Good Day

Well, today is a good day. Why? No special reason than I'm upright.

Took the little dogs to get their nails clipped. I think the only reason they tolerate it is because they get bones afterwards. I know there's a lot I'd do for a treat. LOL

Today's date finds me at 161 lbs, comfortable 12/14. Have only lost 4 lbs since June, but I'm okay with that. Slow and steady win the race. I can go for my plastic surgery (PS) now if I'd like, but I'm going to wait until the spring in the hopes of dropping some more pounds and getting more loose skin taken than fat. Of course, I'll get better results the less fat there is on my body, so best to try.

Have I talked about my PS? I want to get either a circumferential body lift or a belt lipectomy. They're like a super-dee-dooper tummy tuck. Very similar procedures, the circ is more intensive and tackles around the middle and the butt and thighs; the body is cut all the way around and down onto the outer thighs. Pieces of skin and fat are removed, and the top and bottom are pulled together and sewn around. The belt is just a "belt" of skin taken out of the middle and then the top and bottom sections pulled back together. It also takes the lower belly out but doesn't help the butt as much nor the thighs at all. With both procedures, the back rolls are also tackled, so that's good.

The challenge is finding a plastic surgeon who performs these procedures. So far I've found the belt lipectomy with Dr. Niebles, who works with Dr. Almanza, the doc who completed my sleeve. I've found a couple more docs who perform something similar to the belt, but not enough so to help with my sagging skin. It's for those who need a tummy tuck, not a full blown lift. I'll keep you up to date with news I learn. Here are a couple links with information, should you be interested.

http://immersivemedical.com/circumferential-body-lift.html

http://immersivemedical.com/belt-lipectomy.html

Otherwise things are still good. Protein intake, water and food are going pretty good. Some struggles here and there, as with anyone watching their diet, but mostly just fine. I'm still not dedicated to exercise; a walk here and there, lifting weights as I move things around (LOL) but nothing too serious. Again, I'm okay with this. I see so many people who start to exercise and watch what they eat, but then fall off the bandwagon and gain gain gain. Granted, there are many who choose that route and do fine for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, the numbers of those is 3-5%. Thankfully I've got my little tool to help me with my food.

So that's my news. Have a great day!

FINALLY!

It seems to have taken forever, but I've finally lost 70 lbs! If I paid more attention to what's going in my mouth, and actually got my ass up and moving, I'd lose more I'm sure, but that's not the way it's working for me. And I'm okay with that. It will take longer to get the next 30 off, but that's okay too. It's coming off slowly but surely and is staying off nicely. Onto the next goal!!

Weighed myself this morning and I'm at 167! It's slowly coming off, but my stall seems to have broken. Woo hoo!!

I just wrote a friend about everything and I think I'll post it here.


The procedure in Canada is anywhere from $18,000 to $30,000. You can go through the Weight Wise program at the U of A hospital, but you'll be waiting about 2 years for the procedure and then there's no guarantee they'll give you the sleeve.

The procedure I had is called a gastric sleeve or a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I believe there are a few more names for it, but those are the main ones.

What they do is take about 80% of your stomach away, leaving you a new pouch that's about the size of a medium banana. I compare the surgery to me having my gallbladder out. I was up and walking the first night (always good to do that if you can - it helps get the gas out) and walked 3 miles around San Diego on the 3rd day post-op. Some people experience more pain and gas; it's all a matter of pain tolerance and getting yourself up and moving.

I went to Tijuana to have the procedure done. I researched the doctor and hospital up the wazoo, and was comfortable with heading down there. The little hospital is more like a clinic almost, but it operated just like a hospital - nurses all over, doctors and OR theatre. Just the same.

You spend one night in the hospital and then you head to the Recovery House. It's a nice house with room for 10 patients. There is a nurse on staff at all times, and they're no different from our nurses. Check on you lots, deliver pain medication, etc.

