Just thought I'd post an update since I haven't done so in a while...
Healing continues. I'm able to eat just about anything now - including bread if it is toasted - but haven't done raw vegetables yet. Probably will be a very long time before I try those, other than cole slaw which the doc said I shouldn't have a problem with. But I'm eating most vegetables cooked now, even cabbage! I take anti-gas pills first to try and prevent bloating. No problems.
But about a week ago I started having some belly discomfort. I wondered if it was from the yerba mate but after 2 days without it, no improvement. It was worse after eating, and has progressively worsened day by day. I don't have a sense that there is anything wrong with my wrap itself, however, as it is still doing its job very well. So I backed off on my food portions (even though I don't overeat, or eat until I'm really full), and ate less more often...still no relief.
Last night I realized that I've gotten out of the habit of taking Protonix every morning. It's probably been a couple of weeks since I've taken it. Just because I don't have constant reminders of the acid in my stomach via the GERD, doesn't mean it isn't there, I'm guessing? So this morning I started back up on the Protonix, in the event that it's irritation from too much acid.
On the other hand - my activities are back up to normal levels (I cleaned all 8 bird cages today and vacuumed, moved some furniture, for example) and, even though others do everything within a few weeks of their surgery, my doctor gave me that 100-day thing, to go easy. Probably those other people were in better physical shape going into their surgery than I was...who knows?
So I still have a bit of "ruling out" to do before I'd have to call the doctor.
I may have mentioned that I stopped biting my nails? I've bitten them for half a century - yes, since I was a toddler - and now I am cutting them twice a week to keep them shorter than my fingertips. I don't like how they feel but I like how they look and they are turning out to be rather useful too! Having fingernails wasn't a side effect of the surgery that I had anticipated, but nail bits weren't part of my liquid and soft food diets after surgery - lol.
I continue to lose weight. I don't know how much exactly since my home scale isn't too accurate (but the needle keeps going lower), it was 27# when I was at my family doctor a couple of weeks ago. I can stop in there anytime to check, I'm sure. I know that this is a side effect that won't last forever :) but I'm back on my lowcarb diet that I've followed since April 3, 2004 - nearly 7 years - and, well, I'll write more about that in my Cheap'n'Easy Low Carb blog...
So all is well! I'm just loving being able to sleep laying down in my bed instead of up in my recliner, no waking with reflux in my ear canals or nose in the middle of the, no more worrying about every bite that goes into my mouth (although the reflux was there whether or not I ate anything, and no matter what it was)...just normal life. I can't stop being thankful for this, or for the opportunity to have it done. I just feel so normal now, I had forgotten what that felt like!
And that is my 8-week post-op update :).
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sometimes We Have to be Selfish
Yeah. Even Christians. Sometimes you pray and pray, but it doesn't change other people, people who are determined to do things that are detrimental to themselves and to those around them - even the most innocent...but who steadfastly believe they aren't harming anyone or that their own choices and desires are all that matter. Sooner or later they learn but almost always after the damage is done...and when faced with someone thus determined day in and day out, stress is the natural result.
I started to look up articles on stress and health, stress and healing, etc. but the articles are too numerous to list. Let's just say that the effects of stress are known to be detrimental not only to the emotional well-being of people, but to the physical as well, and when one is trying to recover from physical trauma (such as a major surgery for example) or physical illness, healing is slowed by about 40% according to some of the sources I just read.
So sometimes, after an incredible battle has been fought for health, including heavy financial investments, it is time to say, "I cannot let this work against me and everything I've been fighting for." The toll on the innocent will be heavy, although delayed; the toll on those continually being lied to or treated without respect or consideration, day after day, week after week, month after month can only continue when it is allowed.
Then we reach a point where we realize. And have to make the decision that it has got to stop.
I started to look up articles on stress and health, stress and healing, etc. but the articles are too numerous to list. Let's just say that the effects of stress are known to be detrimental not only to the emotional well-being of people, but to the physical as well, and when one is trying to recover from physical trauma (such as a major surgery for example) or physical illness, healing is slowed by about 40% according to some of the sources I just read.
So sometimes, after an incredible battle has been fought for health, including heavy financial investments, it is time to say, "I cannot let this work against me and everything I've been fighting for." The toll on the innocent will be heavy, although delayed; the toll on those continually being lied to or treated without respect or consideration, day after day, week after week, month after month can only continue when it is allowed.
Then we reach a point where we realize. And have to make the decision that it has got to stop.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
What a Difference a Day Makes!
It is now Tuesday morning. Yesterday I had almost no shortness of breath at all, and, although I got tired easily (I think I lost some ground in my healing process from the wrap surgery over the last week!) I was able to do pretty much everything I wanted to do. Just more slowly and with more breaks.
