Post-Op

I had my surgery Friday, and was planning on getting to come home the same day, but apparently my insurance requires an overnight stay at the hospital if you have a hiatal hernia repaired during the surgery.  Sooo...yeah, I had to stay overnight.  The upside is I had a night away from home!  Would have been like a mini-vacation if not for the pain and bad food. 

Anyway, the surgery went well, and I am on my way to recovery!  I have already lost over 10 pounds from my preoperative weight.  Granted that rapid loss probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was on a liquids only diet for the first day and a half, then moved on to soft-solids, but still could only get an ounce or two down at a time.  I have to say, the only thing that really helped is knowing I am getting plenty of protein from protein powder and some Bariatric specific hot beverages.  By the way, warm beverages go down best!  So, I have started drinking a lot of decaffeinated tea to get my daily water requirements in.

Anyway, I am up to 4 ounces a meal, and feeling great! 

Pregnant Move

The Author of this post is Rory Reilly

It's hard moving into a new house when you're pregnant. I definitely didn't plan it this way but things were already in motion when my husband and I realized we were going to have a baby. I couldn't believe it when I first found out, but I immediately started packing anything I could that wasn't going to be too heavy for me to lift. I absolutely love that we're going to have a little one to put in the spare bedroom when we moved in but it's been really tough being confined to all the logistical things about the move instead of the fun stuff like painting and packing. For example, I went to http://www.direc4u.com/ the other day and researched TV plans for us which I guess was helpful but at the end of the day I feel like I'm not pulling my weight because I can't get up and pick up a heavy box. My husband would kill me if he saw me doing something like that so I have to sit back.

Surgery Approved!

Ok, so it might sound strange, but one of the most anxiety producing aspects of this process has been worrying about whether or not my insurance company would approve my surgery!  Now, don't for a moment think that the idea of surgery hasn't kept me awake at night, or worries over the drastic change in lifestyle have me biting my fingernails.  It's just that beaurocracy is such a finicky beast, and one never knows what strange whim will skew your results in a direction you would rather it not go. 

I am pleased to announce that my insurance company has approved me for Lap-Band surgery!  So, now I have an actual surgery date and have begun the process of finding childcare for the recovery period (I am between interviews as I write).  Now that the stress of wondering whether or not my insurance company would think the cost of the surgery was worth it I am starting a whole new bout of worrying. 

What if I overreat?  What if I don't chew my food enough?  What if I am out to dinner at a nice restaurant when I discover some food no longer agrees with my uber-sensitive stomach?  What if?  What if?  What if...

Luckily my surgeon's office provides a support group specific to Lap-Band patients, and I have a 4 hour pre-operation class to discuss these very issues and prepare for a whole new life.  This is at once the most exciting and most anxiety ridden experience I have ever signed up for.  I will be posting a pre-op photo by the end of the week, and will try to post in-progress photos as the new lifestyle progresses.  Wish me luck, surgery is on Friday...phew...