As I snuggle against my heating pad and hope for my Milk of Mag to kick in, I cannot help but to compliment my progress thus far.

I have followed my doctor's directions and have settled in nicely to my routine as a post-op patient.

Waking up, usually between 7am and 8:30am, I have a glass of water and walk a few laps around the house. I check my wounds, use the bathroom, and ultimately find my way back to my throne of a recliner.

Then, I enjoy my breakfast of either a vanilla or chocolate protein shake.  This takes about a half hour or so to get down … not because I'm physically restricted, but because I am intentionally pacing myself.

While sitting, I am sure to keep my feet up … gotta keep those pesky blood clots away … and then make myself aware of the time and keep track of making sure I walk around, drink fluids, drink my protein, and of course, enjoy a bit of soup for lunch and dinner.

I have found a new love of sugar-free popsicles and guiltlessly indulge in at least one per day.  Today, I had two.  Guiltless.

The gas pain in the left shoulder is the only residual annoyance I can complain about now. It's dull at times, sharp others … but always present.  Walking does help, I won't deny that … but I'm hoping a few more days will pass and so will the gas.

Perhaps a massage will ease the bubble … hmmm … oh' hubby ….!!!!  LOL!

Day Five of Post-Op:

The scale smiled at me this morning as the numbers 207 shined … yes, this makes 23 pounds down!  Woot!

I have been logging my foods via MyFitnessPal and trying to increase my water intake.  My total calories are inline with what my doctor has suggested and I have had no problem with keeping anything down.

Doc wants me on 'full liquids' for two weeks … he said, "the rule of thumbs is, if you can fit it through a straw you can have it!"  He then stipulated that I should avoid drinking anything through a straw … too much air and gas! LOL!For now, it's soup!  Tomorrow we are going out to dinner with friends and it'll be a mini-test.  It's at a restaurant that I wanted to check out before surgery, but we never made it over that way.  I plan on looking at the menu up online tonight and praying they have soups!  Perhaps a nice broccoli and cheddar … non-chunky, of course!

Day one … 

Doctor Wasser described my surgery as 'uneventful' … a good word if you ask me! 

Mom and I arrived to the hospital at 7am and Dad met us there a few minutes later.  It was very comforting to have them both there with me.  Mom came back to see me in pre-op first, but left in tears … I knew she was nervous, yet proud of me.  Dad came back next (they had a 1 person at  time rule) and was there to see me off as they wheeled me to the OR.  We had some laughs, but I could see he was nervous, too … I hated putting my parents through this, but they both know it will be good for me.  

As they opened the doors to OR #5 I could hear the Jackson Five grooving in the background and everyone was buzzing around in good spirits.  I remember moving myself onto the OR table and making some small talk with the doctors and nurses.  Everyone was nice and acted as if it were just another day at the office for them … they put me at ease and the music was a nice touch!  

I remember them placing a mask over my face and telling me it was O2 … the next thing I knew I was in recovery.  Uneventfully. 

I was told in pre-op that I was anemic and had to sign a waiver allowing them to give me blood if needed.  Dr. Wasser said my count was at a 9, but should be at least 12.  There is no doubt in my mind what caused this.

On October 27th I had gotten my period.  For me this is a rare occasion, but I didn't think too much about it at the time. As the days turned into weeks and those weeks grew to be over a month I grew worried.  I saw Dr. Chao and she put me on hormone treatments to stop the bleeding and 'reset' my system. We had to adjust the dose 3x before it worked … the bleeding was heavy and nearly debilitating. Finally, ten days ago, the bleeding stopped!  Whew!  I needed to be off the hormones prior to surgery and feared another D/C if round three of the meds had not worked. 

In any case, I guess 10 days is not enough time to rebuild my blood levels. One would think that the insane amount of protein I have had would help, but without eating 'normal' it wasn't enough.  They ran a quick CBC and the levels were still at 9 … but in post-op they never said I needed anything so I can safely assume there was minimal bleeding.  

What I did learn in post-op is that I had a Hiatal Hernia.  

"A hiatal hernia occurs when part of your stomach pushes upward through your diaphragm. Your diaphragm normally has a small opening (hiatus) through which your food tube (esophagus) passes on its way to connect to your stomach. The stomach can push up through this opening and cause a hiatal hernia.


In most cases, a small hiatal hernia doesn't cause problems, and you may never know you have a hiatal hernia unless your doctor discovers it when checking for another condition. But a large hiatal hernia can allow food and acid to back up into your esophagus, leading to heartburn. Self-care measures or medications can usually relieve these symptoms, although a very large hiatal hernia sometimes requires surgery." - Mayo Clinic

I can't think back to having any symptoms, so i guess it was a small hernia.  In any case, it is now fixed.

Around 2pm I was moved into a post-op holding area and my parents were allowed to come back and hang out with me.  I was in and out of consciousness, but I could see that the nurses were pleased with my recovery thus far.  About 3:00 my mom left and Angie came up.  It was so awesome being surround by such love and support.

----- meds are taking over now ----- will continue this post after a few more Zzzzzz!