Archive for the ‘Doctors and Dentists and Nurses… oh my!’ Category

Wow… I got nothing

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, Weight loss
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First of all, thank you thank you THANK YOU… 221 page views yesterday. That set a new record for us here at MOASTBFFG and I’m very honored and humbled that so many took time to visit.

So, the first night at home.

As you can see by the time I’m posting this (4:15 AM), it’s pretty early in the AM. The good news is that I turned in around 9:30 and turned the light off at 10:00. That means pretty near six hours of sleep, which totally beats anything I had in the hospital. It’s not as much as I hoped, but that’s OK… it’s not like I have to go to work today or anything. I found that I couldn’t really get comfortable flat on my back, so I had to prop myself up with pillows. My back doesn’t mind it too much, which is a good thing, I guess.

The other issue I had was with hiccups. I kept getting them yesterday. It wasn’t exactly fun, but what can you do? They seem to have subsided. I have to think that maybe I was trying to drink (eat) too fast. That’s really going to be the biggest adjustment for me. I used to scarf down a meal in no time flat and that’s just not going to work anymore. My new stomach is the approximate size of a shot glass (or my thumb) and won’t stretch nearly as much as the old one did.

far_side002I do have a lot of worries, though. My biggest is whether or not I will experience “buyer’s remorse” that I took such a radical step. I’m reading on the online forums that some folks experience it. I’m sure there will be times when I regret that I went this route. I think it’s natural… it’s a major lifestyle change that I’ve made. Giving up a life that totally celebrated food and was all about the next meal was not easy. I hope that this will not change my joy of cooking, because I can’t necessarily partake. As I said to Supportive Partner Woman (Eater of a very paleo plate!), I’ll probably never be able to have jambalaya again, unless I figure out an alternative to rice. Same way with a Chipotle burrito bowl. At least with that I can opt to have more beans and veggies. But that’s far in the future.

Speaking of SPW (eater of tasty meat!), she’s considering a move to the paleo diet. Apparently, it’s based on lots of natural foods, low grains, high protein, and unprocessed stuff. Looking over it, a lot will actually apply to me when I can transition to solid foods. It’s an interesting concept… eat like the cavemen. It might actually work for me, as I’ll have to eliminate a lot of grains from my diet, but the downside is the lack of dairy. Considering that Greek yogurt pretty much became a staple for me, well, I guess we will see.

The other bad thing is that the walking in slipper sock, coupled with the extremely dry air of the hospital, did a number on my feet. Much cracking was observed, and that has me concerned. I see the foot doctor next week, though, so perhaps this will work out. In the meantime, SPW will continue to attack the feet with the ammonium lactate cream and hopefully that will cause the cracks to start to heal. I probably should’ve just sucked it up and put on sneakers to walk, but I wasn’t sure about how much I could bend. We will get the feet happy again.

At any rate, I’ll keep you updated as we break new ground in the recovery. That should be interesting.

It’s good to be home…

Posted: March 28, 2013 in 5K, Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, liquid diet, Supportive Partner Woman, Team AllEars, Walking, Weight loss
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Greetings from the Nerd Lair!

I arrived home earlier this afternoon via chariot pulled by unicorns. Or a Honda Civic. Close enough. Either way, it felt awesome to walk out of the hospital, get in the car and then be in our own house. I get to go back to full liquid diet, which meant I could have a protein shake for lunch. Woohoo!

Best part of my discharge instructions

Best part of my discharge instructions

The biggest news, which left me stepping lighter, is that I have been released from the insulin scourge. As you know, that was my primary reason for having the operation done. Pretty drastic, but the end result was what I wanted, no, needed to have happen. I needed to be off the insulin.

Everything seems to be healing up nicely. I’m limited to light activity for a couple weeks until I go back to see Dr. McPhee. Have to give the belly time to heal. I would post a picture of it, but it’s a little off-putting and I’d rather not gross anyone out.

