4th WEEK WEIGH IN

Yesterday I was 4 weeks out from surgery. Since I will not weigh in at my surgeons until September 13, I weighed on my home scale. I have lost another 6 pounds bringing my total to 34. I won't change my ticker though until I officially weigh at my surgeon's office.

REAL FOOD!

Tomorrow I will be 4 weeks out from surgery. I have had a difficult time eating "real food" as my Dr. wants. I ate tuna on saltines; only could eat 3. It took me 4 days to finish the can of albacore that I mixed with mayo, pepper, celery seed. So far this has been the best thing I have ate. I tried some marinated garbanzo beans in a leafy green salad with home grown tomatoes. It was SO good. It took me almost 30 minutes to eat but I had no problems. This morning, after being up all night, I decided a salad sounded really good. I made the same as I had a few days ago and after 3 bites I put the bowl in the fridge. I must have eaten too fast because for the first time I felt like I was going to hurl. I burped a few times and the pain was gone. I immediately felt tired and went to sleep. I had a protein shake when I woke up 6 hours later. I still have no desire to eat anything. I bought 4 small peaches at the Farmer's Market and need to try one. I am getting in plenty of fluid.

I am going to weigh on my home scale tomorrow morning even though it is about 5 pounds lighter than my Doctor's $3500 Tanita scale. At least it will give me an idea of how I am doing.

I am still having sleep disorder issues that are driving me crazy. I wish I could be able to go to bed at 11 or 12 and sleep until morning. Instead, I am up all night and sleep during the day. I have tried staying up all day and then only sleep 3-4 hours and have to get up. I need to change my sleeping pills next time I see my pain management doc.

My daughter was here on Monday with her best friend Amanda. She brought another load of stuff from my Dad's and sorted through what I had brought home. I wish they could have stayed longer but Amanda had to start school at San Jose State on Wednesday. Savannah doesn't go back until August 28.
Even though we talk everyday on the phone, I miss having her around the house. I can't believe she will be 21 next month!

SECOND FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENT

I had my second follow up appointment with my Dr. on Wednesday. I lost another 5 pounds; 20 since surgery; 28 total.

I was lectured for not eating "real" food yet. I have been drinking 3 protein shakes a day and lots of water. My Dr's nurse wants me on solid food NOW! I have eaten 3 wheat thins with peanut butter twice now with no problems. I had a bite of mashed potatoes and meatloaf that made my new stomach make really loud noises for the first time. I keep telling myself I am going to try to eat some Tuna but haven't yet. I am so afraid of food getting stuck or throwing up. I have never been a thrower-upper.

I have had a pretty depressing week as it was my Dad's birthday on Monday. I also had a long discussion with the Dr. that treated him while he was in the hospital. They finally got the results back from the Kidney Biopsy which indicates that was the primary cancer. I am really pissed off because over the past three years my Dad had ALL the symptoms to having Kidney problems and they were never addressed.

TWO WEEK UPDATE

I can't believe that two weeks ago I was just now coming out of surgery. Time flies!

I am feeling great! I tried on a pair of pants today that I tried a month ago and couldn't button or zip up. Well, I got them buttoned AND zipped and didn't even have on my super hold-in-the-tummy underwear on! I was so excited that I am down a whole size in two weeks.

I drove for the first time today and went into town to the grocery store. I stocked up on Alan's frozen Healthy Choice Dinners and Carb Countdown milk for me to mix with my Unjury protein powder. I am so glad my Father-in-Law sent me a Magic Bullet with tons of attachments. I use it several times a day. I try to get in three protein shakes a day.

As for food, I still have NO appetite and have only eaten some applesauce. I am drinking tons of water and watered down Gatorade still. I did buy some thin sliced turkey breast that I am going to try to eat. I want to try some tuna mixed with a little mayo first.

I see my surgeon on Wednesday for my second follow-up and I can't wait to see how much I weigh. I noticed after my first follow-up appointment they listed my goal weight as 131! HA!
I can't imagine weighing less than 150. Jen at Hot Fat 4 Sale had a great Blog entry about what we should weigh. Very interesting information.

