roundisashape

So glad to have found this topic! I thought I was getting sick or something. The thermostat says 72, my skin says "Antarctica", lol.

Got my winter coat zipped this morning - just 10 days out! I was pretty worried about that one

Bwahaha!!!! This is happening when I get back to work next week!

Delays are so frustrating! But better to know and increase your chances of coming out of surgery in good condition, right? I hope you don't have it, though!

I noticed something today. I've been having stomach cramps / spasms whenever I drink anything (I'd say eat anything, but what I'm eating can be sucked through a straw, so...). Anyway, today I noticed that when i stand up while ingesting anything, it's not as bad. Wonder why that is? And how long it's going to last, because I'm going to look awfully silly standing up eating lunch at work next week, lol.

@@Dreamingofhealth, your urine would get dark, you might go less, and have things like headaches and dizziness

VSGAnn, you might well be right about the tuna - I'll probably try it because I'm hardheaded, but pre-op it was giving me heartburn (it's FISH?!?) and my mother always said it set off her "high-assed hernia". HT, yep, we had the same date! Good luck tomorrow! Every surgeon's plan is inexplicably different. Ours has us on full liquids for a week (I counted it as a week from the day after release, not a week from surgery, since we only got Clear Liquids in the hospital), then 3 weeks of purees, and a month of soft foods. I do plan to start really, really slowly though - I'm nervous about it too.

I'm on day 9, and there were some things that might have been great to have someone around for during the first week, but my support person had something going on and nearly tossed me out of a moving car in a rush to get home when I got released, lol. I'd say at this point, the only thing I need help with is lifting heavier stuff (laundry basket, trash bag, dog food) and getting things that are down on the floor (it still hurts to bend over). But that's what the kids are for, right? Good luck to you!!

Thanks, everyone! I found a tactic that helped last night (or maybe the swelling is just starting to go down some, but I'll take it either way). I used half the Protein and twice the milk - it was super thin, but only 3 grams less than making it the "right" way. Completely counter-intuitive since getting stuff down was the problem, but I was able to finish it without feeling like giant brick. Purees start tomorrow. I'm tentatively planning on pureeing tuna into cream of chicken soup. I don't know why, it's just been in my head all morning, lol.

Onmyway, it'll work for you! I'm not far enough out to be confident in the long term yet, but I can tell you at this stage I just sort of feel like I have no stomach, lol. Hawaiiantexan, me too! I dreamed about potatoes last night. I don't actually want to eat anything, but I have flashes of food going through my brain pretty much 24/7 at the moment. Heck, I woke up from surgery thinking about Rice-a-Roni of all things, and I haven't eaten that since before my mom died over 16 years ago. Katesuccess, thanks for that! I've been playing around trying to find that magic temperature that feels good going down, but never thought about warming up the Protein. I might give that a try tonight! Finediva and Lipsticklady, thank you! I know I'm only a week out but I had this fantasy that I'd come out of surgery and nail it, lol. I know it's important but I'm not showing any signs of dehydration, so I'll try to stop freaking out For some reason broth is making me gag. I saw someone mentioned just siphoning the broth off of real Soup, and I tried some of that and it was like night and day - I don't know why, but the taste is so much more tolerable! Looking forward to Friday purees just for some variety.

Thanks! I pretty much doubled my liquids today too, but still haven't reached 64oz. It's unbelievable how hard this is - I was such a big eater before that I just couldn't form any concept of how little really fits post-op. I researched a lot, but I don't think any amount of reading could have prepared me for the actual feeling. Still no regrets!!!! It feels GOOD to not be hungry!

I worked the day before so I was able to stress out about leaving things in a good position for the time I was out, then when I left work, I had saved some errands and packing. I just didn't give myself time to get overly freaked out the day before - I fell into bed with like 4 hours to go, got up, and made it to the hospital by the skin of my teeth. I had a few bouts of nervousness here and there, but honestly I didn't freak out until I got in the OR. Then it hit all at once and I started crying and trying to pull the mask off. Maybe getting more nervous ahead of time isn't a bad thing! Congratulations, and good luck to you

You don't owe anyone any explanations - a smile and a simple, "clean living" kind of response should do. It doesn't bother me personally, but I know it bothers a lot of people. As far as the questions go, our society treats massive weight loss like a spectator sport. I think that plays a role in how comfortable folks feel asking for details.

Definitely lip balm, baby shampoo (used it as body soap too), baby wipes (I just felt gross even with showering), and I felt a lot more comfortable with a loose comfy pair of shorts to wear under my gowns.

Good luck!

hmm...well, my pre-op nurse said she NEVER had hiccups, and in the year she's been post op she gets them like clockwork every afternoon. I hope your hiccups go away!

Good question! I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, but I want to look GOOD in them.

What's considered "off pain meds"? That's what my instructions say too, and I wasn't sure if it meant being off of them for a day, a week, 12 hours or what.

I just got my surgery time, and I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 tomorrow morning. They said if it goes perfectly I might get out Wednesday, but I'm hoping to get out Thursday because it's supposed to snow on Wednesday and my niece is already uncomfortable driving around Baltimore. Nervous, but a lot less nervous than I was last week. My youngest brother had a heart attack and got diagnosed with CHF over the weekend. He's 17 years older, but still not old, and I always looked at him like he was Superman. Seeing him in the condition he was in really made me think hard about making some lifestyle changes before it's too late. He's probably never going to be 100% again and it's heartbreaking. I did have a good moment today, though. My doc only requires liquids for one day pre-op and today's that day. I went to lunch with my team and drank my shake and ate my Jello and wasn't even tempted one bit. Of course, it helps that it was an oyster house and we were sitting right in front of the bar full of raw shellfish. I'm not so into that, lol.

