Our Allegiant flight to Vegas was delayed by around 30 minutes, so I took a lovely airport worship walk and did my standing core Peloton workout in a random corner of the airport with no one else around. Yay! lol We were seated on an exit row, and it was just the two of us, so we got to space out after getting this pic. =)
Bojan ("boy-on"), our Uber driver from the airport to our Silverton Hyatt Hotel - Mom chatted with him the whole way - he's from Macedonia and won a green card to move to the US. He and Mom were friends in no time, and she asked if she could get a pic of him with his Tesla car (Tman's favorite). lol
The hotel had a Blossom care package bag waiting for me at check-in, which included two protein waters I needed to drink before surgery. Not awesome, but not bad.
Friday morning, I received several kind texts and messages, along with an encouraging FaceTime call from the Wilson fam as they were all at Whataburger for lunch with Teresa - fun!! Then around 10:40, another Uber picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the Blossom Bariatric clinic.
The initial consult with Lori was great, then we met with my surgeon, Dr. Matt Apel. Lori warned us that he can be blunt, but I love that quality, so we got along well. He answered a few questions for us, then told me where to go to prep for surgery! They give you sweatpants and a T-shirt instead of a hospital gown, and I appreciated that. I'd always wanted to know what the squeezy leg compressors felt like, and now I do. (My calf muscles are oddly sore from that + compression socks + lots and lots of walking.) They used an ultrasound to do the IV and got it on the first try, collecting blood for lab work, etc. Mom came in and we held hands and prayed together, and I loved that! One of the nurses mentioned that I was their 7th surgical patient that day, remarking "Lucky number 7!!" Mom and I both looked at each other and smiled - so many little nods from God. Including this final question in my 30 Days with Jesus devotion that morning:
The thumbs-up pic is back at the hotel after surgery, and the other three are pre-op. Waking up was hard and strange bc I could hear everything but could not keep my eyes open for a while - but one of my very first thoughts was "victory - it's really done!!" Dr. Apel had warned us that day one would be "terrible" - that I should not panic if I vomit blood or blue dye or whatever else, and that I'd likely be nauseous and dizzy and in a lot of pain. I was braced and ready for the worst, and it went so. much. smoother than that!! My worst pain was like a 3 out of 10. I never threw up, and I only felt nauseous twice. I was able to stay on my intense medication schedule and to walk the hotel hallways repeatedly (getting up every other hour to do so), and I was able to sleep and rest well in between. Thanks, God!
This morning, we were picked up at 7:40 to go in for IV meds and hydration. Dr. Matt came and talked with me for a few minutes, then asked if I had any other quesions and I said "No, but I'd love a photo with you!" He said, "Let's do it - let's selfie this thing up!" lol Tonight, I get to sleep normally without worrying about getting up for regular walks, which will be a treat!!
We were done there and I was fully discharged around 9am. Mom mentioned that if we went to the Bellagio today, we could take it easier tomorrow and not have to worry about bringing our luggage and storing it somewhere else. So before long, we were at Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast!! Of course, I couldn't have anything but water, but I was happy just to be there in that environment! It was Mom's first time trying it, and she was a fan of their mini-waffles and whipped cream! I am already learning to sip and drink very slowly with my newly-smaller stomach. I'm used to chugging a lot of water at once, but too much at once is incredibly painful now, so I have to consistently be sipping small drinks to stay hydrated!
After breakfast, we did a slow walk over to the Bellagio and caught the noon fountain shows (Whitney then Andrea Bocelli) - FUN!! The 105-degree heat didn't agree with Mom, so she went back inside and I met her after the fountains. I asked another girl to take this pic of me, and I'm so glad to have it - I'll get a similar progress pic when Kristin and I go next year. My stomach still has some gauze and tape around the five small incisions they made, but those wounds should naturally heal and repair over the next 3 weeks, then I'll have no scars. Amazing!
Mom and I looked around Gucci and Louis Vuitton, finding an adorable pink clutch purse for the low price of $4,200. Yikes. Then we moseyed over to the Conservatory, which is currently a display called Higher Love with lots of flower-filled hot air balloon decor - love it!! (This = a professional pic by Vanessa Rodgers).
We got a few pictures and this one of us together, then we decided going back to our room was probably a much better idea than doing more walking in the crazy heat today.
Fun fact: The dates of this surgery trip line right up with Vegas trip #10 from summer 2022, so I've been seeing those memories on FB! =)
So glad I got to see the fountains and get a few fun photos in, and that Mom got to experience Mon Ami! We took this just for Jace, who was distraught that he didn't get to come to Vegas and told us we better not gamble without him. lol Didn't actually put any $$ in here, but this is my cheesy pic to remind me that I'm betting on myself this weekend! lol
I've slowed way down on the pain pills, so I'm feeling this a little more today, but it's still not terrible at all. They have to use gas to inflate the abdomen to see well for the laparoscopic surgery, but the gas pain everyone warned me about was never a major issue - Lori gave us a massage gun to borrow last night - yay! Mom used that on my back and the sides of my spine, and it was awesome and probably helpful in alleviating the gas pain.
Mom and I both love our hotel, so that's happy news. We're having a delightful and restful afternoon and evening - may have overdone it a bit this morning. Pray for a safe and smooth flight home tomorrow, and for me as I make the mental adjustments necessary to support healthier choices and habits! I'm grateful for the daily grace of God through this rapid transition... and I'm excited to find out what He has in store for my life moving forward! ❤
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