Since Friday, I have had a Sleep Study, been on a Liver Reduction Diet, met with Dr. Bruce to receive my Sleep Study results, got a CPAP machine, prepped for a colonoscopy and had that procedure done today. On top of that, I went home Sunday to go to church and see my family. Oh and I'm still working like crazy!!
Friday was tough, as I posted in And We Have a Date.... Since
Friday night, I went in for my sleep study. The sleep center is at my doctor's office in Cary. So I drove out there around 8pm and sat and waited for them to get started. I watched "Where the Heart Is" on TV in the room until they came in to start attaching and gluing things to my head, forehead, chin, under my chin, behind my ears, collarbone, and on my left leg. Ugh. This is the part I hate. For some reason, they insist on using a ball point pin to mark your head and where these things should be glued... I'm going to strongly suggest a Sharpie. They have to wiggle it around several times to make it write on your scalp... and if you are prone to migraines, guess what? You're gonna get one.
The guy plugged me up and I tried on several different masks to sleep with during the night. The mask... oh the mask. Well, it's pushing oxygen into your nose... and that oxygen will flow right through your throat and out your mouth if you don't keep your mouth shut. This was difficult for me to get used to. So once I got over the new Darth Vader sound coming from my nose/mouth, I finally fell asleep. I woke up once during the night and had to tell myself that it would go by a lot faster if I would just go back to sleep!!
They woke me up at 5am, unplugged me a LOT faster than they plugged me up and sent me on my way. I slept most of the morning Saturday and then that afternoon started doing more research on my post-op diet.
Sunday, I drove to my hometown and went to church with my sister. Then we all went to my dad's house for lunch. That was interesting since he's a GREAT cook and I could only have 3-4 oz of protein and 1 cup of greens. So I had some pork, green beans and broccoli. To offset the little amount I was eating, I had a protein shake. Now, mind you, at this time I was following the Liver Reduction Diet to the exact amounts that I had been given.
Sunday afternoon, I was getting a headache and was starting to get really hungry. I drank my last protein shake around 5:00. I went to our Christmas Cantata at church (which was awesome) and then went to a fellowship after that. We Baptists love to "fellowship", which really means, we love to gab and eat. :) Well, I did some gabbing and no eating. Being around that yummy food was very difficult for me. I started feeling like I was starving and was not allowed to touch the food.
Enter the Hunger Games. On the way home that night, I was very nauseous and dizzy and basically very hungry. My dad had given me some pork to take home, so I started munching on that on the way home. It was that or I was going to have to go out and hunt down some protein. I was not in a good place. But I kept reminding myself that it was for a short period of time and I can do this. I started to think more about Katniss Everdeen and how she must have felt in the early days of not having food; drinking broth and begging for burned bread...
Sorry, I slipped into the world of fiction there...
Monday, I called my nutritionist and asked what I could do to help the hunger. He was very understanding and said that I could have more protein (I do have a protein deficiency for cryin' out loud!) and I can also add skim milk to the protein shakes instead of water. WHEW!!! That makes it so much better!!!
Yesterday, I went in for my sleep study results and met with the supplier to get my CPAP. I got a nice one, all covered by insurance (yay!). Tonight will be my first night sleeping with it. Paris is going to have a rough night, I think. Dr. Bruce gave me the sleep study results and basically I stop/slow breathing at least 55 times in an hour, which means I am never reaching full REM sleep. No wonder I'm always so tired!
The guy that fitted me with my new mask, James, was just fabulous. He was the happiest fellow. He told me all the tricks and showed me how to work the gadget. He even found a much better mask than they had brought me to try on and I ended up picking that one. I enjoyed my visit with him.
Once I got home yesterday afternoon, I started prepping for the colonoscopy today. Funny enough, spell check does not like "colonoscopy" and wants to replace it with "endoscopy". I mean, it technically is an endoscopy, just a lower end-oscopy. :)
The prep did not go so well... I started hurting pretty bad and started vomiting. Not sure how much of the prep liquid I actually got down... I had to get up at 3:30 this morning and finish it. I say "get up"... I was technically in the chair still. I never went upstairs last night. Paris and I laid in the chair until the urge hit and I was in the bathroom the rest of the morning.
The endoscopy went well. There were no pollops and I got some nice drugs. When I came to, my sister was there and I had a blood pressure cuff on my forearm. It started filling up and I felt like Popeye would look... so I started singing "I'm Popeye the sailor man... toot toot... I live in a garbage can... toot toot." She was quite embarrassed. My day was complete.
My sister brought me home, I cleaned out my pantry and sent most of what was still good with her. I have started nesting... I have been cleaning, disinfecting, etc. I swear, if I had the money, I would hire a crew to come in and disinfect this whole house. I just hate cleaning. Maybe I'll feel differently about that once I start losing some weight and have more energy.
Dr. Bruce did comment on how much perkier I looked yesterday. He said I had drastically improved. Of course, that has a lot to do with the B12 shots and the other vitamins I am taking.
Although, I am also very excited. I have a lot going on, but I am managing. I am planning to go to my sister's this weekend to stay through Christmas. At least, I hope so anyway. My niece has been sick, so I am hoping I don't have to wear a mask through Christmas.
I'll be back home the morning of the 26th. I have to be at the hospital at 2:35 and surgery is at 4:35. It will probably later in the evening before I am out of surgery and recovery. Not sure yet how long the stay will be, but no more than 3 days is what I've been told.
Thanks again for the support and prayers of all of my family and friends. I will hopefully be posting after I get home and situated.
Until then, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!! Think of me while you're eating on Christmas day... I'll be drinking my protein shakes!! YUM!!
Kell
