August22
8/14/06 Surgery is just 7 days away and I'm nervous but yet excitied over this new journey in my life!
8/15/06 Well this time next week hopefully I will be back in my room from surgery. Went to my PCP today and he put me on antibotics for a sinus infection, I'm glad I changed apt dates for him that way I will be finished with the medicine on Saturday instead of Monday. I go tomorrow for my pre-op and I'm really looking forward to it. I've lost 39lbs in 7 weeks, hopefully I will be down to at least 41lbs lost by tomorrow.
8/16/06 Today was my pre-op class and the routine test at the hospital where surgery will be preformed. I've lost a total of 41lbs in 7 weeks and 3 days Dr. Stickler wanted me to loose 40 so I exceeded his goal I was hoping to loose 50 but I'm really happy with the 41 and hopefully I'll loose a few more pounds prior to next Tuesday.
I met another woman who is having surgery the same day as mine, which was nice to know that there will be someone else there who is going thru the same as I am, my surgery is first so I'll be on the loosing side just waiting for her to join.
This all seems so sureal to me but I'm ready to be on the loosing side!
8/18/06 Well I think that I'm prepaired now to go to the hospital other than packing my suitcase. I went today and purchased the things that I would need once I'm back home. I went to GNC and had the most helpful clerk she told me about a friend of hers that had GBS and how well she was doing. She showed me all of the whey protein etc that I would need I lucked up it was buy one get one 50% off. I also purchased their "gold card" which ended up only costing me $3 after the savings I saved with it.
I had my medical power of attorney and living will witnessed and notorized today, so that is taken care of also.
Tomorrow my family is getting together for my "last supper" I'm excitied to see everyone I just hope it goes well and I'm not emotional.
I am SO thrilled over this new life I'm about to begin that any doubt or nervousness that I had prior is gone now. (hopefully it will be that way while I'm waiting to go into surgery Tuesday morning)
8/21/06 Saturday my family gathered for "The Last Supper" it was nice to have everyone together of course the day passed too quickly. My Sister, nephew and I spent the night at my Mom's and when we were leaving the next day it was very emotional telling them good bye so the rest of the evening I was a crying mess. I've been lucky so far today and have only been teary eyed once .
I was up around 6:30 this morning maybe that will mean I will sleep a little tonight (fingers crossed) I've ran my errands for the day now I'm doing laundry and plan on straightning up the house and then I guess I'll pack my suitcase.
We are leaving a little after 3 in the morning I have to be at the hospital at 6 which in turn means I'll be getting up around 1 to shower and get ready so I think that I'm going to try and take a very late nap.
I should be in the hospital for 3 days and then Dr. Stickler mentioned something about possibly having me stay at a hotel in the area for 2 more days which if I have to do that I'll just stay there until Monday since I have to go back and see him to get out the staples and the drain tube that day. I can't see driving the 2.5 hours home either Sat night or Sunday morning just to have to turn around and go back. But I'm hoping that when I get released from the hospital he will let me come home (fingers crossed once again)
Well this should be my last post here until I am on the "Loosing Side" which I can't wait to be!!!
9/8/06 Surgery was 2 weeks and 3 days ago and so far I'm doing good. I'm going to go back and try to account for the time I've been away from here.
I was able to get about 1.5 hours of sleep the night before surgery when I woke I had this calming peace over me knowing that everything would be okay. We arrived at the hosptial early so we sat in the waiting room until the place I had to be at opened, after that it was a whirlwind of activity and then they came to get me, I was fine until my Mom was standing there at the surgical site to tell me goodbye and she started crying so of course I got teary eyed, but it didn't last for long there was a ton of people around asking questions and trying to get me hooked up to an iv which after 4 or 5 sticks they finally were able to get it. Then a nurse told me she was going to give me something to relax me and a second later I was gone. Sugery was suppose to start at 7:15 but my Dr told my family that it was delayed until 8 (leaving them to wonder what had went wrong since Dr. Stickler came to talk to them later than what they expected) the next thing I remember was in the recovery room and I was trying to tell them that I needed raised up because I was going to be sick finally I must have said it outloud because they raised me and started giving me ice chips. I was still out of it because no matter how hard I tried to focus I couldn't see straight and time passed quickly so I must have been in and out of sleep because the next thing I knew they were moving me to my room.
I was only in my room for 2 hours when I decided I needed to get up and walk (normal time for them to get you up is 4 and I was ready prior to that) so for the next 2 days I walked the halls, morning, noon, night and early morning I knew every square inch of that wing by the time I was released Thursday afternoon. The nurses there I couldn't have asked for better ones!
Of course I've failed to mention the pain and soreness thanks to painkillers it wasn't too bad until I'd wait longer than I should to ask for more and the soreness well it's to be expected and it's not as bad now as it was when I first came home.
I'm proud to report as of the 3rd I've lost a total of 75lbs that's 41 prior to surgery and 34 after. I'm going to weigh in tomorrow at my Mom's (I refuse to have scales in the house because I would be too complusive over them)
9/11/06
I weighed in on Saturday and I'd only lost 4lbs (338 making a total of 79lbs) so of course I was discouraged in that, but it's better to loose than gain, which of course with the little I've been eating it would be hard to gain.
Protein shakes and I are not friends every one I have tried is too sugary sweet for me and I end up gagging until I have the "frothing" they talk about so.....I've gave up on those and I'm just trying to get in protein thru tuna salad and things like that, and that is another story in itself. I can't stand food at the moment and it's a true job just to get down a few bites.
Nausea hits me at least every 3 days and once I have the "frothing" then I feel fine again. And water I'm sick of it and not too fond of the sugar free kool-aid or lemonade.
I go back to see Dr. Stickler next week so maybe they can tell me what's going on with the not wanting to eat and drink part. Hopefully there is some way I can change all of this around.
Even with this going on I still do not regret having the surgery and this is just a small stepping stone for it will soon get better!!
9/20/06 Had my 1 month apt with Dr. Stickler today and since surgery I've lost 41lbs making a total of 82!! I was telling him that I thought I should have lost more since I hardly eat, and he was telling me that 70-80% of patients only loose 25-30lbs the first month out and that I was doing fantastic.
He also said that my nausea is coming from keytones in my body and that it should go away. I just hope that it goes away quickly!!
