Tired

Hi!  I'm here.  Surgery is officially 7 days behind me and I've been home since Saturday.  I haven't forgotten about my blog I promise.  My mind has just been else where.  I miss writing though and I'm glad I've checked in.

There really is so much to write about.  But my attention span is only gonna give me a few more minutes so in a nut shell here goes nothing.

I feel like I got hit by a bus.  But not any bus, a cheery, happy, hippy filled bus.   As much as I feel like crap I feel awesome at the same time.  I'm having a hard time getting in all my water but I'm making my goal of 60 oz a day (I need 4 more oz but 60 is awesome).  I started my Multi with ADEK and tomorrow I'm going to start my iron since I feel so sluggish.  I'm getting in 30 oz of protein a day be it shakes, prosource jello or diet. 

My incision itches and stings a little but it's signs of healing, no redness, puss, swelling or bruising which is awesome!  I think the coolest scars though are the two on my neck from my central line.  It looks like vampire teeth marks.  I personally think my belly scar is small, which is awesome.  It runs  from the top of my belly (bottom of my rib cage) to just about my belly button.  I figured it would be like others I've seen and go around my belly button. 

I'm starting to feel the blues but I think that has to do with more being stuck in this house more than anything.  It's been 100 degrees outside and since I'm forcing fluids I'm scared to go outside and sweat too much since DSers dehydrate so fast.  As soon as my water intake is better I'm going to have to force myself not to run outside.

Ok, my attention span is officially dwindling......  See you tomorrow :)

It's Not Physical It's Mental

I was on my way home from the grocery store today, with my son next to me snoozing away.  The wind was blowing through the car, the weather was amazing and for a split moment, my hectic world was peaceful.  It gave me a chance to reflect on the past week and a half, my upcoming surgery and everything else going on.  I love driving, it keeps me centered. 

Of course since my surgery is in just a few days the most prevalent thing on my mind was how my pre-op progress is going.  When I first started my liquid diet I resented myself for having to be pushed to this limit.  I despised the shakes and everything else that came along with it.  Regardless of how I felt I did my best to stick with it.   I went head on and did everything I could to liven it up with SF syrups and different blending methods.  A week and a half later and it's second nature to me.  I don't even think about food the way I did before.  I crave salt but that I make up for in broth.  I don't crave to chew, which I thought I would.  I've learned to focus on liquids and nothing else.  It gave me a whole new perspective on why Dr. Greenbaum makes you follow this protocol.  I feel better prepared to come home post-op and "eat" like this.  I've lost a little more than 10lbs so far but for me it's the mental training that it's done for me.  I don't crave foods.  I'm not focused on eating.  I find myself having more free time during the day instead of eating or thinking about what I'm going to eat next.  I grab my shake and cup-o-water and I go.  Life is more than food.  Without the DS I know this train of thought would be temporary.  With my soon to be switched stomach this train of thought will be easier to keep.  I can't wait to have my new tool!  I know not all doctors chose the two week liquid diet for their patients.  I know some post-ops are glad they didn't have to do it.  As a pre-op I have to say that so far this is the best thing I could of done.  Nothing can prepare me for whats about to come next but I can say I've tried my best, researched all I could and mentally and physically prepared myself for the next leg of my journey. For me and my journey this seems perfect. 


On my drive I also thought about how close I am.  This time next week I will be in the hospital recovering from my surgery.  HOLY CRAP! It's really about to happen!  I've had people ask me if I'm nervous or if I'm thinking about backing out.  I'm not nervous about the surgery or life as a DSer.  I'm nervous about the first few weeks home and taking care of my gut rearrangement and wound care.  I'm confident that I'll be fine but I want to make sure everything is right.  I over-prepare for everything and this worry is just part of the protocol.  And backing out?!  Heck no!  Never in a million years.  I'm gaining one of the best weight loss tools available to me and I worked damn hard to get it.  I'm on my way to being skinny! 