My diet has returned to full liquids. I can go to pureed foods in a couple of weeks. Basically, I have to learn to eat again. To figure out what I can and can’t handle. So far, I’m able to handle a protein shake, so that’s a good thing. I’m going to try some soup for dinner… again, nothing major in terms of quantity… I just need to remember that it’s most important to stay hydrated

My other big news is that I committed to join Team AllEars. I’ve been toying with the idea for quite some time, but I could never seem to get myself in good enough shape. I’m planning on running/walking in the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 5K. I know it’s not a long distance, but for someone who’s never run in his life, it’s huge. I’m excited because I’ll be teaming up with some of the finest people I know and in support of Avon breast cancer charities. Both Supportive Partner Woman (considering going Paleo!) and I know people who have survived and who have succumbed to breast cancer, and its hard to think of a more worthy charity. As I told my co-captain, “It won’t be fast and it won’t be pretty, but I’m going to finish it.”

I’ll post more about that later.

So, I’ve said it before, but this is when my life is really going to start. It’s not going to be easy… believe me that bariatric surgery is never the easy way out, but I’m determined to get my body in shape and to keep it that way. I’ve wasted a lot of years (and part of toe) in service to food and poor habits. Now that I see how good it feels to be active, I’m going to grab that lifestyle and go as far as I can with it. It’s not going to be easy, but how many really good things are?

I’ll keep you posted, and, for the record, the happiest moment on this blog is going to be when I can post a picture of myself crossing that finish line.

Lessons from the hospital

Posted: March 28, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Walking, Weight loss
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So, after a couple days in the bastion of healing, I’ve come up with a couple of hard, incontrovertible truths.

1) Sleep is important to healing.
2) It’s damn near impossible to sleep in a hospital, unless they have you under anesthesia.

I learned this when they get me up every four hours to go for a walk. This is to prevent blood clots, or so they say. It is a good idea, since blood clots are bad… Very bad. However, while you’re sleeping, they have these things on your legs that inflate and deflate to do exactly the same thing.., prevent blood clots.

So after you do your mandatory constitutional, you lay back down in bed and by the time you finally drift off again, one of the vampire crew shows up to collect blood, waking you up again. It’s about that time when you give up, opt to sit in your chair and blog.

Speaking of walking, Supportive Partner Woman (great motivator!) and I calculated my laps from yesterday and realized that I walked almost 2.5 miles. In slipper socks. No wonder my feet are hurting a bit. But in the good news department, I get discharged today.

Yay!!! (Insert happy dance)

Things are actually feeling pretty good. I still ache, but I’ve not taken any painkillers since yesterday. I’ve also started expelling the surgical gas. I know… No one wants to hear about farting, but it is an unfortunate byproduct of laparoscopic surgery. The other side effect showed up when they weighed me last night. I’m 11 pounds heavier than when I checked in on Tuesday morning. That too is cycling out, but it will take a few days to unload all that retained fluid. Plus, they have me on a pretty constant IV of Ringer’s lactate. That stuff should be familiar to anyone who watched the 70’s TV show Emergency! Seems it’s used to help pump up blood volume. I think it’s also used to keep me chained to an IV pole.

I am ready to go home and get on with the process of healing. Dr. McPhee seems to think ill be able to be off all of my diabetes medications. This makes me very happy. No more insulin? That would be spectacular. Not to mention save a lot of cash. I’d even willingly sacrifice the full vial in the fridge. I’m pretty happy about the prospect of no longer being a human pincushion.

In the other cool news, we got to see a helicopter land and drop off a patient yesterday afternoon. It was pretty cool to watch. I’ll include a picture from my window. Hopefully the victim is OK. I did not find any details in the media, but it was kind of cool to watch.

At any rate, back to being bored for the last few hours of my confinement. More later!

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Good morning

Posted: March 27, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Walking, Weight loss
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So here I sit.

I’m in the chair in my very nice hospital room. I overlook the emergency room helipad, I found this out when I was sent on my first forced march yesterday. See, walking is a key. It helps to keep the blood flowing and avoid any clots.

The operation was no picnic, at least from my end. I remember being in recovery in a blanket of mental fuzziness. I don’t even recall being taken to my room. I remember a raging thirst, which I can only slake with a water-soaked swab, and also pressing the pain med dispensing button. I vaguely remember Supportive Partner Woman (Best wife Ever!) watching me drift in and out of wakefulness. I remember drifting in and out.

I remember the pain.

Yes, there is pain. I felt like I did about 1,000 crunches in very short order. It still hurts like a bastard.

