The Home Stretch

Thanks again so much for all your continued support.

Today is day 5 on my liquids and yes, I'm still hungry! Dr. Genaw told me "after a couple days, you won't feel hungry; this is also what hunger strike participants say." Um, hells NO. I'm still hungry. Like I said, it ebbs and flows, but it's there. I'm doing ok, don't get me wrong, but I'd love to have something to eat. The protein shakes, Jell-O and popsicles aren't really cutting it. It's tough, but bearable. I'm just trying my best to keep busy, which is also hard because I'm pretty weak and tire easily at this point.

I went out yesterday to get a few incidentals I'll need post-op and it completely wore me out. Erich and I are thinking of going to see Hitsville, USA in Detroit tomorrow (he discovered it's literally just down the street from Henry Ford), but I'm not sure I'll be up to it. Maybe when I go back for my first post-op checkup.

I linked my Twitter account to my cell phone so I should be able to update my status even from my hospital bed. Also, my Twitter is linked with Facebook, so any updates will appear on both sites at the same time. So many people have asked to be updated about how I'm doing - family and friends - and this is the best way since we can't really call too many people. The roaming charges on our Canadian phone would be outrageously expensive.

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of speaking to someone who has gone through this process and is on the other side, successful. I didn't know she'd had the surgery till recently. I think now we are going to become good friends. She was very comforting and answered any and all questions I had, as well as letting me know I could contact her again. It's really nice to have that. I will be forever grateful to her kindness and willingness to share.

I just finished a book called Before & After: Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery by Susan Maria Leach. I highly recommend it to anyone getting ready to go through this surgery. I found it months ago at a second-hand bookstore and it sat on a shelf till about a week ago. The first quarter sort of reads like this blog, with dated entries about her daily struggles and triumphs. The second three-quarters contains invaluable nutritional information and recipes. Ms. Leach runs the website http://bariatriceating.com/ where she also sells bariatric products. I haven't tried any of those, but her book is wonderful.

I'm heading out tomorrow with great expectations of a whole new life. I know I can get there!