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We Don't Carry That Size Here...
 

Shedding for a Wedding

Exactly 6 weeks post-op I will get on a plane and fly back east to the wedding of two of my best friends. I have not seen this group since last Thanksgiving and I'm totally nervous about this trip. My weight loss isn't dramatic, but we are a party group and my non-partying ways will be noted. I admit to testing my limits with alcohol with this new stomach which I know is a no-no but I made sure to be super active for two days to combat the calories. I knew I would never go back to my partying ways and as 30 looms another year away I made my peace with that. But now... knowing what I'm heading back into.... I wonder how I pull this off. I am not telling anyone about my surgery. My body is my business and they love me regardless so I feel no need. I just worry about how to combine two lifestyles that do not go together at all. Oh and also about making a fool of myself if I have three glasses of wine. The best part is... I have another wedding to go to at the end of August and I get to do this all over again.
Mishka85

Mishka85

1
PamelaB58's Blog
 

May 25th, 2014, 17 days post-op for Gastric Sleeve

Hello Everyone! I'm new on this and at this Blogging thing, so bare with me. I wanted to get on here and share my journey with any or all that may be interested. I am 58 years old and have had weight issues as far as I can remember. So like most of you, I have tried and FAILED at all of the other methods. Yes, I had some successes along the way, but I always managed to find every one of those pounds I lost, and then some. Sound Familiar? So, the reason I chose to have this surgery has a lot of meaning for me. It means I have a tool now that I have the power to be a true success to this method of losing weight, or I can abuse it along with myself and become a failure, AGAIN!! My choice is to succeed!! I no longer want to be in the failure's club!! So as hard as it seems, and as hard as it's been so far, I am going to make the changes in my brain that I need to make in order to accomplish my goal. I will have a few ups and downs along the way, and I have overcame a few already.   My Highest Weight was - 341 (a few years ago while starting my latest diet trial - 6 week body makeover)   My Weight before WLS - 326 May 8th, 2014   Weight 10 days Post Op - 309 May 19th, 2014   My weight today - 306 May 25th, 2014   My 1st Goal is to get under that 300 mark. Long term goal is to get to 160. For my height and age, I thing that would be appropriate. My height is 5' 9". The in between goals are to get completely off the Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Diabetes Medicine as well as having better sleep without the Mask for Sleep Apnea. I was excited to leave the hospital after surgery without one of the Blood Pressure medicines and went on a sliding scale method to take my insulin. Since surgery, I have only had to take the insulin once!! Yea!!! Anyway, I feel like things are already looking up for me as I take this journey!   If any of you reading this has any words of wisdom or advice, I'd be happy to hear it! Thanks for reading my 1st Blog!!
PamelaB58