Lingering

I'm still here.  I'm working on tomorrow's blog which I'm researching for.  I'm also trying to hide from all the barbecues going on. 

In other news I cheated today.  Ok so not too big of a deal I had a bite of steak from the grill and a string cheese.  All protein, no carbs and between me and you I deserved it. 

To keep myself busy tomorrow and stay away from the house which will be full of awesome smelling food I will be at the laundromat with my shakes and my water.  I will also have laptop in tow so that I can finish my blog, that is of course if I'm too busy playing angry birds or doing homework.

If I seem quiet the next few days though it's because I'm trying to keep busy.  I'm starting to get anxious about my surgery which is normal.  I'm more nervous about things running smoothly at home and with our son while I'm in the hospital. 

Now I have to go finish the potato salad for tomorrow that I promised to make while I try not to nibble.

Wednesday Review

Yesterday upon arriving home from the dentist and running a few errands I found a mysterious box on my doorstep.  Imagine my surprise when I opened it and found 5 bottles of the coveted DaVinici Sugar Free Syrups that I've heard so much about from my favorite forum at ObesityHelp.com. I couldn't wait to break one open and try some.  Since it was nearing time for my dinner shake of my liquid diet I figured why not go for my all time favorite drink Kahlua and Cream!

I was not disappointed.    

I used:

1 packet of the Champion Nutrition Ultramet Vanilla 

4 ice cubes

12 oz. of water

And about an ounce of  DaVinci Gourmet Classic Sugar Free Syrup, Kahlua

I blended everything on high until it was nice and frothy, which tends to be more filling, which is a great tip when all you get to eat is 3 shakes a day.  Then I sipped, then I licked my fingers, then the spoon I used to scrape the sides of the blender and had my DP not have stopped me I may have even licked the inside of the blender. Let me tell you, I was in heaven.  When I first ordered the flavors from Dr. Greenbaum I had only grabbed a few vanilla because It doesn't tend to be my favorite flavor.  Oy Vey I wish I had gotten more vanilla.  Mixing vanilla with these wonderful syrups really gives me a whole new variety of drinks to choose from.  

One of the most interesting and delightful things I noticed was that I didn't even realize it was sugar free!  I tend to be very sensitive to sugar substitutes.  I can taste the chemical after taste even with something as simple as Splenda, not so with this syrup.  I had no chemical aftertaste.  I actually felt as if I had cheated on my liquid diet. 

I can't wait to try the other flavors and I promise to not just let you know how they go but for the pre-op's dealing with a liquid diet I'll see if I can dig up some friendly recipes to go with them. 

Whether your on a liquid diet, or need a kick for your protein shakes, grab some.  You won't be disappointed.  Your taste buds will thank me.  And when you realize that chugging down the things we need just got a little bit easier, let me know.  I love to see the love spread around!

Day 4

Sometimes coming up with a good blog title can be daunting.  Since today is day 4 of my liquid diet I decided to go with the obvious .  And since I have no suggestions for today's blog here just a run down of what's been going on in the Vanishing Household. 

On day four of my liquid diet I'm still ready to rip heads off and have even thought about cheating but who the hell am I kidding?  This is for me!  I've worked to hard to give up now.  Thanks to my wonderful DP I've been able to stay relatively on track.  In an effort to help her own weight loss she's cutting out all carbs which really helps me.  We've been cheering each other on.  I want to chew, and no gum doesn't help.  I want to chew, swallow, and feel satisfied.  I want to taste a juicy rubbed steak and pick gristle out of my teeth.  Soon enough, soon enough.

Good news for today is that I received my shipment of samples from DaVinci that I will start sampling tomorrow for my first "Wednesday Review".  I think I'm going to try the Kahlua sample first.  Check it out!  I was so excited to find this at my doorstep today!

 

That's all for today.  I was going to go crawl into my hole and be miserable, but I think I'm going to go for a walk instead.  

Would you like your torture Shaken or Stirred?

WARNING: I will complain, I will bitch, I hold nothing back.  I am a food addict.  This is withdraw.  By Tuesday I should be back to my normal happy self but in the meantime...... deal with it!


