My mom stayed with me in the room overnight on the couch they had in the room. She was really wonderful throughout the whole process and was so supportive and caring. I know it was difficult for her to see me in pain and discomfort, and it must have brought back alot of memories of her times spent with my father when he had his Weight loss surgery.
The next morning we were up early and I was served my first meal of green jello and guava nectar. I probably drank and ate too fast. My IV had popped out overnight so when it came time to give me my "traveling cocktail" they offered to give me a shot in my tushie and i declined figuring that I could just take the prescription drugs my mom had bought me. We went upstairs to talk with Dr. Rodriguez one last time and he weighed us both. I was 245...having gained 5 pounds just of fluid. We took some pictures and met another patient of his who was just coming in for a fill. Then we were on our way.
On the way to San Antonio I started to get really nauseated. We stopped at a restaurant and my mom suggested to stick my finger in my throat to relieve the nausea. I spit up alot of muceus but nothing else. I was still nauseated by the time we made it to the La Quinta inn and Barbara contacted Dr. Rodriguez. He basically indicated that my surgery had gone fine, there wasn't any fatty liver or even alot of fat around my stomach and that I was a very healthy young woman. So the nausea was being caused by my nerves.
The next few days were rough because of the nausea and I was trying to stay calm and relaxed. I was not getting much of anyhing down and in turn was very weak and tired. I was basically drinking capfuls of water and protien drink. We decided to stay an extra day at the nice La Quinta just to be safe and I was feeling a bit better when we actually did leave. While we were in San Antonio, Barbara was just wonderful to my mom and I. She brought my mom dinner one night, and went out with her to eat other times. She was just really helpful. She gave me peptalks when i was feeling at my worst.
I have to admit, there was a point in those first few days of nausea that I did say to my mom, "why did i do this to myself?"...i think we all go through that. I wasn't even in much pain, it was just from the nausea.
The plane ride home was not very comfortable and I think my blood sugar went really low in the first hour or so. I was sweating and feeling really ill and had the presence of mind to ask for some orange juice and the couple of sips i had seemed to help. The pressure in the plane got the gas going inside me and it was very uncomfortable.
When we got back home I contacted my local doctor and got a prescription for a anit-nausea suppository which really helped. Every day I feel a little better. We took the stitches out about 10 days after surgery and I have had really no pain at all. I am now drinking all sorts of liquids and yogurt. The nutrition obviously has helped alot. I feel much more restricted in the morning and at night I can just drink and drink. Now comes the hard part...learning to live differently.
Thank you Dr. Rodriguez for being the caring and supportive person you are and for being truly concerned for you patients. Thank you Barbara for being so wonderful and helpful. You may have lost half of you but your heart is bigger than youll ever be again. Thank you Janet for being such a nice band buddy. And, thank you so much Mom for being there for me throughout this process and for caring for me no matter what mood I am in and for taking care of me and being my best friend. I love you.
10/10/02-
It has been a while since i have posted basically cause im lazy. I am doing well with everything. I weighed in today and now am at 223.4 lbs. which means i am now down 17 pounds in 5 weeks. Pretty good i think! I am going back to Curves today for the first time since surgery to work out. I am going to take it easy though and wont do anything that involves twisting or bending just in case. Ill just walk to the music and i know i will feel good that i got going on the excercise. I am happy with my progress so far and the only trouble seems to be the fact that my restriction is minimal. I know i am eating less, about half what i used to and no bread, rice , pasta, etc which i think is a HUGE accomplishment for me. But I dont feel that 'pain' or 'tightness' yet that people seem to have..and thats just because I havent had a fill yet. But im taking this one day at a time. There have been some instances where I seem to freak out and sit in front of the Fridge and eat and eat..but i know that it hasnt been junk im eating..just that i needed to feel something in my mouth for some reason. I am working on that...the distinction between head, mouth, and real stomach hunger. Its difficult and I admit i feel like I still have to have self-restraint...but i think that is a good thing. I am learning..slowly but surely how to deal with my new body and readjusting my priorities.
11/12/02
Ok so its been a month since I have posted. I am going for my first fill FINALLY this weekend. The way it works out, with the points we have, I am basically able to fly for free to San Antonio, will stay there 2 nights plus one in acuna and it will still work out cheaper than it would be for me to get a fill by a local Dr. Unbelievable. Anyway i'm excited to get the ball rolling. I haven't lost more than the same 17 pounds and the weight loss has stopped. I know this is a totally normal stage to go through but it does get discouraging and frustrating and I can't help how I feel no matter how much I read on the message boards that what is happening to me is totally normal. I want to keep seeing the scale say someting. It does'nt have to be a huge loss, but 1-2 pounds a week and i'd be happy. My jeans are loose enough to pull down while zipped..but they are stretch jeans and stretched out. I know, i have a tendancy to dwell on the negative. When I can actually fit into some jeans in my closet that are smaller, i'll feel better. I hope that Dr. Rodriguez is a little agressive with this first fill, because i want to get things moving now. I am anxious to start again.
I have been doing well eating wise. I have mostly stayed away from bread and carbs. Potatoes lately seem to give me that golf ball in the chest feeling and and kind of half-pb'd on some potatoes in a Healthy choice meal. I hope this fill will help to make me feel fuller because i get hungry alot. I'll report back when I have news.