The incisions themselves look pretty good. They are small and they glue them closed with some kind of surgical super glue. I couldn’t see all of them, but the one I could see was about 1/2 inch. There’s a bigger one that has a drain in it. That’s to help get rid of the sterile fluids and excess blood leftover. They will remove that before I go home on Thursday.

Today, they will be removing the dreaded catheter. I can’t wait. I’m not looking forward to getting that thing yanked out of my junk, but I’ll be glad to get rid of it. I also get to have some fluids today. Woohoo! It’s going to be a big change, having to eat and drink as slow as I’m going to have to. But I’ll adjust. I also think they are taking off the heart monitor this morning, too. That means I get the joy of taking off the leads. So, word of the day will be ouch.

I get to see Dr. McPhee today as well. He’ll want to check the incisions and go from there. I even get a shower!

The nursing care has been awesome. Heather, my day nurse, and Summer, the night nurse, have been super nice and super professional. Summer is actually in the program and goes for her procedure next week.

I’m sure I’ll post more later today, so I’ll stop right now.

Thanks again for all the awesome support. I’ll include a picture of my bed.

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Waiting

Posted: March 26, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Weight loss
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So I’m sitting in a preop cubicle here at LGH. My gown is on and not tied well, cause I’m just not that coordinated.

I’m also frightened.

I guess it’s natural… They are going to reroute my plumbing. If I wasn’t scared, I’d be worried. There are so many thoughts going through my mind right now, I’m not sure which way is up.

I know that I’m logically doing the right thing, that which offers me a fighting chance at a normal life. But there’s part of me that will miss the old sedentary lifestyle. It’s going to be a battle fighting that part, but I’ve gotten this far.

In the upside, I weighed 354.2 this morning. With clothes and shoes on. The liquid diet and the reduced insulin deserve the credit, but I know that I had something to do with it as well. It’s been a struggle, but it’s worth it.

I admit my biggest problem was chatting with my mom in the way to the hospital. I heard her start to break down. I want to get this done so I can tell her I’m fine.

I’m getting shaved now. This will be fun when it grows back. It is what it is.

This will be my last post until after I’m done. Thank you all for sticking with me. Next chapter begins now.

Go time

Posted: March 25, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, liquid diet, The Beetus, Weight loss
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Yeah… now it sets in.

I got the call this morning that my arrivale time at the hospital will be 8:50 AM. That means the procedure will probably go down around 11:00. Basically, I have less than 24 hours until my life changes forever.

That’s not entirely true… my life has changed already. I’ve made the adjustments to my eating and lifestyle. I’ve had my psychological session. I sat through classes on diet, learned the correct way to exercise and learned a lot more about the way the body functions (or malfunctions in my case). I also learned just how many people are rooting for me.

That last was the biggest lesson.

I never saw many people as being good friends. Sure, I had acquaintances, but I always saw my fat as an obstacle to true friends. I just assumed that people were talking about me behind my (broad) back. It wasn’t until I got involved in the Disney community that I started feeling accepted. I say “started” because I still harbored some serious doubts about my own self-worth. I think I will always struggle with that, but I can deal a lot better than I used to.

Dealing with life as a more normal sized person will be a big change. I’m going to have to put myself out there again. I’ll need to learn to not assume I’m too fat to do something and try it again. It will be nice to no longer have to request a table in a restaurant because I’m too fat for a booth. Even fitting in the break room seats at work won’t be a challenge. It will be even nicer to not forego a ride that I previously passed on due to fat.

Even buying clothes won’t be as much of a hassle. No longer needing to shop at Thornton Melon’s Tall and Fat will be a nice change of pace.

The biggest positive change I see is the elimination of the insulin. I think insulin makes you fatter… I don’t necessarily have any scientific proof to this, but it seems that I can do more exercise that I did three years ago and lose a lot less weight. In 2010, I could lose five pounds a week, now I struggle to do that in a month. Main difference? Insulin.

I know I’ve thanked everyone for their support, but there are some that really deserve some credit that I never thanked before. They would be the coworker who would talk shit about my weight and think I didn’t hear him. The comments about me not going to the beach because people would try to put me back in the water, well, they hurt at first. Then they really pissed me off the more I thought about it. It inspired me to take steps to improve my health. So, I’d like to give out a big thank you to him. The real irony is that the individual in question isn’t exactly what you would call svelte.

