It’s week 29! This week I am NOT reporting measurements, because – in case you didn’t know – surgery REALLY MESSES WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM. I was definitely not prepared for the effect surgery has on your weight.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know that I started having some health issues in June, which was finally identified as a bad gallbladder, and it turns out it had to be removed. The surgery was scheduled for Wednesday 11/6, and I’ve been recovering since then! This is the first Incredible Shrinking Woman post since then!

Soooooo Much Water

During the surgery they pumped me up with what feels like gallons and gallons of water – which I’m STILL trying to get rid of. For some stupid reason, once I got home after the surgery I weighed myself. Why? Because I’m a glutton for punishment or something, I don’t know. 

At any rate. 

I was almost 7 lbs heavier afterwards than I started as that morning. Seven pounds! Intellectually, I know that this is temporary. I know it’s due to the trauma to my body and resulting swelling in my abdomen, but oh my gosh. It feels like I just lost more than a month of progress in a single day.

Turns out when your body undergoes trauma, it likes to hold on to as much water as it can. In addition to that, they gave me a ton of water intravenously to counteract the dehydration from the anesthesia and other medications. 

Well. 

Did you know that a gallon of water weighs eight pounds? I didn’t either. I do now though!

Since then, I am slowly losing it, mostly because I’m peeing like every five minutes, seriously. I’m drinking as much water as I can get my hands on, plus any foods that Google tells me operates as a diuretic. Which in case you’re wondering, apparently bananas and parsley are two foods that are good for that. 

Other Effects

In other news, my body hurts. Mostly my abdomen. I have three small incisions on the right side of my belly, with one bigger one right in my belly button. My stomach is swelled up with gas, and also swelled up because of the damage (though minimal, it’s still pretty swelly. Is swelly a word even?)

Turns out they use gas to inflate your abdomen so they can get in and do the stuff they need to do all up inside. Not only does my stomach feel full all the time while the gas is being absorbed, but it actually can make its way up to my shoulders and cause some pain there.

The hours right after the surgery, I had the worst cottonmouth ever. I couldn’t drink enough water, and I couldn’t eat anything because my mouth was so dang dry.

The Procedure Itself

The surgery itself wasn’t too bad. I couldn’t have anything on my skin – so no makeup, lotion, perfume, deodorant, you get the picture. Also no contacts. I was well prepared with my sad gallbladder shirt though!

I got there an hour early, had to take off every piece of metal I had on. And, of course, got to experience a wonderful, highly ventilated hospital gown. 

For this surgery, I was put completely under general anesthesia, with a breathing tube and everything. The staff was really great. They explained everything that was going to happen and took the time to make sure I was comfortable. I remember them telling me to look up at the ceiling. Just as I started to contemplate the pretty picture of clouds and sky above me, I was being woken up and it was all over. 

It took a while to come out fully. I recorded a video right afterwards, but I don’t really remember what I was saying other than I was convinced there was a surgical glove left up inside my stomach. Not true, by the way.

Recovery

Since then, I’ve been trying to walk a little and move around some every day, but stay mostly off my feet. It’s hard to get up from the couch or the bed, and I feel like I’m walking perpetually bent over. I can’t really sleep on my side yet, either. 

Other things are stopped up too!! Not that I think you want to know about that, but I am here to tell you, the struggle is really real. Really real. 

My husband took a few days off work to help me. He and my son have been spoiling me to death. They got me this awesome fuzzy pillow! I can use to prop myself up comfortably on the couch or in bed. 

So all in all, there are times when I feel like the problem with my gallbladder was preferable to having all this to deal with. But honestly, I know it’s going to be better in the long term. And I’ll have some small but kinda cool scars to show for it!

I’m hoping to be back on track by next post. I’m supposed to be back at work Monday, which I think will be just fine. Wish me luck though!

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