Thanks! I feel a ton better today. Still having that weird burning, but I switched to tylenol and noticed that after a bite or so of yogurt or a thicker Protein shake, the stomach cramping eases up (they're ok'd on the full liquids I'm on now). Maybe that's my "hungry" signal instead of "full". Of course it could just be my stomach's "what the heck have you done to me?" signal, lol! But I feel pretty human today.

They just told us that it could increase gas / discomfort. I'm uncomfortable in general at the moment, and it doesn't seem to matter which way I go, lol. Honestly I think for those of us that tend to be gulpers, straws are probably the lesser evil.

I'm not sure if I'm hungry or not. I'm 5 days out today and was released on full liquids, but haven't really been exercising those options. I've been having a lot of stomach cramps, especially when drinking. I wonder if that's just what hungry feels like right now, because after a tablespoon of yogurt (on the "okay" list), the cramping stopped.

I'm ba-ack! Got out Thursday, but this is the first I've felt much like getting online. In the inimitable words of my mother, I still feel like I've been "shot at and missed, then **** at and hit". I really thought I'd be one of the ones who seem to hop off the table and get back to life - no complications, but it hasn't quite been that easy either! Thought I'd go ahead and document the first few days. Mostly for the pre-ops, because I devoured all these stories and I know I'm not the only one, but partly so all the people who came before can repeat the same "this misery doesn't last forever" platitudes that I've read on other threads 100's of times. Sometimes it just feels good to hear it! We got to the hospital at 5:30 Tuesday morning. Registration was disorganized and the lady at the desk seemed kind of put out about having to work that day - maybe it wasn't her regular shift, I don't know. Then I got moved to pre-op. First IV attempt blew out the vein so they had to put it in my elbow on the other arm - ick! The position wasn't awful (it was on top, not in the crease) but they used a higher gauge needle and it felt like you could drive a truck through it. Got blood thinner injections, a motion sickness patch, a cool gown and some stretchy socks, then they let my niece come back. Everyone in pre-op was great. The nurse had been operated on by my surgeon and they were friends with kids in the same sports program, so that made me feel more confident. I asked the surgeon not to kill me, he asked me not to ruin his statistics, lol. There were two anesthesiologists - the woman was really nice, the guy was kind of a d**k. I was fine until I got to the OR. Every other time I've had surgery, they used a "normal" oxygen mask. This one was puffy and she kept trying to tell me it was like a CPAP (I don't use one) and it would help me breathe. I couldn't get it positioned and it felt like I was suffocating, so I panicked and started crying and trying to rip it off. I felt them holding me down, and next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery. They couldn't get a room ready for me, so I spent 12 hours in recovery before I got moved to a room. I do believe they ran into some adhesions in there (expected gift from my last surgery), so I had an extra special pain - plus we never settled on a decent working pain management regimen while I was in there. It seemed that maybe this had more to do with the holiday than anything else - no one was there to ask, so they just kept giving me more of what was in my chart. Melted Tic-Tacs, perhaps? They finally tried oral Oxycodone on Thursday morning, but all that did was make me so nauseous they had to hit me with Zofran. I refused more of it. Wednesday they sent an occupational therapist in. I'd moved over to the recliner and found it easier to get up and down from, and didn't want to move back to the bed. She told me she could show me a way to get out of bed easier, but I just felt a ripping, burning sensation in the big incision in the crease of my belly. That one still burns and hurts - up until yesterday morning, moving the wrong way made that one bring tears to my eyes. It's inside, nothing outside is inflamed or anything. But no fever or anything like that, and I couldn't get anyone at the hospital to be concerned about it, so maybe that's normal? Don't get me wrong - the night nurses and techs in particular were amazing. Attentive, responsive, one even made me mint tea out of her personal stash when I said maybe something warm would sit better than something cold. There are just limits on what they can do. 5:30 Thursday morning two associates of my doctor came in and asked if I wanted to go home. I asked if the pharmacy was open, because it was Thanksgiving and I didn't want to go home without whatever prescriptions I needed. Never saw them again. Wound up leaving Thursday night. My accompaniment was upset about something - I don't know if I said something and don't remember it, or if she was just hungry or what, but we got my prescriptions from the only open Walgreens around and she dumped me off and left. I still have trouble getting enough liquids in, and I've been sucking on the same 8 oz snack size Premier Protein since Friday morning. My tastes haven't changed and my big concern about being super weak (from blood sugar drops) has not materialized at all - I even bought some sugar tablets. Not diabetic, but I had some hypoglycemic moments pre-op. Removing the drain didn't hurt at all, but when I move the insides around that spot feel bruised. You could see the puffiness in my stomach go down as it was removed - it was a heck of a long tube! I'm having stomach cramps when I drink, no matter what temperature my fluids are (though they are less violent when I drink warm liquids). I still can't really identify what my tummy wants and I'm scared to push much so I'm not sure if that's my "stop" signal or what - I hope not! If it is, hopefully it'll migrate into something less painful, like a snotty nose or something. I still have to sleep sitting mostly upright but on my right side, which isn't super comfortable but doesn't pull on any of the incisions. I wish I'd set the money aside to get a recliner before surgery. This hospital offers one home care session post-op so I'm waiting for the guy to get here now. He's scheduled to be by this afternoon. My dog, after realizing that I'm not up for tuggy or wrestling right now, has been an absolute angel since I got home. I still have no regrets - I did this for my long term health and survival - but right now it sucks like crazy. That's about it for now - hopefully every day will be better than the last!

+1 on the Brooks!