Day  2 of my liquid diet and I have to disagree with who ever came up with this idea.  It's not horrible as in there's no way I can do it.  It is horrible in the way that I'd rather have my teeth pulled with no Novocaine and rusty dental equipment.  

Thank Goodness for my mother who happened to have sugar free syrups to make this a little more interesting.  So far I've been able to turn my banana shakes into 'Banana Fosters', my chocolate shakes into 'Chocolate Raspberry Truffles', and my vanilla shakes into 'Irish Cream Heaven'.  Ohh don't forget my lavish chicken broth that I have seasoned with every type of salt and pepper concoction I can come up with. This coupled with long naps to combat the lack of energy I'm feeling and this short term liquid diet is totally livable.  Let's just hope my sunny disposition is just as cheery this time next week.

To combat the blues and the lack of explosions on my taste buds I have made my lemon water a staple.  It's half pure lemon juice, half water poured over as many ice cubes as I can fit in a 16oz tumbler.  I like my lemon water.  No, let me rephrase that, I LOVE my lemon water!  It's such a nice pick me up.

To start my official countdown I've added a ticker tot he top of my blog.  Now you can count down with my too!

Now that wasn't too bad, was it?  I complained and maybe even went a little over board but nothing my favorite people couldn't handle.

Reflections

I'm writing this on a Saturday because last night I grabbed the midget and decided to spend time at my moms for the weekend.  My partner had other family obligations and I have to admit, she was right.  She told me to use this weekend to spend quality time with my family.  As much as I would of loved her here to enjoy the weekend with us, this has really given me time to reconnect with my mom.  We had my celebratory Last Night o' Food and munchies.  My mom and step-dad treated us to some Mexican, and for dessert, a smoothie for me, and some ice cream for the rest of the bunch.  I of course came home (well to her house) and almost collapsed from all the food I ate.  It was a great ending to a great day. 

My mom lives in the woods.  

No really, I mean the woods, like Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs woods.

Nothing spells relaxing than the sound of nothing but trees and birds.

Her house is nicely tucked away and behind her house is a clearing with trees and plenty of woodland animals to make you feel like you steped into the story of Red Ridinghood.  It's relaxing, calm and the perfect start to my liquid diet.  I was totally apprehensive of coming here to start this. I have recently quit smoking, my monthly friend should be here by tomorrow and I just had to say good bye to my soul mate (food).  I had wanted to curl into a ball, put some Netflix on with my headphones and not leave the bed all weekend.  I'm glad I have family who pushes me.  My mom played guilt trip until I agreed to come and I am grateful for every minute of it.  I can go out on her deck and listen to the trees, or I can curl up on her couch with her and watch some QVC (hey, don't judge us), or I can sit at her kitchen table with an awesome view of everything that is calm.  Not to mention I made sure I packed my xanex for the tough moments.  Plus this isn't really good bye to food.  Since I chose the DS it's more like "I'll see you later good friend" My diet post surgery won't be restrictive like some of the other weight loss surgeries.  I'll be able to eat all I love again, it's just a matter of time. 

This is the perfect ending to a near perfect week.

But I like my food crunchy!

Well guys and gals, this is it!  Saturday morning I officially start my liquid diet.  I get to drink all of these for the next 14 days!

They asked me what flavors I preferred and I picked chocolate and banana although I think I should of thrown some more strawberry in there too.  Honestly though, no matter what flavor I got it's not going to be fun.  Hopefully with a little bit of DaVinci's syrup I can try and make it fun!

What I thought was a pre-op class wasn't.  My class will be on Monday starting at 8:30 for testing.  The appointment I had yesterday was a pre-op appointment with my surgeon Dr. Greenbaum.

For those curious about the brand of shakes I'll be drinking here is the nutritional information.  I'm about to do some of my school work and when I'm done I'm going to make a list of topics and what days I'll post so that I can spread the information out rather than bombard you all at once.