Post Op Day 2, From the BHE

the OR is really bright and really cold. it took me two days to remember this, because anesthesia is retroactive.

i woke up from surgery on tuesday afternoon, and i'm glad to say the results are considerably better than the surgeon expected. he was able to remove 8 pounds of skin and fat that i wouldn't be able to exercise away or otherwise remove by my own effort. and my amazing wife tells me i look entirely different from every angle. so that starts to make the discomfort i've been in since then generally worth it.

i was told by the doc that i'd be "pretty sore" for about a week. and that's generally true, except that pain meds work. i have a pain pump delivering lidocaine directly into my abdominal muscles and i also have been taking a regular dose of vicodin. so my whole core feels very tight and my range of motion is severely restricted, but my actual pain level is really less than that of a sprained ankle. and that's a pretty crazy thought.

but i have to take a moment to commend the doc, the nurses, the techs, and even the transport personnel at MBH for taking amazing care of me. every single person i encountered at MBH had a big smile and a deep well of concern for my well-being. i felt like a VIP (i kinda was), but i also think my level of care wasn't that much greater than what anyone else receives at MBH. and that is pretty impressive.

most of all, though, i owe a tremendous amount of love and gratitude to the regular author of this blog. she has been incredibly supportive of me from the time i started to losing weight, through keeping it off, through running a marathon, and now through the decision for surgery and my aftercare. she is a model of love and sacrifice, and i'm incredibly blessed to have her.