1 Week Post Op & Weigh-In

Yesterday I has my 1 week post op appointment and my nutrition class for the next phase of eating. Unfortunately, they mixed up my times and told me to come to my appointment at 1:00 and nutrition at 2:00, but it was supposed to be the other way around. Thus, my appointment was VERY short (just pulling out the drain) because she said we needed to hurry over to the nutrition class. Then as we were leaving, a woman said to us "if you wait right here I'll be walking everyone over to the nutrition class." 15 mins later we figure out that's for the other group... and by the time we got there we missed the whole class and the poor girl had to say it all over again just for us lol. Oh well, I take comfort in the fact it wasn't my fault. :)

So - as far as my appointment goes, it was basically just my weigh in and getting my drain pulled. I never even saw my Dr. Is this weird?? I was expecting to see him. I hope I see him at the 3 week appointment.
By the way - getting the drain pulled out - NOT FUN! Yikes. It hurt but mostly felt SO freaking weird. The tube is so long inside and it came from all the way up by my heart. I do feel so much better now that it's out though. My pain decreased a lot more so I guess it was causing me more discomfort than I realized. I was even able to finally sleep on my side last night!!!!! :)

Now for the amazing part. My weigh-in blew me away. Remember, I started at 310. At my 1 week appt I weighed in at...

292! That's 18 pounds lost in 8 days. I know I lost 6 in just one day (the day before surgery when I was on liquids), because I weighed 304 the morning of surgery. So I also lost 12 more in the past week. Wow! That was definitely more than I was expecting. It didn't phase me too much though because for once I can honestly say that the number on the scale, the speed of the loss, etc... really is not the most important thing to me anymore. As long as I'm doing the right things, feeling good, making progress, I am happy. I'm of course very HAPPY to see the numbers go down on the scale don't get me wrong... but it was funny how when I saw them I just went "huh, wow, more than I thought, cool" not like WHOO HOO YIPPEEE OMG OMG OMG. Some people might think that means I'm not allowing myself to be happy enough about it but trust me it is such a relief that it is not affecting my emotions so much. I love it :) I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what it will be at my 3 week appointment.. but I'm sooo not stressed about it, which is awesome.

The nutrition class wasn't too incredibly important... I already knew the foods I can start having.. refried beans, cottage cheese, egg beaters, light yogurt, sf pudding. 1 ounce every 2 hours. But one new piece of info was that I should only try one new food each day until I've had all of them... I guess to see what I can tolerate and everything. So yesterday I had refried beans, and today I'm adding in cottage cheese. All is going well so far! I'm a little bit concerned because I still feel hungry and it doesn't feel like the 1 ounce is filling me up. But it's not really bad or anything, I can handle it just fine. So I'm hoping when I get to the next eating phase at week 3, it will be a little easier :)

Days 2 - 5 Post Op

All of my days post-op have been very progressional. What I mean is every day is definitely better than the day before. The first 3 days post-op, the only stuff I was drinking was water, isopure clear protein, and diluted apple juice (1 part juice to 3 parts water.) I was supposed to drink 1oz of fluid every 15 minutes and keep track, like I had been doing in the hospital. I would take usually 2 1-oz cups to the couch with me so that I would be getting back up to walk around every 30 mins (walking around frequently is really important in the healing process.)

Here's the stuff I pretty much had in front of me all day long.



At first I was pretty convinced the pain meds were not really helping... but at the last hour of every 4 hour cycle my pain would get worse so I realized they *were* helping :)

Days 2 & 3 were the weekend, so I had both my husband and my friend to keep me company. We watched a lot of tv all day long but honestly I was so occupied with getting in my fluids that I barely remember! Sarah enjoyed her relaxation time... and our 3 cats enjoyed Sarah:



By Day 4, which was Monday, I was feeling a bit better and getting my liquids in much easier. The hunger pains were lessening, so was the gurgling in my tummy. I decided to go off clear protein and start on protein shakes. I mix up 8oz of water with two scoops of protein powder into my max muscle shaker cup... shake it up well and keep it in the fridge.



With the protein shakes, at first they say only 1oz per hour, so on day 4 that's what I did. I still continued water and diluted juice every 15 minutes for the other 3/4 hour.

On Day 4 I was also able to go for a real walk. They want me to be getting 30 min walks even this early on. I was shocked that I managed to do the whole walk at once!