PamelaB58

0
Momonanomo's Blog
 

Surgery was one year ago today

Woo HOO!!   Today marks one year since surgery!! Wowser! I am down 106 lbs since the beginning of the 2 week pre-op diet, and 96 lbs since surgery itself. I am 100000% glad that I did it. No regrets whatsoever!   I still would like to at least lose another 15 lbs to put me at a “healthy weight” for my height. I’d really looove to reach an ultimate goal weight of minus another 34 lbs…..but I dunno if I can, or if I could, would I be too thin. I have been stalled for a couple of months now, but I will admit I have not done anything yet to shake things up and stop the stall. I think there was this combination of factors – late December, I got a depo shot (to cover me between taking an old iud out and putting a new one in), and I really think that triggered some serious appetite increase with the hormones. But I will NOT blame it all on external forces; I take responsibility for my actions. At that point I was a good 7 or 8 months out from surgery, so my stomach had become completely healed. Being completely healed meant I was reaching for a wider variety of food. I’m not saying I was pigging out, just that I had begun more going to the crackers & bread whereas prior to that, I did not. And is is SO true that those types of carbs just increase the desire for more. Protein First is the only way to really work this sleeve tool.   THEN, Life happened – as it has its way of doing. Not going to go into details, but it involved a family member, and it involved cancer. There such a short time between diagnosis and amputation, during which I ate whatever the hell I wanted. Granted, it was a noticeably different kind of pigging out than what I used to do back in the day. It wasn’t even really bingeing, but I certainly wasn’t even trying to eat mindfully. I did notice that not only did eating poorly not make me feel better, I physically felt like crap because of the sugar & carbs. You live you learn, you pay the price. So I gained 8 lbs.   Surgery 6 days ago went well, and my loved one is doing well, and we think this will be it and the cancer is gone. This past weekend I woke up to what I had been doing with my eating, and I’ve been doing Boot Camp diet (Protein First, veggie juicing, protein shakes, no bread/rice/pasta/ carbs, lots n lots of water), and I am happy to report 4 lbs are gone already. And I am ready to make a run for those last 15 lbs…or more, if can.   I’ve wondered what I would tell pre-surgery me if I had the chance to talk to her. Obviously I’d say – "do it!! It will be worth it!!" I’d also say "Good for you for doing this, it is scary, but you are brave. And it is what you want and need." …... I’ve never shared this with anyone: I have a very clear memory of the morning of surgery thinking “stomach, I hate you, you have caused me so much sorrow, and now I am going to have you mostly surgically removed. Thanks for nothing.” I liken it to the cancer that my loved one recently had amputated. The feeling was “get rid of it!” But my stomach surgery was voluntary, it was not emergency. I’m sad to say my feelings toward my stomach the morning of surgery, the stomach which I felt had betrayed me all my life by constantly torturing me with insatiable hunger, those were feelings of hate. Not the most positive thing in the world, eh? But it’s what I felt. I got over that, although I am still glad that the majority of that buggah is gone. I love my new tiny tummy. It suits me just fine. I just think it's kind of sad that I had to hate a part of my own body so much that I was willing to surgically remove the majority of it. I just need to remember to use this tool I have given myself, and to practice gratefulness, and to remember where I came from a year ago.   So! Today being my 1 year surgiversary, is a little bittersweet. I am SO incredibly happy to have lost 100+ lbs. I am a bit sad that I went backwards recently. But I’ve just got to dust myself off and go forward again!   And, because I am SUCH a Look-On-The-Bright-Side kind of gal, my contemplations have led me to believe that in a way, this little stall has actually been a good thing. I say this because I lost 100+ lbs with never really a stall. I had the week 3 thing we like to call a stall, but it was like for a single day – when you’ve lost so much every day after surgery and then you go a day or two without losing, you can get melodramatic. But my week after week trend has ALWAYS been down. I think I’ve been lucky. So my time finally came for a stall.   Also, having lost so much in less than a year, I was getting a lot of unwanted attention. I’ve kept my surgery to myself outside of a couple of close family members and my boss & 1 office mate. Other people at work started going all ga-ga on me when I finally started buying new clothes and they realized how much smaller I’ve gotten. I have been quite uncomfortable with all the attention. So I think slowing down a bit for a while will allow these people time to get over the novelty and get me out of the hot seat as far as answering questions.   Similarly, I think having this stall is a good way for my mind to (maybe? Hopefully?) catch up with my new body. Being body dysmorphic from losing a lot of weight quickly is very real, and a very weird thing to go through. I don’t even know how to describe it, except for that the general feeling is that I am still big. The specific feelings are like looking in a funhouse mirror or something at times. Or not being able to believe that I weighed 100 lbs more at one time. Pick up 100 lb weight. It’s heavy! Carrying that around 24/7 was hard. I am glad the weight is gone! So anyways, I am thinking that perhaps I need to be at this weight for a while to re-learn how I feel about my body. It’s been a few months, and I think the consensus between me, myself, and I is that I would like to lose at least another 15 lbs. So that is exactly what I’m going to do!   Onward!
Momonanomo

