A lesson learned

Fortunately there haven't been any consequences from this lesson however the error of his ways has been revealed to him! I say all of that with a smile on my face. Let me explain.

Brian started on real food last Friday....not even 2 full weeks post surgery!  While it was nearly a divine experience for him to have texture in his mouth we talked to the nutritionist today and she said it was a "no no"!  There is a rhyme and a reason for the diet plan that we gave him. He should be on phase 3 of the diet plan which includes runny grits, pureed eggs, pureed chicken or chicken salad or egg salad etc. NOT HAMBURGER AND FRENCH FRIES!!  Yes he ate 1/3 of a hamburger and 5 french fries at the Braves Game last Saturday. He's had chicken fingers, shrimp, mashed potatoes, even roasted Fillet Mignon!  He's had VERY small bites and very small amounts of food. For instance, he had one shrimp and made 5 bites out of it and the Fillet he only had 2 small small bites. It was velvety smooth and tender so it was very easy to eat.  Now, I'm not tattle tailing on him, just being honest. He's not had the first problem eating! No nausea, no cramping,  no food getting stuck etc. It's been great. A lot of people have difficulty with meat and chicken so it's been incredible the success he's had. He's really learned how to take very small bites and chew and chew and chew!

So, unfortunately, he's back on protein shakes and pureed foods for a couple more days and then we can progress to phase 4 on the plan.  So Phase 1 was clear liquids, Phase 2 was thick/creamy liquids, Phase 3 is pureed meats/eggs runny foods etc.  You live and learn or in this case EAT AND LEARN!!  He's not very happy about this but he'll survive.

He's down to 328...28 lbs lost in 2 weeks since surgery....47 lbs lost since Pre Op Appointment July 29th!!

First Plateau

Brian's had an interesting week. He got really frustrated earlier in the week because he didn't lose any weight from Tuesday to Thursday.  He stayed at 334 lbs.  It really had him discouraged.  We tried to go for a walk last night but the gnats were horrible and it was ridiculously still hot at 7:30! However as of this morning he'd lost another 2 lbs! He was thrilled!  He just couldn't understand why he was stalling out when he was hardly eating anything! He's still on thick liquids. This week he can "upgrade" to soft solids like pureed eggs, runny mashed potatoes, runny grits, pureed chicken or even egg salad finely mashed :-) However he's still only allowed 1-2 oz. That's 4 tablespoons of food!  Unbelievable but it truly satisfies him! He's come to LOVE applesauce and pureed brunswick stew!  We'll see what this coming week holds for him!  He knows now that his body has to balance out or equalize after such rapid weight loss and then it will kick back into gear.  The doctor told him at this check up on Tuesday that between week 5 & 6 just before he gets his first saline fill that it's possible that he'll gain a few pounds because he will be eating more regular solid foods.  He was beginning to think this week that he needed his fill early!  His first fill will be on October 12th, probably a day or two before my surgery! So much for doing this at the same time :-)  At least I have a good idea of what to expect!

I'm back...

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day.  We took it pretty easy.  Brian's feeling great and since he's been eating more protein the last several days, he has a lot more energy.  Believe it or not, we went to the Gator Game on Saturday and he did really well.  He made the mistake of not eating any protein for breakfast or lunch so he was dragging by the time we got home.  He's really been enjoying soup instead of broth!  We've even been able to get really creative when we eat out. For instance, at Cracker Barrell, he asked for a small cup of the broth/soup from Chicken and Dumplings. Today at The Smokin Pig Bar B Q he had brunswick stew and we brought home his left overs and he pureed them and it was delicious!  He wasn't able to eat a lot of it because it wasn't very soupy at lunch but he enjoyed it for dinner.  

One challenge he's had is staying hydrated. He's often been thirsty but isn't able to drink a lot. He has to take sips all day long and after being in the heat that's frustrating.  The other predicament is that he's to wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating before he can drink anything as well he's to stop drinking 30 minutes prior to his meal. So if it's salty or spicy he's out of luck. One sip won't hurt but as he starts eating real food, it's important that you not fill up on water as well as being important to not wash the food and nutrients through your stomach too fast and then risk eating too much because you're not feeling as full.  

He has had some emotional issues. For instance, one night last week, he said he was wishing he could just sit down and eat. He was actually missing eating. Today, he mentioned that at lunch he really wanted to order some ribs and wings. He then said, I can admit it, that 'person' has not left me yet.  He said he wasn't hungry but he could've eaten it!  That's part of the frustration early on in the life style change. It's a must! We can no longer physically eat like that.  So it's been interesting to listen to his perspective and struggles.

For those of you who don't know, my surgery was postponed due to insurance requirements. I won't go into all of the details but the bottom line is I will be able to have mine the first or second week of October! I'm very excited.  Watching Brian go through all of this has been good for me.  He's had a remarkable recovery!   He led worship yesterday and has pretty much returned to regular, routine activity.  No fever or nausea at all.  It's been incredible!! I uploaded a picture of us from Saturday.   

Ok now what everyone wants to know....he's down to 334 lbs!  41 lbs lost since July 29th.....22 lbs lost since surgery day last Tuesday August 31st!!! It's just falling off of him!!!

Surgery Day

I'm not sure where to start. We woke up around 4:00 a.m....I'd say he was a little anxious/excited :-)  We got to the hospital and they took him back to the operating room around 7:30 a.m. and then the wait began. He was finished with surgery and in recovery by 9:15 a.m.! It was so fast.  Our surgeon came out and told me that he did great and the surgery went perfect.  He told Brian that he could not have asked for a better surgery!  We are so blessed!!  By 10:00 a.m. he was back in his changing room and eating ice chips.  By 11:00 a.m. he was sitting up with his legs hanging over the side of the bed and  asking to go to the bathroom.  We got home at 12:40!  It was truly Outpatient Surgery!! We had no idea that it would go so smoothly!  He slept the entire ride home and went straight to bed and slept until 4:00 p.m.  He took some pain medication at 4:00 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m. last night and that's it! We even walked down the hill to our neighbors house, stayed for about 45 minutes and walked back!  All his idea!  As we were walking to our friend's house he said, 'I can't believe this. I can't believe that I had surgery this morning.  This is incredible. Thank you Lord."

He woke up this morning on his own just before 6:00 a.m.  He took some children's Ibuprofen at 7:00 a.m. and had 1/3 a container of green Jello-0.  No more Lortab!!  He just said "I feel like I could go to work today!"  I've uploaded his surgery pictures and his before pictures like from The Biggest Loser so look at your own risk :-)  This is a remarkable thing! I'm sooo excited to have mine done.  I know this is not the most interesting post but I thought the last 24 hours would be quite telling as to his recovery and how the procedure went.