post op visit

January 21st, 2011

Well I had my first post-op visit from the second round of plastic surgery.

I found out I had over a liter of fluid plus a large blood clot removed from my abdomen, what happens is you skin does not stick back to your muscle and so there is an empty space created.. our body does not like an empty space so it fills it with something so mine filled it with fluid and a lovely blood clot.  The only “bonus” was the Dr was able to remove some more skin, he said he really didn’t bother to weigh the skin since it was so saturated with fluid, all of this retention had not let my body start to un-swell so the skin he took of was very swollen and thick. He said it was like cutting a wet sponge. But, my stomach is just about flat at this point and I still have healing to do so I am pretty confident that when all the healing is done I will have a flat-ish stomach for the first time ever!!!

I was able to have two drains removed, we left the third as a precaution so we don’t have to go and do the whole lets make Stella into a pin-cushion and drain her like a water bed again..  I go back on Tuesday to get the last drain removed and more than likely the bandages removed so I will be able to shower again. Let me tell you, a shower is a wonderful thing… the hot water, the fluffy soap and smelling nice in general.

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back to the OR for me..

January 19th, 2011

Well on Monday I went to Dr. Fodero’s office for a check up from Friday’s visit when he removed 600 cc’s of fluid and he said I had a blood clot that was stopping the draining of the fluid. So… he said I should go back to the OR to have the clot removed, the fluid drained, the area washed with antibiotics and as a positive he was going to try to remove some more skin..

So, Monday night I went to the ER they checked me in and I had surgery around 9 pm and ended up having another round of skin removed on top of the clean up. He also needed to give me another unit of blood and two more units of Iron since my levels were low.

It has been a whirl wind of activity but in the end it will be worth it, I must say the new work that was done hurts !! The incisions go a bit more up and down since he removed the ” dog ears”  that were created from the lower body lift and OMG the up and down is what hurts…

This time I am taking the pain meds a bit more than I did last time since the pain is a bit more intense..

Stella

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two weeks post LBL

January 14th, 2011

Well it has been two weeks since my Lower Body Lift…

I went to the Dr. today and he said I was healing well but he had to remove 600 cc’s (that is almost 21 ounces) of fluid from my abdomen.. it was so weird, it kinda hurt but was not the worst thing I have ever had to do. He used a smallish needle and some stuff to numb the skin then he took a pretty big needle attached to a tube with a huge (60 cc) syringe attached to it.. he removed 10 full syringes of fluid from me. When the fluid (it was brownish fluid that was old blood and stuff) came out I could feel the pressure going down in my abdomen and it was like I could feel myself being deflated.

I have to go back on Monday and see if there is more fluid to be removed and if so he will remove it again, if for some reason we can not get my skin to adhere to my muscles we will have to go back to the OR and he will have to drain, wash and re-close my stomach.. Please hope and pray for me that we don’t have to do that since I really don’t want to go back to the OR till it is time to have my boobs and arms done… plus I am fighting with the insurance co already and I don’t know what will happen if I have to go back in.. I am kinda scared cause I rec’d a pre approval to have the surgery and now the stupid insurance company is saying they don’t want to pay for my hospital stay, what the heck did they think I would just go under have 5 1/2 hours of surgery ~ 10 lbs of skin cut off and go home same day… they are so flipping stupid! and on top of that my blood levels fell thru the floor and if I had not been at the hospital I could have died (I know that is a little dramatic) but my levels were very low and I passed out cold..

Anyway, I am able to better see how things are going to look now and I am happy. I can not wait for the swelling to go down and the bruises to go away, yea by the way in the last 2 days I had bruises show up ~ they are lovely and go around my body about 3 or 4 inches on each side of my stitch line.

