What do you do when you feel perfectly healthy and it’s the night before you are scheduled to go to the hospital to have surgeons cut out your stomach? For me and my husband, you avoid going to sleep as long as possible. And when there’s a creepy M Night Shamylan movie on tv, you lay there and watch it. The good thing is that movie was so creepy and good, it was the perfect distraction from my impending reality. By the time the movie finished at 2 AM, we were so exhausted, we fell right asleep. (perfect)
Movies are like music. Watching one or listening to one can bring you back to a place and time. So, The Happening came on FX yesterday and I couldn’t help but keep it on. I was sitting there thinking it was crazy before surgery with all the fear and unknown and stress, like a dark cloud hanging over our heads.
Jump forward to ‘The Now’. This whole thing hasn’t been so bad. I don’t know why I’m recovering so well, and I do believe other people have many more struggles than me with recovery. But for me, it’s been pretty good. I’m certainly not full strength, but everyday I can eat a bit more and I heal and become stronger. I’m getting more energy to play with my kids and keep up with my OCD habits. (Cue hubbie comment: “Uh oh, mom must be starting to feel better if she’s doing laundry.”) Don’t get me wrong, the hospital part isn’t pleasant, but just like my c-section recoveries your memory of the pain fades. (I believe hospital staff mentioned some of the drugs reduce your recollection.) This time around watching the movie, I was taking it easy, surfing the web and enjoying life…no more dark cloud.
My fellow gastrectomy friend Aimee has been giving me tips and advice and answering my questions. Before my surgery, she said, “I’d rather be on this side of the surgery than yours.” After my surgery, another friend told me I looked relieved. I’d have to agree. So, that’s my before and after comparison.
Onto specific food stuff. Here’s what I was able to eat today, very slowly. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s a real effort now.
Dannon Greek Light & Fit Yogurt
1/2 Thoms cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter
1 whole turkey & cheese sandwich with a basil hummus spread
1 8 oz almond milk with a scoop of GNC Wheybolic vanilla protein powder
4 peanut butter crackers
1 Whataburger jr hamburger
Some mango & blueberries (desperate again for fruit and spitting out the skins)
1/2 large banana
Spoonful of some crazy oreo/cream cheese/cool whip dessert from my mother-in-law
I try not to mix drinking with eating, like the dietician recommends. My liquids have really improved and I’ve been focusing a lot on them since we were out in the heat today.
63 oz water (trying to finish now)
1 12 oz coke zero
4 oz Gatorade g2
To note, I’ve always been lactose sensitive, so I’ve played around with almond, lactose free (read…regular milk with the lactose enzyme added) and soy milk for a long time. So milk alternatives aren’t a change for me for my protein shakes. And I do the light & fit yogurts and g2 Gatorade in order to stay away from sugars. I’m not sure what my tolerance is exactly for sugar, but life requires moderation, and now my body is quickly reminding me if I mess up. After my eggo incident and feeling a bit off after some foods, I’d rather not push it.
Given how well my calorie intake is going, the dietician recommended I try dropping one can off my nightly tube feeding. We’ll see how good my morning weight is. I’ve stayed stable to the pound every morning lately with 4 cans plus my oral intake. Yes, throw something at me, hate me…I have a high metabolism. Though, I have been walking, so I deserve some credit for that. Every can is 285 calories. If I drop one, I hope I can make it up.
Well, off to sleep for me. Goodnight.