Anyway. That’s some people for you. Luckily, not everyone is like that.

I might write another post tonight, or at least tomorrow morning. I’ll keep you posted throughout the process.

One little victory…

Posted: March 24, 2013 in Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, liquid diet, Little Victories, Supportive Partner Woman, The Beetus, Weight loss
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I wonder if SPW ever thought of doing this for me?

I wonder if SPW ever thought of doing this for me?

Haven’t written for a few days. To be honest, I haven’t wanted to do much more than sleep. Consequence of the liquid diet, I’m sure. No energy. That’s beside the point. 48 hours from now, I’ll be hopefully all recovering and mainlining the morphine like nobody’s business. I’ve had to promise that I won’t let Supportive Partner Woman (Page designer of uncanny skill!) confiscate my phone. Apparently, some folks feel that any status updates or texts that I make while high will be amusing.

I’m not sure how to take that.

Anyway, I had to work last night and wanted to stop and pick up some unflavored protein powder on my way into the office. I trudged through SaveMart and located what I was looking for… some strawberry flavored powder as well as the unflavored powder. As I walked out of the door, my nose was assaulted with the smell of freshly baking pizza from the pizza shop across the way.

That’s just not fair.

At all.

Anyway, as I was getting ready for work, I thought, “What the hell?” and actually attempted to button my jeans at the waist, rather than the hips. To my surprise, it could actually be done. Go figure. It wasn’t comfortable in the least, but it’s a little victory. I’m all in favor of those.

In other news, the unflavored powder mixes pretty well with tomato soup. I’m looking forward to trying it with regular chicken broth… it will be less sodium for sure.

So, one more work day tomorrow, then I’m off for four weeks. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted, and even some scale pictures when it finally stops saying, “One at a time, please.”

Thanks again for all the support.

Full liquid glory

Posted: March 19, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Food porn, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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Day One of the liquid diet has commenced. I was told many things about it, but somehow, they didn’t do it justice.

It sucks.

Profusely.

The lovely liquids... vanilla cream protein shake, beef broth and plain yogurt. Yum!

The lovely liquids… vanilla cream protein shake, beef broth and plain yogurt. Yum!

So far, since midnight, I’ve had 16 ounces of protein shake (probably the highlight), ½ cup of Jell-o, ½ cup of sugar-free pudding, 6 ounces of beef broth, and 5.5 ounces of plain Greek yogurt with some banana cream protein powder added to make it somewhat palatable. Oh, and unlimited water. I’m also having some orange PowerAde as I write this. That’s pretty good stuff.

I have to do this for three weeks?

WTF was I thinking?

It also dawned on me that 7 days from now, I’ll be post surgical and my life will have changed forever. I should be out of recovery and in my room with the PCA morphine drip going strong. Also, hopefully the catheter will be out. Yes, I know it was a fear of mine that will apparently come to fruition. They place it when surgery will be over an hour, which a bypass will be. I’m not going to lie… I’m still pretty freaked out about it.But I know I’m making the right move.

So, went with Supportive Partner Woman (most supportive!) to what we were calling, “The Last Supper.” Since we were close to Red Robin and we were both approaching stupid hungry, we opted for a burger and fries. I was a kind of good boy… I ordered mine wrapped in lettuce. It really hit the spot, though, and was sobering, as I have no idea if I’ll ever have fries again. I realize that the grilled fish at Red Lobster had the most votes, but we weren’t close to a Red Lobster. Maybe I’ll make that my first post-surgical meal out.

So, to sum up, it’s not been a particularly auspicious beginning to liquids. I can only hope it gets better.

I’m also going to attempt a visit to the Rec tonight before work and see how it goes. Figure I’ll stroll for a while and hopefully not feel too bad that I’m not totally killing it. It will seem really weird that I’m trying NOT to break a sweat. Go figure.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Song of the Day: Carry On – fun.

Currently reading: Red Storm Rising – Tom Clancy

If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results. ~ Jack Dixon

Another step forward

Posted: March 18, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise
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Had my last workout session with the boys this morning. Also had the blood work done. See, not only did I have the preop tests from Dr. McPhee, but I also had the full battery of tests from Rachel. The crazy thing is that I have results already. They stuck me at 7:30 and I had results by the time I got home.