But the big thing is, I felt more normal than I have in I-don't-know-how-long! Certainly the last few years, when even "normal" days were painful and I had to be careful what I did and ate...but yesterday I ate what I wanted, nothing hurt me, and I did what I wanted, and nothing hurt me.
THIS is the start of the future that I have been looking forward to! I will continue to rest when tired of course (about in the middle of that 100-day stretch now), but my stamina I'm sure will increase as the days go on, and I can see what my future holds and it is all good!
But the big thing is, I felt more normal than I have in I-don't-know-how-long! Certainly the last few years, when even "normal" days were painful and I had to be careful what I did and ate...but yesterday I ate what I wanted, nothing hurt me, and I did what I wanted, and nothing hurt me.
THIS is the start of the future that I have been looking forward to! I will continue to rest when tired of course (about in the middle of that 100-day stretch now), but my stamina I'm sure will increase as the days go on, and I can see what my future holds and it is all good!
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Art of Compromise #lowcarb
There are a couple of schools of thought among low carbers...well, more than a couple, but for the purpose of this post, I will mention 2: one says that if you find low carb substitutes for the carby foods you are used to, you will have greater success; the other says if you learn to do without the carby foods you are used to, you will have greater success. Obviously neither is absolutely true 100% of the time, but each is mostly true to whoever lives by it.
I started out, nearly 7 years ago, believing the latter. And did very well with it for the first year or so. Of course there were some things I felt I could not forgo completely - such as Chinese buffet restaurants - so I compromised, with a trip to one per month. Gradually I evolved to the first school of thought, and learned or created ways to have what I wanted but in a safe, non-carby way. And this is pretty much how I have lived ever since. I do still choose a carby food or meal - or even a day! - once in a while but overall, 90% of the time at least, I eat low carb equivalents to the carby foods I enjoyed before.
After my nissen fundoplication last month I knew I would have to undergo diet changes, and one of them is giving up the so-called "gassy vegetables". This includes cauliflower, which meant no more mashed "potatoes"! Cauliflower is a substitute for quite a few low carb foods, but mostly, for me, it was my mashed "potatoes".
For the first few weeks of my recovery, when I was eating very soft foods to allow my stomach to heal, I didn't think or worry about carbs. It was hard enough just getting nutrition into my 3- or 4-bite minimeals. And I wasn't eating enough food to gain weight certainly. A side effect of this surgery is weight loss, even though it isn't a WLS, so I had no worries - I just had to eat what didn't hurt me. And one of those things was mashed potatoes. I kept a box of instant because they are easy to make up just a tiny amount, and they worked so well for me that I still have some on hand. And, since I can't make the standard fauxtatoes, I have found a way to compromise on mashed potatoes.
(Let me note here that regular potatoes, mashed, are way carbier than instant.)
I haven't done the carb count - haven't actually counted my carbs in years - but here is how I am able to enjoy mashed potatoes with my meal, once or twice a week:
- 1/4c heavy cream
- 1/4c (1/2 stick) real butter
- 1/2c full-fat sour cream
- 1/2c water
Combine the above in a small casserole dish and microwave on high for 4 minutes; remove and stir until smooth.
- 2/3c instant potatoes (mine have 14gN per 1/3c) which is less than the directions on the box, don't let that throw you if you try these
- 1/2c finely shredded cheese (I've been using colby-jack)
- S&P to taste
Stir in cheese until melted; add instant potato flakes and stir until smooth; S&P to taste; return to microwave for 1 minute on high; stir one last time.
This makes 4 nice-sized servings. For the potato flake portion, that's 7gN carbs. Everything else that's in there is very low carb. I'm guessing maybe 10gN per portion. Which isn't a bad compromise at all!
Here is the disclaimer: If you believe you shouldn't consume any starches at all, then don't make this for yourself. If you are morally opposed to potato flakes, then please don't purchase them as your hard-earned cash will be supporting their continued use.
As time goes on and I am seeing that I need to alter my low carb lifestyle to fit within the limitations of my "wrap" (the affectionate pet name that most of us call our fundoplications) I am hopeful that I will be able to continue to eat as low carb as I have for so long. But if I need to get creative, I will not be afraid - I will venture forth and find new ways of doing old things. Because that's MY school of thought :).
I started out, nearly 7 years ago, believing the latter. And did very well with it for the first year or so. Of course there were some things I felt I could not forgo completely - such as Chinese buffet restaurants - so I compromised, with a trip to one per month. Gradually I evolved to the first school of thought, and learned or created ways to have what I wanted but in a safe, non-carby way. And this is pretty much how I have lived ever since. I do still choose a carby food or meal - or even a day! - once in a while but overall, 90% of the time at least, I eat low carb equivalents to the carby foods I enjoyed before.
After my nissen fundoplication last month I knew I would have to undergo diet changes, and one of them is giving up the so-called "gassy vegetables". This includes cauliflower, which meant no more mashed "potatoes"! Cauliflower is a substitute for quite a few low carb foods, but mostly, for me, it was my mashed "potatoes".
