Published April 9, 2008

Weight Loss Surgery, Part II

What can you say about surgery? You lay on a cart, they stick things into your veins, and sometime later you wake up surrounded by people you either don’t know or can’t recognize.

Several hours following surgery, however, is another story; suddenly you are surrounded by people poking, prodding, checking bags of stuff hanging off a medal pole next to your bed, explaining the button you push to inject yourself with morphine, asking you questions and telling you they are about to get your butt out of bed and that, “we’re all going for a nice walk down the hallway.”  All-in-all, it was a nuts kind of day. 

The second day was much better, the mind is clearer, they begin taking away the hanging bags, you get to sip on some clear, but not too foul, liquids and you are encouraged to take lots of walks up and down the hallway. By afternoon all the IVs were gone, along with the morphine pump (just as I was developing an affection for it), and you’re feeling pretty darn good considering what you’ve been through. 

I was released from the hospital on the third day after much more walking, waiting for various doctors and medical personnel checking you out and doing all the CYA things they find it necessary to do. Does anyone know how many times you are required to sign something during the full course of a medical procedure? 

Following my release, and until I had a one week follow up with my surgeon, my diet was limited to all liquids. I discovered you can do pretty well on a diet of cream soups, thinned down cream of wheat, and smoothies made with sugar free pudding and skimmed milk.  

My first follow up was on March 10^th. The staples were removed from my incisions and the abdominal draining tube was removed. The report was; lungs clear, heart strong, stomach noises as normal along with temperature and blood pressure. I was given the go ahead to begin eating a diet of “soft” foods. For supper that first evening I had a small portion of tuna salad seasoned with a little hot sauce, half of a small baked potato with butter and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. During that first week I had lost around twenty pounds.  

Two weeks later I was permitted to resume a normal diet but one that was high in protein. One of the rules is to eat your protein first before you eat any of the side dishes. With the gastric sleeve procedure loss of vitamins and minerals isn’t a problem but I do have to take a daily multi-vitamin and some daily calcium with vitamin B.  

On April 4^th I had my one-month checkup. Everything checked out as expected and to date I have not had a single problem as a result of the surgery. In my mind this experience has been a total win-win. I have now lost thirty-six pounds; I’m more energetic, active, happy, optimistic, and better able to meet my own physical needs. I have found no food or spice that I can’t tolerate but I do have to be very aware of how much food I eat, I get filled very quickly. My new stomach can only hold something between a forth to a half a cup of food. I eat three small meals per day, two snacks and lots of water or other non-carbonated beverages. I have never yet left the table wanting to eat more.

Typical meals would be something like a scrambled egg and a single slice of bacon for breakfast, a tablespoon of chicken salad, two or three green beans and a couple of crackers for lunch, and for supper I might have a piece of grilled chicken about the equivalent of three Chicken McNuggets at McDonalds, a couple of teaspoons of baked sweet potato and a teaspoon of sweet peas. I eat very little bread and when I do it is usually toasted.

Yesterday I was buying a few groceries at Kroger and ended up having lunch on them. I passed by the deli counter where they were offering free samples of Izzy’s corned beef and some very good cooked ham. Also, they were offering samples of small sub sandwiches made up of different cheeses and cold cuts. I grabbed one of the sandwich slices, along with a small piece of the ham and corned beef, removed the bread and more than filled up on the meat and cheese.  

Snacks vary. Sometimes I’ll eat part of a high protein, low sugar, bar, or a few slices of bananas or other fruit, may be some sugar free Jell-o or pudding, cottage cheese with fruit, etc. In the evening I frequently have a single scoop of low-fat, sugar free, ice cream. I’ll top it with low-sugar jam, or low-fat chocolate syrup, a couple of crushed walnuts and a spritz of sugar-free whipped cream. I am supposed to keep my calorie count below one thousand per day and even with the ice cream I haven’t found it to be a difficult goal.

I go back for another checkup in early June and I hope to have lost another thirty pounds by then.

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