1/18 -1/20: First days home

My first days home, I focused on a few things: sipping water, drinking my protein shakes, resting and, conversely, increasing my time out of bed. 

The most memorable thing about Saturday, 1/18, my fourth day after surgery, is that I asked Paul to call the doctor and request nausea meds. The doctor who responded to the page (not a doctor I'd worked with in the hospital) didn't want to prescribe anything over the phone. He said nausea was normal the week of surgery, and if I really wasn't doing well, Paul should bring me back to the hospital — but I knew I didn't have to be readmitted. He also said the pain med could be causing nausea, and I could try plain liquid Tylenol instead. 

Joe went off running errands (in a snowstorm) and came home with Children's Tylenol. It turns out I'm really struggling with liquid meds. They either taste like pure alcohol or are sickeningly sweet. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. Still, I was grateful to have an option that wouldn't contribute to my nausea. 

Noisy tummy

My new stomach — the size of a banana rather than a football — made lots of noise the first few days I was home. It was surprisingly loud, gurgling away each time I took a tiny sip of water (which was almost constantly). It mostly felt okay, though, except sometimes after drinking protein shakes.
 
Friday night, I sipped a protein shake made with Unjury vanilla powder and 1% milk, and ended up feeling queasy. Saturday morning I had Syntrax Nectar grapefruit mixed with water, and I felt fine. Later, I had an Atkins Advantage shake, which I'd been having pre-surgery, and another Unjury vanilla with milk, and got queasy both times. I started to wonder if I've become lactose intolerant from the surgery. I knew that could happen, but I love dairy — so I somehow didn't think it would happen to me. Still, three times feeling queasy and I decided to try avoiding milk. 

Stage 3

Stage 3 post-op diet at home involves lots more choices than in the hospital, and Paul went grocery shopping Sunday afternoon while my mother-in-law sat with me and Joe reorganized my kitchen. (Joe created an herbal tea station, organized all the protein powder, cleared off the butcher block shelves and organized ramekins and little Pyrex containers in baskets, and organized all our plastic containers. Woohoo!) Paul came home with almond milk and Lactaid so we can test the lactose-intolerance theory, SmartWater (which has electrolytes added), Crystal Light, Cream of Wheat, no-sugar-added Edy's fruit popsicles and fat-free Greek yogurt.

I'm supposed to drink 2-3 liters of liquid a day. Water counts, as does flavored water, herbal tea, clear broths and gelatin. Since I haven't worked my way up to 2-3 liters, I decided to drink some SmartWater to help prevent dehydration. I also had some chicken broth heated up with Unjury chicken soup flavor added, and learned that microwaving protein powder is a no-no; it creates a chewy, lumpy mess. I also learned heating it on the stove top isn't good, either; the trick seems to be heat the broth first, then take it off the heat and stir in the powder. **Note: I read Unjury's directions (belatedly), and they suggest not adding to liquid that's hotter than 130F.**

Sunday the 19th I had a popsicle, and it tasted really good. I tried an almond milk protein shake, which worked well, and a little plain Greek yogurt, too, but was worried about feeling queasy. Monday the 20th, 6 days after surgery, Joe made me some soupy Cream of Wheat for breakfast. It was the closest thing to real food I've had in about a week. It was bland (I forgot to ask Paul to pick up artificial sweetener) and a little rough going down in spite of the slow, tiny sips I took, but it sat well. I was able to drink more water — about 2 liters — and spent most of the day out of bed.