I wonder what "full" feels like

I'm ready to escape on out of this hospital!  The staff has been great and they have taken good care of me, but I have cabin fever.

Another surgeon from Pacific Bariatric was doing rounds this morning so I didn't get to see my doctor for a check-up.  However, this surgeon was just as great and pretty funny.  Turns out he is the father of one of the teachers I work with at the high school.  He said I was doing wonderful so I asked him if I could go home today.  He cut me off with a very emphatic "NO!" Well, I did have to try.  He said I should be able to go home tomorrow though.  I was released to take a shower and start having liquids.  I have to say that was one of the best showers I've ever had.  After not showering for two days and having had surgery, I just felt yucky.

My experience with liquids has been interesting. I walked 10 laps around the floor early this morning (34 total for the day) so the head nurse said I could have a Popsicle.  Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!  It was sugar-free, totally allowed and delicious.  

Later on, I was told that I could have up to two one-ounce cups per hour of fluid. I was started off with Crystal Light.  I took tiny baby sips and that seemed to go well.  Later on, I had chicken broth and it was good, too.  I requested more Crystal Light so the nurse brought me some more with ice chips in the cup.  I gently spooned enough to go in the one-ounce cups.  

The first one was great and, though it took me a long time to finish, I did a good job.  When I worked on the second one, I must have put too much liquid in my mouth because I feel sick to my stomach right now.  I don't know if this is the full feeling they said I would experience, but it feels like a tummy ache.  It is going to take time and practice for me to get used to this new pouch.  I can't gulp like I used to or have too much.  When I look down at my tummy and see the five tiny incisions where the surgeon operated, it doesn't feel real somehow.  The uncomfortability does, though.

I also had visits from a physical therapist and dietician today.  The physical therapist talked to me about how to get in and out of bed.  Sounds like an easy thing to do but when you have had major surgery on your stomach, you have to be able to rise out of bed without hurting yourself.  The dietician was a great source of information.  She talked to me about specific questions I had upon returning home from the hospital and which protein shakes might work best for me given my lactose intolerance.

Each day is going to be full of learning for me, but that's okay.  I want to maximize this incredible opportunity before me.  Oh, I almost forgot some really fantastic news ... I think my diabetes is going into remission!  The first few readings were high after surgery because of the dextrose in my IV bags but it is leveling out.  I just had a reading of 102, so I'm hopeful about that. More to come on that front.