Short and Sweet

I owe you a longer post. I actually have a few updates, but I’m on the way to a friend’s house shortly, so I don’t have the time. 

I’ve been to 2 more appointments since my last post – my primary doctor (where I got medical clearance for surgery) and the pulmonologist where they are working on scheduling a home sleep study. 

Today, I have my psych appointment. I’m not so nervous about this one, because it’s at a place I’ve gone before. 

Also, I finally slept (my cold is FINALLY going away), so I’m in a pretty good mood. 

Well, I’m off to draw horses and swim!

Later!

AVA

80% done with today’s appointments

Originally, I counted two appointments today: the hospital and my pcp. However, after the hospital visit, I’ve decided it was more like 4 appointments there. This morning, I had an ultrasound, an xray, a blood draw and an EKG. 4 different offices=4 different appointments.

Everything went very well. They drew 8 tubes of blood, and I have to go back on Tuesday of next week for the last two blood tests. The guy who drew my blood was great, though. I didn’t feel a thing at all. Better than testing my sugar! So that was a pleasant surprise.

Now I’m going to nap a little before my next appointment. I didn’t sleep at all last night because of the coughing. I finally have some more Mucinex, so ok hoping for a break in the hacking.

To Do List

Based on my reading, here’s some preparation for this coming week: questions I need to ask, tasks I need to complete, things I need to ponder…

 

• Print adult intake forms and fill them out before Wednesday
• Ask Dr. V (PCP) to change anti-depressant to something else. Non time-released and no negative sexual side-effects
• Get Dr. V to call in referral for urgent care (not actually related, but I need to do it anyway)
• Do I need a medical ID bracelet?
• What kind of pain medicine will I be able to take? Tylenol and I don’t get along. I know nsaids are out, so what’s left?
• Buy food.
• Clean out baby food jars for lunches
• Pack a bag for the hospital
• Start low-carb diet (boo)
• Ask about using stevia instead of other artificial sweeteners (it’s the only one that doesn’t make me sick)
• For pureed foods, do you make them yourself? Is baby food ok? What “stage” of baby food is the right consistency?
• Can the hospital finger sticks be done with my glucometer? I’m a baby about pricking my fingers.
• When drinking water, does temperature affect anything at all?
• Is Zyrtec ok?
• Is soy or rice milk okay?
• What kind of cheeses can I eat?
• Can I put milk in my hot tea? I don’t drink either, but I’d like to learn to.
• How am I going to measure all of this food? Is ounces weight or volume?
• Will I always have to avoid drinking during a meal?
• Will I ever eat sugar again?

Now all I have to do is put this list in my questions notebook. 

A hiccup

Hopefully we’re past the point where this could be bad, but yesterday was ROUGH. I got sick last week on Tuesday – just a sore throat. I thought I had allergies. But by Tuesday night, it was the worst sore throat I have EVER had. Terrible. Wednesday and Thursday I was at the lake and MISERABLE. I kept thinking I’d take some Advil, have a rest and feel better. No luck. I didn’t sleep. I coughed. My ear got completely plugged. My head ached. I didn’t sleep. 

By Saturday, I was panicking. What if I had bronchitis or pneumonia? What if my surgery couldn’t happen?

I went to Urgent Care and they checked me out (they’re never very warm and friendly there. I hate going). Turns out, no strep, no bronchitis, no pneumonia. I have some kind of infection, but minor, and a cold. They gave me antibiotics and Fluconazole for the imminent yeast infection. I’m on day 2 of antibiotics now, and I feel a lot better.

Of course, some of that is due to the fact that I found some Vicodin left over from something or other. It was the only thing that helped my throat at all. I’ve been doing Advil (prescription strength) and warm drinks, and cold sorbet, and cold medicine or Mucinex, and STILL being miserable.

I guess this is good practice for being miserable. a little over a week until surgery!

Oh, I forgot the best two parts! For one thing, I’m too miserable and sick to hold Teacup, so his dad has had to do everything. I feel horribly guilty!

And a side effect of the cold from Hell – laryngitis! I have NO voice. I barely squeak and can only do that inconsistently. I was banned from talking for 24 hours, and since I still can’t talk, I’m extending that until the morning. 

I NEED to be better tomorrow though. I have doctor appointments starting at 8 am!

Last Appointment!

My last appointment was scheduled today. It’s Tuesday at 10. So that’s that. All 9 appointments scheduled. 

