Just push play, make sure you have your sound up and enjoy!

I’ve been home now a little over a week, and other than having my blood pressure get a little too low the previous 3 days, I’ve been great.  I seem to be past the woozy and can get on with building up my stamina and doing my “walkies” in the building hallway.  It’s too darn cold, icy and Chicago-in-January-like outside for me right now, so my long hallway in the building will provide a safe, dull walking space.

Before anyone gets all panicky, I’ve seen the Dr.s even while I was having a woozy attack and they did tests and checked me out and such so we know what it is and what it isn’t and it’s being addressed.  They’re pleased with my progress otherwise, as I’m about 28 lbs lighter than I was on the morning of the 8th walking in for surgery.

I’m still rarely hungry, only able to “eat” about 4 oz. of gooshy food once or twice a day.  Takes me about an hour to eat it.  It really is as advertised, not hungry, and rapid weight loss.  My big challenge these days is getting enough water in me (part of the woozy issue), whereas before surgery I was very much a water chuggin’ girl, now it’s tough to get more than maybe 20 oz. in me a day.  I have to sip it, about a teaspoon at a time, all day long.  Also if I take my meds, or chewable vitamins, that feels like a full tummy so I have to wait.  And no drinking 30 min before or after OR during “meals”, so that’s about 2 hours of no drinking there.  It’s a race of mini-sips, mini-nibbles and meds all day long.  Keeps me occupied I guess lol.

As much reading and preparing as I did for this procedure, there is no way I would have anticipated major surgery to NOT be a huge hassle.  Honestly, this has been much easier than I would have ever managed to believe.  It also appears that I’m doing better than average for recovery too, overall.  I was able to sit up much longer than expected the first day, and sat for hours the 2nd when I think they were expecting 20 min or so.  I’m stubborn!  Well it is also that right after surgery, if I wasn’t moving it didn’t hurt. So sitting still was just fine.  Later on, that got to be sore too, I think as my guts re arranged to their new configuration and also as I went off the pain medication pump to every 4 hours or so.

Now I’ve not taken pain meds in a week, not even Tylenol.  My only discomfort is the tape on my healing boo-boos.  It itches and pulls.  I figure in about 2 or 3 days I should be tape free.  I can hardly wait!  My tummy is patchy from glue and tape irritation, the bitty incisions are healing well and flattening out pretty much.  Two of the drain-holes might end up a bit puckered, but I can live with that.  Not like I’m gonna go parading around in a bikini.  And if I do, I’ll not care, those are earned scars, just like the ones on my knees, elbows and hands.  They tell the tale of how I got here and now.

So that’s the update, blah blah blah.  Again, my friend and family, near and far-flung across the globe, have been fabulous, supportive and caring.  Thank you is such an inadequate phrase but I truly am thankful!

Be prepared to be shocked!

I’m not quite home yet, but I’m at Rob’s, so let’s say home away from home.  Can’t carry a gallon of milk, but I can’t drink it either, so that’s ok.  I’m sore, taking lots of meds ’cause I’m ’sposed to, and feeling better progressively literally by the hours.  I’m in better shape at the end of each day than I was when I woke up.

My old self is slipping away steadily, rapidly, my tummy rumbles, burps and is completely uninterested in food, thankfully.  All of you in my support network have been beyond fabulous, have helped so much it’s tough to quantify and I appreciate your care, time and thoughts more than you’ll know.

Thanks again, and I’ll be more and more online and about as time goes on, esp. after I get all the way home but email works as always!

Ok, it’s obscene o’clock in the AM the other day, my Pops and I are on our way to a Dr.’s appointment, and we both notice that the Black SUV in front of us has this funny, bitty, LED crawl of text on the license frame. Soooo, I went an checked out the website advertised on the truck butt and found a Chicago-based nail polish company that appears targeted at the male nail market! I find it amusing, clever and can imagine this taking off, so if anyone is looking for matte nail polish, butch enough, manly enough to be worn toes or fingers out in public, I guess this IS the product for you! hehe

Manglaze