Mom26

<3 The outpouring of love and support has brought tears to my eyes. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that last Tuesday life was beautiful. And last Wednesday, our world was shattered. How the hell does your 28 year old son not only get rectal cancer - a cancer they pretty much only see in the elderly, but have it already at Stage 4 with 5 sizable lesions on his liver? How do you hear the words "incurable", "unfortunately", etc. and not just crumble? And how the hell do you deal with this 3 weeks post-op? My heart is broken. Thank you for your support.

Thank you all for your kind words and support. I got my lunch down and 1/2 bottle of Water. Slowly but surely.....

Definitely proportionately - but in my face first. Then I notice my waist has gotten much slimmer. I notice it in my chest, others have said my neck and shoulders. I'm taking measurements next week. I'm curious to see how much has come off from each place.

I had my sleeve surgery on 11/9. Went back to work on the 23rd - tired, a bit sore, but back in to the swing of things. I did pretty good with logging my meals into My Fitness Pal, was walking, etc. Perfect. On the road to recovery. Even the issue with my lung not fully inflating was resolving itself. Life was great. My husband and I sat at the dinner table the night I went back to work and reflected on just how wonderful life was for us. Six happy, healthy kids ranging from 18-28. A beautiful home. Stable careers. And a wonderful family. Who could want more?? The very next day -- last Tuesday -- my oldest son asked me to make a trip up to Connecticut (he lives there with his girlfriend). He had not been feeling well and went for a colonoscopy to potentially diagnose colitis. That was what they expected to find. That's not what they found. Instead, they found a very large tumor in his rectum and were unable to continue the colonoscopy because it was nearly completely blocked. They set him up for a CT Scan for Wednesday and he asked that we come up there because the doctor didn't like what he found. I found out on Wednesday when we got there that he didn't want to tell me they already knew it was a cancerous tumor. I grabbed Protein shakes, a few waters, and we headed up to CT to be with him for his scan. What we didn't realize was the day before, the doctor already put an entire team in place to meet with us -- including a surgical oncologist, a medical oncologist, and had quite a few tests set up as emergencies. By 1pm, our world had shattered. My seemingly healthy 28 year old son was told that not only was the tumor cancerous, it was already invasive and had progressed to Stage 4 - with lesions on his liver. Five in total. And they're a decent size. His tumor is inoperable right now - as it's too large and invasive and needs to shrink. He's at a high risk for a blockage and that would be devastating. Every ounce of focus has been on him since Wednesday. Back in the hospital on Friday for a chemo port and PET scan. Back to CT yesterday for the PET scan results and his first chemo treatment. Reaching out to other cancer centers for input/validation/etc. Throughout this ordeal, I crumbled. I think I had 10 calories that day of diagnosis. Thanksgiving was a blur. Then Friday to Monday, I tried. I really tried. But I certainly didn't get anywhere near my protein or liquids in. This morning, I realized I am no good to anyone if I can't get my shit together. I took out my scale and weighed what I thought would be 4oz of my Ricotta Bake (which is heavenly). I was shocked to see it was under an ounce. I've been starving myself this past week with what I thought were "full meals". No wonder I haven't lost any more weight in a week. I'm in starvation mode. So I'm logging stuff back in My Fitness Pal starting today. I've got 2 bottles of Water on my desk. I added Protein powder to my egg this morning. I have to fix myself so I can help fix my son. But how do I keep myself out of this funk? Before surgery, I would have eaten 100 ice cream sundaes in the past week (not really 100, but you get what I'm saying). There is no food therapy anymore. And that's such a strange concept. Funny how just a week ago, my entire focus was on me, my sleeve, healing, getting healthier. And then we get smacked in the face hard. HARD. Sure makes you realize what matters in life. <3

I didn't see my update from last week, so I'll post both here: 11/23: 221.2 11/30: 220.2

I'm reading this as I'm sitting down for lunch chewing, chewing, chewing my lone turkey meatball for lunch. Chewing until it's pretty much liquid. But it tastes delicious!!

@@BryanInStPete You look fantastic!

Sorry I'm late too. 221.2 yesterday morning. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Yes. I napped A LOT my first 2 weeks post-op. Went back to work and while I feel great, I am absolutely WIPED. The hour commute each way is really difficult being so tired. Hopefully we'll catch up quick and be bouncing off the walls soon!

They won't allow a tampon during surgery. But you'll be fine - they'll give you pads. No big deal to them.

I went shopping with my husband this afternoon. I never do the shopping (thankfully) but wanted to look around and see what food options are out there for me. There's plenty. Thank you all for your insight!!

@@Cervidae, so perfectly said. Don't let your mind play games with you. If you know he loves you, he loves you for the person you are - not the body you live in.

For me it was 4 days post-op. Then the next day. And then not for another week. But I'm on a fully liquid diet. If your diet progresses quicker, I would imagine you would go more often.

You have some great motivation behind you. Wonderful success so far - and wishing you continued success!!

Thanks everyone! 10 days post op - feeling ok - better when I'm sitting than standing. But getting better. I think my lungs are getting stronger (I have atechtasis - where my alveoli in my left lung aren't inflating). Lots of spirometer therapy.

Beautiful!!

Simply amazing

I'm Lisa too -- and in Long Island. I had my surgery in NYC though. Is your doctor part of the group with Dr Brathwaite? He's a fantastic surgeon. Good luck!!

Congratulations on your successes, especially your weight loss. May you continue to be blessed and share those blessings with those less fortunate that you work with.

Try the Silk Unsweetened almond milk or Fairlife milk. They've both been good to me. Though I did have a 1/2 cup of milk last night and wanted to chug it!!

I was suffering so badly with ulcers from mid-September to the day of surgery 11/9, that I didn't enjoy a "last meal" A few weeks before surgery I had London Broil, mashed potatoes and cheesecake.

These are exactly the responses I was looking for. Thank you so very much. I will also use a food tracker but wanted "real life" input. ❤️❤️

Full liquids until day 15

I didn't even really know how to word the title - but in essence, I'm asking when looking at a food you're considering (or several foods for a recipe), do you search for certain amounts of items (proteins/fats/carbs/sugars/etc)? What balance seems to work for you? It's really overwhelming and eventually I'd like to be able to make the best decisions I can down the road. I have a little folder of the suggested recipes for each phase that I found on here, Eggface is a huge help, but you guys aren't coming food shopping with me. Well, you can, but NY may be a bit far for some of you. So what amounts/percentages/balances do you look for?

I had posted these on FB but thought I'd share with this group. I truly see my sleeve as a gift - to treasure - to nurture - to respect. So I decided to give my surgeon a gift, as well. I made her some Cookies. I gave them to her in pre-op when she came to talk to us. She was so excited she tweeted about them immediately. I also made trays of the same cookies for pre-op, recovery and the nurses on my floor. Everyone was so appreciative. If you look closely, there are little tic marks on the edges where the "sleeve" is cut -- to sort of look like staple marks. Now if only they were healthier!!