For the first few weeks of my recovery, when I was eating very soft foods to allow my stomach to heal, I didn't think or worry about carbs. It was hard enough just getting nutrition into my 3- or 4-bite minimeals. And I wasn't eating enough food to gain weight certainly. A side effect of this surgery is weight loss, even though it isn't a WLS, so I had no worries - I just had to eat what didn't hurt me. And one of those things was mashed potatoes. I kept a box of instant because they are easy to make up just a tiny amount, and they worked so well for me that I still have some on hand. And, since I can't make the standard fauxtatoes, I have found a way to compromise on mashed potatoes.
(Let me note here that regular potatoes, mashed, are way carbier than instant.)
I haven't done the carb count - haven't actually counted my carbs in years - but here is how I am able to enjoy mashed potatoes with my meal, once or twice a week:
- 1/4c heavy cream
- 1/4c (1/2 stick) real butter
- 1/2c full-fat sour cream
- 1/2c water
Combine the above in a small casserole dish and microwave on high for 4 minutes; remove and stir until smooth.
- 2/3c instant potatoes (mine have 14gN per 1/3c) which is less than the directions on the box, don't let that throw you if you try these
- 1/2c finely shredded cheese (I've been using colby-jack)
- S&P to taste
Stir in cheese until melted; add instant potato flakes and stir until smooth; S&P to taste; return to microwave for 1 minute on high; stir one last time.
This makes 4 nice-sized servings. For the potato flake portion, that's 7gN carbs. Everything else that's in there is very low carb. I'm guessing maybe 10gN per portion. Which isn't a bad compromise at all!
Here is the disclaimer: If you believe you shouldn't consume any starches at all, then don't make this for yourself. If you are morally opposed to potato flakes, then please don't purchase them as your hard-earned cash will be supporting their continued use.
As time goes on and I am seeing that I need to alter my low carb lifestyle to fit within the limitations of my "wrap" (the affectionate pet name that most of us call our fundoplications) I am hopeful that I will be able to continue to eat as low carb as I have for so long. But if I need to get creative, I will not be afraid - I will venture forth and find new ways of doing old things. Because that's MY school of thought :).
Friday, January 7, 2011
Some Health Thoughts, and Other Miscellany
I'm sorry, I can't wrap my head around the "muscle pull" diagnosis that I came home from the hospital with. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. I couldn't BREATHE for heaven's sake! Pressure around my ribs...anyway, none of it makes sense. It has been suggested that perhaps my muscles are being used so differently due to the rearranging of my guts and how I move and hold my body since the pain and bloating are gone, compared to before with the constant pain. This may hold a little more water, but there is another theory - not put forth by the doctor - that makes more sense.
My friend Connie suggested this could be part of a detox, something that doctors don't acknowledge or discuss. I have been losing weight quickly, releasing toxins stored in body fat, plus I gave up caffeine cold turkey the day before my surgery on December 1st, plus I was on so many heavy-duty painkillers through much of December that were trying to get out of my system...this makes a lot of sense also, that getting rid of all of the effects and toxins from caffeine and drugs and whatever is being left as the fat is going - well, wherever fat goes.
Since I have been out of the hospital, the dyspnea has been improving. However, my chest still feels pressure, and tight inside, like I can't take a deep breath. I can, but it feels like I can't, and there is tightness when I do. And I have to push and force out the last of the air. And I am fatigued. And I have pain around my ribs.
Today I had a fundoplication-related issue. Drank some chocolate milk, and the pain was horrible! My stomach wanted to sent it back but since the surgery nothing can come back up. I was near tears, and there's nothing to do. I took a Zofran but how can I tell if it helped? It didn't give me relief, but maybe kept it from being even worse...but that was one miserable half-hour.
And today I started with a UTI as well. I'm drinking tons of water (and a little decaf tea)...taking cranberry (3000 mg every few hours)...taking OTC phenazopyridine hydrochloride tablets...but it has been miserable, as only those who have suffered from these can understand.
Between all of the above, I just feel like a sick person. I thought by this time, over 5 weeks post op, I would be feeling better than I have in years, not like a sick person. But I want to go to bed and sleep until it is all fixed and better and I can feel and act and BE healthy...
The black depression seems to have started lifting. It started to lift, oddly enough, in the hospital. I have some theories as to why, but they're probably wrong anyway. I have felt, for the last few days, merely "blue" which is an improvement over "black". I even played my keyboard today, the first time I have actually wanted to play, or felt inspired to play, in weeks. And I'm starting to feel I want to get back to cooking and creating in my kitchen. I have a ways to go to get back to joy, but it will come, if this path continues. God is hearing the prayers of those who are interceding for me, and my own.
And now I'm going to make another post, about Sleepee...
