Home after Lap-Band

I made it through surgery just fine. I had some pain and nausea for a while, but that eventually went away with the right medicine. The day after surgery, they made me drink iodine so they could x-ray me to see if there were any leaks. All was well, but I managed to throw up the mouthful of liquid after I got back to my room. That's been the only instance, and I'm grateful.

Right now I'm dealing with incision pain and gas pain in my shoulders (they pump your belly full of gas during surgery). Oh, and the vein where they had the IV is very swollen and painful. It's not too bad. I'm on a liquid diet for two weeks. While I'm hungry, it's not a lot, and I can manage. The doctor may do my first fill next Monday, but it depends on how I'm doing. The band has to be adjusted with saline to get it to the right tightness to curb my hunger. Right now I'm sure it's the swelling from surgery that's doing the trick.

I've already lost 24 pounds with the pre-op diet and surgery.

Edited to add: Lap-Band seems to have its own jargon terms--sorry about that. A "fill" is when the doctor injects saline into the port that's under the skin of your belly. The saline expands the band a bit, causing it to tighten around the upper part of your stomach. This reduces the amount of food that will go through the band and makes you feel full. It also constricts nerves, causing you to feel less hunger. Often you have to go through several fills in order to get it just right. Not enough fill and you don't lose weight. Too much fill and you can't eat enough or throw up. I plan to take it slow.

The health saga continues

Matt was the next one on the list to get hit. Turns out what he had was not a stomach bug. He has diverticulitis. After a week of staying home from class and taking antibiotics, he's able to eat again and do a few things. This was after he got diagnosed with herpangina, which gave him a severe sore throat. Like Logan, he had two unrelated illnesses hit him pretty hard. No ER trips, thankfully.

But it looks like I'll still be able to have my Lap-Band surgery next Thursday. I'm excited and scared, which is giving me a bit of stomach upset. I've stayed on the pre-op diet for two weeks now and have lost some weight. I'm pretty happy about that. Every doctor's different, but here's what my pre-op diet consists of per day:

• 3 protein drinks
• 1 egg
• 1 bread
• 6-7 oz. lean meat
• 4 oz. vegetables
• 8 oz. fruits or vegetables

I'm ranging about 1200 calories a day. It's not as difficult as I would have expected. I think the high amount of protein has something to do with that. Someone asked why I didn't just stay on the diet and skip the surgery. If I could stay on a diet, I wouldn't be this heavy.

I'll post again after the surgery to let you guys know how it goes.

Legends of the Spellcasters update

I've made fairly good progress on the piece, but I have a feeling the next panel (the Teresa Wentzler panel) is going to be a little more time consuming. I did hit a snag in that DMC consolidated colors at some point, and two of the numbers used in the chart were the same color. I emailed Teresa Wentzler, and she suggested using a blend, and that worked!

I keep having problems getting the fabric to stay aligned in my Qsnaps. I hope that doesn't cause problems with squaring the piece. It looks off in the photo but isn't quite so bad in person. I may have to go back to my scroll frames for larger pieces.

The health saga: Thursday daycare called to tell us that a spot on Logan's butt was getting red and that he had a fever. We had to take him to the ER to get the abscess lanced. He did not like that one bit and fought like a wild child. The next day he started throwing up and couldn't stop. He also had a fever and diarrhea (just wonderful since the abscess is in such a bad place). We took him to the ER again, and they gave him something to stop the vomiting, and he gulped down four small bottles of Pedialyte. He was dehydrated by then. He was also exhausted since we didn't get home til 3:00 in the morning. The doctor thinks he has a virus. We belatedly realized this must be the same thing that's going around daycare--so two unrelated illnesses and trips to the ER within two days. Today he's been pretty good, if cranky from lack of sleep, and has managed to keep everything down. I feel so bad for the poor kid...and at the same time I'm hoping I don't get it. With my Lap-Band surgery less than two weeks away, I don't need to get sick. Matt has a touch of it, and my mom came down with strep (though the doctor didn't do a strep test and she's much better today). Jeez!

Moon Riders HD

I finished yet another Just Nan the other day. They're like candy! Chris sent me this chart in last year's Halloween exchange. I'm planning on making this into a tiny bellpull.

Sadly, I think I've finished all the little Just Nans in my stash that I can without buying fabric. I'll have to give it another look-through and see.

I've almost finished my current panel on Legends of the Spellcasters. I haven't felt like stitching much because I've been sick, but I think I'm back on it. Pics when I do!

HOE red exchange received

Here are some photos of the red exchange Ina sent me. I love the sweet little heart and all the goodies. Logan was fascinated with the flower soap, but I'm not sure I want him smelling like roses. :-) He also appropriated the candy when we opened the package. I think he enjoyed the goodies as much as I did!

Sick again: So even after the sinus surgery, I developed a sinus infection. At least it's two months between illnesses, not two weeks like before. I also started the pre-op diet Monday in preparation for Lap Band surgery on March 18. I have to stay on it so that my liver will shrink and be easier to move during the surgery. The diet is very restrictive but includes a lot of protein, so I'm not starving too bad. I'm highly motivated too!