Little Changes Make a Difference

March 22nd, 2019

Today has been great! I had a massage this morning, then I went to Costco to get some groceries and things for little one’s soccer game tomorrow. Although I am not walking the whole Costco building yet, I have been able to walk Target, Marshals, and Safeway. Unless it’s the end of the day, then my legs are a little weary. I feel so much freedom. I’m able to walk from the parking lot to a store and then walk the whole store. I have energy to go on walks with my dog, and take him to the dog park. I’m walking up and down stairs so much better than I have in a long time. I still have a ways to go, I would like to start incorporating more exercise into my daily routine. I love swimming, and have a pool locally that I can go to. 

I have also been enjoying cooking! This is the first time in my life I’ve actually wanted to go to the grocery store, wanted to look up recipes, wanted to actually make them. I’m not intimidated by the stove anymore :-) I enjoy cooking and don’t come down too hard on myself when my meals don’t work out perfectly. There have definitely been some blunders, but I try to learn at least one thing from everything I cook. 

My clothes are also starting to get pretty loose, they are comfortable but very flowy LOL. 

One very exciting thing that has happened in the last couple of weeks, I was invited to sing a song with my dad‘s band, the pleasure hounds. I sang “Unchain My Heart“ by Ray Charles. The band has been playing together for a long time and it was a little intimidating to join them on stage. I have to say, all the guys were very supportive. And I loved the experience. I was nervous, I have never sang with a live band like this before. It was a very vulnerable thing to do, to be yourself on stage instead of a character. I have never really experienced at this kind of nervousness before, playing a character is so different than being yourself. My dad also hosts an open mic night Sundays at the Olympia bowling alley, and I hope to join him this Sunday to do a few songs. 

Thank you so much for all of your continued support and words of encouragement. I am so appreciative of my support system.

There are tough days too...

There have been some tough days too. I don’t want to necessarily sugarcoat this process, I just want to remind myself that the bad days are fewer than the good days. 

Today, for instance, is a bad day. I have had some digestive issues since yesterday. I haven’t had days like this in about a week and a half. I thought these days were behind me. I get so frustrated because these days keep me from doing the things I want to do. They keep me from spending time with the people I love. I don’t like letting down anyone, especially my family.

So, to cope with these days, I try to focus on the positive and give myself a break. I’m not perfect, and that’s ok. Some days I won’t feel well, and that’s ok. I am human, and am still in my first months of recovery. Even these days upsetting me, is ok because I can get through them.

Thank you for sticking with me,

Aleece

Making Progress

Thank you for giving me grace and patience over the past month. The first few weeks after surgery were tough. There were also moments of joy and rest. I am so humbled by the generosity of my family, who all worked so hard to help me as I came out of my drug-induced haze. Anesthesia always lingers in my system for some reason, and it was hard for me to keep track of time and space, lol. 

I was on clear liquids for the first week after surgery. My favorite “treat” was peach lemonade, sugar free of course. I drank from tiny medicine cups, each equaling an once of liquid. I would sip on these, and work to get 48oz in a day. Mostly I drank Gatorade zero, and craved plain water. I think I wanna also able to eat crushed ice, another favorite treat. 

Week two I moved to liquids like protein drinks and soup. My mom brought me wonton soup, and I cried it tasted so good. My goal for this week was to intake 60g of protein, approximately two protein shakes, a day. I was also still trying to keep my water intake as close to 48fl oz as I could. This week, I noticed my sense of smell had increased. This can be both a good and bath thing. My tastebuds also changed. Protein shakes that I had prior to surgery, tastes bad and gritty now. Luckily, there were more options.

Week three and four I could have soft foods such as yogurt, eggs, and cheeses. This was so exciting- I began to feel like a real person again. Eggs had never tasted so good! I found a protein packed yogurt that was helpful in making sure my protein was up. These were tough weeks, as now I had somewhat solid foods and my body was trying to adjust. I also had a harder time getting my fluids in. 

During the past three weeks I tried hard to set a goal per week. I want to make sure I have developing a strong foundation to build upon as my journey continues. I have also become more active and am able to walk much, much more. I feel like I have so much freedom in my body. Now, after being off blood thinners for a few weeks, my energy has increased immensely. I have to remind myself that I don’t always have enough food in me to sustain the amount of energy I want to exert, and I think I’m moving toward a good balance. I am cleared to going swimming, and lol forward to sharing that again with my husband. 

Overall I am doing so great, and healing wonderfully. I wear my new scars on my tummy with pride, and feel so blessed I had the opportunity to have this surgery. I am worth it! Love you all and thank you for your continued prays and support!

Love,

Aleece