Twas the day after surgery....



Changed and ready to go!



So, yesterday was the surgery. The day my life will be forever changed. I weighed myself first thing in the morning, and I was down to 279.8lbs. A loss of 12 lbs from the day I started the pre-op diet 2 weeks ago. We (mom and me) got to the clinic at 7:30am, filled out some paperwork, and I changed into my gown. I got a little emotional but was super stoked! The doctor, then the anesthetist, then the nurse came in to see me and chat about what was about to take place. I said goodbye to mom around 8:10am and walked with the nurse to the surgery suite.

The walk over was so surreal. I mean, being an Animal Health Technologist, I've been around my fair share of surgical suites, but to know that it's me that is the patient was a little overwhelming. I looked around to take it all in. The suite was huge and so clean. The surgery table was smack in the middle, like something out of a movie. My name was up on their board with my stats, etc. I was all smiles when I got in there. I laid on the table and the anesthetist put in my IV (best IV placer EVER!) while the nurse hooked me up to the EKG, pulse ox, and heart rate monitor. Within 10-15 minutes of being in there, I was asleep. The last thing I remember was the anesthetist telling me he was going to be giving me some meds to help me go under and the nurse putting the oxygen over my face telling me to take a few really deep breathes. I remember taking 3 and I was out.

I woke up in recovery in not too much pain actually. My stomach felt like I had done a million situps, but the most painful part of me was my neck/shoulder (and its still the most painful today!). The nurse told me that it was common due to the gas they use to blow up the stomach with during surgery. As it is more my neck today, I'm thinking it was due to my neck being cranked in one position for the length of the surgery. It was about 10:30am when I was waking up and the nurse asked my pain level. Out of a 10, 10 being the most pain, I was sitting at a 3-4. She gave me 2 Oxycontins and I hung out there, slowly waking up. Around 11, she moved me to a chair so I could sit upright and my mom was going to be there at noon. I passed out in the chair for a bit and woke up to mom and Rylee (my almost 3 year old daughter) coming in to see me.

I was so happy to see Rylee in that moment. Over the last few months of getting things in order with my separation, I have had some aweful feelings that things would have been so much easier without her. That I wouldn't have to see my ex every week for the exchange of custody, etc. That we could have called it quits and went our separate ways. I hated that I felt that way because I love her, but things could have been so much easier. But, in that moment, when I woke up to see her big smiling face, I knew that she was meant to be here. In that short little moment, I knew that although I will have to see my ex every week, it is all worth it for her. I'm so not the type to think that way (all cheesey-like about my kid), but in that brief moment, I did. And it made me feel so much better :)


A little blurry, but I have 5 incisions.



I got home about 12:20pm. Able to walk, slowly, but able to. My phone was lit up with messages galore wishing me well and asking me how things went. That was overwhelming too. So many people caring about me. I spent the next hour or 2 responding, sitting on the chair in the living room. Rylee was given strict instructions that she couldn't jump on mom and had to be gentle. She was an angel. So gentle when I asked for a kiss. I was super tired so I went for a snooze in mom's bed. I was taking small sips of water, but if I walked right after I took a sip, I got super nauseaous. I gagged once and that hurt! Mom brought me a barf bag just in case, but as long as I was sitting or laying after I took a sip of water, I was ok. My throat was really sore from being intubated so I needed to take many, many sips of water as I was so pastey.



I'd wake up every so often, turn my head and fall right back to sleep. I hate sleeping on my back! Haha! Rylee came in once to sit with me but was promptly taken away so as not to hurt me. She went for a nap shortly after too. I woke up around 4 I think, still tired but not passing out tired. I kept sipping my water and was doing ok with it now, no more nausea. By 5:30, my ex was here to get Rylee, a day earlier then usual to allow me to not have to take care of her while I was healing. I must admit, he has been super good when it comes to her and being pretty accomodating when I ask him for favors. Which is nice. Not too many ex's are like that. Anyway, she left and I spent the rest of the evening on the phone, facebook, and reading magazines. I finally took some T3s around 7pm, crushed in some applejuice. Yuck! Haha! I tried to go for another nap but spent most of that time reading. My neck/shoulder was killing me and my post op instructions said that laying down would help. It did a bit.

My sister showed up and we chatted until she had to leave for work at 10pm. I didn't go to bed till after midnight but had a heck of a time doing so. Again, my stomach was sore, but that wasn't keeping me from sleeping. It was my neck. It was the most uncomfortable thing. I took 2 more T3s crushed in apple juice (yuck again) but that wasn't helping the neck issue. My chest/ribs were also sore, I felt like I had been coughing for days which made it a little hard to breathe on my side. But I couldn't sleep on my back because that's when my neck hurt the most. And of course, I couldn't sleep on my stomach. Finally, I managed to get comfy sleeping on my side, using a pillow under my chest area, and 2 pillows under my head. Awkward, but it was the least uncomfortable. I woke up at 7am and have been up ever since and decided to try this blog thing again.

Here's to another day of recovery! Let's see what the day brings. I still have to stay on liquid type foods (basically anything that can fit through a straw) but it doesn't have to be clear liquids. We shall see how it goes! I will keep you posted!