My friend Connie suggested this could be part of a detox, something that doctors don't acknowledge or discuss. I have been losing weight quickly, releasing toxins stored in body fat, plus I gave up caffeine cold turkey the day before my surgery on December 1st, plus I was on so many heavy-duty painkillers through much of December that were trying to get out of my system...this makes a lot of sense also, that getting rid of all of the effects and toxins from caffeine and drugs and whatever is being left as the fat is going - well, wherever fat goes.
Since I have been out of the hospital, the dyspnea has been improving. However, my chest still feels pressure, and tight inside, like I can't take a deep breath. I can, but it feels like I can't, and there is tightness when I do. And I have to push and force out the last of the air. And I am fatigued. And I have pain around my ribs.
Today I had a fundoplication-related issue. Drank some chocolate milk, and the pain was horrible! My stomach wanted to sent it back but since the surgery nothing can come back up. I was near tears, and there's nothing to do. I took a Zofran but how can I tell if it helped? It didn't give me relief, but maybe kept it from being even worse...but that was one miserable half-hour.
And today I started with a UTI as well. I'm drinking tons of water (and a little decaf tea)...taking cranberry (3000 mg every few hours)...taking OTC phenazopyridine hydrochloride tablets...but it has been miserable, as only those who have suffered from these can understand.
Between all of the above, I just feel like a sick person. I thought by this time, over 5 weeks post op, I would be feeling better than I have in years, not like a sick person. But I want to go to bed and sleep until it is all fixed and better and I can feel and act and BE healthy...
The black depression seems to have started lifting. It started to lift, oddly enough, in the hospital. I have some theories as to why, but they're probably wrong anyway. I have felt, for the last few days, merely "blue" which is an improvement over "black". I even played my keyboard today, the first time I have actually wanted to play, or felt inspired to play, in weeks. And I'm starting to feel I want to get back to cooking and creating in my kitchen. I have a ways to go to get back to joy, but it will come, if this path continues. God is hearing the prayers of those who are interceding for me, and my own.
And now I'm going to make another post, about Sleepee...
My 1st Post-Fundoplication "I-shouldn't-have-eaten-that" MEGA-PAIN! #lowcarb #fundoplication
First, what I ate today. Breakfast was smoked turkey and salami, chopped up together, with some dijon mustard drizzled on, then swiss melted over the top.
Never made it to lunch...due to story below...
Supper, because of my stomachache from lunch, was a small bowl of plain yogurt, full fat of course, with a little vanilla and a drop of liquid sucralose. I had no appetite but wanted something creamy and this was very nice.
So early this afternoon I was out and getting hungry, had a pill I needed to take, and saw one of those little plastic bottles of chocolate milk near the cash register. Grabbed it, thinking it would (a) take away the hunger pangs, (b) enable me to take my pill, and (c) be a nice little sweet treat since I hadn't had any in FOREVER. For about 26g of carbs it would be great! So I bought it, drank it, and by the time I got home I was WRITHING and moaning in pain. It was just awful! I've never had pain like that since my surgery last month, and I hope I never do again! My stomach wanted to send it back up but of course I can no longer vomit so it had no place to go. I took a Zofran but have no way of knowing if it helped at all, maybe the episode would have lasted longer or been more severe (how, I can't imagine!) without it? Anyway, it lasted nearly 30 minutes and that was a very very long 30 minutes!
My doctor didn't, but many surgeons who do these surgeries recommend against chocolate afterward. Now I know why...
So not much eaten today. Probably less than 35g of carbs, and definitely less than $5 total.
Never made it to lunch...due to story below...
Supper, because of my stomachache from lunch, was a small bowl of plain yogurt, full fat of course, with a little vanilla and a drop of liquid sucralose. I had no appetite but wanted something creamy and this was very nice.
So early this afternoon I was out and getting hungry, had a pill I needed to take, and saw one of those little plastic bottles of chocolate milk near the cash register. Grabbed it, thinking it would (a) take away the hunger pangs, (b) enable me to take my pill, and (c) be a nice little sweet treat since I hadn't had any in FOREVER. For about 26g of carbs it would be great! So I bought it, drank it, and by the time I got home I was WRITHING and moaning in pain. It was just awful! I've never had pain like that since my surgery last month, and I hope I never do again! My stomach wanted to send it back up but of course I can no longer vomit so it had no place to go. I took a Zofran but have no way of knowing if it helped at all, maybe the episode would have lasted longer or been more severe (how, I can't imagine!) without it? Anyway, it lasted nearly 30 minutes and that was a very very long 30 minutes!
My doctor didn't, but many surgeons who do these surgeries recommend against chocolate afterward. Now I know why...
