Bariatric Diaries 3: First Weekend Home

What a rollercoaster.

I got released on Thursday afternoon from the hospital and left pretty sore but looking forward to recuperating in my own bed. Friday I was home alone so that my wife could go back to work. I relied on the pain medication to help me make it through the day and slept most of the day between HBO movies. Saturday, I got to see my son for the first time since the surgery. In the most innocent 6 year old voice he immediately said ”Wow you look like you lost some weight already Dad.” Even though I knew he was trying to make me feel better, I played along. I also got out and did some walking with my wife while she ran some errands. She must be a saint, because she has been so supportive and waited on me hand and foot this week.

The pain has not been too bad so far. My surgery was laparoscopic, so I have 6 small incisions forming a rectangle on my stomach. I would offer to show a picture, but trust me when I say you don’t want to see that. The incision on the upper left side is by far the most painful. Dr. Douglas Lorimer, who did the surgery, explained that is the “port” where they insert the stapler and so it will generally be the worst pain wise. So as of Sunday evening, I am for the most part pain meds free (5 days post op). I have made it to the evening without taking any pain meds, which depending on how much I am moving around, makes me question myself. Overall the pain is about a 1 or 2 on the infamous pain scale you will experience at the hospital.

Ok, so I know you are probably telling yourself that there has to be something that isn’t going so well. A couple things!! I am having issues with nothing tasting good to me anymore. Things I fell in love with preparing for the surgery taste like awful. Even my fall back plan of fat free pudding that I have eaten most of life tastes bad. I unfortunately had to pay another trip to Vitamin Shop today because the one protein I really liked before surgery tasted and smelled so bad that I started to gag from drinking it. Oh yeah, the vitamins aren’t so bad, but I have found myself brushing my teeth more because they make my breath smell horrible. Not sure what is causing this problem; I have to figure something out QUICKLY!!

Overall, I give 2 thumbs up with my surgery experience. I will make it through the couple bad things and I will be a better human because of it. Life is too short to let small issues like those get in my way. I go back to my follow up appointment with Dr. Lorimer next Wednesday morning. I am sure he will have some answers to my issues and more importantly he is planning on taking out the stitches. I forgot how much they can start to itch after a few days. Be very careful with your wounds, the last thing you want is an infection or something to happen to those stitches.
Also, I want to take a quick moment to thank some very special people at Texas Health Fort Worth. Dr. Lorimer and Dr. Castaneda, you guys did a great job and I really appreciated the kind words from both of you after I got to my room. I could not have asked for a better team of surgeons to work on me. The nurses and patient care techs on the 3rd floor are amazing. They can be tough on you when it matters most, but they are always there. I can now confirm that in any state of medication I will forever be able to provide my full name and date of birth. J I have worked with nurses for several years through my job and I have never seen such a professional and caring group of nurses in one place at any given time. The “Lovely Ladies of Bariatrics”, Tiffany Norris and Jaime Bass, are again awesome. They both came and checked on me daily and helped make the stay just a little easier. Carey in the chaplain’s office also came by to see me every day. He prayed with me and my wife pre surgery and really made me feel so much calmer and always had some kind words to share when I was stuck in the hospital bed. Finally, thank you to Whitney Jodry in marketing who braved the early morning hours to tweet about my surgery to promote obesity awareness. It is a huge problem (no pun intended) and people should know their options. My family is extremely appreciative of the work that the entire team of Texas Health Fort Worth put forward to make our experience that much better.
Since surgery, I have lost about 10 lbs. bringing my total loss since January to approximately 46 lbs.

The journey continues…..