another long update!

Where oh where do I start?


The past few months have been full of excitement. To re-cap a few months after my surgery when I was hospitalized for the dehydration/low potassium I was having a pain on my right side in my mid back area. My surgeon ordered an ultrasound and they found sludge. He felt is was too soon to put me through another surgery so we both decided to wait and see if it developed into stones.


The beginning of September I went to Disneyland and the day after I got home I started having this horrible shoulder pain on my right side. I figured I pulled a muscle or somehow got hurt on a ride at Disneyland. I went to my primary Doctor in mid September. He prescribed me a muscle relaxer and some pain meds to help out. It hurt so bad. Over the next few days I noticed the muscle relaxers were not giving me any relief and neither were the pain meds. I stopped them both. I started to research shoulder pain and came to the conclusion that it was my gall bladder and not a pulled muscle. So back to my primary I went. He still felt it was a pulled muscle and really didn't listen to me. ugh I hate it when Doctors won't listen!

I went to Dr T (my surgeon) on October 12th for my 6 month check up. My labs looked good and he agreed that it was most likely my gallbladder. He ordered an ultrasound and it showed stones. So a request for surgery was sent to my insurance. Unfortunately my gallbladder couldn't wait for insurance to pre-authorize the surgery. I went to the urgent care on October 28th. I checked in to urgent care at noon and was in surgery with Dr T at 3pm having my gallbladder removed.

As soon as I woke up from surgery I felt relief. I didn't realize how bad the pain had been. I guess I had just adjusted and become accustomed to it. My recovery has been slow. I feel as if the pain has lasted longer then the pain from my bypass but the pain isn't as intense...if that makes any sense! I took about 2 weeks off of work. I just want to make sure I am 100% when I go back this time.

Now for the good news!

* I've hit wonderland. I don't remember the last time I saw a one as the first number on the scale :)

* I'm down about 143 pounds in about 7 months from surgery and about 174 from my highest weight.

* I have so much more energy now.

* I volunteered in my niece Ashlynns class and without thinking sat down in a little kid school chair. After I sat down. I was like whoa! I didn't worry about sitting down and breaking the little kid chair!

* My butt bones hurt. I took my nephew Cody to his ice skating/hockey class and my butt hurt so bad the next day from sitting on the hard bleachers so long. I have so much less cushion now!

* I'm wearing mostly 14s for bottoms and L for tops.

* I can wear my sisters clothes. Some people will never understand how accomplished this alone makes me feel. I was always the "big" little sister and now we are the same size :)

* My hair loss has slowed down a lot. I also have tons of new little hairs growing in.

* Insomnia...it sucks! it seems to hit us post-ops a lot harder. I just can't seem to fall to sleep and stay sleeping anymore.
* I still love the tortilla crusted tilapia from Costco. I eat it several times a week with a Greek yogurt/salsa dip.

* I did really really good for about 2 months with taking all my supplements but since my gallbladder surgery I suck at it but I did get all of my vitamins in yesterday and I'm off to a good start today...Remember one day at a time :)

* I still don't have any hunger pains but I can tell when my tummy is hungry it starts to make all kinds of crazy noises and sometimes I feel a full sensation after eating. I still weigh all of my food portions.

* CLICK! I love it! This is the only protein drink I can handle. I usually blend it with some FF milk. SF vanilla syrup and some ice...YUMMY! and a lot cheaper then Starbucks!

* I have realized that my niece Ashlynn is my biggest cheerleader, She is just so proud of me and my nephew Cody is just so helpful. He even helped me make some sugar free fudge :) He is so sweet. He asked me when my surgery was going to be over so I can eat normal food. I told him I do eat normal food. (well really normal for me) He replied to me and said yep "you eat 4 ounces". He is just so cute and he tries so hard to understand what I am going through.

:)
-Liz