So not much eaten today. Probably less than 35g of carbs, and definitely less than $5 total.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Low Carbing and My Hospital Experience #lowcarb
I mentioned that my doctor tried to keep me on a "heart healthy" diet in the hospital. All those grains and sugars (natural and otherwise) would have made me sick...but let me back up. As they took my history, both this time and when I was admitted for my surgery last month, the nurses always gave me an incredulous look both when I told them that I am not diabetic, and when I told them that I don't have cholesterol issues. I'm a middle-aged fat woman after all, how can this be?
I can tell you how it would NOT be, and that is if I were following a "heart healthy" diet!
The doctor finally consented to give me a regular diet, so I would "have more choices" (read: eat more fats!) And after that I chose real egg dishes (an omelet NOT made with fake eggs), real meats/fish, things with cheese on them, etc. What I ate isn't that important; what is important is that I was in charge of what I ate, and didn't have to choose my foods from the low-fat/high-carb menu.
Anyway, while I was in there, I had every heart and lung and blood test there is, in addition to a test to check the integrity of my wrap (the nissen fundoplication that was done on Dec. 1st) - everything was perfect...beautiful...all clear...words my doctor used.
(On a side note, the nutritional lady from the dietary dept. came up to my room at one point to ask me if I had an explanation for the 20# weight loss over the last month, or did they need to check into a possible cause? Weight loss is a side effect of the nissan fundoplication I had, as I explained to her, along with low carb eating - even though I ate some carby foods during the first couple of weeks after the operation.)
To me, this plus the fact that I AM a middle-aged fat woman without cholesterol or diabetes issues, is all due to the low carb (5-10% of my intake), high fat (75ish%), moderate protein (15-20%) diet that I have lived on for nearly 7 years, and nothing else...especially considering I DID have a "prediabetic" label stuck on me, and high triglycerides and LDL with low HDL, in the months prior to starting my lowcarb way of life.
Once again, for the bazillionth time, the low carb way of life has been vindicated.
I can tell you how it would NOT be, and that is if I were following a "heart healthy" diet!
The doctor finally consented to give me a regular diet, so I would "have more choices" (read: eat more fats!) And after that I chose real egg dishes (an omelet NOT made with fake eggs), real meats/fish, things with cheese on them, etc. What I ate isn't that important; what is important is that I was in charge of what I ate, and didn't have to choose my foods from the low-fat/high-carb menu.
Anyway, while I was in there, I had every heart and lung and blood test there is, in addition to a test to check the integrity of my wrap (the nissen fundoplication that was done on Dec. 1st) - everything was perfect...beautiful...all clear...words my doctor used.
(On a side note, the nutritional lady from the dietary dept. came up to my room at one point to ask me if I had an explanation for the 20# weight loss over the last month, or did they need to check into a possible cause? Weight loss is a side effect of the nissan fundoplication I had, as I explained to her, along with low carb eating - even though I ate some carby foods during the first couple of weeks after the operation.)
To me, this plus the fact that I AM a middle-aged fat woman without cholesterol or diabetes issues, is all due to the low carb (5-10% of my intake), high fat (75ish%), moderate protein (15-20%) diet that I have lived on for nearly 7 years, and nothing else...especially considering I DID have a "prediabetic" label stuck on me, and high triglycerides and LDL with low HDL, in the months prior to starting my lowcarb way of life.
Once again, for the bazillionth time, the low carb way of life has been vindicated.
It is good to be home again. Had a lovely #lowcarb breakfast of b/s chicken breast strips cooked in olive oil just until cooked through and very tender, seasoned with onion/garlic powders and sea salt, with melted havarti on top. Then I scraped all the crispy bits off the bottom of the skillet and sprinkled them on top...SO good!The hospital food wasn't bad, but they are all about low-fat, low-sodium and even the "low carb" staples are carby. I ordered a cream soup for one meal - guess what? It wasn't thickened with cream :(. Misnomer there...Anyway, I know what I am getting at home, and it is delicious and filling and lovely. Will blog later about my hospital stay at http://chiachatter.blogspot.com and about the food aspects of my stay at http://cheapeasylowcarb.blogspot com. http://amplify.com/u/bkqam
Monday, January 3, 2011
Back in the Hospital - UGH!!
I just blogged about it at my other blog, now too tired to blog here but please go there to see what's what. Not that they know yet...but it's all there...
So...Dangit!
(NOTE: If you are seeing this on Facebook, please go to my blog - chiachatter.blogspot.com - to see my whole post. I don't make my points in the first paragraph, which is all that shows up on my Facebook page :).)
Here's my update. After spending 6 hours in the ER getting morphine for "chest pain" I was admitted. I came in because I can't catch my breath, and there is a band of tightness or pressure around my rib cage. I have pain that waxes and wanes but it isn't my chief complaint - or even any complaint. But they seem focused on "chest pain" - once they see a history of cardiac issues they zoom right in on that, and don't seem to hear me when I tell them this type of pain feels like it is from this band of pressure, and is nothing like any angina I've ever had. It has been determined that I have chest pain and nothing I can say is changing that. That I can't catch my breath unless I've got O2 flowing up my nostrils seems to be an unwelcome distraction to them.
