Well, the big event happened on Tuesday and it's Sunday, so we've managed through the worst so far. Surgery went pretty smoothly, I'm in clear liquids still, have been able to set the pain pills aside and just operate with the acid inhibitor meds, plus my regular medications. On the negative side, I am really having trouble tolerating protein drinks. I was told I could start consuming protein drinks today (Sunday) and I had one, which took most of the morning to consume in small dribs and drabs over crushed ice. Something strange happened to me when I was about half way through, I started feeling a bit dizzy and out of it. Also I've figured out that plain water does not go down very well, but mixing it with Crystal Light or eating a popsicle doesn't trigger as many gags, burps, or farts. Is that the case with anyone else?

At this point the main thing I'm battling is major fatigue, which could be due to operating solely on fat reserves (I planned ahead and have plenty for that!). Since I started dialing back eating and shifting to protein drinks the two weeks before the operation, I've dropped 27 pounds. Really picked up with this whole "not eating" thing. I have a doctor's appt on Tuesday to see where we are with things, and am hoping to return to work part time next Wednesday. In the meantime, I've been getting lots of rest.

Any thoughts from others how this experience mirrors yours? The rapid weight loss is nice, although I suspect a lot of it is water released from fat cells. The tiredness will hopefully lift, but what I've read of others is this is pretty common. Not discouraged, but definitely spending lots of spare time thinking what I can eat once I get onto the soft foods stage. But not hungry physically, but emotionally miss the texture of solid foods in small batches.