Ack.

So, yeah...my stricture had shrunk back down...not down to 4mm like before, but from 12 to 9mm. So she stretched me to 15mm, and I have to go back in three weeks and do this all again. I am able to eat some things now, but I'm still being very cautious. I'm still scarfing my sugar-free popsicles, because those taste so good, and they don't make me feel sick at all...and I'm getting some of my fluids!

I had some labs done later that day, and it turns out that my potassium is extremely low...so I need to go buy some bananas. Good thing I like bananas.

I have a cold, and I'm dizzy and achy, and I want to go to bed. I wish my boss would let me go home.

Oh, and as of this morning, I'm at 248 pounds. I'm down 67 pounds since April 11th. w00t!

Here I go again...

Today I have my second dilation of my stricture. Right after the last procedure, I was able to eat, and I loved it! That only lasted a few days, though, and I suspect that the stricture is tightening back up again. I will be leaving for the hospital in just a few minutes.

I haven't been adjusting well to the new eating habits. I'm having trouble figuring out what I can and can't eat, and I've been getting sick a lot as a result. I'm not sure if that has to do with the stricture or with my body, so we'll see what the doc has to say today.

Off to the hospital!

Solid food

I've had my ups and downs. I can eat SOME solids, but it's on a case by case basis. I react to some things, but not to others. I haven't been eating the way I should - that is, I'm supposed to be trying one thing at a time to see how I react. Instead, I've been eating little bits of multiple things, so if I have a reaction, I don't know what caused it. I'm going to stop doing that. I'm full-on into the adjustment phase of this thing, and if I'm going to adjust properly and learn how to eat, I need to do it the right way. But I know I can handle rice, now, so Joe and I bought me some rice, and some salsa to mix with it (once I determine whether I can handle salsa). I can also handle tomatoes and cucumbers, and I love to mix those two with salt and a little vinegar. Mmmmm...

I had my procedure this morning...and I have pictures!!

So, yeah, the stricture was only 4mm across. That's WAY too small, and no wonder I couldn't get food down. The only unpleasant aspect of the entire procedure was the IV - the nurse who inserted it wasn't too good at it, and she had to poke me twice. The second time was painful...and it still hurts pretty bad. I'm going to have a beautiful bruise!

They gave me Versed to knock me out, and it worked. I don't recall a thing. And it was a nice, pleasant sleep, not the bludgeoned feeling I get after a full anesthetic.

I have been stretched out, but she wants me back in two weeks to look at it again, and possibly stretch it again, in case it rebounds. However, I have some ulcerations occurring, and I have to start taking Prevacid. We stopped at Safeway on the way home to fill it, and it cost $45. Ouch. While at Safeway, I bought some chicken noodle soup, and ate some when we got home. It went down just fine! YAAAY!

Better today...

I'm doing a little bit better today. I haven't eaten anything since my last upchuck yesterday morning, but I've been forcing the fluids. I'm bound and determined to keep myself hydrated during all of this. If I start having trouble with fluids, I will have to call the surgeon and I would likely have to go to the hospital right away.

My weight loss has slowed drastically. I'm down to 264 pounds, and it's taken me a week to lose four pounds. Before that, I was stuck at 267 for two weeks. I'm really hoping that the procedure next week will fix things, so that I can start getting some energy into me. The pounds will come off a lot faster if I can actually move my body around - and that's hard to do when you've got zero energy!