All of my tests have come back fine. Tomorrow will be a lot more tests, mostly cardiac but I will also have to repeat a test that is related to my fundoplication that was the most miserable awful test I've ever had. I have to take about 8 swallows of the most vile awful evil liquid ever devised and have pictures taken after each one. I'm not sure why my gut surgeon is involved since everything is going really well, digestively speaking. But he is and I am glad that they are looking into all possible causes, even if they seem determined to look at the wrong problem.
I'm having issues with the "heart healthy" diet they have me on, that is totally opposite to what I have eaten for the last nearly-7 years, that has gotten my blood lipids back into normal ranges and has kept my blood sugar normal and on a good path. Both of these issues they keep asking me about, and can't seem to believe that this overweight middle-aged woman doesn't have high cholesterol (as defined by bad science) and diabetes. The nurse told me that my blood lipids would be checked in the morning to determine if I need statins. I told her that I will not be taking statins, and she reiterated that we don't know if I will need them or not. I will save that particular "battle" for after the results come back since that will be a moot point. At another hospital I was put onto a statin drug. I asked for my blood results and they were totally fine, yet the doctor argued with me that I needed to be on a statin due to my "risk factors" - ie, a high-fat diet, age, and weight. The way the medical profession thinks is way beyond me...but I never took their drug then and won't now
So back to the "heart healthy" diet. I will become a diabetic if I have to stay on this for very long. No fats, lots of carbs as both sugars and starches. It is infuriating, and if I'm not discharged tomorrow, the doctor and I will have to revisit the diet that he ordered for me. I am pretty much decided that I can get through a day or 2 without eating any of it, if my options remain limited to unhealthy foods.
But mainly, I want to know why I am short of breath whenever my O2 is off. That is not the goal of the hospitalist that is handling my case (and must be all of about 17 years old!), but it is mine. Make it so I can breathe as well as I was breathing 48 yours ago, and send me home. And I will be a happy camper :)
Here's my update. After spending 6 hours in the ER getting morphine for "chest pain" I was admitted. I came in because I can't catch my breath, and there is a band of tightness or pressure around my rib cage. I have pain that waxes and wanes but it isn't my chief complaint - or even any complaint. But they seem focused on "chest pain" - once they see a history of cardiac issues they zoom right in on that, and don't seem to hear me when I tell them this type of pain feels like it is from this band of pressure, and is nothing like any angina I've ever had. It has been determined that I have chest pain and nothing I can say is changing that. That I can't catch my breath unless I've got O2 flowing up my nostrils seems to be an unwelcome distraction to them.
All of my tests have come back fine. Tomorrow will be a lot more tests, mostly cardiac but I will also have to repeat a test that is related to my fundoplication that was the most miserable awful test I've ever had. I have to take about 8 swallows of the most vile awful evil liquid ever devised and have pictures taken after each one. I'm not sure why my gut surgeon is involved since everything is going really well, digestively speaking. But he is and I am glad that they are looking into all possible causes, even if they seem determined to look at the wrong problem.
I'm having issues with the "heart healthy" diet they have me on, that is totally opposite to what I have eaten for the last nearly-7 years, that has gotten my blood lipids back into normal ranges and has kept my blood sugar normal and on a good path. Both of these issues they keep asking me about, and can't seem to believe that this overweight middle-aged woman doesn't have high cholesterol (as defined by bad science) and diabetes. The nurse told me that my blood lipids would be checked in the morning to determine if I need statins. I told her that I will not be taking statins, and she reiterated that we don't know if I will need them or not. I will save that particular "battle" for after the results come back since that will be a moot point. At another hospital I was put onto a statin drug. I asked for my blood results and they were totally fine, yet the doctor argued with me that I needed to be on a statin due to my "risk factors" - ie, a high-fat diet, age, and weight. The way the medical profession thinks is way beyond me...but I never took their drug then and won't now
So back to the "heart healthy" diet. I will become a diabetic if I have to stay on this for very long. No fats, lots of carbs as both sugars and starches. It is infuriating, and if I'm not discharged tomorrow, the doctor and I will have to revisit the diet that he ordered for me. I am pretty much decided that I can get through a day or 2 without eating any of it, if my options remain limited to unhealthy foods.