What to eat…

I found a cool site that has some sample menus. So, here’s what I can eat (after 8 weeks or so of mushy stuff). This all comes from this site

Breakfast

½ cup fat-free cottage cheese

 

Mid-morning

8 oz. skim or 1% milk

Sip 16 oz. of water or non-caloric beverage throughout the morning

 

Lunch

3oz. lentil soup or chili (slightly mashed)

 

 

Mid-afternoon

Sip 16 oz. of water or non-caloric beverage throughout the afternoon

 

Dinner

¼ cup scrambled egg (needs to be ‘runny’)

¼ cup Greek yogurt

 

Evening

8 oz. skim or 1% milk

Sip 16 oz. of water or non-caloric beverage throughout the evening

 

I like most of those things!

Let’s see what else there is…

 

Breakfast

¼ c. low-fat cottage cheese

¼ c. diced peaches

 

Dinner

1-2 thin slices each lean deli turkey breast & 1 slice reduced-fat Swiss cheese, rolled (with 1 T. light mayonnaise if necessary)

 

Breakfast

¼ c. scrambled Eggbeaters® (moist)

2 oz. reduced-fat shredded cheddar

¼ c. diced pears

 

Lunch

¼ c. canned chicken

(made with 2 tablespoon plain fat-free yogurt)

 

Lunch

2 thin slices lean deli ham

2 thin slices reduced-fat cheese

1 T. mustard

 

Dinner

½ c. chili w/ beans

2-3 whole grain crackers

 

Breakfast

2 slices turkey sausage

¼-½ c. oatmeal

 

Lunch

½ c. hummus

¼ c. fresh dipping veggies (cherry tomatoes, celery, red peppers, cucumber, carrots, etc)

 

Dinner

3 oz. shredded pot roast with low fat gravy

¼ c. cooked carrots

 

Breakfast

½ c. fat-free, artificially sweetened yogurt (any flavor)

¼ c. mixed fresh berries

 

Lunch

¼-½ c. salad greens

2 oz. chicken strips

2 Tbsp. Italian dressing

 

Dinner

2oz. tender pork loin

¼ baked sweet potato w/ 1 T. light margarine

 

The following foods may be difficult to eat, especially for the first few months:

• Tough meats – dry, gristly meats may be difficult to digest. Meats (chicken, steak, burger, ham) should be moist and cut into very small pieces about the size of a pencil eraser. Go slowly.
• Bread – fresh, doughy bread can form a ball and “gum up” the opening from the stomach
• Pasta – pasta may form a paste and be more difficult to pass
• Seeds and skins of fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, fibrous vegetables like corn, asparagus, and celery
• Nuts and peanut butter

There are so many good resources on that site! Hopefully they’re accurate based on what they tell me next week. At least it gives me an idea of what I may be eating come a couple months from now. 

I got my schedule of appointments!

On Monday at 8, I go to our local hospital for an ultrasound. 

Then I have to get them to do an EKG, a chest X-ray, and blood work. 

That afternoon at 1:45, I get a general health clearance from my PCP. 

The next day, I don’t have appointments. 

But the following day, I have a psych screening at 3. 

The 1st, I have a dietary appointment for an hour. Unfortunately, it’s at 8:30 am, and it’s an hour and a half away. 

The next day I have a pre-op appointment with my surgeon at 10:45. That’s when I get to ask most of my questions. 

Then I have one last weekend. On the 6th, I have some more blood work. 

The 8th is my surgery!

So, it’s right around the corner!

Feeling better

I’m feeling better than I did yesterday. It was a real low point right around bed. I couldn’t even get excited about it anymore. 

Of course, I am monstrously stressed right now. Tomorrow I go in to pay them ($17,000!) and get my schedule of appointments. I’ll feel better once I have a plan. And once I stop chickening out and tell my friend I have to abandon her for part of camp. 

For now, I’m going to distract myself with Big Bang Theory and zendoodling.

~Ava

Having Doubts

I don’t want to have all of that droopy, gross, excess skin. What will I do with it? How will I wear a swimsuit? How will I wear short sleeves? I feel like I’m going to cry. Will I be gross? Will it be worse than how I am now?

A list of things I’m excited about

Swimsuits!

New clothes!

Riding rollercoasters!

Learning to wake board or waterski!

NOT taking my blood sugar every morning!

Trying on clothes!

Climbing in the boat without help!

NOT looking like the pictures I posted today!