Adventures in WLS

Yesterday was my first Post Op visit. I had a "nutrition" class at 1PM. I left not knowing anymore then I already did, so that makes me a wee bit sad. They aren't really nutrition classes. It's basically just going over a slide show that is in the large book they gave us before surgery. They tell us how important water is and that we can now move onto the puree stage. Since having surgery, this has been my whole life. I know Dan is tired of hearing about it, lol. I was able to give some of the other WLS peeps some products that they were looking for. It was nice to know something :)

I met this young woman, who honestly looked my age, but she's married, with 2 little ones and mentioned I was the young one. She's going to look amazing down the road and seriously younger! We exchanged emails and hopefully will keep in touch. We'll at least see each other at the next post op. She came with her Mom, which is cool. The neatest part is that her Mom had had WLS 17 years ago. Her and her husband were experimental in the the military (I hope I'm getting this right). They had their surgeries 6 weeks apart and had different ones. I can't remember which ones they were, but I know it wasn't the Gastric Bypass, it was one I hadn't heard of. Anyway, back then the doctors didn't know that much, so she was never given a book of what to do and not to do. Everyone was going in blind. At the beginning they told her to eat what could fit in a pop can and we are told 1 oz. She said it's great to have all this support and knowledge now. She was so funny. Sadly she dumps on most of her food and can't eat a lot of different things. She said if she could just get a handle on the dumping, everything would be great. In my opinion she looks fabulous. I'm sure I'll see her next time as well!

I had brought all my vitamins to the class thinking we were going to have a nutritionist and I could sit down and go over what ones she knew I would need, what ones couldn't be taken with others, etc. The teacher was a nurse that I had had right before going into surgery. Not that she isn't great, but I'm sure she's not going to know everything about vitamins, that's what a nutritionist is for.

Immediately after the class we all went up to Dr. Snyders to get our drains removed. Again, here I was a little disappointed. We were suppose to be keeping track of the liquid that came out of our drains. I wrote down every oz and then took the paper with me. They didn't look or even ask about it, so I'm not sure what the point was of measuring it's contents. Again, it was a nurse. A very awesome nurse, but we didn't get to see Dr. Snyder. Actually he popped into my room a second, so I asked him quickly about the gallstone/bladder medicine I want to take for precautions (many WLS patients end up having to have it taken out and I don't have another $27k for an emergency removal). He told me to talk to him at the 3rd or 6th week post op. He wanted my body to heal up more from this initial surgery before taking the pills. So I'll ask again in 2 weeks. At least he wasn't like "no, you don't need them".

So the drain...OW.... I think I explained a JP drain before, but just incase. There's a tube that runs probably a foot or so inside your body and then out. It connects to a "bulb" or in my opinion a grenade. It honestly looks like a clear, plastic grenade. The bulb is squeezed to let all the air out, and then capped. It slowly suctions the liquid that they put into your body for surgery out into itself. You have to drain it so that it can continue to do it's job. You have to strip the tubing so that tiny little blood clots don't block anything. I don't mind any of that. It was the incision that the tube went into the body. They stitch the tube in place, but it always felt like someone was tugging on it. It was just impossible to please walking or sitting. Glad it's gone!

To take it out, they cut the stitches and pull. You can imagine, those that haven't had one, just how uncomfortable a foot or more of tubing is coming out of your body. We had to lie flat on our backs, take a deep breath in, and then blow it out as hard and fast as we could. Exhaling was when she pulled. Holy crap it felt like someone was trying to pull my stomach out and it was wrapped around my spine. Definitely don't want to have to feel that again.

All my little wounds have to be uncovered now and breathe air. There's a couple that rub against my pants, so I'll keep those gauzed when I'm moving. Everything looks good though!

And...the highlight of yesterday:

I've officially lost 14 pounds since surgery.

WHOOT! and actually a tiny bit more since I had clothes on :)

This post won't be much longer, I promise!

I got home yesterday and had been out for 4 total hours. I ate a little bit of Pintos and Cheese with some taco sauce (heaven!) and then just crashed in the recliner for 3 hours. I didn't get enough protein or water in yesterday, so that might have been why. Going to have to work on that for when I'm out and about.

Dan got home from classes later and I asked him if he'd go shopping with me. Before he did, he told me he had started reading my "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies" book and was doing research online about how WLS can affect relationships (a lot of divorces). I thought that was really awesome of him that he had taken such an interest. He said he was almost late for class because he was reading it. :) It was fun talking to him about what he had read and looked up. He's such a cutie :D

Posted in: on Thursday, August 21, 2008 at at 8:47 AM