The Weekend Before

We have spent the weekend together.  Trying to take it easy ahead of Tuesday's surgery.  T has been limited to a liquid, pre-surgical diet that is meant to enhance her recovery.  It is pretty awful stuff, and she has not been feeling terrific as a result.  Too, she has needed to take it pretty easy so as not to disturb the pic line in her arm.

We have "entertained" ourselves by seeing silly movies:  World War Z and White House Down.  Neither one is recommended if you are after heady, intellectual fare.  These are action packed and pretty light stuff.  Good diversions for this last weekend before surgery. 

We are coping with our stresses.  Hoping for the very best possible outcome.  T is determined that we will all be home together next Sunday.  If she's up for that, then Tom and I am right there with her.

Wish us luck, friends.

swan

Looking Toward the Future

This morning, T and I headed for the hospital where her surgery is to be performed.  She had a pic line installed in her right arm.  It was the final hurdle in this run up to Tuesday -- the actual date of the surgery.

Now, there is nothing to do but wait, and try and cheer her on as she lives through the just awful, liquid diet that is required for these last five days. 

We are, each in our own way, anxious -- this is a very big deal surgery with some very real and scary risks.  We have done everything we know to do to give our T the very best shot at having this be successful.  The surgeon is one of the best in the area.  She has been cleared by our cardiologist, after some very thorough testing. 

We will, most likely, spend a quiet weekend here together.  There are some movies that we want to see together, and we will find some time to do that.  It is probably going to be a good long while before we are ready to go see movies together again. 

Tuesday morning will start very early.  We are to be at the hospital very early.  The surgeon estimates that the actual surgery will last between two and five hours.  Figure another hour or two in the recovery room, and we should have her back in her room, with us, by about 2:00 in the afternoon.

Once she is through surgery and on her way to recovering, we'll get her home as soon as we can.  We'll tuck her in nice and comfy in her favorite chair, and get to work helping her through the beginning days of post surgical eating.  The digestive system shifts that the surgery creates are monumental, and it is a very slow process to reintroduce foods.  In fact, it really seems that Himself has only begun to eat pretty much normally in the last 4 -- 6 months, and His surgery was over four years ago. 

I am working hard to be positive and hopeful and upbeat about this.  We are so aware of what can go wrong with this surgery, but I also know how much can go "right," and I am focusing on that.  This will be good, and my sister-heart will come through with flying colors.  By this time next year, we'll be hanging out at the pool together so she can show off her new cute, little self.

swan

Converting a Gastric Sleeve

The BIG event of our summer is that T plans to have a revision to her gastric sleeve on July 16.  The original surgery, done four years ago, was deemed to be less invasive and less dangerous for her in light of her previous surgical history.  The sleeve gastrectomy was a relatively new procedure at the time, and seemed very promising.  However, it has proven to be less than optimal for most (if not all) gastric bypass patients, and our T is no exception.  She did very well in the beginning, losing about 90 pounds.  However, as time has gone on, she has gained all of that weight back.  That does seem to be the story for most people who have had the gastric sleeve surgery.  T is a woman of small stature, standing just 5'-2", and she carries way too much weight for her health and comfort.  We have decided it is time to try and address it before it becomes a major health crisis.  So...  back to the surgeon (Dr. K.) for a revision of the sleeve to a Roux en Y.  It is a big deal, and we are nervous, but also determined to see her through this one, and on the path to a long and healthy life.  She is in the lead up phase of preparation for that surgery, and on a very limited dietary regimen.  She is, however, calm and determined, and really doing wonderfully.  Keep her, and all of us, in your thoughts as we get ready for this big hurdle.

December 15, 2012

I have lost 7.5 pounds.  So I am now down to 201.

An interesting side light to all of this is that, having eliminated nearly all carbohydrates from my diet for the first two weeks, I saw a remarkable decrease in the number of migraine headaches I experienced.  Within two days of reintroducing carbs, I was back to having miserable headaches.  It gives me pause.  I am now wondering if, perhaps, I may have some gluten sensitivity that is at the root of my headaches.  Something to explore.

Sue

December 2, 2012

I've lost six pounds.  This morning, I weighed 202.5.  That is hardly svelte, but it is, finally, heading in the right direction.

I also have a cold...which He claims is probably because this diet has hurt my immune system.

Sue

Week 1

I am 4.5 pounds lighter today than I was a week ago.  It is a small thing, but it is a start.  Beyond that, I feel pretty good.  My energy is up, and I am not generally hungry.  I eat a carton of Kroger's Carb Smart yogurt for breakfast along with a scoop of Unjury Chocolate Splendor protein powder mixed into a glass of Silk Milk (Vanilla, Unsweetened).  At lunch, I eat romaine lettuce and tuna.  Dinner is usually chicken or fish and vegetables.  I miss my pasta and potatoes and bread, but it is manageable.  This beginning phase  is supposed to last one more week, and then I should begin to add in more carbohydrates -- 5 grams at a time, as long as I keep losing weight.  That is the plan until I reach my "goal" weight (whatever that might be).  I am trying not to look that far ahead yet.

Sue

November 27, 2012

205 pounds today...

Sue