Bottom line, I feel pretty good can move pretty well and am glad I had the LBL. I am happy I picked the Dr. I used, he has been great. He has been very sensitive to the needs of a post WLS patient, he is kind, his office staff is very friendly, I feel like he treats his patients as people not a dollar sign and they really take the time to speak with you on a level that in understandable in human not doctor terms.  I am happy with the way I envision things being post swelling and fluid build up leaving. Yes I would do it again. Having the LBL was the thing I needed to do for myself so I would feel better about how I look and complete the mission I have been on. I do need to do a better job of eating since I have lost some more weight and really need to stop but I have not really felt like eating  since I have had a sinus infection but I have been meeting the minimums of protein, fluid and vitamins. I need to get back in the kitchen and make things happen, hopefully I will feel better in the next few days and can start moving forward again.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Stella

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Almost a week post lower body lift

January 5th, 2011

Well life is slowly getting back to a more normal state. Today is Wednesday and a week ago today I went to be written on to have my lower body lift (LBL). Today I went to see the Dr. and he removed the remaining drains (thank goodness) and took off the remaining bandages. He said I was healing very quick and could drive again and return to work next week ~ I am going to work half days next week so that I am not over doing things and don’t push myself too hard. I am still very very swollen in the abdomen area but it will start to go down soon, he did say that I may have some fluid under my skin that will have to be drained but we are going to see how it looks next week and if needed drain then.

I will say I am very thankful that I was able to have this done since I feel so much better not having that huge mass of skin hanging around my waist. I have to say Thank you to Dr. Pietka, Dr. Bertha and Dr. Fodero they were all very helpful in getting me approved for my plastics. I also have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Dr. Ferrante he is who suggested I have WLS to begin with and if he had not stated this ball rolling I would still be rolling… I am so much happier being a size 6,8 or 10 (not sure yet since I am so swollen) than I was when I was a size 30. My life has changed in so many ways, but the biggest is the way that people treat you~it is truly amazing!

Have a wonderful night!

Stella

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No Sugar added Cranberry sauce

November 17th, 2010

Turkey is not complete without cranberry sauce.. I don’t like the stuff out of the can for a few reasons.. one it tastes like a can, two it came from a can and three it has added sugar so I make my own. I have always made my own but now I do it with no sugar added.. I tried a few different variations before I wrote this post. This is my favorite.

  • 1 bag of fresh cranberries (16 ounces bag, rinsed)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 single serving tube of Orange Crystal light drink mix (Walmart brand works too)
  • 1/2 to 1 cup of splenda ( I don’t like mine too sweet so I use 1/2 a cup)
  • 1 Orange cut in quarters (leave rind on Orange)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 package of unflavored gelatin
  • 1 pinch of salt

In a medium sauce pan cook everything but the gelatin in a medium saucepan over medium low heat for about 20 minutes ~ stirring occasionally till all of the cranberries have popped open.

I like my cranberry sauce just a little gelled so I bloom one package of gelatin in 1/4 cold water and add to the cooked sauce, if you like yours thinner you can omit the gelatin and if you like it thicker use two packages of gelatin and 1/2 cup of water.  Remove the orange rind before serving.

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Brownies, yes I said it brownies!!!

August 12th, 2010

I was given a recipe for brownies made with black beans and spinach. I took the recipe apart and made it something I could eat. Yes, they are still a treat and have to be treated as such. Lets be real we all like treats so why not make one that is almost healthy and tastes pretty darn good if I do say so myself…

Black Bean Brownies

  • 1 cup of black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped frozen spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry)
  • 3 tablespoons Dutch Processed Unsweetened Coco
  • ¼ cup Cottage Cheese
  • 2 large eggs plus one yolk
  • 1 ¼ cup splenda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons espresso powder
  • 2 Tablespoons SF Vanilla Coffee syrup
  • 2 tablespoons sf chocolate syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 3 Ounces unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts

Mix/blend everything in a blender or food processor except the last four items, till smooth and beans are no longer visible. In a small glass bowl melt the butter and the chocolate till melted, stopping every 15 seconds to stir ~ let it cool for 5 minutes before adding to the mixture along with the almond meal. Blend just till combined. Pour batter in a 9×9 baking dish that has been sprayed with no-stick spray then top with the chopped walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Let cool before serving, please be sure to cover and refrigerate or store in a sealed container in the fridge.

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Pasta-less Lasagna

August 11th, 2010

Pasta-less Lasagna

For the noodles

  • 1 small eggplant
  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 1 medium yellow squash

Wash and trim ends off, slice into long noodle like shapes. It would work best if you used a mandolin, if you don’t have one just do your best to slice them thin and all the same thickness. Place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat pad and bake at 350 for 5 minutes, flip and bake for 5 more minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool.

