I haven't blogged this past month as I've had some major stress in my life. We all are going to face challenges in life and have to learn how to handle our emotions and stressful eating. Last year when I faced a similar challenge, I gained probably 15 - 20 pounds. This year - I feel like the gastric sleeve has helped me cope - I'm in control of my eating - but I can't control other things such as my mother's health.
I'm going to write about how I handled my eating but also document the experience I went through for my own piece of mind - helps to journal - read any parts you want too!! I know most people aren't interested in every detail of my experience - just how I handled the dieting part.
MOM'S BROKEN HIP & WRIST: On Mother's Day weekend I flew to visit my 91 year old mother for a planned visit - she did live in an independent living apartment with assistance coming in every day to help with medicine, meals, and bathing. She did not answer my phone calls or knock on her door. I had to get security to let me in and I found her fallen on the floor but conscious (but did not know how I was) - we still don't know how long she had been there. We called the ambulance and off to the hospital we went - she had broken her hip and wrist. Her Mother's Day gift was surgery on the hip and wrist - UGH! Last August she had fallen and broken her femur on her other leg and managed to rehab and return to her apartment - that's when I had gained the 15-20 pounds. She has also suffered from small strokes (TIA's) this past year but still is mentally aware.
FOOD: As I was nervous about traveling for the Mother's Day weekend at 3 months post-op - I already had packed snacks in my suitcase & purse which definitely came in handy. I had Crystal Light packets for bottles of water - I used one of those while we were in the emergency room. I also had some sugar-free Altoids in my purse - really good as I felt my breath was probably horrible spending all night in the emergency room. A Quest bar in my purse was also great as I had not planned on spending the night in the emergency room.
FOOD: I went to a local grocery store and bought greek yogurt, baby bel cheese, tuna fish & nut crackers - my hotel gave me a medical rate and had a refrigerator in the room - a lifesaver for those of us trying to eat healthy. At the hospital cafeteria, I could sometimes get fish or baked chicken and took cups of grapes for an afternoon snack. I also ate cottage cheese for meals. The hospital had a small coffee shop where I could get skinny latte's with sugar free syrups - great treat!! I also went to a local GNC and got the ready-to-drink shakes I like & more Quest Bars - I like the apple pie & chocolate chip cookie dough the best. I would eat the greek yogurt for breakfast instead of eating the free hotel breakfast buffet - I can't eat eggs & am not a big breakfast eater so yogurt worked great for me. On the breakfast buffet's they would only have regular yogurts - I ate those a couple of times. Also got oatmeal a couple of times.
FOOD: I have eaten out a lot these past few weeks with my brother & sister. No problem at most restaurants - would order a steak, salad & baked sweet potato and mostly eat the steak and a few bites of salad and potato. If we went to a Mexican restaurant, I would order fajitas. I tried a few bites of tortilla - but they really were not fantastic so I just ended up eating the fajita meat. I did have a couple of chips and queso but not a whole basket as before surgery. No alcohol - not sure how I would react. When ordering lunch for my mom at sandwich shops, I would order a half a turkey sandwich on whole wheat for me - to be honest - I've had a couple of potato chips with the sandwich. But not the whole bag - just a couple of chips were enough. As I have a massive sweet tooth, I got some sugar-free candy at Walgreen's - and would have 3-4 pieces of it at night.
WEIGHT LOSS: I tried to keep up with My Fitness Pal and was successful a few days a week with it. I know I was not getting enough water & protein in. I did eat too many carbs also. But I'm thrilled to report that even with this stress & no regular exercise - I lost 6 lbs last month. I'm amazed & so happy!!
I do feel the need to stress eat at this time but have been trying to keep healthy food with me to eat - Quest bars, grapes, nuts, etc. Lots of iced tea and water. Doing the best I can. BUT PLANNING IS THE KEY EVEN THROUGH STRESSFUL TIMES! I can do this - I feel like the sleeve has given me the tool to succeed!!
BROKEN HIP: Off to a rehab facility we go three days after surgery - we (the family) think hospitals release you way too soon. Rehab is a necessary evil as the therapists and nurses have to push you to get up and going - which I understand because no one is going to get well lying in bed. My mom was in the best rehab in the area. But it is so hard at 91 years old - my mother was so weak and absolutely hates to do the rehab. This time it was even harder than it had been in August. All the doctors at the hospital told us how hard it is for someone at her age to recover from a broken hip but we knew we had to give it a try. The nurses would put my mom in a wheelchair and would not let us put her back in bed - she would lean her head on the tray and just moan - it was just horrible for us to watch. But if she was going to recover, she needed to sit up for a few hours each day. Physical therapy was tough because she was so weak - they put her in a "stand" for a few minutes to try and build her stamina. She was only on the narcotic pain meds for a week and then went to extra-strength Tylenol - the narcotics just made her crazy. I think the rehabs are more geared for the patients in their 60's and 70's that have more energy and stamina. All the nurses are overworked - have so many patients to take care of. Some nurse techs better than others - just depends on who is working - and again - we were at the best facility in the area. The nursing director at the facility was awesome - loved my mom - but I feel like she was the only one who liked her. In their defense - Mom is a very demanding diva - always has been - Type A - doesn't like to be told what to do. As we had been in this facility twice last August - we knew what to expect and they knew her. If we hadn't had a close family friend on the board of this facility, I doubt they would have let her back in.
But after giving you all that background on the rehab, my mom didn't last long at rehab as I walked in after 3 days at rehab and found my mom having a TIA - the nurse on duty noticed she couldn't tell you her name and where she was and didn't report those symptoms to the nursing directors. The nurses are overworked and just thought she was sleepy and hadn't woken up yet. Off to the hospital we go - nothing showed up on the hospital tests but we are there for another 5 days. Back to rehab we go - this time she just lasts 4 hours - just long enough for me to get her settled - leave her with my sister - and get on the road home. I make it 4 hours down the highway when I get a call from my sister that my mom is having another TIA. Back to the hospital she goes. Nothing shows up on cat scan but it's obvious she's had a TIA - small stroke - nothing we can do. It's really affected her speech but her mind is there. We had a wonderful speech therapist that helped us so much.
This time we realize that she just isn't up for rehab - and cannot go back to her independent living facility even with help as she cannot walk. Assisted living is also out - she can't walk to the bathroom. I check out the nursing home facility at her complex - walked in and immediately walked out -just horrible. We find a beautiful nursing facility - I had checked it out last August when we were concerned about her being able to rehab her broken femur (which she did recover from). My brother came and all three of us decided that this is where she would go.
When the case worker at the hospital told my mom that she was having to go to a nursing home, she said, "Just take a gun and shoot me" - not what she wants no matter how nice the facility is. Even at this nice facility, some care givers are better than others and the food is horrible. Her church family is wonderful and are checking on her every day when we are not there.
We've moved her out of her apartment and stored many of her things and brought some things home. We are going to try and alternate being there every couple of weeks - would like to have moved her to where we live but she just got sick to fast - would cost us a fortune to fly her here. I'm not sure how long she has to live - just want her to be happy and secure in her last days. She does not qualify for Hospice Inpatient care and while she is doing physical therapy at the nursing home - she does not qualify for Hospice Home Care.
I feel like we've made the best possible decision for our mother at this stage of her life but it is so stressful not being able to be there every day. It is so hard not to be in control of a situation - I just have to trust God to handle the situation. Now that I'm home for a couple of weeks, I'm having a stress headache - delayed reaction to all I've been through. And I know people who are going through much worse problems than me - my mom has had a very full happy healthy life - I'm thankful but still stressed! But I'm SO thankful for this sleeve which has helped me maintain some control over my eating.