Momonanomo

0
Butterfly Wings
 

Supervised Diet Plan and sugar >_<

Hello again! Not much to talk about besides the fact that I'm HUNGRY. Sigh. I need to work on portion control. Tomorrow is a new day, but I can't wait until I can't physically eat the amount of food I ate today. I took a lovely walk through the pasture with my dogs, probably 20 minutes or so. Ate dinner and then after my dad and stepmom called it a night I noshed on 3.5 muffins, a bagel with peanut butter, some marshmallows and a banana. WTF?! I have to get on a plane in maybe 6 weeks to go to my best friend's wedding, WTF stomach/brain!?! STOP IT! I CAN do this. Tomorrow begins my sugar detox, I am a sugar addict. I know this. It will be probably the worst 3 days of my life but it's something that must be done for the greater good. Once I I detox, I don't crave it, and don't eat as much overall (at least not in my opinion). I will have headaches, I will be angry, bitchy Amanda, but in a mere 72 hours I will should be much happier. Sugar is one of the things I've decided to not even touch post-op until I've maintained my goal weight for at least 6 months (however long that ends up being). I've cut out sodas almost completely getting my caffeine from green tea or crystal light (although Dollar General makes caffeine tabs with 200 mgs each and I may pick some up as backups). I've had an almost constant headache for the past 3 days, nothing close to a migraine but painful and irritating enough to pop a couple of tylenol at least once a day. I thought it was dehydration, I've sucked down 2-3 liters of water a day, and no help. I think it's probably allergies or something terrible. I'm gonna go with allergies, doesn't make it any less sucky. I have quit smoking too, I smoked a pack during the 2.5 days of driving from Wyoming to North Carolina, but since then (a week ago today since my last one) I haven't touched any. Of course it's easier to not smoke if you only smoked a pack after 3-4 months of not smoking and then quitting again. If that makes sense, which it probably doesn't.   So to recap, quitting sugar tomorrow. I will continue to use a little splenda in my tea (brewing green tea and mint tea together and icing it down is wonderful btw). I need to find a job because I am VERY prone to eating when I'm bored and trust me, there isn't a whole hell of a lot to do here. Not that that's a bad thing, I just need stuff to keep me busy....away from the kitchen. LOL   It is now officially bedtime, although I wish I had the motivation to work on my book some, I haven't really even touched it for several months now. Night y'all! Thanks for reading my ravings!
ajb1029

ajb1029

0
flavaofbravery's Blog
 

Getting Binge Eating Disorder Under Control BEFORE Surgery

I had to put my WLS surgery on hold again, because I discovered I have an eating disorder. It is not the two you think of when you think "Eating Disorder" it's closer to Binge Eating Disorder. That is characterized as episodes of emotional overeating, past the point of fullness. .. I'm currently undergoing treatment at Centre Syracuse for my binge eating disorder. I still know I need WLS but I also know from my research that, having an eating disorder, makes me a very poor candidate for that surgery. That doesn't mean I can't get Binge eating under control, it just might be a little - longer? Which isn't a happy prospect for me as I'm barely walking as it is now with my weight and spinal fusion. I'm in a 6 week program that will supposedly help me decrease my bingeing and focus on the reasons behind why I binge eat emotionally - while teaching me to see food not as comfort or fun or helpful emotionally (subconsciously what I've been thinking) - but as a prescription or medicine I need to keep my body healthy. How to eat in a healthy way while combating what it was that caused me not to eat healthy. This does NOT mean it will help me lose weight. I've maintained my weight the 3 weeks I've been there. The dietitians /therapists/ psychologists in the program taught me what it was like to "diet" from an evolutionary standpoint - the body doesn't 'get it", doesn't understand that it's supposed to stay at a lower weight. It's made for saving fat not getting rid of it, and they believe that it's normal to binge after periods of intense dieting because that's what your body craves. They also taught me 52% of people do not only not lose weight on diets but gain it back AND THEN SOME. This is something docs dont' want you to know - you really have no alternative if you get to a certain "set point" weight (and your brain can arbitrarily make new "set points" if your weight goes up... but not down unfortunately). WLS is one of the only ways proven in some cases to help you lose weight and keep it off - this doesn't mean it works for everyone (my research from both sides of the argument - shows about 60% of people do well with weight loss surgery long term) but for me that's a big enough number and 20% (for those that experience serious complications over their lifetime from WLS) is a small enough number for me to do the surgery. I'm not being naiive about it, I know there are serious risks and I could end up gaining all the weight back (and then some)... I saw both sides of the argument for and against WLS and with my health problems they are risks I'm willing to take. I went on websites for WLS (like this one) and many that are against. One of my good friend's mother just died from WLS a couple of months ago. I'm fairly sure she helped contribute to her problems but was it the WLS that did ultimatlely kill her? Yes. I know many who are in the hospital from WLS complications. But then I know those that did great with WLS long term as well. It's a gamble and the sad truth of it is that while there are factors under our control, it's a gamble who will do well and who won't. There just isn't the research into the long term effects yet. But people are still dying every day of obesity related illnesses. So the WLS becomes a necessity for our current epidemic. Again it's a risk I'm willing to take. But back to Binge Eating Disorder. I've found through 3 weeks of intense therapy that the causes of an eating disorder are very multifaceted. Some of them for me personally, was my traumatic upbringing, past abuse, the fact I had to "nurture" myself since a young age, and physical concerns (hormones, genetics, back and ankle surgery - physical limitations to exercise), And the program went into the 'addiction' to food caused by increased dopamine in the brain some brains react with high calorie foods. I happened to be that lucky individual in a group that does react that way. I also happen to be part of the 52% of people that actually gain all their weight back AND THEN SOME when I traditional diet (by binge eating - see description above). There's actually has a lot of medical or scientifically based reasons why it feels like I'm "Addicted" to overeating... of course there are ways to treat it. It involves intense emotional therapy, PTSD therapy, and trauma work. It also involves body image work, and individualized talk therapy with different techniques. And a new prespective about how we view food ... no more 'celebrating' with food (hey good job, want a cookie - type thing) etc. None of this will help me lose weight, it will just help me maintain my weight before and help me to not regain the weight after surgery. WLS is the only thing that is going to actually help me lose the weight - it's up to me to keep it off. Which is why I've enlisted help professionally with my eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is actually more common than Anorexia and Bulimia HOWEVER it is the least treated or talked about because of stigma surrounding it. I think that's very sad. Trying to 'get it right' the first time, and hopefully only time I need WLS. 3 more weeks in program *whew* I'm ready. Today out sick because of Obesity related issues, Urinary Tract Infection, and Diabetic Skin Rashes. But tomorrow is a new day, and going back to program.
flavaofbravery