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 bell pepper chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 can of your favorite pre made pasta sauce
  • 1 lb low moisture mozzarella cheese – not grated ~ sliced into medallions

Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan; add the onion, ground beef, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté till the juices on the beef run clear. Drain and add the pasta sauce, heat till warm.

In a 9×9 baking dish start layering, first some sauce mixture, next vegetables then cheese. Repeat till the dish is full. Top with any remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let it rest for about 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

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banana nut muffins

August 1st, 2010

I had some bananas that were just about ready to make it to the garbage so I thought I would save them and make some muffins, I was going to make them so that they were gluten free but forgot about the wheat bran and so I figured I would go ahead with the oats too… If you need items that are wheat free let me know and I can show you how to tweak my recipes to make them gluten (wheat and oat) free. We have a friend who cant eat them so when he is coming over I make sure to tweak stuff so he can eat it… but I forgot last minute so this is not written that way.

Banana nut muffins

  • ¾ cup unsweetened dried coconut
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ walnuts
  • ¼ wheat bran
  • ¼ cup flat oats (quick cook)
  • ¼ cup walnut pieces
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 medium very ripe bananas
  • ½ cup of splenda
  • ½ cup cottage cheese
  • 2 tablespoons SF Vanilla coffee syrup (or increase splenda to ¾ cup and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract)

Put the coconut, almond meal, wheat bran and the ½ cup of walnuts in a blender and blend till the nuts are a coarse flour consistency. Pour into a bowl and mix in the remaining walnuts, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  In your blender put the bananas, cottage cheese eggs, coffee syrup and splenda blend till the bananas are completely mashed. Pour wet ingredients from the blender over the dry items and stir till combined.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes in a silicone cupcake pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray. You can use paper cups but the muffins kind of stick to the paper a bit.

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Shrimp

July 28th, 2010

Hello, I am finally getting over my cooking block.. I think what happens is you cook something and eat it for a few days then get burnt out and have a hard time thinking of a new item to eat.

I took the shrimp scampi idea and twisted it a bit, hope you like it.

Shrimp Scampi

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon butter
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 3 or 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 24 medium shrimp, washed, peeled and de-veined
  • 1 package of spinach (the kind sold by the bagged salad) – rinsed and drained
  • 1 can of small white beans- drained and rinsed
  • 1 package of Shirataki noodles ~ rinsed, drained and snipped into small pieces
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt ~ to taste

In a large skillet cook onion in olive oil butter mixture (if you used all butter it would burn, the olive oil raises the smoke point of the butter) till softened and almost translucent, add garlic, salt, shrimp and spinach sauté till shrimp is no longer translucent and turns a pink orange color. You will know the shrimp are cooked when they turn into C’s if they are O’s they are overcooked. Remove from shrimp and spinach from the pan leaving the juice in behind, add the beans and with a potato masher some of the beans (this will thicken the liquid into a nice sauce without using any of the standard thickeners and adding carbs) but only some of the beans, add the red pepper flakes and noodles heat till warm then pour over the shrimp mixture and mix with a spoon before serving.

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Curry Fish

July 21st, 2010

I have a jar of red curry paste that I purchased to make Curry Chicken so I can’t waste it… I also needed a fish dish to put in my cookbook so I came up with a red curry fish, I hate fish!!! but I made it anyway and tasted it ~ my husband ate it. Not sure if it will make it into the book but here it is anyway….

Red curry tilapia

  • 4 tilapia filets~ cut into cubes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion ~ sliced thin
  • 1 medium bell pepper ~ sliced thin
  • 1/2 a medium head of cauliflower cut into florets
  • 1 cup of cooked – drained and rinsed garbanzo beans
  • 3 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 can of light coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons splenda brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil ~ cut into strips (rinse, stack, roll and slice)

In a large saute pan, sweat the onion and bell pepper in the olive oil till the onion starts to get soft, add the cauliflower, coconut milk, fish sauce, chili paste, splenda brown sugar, red pepper flakes and beans. Cook over medium heat till the cauliflower is fork tender then add the fish and basil and continue to cook till the fish is no longer translucent.

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