Greetings from Oasis of Hope Hospital

I'm here! Today, the day I was most dreading, was fine. It was even fun! I love to travel, and I love to travel alone, and it doesn't really matter where I'm going. Or, apparently, how little I eat! I've been so travel-starved from covid that just having a change of scenery and flying places was a treat.

The two-week semi-fast clearly changed my appetite. At one point today I ate a 100-gram Greek yogurt and drank a tiny box of juice, and I was almost uncomfortably full, wishing I had saved the juice for later in the day! That is crazy! 

This surgery will really change my eating habits around travel. Travel, for me, is almost always associated with unhealthy eating choices, and often overeating. I guess those days are over. It was fun while it lasted! (Readers who don't know me, that was said while smiling and laughing.)

 

Everything went smoothly today. Masks are mandatory and there was plenty of room for social distancing -- until the flight to San Diego. It was packed. I wasn't too comfortable with that. 

 

The driver picked me up in San Diego as planned, and we were very quickly at the hospital. I had a long wait until finally someone appeared with forms and took me to my room. There seems to be a lot of administrative confusion, I think because I arrived at night, when there are fewer people on duty. 

But everything got done eventually. I'm in my room, they've taken my vitals, I've filled out forms, and signed scary disclaimers. I am excited and nervous! Can't wait to be on the other side.

* * * *

You know you're a busybody when you ask more questions than the customs agent!

Where are you going?

Is it for work or family?

For how long?

Where are you staying?

Going shopping while you're there?

Did you take the hotel shuttle last night?

How much was the cab?

Where do you live?

Is the weather nice there?

 

This was the other person on the hotel's airport shuttle this morning!

Some of these are perfectly legitimate small-talk questions -- but some are inappropriate. And honestly, on an airport shuttle, do you really need to know anything about the other passengers? 

 

FYI, I did not answer truthfully.

Greetings from Vancouver

I made it through Day One of the almost-fast, and I'm doing fine. I say almost-fast because the diet came with an escape hatch: "If you are diabetic, hypoglycemic, or you feel dizzy or lightheaded, you may eat one of the following..." 

So yesterday, in the early part of the day I had a 4-ounce can of low-sodium vegetable juice, and when I arrived at the airport hotel, I had one hard-boiled egg. Other than that, I had only water or juice. I never thought I'd be able to do that!

Silver lining. The urticaria has a special torment: after I eat, there is massive stinging, burning, and itching over my entire body. The stinging is actually painful. It feels like being stung by an insect, dozens of times, all over. Fasting has removed this particular hell. I still have itching, and I'm taking the antihistamines, but getting rid of the post-eating torture is a relief.

Yesterday afternoon I flew from our little remote town to Vancouver. The flight is about an hour, and if it's not raining -- which happens occasionally -- you can see the snow-capped North Shore Mountains the whole time. Yesterday was beautifully clear. 

I caught a cab to the Coast Airport Hotel, and because I'm a Coast Rewards member, they offered me a free room upgrade. So I'm staying in "King Superior" room for the ridiculous rate of $65. Coast Hotels are not usually so budget-friendly! I guess they need to compete with the other airport hotels. Pro tip: don't stay in a Day's Inn when you can stay in a Coast for the same price.

It's a good thing I'm not relying on the hospital for nutritional support. The dietitian sent me the diet at the last minute (which caused quite a bit of stress, as I thought I needed to order Optifast... and that would take time where we live), then never checked in with me. Not one call or email. I thought that was pretty poor. Fortunately for me, I have the RD from our local primary-care health centre -- and she is amazing. We're actually speaking today while I'm between flights.

Today is the challenging day: fasting while traveling. But yesterday's experience has given me more confidence. Yesterday morning I was thinking, How am I ever going to do this?? and this morning I'm thinking, I am going to do this. 

I know at least four people are reading this and have been incredibly supportive. I am profoundly grateful.

The Final Countdown!

I've completed the two-week semi-fast. 

