Day before: I'm thinking about the surgery constantly but am really not worried. I know there will be some major changes in my life after this and I am truly looking forward to my new way of life and what lies ahead.

Official & unofficial pre-op face ;)

Night before: Dr. Thayer called and told me he had been on vacation and wasn't sure if he remembered how to do the surgery. I love a sense of humor in a doctor ;)

Leaving for the hospital: At 5:15 a.m. my good friend Paula picked me up and I was ready to go. I actually slept fairly well the during the night. Arrived at the hospital 6:00 a.m. and registered for surgery, waited in the lobby about 20 minutes, then was called in.

Leaving for the hospital

Pre-op: I changed into my operating clothes and the surgery team came in and out taking blood samples, getting my IV lines in, and asking me how I was doing. Dr. Thayer stopped by but was off as fast as he came. Paula and I were joking, trying to keep my spirits up.

The anesthesiologist saw that I bite my nails and he told me he would give me subliminal messages during the surgery to stop biting them. I have to remember to tell him it didn't work ;)

Keeping ourselves amused

Just before surgery: Waiting to go into surgery started dragging and I began to get nervous. The finality of it all sank in and just knowing there was no turning back made me both anxious but a bit peaceful at the same time. They gave me a shot of Verset to relax me and they're just about ready to wheel me in.

Off I go into the operating room. I don't really like the high I'm getting from the Verset shot and I tell them it sure doesn't make me feel happy. I saw the surgery team waiting off to the side and they parked me under the operating lights. The last thing I remember is telling an assistant that she was my new favorite person because she put nice warm blankets on me.

Getting a little nervous

Post-op: Well I'm in my room now and don't feel too darn bad. I suppose the drugs are helping with that ;) The operation lasted 1 hour 25 minutes and I was in recovery for 2 hours.

In recovery I woke myself up snoring and was mortified that people heard me snoring so loudly. I was somewhat aware of something on my face and was feeling it, trying to figure out what it was. A nurse came over and said something to me which I could not comprehend. Then she said "maybe you'll do better without the oxygen mask" and she took it off. First thing I said was "I'm so sorry for snoring!" I don't recall her answer but a little while later I heard her on the phone saying I was ready to go and that I was apologizing for snoring. The person on the phone got a good laugh from that ;)

Wheeling me up to my room was painful because of the elevator bumps. Ouch.

Day 1 Recovery: Was woken up all through the night so they could check vitals. They were super sweet nurses and I always got right back to sleep. Had a great hospital bed that folded and moved every way you could think of, even into a sitting position to help you get up. Hospitals are noisy with lots of beeps and alarms, but you're so tired you sleep through most of it.

Pain is not too bad – probably a 4 out of 10 but I have the wonderful morphine pump to press :) Got nausea a little bit when I tried to sit up but it passed quickly. I've gotten quite a few shots of heparin and have the inflatable leggings pumping away to help avoid blood clots. Heparin shots leave huge black and blues but they don't hurt.

My friend Paula is here with me and I'm fairly alert and talking well. We call my parents to let them know everything went fine and my mom sure feels better hearing from me. My vitals are great and the nurses comment on that.

I stood up and walked a tiny bit at 9:00 p.m. Getting up and down was nasty but walking was fine. No extra pain but you have to hold your stomach with your hand.

I like that morphine pump!

Day 2 Recovery: Had a good day today. Pain has increased a bit because I have started moving around more. Still, it is quite tolerable and I would rate it a 4-5. Today I finally got ice chips, cranberry juice, and protein liquids in tiny cups. Everything went down smoothly and no problems at all with nausea or vomiting. You can see how bloated I am from all the fluids they have pumped into me (ultimately I gained 11 lbs. in the hospital).

I've been awake most of the day with two quick naps. Walked around the halls and had a sponge bath. Getting up is still a lot easier than getting back down. My back is starting to hurt because I am not a back sleeper and I can't seem to get comfortable.

The residents that were there for my surgery are amazed with my progress and keep saying so. I have to tell you, the treadmill work that I did faithfully for the 7 months prior to the surgery has contributed to my fast recovery. If you are able to exercise before your surgery – do it!

My tasty dinner of cranberry juice

Day 3 Recovery: Slept straight through the night from 9:00 to 6:00. Dressing came off today and I got my first look at the incision. He did a nice job but it was larger than I thought it would be. The nurses are all commenting on how small it is so I guess it's really not large after all. My color looks great and I feel great!

