Surgery

Wednesday March 24th was my surgery day. I had a LapSleeve (or a vertical sleeve gastrectomy) where my surgeons resize my stomach to that of a small banana.

Everything went well and I was able to go home that afternoon. It's always good to be home - I have a great professional support team which includes my surgeons, office staff, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist - but of course nothing compares to being home with family! At two days post-op I feel more pressure than pain which reminds me to take really small sips of water. In time I'll be able to graduate from broth and jell-o to pudding and protein shakes and then eventually to real food again - just a lot less of it!

Hike # 1

Saturday March 20th Dad and I hiked (walked) along the North Creek Trail in Bothell.

The path connects the Burke-Gilman Trail to the Snohomish County Regional Interurban Trail in Everett. Parts of the trail are paved, parts are gravel, and parts of the trail connect to each other using sidewalks through the Canyon Park business area.

The North Creek Trail was perfect for a first hike esspecially since it has been years since my last real hike! The gravel prtion of the trail we took was nicely level and wound through the Canyon Park green belt. We saw the expected ducks, cattails, and an assortment of other birds. Our 2 mile walk began right across from the Northshore YMCA and took us past the Monte Villa Farmhouse and had several loop-back spots that can be used for shorter walks. There were a few others on the trail, families with pets, joggers, and a couple of bikers.

Great path for a first hike, a quick outdoor workout, or a nice walk with kids and pets!

1st Night on a CPAP

Unpack CPAP machine and accessories

Plug in machine

Fill humidifier with filtered water

Drink remaining filtered water

Attach tubing to machine and mask

Put mask on and turn machine on

Raise one eyebrow

Turn machine off and put mask on correctly

Take mask off, turn off bedroom light, put mask back on ... correctly

Disembark large cruise ship directly onto observation deck of the Space Needle

Take brief tour of immigration museum (at observation deck of Space Needle) with Mom and ex-boyfriend

Wander into alley like area below Pike Place Market and help Mom across a cold stream while wearing nice church pants

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My Sleep Study Experience

I checked into the Sleep Center at Steven’s Hospital after I got off work around 7:30. I was already so exhausted from sleep deprivation that the couch in their lobby started to look inviting! I handed in the usual medical office forms I was given to fill out along with a brief sleep routine diary I was instructed to keep over the previous week.

I met Chelsea, my tech for the night, who was as sweet as can be and being about the same age with quite a bit in common she made the ordeal feel more like a slumber party than a sleep study!

The biggest surprise was how comfortable the room was made up to be. It was very similar to a hotel room with a TV, DVD player, and a private bathroom with a shower. I also had access to a kitchen just down the hall with juice and snacks. All this time I was expecting some kind of cell with bunk beds and a big Plexiglas window. I imagined being one of several subjects being studied by a panel of scientists like an experiment. Just further proving that my imagination can run amuck and that I’ve probably watched WAY too much television!

After I got settled, changed into jammies, and found an Olympic hockey game on TV, Chelsea came in to hook me up to all the monitors. My jaw hit the floor when she told me cheerfully that the whole process would take about 30 minutes. I hit the Mute button on the TV and Chelsea proceeded to glue approximately 30 sensors to my arms, legs, chest, face, and head while we gabbed, joked, and giggled like a couple of teenagers. I’ve never been very photogenic so I was reluctant to have Chelsea take a photo of me and in the end I looked downright frightful so I deleted the picture.

At last it was bedtime. For the first part of the night I was instructed to sleep on my back as much as possible for more accurate readings. If I showed signs of apnea during the first few hours Chelsea would come in and put me on a CPAP machine and conduct the rest of the study with that on. I don’t think I slept well for the first part of the night but I managed to produce enough data to move on to the CPAP portion of the study. I found the nasal pillow type mask the most comfortable to sleep with and was surprised when Chelsea came in and quietly told me that it was 6am already! I had slept through most of the night!

The surprises weren’t quite over though. As Chelsea unhooked all the monitors she told me that the adhesive used had to be MELTED OFF by standing under the hot shower for about five minutes. It really took about 30 minutes of scrubbing and rinsing before I was glue free and beautifully exfoliated!

As I checked out and thanked Chelsea for listening to me snore all night long she told me that it would be a week or two before my sleep study report is generated and reviewed by Dr. McCoy. I’m still waiting for a call to set up an appointment to go over everything but in the meantime I did get set up with a CPAP machine just today and I am very much looking forward to getting some actual sleep for the first time in who knows how long!

All of this gives me a renewed excitement for my surgery that is now less than 1 month away! I am finally allowing myself to imagine what it will be like, and my heart is pounding with the anticipation of feeling what I haven’t experienced since I was a teenager… refreshed, energized, and healthy!