The cost of the surgery is $4500. On top of that you have to pay for your flights, two nights in a San Diego hotel (Hampton is where we stayed and it was $120/night), and we stayed one night in the Ticuan in Tijuana (absolutely incredibly beautiful hotel) and it was a special rate of $55 for the night. Darrin came with me and in total we spent under $6000. I was home on the 4th day and all's been fine ever since.

It's a little tough at the beginning with a liquid diet, then full liquids, then soft protein, hard protein and then normal food. I suffered a bit of heartburn, but GasX strips are amazing!!! I love them. Fed them to my roommate after the surgery too. LOL

You can contact one of Dr. Almanza's patient coordinators for more information. I dealt with Louise Louise Johnson <louise_jerusalemhospital@yahoo.com>, but for my plastics (I'm hoping to go down in March of next year) I'm dealing with both her and Melissa <mbracker@hotmail.com> for information. They're both the same, just independent of each other. If you write either, there's no commitment but they'll be able to answer all your questions.

Weight loss: I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm 167. I started at 235 8 1/2 months ago. I've been a slow loser - mainly because I don't exercise. I know I should but I hate it and I know I won't do it forever, so I don't want to do it now then stop and then gain some weight back. Better to just be me and have it come off this way. People with a lot of weight to lose, or those who really dedicate themselves to exercise, will lose A LOT quicker than I have. There's one girl who's dropped 100 lbs in 3 1/2 months. Granted, she was 350 to start, but it's still incredible!

I am on a great website with awesome forums.www.gastricsleeve.com. There's lots of info and feel free to ask any questions - everyone is really helpful.

I hope I've answered any questions you have. Please don't hesitate to ask more. I love to share this information about the most amazing thing (short of marriage and babies) that I've done in my entire life. Wish I'd done it sooner!

Slowly Plugging Along

Weighed in at 171 this morning. Been at a stall for a week or so; I'm sure it will start moving again soon.

The journey continues and seems to be going well. I'm getting my calories and protein, a little too many carbs and just about the right amount of fiber. I don't track sodium, but given the processed meats and Michelina's I eat, I'm sure I'm off the map.

Exercise is still pretty non-existent. My excuse has been that the basement was filthy with renovation dust and such. Although I covered the treadmill and the exercise bike (and completely forgot to cover the TV), I haven't been down to uncover and clean them. Maybe this coming week.

My uncle Les is going to have VSG surgery too. He lives outside Regina and is getting sleeved through a doctor there. No cost as it's through healthcare. Nice to hear. I sometimes wish I had had the patience for that, but I'm very happy I didn't wait. The $4500 was definitely worth it and it's been the best thing I've done for myself in years, if not in my lifetime.

Otherwise life is good.  Mostly happy and healthy.

March Update

Weighed in this morning and am 177. Nice to be in the 70's. Nice too that I only have 42 lbs left to go. That's 16 lbs less than I've lost! I can do this!!!  I went on the 5 day pouch test and it seemed to break my stall and get my body back into losing.

As I stated last post, I just assumed this WLS was going to be a walk in the park. When I researched the procedure, I know I focused more on the positive stories (big losses) and ignored the ones that lost slowly (that won't be me, I thought). Now I'm focusing more on people like me, who are losing slowly. There are two ladies I talk with who took 12 and 18 months to lose 100 lbs. I'm 7 months out, so if I can't lose the remainder of my weight in 5 months then I'm thinking I'm really not doing this right. Now that I've said it I won't lose anything. LOL

My struggle continues to be exercise. Just so happens we're having renos done in the basement and I can't get to my exercise equipment - that's just my excuse du jour. We'll be moving upstairs on Monday to start the bathroom, so my excuses will have to change. haha My biggest excuse is that I absolutely hate it. There are none of these "feel good" times or exercise highs or anything. I get on the machine, I sweat, I think I'm going to die, I can't walk when I'm finished, and I still feel like shit when I'm in the shower. It's just overall a very unpleasant experience.

