Proceed at your own pace

I'm six weeks post -RnY.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Technically, I could now be eating solid foods, resuming a "normal" diet of foods, and incorporating the new normal into my life's routine.  However, I am pretty far behind the suggested reintroduction of foods to see if I can tolerate them.  It's ok tho, the scheduled stages are meant to be guidelines of the earliest you could possibly move from clear liquids, thru full liquids, into pureed, onto soft foods, and then as of yesterday, some forty days post bariatric surgery, solids.  It's quite alright to take longer, which is a good thing, because it gives me permission to take my time, moving slower thru the textures, and allowing myself to fully heal as I experience every moment of this adventure.

Last week, I started to resume drinking the high density protein shakes that I'd last had several days before surgery, in mid-October.  Most folks begin to drink either the ready-made shakes or customized smoothies using protein powder toward the end of the first week.  It's not that I had problems with the surgery, I didn't.  Rather, I did have problems with dairy and by-products for several weeks after surgery.  Most of the protein powders I have are whey based, tho I do have one that is pea protein, a vegan/plant based option.  However, by the time I took a break from the failed attempts of consuming the protein shakes, I was so grossed out by the taste of them in general, I was loathe to give the pea protein a try.

That meant for the first month, I was failing to hit my protein targets and that was a huge concern with more time passing.  But it's all under control, for now.  Getting my goals every day is more likely to happen than not, I am happy to say!

Yesterday, I was feeling down, not really sick, but just off a bit.  I gave some thought to what was going on for me and I realized that I needed to back off, remind myself of a few things, and give it another go, from where I am, rather than where the average bariatric patient is at the six week mark.  The truth of the matter is, I am not yet ready to breeze into solids, or even most softs, tho purees are more my speed, and the protein smoothies are considered full liquids, while I'm still relying on clear liquids at times.

I also realized today that as far as purees go, half and ounce to an ounce is about all I can handle at the moment.  That's when I begin to feel that pressure and much past that, I will end up paying the consequences of too much, too fast, or too advanced.  I've learned that regurgitation is not a one shot thing; it lasts for quite some time, up to three or four hours in my case.  That means that my stomach pouch has been agitated, stressed, and perhaps even strained for a good portion of my afternoon or evening.

Finally, I asked myself why I was doing that.  Stop pushing, just relax.  Let things progress in a way that feels better and more well suited for ME and my stomach pouch.   Taking that pressure off that I didn't even know I'd been putting on myself feels really good, I must say.

This year, we had decided to not travel, not host, not commit to another's gathering.  It's a bit different, to not see my husband preparing his traditional turkey, slow roaster in the counter top electric NESCO.  I would not have been able to eat it anyway, certainly not the dressing or the gravy that was entirely new to me when I met him, eleven years ago.  I've had gravy with giblets in them, just not with hardboiled eggs and an assortment of stuffs that yields an entire stew pot worth of rich liquid that his kids have eaten as a soup of sorts.

Jerry and I chose to stay home, catching a few things on the TV, like football games of course, and maybe a TiVo'd episode or two of some of the shows we are woefully behind on.  Tomorrow evening, at the Eggbowl, the annual Thanksgiving gridiron face off between Ole Miss and State, is also seniors' night for our players here at MSU.

I'm sure that I will wander off, opting to listen to an audio book {It Occurs to Me that I am America} while crafting a project or two.  Or maybe writing some cards that I remembered this afternoon to address, either mailing them next week or dropping them by when I'm in town, to various folks.  Or doing some other activity like reading a book my husband recommended to me, as it is due on Monday at the public library downtown.

Early in the afternoon, a friend just down the road will be putting dinner on the table for her family and a few friends.  She's invited us both, but Jerry's likely to enjoy the quiet here at home and I will pop in for a bit.  I've never seen a fried turkey up close and personal, again won't be able to try it, but I still cannot quite believe that you can fry a turkey in about an hour.

Today, my husband made me some hummus that is less spicy than the store bought types.  It has a touch of garlic and lemon, but skips over the oils and the heavier ingredients of a typical recipe.  I was needing a bit more fiber than I've been getting, but need it to be still fairly gentle on my stomach, so hummus suits me fine.

He also blended some limas {my favorite veg as a child, it still ranks high on my list, probably right after broccoli} with some ground turkey he had frozen the last time he roasted a turkey.  Again, he watched the spices since that's just not something I can handle right now.  I'm all set for a bit!

Happy festivals with friends and family!  Travel safely.  Remember to take some time to cool down if you are finding things are getting too tense and you are rather frazzled.  And enjoy the time you do have.

Grateful Gratitude

Every morning, my Jerry sends me an eMail with a synopsis of items in the newspapers that he either found interesting or that he thought I'd want to know.  He includes a few comic strip titles that he enjoyed that day, which sometimes I can look up and sometimes I cannot.  I've gotten to take for granted that he will be taking the time and making the effort to do this for me; so when I don't receive it by midMorning, I get a lil impatient, as tho I were entitled to this lagniappe that he does for me.