They removed my IV, the catheter, and the pain pump today. Now I will have to get up a lot more which is okay. I'm standing and walking much more than I am lying in bed. I needed to blow my nose this morning which was a real challenge. Laughing is a challenge too. Two friends from the OSSG-NE support list came to see me today - Dawn and Kim. What a wonderful surprise!

My stomach is already making gurgling noises and everyone who checks on me tells me that is outstanding. They have asked me if I would visit some of the other gastric bypass patients to reassure them how much better it gets day by day. I said sure!

Had some food today which went down easily with no problems. Carnation Instant Breakfast in skim milk and some beef broth. What they tell you ahead of time is VERY true – you cannot eat fast! It takes a long time to drink and eat and trust me, you are not hungry and you are full FAST.

Feeling great!

Day 4 Recovery: Had some trouble sleeping last night – had some stomach and back pain. By 11:00 p.m. I really needed some sleep so I asked for some pain medication. They gave me liquid Roxicet and that worked well.

Resident woke me up at 6:00, asked how I was and if I had any more pain. Told him I felt fine, no pain. Of course, 5 minutes later I was suddenly in a lot of pain! But this pain felt different, and sure enough it was gas pains. I literally had to run to the bathroom. By the end of the day I had 15 bouts of diarrhea and I'm exhausted. It just seems to be my bodily reaction to all of the things that have run through it this week.

After a breakfast of CIB, applesauce, and cranberry juice, they told me I could take a shower and go home but there is no way I would make the ride home with having to run to the bathroom every 20 minutes, so I get to stay one more night.

Dinner was pureed chicken, cream of broccoli soup, pureed fruit, and CIB. Could eat about 1/4 - 1/2 of it even though it was tasty. Having some more gas pain and hope I have an okay night...

Day 5 Recovery: Phew last night was rough. None of my pain is surgery or incision related – it's the diarrhea. I needed some more Roxicet pain medication and the dose was too much. I got nauseated from it and either sat in bed without moving or all zoned out. Woke up feeling way better.

I was actually hungry this morning, and that's the first time I've felt hunger. Breakfast was CIB and applesauce. Was able to eat almost all of it. I'm going home at 11:00 and will be glad to get out of the hospital gown with the built-in air conditioning in the back!

All the nurses were so helpful and sweet that I'm going to send them a tin of Mrs. Field's cookies next week.

Ready to go home

Hey that incision doesn't look too darn bad!

Going home: My friend Heidi has come to pick me up. I'll be staying with her and her husband for a few days until I'm sure I can handle everything on my own.

For those of you wondering about the wooden spoon picture, I had to take a picture for memory sake. Trust me, it is difficult to take care of yourself in the bathroom. You just can't reach things... So the wooden spoon does the trick ;) It's a memory I'll probably want to forget but I know I'll always laugh when I look at the picture!

The ride home was not too bad. Bumps were difficult and it did hurt, but I held my stomach and lifted my butt when I saw a pothole coming. Looking forward to sleeping in a regular bed tonight!

Heidi thought of the spoon picture!

Staying with friends: I'm staying with Heidi & Skip now, and other than a backache everything is going great! Up and down the stairs fine, walking fine, eating fine. The weather is fantastic and I've been walking slowly around the block.

1 week after surgery, feeling great!

Back home: I've been back home for 5 days and everything is going great! Due to my backache, I have not been able to sleep flat so I sleep in the recliner in the living room.

I'm having a little trouble getting all my water in. You have to drink slowly 'cause if you drink too fast it backs up in your throat and is very uncomfortable until it all goes down. I'm getting 24 oz. in but it should be 32 oz. I'm working on it.

Eating is fine, no problems. I have soups, pureed chicken, unsweetened applesauce, cottage cheese, non-fat yogurt, skim milk, soy milk, pureed fruit, and baby food (blech).

In the 2 weeks since my surgery I have lost 17 lbs. and am walking around the block twice a day now. My incision opened up in one tiny spot since my staples were removed 4 days ago. But I keep my steri-strips on and soon that section will scab over and close up. The rest of the incision looks so good it simply looks like a long cat scratch. Not bad!

2 week after surgery, down 17 lbs.

And that's my surgery experience! Everything went better than anyone had expected and I'm looking forward to the rest of this journey! Check the Journal section for journal entries from here on out.

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