Protein drinks are going well, carbs are still high - can't get under 40 very often - and calories are between 600-800. I've heard that upping calories in order to break a stall will sometimes work too. So while I try to keep my calories under 700, going higher every so often isn't a bad thing either.

Recipes

I'm in a group that has amazingly yummy and healthy recipes. I'm going to try to post one here. Hope it works!

BLT Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:
4 slices lean bacon (pork or turkey) cooked and chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tbsp light mayonnaise (I like Hellman's)
3 large iceberg lettuce leaves
fresh cracked pepper

Directions:
Carefully remove 2 large outer leaves of a head of lettuce. If you rip or tear one, just save it for the 3rd leaf you need to shred. Shred the 3rd leaf and set aside.
Dice tomato and set aside in a bowl.
Combine diced tomato with mayonnaise and fresh black pepper.
Place lettuce cups on a plate, top with shredded lettuce.
Add tomato...then bacon and roll it like a wrap and dig in!!!

Servings: 1 • Serving Size: 2 lettuce wraps • Calories: 160.7 • Fat: 10 g
• Protein: 10.8 g • Carb: 8.1 g • Fiber: 1.9 g • Sugar: 0.8 g

Valentine's Day

Happy belated Valentine's Day. It was a nice day although Darrin's back at work. We celebrated on Saturday so that's okay. Had a great supper at Montana's, received candy and flowers, gave a collector's coin. All around pretty good.

How goes the WLS pounds? 182 right now - been stalled for a bit. Not watching carbs or working out enough certainly contribute. I sometimes feel I just can't (won't?) do this anymore. Like there's a choice. Can't undo this one. Anyway, eating with watching calories, carbs and protein, drinking all my water (not getting as much in as I need) and ENSURING I'm getting the protein shakes/drinks in. So far, kind of good.

I am not very consistent with my exercise. It needs to be 3 times a week and it is some weeks, but mostly not. I had started a walk/run program, but only made it 2 times and then haven't been back down there since. (Treadmill is in the basement.)

I thought everything was going to drop off. I read so many stories of people losing 50 lbs in a month; 200 in 6 months. I just figured that would be me too. A large part of that is the fact that those people were in the 300's and 400's. That, combined with even a small amount of exercise, leads to the huge losses. I thought (like many people do) that I would be able to have this WLS and not have to do anything else. Just eat some good food and *poof* the weight will fall off. Well, that's not the case.

I'm confident I'll get down to my goal weight. It's just going to take me longer until I choose to make a difference. Time to get back to my support groups on facebook and get my ass downstairs, and watch my carbs (tough one) and keep them at 40 or lower.

Happy New Year 2012!

As of today's date I'm 186 lbs and a comfortable size 16. Hope to post an updated pic soon.

Made it through Christmas and New Year without anything major. Enjoyed all the goodies and meals and gained two pounds. Considering the amount of crap I ate, I would have thought I'd gain more. Thankfully my little pouch keeps me in check.

The past month has seen me lose A LOT of hair - thinning so much that it's noticeable to anyone who touches it. It, and the dry skin, seem to be abating so let's hope this is it. Not sure how much more I can lose before I'll buy a wig; I don't want to have bald spots showing. Crossing my fingers I've got the protein up enough now.

Speaking of protein, I've heard that 20g per meal is ideal with 20g drink twice a day. I'm still not up to that, but hope to get better. This morning I had an egg (6.3g) and a protein drink (20g). Plan on having some chinese food at lunch (15g) then an afternoon drink (20g). Likely chicken (20g?) but that remains to be seen. So that would make a total of 81.3g or 61.3 without the chicken. Both are very good numbers. Last month I was struggling to consistently get in 40g, with many days being below that. The body is good at showing us what it needs, that's for sure.

My challenge is exercise. I have a treadmill and a Zumba game for Wii, but I just can't get my ass off this chair - or procrastinating when I am off the chair - which isn't doing me any favours. It hasn't helped me lose any weight, but I've sure had my legs and calves shrink, which I know is muscle. Any ideas for getting motivated other than the obvious?

