The First Week Out of the Hospital

I have been home from the hospital now for a full week. The first two days were the most difficult but with each passing day it gets easier.

Friday and Saturday were the toughest. I was still in a great deal of pain and it was difficult to move around. I don't like asking for help when it comes to moving on my own but I had to a few times. My husband was here and I had my two teen-aged boys willing to assist as well.

The most difficult thing for me was dealing with guilt. I was struggling with getting in enough liquids and feeling that if I didn't get more in that I would end up dehydrated. I was sipping as often as I could but could only partake of one or two sips at a time. My stomach was upset every time I took more than a sip, which was very frustrating. This led to me becoming emotional about the situation and feeling depressed.

Taking the pain pills was getting to be more of a hassle than something that was helpful. I had to crush them up and they were very hard to swallow with one sip of water so I stopped taking them on Saturday, the day after I got home. I had moderate pain but it was manageable. All other pills need to be crushed up before taken as well. I am taking a chewable vitamin, calcium (Tums), Vitamin B12 and Ranitidine to coat the stomach.

I spoke with the Doctor's office on Monday. As long as I was no longer taking the narcotic pain pills I was allowed to drive but also told to take it easy. I don't recommend planning on going far if you do drive the first week home. It is still very uncomfortable going over bumps. It is nice to know you have the option to go out instead of being couped up in the house for days on end.

There were food obstacles the first week. I know better. I knew I wouldn't eat anything, even taste anything off the diet. I am so afraid of getting very sick. But my husband wasn't thinking and made turkey club sandwiches for himself and the boys one night and fried up the bacon in a pan on the stove. I had to leave the house for a while until it was vented out a bit. I had the recurring image in my head of me standing over the stove one and consuming half od what I cooked. Bacon and sausage are two of my biggest downfalls. I kept dwelling on this image as long as I could smell it.

The second issue was when Mike cooked one of my favorite meals for dinner, pasta with ground sausage and garlic Texas toast. It was the smell that bothered me. I just went upstairs and relaxed up there until the family was done eating.

My old habits have not died yet. Dinner is my hardest time. I still want to ask what is for dinner and look forward to the meal. I also found that when I'm out of the house, my mind tells me to stop for certain foods. It's not a cravings that I have, but a habit that is embedded deep in my subconscious. That's going to take some time to get rid of. It makes me realize why I have failed in the past. Physically not being able to have these foods has obviously made me more aware and I cannot give in to ideas like this or I would end up sick and back in the hospital.

I have woken up hungry in the past few days. It's not that hunger I used to feel where I'm desperately in need of something. If I take a couple sips of water it goes away. I am still on the same diet, Carnation Instant Breakfast - No Sugar Added Drink, chicken broth, Jell-o, water - flavored of unflavored, flat diet cola (which I stay away from) and an occasional Popsicle (I am allowed no more than 2 a day of the 20 calorie or less type.) I does get a bit monotonous but I don't think about it.

I had 5 incisions. They are healing nicely, except for one. I hate my largest incision. It is a bit larger than an inch in length with two staples on one side and three on the other side with a hole in the middle. I'm not sure why they did not staple the middle but it leaks on occasion, especially after I shower. I spoke with the Surgeon about it and he said that is normal. He would have been concerned if it was accompanied by a fever, redness or swelling and I did not have any of those. It is not pleasant to look at though.

I have this weird feeling in the center of my abdomin like there is a incision there with staples. It must be where the new pouch is.

I couldn't stand the not knowing and by Tuesday I made a trip to my primary care physician's office and asked if I could use their scale to weigh myself weekly. Thankfully, they did not have an issue. I have lost 10 pounds in the first week. I was a bit surprised because my body seemed to be in starvation mode, holding on to all the liquid I put into it. My ankles were swollen and I felt bloated. It wasn't until the end of the day that I noticed that I was starting to go to the bathroom every hour or so. I was finally flushing it out.

My stomach feels like it sets differently on my body. I'm not sure how else to explain the feeling. I guess it sort of feels smaller (the outside). It has been in the past two days, (days 9 and 10 after surgery) that I can actually start to see a difference in my body. It is refreshing.

I still do not have a lot of energy because my intake is still not entirely where it should be, but I make sure I more around as much as possible. I want to start walking more today. I have only been walking short distances this past week.

As I mentioned, there are improvements with each day in the level of discomfort, the amount I am able to consume easier and the way I move.

In closing, I would like to mention the gas. With every sip it seems, I have the urge to burp but it doesn't always come up. This makes my stomach uncomfortable and it is bothersome. Moving helps to get that out, but it can be painful at times.