Size Matters

Vixen watching football after her meal.

Among my (many) concerns lately, I've actually been pretty concerned about size. No, not THAT size - we've already covered that in another blog post. I have actually been concerned about the size of my stomach post-surgery.

As the weeks have passed since surgery, Lor and I have diverged in the amounts we can eat at one sitting. Lor had made it all the way up to 4 ounces at a shot, but has regressed a little, and can now only handle about 3 ounces at once without becoming uncomfortable. I, on the other hand, can now eat somewhere between 4 to 6 ounces at one sitting, depending on the consistency of the food we are eating. I've read horror stories about people stretching their reduced stomach pouches back out to pre-surgery sizes, and I have been wondering...is this happening to me? Do I need to do a "pouch reset" involving nothing but liquid foods for a week? Or is this normal?

In the midst of this concern about growing portion sizes and slowing weight loss, I was reminded that I really have undergone some significant changes to my digestive tract. The encouragement came from a very unusual source. 

Enter our dog, Vixen.

Recently, we decided to splurge and go to Subway. We would split a footlong Spicy Italian sandwich, throw away the flatbread it came with when we got it home, and eat nothing but the deli meats and veggies. It seemed like a good plan.

Halfway through my breadless "sandwich", I realized there was no way I was going to finish my 6-inch half. Regretfully, I prepared to throw the remainder away. But, a flash of inspiration hit me - I would slice up the remainder, mix it with hard dog food, and give it to Vixen in lieu of her usual soft food when I fed her for the night! I performed my prep work, put the bowl down, and returned to watching television.

5 minutes later, Vixen came in to see if there was anything else for her to eat. Flabbergasted, I went into the kitchen with her to point out that I had just served her a delectable meal of "people food". Lo and behold, her dog dish was empty.

My 6-pound Chihuahua had just out-eaten me. She managed half my "sandwich", all her hard dog food, and was now looking for more.

If I needed confirmation that my stomach really was smaller than it had been, here it was.

The moral of the story? I need to stop over-thinking these things. From hair loss, to personal appearance, to stomach size, my mind has been ablaze with things to worry about concerning the results of my surgery. As Vixen's demonstration pointed out, everything is coming along pretty much the way it is supposed to. I just need to stay on the train, sit back, and see where the journey takes me.

Thanks, Vixen.

Wondering If Vixen Needs A Stomach Reset Now,

- Hawkwind