No Communion for YOU! (insert Seinfeld reference here): a First Week Update

It’s been one week since my gastric sleeve surgery and I’ve had many observations over the last 7 days.  Behold, I bring you random thoughts by Dawn Ray of Sunshine.

The hospital bed is amazing after you sit up for 9 straight hours directly after surgery (got in the room at 9:30 a.m. and sat up until 6:30 p.m.) I also walked the floor five times or so. That hospital bed was as comfortable and luxurious as a Waldorf Astoria bed (channeling my former industry) – it was comfy and it could be moved up and down to my liking. If only the TV had the premium channel package. (Probably a good thing because I wouldn’t have remembered much of it anyway.)

Pain meds are delightful, get them. I know some people just can’t take pain meds, but as someone who seems to have surgery a lot, I highly recommend them if you can. I wasn’t very lucid during my stay at Methodist Germantown Hospital (it’s such a wonderful and caring place with attentive nurses and other patient care staff!) and I can thank the drugs for that. Apparently the drug of choice this round was Dilaudid – and it could definitely tell when it went through my iv. WOW. I forgot all about the incisions in my stomach, but was still lucid enough to carry on a conversation and make some sense, though now I can’t remember much about what I said, so apologies to anyone I texted while in the hospital.  

It’s weird to think that my stomach can only hold 5 ounces or so. I mean, seriously, that’s strange. I am getting used to the idea and I’m also getting used to the feelings in my stomach. Sometimes I can’t tell if it is empty or I just drank too big of a sip of water. Or I just need to burp.

I haven’t been hungry. Not once. That is the oddest thing of all. I am ALWAYS hungry. I’m not even really thirsty, but I know I have to drink in order to stay hydrated. And I'm ALWAYS thirsty, as my friend Pam reminded me yesterday, "that's weird because you always have a drink in your hand...." (did she mean an alcoholic drink or just a drink or both? I'll never tell!) When the surgery is performed, they remove 70% of your stomach. There is a hunger hormone called Ghrelin that gives us “hunger pangs.” That hormone is in high concentration in the part of the stomach they removed, hence the reason I’m not really hungry. (Yep, I’ve been reading up on the interwebs, so I’m totally qualified to talk about it!) Once I thought I was hungry, but I just had to burp. True story.

I miss chewing. I think just to have something to do with my mouth – other than talk. I’ve always heard smokers have to do something after they give up cigarettes so sometimes they eat candy or chew gum or eat more. So, I will need to figure that piece out. It doesn’t really hit me that much, it is just out of habit.  

I can’t even have a tiny bit of food, not even a crumb. And I don't even want it. I couldn't even take Holy Communion at church on Sunday! Yep, that’s right. I couldn’t even take the body of Christ and dip it into the blood of Christ. But somehow, I think God is okay with it. J I'll hit you up next time, Hope Church!

I don’t know how you stay-at-home moms do it! Mad props to you!! I’ve been  super busy at home. And as much as I might want to, I can’t just sleep my medical leave away. My doctor’s orders are to get up and move as much as I can and don’t sleep the day away. I have managed to sneak in some Netflix and a nap here and there. I’ve been driving this week, too, shuttling kids to school and practice. It’s a lot of on-the-go.

I feel better each day and I’m not as sore. I haven’t weighed myself yet, but I can definitely tell a difference each day when I get dressed. (CRAZY to think that I’m losing weight by the day.)

I know I still have a very long road ahead of me, but I’m doing well. So far, I’m very glad I did this!!!