So that's the story so far. Maybe I'll be able to update this blog more than every three months too. :)

Stalled

I do believe I've hit a stall. I'm 202 lbs this morning and have been that for a few weeks now. I've upped the protein and have been going on the elliptical, but to no avail. I know it won't last forever, but it's certainly frustrating.

I'm feeling not to badly otherwise. Sometimes I wake in the morning with a pain in my little pouch - like it's very hungry and screaming for food. Morning pills and some water hold it off until breakfast, but when I get to breakfast I'm not that hungry and usually can't finish. So much for getting in the calories and protein.

That's something I'm still struggling with. Getting in the right amounts of what. The Unjury is helping a lot, but so far I only drink it in Crystal Light at snack time, and then only 10g at a time. My hair loss seems to be slowing, so hopefully that's helping. Approximately 10g at each "meal" so I'm totalling 50g or so. Better than nothing is what I say, and more than enough to keep the body going. Hopefully things will kick back in soon.

Thought I'd share info from two of the doctors:

Dr. Alvarez: http://www.endobariatric.com/ He can also be found on facebook if you search endobariatric.com. I believe his price is $5000 or $5500, however based on all the reviews I've read of different surgeons, he's the one who's the best. In hindsight I wish I had found his site before booking Dr. Almanza.

Dr. Almanza: http://www.marioalmanza.com/ I can't find him on facebook. His price is $4500 and while he's a good surgeon staff with good staff, he's had a few mishaps of late that would cause me to question going back there.

I just read of a fellow who had a Bypass, also know as a Roux-n-Y (staple stomach to small pouch, leave remaining stomach intact, reroute intestine.) Has a lot of complications including malabsorption and dumping syndrome. Not for me, but has worked for this fellow: http://www.edmontonsun.com/2011/10/05/a-cure-for-obesity

Congratulations to my cousin and his wife on the birth of their first child, a baby girl. Family is all doing well.

Down Down

Not down very much, not enough for my liking. Hit 205 on the 20th. I'll take it though as it all adds up.

Continue to struggle with protein.

Haven't got my butt moving any more than before.

SSDD :)

Better Late than Never

So I'm delinquent in my posting. What of it? At least I'm consistent! LOL

Things haven't been too bad. Finally settling down and FINALLY found some truly tastless proteins, and gaining a better understanding of what life will be like on the flip side.

Eating is going pretty good. I'm on full mushies and have already had some "normal" food - meatloaf, wonton soup, chili with potato, and Shreddies, to name a few. So far no problems with food sticking in my throat and everything goes down well. I notice I miss drinking with my meals. That 30 minute wait after eating is tough.

Protein can be found in a tasteless, unscented powder and it's wonderful! I wish I had known about these at the start. The first was suggested by a dietician from the Stollery Children's Hospital and it's called Beneprotein. It only has 6g of protein per scoop, but you can easily put 2 scoops in. It's used everywhere in the hospital. The second kind is called Unjury and it is medical quality protein that is also incredible. I put one of the packages in a smoothie and you couldn't detect anything different. One of these scoops is 20g protein so is very good.

I also happened upon Carnation Instant Breakfast. The chocolate is amazing AND it's 15g of protein!! Incredible. Speaking of breakfast, my bowl of Shreddies and milk = 11g.

Once you're able to start real food, that's when the worry about protein drops a bit, because you're getting a lot from your meals. I haven't been keeping track of what I'm eating though, so I can't conclusively say what I've been taking in for calories or protein. Hopefully it's not so little that my hair's all going to fall out!!

Weight is down to 211 from 235. Inches won't be announced for a couple more months.

We Now Pause ...

How are things going?

Infection in the wounds is almost all gone. It wasn't serious, but started just before the sutures came out. Should be finished the meds in the next couple days.