I found that after a few days, my appetite sharply decreased, which I know from past experience is from eliminating most carbohydrates, eating only a small amount of whole grains. (I have always found this to be true for me, but also found it challenging to sustain, and easily undone.)

I'm caffeine free. I miss coffee and I can't wait to drink it again. But I didn't get headaches or suffer any other ill effects.

Today begins the final 48-hour fast. I'm dreading it. But... I'm resigned.

I checked my flights, and they are not crowded at all. This was definitely a relief. In this case, the optimist sees the plane as half empty!

Later today I fly to Vancouver, where I'll stay in an airport hotel. I will miss one of my favourite little treats when I travel alone: room service dinner and a glass of red wine. Nope. Water and fruit juice are the only things on the menu.

I've gotten amazing, steadfast, and caring support from my friends who are reading this blog. Thank you all!

One Week to Go: What's on My Mind

The surgery is in one week from today! 

My current concern is the travel. 

In the final 48 hours before surgery, you're on a true fast -- liquids only. During this phase, there are no protein shakes, just water, juice, or clear broth. People with diabetes (no) or hypoglycemia (yes) can eat a small amount of protein, such as a hardboiled egg, if they feel dizzy or lightheaded. 

This scares me, and doing this while dealing with multiple flights and layovers, and everything that's involved with that, scares me more. I know I'll get through it. I'm just kind of dreading it.

In addition to fasting, the severe urticaria (hives) I've been struggling with is back in full force. It was 90% gone, and the fact of its reappearance is not a good sign. It likely means this condition is chronic and will come and go repeatedly. The antihistamines help, but at various (unpredictable) times during the day, my skin is on fire with itching, burning, and sharp stinging.

And of course, there's covid. I'll do my best to distance, and naturally I'll be wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer frequently. I can only hope the airports will not be crowded, and the flights not sold out. (The airlines now allow you to check what percentage of seats have been sold, and re-book at no extra charge -- but if you have a connecting flight and an event you are traveling to, that's not much help.)

Fasting, itching, and social distancing. I normally look forward to any travel, but this seems onerous. Maybe instead of counting the days, as I'm doing now with the semi-fast, I'll count the hours. I'm also telling myself that the anticipation is almost always worse than the event. 

(A reminder: I'm not freaking out. Just expressing my concerns.)

On the way back, I'll also be a liquids-only phase, but according to the dietitian, this will be much easier, as most people have very little appetite at that time. The surgery itself is laparoscopic -- that's why you can travel so soon after it -- but still, it is surgery, and I'll need to be careful.

Once I'm back, I'll have to self-isolate for 14 days, which will be very easy, as I'm working from home. I've taken two weeks off work for the surgery and recovery, but even after that I have no need to go anywhere while the quarantine period runs out.

Meanwhile, in the present, the semi-fast and caffeine step-down are going really well. It can be a bit challenging to open the fridge and see the food I've made for my partner... and pull out only the coconut water! But I'm doing it -- one glass of water, one protein shake at a time. 

Checking In: Pre-Surgery Eating Plan

Today begins Day Four of the two-week pre-surgery diet. It's going really well! 

The biggest issue, by far, is having to drink an enormous amount of liquids each day -- and the corresponding gazillion trips to the bathroom. I often feel bloated with fluids. Protein smoothies (2 @ 30 ounces), electrolyte drinks (16 ounces), vegetable juice (8 ounces), and water or other clear liquids (64 ounces), and I'm not even counting my standard four cups of coffee.

I am usually quite under-hydrated, even more so while working at home. (At work I keep a water bottle on my desk, but not at home.) When I was younger, I used to say, if it doesn't have caffeine or alcohol in it, why drink it? Ha! Although I've outgrown that notion, I've just never gotten in the habit of drinking a lot of water.

Fortunately for me, I never drink carbonated drinks of any kind, or anything with added sugar; both are off limits. I know for many people, that is a big adjustment, but for me it's a non-issue.

I can eat one solid meal each day, within the guidelines. I'm eating a green salad, and a small portion soup I made in the Instant Pot, with chicken, vegetables, and brown-rice pasta. I'm experimenting with having this meal at different times during the day, to get maximum bang for the buck. I think lunch works best.

