I had read some advice on here and I wish I had taken it. Someone had said to make a list of why you were having VSG. And then after the surgery when you were struggling you would be able to give yourself a pep talk. I honestly didn’t think I would struggle.

I have always considered myself to have a pretty high tolerance for pain. I thought I would come out of this thing famously.

I went in on Monday for my surgery. They were not ready. I think maybe they had so many surgeries going on that day it was hard to find an OR for everyone. They took me back around noon I guess. There were 9 nurses getting patients ready for surgery. 8 of them were female. Naturally, I ended up with the one male. He was hot. And I had the great privilege of getting to admit to him that I had just started my period. Fortunately he was very cool about it. I did want to crawl into a hole though. They had two gown sizes. Twiggy- which naturally wouldn’t work for me…and apparently the second one was Godzilla sized. They had several students sitting in on my surgery.

The recovery room was brutal. I was in so much pain.

They brought me up to my room and promised that “Todd” would come and get me to walk in about 4 hours. I never saw Todd the whole time I was there. Finally around 10 or 11 that night I asked to walk. I didn’t have a problem walking.

They took me down for my sleeve test on Tuesday morning. That doctor may very well be the biggest a*****e in the world. I have promised myself when I get back to normal I am going back to the hospital to specifically chew him a new one. Though, I would imagine when I finally feel better I will be over it.

Apparently, I passed. Dr. Nease was up on the floor to see me as they were taking me down to take the test. I came around the corner and heard one of the nurses talking about me. They told him I was doing excellent and I was very alert. I came around the corner and he said “there she is!” I waved and went on to pass my test.

Dr. N ordered a tray for me and told me to start on clear liquids. He said my surgery was text book and could not have gone any better. He said he could almost guarantee me that I would not have a leak. He also said I was doing so good I could go home Tuesday night if I wanted to.

They finally took the cursed catheter out of me. I took a shower. Dealing with the JP drain in the shower was challenging. I barely drank anything. I ate just a bit of Jell-O. Then I asked if I could go home.

I will admit- I may have jumped the gun. I just wanted the IV out of my arm so bad. I wanted to wear my normal clothes. I wanted to go home.

In the handbook they gave us they suggested if we lived more than 10 min away from the hospital that we should stay in a hotel in town. I live over 2 hours away. Down some of the roughest curviest roads in southern WV. I let the hotel idea slip my mind. And at about 6pm they rushed me out the door hoping my pharmacy would not close before I got there.

I made it just in time. My mom and I were both frazzled. I was in a lot of pain. All of the bumping and jarring and curves really hurt.

We cleared the pharmacy got pain meds and made it home by 9. I crashed in the recliner.

No sleep for me though. The pain meds which I was sure I wouldn’t need would keep me asleep for about an hour and a half at a time. Oddly enough my stomach started growling in the recovery room- and never stopped.

At first that was a bit of a novelty. I haven’t heard my stomach growl since I was 16 years old. After several continual hours of it- the novelty wore off. It would growl so loud I couldn’t sleep. I walked like a mad woman. I was pacing the floors in the house like some sort of deranged elderly person. One tiny shuffled footstep after another.

My bowels would rumble. It was terrible. I thought maybe I needed an antacid- they had given me one on day one of my surgery. So, at 3 am Thursday morning I popped half of a Prilosec. And then threw up. I threw up water- but it is sufficient to say that one spell was enough to make me feel that this was something I would never want to do again.

I called my nurses office and left a message. Told her about my stomach and bowels and the whole Prilosec incident. When she called back I was in the shower. She told my mom I was experiencing gas from the surgery and it would pass. She said I needed to walk (which I had already been doing non stop). And she recommended that I try some gas-x.

Thursday my step dad came over and worked in my yard. I am not sure why- but it looks 100 percent better. Thursday was also mom’s last day with me. She did a load of towels for me and cleaned up the kitchen. I don’t know what I would have done without her.

I tried the gas-x and slept for the first time since getting out of surgery. This morning I am a little better. I still need pain meds on occasion. I can sit up in a straight backed chair for over an hour now. I have been walking a lot more.

I do not get the 64 oz of water per day they want or the 60-70gm of protein. I am getting 8-12 oz of water per day and I manage a couple of tablespoons about 4 times a day of protein.

I find that I am hungry. I was hungry coming out of the recovery room. When I attempt to eat (protein sugar free pudding- greek yogurt etc.) I can only manage a couple of spoon fulls then I am done.

I have had moments of regret. They told us not to expect that everyone’s surgery would go the same. Not to expect that we would all have the same reaction. I am disappointed that I am not feeling that much better. I thought I would be able to go back to work on Monday. I thought I would feel much better than this. I am very glad I asked for that second week off

I can’t wait to get this JP drain out of me on Tuesday. But that means a 4 hour drive. 2 hrs down and 2 back up. I am looking forward to that infamous honeymoon stage where everyone feels great and is losing a ton of weight.

Right now, I feel bad. I hurt. And I miss food.