Protein, protein, protein. Here, once again, is my struggle. Those suckers taste like crap. Pure and simple. I'm trying to find something that is plain - no protein smell and no taste. I'm told there is such a thing out there, but no luck yet. I'm trying out GNC's "Natural" flavor that is supposed to taste like nothing, but it still tastes and smells like protein. Kind of like vanilla without the vanilla. Hard to describe. Just gross. So my search continues. I've ordered a couple of samples of Unjury and I'm hoping to be able to get some Nectar brand - it's supposed to taste great.

Have started mushies and really have to think about what I'm going to eat. I can't survive on eggs and chili - my current staples. Have to spend a bit more time making a menu or two so I can be prepared and have some variety. I'm excited about the mushies, except for the meat - blended/pureed chicken is pretty scary. Same with tuna. The tuna's got to be okay if I just must it up by hand a bit more. The chicken can be cut up very fine, I believe.

I'm eating too fast. I'm finished in under 15 minutes but I have food left, however I'm too full to eat it. So, slow down and pay attention to fork-full size. Then my tummy won't hurt and I'll get more into me.

Exercise has only begun with walking the girls at our favourite spot. It isn't a very long trek, but I guess it's nothing. I'm going to try going on the elliptical. I know my instructions say not for 6 weeks, however other instructions say after 2 weeks. This was major abdominal surgery but it was through laparoscopy so the trauma to the body and the healing time is significantly less. Something's gotta give.

Waiting for Darrin to get home in only a few more sleeps. It will be really nice to see him. Joni misses him most.

Tuesday 01

Tuesday already. I'm counting sleeps until Darrin's home. August 31st in the morning I think.

The little pouch appears to be happy. I'm on blended/puree/full liquids so I'm given a lot but can only eat about 1/2 of what is recommended before I'm full.

This morning I had 1/2 a hard boiled egg with cheese and a few mashed potatoes. Snack was a fruit juice popsicle and some chocolate mousse. Lunch was mashed potatoes with some pureed chili - it was incredible. I ate a little too fast though so my stomach wasn't happy.

I had an appointment and took my ice water bottle in with me. Have managed to get in 600 mL of G2 and about the same in water. Pretty good, says I.

I'm still a little tired, not sure if it's from the surgery or body healing or in my head, but the need for naps is there. Likely a little of each.

Supper was supposed to be pork, but i'm going to blend some chicken and have it with ... can you guess? Mashed potatoes, of course!! LOL Some cheese on top for extra protein and we'll be good to go.

One word of advice - don't use chicken broth as a liquid to blend your chicken. It makes a disgusting wad. A little mayo or salad dressing works wonders.

Off to the Lake

Well, today's going to my first outing. Everyone is having steak and potatoes and such, and I'm bringing up my little supper package. Smoothie, a tiny piece of ham and cheese.

I got bit in the ass and not in a fun way. Kiershyn also got bit on the hand. 'Nuff said or I'll just get upset again.

I had a little piece of potato at supper that I smashed down to nothingness; it tasted soooo good!

Fed and watered the girls when we got home, then I drove Kier to the LRT station. I ended up in bed around 10:30. Very much past my bedtime.

Had a pretty good day today. I was up early and feel pretty swell.

My little pouch felt really empty today. Had 1/8 cup of cream of wheat and about 3 tbsp of apple sauce. It was good but I really think I'm missing the protein. I had made the smoothies yesterday but when I tried to have it for breakfast, it was disgusting and ended up down the sink.

I was at the doctor's office as soon as he opened. Got my stitches out; they could've come out a couple days ago. They're a little red so he gave me a prescription that is milder than the one I received in Mexico.

Upon returning home, I harnessed up the little dogs and headed to Karen's. I had to drop off a disk of photos for her. When I got there she wasn't home, so back we trotted to home again. :)

Lunch was some tomato soup - probably 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup. I also had some jello and a snifter of white grape juice.

Snack was missed both morning and afternoon.

