Thursday, February 10, 2011

Back to square 1, but not really

So starting today, I get to go back to the whole liquid diet routine, then soft food diet, slowly working back to a regular diet. I go in at 10:30, surgery at 12:30.

This past week has been incredibly challenging. With the slippage, the exit was pretty well blocked off. Food and water in my stomach had nowhere to go. Okay, it had one place to go and that's what the challenging part of it was. Basically the last few days has been liquids only but even those could not go anywhere. The problem with that is that my body would be secreting a bunch of fluids and bile into the stomach, which led to incredibly frequent and rather forceful vomiting. On average it was probably hourly. Now when you're taking in 2-3 ounces and throwing up 16 ounces, you can imagine what it does to one's hydration level. I ended up going in last night to get an IV, they actually gave me two bags of fluid.

It is an amazing thing to watch your fingers and your face shrivel up as the fluid has been sucked out of your body, and pretty incredible how quickly they come back to normal with an IV. That was incredibly revitalizing.

Let me say this, ice chips are a good thing. Drinking much of anything would encourage more frequent vomiting, so last night after getting back I spent the night just sucking down ice chips one at a time. Having said that you have no idea how badly I'd love to gulp down a tall glass of cold water, an ice tea, or a glass of milk. Amazing how much you can miss something like that. Especially now when I'm even off ice chips, gotta stay liquid free prior to surgery. Dang how I'd love a drink!

Hard to imagine anticipating surgery, but... I really am! Getting back to a semblence of normalcy is something I so look forward to. I know some that are worried, but it's really something pretty simple. If the stomach is in a condition to allow him to do it, the doctor will move the band back to the proper position and secure it a little better. If not he'll simply remove it. I'm at peace with it either way. I'd rather have it left on, for all the reasons I had it put on. But even if it has to come off... I'm at 265 pounds! That's huge! Okay, that's less huge.... MUCH less huge. Which is HUGE. I'm 40 pounds from my goal, and that has me at a point where, it's far easier to get active, which I've been pretty active all along, but... where I've talked about maybe getting to running when I get to a safer weight for that.... I'm at a safer weight. Still not sure about running, but whatever it is, I'm so much better able to do it. So even if it has to come out... I'm okay because I know I'll be okay.

Dang I'm thirsty!

And the answer to Janiece's question... still remains an unshakable and unqualified heck yeah, I would do it again if I knew about all this misery of the past week.

Did I mentione I'm thirsty? One big difference about the previous surgery and this one: I did go into it then not looking at all forward to the liquid diet to follow. Today I'm relishing the prospect. Let's face it, I've already been on the liquid diet and to be honest not eating foods has not been a bother, fortunately. But... getting to drink liquids, some jello, some soup stock, milk... WATER!!!... and have them stay down and go where they're supposed to go again... I'm so looking forward to that.


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