We begin

I had my surgery yesterday, and everything went fine. There were no complications and I even got to go home several hours early.

Before surgery, I spoke with my surgeon about how good I did on my pre-op diet. I lost 20 lbs in the last two weeks. He seemed very surprised that I stuck to it, because most people usually don’t make it. He said he has nothing but high hopes for me, because I’ve proven I have willpower. Lucky for me I am very stubborn. I also have issues with paying $12,000 dollars for something and screwing it up. It is going to be weird to only lose 1 to 3 lbs a week, when I’ve lost so much so fast.

I’m feeling as good as can be expected. I am very sore and have quite bit of pain right now.  I have six incisions all spread out over my stomach. My entire stomach is sore and feels bruised. They pumped my abdomen with carbon dioxide, so make it swell and give them room to work. It takes about 48 hours for it to absorb into my body. During this time, it is very uncomfortable, and makes my chest and shoulder really sore. I’m told this is normal.

I’m supposed to walk around every 30 minutes to avoid blood clots. When I stand up, gravity takes over and my stitches feel very stretched. My throat is still very sore, making it hard to talk. They had to put a breathing tube down my throat to protect my airway in case anything went wrong. After I woke up they took me to get an x-ray. They made me drink barium as they were taking the x-ray to make sure the band isn’t too tight.

 Eli has to help me a lot. Getting up from the sitting position is the worst. I never knew how much you use your abdominal muscles to do things.  I had to sleep in the recliner last night because it was killing me to lay completely flat on my back. Sweet Eli slept on the couch so he could be close to me if I needed anything.

I am still on all liquids, because my stomach is swollen from the surgery. Right now it is about the size a walnut. Once healed it will be the size of an egg. I get to start eating soft foods tomorrow. Things like chicken and tuna salad and pimento cheese. In a few more days I will start trying to eat normal solid food like chicken, fish and vegetables. Unfortunately, everybody handles food differently. It will be trial and error as I move along and try to figure out what not to eat.  Some stuff may just make me uncomfortable and some stuff may make me vomit.

After my stomach heals the opening will be about the size of a pencil, so it’s important to take small bites and chew very well. It is possible to clog my stomach opening, which could result in pain and vomiting. Until I learn how small of bites I need, I will be using a baby spoon. Sounds silly, but it’s recommended, and I’m for anything to help me avoid getting sick.

I will be eating a lot of meat and vegetables, because they have the most protein and will keep me full. I am supposed to avoid foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates. At the same time, I’m not supposed to be on a diet. It’s all about making right decisions. This is something I will have for the rest of my life, so it’s important to not deprive myself of things. I can still have cake, but I will only eat a few bites instead of a whole piece. Of course, I can’t eat junk every day.

I will be eating about a cup and a half of food a day. I used to eat that much cereal for breakfast. Big change. I will be cleared to start exercising in a few weeks, so the plan is to work out more and sit in front of the TV less.

This will serve as my before picture. I will post a new photo every month. Weight today is 266 lbs.