Tuesday, November 22, 2016

4 Week Follow Up (Ode to Cottage Cheese)

Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since I had my surgery. 


So hard to believe.


I have my second follow up with the surgeon today and I'm nervous.  I was hoping to have lost about 20lbs in this first 28 days, but I stalled out in week 3 at 15lbs lost.  This is still MAJOR and it's impact is not lost on me. 


I'm down 2 dress sizes from April, clothes actually look kinda cute on me.  I've always tried to be conscious about the way I look, but it's definitely more fun when I feel like I can dress more like I feel inside.


Tomorrow I also get to step up my diet and add thin shaved deli meat, soft cooked beans or peas, and any soup as long as there is no beef.  While I am happy to be progressing, I feel like every new food addition is a step into an uncharted territory.  Since the protein shakes are now completely gagtastic, I have been trying to plan my meals so that I can fit in enough protein to be totally free of them.  I eat fish everyday and supplement with cottage cheese and/or Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt.  In the last two weeks, cottage cheese has been my lifesaver.  It's my new perfect food.  When I'm eating something other than cottage cheese, I wish it were cottage cheese.  My family really loves it as well.  We need to buy stock in Prairie Farms because all kidding aside, we have gone through 15lbs of cottage cheese in 15 days and I can only eat it 1/2c at a time.


I'm pleased to announce that 4 weeks in, I've still never thrown up.  This was LITERALLY my biggest post surgery concern, second only to not getting enough protein and losing my hair.


My walking has continued to increase and I am now at about 4-4.5 miles per day. Getting stronger everyday!  My first post surgery race is 12/11/2016.  Ironically, The Hot Chocolate Run.  It seems unlikely to me that they will have "No sugar added", but I'm not really there for the beverages, right? I'm a little worried that it's too much too soon, but I'll never know unless I try.  I'll be walking with my friends Squirrely Berly and Susie.  I've never cried in front of them before, but unless tragedy strikes between now and then, that's likely to be the day.


All good things.  All good things.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

As Predicted

On Thursday, October 27, I awoke in the hospital to find the same old thing.  Me.


The surgery went off without a hitch if you don't count the hernia he found and repaired while he was in there. (Yes...ANOTHER hernia) Shortly after midnight, after the surgery, I was up and lapping the floor around the nurses station.  I was released from the hospital on the 27th after they confirmed that there was no leak in my gastric incision line with very little pain other than from the hernia repair.


The first few days were no big deal.  Resting and walking around the living room. A lot of thanking my husband for going above and beyond in ways only a man who took his "in sickness and in health" vows seriously can.  The clear liquid diet was ok...at first.  I wasn't experiencing any hunger, so it was more about forcing myself to get in the required protein and making sure that I was taking in enough to stay hydrated as slow and steady as possible. (not as easy as it seems it would be)
It was Sunday before I actually felt anything that was remotely like hunger and at this point, half a protein shake seemed to do the trick. 


Monday was Halloween and the hubster was gracious to drive me around while the kids did their thang. The doc probably would have liked me to walk after the surgery, but dealing with the tightness and the pulling from the hernia recovery was more than I could bear. As of Tuesday, I was getting around pretty good and was super pumped to start the full liquid diet the next day.


The full liquid diet was killing me slowly.  Not even gonna lie.  Protein shakes were getting old, protein drinks were better, but still a weird chalky flavor. Cream of Wheat was a blessing, but even with that I was dreaming of something with more substance.


The following Wednesday, a whole new world of food opened up to me.  Tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, low-fiber crackers.  This is living.  With this new advancement in my diet, I could no longer stomach the protein shakes, like at all.  I try to focus on foods that are higher in protein to make sure that I am getting my recommended amounts.  That basically means I eat fish a few times a day because there is not a scenario right now where I can even contemplate a protein shake.


I started back to work on Monday which was about 17 days since my surgery.  Everything is great.  I, of course, am looking forward to next week when I get to advance my diet again and enter the wonderful world of thin shaved deli meat.  So far I've lost 15lbs since the surgery and a total of 45 since I began this journey in April.  I am excited for all the changes and the opportunities that are in the forefront. 


I have attached a couple of before an after pictures.  The before pictures were taken from this very blog in 2011, the after taken last week.


More to come...