But mainly, I want to know why I am short of breath whenever my O2 is off. That is not the goal of the hospitalist that is handling my case (and must be all of about 17 years old!), but it is mine. Make it so I can breathe as well as I was breathing 48 yours ago, and send me home. And I will be a happy camper :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Jan 2nd...Not As I Planned
Today I have been short of breath all day, with some pressure/weight in my chest, and pain around my rib cage. Duration over 12 hours. Aspirin hasn't helped. I didn't take a sublingual nitro because it's not like any angina pain I've ever had. (I was diagnosed with prinzmetal's angina in 1997.) My sister is going to drive up here and take me to the ER. Hubby has to go to work, it is his 2nd night on his new job. The ER where I had the surgery is an hour away, that's where she wants to go. I will update when I know what's going on.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Dec.1 - Jan. 1 - The First Month
(NOTE: If you are seeing this on Facebook, please go to my blog - http://chiachatter.blogspot.com - to see my whole post. I don't make my points in the first paragraph, which is all that shows up on my Facebook page :).)
I've already written a lot here almost every day so there isn't much to write about, I just have 2 things, really.
First, I'm about 1/3 of the way through the 100 days. (The surgeon told me it will take a full year to recover completely, but the first 100 days will be "critical" and that I need to go easy on myself during this time. I interpret "go easy" as to rest when I get tired, don't push it when something causes pain, eat what is comfortable in my stomach and no more, and things like that.) I have periods of time when I feel almost normal and go about doing housewifely things and then suddenly I can't do one more thing and have to stop. Right then and there. I simply cannot continue whether or not I want to, or even need to. I'm anticipating that these next couple of months will find me gradually able to do more and more until that doesn't happen anymore.
And I have to once more bring up this depression. I described it to my husband yesterday like this: Yes, I can laugh at a joke, I can carry on a normal conversation, I can put smileys in my emails and FB updates (though I don't feel them these days, they are more like punctuation), I can make myself act and talk normally. I can feel happy about something - such as Pete's new job after all these months of unemployment - but underneath there is a blackness that doesn't go away. It is like a shiny red boat racing across the waves, the sun is shining brightly, the boat is bouncing happily across the lake...but underneath it the water is dark, black even, and icy cold. The boat may be bright and bouncy, but it is surrounded and supported wholly by something dark and cold and ready to devour it at any minute. That is how it is. Exactly.
I talk about my food choices and adapting and how this surgery has changed my diet in my other blog. Between what I've been posting here and there, I think I've given a pretty complete picture of how life has been as it pertains to the nissen fundoplication surgery, and hopefully it will be helpful to someone else who needs this surgery, or has had it and just wants to compare notes.
I've already written a lot here almost every day so there isn't much to write about, I just have 2 things, really.
First, I'm about 1/3 of the way through the 100 days. (The surgeon told me it will take a full year to recover completely, but the first 100 days will be "critical" and that I need to go easy on myself during this time. I interpret "go easy" as to rest when I get tired, don't push it when something causes pain, eat what is comfortable in my stomach and no more, and things like that.) I have periods of time when I feel almost normal and go about doing housewifely things and then suddenly I can't do one more thing and have to stop. Right then and there. I simply cannot continue whether or not I want to, or even need to. I'm anticipating that these next couple of months will find me gradually able to do more and more until that doesn't happen anymore.
And I have to once more bring up this depression. I described it to my husband yesterday like this: Yes, I can laugh at a joke, I can carry on a normal conversation, I can put smileys in my emails and FB updates (though I don't feel them these days, they are more like punctuation), I can make myself act and talk normally. I can feel happy about something - such as Pete's new job after all these months of unemployment - but underneath there is a blackness that doesn't go away. It is like a shiny red boat racing across the waves, the sun is shining brightly, the boat is bouncing happily across the lake...but underneath it the water is dark, black even, and icy cold. The boat may be bright and bouncy, but it is surrounded and supported wholly by something dark and cold and ready to devour it at any minute. That is how it is. Exactly.
I talk about my food choices and adapting and how this surgery has changed my diet in my other blog. Between what I've been posting here and there, I think I've given a pretty complete picture of how life has been as it pertains to the nissen fundoplication surgery, and hopefully it will be helpful to someone else who needs this surgery, or has had it and just wants to compare notes.
Dec.1 - Jan. 1 - The First Month [ #lowcarb #fundoplication ]
(NOTE: If you are seeing this on Facebook, please go to my blog - cheapeasylowcarb.blogspot.com - to see my whole post. I don't make my points in the first paragraph, which is all that shows up on my Facebook page :).)
Today I started out with a half-slice of an oppsie with butter and SF (and seed-free) blackberry jam, knowing I was going out for lunch. Got to the restaurant and ordered a chicken strip basket, figuring I'd split it with my grandson, and take any leftovers home. I ordered applesauce rather than coleslaw since I can't have raw vegetables (and I LOVE coleslaw!), split that with my grandson. Then they brought the "basket" - it was a PLATTER of humongous chicken breasts, 3 of them, with a delicious corn meal breading, plus about a half-pound of fries. (All this for $6.99 - if you're ever in Houghton Lake, MI stop in at Bobber's!) I ate half of one of the pieces of chicken but removed the coating first, and about 5 fries, plus some of the applesauce. I was very very full - too full, I found out when I stood up - but after walking around KMart I was more comfortable. Several hours later I made my grilled cheese sandwich using Oopsies, but couldn't finish it. That's what I've had today. Tonight I am nauseated for some reason...hat big pile of cheese on my sandwich, I'm thinking...