Supper consisted of a greek yogurt and an attempt at some marble cheese. Between the two I would get 15g of protein. The problem being I could only eat 1/2 of each. Well a little protein is better than nothing.

Snack this evening is a kid's size, 100% fruit, no sugar added, popsicle.

I have had to change my sleeping position or I have atrocious heartburn; learning to sleep more sitting up against the pillows than laying almost flat is a big adjustment, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I would post a list of things to be prepared for when you go to Dr. Almanza. Please bear in mind that the surgery and everything went very well.

1) If you are bringing a guest, check them into the Ticuan in Tijuana. They will be much more comfortable there.

2) Be prepared for waits. We had to wait to be picked up and dropped off, and then we had to wait outside the clinic while the driver went in for a bite to eat.

3) Be prepared by having the Recovery House, Clinic, Louise and the Hospital phone numbers. When we waited for 50 minutes outside the hotel, we didn't have all the numbers and couldn't get hold of Louise so it didn't go very well.

4) If your guest chooses to stay with you, he/she should be prepared to get their own meals. Maria is an incredible cook, however there wasn't any consistency. On the last day, Darrin got a Mexican breakfast that he says was very good. But anything I've heard about guests being taken care of didn't happen for Darrin and another girl. Your guest should also be prepared to sleep on a couch/chair/loveseat for the three nights.

5) Request your test results and blood tests for $20 each. This is in addition to your barium swallow x-ray. It too is $20. I was only informed of the swallow and so didn't request the others.

6) One thing I would have changed was I should have called Louise right away instead of hoping it would get better. At least she could have been a go-between.

Time for sleep.

August 9th Pictures

These two pictures are from the night before we were leaving.

Onward and Upward

Yesterday was my 43rd birthday and it was fantastic! I received flowers from my son and also from a family friend, lots of facebook greetings, and a few nice phone calls. No cake from my sister-in-law (inside joke) and a good healing day overall.

So how are things really going? The challenge I've been facing thus far is getting enough water and protein. I vomit pretty well when I try the plain protein with milk or water and have no idea how athletes can drink it. So that's one thing.

The second is water. It's really important to not get dehydrated, but when you can only "sip sip sip" it's hard to get anything in. For the past two days I've felt like I've done nothing but had food or drink by my mouth. And the water wasn't near enough judging by the bright yellow urine evacuating my body. Last night I decided to try taking slightly larger sips - not a gulp or a guzzle - just a sip that fills my mouth. I was able to get down about 4 oz before bed so that was a big bonus.

Upon waking this morning, I started in on the water and had 8 oz down by breakfast. There's another challenge: remembering to stop drinking 15 minutes before you're supposed to eat your snack or meal. I feel like a clock watcher. I imagine this would be even more of a challenge at work which, thankfully, I'm not at right now.

Back to breakfast. Today I made cream of wheat with a scoop of peanut butter (high in calories I know, but still need to get that protein) and a lime jello. I finished about 1/8 cup of the cream of wheat and about 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter, topped off with 1/8 cup of the jello. I now have to wait 30 minutes and will have to start drinking water again. I also made a melon smoothie with greek yogurt and vanilla protein. It doesn't taste too badly, and I filled my little containers to have one each for morning and afternoon snack.

Speaking of drinking water, I'm finding that warm water is the most gentle on my stomach although other people prefer ice water or room temp. Whatever floats your boat and gets it into your body is all that matters.

"Full" to me is a hard feeling to figure out. So far I'm able to tell only because the little stomach puts out a shot of pain. Works for me, but I'm wondering how others feel about it and what they're experiencing. I made a new friend down there, Jayme from Arizona. I'm looking forward to sharing with her to see what's up.

The scale hasn't changed yet, but I need to stay away from it except for once a week. I heard about these dramatic weight losses, but most of them are larger people than me. One lady went from 430 to 340 in one month, but when you have that much to lose, any change in diet should lead to a good loss. So we'll see what happens with me.