On Day 5 (yesterday) I woke up and noticed a major difference in the pain, I felt a lot better. I would call it more "discomfort" now than actual pain. I was able to go for another 30 min walk on Day 5, except my back hurt REALLY badly this time.. probably because I didn't take my pain meds which masked my back pain the day before. On Day 5 I was also able to take in more fluids so I upped my protein shake to 2 oz per hour. Both days though I noticed that by 5-6pm my tummy just didn't want any more, so in the last few hours of the night I only had 1oz per hour or even every other hour.


Sleeping - I have only been able to sleep on my back so far (way too uncomfortable to sleep on my side) and it hasn't felt good to lay flat. The first several nights it was a BIG ordeal to get into bed. I needed my husbands help to get situated and as comfortable as I could get. I would need his help to sit back up or get out of bed. By day 5 I was able to get in and out of bed on my own. It still hurts some but much much better. I still have a hard time sleeping comfortably, but it's getting better.

Hunger Pains - The first couple of days, EVERY sip I took of anything resulted in major gurgling from my stomach and sharp, severe hunger pangs. This has pretty much gone away by Day 5. I am still having hunger pains but they are less often and less severe, and no longer seem to happen as a result of drinking. The first few days they were seriously nonstop, and these hunger pains were the worst and most painful part of my recovery.

Drinking - The first couple days it was very difficult to get in all of my fluids - partially because of the hunger pains they would induce. Also it's been explained to me that the stomach is so swollen right after surgery that you can barely even fit that 1oz of liquid. I have been doing my best to progress to more and more liquids, but I listen to my body and take breaks when I need to. I get a gurgle/bubble feeling in my esophogus when I need to slow down. It's not painful... but a good reminder.
After the first couple of days I stopped putting water into the 1oz cups - just drank water from my sippy cup instead and would record it when I finished 10 ounces. I drank it in between all the other things I was drinking, and this had worked well. Now I'm able to drink the 10 ounce cup usually in about an hour and a half to two hours.

Walking - The first 2-3 days, it was really a challenge making myself get up every 15 to 30 minutes to walk to the kitchen, rinse out my little cups and get more liquids. Standing up was a struggle (it would strain my sore abdominal muscles) and walking was very stiff for me. I felt like I couldn't stand up completely straight because if I tried to straighten up, things would pull - both internally at the stomach and externally at the incisions. By day 4 I could stand up straight and go for the long walk. I think the more you walk around the faster this healing takes place. Now I am up all the time, not just every 30 minutes. I don't sit down for very long at one time. During this blog post I've gotten up about 3 times and gone to get something from downstairs, and come back up. My mobility is excellent.

Food - The only "food" items I've had are sugar free jello and sugar free popscicles... but I think I've only had one jello and 1 1/2 popscicles. As much as I am craving variety, it has felt good to be on liquids and it was harder for those things to go down. Even last night the popscicle I had made a lot of gurgles... I think it was too big.
An interesting side note - while it has been a little bit hard watching my husband and best friend cook dinners and eat things I wish I could have.... in a weird way I have enjoyed it! While I do wish I could take a bite of what they are eating, I have actually LOVED being able to smell everything. They seriously hand me their food and let me smell it really good. You would think this would make me feel awful but I have liked it. It's the closest thing I have to eating it so I have been enjoying the smells!!
My main problem has been that I am SICK of sweet. The protein drinks, jello, popsicles, etc...
everything is sweet. I have always been more of a savory/salty person. This has been the hardest part for me. SO looking forward to starting on soft foods so I can get some of that variety.


Semi-Soft Food Diet
I'll be able to start my soft food diet today after my appointment. This includes sugar free pudding, yogurt, cottage cheese, egg beaters and refried beans. Still not a ton of variety but certainly better than what I've been having and I can get some salty/seasoned things which will be heaven.
At first I am only supposed to consume 1oz of one of these foods every two hours (wow.) gradually working up to 2 oz every 2 hours. I'll be on this diet for two whole weeks and then at my 3 week appointment I will progress to a full soft food diet which has a lot more variety.

Once I am on this diet, I can start using this nifty product:



This is Any Whey unflavored protein, specially formulated to mix well with liquids and also into any food. I can mix this into my foods to up the protein content, which will be super helpful especially in the beginning when I can't eat hardly anything!