When I went in for the bone infection, my A1C was 14.3. Today, it's 6.3. Still in the diabetic range, but greatly improved.

When I went in for the bone infection, my A1C was 14.3. Today, it’s 6.3. Still in the diabetic range, but greatly improved.

In the good news, my hemoglobin A1C level dropped again. It’s half of what it was at one point, which means that my diabetes is under much better control. My cholesterol levels have improved, as well. My HDLs are still low, but getting closer to where they need to be. Other than that. I’m pretty much disgustingly normal.

So, the workout session went well. I did intervals on the elliptical for 25 minutes, then hit the weights. I worked up a pretty good sweat and got to play medicine ball catch. It’s very cathartic, getting to slam a ten pound ball into the floor. As Ryan says, “Gee… hope they aren’t doing surgery down there.” From this point on until I get back to regular food, I’m not allowed to lift weights. I could still do one more cardio session at the Rec, but starting tomorrow, it’s slower walking on the treadmill. I should be able to do about 30 minutes at 2.5 mph and hardly break a sweat, so that will be fine.

Apparently, one of the post surgical instructions is to WALK. It helps keep blood clots from forming. This actually is something I look forward to. I’m hoping that it’s not too cold to walk outside during my recovery, but if it is, I can always go to the gym. I’m also looking forward to losing enough weight to fit comfortable into my swimsuit. I really want to swim again, and hopefully, the time that I need to avoid immersion will allow me to lose a few inches.

That’s about it for now. I am going to ask you for suggestions for my last meal before the liquid diet. See the poll below:

 

Song of the Day: Go Your Own Way (live) – Lindsey Buckingham

Lets do this…

Posted: March 16, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Stubby the Wonder Toe, Weight loss
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Perhaps best known as the last words of executed murderer Gary Gilmore, they really have special meaning to me today. See, yesterday, I had my “physical” and my pre-op EKG. The physical wasn’t quite what I expected. I’m used to the whole “turn your head and cough” thing, but this was more checking if I had a pulse, had continued to lose some weight (down two more pounds… Woot!) and evolved into a question and answer session with Dr. McPhee.

Every time I interact with him, I feel that much more confident that I’m making the right decision. He’s very frank and open, describes what he’s going to do and why he does it that way, and what kind of success he’s had with the bariatric procedures. One of the things that was worrying me was the possibility of a leak. Dr. McPhee said that he’s not had a leak yet (knock wood) and that he takes “old school” steps to avoid them. Primarily, he doesn’t just staple the joins, he sutures them as well. He said it may make for a slightly longer procedure, but one with less risk of leaks.

We discussed possible complications, including scar tissue, leaks and blood clots. They are very proactive in that they give you a shot of heparin before the surgery and monitor things closely. They also hook you up with the squeezy things for your legs to make sure that blood is kept moving through the procedure.

There’s also the possibility that, if everything goes swimmingly, I could be released the next night. I’m not going to push it, but if I have the opportunity, I’ll do it. I did of course, tell the surgeon that all depended on the cable package. He said it’s just basic, so I should bring my iPad.

Once again, I can’t stress the amount of individualized care that the practice puts into each patient. I’m left with the distinct impression that if someone fails in the quest to become healthy, they take it personally. That’s actually been the case with the vast majority of the health care professionals I’ve met while dealing with the LGH system. The jackass ER doc being the exception, of course.

There’s a story there, as there always is… seems that when I visited the ER with the original infection, I had to deal with an extremely brusque ER attending physician. He took one look at my foot and pronounced, “Well, that’s coming off,” and walked away. Seriously. For that, he got a bigger insurance payout than the surgeon who did two operations on my toe. WTF?

At any rate, I’m going to get prepped for the liquid diet. The real reason behind it is that it shrinks the liver and gets it out of the way, giving the team more room to work. There will be two board-certified bariatric surgeons in the OR with me, which doubles my confidence level. I’m still scared, but I’m more sure that I’m making the right decision. And after I shed a Backstreet Boy, and am off my meds, well, then I’ll really be sure I did the right thing.

I’ll keep you posted.

Song of the Day: In Too Deep – Sum 41

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