flavaofbravery

0
flavaofbravery's Blog
 

Getting Binge Eating Disorder Under Control BEFORE Surgery

I had to put my WLS surgery on hold again, because I discovered I have an eating disorder. It is not the two you think of when you think "Eating Disorder" it's closer to Binge Eating Disorder. That is characterized as episodes of emotional overeating, past the point of fullness. .. I'm currently undergoing treatment at Centre Syracuse for my binge eating disorder. I still know I need WLS but I also know from my research that, having an eating disorder, makes me a very poor candidate for that surgery. That doesn't mean I can't get Binge eating under control, it just might be a little - longer? Which isn't a happy prospect for me as I'm barely walking as it is now with my weight and spinal fusion. I'm in a 6 week program that will supposedly help me decrease my bingeing and focus on the reasons behind why I binge eat emotionally - while teaching me to see food not as comfort or fun or helpful emotionally (subconsciously what I've been thinking) - but as a prescription or medicine I need to keep my body healthy. How to eat in a healthy way while combating what it was that caused me not to eat healthy. This does NOT mean it will help me lose weight. I've maintained my weight the 3 weeks I've been there. The dietitians /therapists/ psychologists in the program taught me what it was like to "diet" from an evolutionary standpoint - the body doesn't 'get it", doesn't understand that it's supposed to stay at a lower weight. It's made for saving fat not getting rid of it, and they believe that it's normal to binge after periods of intense dieting because that's what your body craves. They also taught me 52% of people do not only not lose weight on diets but gain it back AND THEN SOME. This is something docs dont' want you to know - you really have no alternative if you get to a certain "set point" weight (and your brain can arbitrarily make new "set points" if your weight goes up... but not down unfortunately). WLS is one of the only ways proven in some cases to help you lose weight and keep it off - this doesn't mean it works for everyone (my research from both sides of the argument - shows about 60% of people do well with weight loss surgery long term) but for me that's a big enough number and 20% (for those that experience serious complications over their lifetime from WLS) is a small enough number for me to do the surgery. I'm not being naiive about it, I know there are serious risks and I could end up gaining all the weight back (and then some)... I saw both sides of the argument for and against WLS and with my health problems they are risks I'm willing to take. I went on websites for WLS (like this one) and many that are against. One of my good friend's mother just died from WLS a couple of months ago. I'm fairly sure she helped contribute to her problems but was it the WLS that did ultimatlely kill her? Yes. I know many who are in the hospital from WLS complications. But then I know those that did great with WLS long term as well. It's a gamble and the sad truth of it is that while there are factors under our control, it's a gamble who will do well and who won't. There just isn't the research into the long term effects yet. But people are still dying every day of obesity related illnesses. So the WLS becomes a necessity for our current epidemic. Again it's a risk I'm willing to take. But back to Binge Eating Disorder. I've found through 3 weeks of intense therapy that the causes of an eating disorder are very multifaceted. Some of them for me personally, was my traumatic upbringing, past abuse, the fact I had to "nurture" myself since a young age, and physical concerns (hormones, genetics, back and ankle surgery - physical limitations to exercise), And the program went into the 'addiction' to food caused by increased dopamine in the brain some brains react with high calorie foods. I happened to be that lucky individual in a group that does react that way. I also happen to be part of the 52% of people that actually gain all their weight back AND THEN SOME when I traditional diet (by binge eating - see description above). There's actually has a lot of medical or scientifically based reasons why it feels like I'm "Addicted" to overeating... of course there are ways to treat it. It involves intense emotional therapy, PTSD therapy, and trauma work. It also involves body image work, and individualized talk therapy with different techniques. And a new prespective about how we view food ... no more 'celebrating' with food (hey good job, want a cookie - type thing) etc. None of this will help me lose weight, it will just help me maintain my weight before and help me to not regain the weight after surgery. WLS is the only thing that is going to actually help me lose the weight - it's up to me to keep it off. Which is why I've enlisted help professionally with my eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is actually more common than Anorexia and Bulimia HOWEVER it is the least treated or talked about because of stigma surrounding it. I think that's very sad. Trying to 'get it right' the first time, and hopefully only time I need WLS. 3 more weeks in program *whew* I'm ready. Today out sick because of Obesity related issues, Urinary Tract Infection, and Diabetic Skin Rashes. But tomorrow is a new day, and going back to program.
flavaofbravery

