and you turn your
shrunken stomach
into a water balloon
about to burst.
Dumping syndrome,
they call it. It occurs
when food moves
from your stomach
into your small bowel
too quickly. I felt the
gas pain and cramps
from my shoulder
blades to my belly.
It'll take some time
to get used to the
new normal of living
the rest of my life
with a stomach that's
been reduced to
about 15% of its origi-
nal size. But at the
same time, I have to
stay hydrated — I have to take in 64 oz. of fluids every day, one sip
at a time — and get my energy back. I can start eating soft food in a
couple days, but until then it's full liquids — protein shakes, fruit
juices, milk and water — and jello. I'll soon resume a regular diet,
but salad-plate sized portions as opposed to a dinner-sized plate.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn't binge-eat.
You might laugh, but since I've gotten home from the hospital, I've
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 9
• SIDE VIEW SOON IN REAR-VIEW MIRROR Gayle Rowland Evans, BSN, MBA,
CNOR, CASC, getting ready to head to the hospital on the morning of her sleeve gas-
trectomy surgery. She hopes to lose 100 pounds.
Gayle
Rowland
Evans,
BSN,
MBA,
CNOR,
CASC