One more thing: eating utensils and plates. I'm really struggling eating slowly enough, especially as I forget while I'm eating. If I have a normal sized spoon, I'll take a big scoop and forget until it's in the little gut and rolling around and causing big pains. So we went out and bought some baby spoons and they're really helping. Just looking at it as I'm eating helps remind me that I need to slow down and pay attention.

Everything in time.

Home Again

Well that was just a slice. Back home and starting to heal, and sooo much to tell. First off, I truly am feeling very well. For those who've had a gallbladder removal by laparascope, it was exactly the same. Minus, of course, how you eat afterwards.

Let’s start with the good: We had a good flight down. The surgery went very well and the doctors and nursing staff were top-notch. No complications, no problem with stitches, good needles for pain and inflammation and antibiotics, good care in hospital and no problems for other patients.

Now the rest of the story …

August 10 - We arrived in San Diego around noon and got settled into the hotel room by 2PM. Speaking with the front desk supervisor Penny was like talking with a drill sergeant, but otherwise it was all okay. Room was fine, nothing fancy, good beds, white duvets and great room service. I was nervous about the next day and had trouble sleeping, but still managed to sneak in 7 hours.

August 11 - We were up and waiting at the front doors by 7:45 AM, anticipating the arrival of the Jerusalem Hospital van. He arrived around 8:15 (mexican time is a little delayed) and we began our journey to the clinic/hospital. We sat around and around and around (filled out some forms, bloodwork, EKG) until finally around 6 PM we were taken to meet the doctors. My surgery was the first - started around 7 and took about 45 minutes. Afterward, I was stuck in a bed and given some pain meds that knocked me out. Poor Darrin hadn't had anything to eat, so he and two other ladies walked around the neighbourhood and finally found a pizza place to fill their bellies. I guess he came in while I was comatose to check on me, but then he was sent upstairs to the "doctor's lounge". He slept on an oversized loveseat, although not much sleep took place. An elderly patient having a face lift became delirious and fell on his face then accused hubby and the other family members of stealing his passport and money. I guess it was a comedy from the start.

Side note: When I booked the surgery, Louise Johnson (the patient coordinator for Dr. Almanza), indicated that there may be room for Darrin at the Recovery House. I confirmed this twice with her prior to our arrival, with the last check the day before we left. Yes, she assured me, all was well. Hmmm... Something that wasn’t mentioned was that the 4 people I was told are operated on each day was in addition to the 4 plastics people being operated on each day.

August 12 - Returned from the hospital around 9AM. I slept late afternoon/evening, having no idea what was happening with Darrin. I guess there were 5 family members staying at the house of which two were given beds (because those were available). In one of my forays downstairs, I checked that Darrin would be given a bed this evening. Oh yes, I was assured, everything will be fine. However once again this didn't happen but wasn't told until late evening. As well, of the 5 "guests" two were fed and three weren't - the three being Darrin and two other ladies. Unfortunately this time we were too far from anything and so they subsisted on freezies and scraped out casserole. Ended up sleeping on a couch again - this one slightly longer than the last.

Darrin finally got out of the house to get some smokes and food. His adventure was, while he had his seat belt on, the driver didn't and they got pulled over by the police. Thankfully they left him alone and the driver slipped them $5 to be allowed to leave. Darrin was very, very nervous to say the least. So back to the recovery/guest house to check me, who was sleeping once again. Note: at this point I was supposed to be on a clear liquid diet. I was offered freezies. Period. We were informed in the late afternoon that we had to leave the house tomorrow morning. Darrin tried to find a room in San Diego to no avail.

August 13 - Upon waking this morning, we were informed we were being sent to a hotel because there wasn’t enough room at the inn. I showered (Darrin hadn't been able to shower) and gathered my things together. We were taken to the Hotel Ticuan in Tijuana. OMG! Absolutely stunning hotel. 4 1/2 stars, huge rooms, immaculately clean, marble and furnishings and embroidered bedding and and and it was $69 for the night or $115 for the master suite. We decided to go with the regular room as it was one night of sleep. Darrin got some real food into him and a hot shower, and felt a lot more human. The bad is that we were told we wouldn’t have to pay and then we had to pay. WTF?

