Sometimes it seems like it can't possibly have been 5 weeks since the surgery and other times it feels like so much longer. I have been trying to eat a few more calories this week as recommended by my Doctor, but I still feel full after only about 3 ounces. Evidently this is normal. An example of what I ate today:
Breakfast: One piece of Deli Turkey, spread with one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese and wrapped around several spinach leaves and a roasted red pepper.
Lunch: About 2-3 oz of bean soup w/turkey meat and melted cheddar.
Dinner: 1/2 boneless, skinless chicken thigh, one tablespoon of jasmine rice.
Snack: A couple handfuls of cashews and shelled sunflower seeds throughout the day. (as recommended by my Doc to get a few more calories and protein in.
The nausea has finally subsided <-- cue the harps and the singing angels! I finally can eat a very small meal and not feel like hell for 30 minutes afterward. I am still having some issues with dry mouth but today I bought some Biotene Oral Rinse and it seems to help somewhat. Overall, the problem has improved. However, sometimes I feel like I am literally dying of thirst. I was in the market tonight and I had to grab a bottle of water and open it before I paid because there was no way I could wait to drink something. The Doc told me to try hard candies but I keep forgetting to buy some. Note to self: BUY HARD CANDIES, STUPID!
I had a couple missteps this week that I learned from:
1. The Doc told me I could eat pita bread with hummus if I wanted. Delightful! Or not. I ate one little tiny piece and then I got nervous and decided just to eat the hummus off the bread. A short while passed and I suddenly realized that the pita bread was stuck. It hurt like hell. I didn't know what to do. Poor Tim was trying to rub my back because I was in such discomfort, and it simultaneously felt good and miserable because I couldn't stand to be touched. I knew that the pita bread was going to have to come up because it wasn't going to go down. I was very afraid because I have not vomited at all since surgery. Not that anyone ever wants to vomit but it's very scary after you've had this type of surgery. Luckily, I was able to get it to come up without any fanfare and as it turns out it wasn't as scary as I thought because it wasn't coming up from my stomach. Weird. I thought I would feel better after, and I did for about 20 seconds, but then I felt miserable again. I stood up to head back into the bathroom and when I did, it must have finally went down because I felt immediate relief. That is a mistake I won't make again.
2. Superbowl was a big day. My Mom made a huge buffet of appetizers and food for everyone to graze on all day. I made one very small plate of cheese, hummus, vegetables. (That was lunch) Later that early evening I had ONE small baby back rib, 4 pieces of bow tie pasta salad, and about a table spoon of green salad. It took me forever to eat it. I even had 2 tiny bites of an apple pie made w/splenda. (I tasted the apples only) Later, everyone kept saying how good my Dad's coffee was, so I decided to have a cup. I didn't even think about it when I poured in the vanilla coffeemate. Huge mistake! Although the creamer was fat free, it was not sugar free and it made me feel awful. I felt sick to my stomach the whole way home. Another lesson learned.
I take an annual trip to Vegas each year with my BFF and we chose our dates today. Early August, which means we will be poolside pretty much the whole time. I'm excited to see what size I will be then. My Sister is getting married in late September and going shopping for a dress might actually be fun instead of torture.
I go back to the surgeon tomorrow for more blood work and check in so he can see how I'm doing. 5 weeks in and although I am still learning how to navigate my way thru this new life, I think I might be getting the hang of it.
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