Challenges
The biggest challenges I have faced are:
- intense hunger pains
- painful gas/bloating
- intolerance to vitamins
- unable to sleep comfortably
- dealing with the drain

I've already explained a bit about the hunger pains.... vitamins... yuck. I had chewables at first. The taste is fine but it would take me so long to get it down... I'd have to divide it into 4 pieces and it would take me like an hour to eat it so by then I was HATING the taste. Also have to do this TWICE per day ugh. So I had Ian get me a liquid version:



Again the taste is ok but it's hard for me to get it down. The first couple of days I diluted it with water.... but it didn't really help so yesterday I didn't dilute it so I could get it down faster. It makes me feel SO SICK. I had this problem with multivitamins before surgery too. Taking it with food is the only thing that helped. So for now I am taking a break until I can get to the point where I can take it with some food.

The drain - double yuck. There's a tube coming out of my abdomen, into this see thru rubbery bottle. The bottle is attached to a clip that's on this patch attached to my tummy (so that it doesn't pull at the tube.) Every day I have to empty this bottle twice a day into a cup marked with mL and record on a sheet the date, time, and amount of fluid. I do not like having this thing coming out of me!!! In the past couple days there's been hardly any blood it's mostly a yellowy-clearish fluid. I get to have it removed today!!! Whoo hooo!! I will feel so much more normal after that.

The gas and bloating... ugh! They pump so much air into your abdomen for the surgery (so they have room to work in there) and it it really painful the first few days. They told me taking things for gas wouldn't help because it's in my abdomen, not in my intestines, but everyone in the forums said gas-x strips would help so I took them - and they DID help. A lot.



They also freshen my breath which is nice because the protein stuff leaves an aftertaste in my mouth and a sticky-ness in my teeth. As of today my gas is much much better and I only use like one strip a day (I used 4-5 a day at first.)

So that's pretty much it! Now this part is mostly for others who have had or will be having surgery, it will mean something to them. This is the counts of fluid and protein I have been able to get in each day.

Day 1 was mostly in the hospital and I don't have the sheet I recorded my liquid intake on.

Day 2 - 37 ounces of liquid, 30.3 grams of protein

Day 3 - 62 ounces of liquid, 30 grams of protein

Day 4 - 86 ounces of liquid, 51 grams of protein

Day 5 - 78 ounces of liquid, 56 grams of protein

My Surgery & Hospital Stay

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated sooner. The first few days I was just in major self-care mode but now that I am feeling a bit better, I'm ready to jump in and give the play by play of everything that has happened. :)

Day of Surgery

I went back to the presurgical area and got weighed (304 that morning, 6 pounds down from just one day of not eating, wow.) Then I had to get a really painful blood thinner shot in my arm, and of course the IV. The nurse tried for my IV and did nothing but butcher me. It hurt so much :( Then someone else came in to do it and she did such a great job. Thank you Gretchen. :) After that I pretty much just waited and they eventually came to wheel me back to surgery. I remember moving myself from the bed onto the operating table, and I could already feel the drugs kicking in so they must have started them through my IV. Before I knew it I was waking up in the recovery room. It was absolutely amazing how out of it I felt. I kept falling asleep over and over again until they finally took me to my hospital room. I still felt so out of it and dizzy and nauseous and they wanted me to get up right away into a wheelchair to go do the swallow test.

The swallow test is something you have to do to make sure you don't have any leaks through the staples holding your stomach together. They give you a huge cup of this red liquid to drink while they take Xrays. It was hard enough to stand up let alone drink the stuff - I came so close to both passing out and throwing up! But I managed to hold it together. They took xrays from the front, back, and both sides... they said I looked perfect and absolutely no leaks. When they got me back to the room I fell asleep for quite a while, after getting some pain meds.

My pain was pretty bad in the beginning - not so much external pain around the incisions, mostly internal abdominal pain, in the muscles I guess. I had a hard time being comfortable in the hospital bed.

My dad came in shortly after this and then my husband came in a couple hours later when he got off work. I was sooooo happy to see him. Apparently I'd been telling all the nurses I had the best husband in the world, just wait til you meet him. LOL! At least we know how I really feel ;)

My husband stayed until nearly midnight. He still had to work the next day. I was so nervous about him leaving because the "service" (if you call it that) in the hospital was horrible. When I would hit the nurse call button, I would have to wait firstly for someone to respond over an intercom and ask me what I needed. Sometimes even THIS part would take 10 minutes. Then strain my voice to speak over an intercom that's across the room - dumb for people who have just had surgery. Seriously that was so lame. THEN I'd wait another 15-30 minutes for anyone to actually come. Overall I just didn't feel safe or assured that if something was happening to me, someone would actually come right away and make sure I was alright. I slept very unsettled that night and I just couldn't wait til I would get to go home and have people to care for me when I needed something. The funny part is once you get home you really don't need much care LOL. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

Day 1 Post Op

The next day after surgery, I stayed in the hospital until mid afternoon. I went for a few walks down the halls (whenever I could actually get someone to come take me!)... and finally got a cafeteria tray around 11 am. I was supposed to eat blue jello (it's used as another leak test), and there was also apple juice, water, broth and tea. I managed to have a little bit of everything throughout the day but didn't come anywhere NEAR finishing it.

