You look like crap!

So, its been 10 day since surgery today. I've been recovering at my families "compound" in the high desert. I have some of the most highly skilled Nazi nurses and engineer fireman paramedics looking after me. I even have a veteran bypass patient to tell me how I should be doing things! I work for the doctor. I know what I am SUPPOSED To be doing. The rules are: Walk, ALOT. Drink, ALOT, and get ALOT of protein in. Well, that is all easier said than done. I was going to be the model patient, the golden child. But when you have gone through it, its a whole different ball game sister! The first few days were rough because I was hurting alot. Doing anything other than laying around and sipping on water was a challenge. The successful veteran bypass patient ( my dad) prodded me to walk several times a day. I didn't feel like moving. But he got me up and walked the property with my several times. After all, who wants to get blood clots and die, Not this girl! Let me tell you one thing about this bypass recovery stuff.... its rough! Its harder than I thought it was going to be! I have zero desire to get up and walk, and even less desire to eat or drink. Imagine that. But its a real issue. I was trying, but its hard to do something when you have NO desire to do it. In the last few days I have gotten out of the house a little here and there. We have went to lunch with the fam. I get my soup broth, or egg, and I'm satisfied. But then I want to go home, because even the smallest outing exhausts me beyond belief. Today was my 2 week check up. I was nervous because of the staples. I had six incisions all over my belly, totalling 14 staples. I have had anxiety for days about having these things removed because I was sure it was gonna hurt bad! My mama drove me to my appt, and I was very anxious to get on that scale. I have been eating meals out of cups that they serve you sides of ranch in at restaurants, so I was expecting MASSIVE weight loss. I stepped on the scale and the number popped up. 8 stinking pounds. You have to be kidding me. I have went through HELL, and I lost a newborn baby? I wasn't happy. The doc is happy if I am getting 64 oz of fluid in daily and somewhere around 60-70 grams of protein. When I really starting thinking about what I have been consuming, reality hit me. Ive been lucky to get maybe 20oz of fluid in a day. And IF i drink a protein shake in my day, i have 40 oz of protein. If not, which alot of days I haven't, I'm getting somewhere between 10-15 grams of protein in. So no wonder I feel like I have been hit by a truck. No wonder taking a shower wipes me out beyond belief! As soon as I walked in, the girls were like wow Jen, you look horrid. Then another girl said, man, you didn't even do your hair today did you? I told my mom, why didn't you tell me how bad I look! I met with my favorite doc in the work Dr. Douglas Krahn, and he said Jen, are you nauseated? Because you are looking pretty pale and kind of yellow and green. LOL thanks! love you too! He gave me a little spanking and told me that if I don't get it together and start eating and drinking more, I'm going to be in the hospital, and that is definitely not something I am interested in! So, here I lay, sipping on my crystal light. I hope if I can get more protein and water in I will start feeling better. I'm off for another week, and my mission is to get it together so I wont get the "you look like crap" comments anymore!!!

Going under the knife for a new life!

I have been meaning to write this blog for about a week now, but the last few weeks have been a bit of a whirl wind! I checked into the hospital on Monday, July 15th to have revision surgery. Dr. Douglas Krahn was going to remove my non functioning lap-band and convert to gastric bypass. I had been awaiting and preparing for this day for weeks. In the week leading up to this day I had to do many things to prepare my body for this surgery. I went on a 8 day all liquid protein diet, and began exercising daily to help optimize my recovery at my doctors orders. The day before surgery I had to drink a bottle of magnesium citrate to flush my intestines and make sure my body was completely empty! Upon admission to the hospital the nervousness of the journey I was about to embark on hit me like a ton of bricks, but  I was ready for it. They got me all set up with my IV fluids and let my parents and family come back to visit me. Dr. Krahn and Dr. Chin and his P.A. Sam all came to check on me and let me know how the day was going to play out. Soon it was my turn to be wheeled into the OR to be prepared for surgery. As soon as they wheeled me in, I started to panic. It was finally real! I have been watching WAY too much Grey's anatomy and the OR was nothing like I had seen on T.V. LOL. My anesthesiologist was about 178 years old, and the only thing that I could tell myself so I wouldn't freak out was that he was VERY experienced in his field!. Before surgery I tend to have a mini panic attack, and the nurses were amazing. She held my hand, and that really did help alot, and before I knew it, I was asleep. The next thing I recall was waking up to a very bright light over my head. I was hurting so bad, and the thirst that I had was unbelievable. I remember moaning and saying that I hurt so bad and I was so thirsty. Apparently I was a bit too loud, and one nurse told me that I needed to be quiet because I was not the only one in the room. She is really lucky I was incapacitated at that point. The next thing I recall is waking up in my room with all my family sitting around staring at me. I was very groggy, and it feels weird to be the center of attention like that. I was hurting pretty bad at that point so the nurse said she would get me something to help the pain. This is when the hell started. They gave me a very strong pain medication called dilaudid. To put it lightly, this pain med JACKED ME UP. I was a miserable wreck for the next 48 hours. Nausea is one of the worst things in the world, especially nausea that cannot be relieved. They gave me anti-nausea medication through my IV. Every time they would put something else through my IV  it would light my arm on fire with pain. Those days were NOT fun in any way. All I could do was close my eyes and try to wait for it to pass. Day two was exceptionally rough. They took me down to do an upper GI to make sure that everything was ok. Combine nausea with having to drink a thick syrup and stand in front of an x-ray machine and I was in tears. They took me back to my room, and when I arrived my two moms were there to visit me. I felt so bad to have visitors and I couldn't even speak to them because of the nausea. The bright spot of the day is when I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from My Todd. Be still my heart <3. The second night at about 2 AM I reached my breaking point. Every time I would turn around they would be putting something else in my body through that IV, and my right had had swollen to about two times its regular size. I honestly starting thinking that they might be trying to kill me. I asked them to please stop, as I would rather have pain than nausea. They gave me an oral mild pain med and I finally was able to fall asleep and I woke up day three feeling worlds better! Sam came to visit me that morning and asked me if I wanted to go home and I said YES! My mom and dad came to pick me up and  I was discharged from the hospital that day and headed home to begin the recovery process. My hospital stay was less than desirable. I had some really sweet nurses,and some not so sweet nurses, but either way, I made it through and I am excited about the journey that has officially begun!