My surgery is 3 weeks from tomorrow! Which means my pre-op diet starts a week from tomorrow. My pantry is stocked with sugar free jello, bullion cubes, and canned tuna, albacore, and salmon. I need to pick up more crystal light, vitamin water zero, and muscle milk lite. The good news is I learned it's not a clear-liquid diet afterall; it's a very low-cal protein diet. 800 cals a day (which is what I was doing to lose the weight, except this one is strict. No wiggle room or cheating!) and most of the calories have to come from lean protein. So it's still gonna suck, but not as bad as I first thought.
I've gotten REALLY lazy. Haven't been to the gym in literally a month due to breathing problems (to be explained shortly). Also, since I got my surgery date, I haven't been too good about my diet. Not back to my old ways, but not nearly as strict. I've gained back 2-3 lbs. It seems like there's always an excuse to miss the gym. I got blisters on my feet and needed new shoes. It's too hot. I can't breathe (maybe a good excuse). And since we're currently sharing just one car, I can't go on the weekends because my husband's got the car at work. No one will take me. I was so dedicated to walking daily for a couple of months! Grrr.
My pre-op physical and pre-op consult are on Thursday. If you gain a pound, they cancel your surgery!!! So I have 3 days to lose 3 lbs...
On to the breathing-- for about a month now, I've been feeling what I call 'short of breath' and gulping for air. It doesn't stop me from walking, talking, etc. I just feel like my breaths aren't deep enough. Like I can't fill up my lungs. I'll spend several minutes forcing myself to yawn, and then finally I'll get a good one which feels like it satisfied me. A couple of minutes later, I'm at it again. It started out happening for about half an hour a day, then a little more, until it was 24/7. I was afraid to go to the doctor because I didn't want it to be something which would cause me to fail my pre-op physical. But at the same time, I didn't want to risk it complicating anesthesia during surgery. I was really freaking out about it, which made it worse. So a week ago, I finally went to urgent care. The doctor said I was moving air fine, and my oxygen rate was 99%. This is NOT asthma-related; I'm not wheezing and my inhalor doesn't help it. I mentioned to her that a lot of interenet research I'd done pointed to anxiety attacks. I don't feel that I'm nervous about surgery; I'm really excited. But it IS my first operation, so maybe subconciously, I am. More likely than that, though, is stress at work. The company I work for has filed bankruptcy and been bought out by a competitor. They've said they have "no plans to" close any locations or fire any phlebotomists, but that they can't give us anything in writing. One of our local labs was just shut down, and the phlebo let go, but they say it was an unrelated situation. The Boss has been on a firing streak as it is. And a few people have quit. My lab is one of the least busy in town, and I'm going to be off for a month in the middle of all of the changes that are going to be taking place with the new company taking over. It's an "at-will employer", so they CAN terminate you even when it's medical leave. So I guess I'm definitely stressed about that. She prescribed some anti-anxiety meds, and while the problem isn't gone, it's a lot better, and it doesn't send me into a panic when it happens. She also said she doesn't see any reason why it would interfere with my surgery. That in itself definitely alleviated some anxiety.
On a positive note, I was previously told that the portion of surgery I have to pay for would be about $4grand. I found out last week that it will actually only be $1400. So that'll help. I wish our tax return would hurry up and arrive so we can pay it. And get a car.
I think that's it for now. I'm sure I'll have an update after my pre-op physical, xrays, bloodwork, and surgery consultation later this week!
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