I also had this thing I had to breathe in to exercise my lungs... and a clipboard where I was supposed to track everything I ate.

My dad was GREAT company :)

Finally I got to talk to my surgeon. He said my surgery went beautifully, my leak test had been perfect, and everything was going really well. The highlight of my day in the hospital was getting this awesome bunch of balloons from my sweet friend Lauren. It has a teddy bear with it too.

After what felt like forever, I got to go home. By 8pm I was exhausted and went to bed. My friend Sarah's flight had been delayed, so she and my husband didn't get home until about 12:30am. (My dad stayed in the house with me so that I wasn't alone, and he checked on me often while I was sleeping.) I was awake by the time they got home and I was so happy to see my friend! I stayed up a couple hours with her before going back to bed.

Days 2-5 coming soon!

Here I Go!

In half an hour, I will be heading to the hospital!

Before I go I wanted to document the experiences of the last couple days.

Tuesday my tests and appointments went great. I scored really well above average for pulmonary function (and in case you are like me and have no idea what that is, it's lung function / breathing.) :) I then had my pre-admissions testing which included another blood draw, a urine sample, and an EKG.
Then I had my pre-op appointment with my surgeon, which was really quick because I didn't really have anymore questions. I was weighed in again, this time at 310 lbs. I received a packet of instructions for the last couple of days, what do to before surgery, etc. Also one nice thing was my friend Brandy happened to be at the office at the same time so I got to see her! She has been there for me through all of this (as a patient of this surgeon herself, having had bypass 7 years ago.)

So firstly, I had to be on clear liquids all of yesterday. This was so hard because I was hungry hungry hungry all day long. I have to admit I was pretty cranky. My hips hurt, but I couldn't have advil (been off that for a couple weeks for surgery.) Same thing with excedrin, and I had a headache. I was hungry but couldn't eat. I was looking forward to my muscle work at the chiropractor, but I didn't receive it (only the decompression machine.) So I wasn't the happiest person yesterday LOL. I slept a few hours to try to get through the day easier. I got so hungry... I ended up having one protein drink made with milk which I wasn't supposed to have but it's still liquid so I think I'll be fine. My intake for the day included several large glasses of water, one bottle of Isopure diluted with water, an apple juice diluted with water, some chicken broth, a sugar free jello (allowed), a sugar free popscicle (allowed), and one cherry limeade from taco bell (it's mainly sprite so pretty clear/see through.) That was my whole day. As of midnight last night, nothing has passed my lips. Not allowed any water or anything else. So I am feeling thirsty right now... but I'm doing okay.

I was also given these bottles of iodine based soap (it's straight liquid so not sure what makes it soap lol.) I had to shower last night before bed using the iodine soap. You are supposed to leave it on for 10 minutes but I couldn't stomach it - the chemical, strong smell made me so nauseated. I scrubbed all over with it for about 4 minutes and rinsed it off. This morning, I washed my hair, body, face etc and then used the iodine wash again. I am not allowed any lotion or makeup on - so my hands and face are feeling dry and I am feeling naked :-/ Going to a crowded place with no makeup on is so embarrassing for me because my skin is so blotchy and red when I am not wearing makeup. Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I also cannot have any jewelry on so I am leaving my wedding rings at home, and I had to take out the diamond stud earrings I wear daily in my 2nd earring hole. I cleaned them, cleaned my ears, and put the earrings in a little pouch in my bag so I can put them on when I am in recovery. Not because I'm vain about it lol but because the holes tend to close up if I leave them out for a day.

I packed my bag for the hospital. I ended up using a carryon suitcase just because it will be easier for someone to roll it instead of carry it. I took a lot of stuff. Don't know how much I'll use or won't use... but I wanted to be fully prepared! Here is a list of what is in my bag...

