4 days and 8 Pounds Down, ?? To Go!

I'm finally in shape to write. I have lots to report.

The Big Day!

I had the operation on Wednesday in the afternoon. I woke up and had enough pain that I got all of the pain meds they would let me have, then the moved me from recovery to a waiting area, where my husband was hanging out. It took about two more hours to be able to leave, and I've never been so happy to leave anywhere. I hate the hospital.

We went home and I flopped on my couch, which I had set up as a recovery area for a few days. I bought a CoolMax twin mattress topper to put on the couch, and treated myself to two new pillows and cases. Before the operation I also bought an egg poacher, a back scratcher, and a magic bullet blender (as seen on tv!) The couch is comfy and I can watch tv and be close to the kitchen in case I need to make some kind of food for myself (though my husband is supposed to be helping and he really has done a great job.)

That night I was sore. I checked out my abdomen, and boy was I shocked! I thought the doctor went in through the belly button, but no, I have four small holes and the appr. two inch cut where he installed the port. It's all well above my navel. So I felt really stupid for all the people I told that I was getting it through the navel. Duh!

The couch was a good idea for another reason. I am a stomach sleeper. Being on the couch keeps me on my back. With the mattress topper and pillows I feel like the Princess and the Pea. I woke up on Thursday very sore and very hungry. This was a shock as everyone told me that I would not be hungry. So I ate jello. It went down well and I felt fine. For the rest of the day I "ate" clear liquids and jello. I took my meds and drowsed. Same thing the next day. And I was hungry!!!

On Saturday I switched to full liquids. I made a big mistake, though, and that was that I waited too long to order my protien supplements. You must have supplements to hit the goals they set for protien. I went to the Bariatric Eating site and ordered some flavorless supplements. I had gone to the drug store and bought some chocolate shake style supplement. That made me feel ill, I just hate the taste. I'm hoping this flavorless protein will work in my soups.

On Sunday night I was still starving, so I decided to try something new. I poached two eggs and then chopped them into tiny pieces. I also got 2 slices of the Deli Delight sliced turkey. I ate both, chewing like crazy, and I felt full for the first time since the operation. My doctor says we are supposed to have full liquids for 10 days, but there was no way. So today, Monday, I had two eggs again, and have had some of the deli meat and a couple of slices of avocado. All went down well and I'm much better satisfied. I am also having cream of chicken soup with protein powder, as my supplement has arrived. I'll let you know how it tastes.

All of this is humbling, to say the least. You tell yourself you don't eat all that much, but if you need a lap band, you eat too much. It's really shocking when you look at the tiny amount of food you are allowed after surgery and then remember what one of your meals consisted of just last week.

I'm going to try my protein soup, and then I'll let you know if it was a success...

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