My journey so far....
Hi All,
Been a while since I have dropped a line on here! Here is my experience so far, things I love, things I hate, etc.
I had my surgery on December 19, 2014. I am now almost 5 months out.
The first 7 weeks were HELL! I had a multiplicity of complications -
-nerve damage in my leg (this still persists, however, isn't shooting pain anymore, more of a dull pain)
-starvation for 5 weeks because I couldn't get anything down
-severe nausea (it was realized at 5 weeks that my Citalopram was causing this). Because of the nausea I couldn't eat (hence the starving), and would hide in the bedroom with my door closed under a blanket when my husband cooked because the smell made me so sick.
-I was having dizzy spells and blackouts frequently (my husband and my mom had to be by my side to help me shower for 7 weeks).
-Was admitted to the hospital straight from an appointment due to dehydration/looking grey. They did tests and found gallstones however are leaving them until they cause a serious problem.
-Had a serious migraine. Was having trouble texting my friend so went for a nap. Woke up and tried to text my husband. I literally couldn't spell. He called me because he thought something was up - I couldn't talk either! I was slurring my words and talking mumble jumble. I had numbness in my arms. He told me to hang tight (he was an hour away working). He had my sister-in-law and another neighbor come over. They sat with me and eventually I got my words back, and the numbness went away! The doctor said that I experienced an a-typical migraine. SCARY!
-Dry heaving like crazy at times
...I am sure there was more. I regretted the surgery so much, cried all the time, kept asking myself (and others) what the hell I was thinking. I felt as if I would have rather been dead than have to feel the way I was feeling.
Once they figured out that the medication I was on was making me super sick they changed it. When they changed it, to Seroquel, I was waking up feeling like I was drunk, slurring my words, etc. I was feeling super exhausted all the time. My doctor then told me to double the dose. I thought ARE YOU CRAZY! BUT I did it. Sure enough, I felt pretty much 100%.
From then on, its been a slice. I went back to work at 7 weeks. I was slow and they put me on accommodated duties for about 4 weeks.
Now everything is back to normal! I eat "normal," I exercise, I go out, I feel SO DAMN GOOD. My normal way of eating is much different than it used to be. I eat greek yogurt that is low in sugars, high in protein, cheese strings, proteins, veggies, fruits, etc. Hardly any bread or pasta at all - prior to surgery those were my favourite. I used to LOVE eating out, now, not so much!! I would rather eat at home.
Ive started running too!! I use an app called 5K Runner. I am busting my ass.
To date, I have lost 77 pounds. I am super proud and very happy. Sometimes though, I feel like I am stuck!! The scale hardly moves anymore. My goal was to lose 108 lbs.... these last 31 seem IMPOSSIBLE!!! Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone for posting... such a great tool for those of us going through the same thing.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!