I am still waiting for my daughter to email me the picture she took before I left for surgery so I can post that here. I will also post about my surgery experience at that time.

FIRST WEEK FOLLOW-UP

I had my first week follow-up appointment today with my surgeon's associate, Dr. Boone. My surgeon is on vacation in Brazil. I first met with Alice whom I first met in the operating room last Friday. She weighed me and I am down 22 pounds since my first consultation appointment, 15 of which I lost in the last WEEK!

I mentioned to Alice that my right knee had been sore for the last few days and she immediately went and brought Dr. Boone in the room to take a look at my leg. I am sure it is orthopedic, but he wants me to go have another doppler study to rule out any blood clots. I should get a call Monday from the hospital as he ordered it ASAP.


Alice asked what I had been "eating" the past week and when I told her basically nothing but water and watered down Gatorade she had a surprised look on her face. I don't know why since that was on the list and after 2 cups of chicken broth I didn't want anymore.
My second week food choices are:
Soups: tomato, split pea, lentil, etc
Refried Beans
Mashed Potato
Cottage Cheese
Cream of Wheat
Yogurt
Applesauce
Banana
Tofu
Peanut Butter
Mashed hard boild eggs

Out of this list there are only a few things that I actually like. I am going to try to eat some Yogurt since I know it has protein.
I will eat applesauce, bananas, mashed potatoes, and maybe put some peanut butter into a small protein shake. I am NOT hungry at all. I will try one of these tomorrow. I had my daughter buy me a half gallon of Chocolate Carb Countdown so I will mix up a small shake for lunch.

Alice wants me to start on my chewable multivitamins and B12. I ordered some calcium wafers that should arrive by Monday.

After my Dr. appointment, Alan, Savannah and I went to The Elephant Bar so they could eat an early dinner. I drank two glasses of ice tea with spenda while they ate. The food smelled good but I wasn't even tempted to eat anything. I told them my new mantra would be "You can never be too RICH or too THIN!"

Savannah is leaving tomorrow to visit her grandma in Eureka for a few more weeks. She will be back here for a visit before she has to start work and school. I truly don't know what we would have done without her this last week. She has been very helpful to both Alan and I. I am really going to miss her when she leaves.

Savannah has been transfering all our home video's to DVD'S. Earlier tonight we watched one of her when she was in Jr. High and on the same tape was a visit we made to my Dad's. After watching it for about 5 minutes I started crying and asked her to turn it off. I guess it is just too soon for me but it comforts her to be able to hear and see him.

Sippy Cup Hell

I am already sick of broth. I have been straining the broth from Chicken Noodle Cup of Soup and it takes forever to drink it. Plus it gets cold fast so I have to keep zapping it. I am enjoying warm tea in the middle of the night and mornings. I am "sipping" lots of water and watered down Gatorade, Apple Juice, and Cranberry Juice. I can't even eat a whole popsicle at one sitting! The most amazing thing is that I am NOT even hungry! The smell of food makes me ill. I have to go in the bedroom when Alan and Savannah cook or eat anything that has a strong odor. Other than that, I feel great.

I felt a little confused about how much liquid I should be getting in my body. I am sipping all the time while awake.
I am afraid of getting dehydrated and learning to sip and not just drink a big gulp of something was very hard. However, the sharp pain you get from drinking too fast makes one think before you drink. "One ounce of liquid at a time" has been my mantra the last 3 days. I bought one Sippy Cup and it will be given a proper good-bye in a few weeks.

I have my follow-up appointment this Friday and will then get to eat cream of wheat, mashed potatoes, and pudding. One ounce servings and will have to stop drinking before and after I eat.

When I weighed in before surgery I was at 273. Before I left the hospital I was back up to 286. I can't wait until Friday to get my official one week weigh in.

Finally, I HAVE NORMAL ANKLES! They are not swollen and I have been off all water pills since surgery. Is that a "WOW" moment?