flavaofbravery

0
Gastric Sleeve Surgery - An Unexpected Journey
 

Free Atkins Bars and Quick Start Kit

Hey guys,   Atkins is still giving away their Quick Start Kit, which includes 3 Atkins bars - completely free. I did an Unboxing and review video of the contents, it's posted below. The link to the Atkins free offer is below the video.     http://goo.gl/1mAv8A - This is the link I promised to the sign up page for the free Atkins Quick Start Kit. There's no catch, they need your email and shipping address, they even pay shipping and handling.   The kit included 3 different Atkins bars - one small, one medium, and full size meal replacement bar. All 3 were delicious, it was hard not to eat all three of them.   Just a word of caution, the bars are sweetened with sugar alcohols, so those of you that can't tolerate sugar alcohols might not want to eat the bars.   The kit also includes some literature: 2 coupons for $1 discounts on Atkins bars, snacks, and meals. An Atkins approved food booklet and the Atkins Quick Start guide that explains the Atkins diet and the phases. As well, there are links to the Atkins support community and where you can download the Atkins app.   The Atkins app will help you: *search for nutritional info, *keep track of your carb intake, your weight and how close you are to reaching your goal, *provides a daily meal plan or help you design your own, *has a database of the foods considered acceptable for each phase, *and has a restaurant guide to help you make Atkins friendly food choices when dining out.
joatsaint

joatsaint

0
Short and Chunky's Blog
 

Three Weeks Post Op

Well, I have been "bandless" for three weeks now and I am learning to adjust to the gastric plication. I have had some strange things happen - like dumping - like nausea/sweats/weakness/confusion ! WTH. I don't know what is going on. I don't have my little tummy buddy telling me to STOP EATING. I eat small amounts - feel bloated and miserable and move on. I have not lost an ounce but haven't gained either. I am having to get B12 shots and take large amount of B1 to rebuild my body as my numbers are off. I feel like I am out on a limb and someone is sawing the limb off at the tree. I feel so darn lost. I have a new doctor and that doesn't help. I am trying to build a new relationship with him and his office staff but this is just not fair.   I am in hopes things will begin to improve soon. I see the new doctor on the 27th so I will keep you guys posted. This is a rollercoaster that just doesn't stop!!!   Melinda in Florida
Short and Chunky