Earlier this week, I thought about the various things he does that I don't appreciate or express that, in the way that my Jerry deserves.  It's all the lil things that make my life easier, richer, more meaningful, and very satisfying.  There are so many of them, that once I started to give the matter some specific attention, I was tearing up with gratitude.

He's such a good man and so sweet to me.

This week is Thanksgiving for us USAmericans.  The day means something slightly different for every one of us.  In my family of origin, Thanksgiving was our most significant holiday.  There were lots of traditions that we built and put into practice.  For me, as a young adult, even when I was away from my family, I carried on many of those traditions like a full spread of roasted turkey with filling and stuffing {what folks here in the south call "dressing"}, sweet potatoes, succotash, creamed corn, pineapple salad, cranberry sauce {made with fresh cranberries}, and an assortment of pies.  Friday, when so many folks are shopping, I'd be baking cookies and cakes for gifts of appreciation.  Often that baking would continue on thru the weekend and end on Monday with a huge pot of chili, using the left over turkey.

Then there were some life circumstances that tapped my energy and made that a difficult activity to do.  I would sometimes go to others' dinners, but it never quite felt right.  I missed doing those traditions, the meaningfulness that we ourselves assigned the holiday.

Eventually, I met Jerry and our first Thanksgiving was so full of stories, his family of creation's traditions, people, activity, and so forth that I felt comfortable, like the way coming home should feel.  He cooked his three main dishes:  the slow roasted turkey that goes into the counter top Nesco; the huge stew pot of gravy, with hardboiled eggs; and the cornbread dressing.  At the time, I made all the side dishes, the vegetable salad, the cranberry sauce, the limas, and the creamed corn.  I baked bread, using the methods my mom taught me when I was a child, and pies from scratch, worrying over the "foolproof" crust.  And no one ate anything but the turkey, gravy, and dressing.  Eventually, I stopped putting the effort into doing the sides and would completely relax, getting up about an hour before the early dinner at eleven in the morning; showing up at the table, sometimes setting it, sometimes not; and eating, with seconds, sometimes thirds.

Now tho, this year, my husband and I opted to have a quiet day, just the two of us.  I may go visit a friend who has invited me to her place just down the road, and grab a few nibbles of turkey and vegetables.  Jerry and I will enjoy our peaceful home, satisfied with each other and life in general.  He will watch football, especially that evening's EggBowl, the annual tradition of Ole Miss and MSU having it out on the field.  It's an odd year, so the game is here, at State.  I will listen to some audio books, via Hoopla; or crochet or knit; or write; or do all of these activities.  We will be content, just as we are thru~out most of the year, most every day.  And I will enjoy that very much.

Because I've made a point to focus on the people, actions, and things I am grateful for; I have a fuller heart and these are in the forefront of my mind.  We are not traveling, preoccupied with the road, other drivers, the weather, where we are going, what we will be doing, whom we will spend time with, and when we will be returning home.  We are not hosting, preparing rooms, beds, baths, tables, food, food, and more food.  We are simply relaxing, enjoying each other and life.

And I am more grateful than I can adequately express.

Working on Month Two

I'm just a lil over five weeks post RnY now, working on my sixth week.  Some changes I've noticed are that my hips, lower back by the sacrum, and knees feel OH! so much better!  Tho my midThoracic region is a bit tense, which is new for me.  I think I had been relying on the fat to hold my back in an upright position, so now, I really need to work on my posture and strengthening those muscles so that I'm not a limp noodle or the wavy inflatable guy.

I can breathe lots easier, which is good, esp with winter coming on and folks coughing and spewing their germs everywhere.  I've more energy, not so sluggish, getting up earlier and awake, rather than taking time to wake fully and then needing a nap and then not getting to sleep at night.  I've been maintaining a good healthy sleep schedule that allows me to function much better.

My blood pressure is still some high, but I expected that to take some time to moderate into a lower more healthy range.  I'll be going for labs to check various functions and levels in midJanuary, three months out.  I've been hitting all my micronutrient goals, so I'm pretty sure I'll be sitting pretty.

I do need to increase my water intake.  I've been working on it, while not sacrificing any of my other targets, like protein, vitamins/minerals/supplements {like acidophilus and omega 3-6-9}, and my regular medications that I'd been taking pre-surgery {well, pretty much in one form or another for fifteen years now}.  I feel I'll get the water thing this week and then be able to keep it stable at the goal or above.

The lower intake of water explains a few slight difficulties I am having, like constipation and a bit of a weight loss stall.  It's not a plateau, as it has only been a week or so.  It's just my body adjusting and so I'm not impatient or freaked.  But I did have to remind myself that it's normal and not to worry so.

I'm a bit behind the suggested food stages and textures; that's quite alright, it's better to be safe by taking it slowly than to rush things and hurt myself.  So I'm actually more on the full liquids than anything else, tho I do a few soft foods at this point.  Last week, I was able to start the protein shakes again; for the first month, dairy and its by-products {like whey}were not being very friendly with me.  But we've reached a truce and I'm happy to say that altho I don't care for the ready made drinks as much as I do my own smoothies, I am now getting my protein in adequate amounts.