So we were turfed from the house around 2 PM and taken to the hotel. Thankfully we were able to find a little supermarket a couple blocks away, to get some food. Darrin also went out and got some hot food for himself. I was feeling pretty good and didn’t mind the walk – it helped get rid of the gas.

The arrangement was that we would be in hospital one night and then recovery house two nights. If we had to move to the hotel, the cost would be covered for us. Well surprise, surprise … guess who had to pay for their room! I asked the driver to call the house and he put his head down and said we had to pay. If I was smart I just would have refused period, however anaesthetic ravaged brains don’t always process things how they should.

Note: When I spoke with Louise, she would not allow for a departure on the 14th so we booked a room in San Diego, again at the Hampton. There were two patients who left on the 14^th - yet another thing that made us go hmm.

We were in bed early and had quite a restful sleep.

August 14 – Wake up early to be taken to San Diego. We had three other people with us: two ladies who had face lifts and one of their husbands. We were all outside by 7:45 for the arrival of the van at 8:00. Well, 8:00 became 8:30 and we all started getting extra pissed. We ladies began to call Louise, the hospital, the clinic, the house, everywhere. We were told 5 minutes, 5 minutes. Finally at 8:55 our driver showed up. Bear in mind that it takes approximately 3 minutes to cross the US border into Mexico. However, it took us until 10:40 to make the 10 minute trip the other way. We got dropped off at the Hampton too early and spent a few hours (and about 3 miles) walking all over San Diego. It was really good for the gas, that’s for sure. Finally get into our room about 2PM and just lounged and snoozed for a while. Room definitely isn’t as beautiful as the Ticuan, but not too bad. Went to bed around 8 so we could be up at 3AM to catch the plane. I slept about 3 hours as I was nervous and excited about getting home.

August 15 – Up at 3:15 and everything ready by 3:45, to catch the 4:30 cab. I thought there would be no one at the airport, but surprise surprise there were lots of people. Darrin was frustrated we were “late” but once we got through and onto the plane, all was fine. We were home by 1:00 and all is good.

I’m feeling pretty good right now. Was a little tired on the 16^th and had a nap in the morning. Otherwise, things are pretty much back to normal. Well, minus the changes in eating and drinking habits. More of that to follow.

Next post I’ll summarize the things you need to be aware of and prepared for.

Two days until the flight

My hubby gets home tomorrow around lunch. I'm so excited to see him but also nervous because we leave for the airport Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at 2:00 AM (gotta love the 2 hour pre-flight check-ins). Land at San Diego around 11:30, get into our room and do a little sightseeing. Not sure if I'll feel like doing anything on the 14th, so take advantage of it now.

I'm having my first protein drink, with water. I can see where milk will be better. This flavour is creamsicle and I'm so shocked at how good it tastes. Doesn't really have any after taste and I'm getting my 1 cup down without problem. I understand that will be a problem after surgery. I'm wondering how I'm supposed to get 250 mL of protein down (x twice per day) plus 6-8 cups of water per day. I've broken down my "meal" times and I have a very short window between meals to drink all my water. With some of my meds, I MUST not get dehydrated so I believe this will be one of my biggest challenges.

Exercise. I was going to hop on the elliptical this morning and just have not got around to it. I'm going to try the 17 minutes that my friend Cathy has done. She's had great results. I'll just do the exercise, of course. Maybe I'll head out for a walk with the little girls instead. They'll love it, the sun will do us all good (provided the mosquitos don't carry us away) and fresh air is always welcome.

I'm finishing packing today and have lists all over the place. I'm definitely a list person. My memory, or lack thereof, just isn't friendly. Gotta get this finished, do the housework, change the bedding, bathrooms, it's never ending, even without kids at home.