Getting Sick After WLS

I never realized it before, but I took getting sick for granted. Now I know that sounds little obsurd, but in all honesty I did. Prior to WLS when I got sick I took an antibiotic or a pain pill and went on my way, but now...I have to stop and think about extended release, what type of pain reliever, is it sugar free, does it come in chewable, is liquid an option, do I need to take it with food or before food, and how much liquid does the medicine have to be taken with?!?!?!? Those are just the questions on the top of my head as I am in the midst of a "cold fog."

I don't think many people think of what kind of medicine I will take when I get a cold or cough when they are going through surgery prep. I really don't think that people in general think ahead with medicine unless they have an allergy or an adverse reaction, but that is something that I have to focus on now that I'm a member of the "loser" club. I miss the days of grabbing the nyquil, advil, and heading to bed with some vix rubbed on. Now I have to think through having tylenol - no advil, apsirin, or aleeve allowed - in a form that I can digest easily such as liquid, powder (Goody's), or chewable. Then I have to read the labels for liquids that I ingest, if there are liquids available, to make sure there is no advil or other pain med I'm allowed to have in there and make sure to look for the sugar content. Sure some liquids comes in sugar free but not all and then you have to figure out if the child's does or the adult dose has less sugar and from there you decide if the child's dose is strong enough for you because your tummy is tiny and sensitive to medications. Who knew!

I will not take getting sick for granted anymore for a number of reasons, but most of all I miss the coctail that got me through most of my life because I catch every respiratory infection there is...and now I am forced to chew up pills, drink nasty liquids, find soluable answers to simple drugs to make myself feel better. So here I am putting all my bottles of medicinal heaven into my lunch bag to take home for the night. Nothing pre or post surgery would stop me from getting extra sleep when the "cold fog" has come in and taken over the this time of year when students are running around campus in flip flops while it pours and suddenly you've become the adult that sanitizes your hands, has tissues in your pockets, and sips hot tea to make it through your appointments. The joys of being a grown up!