A New Normal: Day 6 Post-Op

 

I've never been a huge fan of taking vitamins. From the chewable Flintstones to the giant horse pills to the gummy variety (funny story, my 16-year-old son took a couple of my women's multivitamins a couple of weeks ago because they were in gummy form and he thought they were just regular vitamins that looked good), vitamins have never been high on my priority list.

Well, my friends, all of that has changed. I've read hundreds of stories and watched tons of videos on YouTube and have learned that supplements and vitamins will now be several of my best friends. By several, I do indeed mean countless. Check out that photo. This is my morning cup of fun! A mix of chewable vitamins and post-op medicines to help things get back to a new normal with minimal pain and discomfort and gas (ugh...I'll have to do a whole separate post on that because it's a lot) and my regular medications. Prior to the surgery, I had to take a Vitamin C, multivitamin, and a couple other things to get my body in the best position to undergo surgery and recover smoothly. On top of that, I also take Zoloft daily and Aygestin, because I've had a terrible time with my menstrual bleeding since I had my IUD removed in November 2022. Worthy of its own separate blog down the road too, I'm sure. 

Anywho, this is my new cup of morning fun. It takes me about an hour to get all of them down, because I have to wait 10 minutes between pills and chewing the chewable ones (although I have missed chewing food WAY more than I thought I would!) can make me a little nauseous so I take it slowly. My new normal in the morning for the past 5 days since I've been home from the hospital include a cup of joy such as the one pictured above, about 6 ounces of 100% apple juice in crushed (not cubed) ice, and a slow process of getting all of these necessary things into my body. And let me tell you, I feel full by the time I'm done chewing and swallowing all of this! I wait a couple of hours, and then usually have either a sugar-free pudding or a sugar-free popsicle. So goes the day every few hours from that point on, and sometimes my husband convinces me to try some creamed chicken soup (strained) but I still just don't love the taste or texture of soups very much (unless we're talking potato cheese soup, now that one I could get behind...or the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden....yum....). 

So this is just one way my normal has shifted. Six months ago, I was downing a Sugar-Free Red Bull and possibly throwing back a fast food breakfast in the dash to get my kids to school on time. I can honestly say I feel pretty normal at 6 days post-op, aside from the desire to actually be able to chew food sometime soon. I'm not fatigued, I'm sleeping well at night, and I'm getting a little stir-crazy, brain-needing-stimulation. 

I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a good post-op update tomorrow and HOPEFULLY a diet advancement to soft high protein foods. Stay tuned!