Vacation Rollercoaster

So I mentioned last time that I think I am doing better when I dont think to blog as often. Scratch that. I am finally feeling better so I decided to write about my experience last week which was not good.

Basically I had started my first week of a soft solid diet. I had a couple bites of scrambled eggs the first day, no problems. The second day, I think I drank some water too soon after eating and I was really uncomfortable and had alot of pain in my chest. I went to Curves for my initial consult and had to leave before doing a work out because I was in too much pain and I thought I was going to throw up. That passed after about an hour. So a few days later I tried the eggs again, thinking- now I wont drink anything for at least an hour after. Well I dont know what went wrong and I definitely can't explain it...but I had a horrific episode. I had 3 bites max and I mean tiny bites- maybe a quarter of a scrambled egg and 2 bites of toast, which i had before made dry and crispy like they said. About a half hour later (no liquids) I started feeling funny and knew I was going to have a problem. So I prepared myself for the usual pain and discomfort knowing it usually passes in about a half hour. Well no such luck this time. The pain kept getting more intense and finally it was unbearable. We were out doing errands and I told Lew to bring me home. I felt like I was going to be sick but I couldnt get anything up. So it had been 2 hours at this point and I decided maybe a sip of water would help me either push it down or throw it up because something had to give. Bad idea. The only way I can describe what happened next is I had this sensation of drowning inside my body. After consulting with some online fellow post ops, I think the toast and egg made a paste and blocked the entrance to my pouch. So it was still sitting there when I sipped the water. So the water had nowhere to go and started to come back up. This was absolutely terrifying. I could not catch my breathe and the pain was second only to the ear infection I was hospitalized for in 2005. It was actually worse than my post op surgery pain and that was no picnic. I wanted to throw up so bad but nothing would move and I was flailing my arms gasping for air at the kitchen sink, thinking this is it- I am gonna die right here and I cant even make it to the door to tell Lew I need help or the phone to call 911. I was paralyzed with fear and just trying to breathe but i couldnt do it. It lasted about 30-45 seconds and then I was able to take a shallow breathe. But forget it I was a goner at this point. I was hysterical.
I called Dr. Ameri's office and they paged him and told him I ate 2 ENTIRE SCRAMBLED EGGS for breakfast. She called me back and said he wanted me to go to the ER and that I had stuffed my pouch too much. I was like- 2 EGGS are you insane? I couldnt eat that if my life depended on it. I couldnt even eat 2 bites of egg!
So by the time she called me back I had recovered some and was feeling slightly better. I would have gone to the ER if the original feeling was still there, but I had the foamies and burped alot and I seemed ok. I was shaking like a leaf though and so bummed out about it all.

So that was probably the headline of our vacation week. Overall not a great vaca. I worked 4 days which prob wasn't such a good idea. We stayed home all week which I will never do again either. You need to get away even if its nearby and only for a few nights. I need to be away from the laundry, dishwasher, tv and computers.
We didnt have very good weather either- at least on the days I was home...but we hung out at the pool, took Nick to some fun places and had a small bbq on the 4th which was fun despite the blah weather.

So at 9 weeks out I am down 56 pounds and my diet looks something like this:
Isopure Clear- 20 ounces a day broken up in 4 or 5 servings.
Soup/yogurt/pudding couple ounces of each a day
Bretton mini crackers with Tzaziki dip (to die for- greek yogurt based dip I found at Shaws) and or with 2 ounces of tuna salad
Orville Redenbacker popcorn cakes (carmel or butter flavor)- dipped in peanutbutter
1 Babybel cheese
1 Propel mandarin orange bottle
crystal lite or plain water

So I am having about 500-600 cals a day and at least I can have a few new things, but I need to try more and I am too afraid. I have sworn off eggs obviously. I have to try grilled fish next. I am going to have some tilapia tomorrow. The tuna is the best- I cant believe it has 15 grams of protein in 2 0zs- that's only a quarter cup!
So thank god I can keep it down because I have heard some people cant.

I think I am hanging up my soup chef hat, tried making a bunch of soups over vaca and ended up throwing them all out. Screw it, I am buying the good stuff wherever I can find it. I have to find someplace around here- I cant make it to NE Soup Factor when I am not working. Tomorrow I am gonna scope out Sammy's Deli down the street- Lew says they have alot of soups.

Overall I feel pretty good, still frustrated with what I can eat. It's weird because now I am officially on a FULL diet, which is kind of a joke because when you are pre-op you think, oh if I can just make it to 9 weeks I am home free! But no one tells you it's going to be a LONG time, and maybe never for many items, til you are eating a FULL diet. I think after the egg and toast debacle, I am just happy to be breathing and pain free for this many days in a row. It's going to take a while to get my courage up to try anything new besides the fish which i was supposed to add a week ago.

I found out about a get together in Waltham later this month for pre and post op patients in this area so I am looking forward to meeting some people. This woman is having it at her house and everyone is supposed to bring a dish- now that makes me laugh! Some of the things people are bringing include, kielbasa, burgers and dogs, cheesecake and mexican dip. So I guess there is hope for me down the road. Or maybe those are the pre op people! HAHA!


"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"
~ Dr. Seuss