- 2 pairs comfy pajamas, one to wear there and one to come home in (loose fitting clothes were recommended.)
- loose fitting sports bra, clasps in back
- 2 pairs socks
- 2 pairs slippers (one is soft sole, one is hard sole)
- 2 pairs underwear
- travel size toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, body wash, face wash)
- my makeup and face lotion
- hand/body lotion
- chapstick
- listerine breath strips
- wisps
- hairbrush & hair ties/clips
- chewable bean-o (many people report bad gas after surgery.)
- my own pillow
- my prescriptions the surgeon asked me to bring, one is a nausea patch and one is pain medicine, had them filled yesterday
- magazines and books
- nintento ds
- my camera and phone
- chargers for these electronics
- drivers license, insurance card, car keys.

NOTE: All of these things are staying in the car until I get to recovery, except a small wallet which will contain my phone, car keys, and ID/insurance cards. I am going to have my dad hold on to this while I am in surgery.

SO... I am feeling prepared and ready to go. I'm not nervous yet... maybe I will be later lol. I mean, I know I am making the right choice, so that brings me a lot of peace... but it's still surgery. I'm not so much scared that I'll die on the table or anything, that is extremely unlikely for my age and health compared to a lot of people having these surgeries. My fear is more of the before and after. All the needles, IV, etc... waking up in recovery feeling crappy... that kind of stuff. But I know in a few days I'll be feeling better and it will all be worth it. A small part of me still feels like... um... most of my stomach is going to be gone??!! But I have done my research and I feel comfortable with this being the right choice. Everything is going to be awesome, I know it!

I've had lots of well wishes from friends and family. My phone was ringing constantly yesterday and i also got lots of emails, text messages, notes on facebook, etc. I am definitely feeling loved and supported. Surprisingly, I have not had one person say to me "please don't do it." So I feel as if every door has opened for me, and all I have to do is walk through!

I'll try to post a short update on here from my phone as soon as I'm feeling up to it in recovery later today or tonight!

Two Days To Go

I can't believe my surgery is the day after tomorrow! It seemed to get here so fast! I guess I've been keeping busy with all of my preparations. I am not even feeling that nervous right now! I don't know if that will change or not, but for now I'm feeling good.

I picked out my protein powder at Max Muscle yesterday. I decided to go with the peanut butter fudge flavor of the gourmet protein. Of the flavors I tried, it was the least overwhelming and wasn't too sweet.

For the record, I asked my surgeon about which kind of protein to get. He loves the Max Muscle brand. I thought the gourmet protein would be a bad choice because it's a little higher in carbs than the others. But he said it's still plenty low enough so just to pick what tasted the best.

Also yesterday I got to have lunch with my sister in law at Olive Garden. The soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch there is sort of our "thing." I was so happy to get to do that with her one last time. We've been doing that for lunch about every month or so for the last couple of years and it's one of my favorite things. I know someday, I can do this with her again when I'm on solid foods, but I'll have to have a teeny tiny bit of soup and just little bites of everything. So it was nice to have one last time where I could really enjoy the full amount of food. I had a bowl of my fave soup (pasta fagoli), a plate of salad and I think 3 breadsticks. Yummms.

OK SO... Today I have my pulmonary testing at 1:00pm, and then at 2:00 I have my pre-op testing at the hospital, and at 2:30 my pre-op appointment with my surgeon. My husband is taking a half day at work because he has his own pulmonary testing at 2:00pm. My dad is going with me to all of my stuff because he is the man with the checkbook hehehe. So when we all head home (I think we will get home around 4:00 or 4:30) we are going to Famous Dave's which is my fave restaurant, so I can have my favorite dinner as my "Last Meal." LOL I feel so silly but, I really need it.

Tomorrow I'm on clear liquids only, and at about 10pm I have to stop consuming anything in order to be ready for my surgery. Thursday morning I go in about 10:30am and my surgery will be sometime around 1pm.

Also, GOOD NEWS! Ian got his surgery scheduled for sure! It will be on June 3rd, exactly two weeks after mine. All of his pre-op appointments will be on June 1st.

Stocking Up

I'm getting stocked up on everything I'm going to need pre-op, in the hospital, and post op. It's actually been fun!

Firstly I went to Vitamin Shoppe. I needed to find a good adult chewable multivitamin, as well as sub-lingual B-12 vitamins (they dissolve under the tongue). The first few weeks after surgery it would be difficult to take regular vitamins (the pills are sooo big) so the chewables are good... and there is some reason why my B-12's have to be sub lingual (that's for life.) Anyway here is what I ended up with:

Also at the Vitamin Shoppe I purchased these Isopure protein drinks. The day before surgery, and for a week after, I have to be on clear liquids only. Water, broth, etc. Can't do protein shakes during that time so these clear protein drinks are a great option. I bought one of each flavor so Ian and I can both try them and decide which flavors we are going to want cases of.