The caffeine step-down is going pretty well. I often feel I'd like another cup, but haven't felt any desperate cravings, and so far, no headaches.

The liquids are a challenge. I'm working from home, and I know that if I'm in my home office, there will be a huge disincentive to continually go downstairs and get fluids. My workload is pretty intense right now, and I won't want the constant interruptions. To counter this, I'm working at the kitchen table, which has its pros and cons. 

On the plus side, I'm very near the fridge, with all the liquids I need. It's been cold lately, so I can make a fire in the wood stove and easily keep it going. I can let the dogs in and out all day, which is annoying when both Allan and I are upstairs in our respective offices. All good.

The downside is I've lost my great workspace. After two days using my work laptop without connecting it to my large desktop monitor, and sitting on a kitchen chair all day, I was already feeling the effects on my eyes and back. So yesterday we brought my great office chair and the monitor downstairs, and I set up a satellite workstation.

Also: fantastic timing, doing this while I'm working at home! I'm not sharing this with my co-workers yet, so I'm glad to have this privacy. 

I also weighed myself for a baseline weight. Then I asked A to hide the scale and give it back to me on December 1. I'm going to try monthly weigh-ins on the first day of each month. The number itself will remain private, but of course I'll post the amount lost each month.

Pre-Surgery Diet Begins Today

Today's the day! I start the pre-surgery diet today. I've gone from dreading it to feeling excited about it. It's the next step in my journey, and this is something I've chosen to do, so why I should I dread it? I'm sure it will sometimes be difficult, but I'm going to do it. 

I used to be very disciplined about my eating, and I still am in most areas of my life. So now I will once again apply that discipline to my eating habits.

This is the basic diet I got from the clinic. 

Daily:

* Protein shakes - at least 2/day, can be more - large glass (10-16 ounces / 0.5 litre)
        -- whey protein, milk (any kind), one fruit

* water or other clear liquid - 2 litres / 64 ounces
        -- can be herbal tea, white grape juice, apple juice, flavoured water

* electrolyte drink - 0.5 litre / 16 ounces
        -- I'm using coconut water

* vegetable juice 0.25 litre / 8 ounces of vegetable juice (e.g. V8)
        -- I drink this anyway, the low-sodium kind

* non-fat yogurt - 225 grams / 8 ounces

* a light meal with protein, vegetables, and small portion of whole-grains - once daily
        -- small portion of chicken breast, tuna, tofu, or similar low-fat protein
        -- chicken broth
        -- vegetables (cooked or raw)
        -- small portion of brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta
        -- many people like to have this as soup, as it can be more filling

* They recommend things like sugar-free Jello, which I cannot see eating for any reason! Perhaps some people find it helps satisfy cravings for sweets. 

My first thought: never be too far away from a bathroom!

Readers: Apologies if this is too much nitpicky information. This blog is (also) for myself, to have a complete record of my experience. 

All Systems Are Go: Surgery and Flights Are Booked

It is on!

My surgery will take place on Tuesday, October 27. I'm really excited. I'm nervous, of course, but at a manageable level. 

On Monday, October 12 (Thanksgiving!) I begin the two-week fast. I spoke to the RD about this, and she said for most people, this is the worst part. The post-surgery liquid diets are not as difficult, because by that time, the stomach is very small, and fills very quickly. The most difficult part of that phase is ensuring your protein intake. 

But the pre-surgery fasting will be challenging. I'll be drinking Optifast, a protein-shake meal replacement. I'm especially concerned about fasting while I'm traveling down to San Diego. By that time I'll be off the protein shakes and drinking only water. 

The fasting is done to shrink the liver, which makes it easier for the surgeon to visualize using the laparoscopy -- which makes the surgery safer. In other words: important.

Well, everyone who has this surgery manages to get through the fasting, so I will, too. One day at a time. I'll count the days... and probably write a bunch of complaining posts. You've been warned!

Several people reading this blog have been very supportive. I appreciate it more than I can express. It means everything to me. Many, many thanks.