Post Op-Week 1

A little less swelling. Minimal bruising. Hardly any pain. Definitely quick to fatigue. Down almost 5 lbs. 

Overall...I'll take that as a HUGE WIN! 

My number one celebration is:
NO HEARTBURN OR INDIGESTION.....AT ALL! 

That alone makes my entire surgery recovery process worth it to me. The last 2 years have been completely exhausting when it came to my bowels and analyzing my food intake. 

Now...for the nitty gritty! The gas pressure and struggle to have a bowel movement...was legit. Haha! I resorted to my stool softeners, miralax mixed in Prune Juice, and lots of veggies 

After 3.5 days...we had SUCCESS! Wow oh wow...did that make me feel a ton better. I truly enjoy prunes, so the the prune juice is actually something I'm still enjoying. 

But haven't need as much Miralax to accompany it. I am still using a stoll softener...as I'm just a little mentally cautious about not wanting to mess with my internal stitches at all. 

I'll ask more about that at my follow up appointment this Friday. 

Over the past few days...I've definitely felt the love. When I returned home, I received a surprise gift from my best friend, Amanda.  
She mentioned she couldn't send me tacos or Tito's vodka in the mail...so the next best thing was a 5 lb. bag of my favorite candy...Sour Patch Kids. 
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I have rationed them out so I can still stay on track with my health goals even with all the inactivity. HAHA!

She knows me oh so well. On Saturday, I was blessed to have my two "bonus daughters" stop by to give me a lovely gift.  It was PERFECT.  They don't like to call me "step-mom" as they think I'm just a BONUS to the love and support they already get from their birth mom. 

What's pretty cool...is their birth mom actually purchased this for me and we think we are pretty badass when it comes to this co-parenting thing. 

Then Sunday rolled around - I was feeling pretty great.  But knew that I couldn't really leave the house yet.  My team was attending an event together and I was super bummed that I couldn't be there with them. 

Little did I know, they had all pitched in and put together a goodie basket for my recovery and Angie stopped by to deliver it.  It was filled with all things "good smelling" and along with it was a huge bowl of "healthy chili" for Tony and I to eat on this week.  Can you say...NO COOKING! 

And finally...my final visitor...one that truly made my heart smile more than it already had been...my former step-son Jake from my previous marriage...stopped by to see me as well. 

We chatted about my surgery, but more so about his doing in college and all the things he's aspiring to be. It was a great time and I am thankful that my recovery process has been so smooth that I was able to enjoy that time with him before headed back to Bloomington to start another week at IU. 

When BIG things happen in your life...it's so great to feel the love and support from friends and family. I truly feel blessed to have the circle of love that I have.  It's made this time of the "unknown" much easier to handle. 

Sunday Night - Date Night! 

It's what Tony and I have done for almost 3 years now...every Sunday we head out on the town for a date...just him and I. We typically enjoy great food and search places that serve AMAZING craft cocktails. 

But, when we want to stay local, we visit our friends at Opa! Greek Restaurant. It's amazing and the waitresses know our order without bringing us a menu. (Is that weird? I think it's great!)

Tonight - Tony brought Opa to me.  I couldn't sit at the table just yet.  Sitting straight up and down just wasn't too comfortable for that long of a time. 

My craft cocktail was a lovely bottle of water, but I sure enjoyed the extra Tzatziki sauce the staff put with our order to "help me recover". 

What's great? Is this meal completely follows my Veggies Most at dinner mindset and is completely keeping me on track with nutrition even though I'm unable to exercise. 

Learn More About How I Eat

As of right now, the only thing I've called the doctor about is some minimal bleeding that is still occurring.  Mostly, when I'm using the restroom is when it's noticeable.  After talking with the doctor this morning, she assured me that it's normal and some women heal differently than others.  

I have no signs of infection, the pain is almost completely gone, and otherwise I feel great. I'll learn a bit more about the recovery process at my follow up appointment later this week. I'm hoping she informs me that I can start walking more and adding that to my daily routine. 

I have plans to start a virtual "Walk Your Way To Wellness" group on November 5th. So, fingers crossed that date sounds good to my doc as well. I'll help provide motivation and support for those that want to join in...and if nutrition help is something that you would like too...I'd love to share what's been working for me for quite some time now. Click the button below and let me know you're ready to join in the fun!

I'd Like To "Walk My Way To Wellness"

Here's to another successful week of recovery!