I also went to Target and scored a TON of awesome stuff that I think is going to be so helpful! First I'll start with the stuff that is for surgery / time in the hospital. I got some of these to try for keeping my mouth feeling nice and fresh.

I also got some beano meltaways (people say there is a lot of gas after surgery because of air they put into your stomach). I also got a few travel size toiletries that I'd like to have.

Now for post-op stuff! This is the stuff I think is so fun and I'm really excited about it :)

I got this cool set of containers in the toddler section. It's nice and small for tiny meals. I also got a small lunch box for it to go in:

(I got my husband the same dish set in blue, and a small lunch box for him too.)

Then I found this totally awesome thermos food jars!!!

They hold up to 10 ounces (won't need that much, but it's still nice and small) and they keep foods cold for up to 7 hours and hot for up to 5 hours. So excited about these. I found this nice plain one for my husband:

Also, my friend Brandy recommended these sippy cups to me, made by Nalgene:

After surgery you have to take such small sips of liquid (if you take a big sip or gulp it can make you throw up or just be really uncomfortable.) This will help us regulate that and take small sips. They hold 12 ounces of liquid. I got purple for me and blue for my husband. :)

I'm almost done getting everything we need! I know this may seem overboard to a lot of people but I'm a planner, and having everything I think might make our transition easier just makes me feel a lot more comfortable and prepared. Plus, finding cute useful things just makes me feel more excited about the whole thing. I was so glad that my husband really liked everything I picked out for him, too!

All I need now is my protein powders from Max Muscle (hope to find those this weekend) and a food journal for tracking my intake after surgery. I am going to the bookstore with my friend Wednesday (the day before surgery) and if I don't find one I like better, I'm going to try Flogg Daily. OR, I might stick with an iphone app instead, just haven't decided yet.

I am a little nervous about the surgery, but somehow doing all of this lifted my spirits. I guess I really like feeling prepared :)

It's All Set.

My surgery date - May 20th! Can you believe it? Less than a WEEK from today! So, needless to say the appointment with the surgeon went swimmingly :)

When we arrived I thought the place looked really nice. We had to wait a little while and fill out some more paperwork. I was so nervous! It felt like I was literally waiting for my future to begin.

Meeting with the surgeon was a nice experience. He asked us questions, got to know us, made sure we knew he had all the time in the world for us and the appointment would take as long as it takes. Very comfortable. He answered every single question I had written down on my very long list. He was so impressed that we had gotten so many appointments done beforehand and we had almost nothing left to do. He basically gave us the go ahead right then and had us meet with the coordinator, Diane, afterward.

The appointment with Diane lasted a good hour. We went through all the paperwork we had and she concluded that the only things we had left to do were our pulmonary testing and going to the pre-op nutrition class. We set up our pulmonary testing for this coming Tuesday, right during the appointment... and she said "there's a nutrition class tonight!" so we registered for that and decided to just stay downtown and go to it that night. She started throwing out possible surgery dates - May 27th was her first suggestion and I said that COULD work, but my parents would be out of town (and they really want to be here), and my friend Sarah who is coming to take care of me has to leave town the 31st so that wouldn't really give her time to stay here with me. Then we were discussing June dates... and then she said "well I don't know if this would feel way to soon to you, but we could do next Thursday May 20th!" My head was spinning. I called Sarah to make sure she could come so soon, and she said she could. I called my dad to make sure it worked with him, and it did. So it all fell into place!

Now on Tuesday in addition to my pulmonary testing I also have my pre-op testing at the hospital, and my pre-op appointment with Dr Snyder! And then Thursday is my surgery! WOW, so fast!! Also, the Dr. gave my husband Ian clearance to have the surgery just two weeks after me. He wasn't sure if he could do it that soon until he checked with work, but he talked to his boss yesterday and got the go-ahead. So tentatively his date is going to be June 3rd!

We stayed until the nutrition class which was a 2 hour overview class of everything nutrition related before and after surgery. After surgery there will be more classes. We learned a LOT... and we were each given one of these:

Now that's a book. Wow. Still need to read through everything in detail but I know the kinds of things I need to buy before surgery, and that's what I will be up to today!!

Here we go! I'm off and running!