at least that's what they are telling me. And if they think anything else... I don't want to know. :-p

My Facebook post from July 29th:

"Today is technically Monday but Wednesday is going to be my Monday... my new start... the day when new goals that have been set begin to become a reality. I can't lie... the closer it gets I am getting a bit nervous but I'm ready for this new step... this new chapter in my life and I couldn't be more excited!"

Weight No More: The Backstory

Ever since I can remember I've been overweight. Heavy Set. Big Boned. The Fat Kid.... you get the point. Ever since I heard about this surgery, I thought about it, dreamed about it, wondered what it would be like to be "skinny". I've grown up, gotten married, and now have a beautiful baby boy who will be two years old in less than two weeks. The part in the middle was hard. Getting made fun of was pretty much my M.O. in elementary, middle and most of high school. I went to college for awhile and had fun... finally felt free and on my own, but there was one thought that was always in my head... I weigh too much. Every date I went on, every possible friend I met, every outfit I tried on, every job interview, every photograph that was taken of me.... "Do I look fat?" It was and still is constantly in my head. 

Unfortunately, in this day and age, all that is pumped into our brains by the media is "be skinny"... and I like most, are victim to that. I tried not to let myself really fall into that and if you ask anyone I know I am pretty confident, self assured, etc. Not trying to brag but I think I turned out ok. But that doesn't mean the thoughts aren't still there, even if I don't let everyone else know they are.

When I became a Mom, everything changed. But the thought of surgery came back into my head. Years had gone by and advances had been made so it was a much safer option now. But the big thing... I'm a Mom. I was out of breath just carrying my son up the stairs. I couldn't chase after him on the playground like I could if I was 100lbs lighter. Would I see him graduate? Have a family? All the possibilities..... It was more of a risk for me to Not to have the surgery. 

So after discussing it with my husband, with his support, I made my choice. I am going to have Weight Loss Surgery. 

I verified that I was a candidate pretty easily, found a surgeon through research and word of mouth and began the process in January 2013. 

My Weight Loss Journey: The Goal of This Blog

The Goal of this blog:

So I was posting here and there on Facebook to let everyone know I had made the decision to have Gastric Bypass Surgery to try and improve my weight and therefore health. After the surgery, I started posting periodic updates but then decided I wanted to go into things a little bit more. That way people who cared, could get the details, and those that didn't, didn't have to read something they didn't want to. 

I'm already Post-Op day 5 so I'll re-post my posts as they were, then maybe add to here or there and continue from today on as best I can. Usually I suck at keeping these 'diary' type things but I know a lot of people who have either gone through this process already, are getting ready to go through it, or have a least thought about it and don't know what to do. I hope this can shed some light for those who are still going through this and need to know that they aren't alone... for those considering this option so they know what they're really getting into... and for those who know someone in the previous two areas so they can also be informed and be whats most needed: Supportive!

During this process I also figure this would be a good way for me to keep myself in check and evaluate my progress and vent any frustrations/concerns/thoughts/ideas/etc. that I discover along the way. I will be truthful and most likely blunt with my accounts of the whole process (and possibly even icky at points, so consider this your warning!) but in NO WAY am trying to promote any type of negativity about this topic - just the opposite in fact.


Each and every person makes this decision for their own reasons. Whether or not you or I agree with that decision or why they made the decision is irrelevant because it's not our decision. The most important thing that anyone can do if they know someone who has made this decision or is in the process of making this decision is: SUPPORT THEM! This is a Huge step in anyone's life and they will need a lot of support from beginning till forever, because there is no end with this. This is a life long commitment.   


So... here it goes!