*Getting Better*

I am getting better.....so it seems. I still get tired easy, but am getting around much more. I have been shopping and went to the movies. (We saw "30 Days of Night"...save your $$, not very good).
I still can't lift more than 5 measly pounds, mostly because of the hernia that was repaired. When I do lift or bend down I get pain under my belly button so the doctor said to still take it easy.
I keep busy with little hobbies around the house. I have taken up sewing on a sewing machine. I made some hemmed squares, just some random fabric that I will use as gift wrap. Very earth-friendly because it can re-used by the recipient. :-)
I also made some pretty uneven curtains for our bathroom. Michael says they look great (how sweet of him to spare my feelings) because they look kinda squigly and lop-sided, lol. But they're my first attempt, cost about $1.00 in fabric, and only took me about 2 hours. I'll keep practicing and see if I can't make something cool in the next few weeks.
I am looking forward to my next doctor's visit with my surgeon in Philly the 2nd week of November. He will do an exam and some tests to see if I'm healed up enough to have a much easier, shorter, and much less painful surgery to "restart" my GI tract. The surgeon in Ohio was figuring sometime around 12 weeks post-op which would put me near mid-December.

Feeling a bit better

Alight, so dehydration it is. I started to drink only electrolyte water and Hydralyte yesterday, and I already feel much better. I have been able to retain my fluid intake significantly more than just 2 days before. I know that the difference is obvious as I was drinking in excess of a gallon of liquid daily and was only passing urine twice daily. I am now going 4+ times per day. What a difference some e-lytes can make. Funny how I can be on the internet talking about urine output. But I suppose with all I've been through the last 6 years, modesty and tact have manage to elude me :)
I feel very fortunate to have the support of my friends and family. I have been blessed with many home-cooked meals, flowers, cards, emails, and phone calls. If not for the love of my family and friends, I'm not sure I'd have the strength to look ahead towards better times. I am looking forward to healing and spending the holiday season with all my loved ones.
I even received an email from a dear friend who is all the way in the Czech Republic. She is living there with her young son and husband, who is there on an art/glass making scholarship.

Well, that's the healing process. Looks like a train track, more like a train wreck, LOL.
I am trying to fight off dehydration, now. I can't seem to keep my electrolytes in balance. I ordered a supplement called Hydrolyte that is supposed to boost my electrolytes and help with absorption. I should get that tomorrow.

UGH...slowly, but surely

I am more than 3 weeks post-op, and my recovery is slow going. I am tired and uncomfortable most of the time. Not exactly painful, though I am at times, I am mostly just weak and tired. I am trying to maintain my fluids and eat regularly, but despite that I continue to lose weight. I have lost 20 pounds since surgery. I'm not unhappy that I lost some weight, but I am sorry that I have lost it so quickly, and it continues to drop. I am anxious to feel better and get on with life already.