Re: One Week + One Day Post Op

[Guest guest]

Yep....

I have gone back to Ensure Plus. It's not nice. BUT it is a complete

food and has 350 calories in a small bottle. So I tell myself that

it's just another medicine and FORCE two a day so that I don't worry

as much as you seem to be about the food thing. It's less than two

cups to get down. Everyone tells me that the body needs protein to

heal. I also drink a fruit protein drink called Isopure which isn't

great either (thoug Passion Fruit is my favourite). It counts towards

fluid intake (for the first time in my life I am doing 10 glaases

water....) and each bottle has 40g of protein.

I was a bit overweight 9a bit of that conscious as I bulked up on

carbs before all this) but have lost 13lbs since December 7. OS told

me not to worry, that this will plateau as the body's metabolism

responds effectively to being 'starved " of what it's used to. The

process of oral hygiene is also a real disincentive to eat. BUT

there's no getting away from it - I have to give my body the fuel it

needs to respond and heal. I also think that this experience will

change my attitude to food longer-term. Less about indulgence and

more about eating right as well as well. In fact, I tell myself

that's one of the plusses on offer here.

I was also lucky because the friend who looked after me from the

beginning was a real " tough love " mum with four daughters. She flew

over from the UK to be with me and I did what she said. tell your

family to get firm with you. You have to eat.

D

> > >

> > > Okay, so I'm finally back to report on my surgery December 8. I

had

> > lower + paranasal

> > > implants (tiny implants near the curve of your nostrils) and an

> > injection of Restylane in my

> > > upper lip, courtesy my surgeon.

> > >

> > > I had absolutely no anxiety about the surgery. I mean, it was

> > weird. I was totally relaxed at

> > > the hospital, joking with the nurses. It may have had something

to

> > do with the nausea

> > > patch my doctor gave me the day before. I explained to her that

I'm

> > a " thrower-upper. " I

> > > vomit very easily and thought I probably would after waking up

from

> > surgery, so she gave

> > > me a patch to put behind my ear. It made me a little spacy,

thus

> > the lack of anxiety pre-

> > > op.

> > >

> > > The last thing I remember before being knocked out was telling

my

> > surgeon that it was

> > > still raining. Then, I hear voices telling me they're moving me

to

> > the gurney. I feel wet

> > > around my eyes and say " Why am I crying? " The anesthesiologist

> > says, " It's normal " and

> > > then I hear my surgeon say " You did great. " In the recovery

room I

> > start shaking

> > > uncontrollably. I'm freezing. I hear a nurse say " Wow, she's

really

> > shaking. Give her some

> > > Demerol. " I start to warm up a bit but I'm still cold. I ask,

> > through tightly banded teeth, if I

> > > can have another blanket. I'm amazed that the nurse can

understand

> > me. I realize then

> > > that my lower teeth are behind my upper teeth for the first

time in

> > my life.

> > >

> > > I get warmed up and am moved to another recovery room. I change

> > back into my own

> > > clothes (a nurse helps me) and in an hour I'm wheeled down to

the

> > patient pick up area.

> > > My boyfriend squeals, " you still look like yourself! " He was

really

> > worried that I would look

> > > completely different.

> > >

> > > That night is pretty much a blur. I have a bit of a chocolate

> > protein shake and some

> > > chicken broth but I have no appetite. I remember getting the

zip-n-

> > squeeze bags and

> > > thinking, " What, these little bags aren't big enough. " I'm

lucky if

> > I can get down 1/4 of the

> > > bags over the next three days.

> > >

> > > One big gaff -- I'm sent home without pain medication! This

sounds

> > worse that it was as I

> > > didn't have much pain. But I did need sleep and without the

> > knockout medicine I didn't get

> > > any.

> > >

> > > The next two days are rough. I start to gag on the antibiotic

they

> > give me -- clindimyacin

> > > (not sure of spelling, I've blocked it out of mind). Then I

start

> > to vomit. The patch wasn't

> > > enough. I wasn't able to keep anything down, not food or

medicine

> > for two days. Really

> > > awful. Oh, and my face is about the size of a zeppelin at this

> > point. My doctor switches me

> > > over to penecillin and I slowly start to come back to life. I'm

> > able to eat a little and keep it

> > > down and this helps immensely. Saturday night I take a walk

around

> > the block and start to

> > > feel a little human. Of course, I am walking in the dark so

nobody

> > can see my swelling and

> > > bruises.

> > >

> > > On Sunday things start to pick up. The more I eat and drink the

> > better I feel. The funny

> > > thing is, all of the healthy stuff I picked up pre-surgery

doesn't

> > appeal to me. Protein

> > > spirulina shakes? Um, no. On Sunday I get a craving for Chef

> > Boyardee mini-ravioli. My

> > > boyfriend liquifies them with some chicken broth and I am in

heaven.

> > >

> > > Things have been getting better with each day. Swelling peaked

on

> > Saturday for me (day 3

> > > post-op). I'm still have these terrible bruises beside my

mouth. It

> > really looks like I got

> > > beat up! I still sleep a lot during the day and I don't get

more

> > than 4 or 5 hours at night. I

> > > took my first daylight walk yesterday in the sunshine. It felt

> > wonderful. Of course, I

> > > collapsed into bed when I got home.

> > >

> > > So on the whole -- it's been much harder than I thought it

would

> > be. And I only got lower

> > > and some implants! Maybe I'm just a wimp. I must say, my jaw

> > doesn't bother me a bit. It's

> > > my mid-face area where I got the implants and my upper lip is

like

> > a hockey puck from the

> > > injection. Vanity!

> > >

> > > Maddie