I'm not huge on chemicals and processed foods, but I do like the Syntrax Promina Whey Protein Shake powder more so than the other protein powders that I've tried.  I also have some pea protein vegan powder that I'll be trying in a bit, but not right now.  When I find something that works for my system, I am cautious about switching to something else until I am a bit more stable.

Right now, since I've been eating/drinking slower, stopping when I feel it's time, and consuming things that I know I'm good with; I've not been regurgitating.  That is a HUGE YEA!! me!!  Especially since the wear and tear that 'urping does tends to last actively for three or four hours.  Then I'm pretty much miserable and worn out.

Do something dumb, pay the consequences.  Treat yourself right, feel much Much MUCH better.  Sometimes lessons bear repeating.  Again and again.  Hopefully my "agains" are lots less fewer, cuz I think I got this, for now anyway.

Sometimes introducing new foods doesn't go so well.  That's why most programs recommend doing that at home rather than elsewhere.  Makes sense to me.

It's great that I've lots of support, both near and far.  Thank you oh! so much, for being so encouraging and inquisitive and interested in my monologues which tend to focus on meMeME at this point.  I'm so fascinated by this experience that it seems that's all I can focus on right now.  Eventually the newness will wear off and I'll be all, what's this, and this, could it be, and that, oh that other thing, let's check it out, and there, what's there, come with me and look, oh my!  But for now, that's all focused in the realm of postRnY and what sort of effects that has on the digestive system, the body as a whole, and the communication with the brain and gut.

Tomorrow is Veterans' Day: Thank YOU

  This is a day early, but I wanted to wish all those Vets out there a very significant Veterans' Day.  I know that for some, this is a joyous time.  For others, it is a solemn day full of ceremonies and memories, thoughts of the lost comrades who are no longer with us.  Many find this a day that brings mixed emotions, both gratitude for where they are now and sadness for those left behind, and anger and frustration for the hard fought, hard won benefits that were promised and yet withheld for such a very long time.

So for all the veterans in my life and everywhere, you are important to us all, even those who don't always say, "thanks".  For my sweet husband, I love you so.  I've learned so much from you over the last decade and I'm always so proud of you for so many reasons.  You're more wonderful than you realize.

Swimming thru the Villi

Yesterday was the start of my fourth week, post bariatric surgery.  I'm now technically into my soft food stage of healing and reintroducing foods to my Rumbly Tummy.  However, I tend to still do much better with broths and soups as a whole.  I have tried some other things; but like dairy, most things just aren't agreeing with me yet and I'm not going to force the issue.  Tho sometimes my mouth does write checks my stomach pouch is all like, nope Nope NOPE not cashing that, and oohpsie, it comes back up.  Usually I get myself to the bathroom in enough time, but sometimes what I think is a burp, is substantially more.  Would that be a vurp?

Mushrooms seem to go down nicely, like the ones in the Tom Kha that most any Thai restaurant will serve.  Mostly it's a matter of remembering to take my time and chew thoroughly.  It is SO a learning process; I'm getting better at noticing and predicting.  Most of the sensations are entirely new to me and I am not always sure if that particular one usually means this or if that feeling there is a one off and not likely to occur on a regular basis.  After all, I am still healing and not all sensations are my new normal, some are going to happen only through the healing stage; others are truly wow, ok, I hope that does not occur again.

Since I don't use facebook and other platforms that would have support groups, I rely on a few folks whom I know have experienced either RNY or gastric sleeve and also my own research online to answer a few questions.  If I am truly concerned, I eMail my follow up doc and nutritionist and ask!  They both respond quickly and are very thorough in their explanations.

However, I don't have any major concerns and am healing nicely.  My external incisions, including my drainage port, are healing well and are likely to continue doing so.  My internal anastomoses are, I think, healing as they should be.  I'm experiencing no pain, nor constant pressure or discomfort.  I have no fevers or swelling indicating inflammation.  The only regurgitation occurs when I've eaten too fast, too much, or something that is too soon for my system to handle yet.

So picture a shag rug rolled up so that the plush extensions are on the inside of that tube.  That's what the jejunum is like.  It's the second part of the small intestine and its function is to allow the well chewed tiny bits of food to go thru the finger~like villi that coat the entire inside of jejunum so that all those projections can pull the micro- and macro- nutrients out of the sustenance.  Since that is connected directly to the end of my stomach pouch, it means that if I want food to go thru that efficiently, I not only need to chew, Chew, CHEW but I also need to not drink anything for about half an hour before or after, so that I don't flush the proteins or micronutrients thru like having the water on full force before the plumber's helper has a chance to do its thing in your house pipes.  Or rinsing the dye out of your hair before it's set.  Or any one of the other examples that might spring to mind.

It also means tho that soups and broths and the food that's all soaking wet is easier on my system right now than comparatively drier and substantially firmer white meat of chicken and turkey or raw carrots and radishes or even flaky fish and shrimp.  All very tasty things yes, but not practical at this point.

Baby steps, Debra, baby steps.