So, a lot has changed in one month. I'm losing weight like crazy but I don't know how much because my scale isn't accurate; I'll be at the surgeon's office again mid-month and will find out then.
I went into this knowing it would change how I eat forever, and that I would have to adapt. No choice. I am adapting, but I read accounts of people who, 10 years after this same surgery, are able to eat anything, and I find myself wishing the next decade away :). I miss my raw vegetables like salads and coleslaw as examples, but also cauliflower dipped in ranch and other things. If I could have one thing back, it would be raw veggies. But I wouldn't trade them for what I endured before the surgery!
I'm about 1/3 of the way through my 100 days. (The surgeon told me it will take a full year to recover completely, but the first 100 days will be "critical" and that I need to go easy on myself during this time.) I interpret "go easy" as to rest when I get tired, don't push it when something causes pain, eat what is comfortable in my stomach and no more, and things like that. As I have written about extensively in my other blog, there are a lot of physical and emotional issues that I didn't expect and that are impacting me nearly as much as the surgery has. But back to food...
I eat "mostly low carb" but admittedly not fully yet. There are days my stomach just wants something gentle, and that is usually yogurt or the inside of a baked potato, and anything else just doesn't work. In addition, since I'm still eating such small amounts, I'm not feeling any blood sugar impact from them. I've always felt physical responses after eating carbs, such as an about-to-come-down-with-the-flu-like feeling, a mild headache, and a faster pulse. Of course, since such a huge change has been made to my digestive tract, what and how I eat certainly has changed, and how I feel when I eat has changed, how meds affect me has changed...so maybe the whole response to carbs has also...still, it is a non-issue at this point, but how I eat is still changing almost day by day.
So that's my report for the first month after my nissen fundoplication, at least as it pertains to how I eat - mostly low carb, but now completely...yet.
Today I started out with a half-slice of an oppsie with butter and SF (and seed-free) blackberry jam, knowing I was going out for lunch. Got to the restaurant and ordered a chicken strip basket, figuring I'd split it with my grandson, and take any leftovers home. I ordered applesauce rather than coleslaw since I can't have raw vegetables (and I LOVE coleslaw!), split that with my grandson. Then they brought the "basket" - it was a PLATTER of humongous chicken breasts, 3 of them, with a delicious corn meal breading, plus about a half-pound of fries. (All this for $6.99 - if you're ever in Houghton Lake, MI stop in at Bobber's!) I ate half of one of the pieces of chicken but removed the coating first, and about 5 fries, plus some of the applesauce. I was very very full - too full, I found out when I stood up - but after walking around KMart I was more comfortable. Several hours later I made my grilled cheese sandwich using Oopsies, but couldn't finish it. That's what I've had today. Tonight I am nauseated for some reason...hat big pile of cheese on my sandwich, I'm thinking...
So, a lot has changed in one month. I'm losing weight like crazy but I don't know how much because my scale isn't accurate; I'll be at the surgeon's office again mid-month and will find out then.
I went into this knowing it would change how I eat forever, and that I would have to adapt. No choice. I am adapting, but I read accounts of people who, 10 years after this same surgery, are able to eat anything, and I find myself wishing the next decade away :). I miss my raw vegetables like salads and coleslaw as examples, but also cauliflower dipped in ranch and other things. If I could have one thing back, it would be raw veggies. But I wouldn't trade them for what I endured before the surgery!
I'm about 1/3 of the way through my 100 days. (The surgeon told me it will take a full year to recover completely, but the first 100 days will be "critical" and that I need to go easy on myself during this time.) I interpret "go easy" as to rest when I get tired, don't push it when something causes pain, eat what is comfortable in my stomach and no more, and things like that. As I have written about extensively in my other blog, there are a lot of physical and emotional issues that I didn't expect and that are impacting me nearly as much as the surgery has. But back to food...
I eat "mostly low carb" but admittedly not fully yet. There are days my stomach just wants something gentle, and that is usually yogurt or the inside of a baked potato, and anything else just doesn't work. In addition, since I'm still eating such small amounts, I'm not feeling any blood sugar impact from them. I've always felt physical responses after eating carbs, such as an about-to-come-down-with-the-flu-like feeling, a mild headache, and a faster pulse. Of course, since such a huge change has been made to my digestive tract, what and how I eat certainly has changed, and how I feel when I eat has changed, how meds affect me has changed...so maybe the whole response to carbs has also...still, it is a non-issue at this point, but how I eat is still changing almost day by day.
So that's my report for the first month after my nissen fundoplication, at least as it pertains to how I eat - mostly low carb, but now completely...yet.
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