A Day on the Road to Recovery

The one thing I was desperately searching for on the internet before my surgery was how others who went through this, managed their day to day. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know what they ate, how often they had to empty their bag, what they felt like when they ate, how they spent the rest of their day, everything! There was just so much unknown in my mind that it made preparing for the surgery more difficult. One thing I’ve realized though, is there is no typical recovery. Everyone’s body handles this surgery differently and everyone’s body recovers differently. What I want to be able to provide in this post is just a breakdown of what my day looks like right now. Not that this is going to be a template for anyone else that may go through something like this, but it will provide insight to friends, family, and potentially others going through this into what I do and how I feel! I was fortunate to meet with a dietician before being discharged from the Cleveland Clinic so we could go over the “GI Soft Diet” and what my calorie intake should be. The dietician went over some safe foods and foods to avoid (pretty much anything with fiber, like most vegetables and lots of fruits). My calorie and macro goals are roughly 2400 calories, 200 g protein, 80 g fat, and 225 g carbs. This is pretty variable when it comes to carbs and fats but the dietician said to hit that protein goal to aide in recovery! So here’s what my Monday looked like!

3:35 am - Woke up to go to the bathroom. When you have this surgery, one thing that is universal, your body doesn’t process water the same way it used to and the frequency with peeing goes up. The day starts a little earlier than planned but it gives me an opportunity to empty my bag as well! First one of the day.

5:10 am - Starting to write this post! Why so early? I was only able to fall back asleep for an hour! Sleep has definitely been something that has changed for me. Getting into a comfortable position after the surgery has been harder than expected. My FitBit does say that I got 5 hours and 18 minutes of sleep which is actually an improvement from the hospital!

6:15 am - Finally getting out of bed. Something about reading when I first wake up even just laying in bed feels like a good way to start the day. I also weigh myself every morning first thing to make sure I’m not still losing weight and maybe soon see the number go up. As always, this is preceded by emptying my bag, which isn’t even close to full because I had just emptied it 2.5 hours earlier but I want an accurate weight. We are down to 160 after that last surgery and the scale read 160 again this morning. As I mentioned, your body doesn’t process water the same way after this surgery so staying hydrated is extremely important. I’m starting my day with a walk to the mailbox and DripDrop, an oral rehydration solution. We will see how it goes!

7:30 am - The DripDrop got rid of the slight dehydration headache I had going, now breakfast time! Eating has been an adventure since the surgery. Trying to find foods that agree with my body was impossible after the first surgery so I’ve been extremely gun shy after the second surgery. But, everything has gone amazing since the second surgery! This is my typical breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs with shredded cheddar, 2 eggos with a little syrup, and this greens and reds drink! I have to eat extremely low fiber which rules out a lot of fruits and veggies so supplementing with these powders fills in my missing nutrients!

8:30 am - Shower time! Feeling good after breakfast. I will probably continue eating that same breakfast with no variability for a few weeks. Cardio twice in one day between the morning walk and this shower. It’s strange showering with the bag on but it’s something I’m sure I’ll get used to. Just an extra thing to work around.

10:15 am - This is slowly becoming the favorite part of my day. At this point I’ve just been relaxing and enjoying time with Katy and Avery! But it’s time to get more calories in! My appetite isn’t what it used to be so liquid calories are my friend. Frozen banana, almond milk, peanut butter and vanilla whey in the blender is delicious and works so well with my body right now. Now back to Avery and Katy!

12:15 pm - Watched a lot of tv as usual so far today. Daytime tv is rough but we are loving the food network, getting Avery ready to be a chef! I struggle to stay comfortable in a position on the couch for too long, but much more comfortable than a week ago. That’s really the only discomfort I’ve had today, and that’ll fade as my body continues to repair. Now, it’s lunch time. Really simple, I’m not that hungry so I’m going to eat chicken and pasta with a little bit of marinara.

3:30 pm - You’re probably picking up on the pattern here. I try to eat something every 2-3 hours. I can’t eat as big of meals as I once did so getting all my calories and protein takes many small “meals“. This ones is basic but delicious again. Simple protein shake with almond milk. I am loving this Cinnamon Roll flavor from BPN, the same company that makes my morning powders. And I’ll have a couple pretzels because I love salty with my sweets! Watched “Murder on the Orient Express” this afternoon, 6/10. Lots of twists and turns but no compelling characters. Reminded me of “Knives Out”. Also, 3rd bag emptying of the day! Not too bad.

6:00 pm - Getting adventurous for dinner! One of my favorite things to eat before all this was a cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. So we went for it! That’s a sign of how good I’m feeling. You don’t know if you don’t try! Hoping this doesn’t go poorly. When trying a new food like this, I won’t have a side or anything with it to really see how my body reacts just to that food. Adding a G2 with dinner for some extra electrolytes.

7:00 pm - Parents came over for dinner and we played some euchre. So nice to not be in the hospital! With the limited visitation because of COVID, I really grew to miss personal interaction.

8:15 pm - Now it’s time for my night cap to make sure I hit my calories. This is important especially after a relatively light dinner. Plain Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and a drizzle of honey. This will be the last thing I eat and I’ll really limit water after this as well to hopefully sleep longer!

8:25 pm - posting this blog! I know it’s a longer one and if you made it this far I appreciate you a lot. This one helped me be accountable to what I’m eating and it gives you a glimpse into my life right now! Really not all that bad, haven’t had stomach discomfort all day. The main thing is abdomen pain from the surgery, and a sore butt from the abscess surgery. Those things take time, but I’m confident I’ll be feeling better soon!

10 pm - Empty the bag then lights out! For those keeping count that is 4 total in 24 hours. I’ll read a little bit before bed and stop looking at my phone to hopefully make this process as efficient as possible. I really can’t say enough how much happier I am at home than the hospital. Seeing my baby girl and wife is the best!

With Love,

Andy