No Place Like Home...2 days AFTER

Well, I am back at home. I am so happy to be here. My experience with this doctor, the country and the hospital staff was great but there is no place like home. I am back at home finally and it has been a long day. I had to travel from Nashville to Dallas then to Monterrey and back. After such a long trip, I am very sore, very gassy and very tired.

The day after the surgery, I was so hungry I could scream. M y body and mind had to wrap around not eating the things I wanted to eat. I did not know that once you realize you cant have something you crave it even more! While travelling home, I automatically steered towards the starbucks before I realized that I couldnt have that for quite some time and that it probably isnt the best choice anyway. I realized too that I wasnt really hungry. I am on a liquid diet now and it seems crazy. I was tired of jello, broth and water immediately but I have decided to stick to it and commit before I got here. There is no going back. I look forward to a couple of months down the road when I can eat better tasting food that is healthier and still great. So, for two weeks I have bought broths and actual soups which I will strain, Special K protein water and powder, crystal light, pudding and fudgesicles all zero fat, zero sugar.

One of the biggest problems I feel now is expelling all the gas I have built up in my abdomen. It is so uncomfortable. I wish I could stick a hole in me and let it all out. Hopefully the feeling will subside soon. It is the worst the day of your surgery and gets better after that. Other than that, I feel pretty good. I think that the pain pills in Mexico dont come close to the pain pills we have here in the states so I cheated and took pain pills from a previous surgery and that helped out a lot.

If you plan on going to Monterrey, learn some passable Spanish. Most of the residents there don't speak English but Dr. Zapata's people take excellent care of you. They have a driver for you the whole time and make sure you understand every little detail of your treatment. The hotel they book you at is very nice and I still can not speak enough of the hospital. It felt more like a resort than an hospital facility. Everyone was also very nice even if the English-Spanish was a challenge. Dr. Zapata is a surgeon for the Mexican version of Extreme Makeover and after speaking to the COO of the hospital, I found that I was very lucky to get him.

So Thanksgiving is coming up and I am trying not to feel bad about not eating any of the delicious food BUT I will be able to enjoy some things at Christmas. I will report back each week with an update. See you next Sunday 11/30/2008.