Short and Chunky

2
Onederful Opportunity
 

All The Weapons

I think there's a big misconception about people who are overweight. It seems as though skinny people seem to think that we have no idea how to lose weight. Perhaps that's true for many overweight people but my experience is that the exact opposite is more accurate. I think we all have that Fit Friend that wants to help us by imparting their knowledge to us. I've explained that it's not knowing what to do that's the disconnect... it's actually doing it.   I think - in theory - most of us know exactly what we need to do to lose weight. It can be boiled down to a simple math equation: calories burned > calories consumed = weight loss. My brother is a personal trainer and he always tries to thow some wisdom my way and I had to share with him how he should look at my situation:   It's like having all the weapons but now I need to fight.   See, I have all tools and information in my weaponry arsenal but I haven't quite mastered the fight. I've won a few battles but even more have won me. Many of us lose the long term war. We know WHAT to do but we have to master the long term execution of the plan.   I'm viewing this surgery as my next foray into the fight with a pretty defining weapon. It may be the ultimate tool but it's only that: a tool. I'm still going to have to be ready for the fight. This will be the hardest part. I've had 30 years of failing. Thirty years of giving up. Thirty years of resigning that this will be my life and my body. What's to say that I won't show up to fight this time too?   The answer is that in all the years before and in all my failures before I was more comfortable where I was than where I was going. It's like the old adage: Change only happens when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change. I'm 30 years older, 30 years wiser, with 30 years of failure from which to draw strength. I am no longer comfortable getting winded in minutes, sweating at the first hint of exertion, or my knees opting to work or not seemingly at will.   I have all the weapons and I am finally ready to fight!
rhodywoman

rhodywoman

0
My Journey to Skinny
 

Almost Two Weeks Post-Op and Facing Some Challenges

Hi there! It's been over a week since I've last posted, and I've spent that time transitioning from liquids, to pureed food, and am now eating soft solids... but it hasn't been without it's trials...   The first three days home from the hospital, my surgeon's plan calls for a pureed diet. For me, this consisted of mostly Greek yogurt, protein drinks, and some delicious pureed mushroom soup that my husband made for me. I'm sorry, but the idea of pureeing meat or fish or something just turned me off, so I didn't go there, but I feel like for those few days, I actually was doing well at getting in my protein in. Managed to get about 50 grams most days. And I have never had an issue getting my fluids in. I always get 50-64 ounces of straight fluid, not including my protein shakes.   No, my big issue those first few days was with swallowing my pills. I was still having a fair amount of pain, so I was taking the Vicodin my surgeon prescribed probably twice a day, plus trying to take all of my vitamins, and the Pepcid. No matter what time I tried to take them, or what I took them with, I would inevitably get something "stuck" and end up "sliming" until I eventually vomited. More times than not, the pill itself stayed down and just water came out.... weird. This is a huge change from the pre-op me, who could swallow all 6 of my vitamins at once, and not flinch. Needless to say, I've stopped taking my vitamins in pill form, instead I got some calcium chews, and some Biotin chews (I'm very worried about losing hair), and I found these cool things at Costco that are like a Crystal Light powder that you put in your water, but they are chock-full of vitamins! I drink two of them a day in my water. So the only thing I'm still a little worried about is my Iron, but I just can't tolerate plain Iron pills, it makes me nauseous... and I've been doing enough vomiting lately without adding in anything that may upset my little tummy more!   So on Post-op day 4, my surgeon's plan called for me to start trying some soft foods. On the list of soft foods allowed was soft baked fish. So my husband decided to cook dinner for us on Sunday, and made me a beautiful, tiny piece of tilapia, which he served over some soft polenta. It looked and smelled so delicious that I dug right in, and ate more than half of it without any regard to how my tiny tummy was handling it! With about one bite of food left on the plate, I realized what I had done, and knew I was in trouble. I spent the next two hours running into the bathroom. Every time I thought I was through, more would come out! It was awful, but not unexpected. I knew what I had done, and vowed to eat more slowly next time. Well, the next time turned out to be the following night, when I made what sounded like a wonderful recipe for a Ricotta cheese bake. But, yet again, it smelled and looked so good, I ate about half of the 1/4 cup portion that I had served myself way too fast, then got sick again...   So, long story short, I am becoming a professional vomiter. I keep a pillow next to the sink to splint my incisions while I puke out whatever it is that I took one too many bites of. It's gotten better over the past day or two, as I've kind of learned to take one bite of something, and then wait about ten minutes to see how it will sit. If it seems to be settling well, I'll eat another two bites. But three bites of any soft or pureed texture food seems to be my limit.   I've also become more severely lactose intolerant than I ever was pre-operatively. During my two week protein shake diet, I was able to enjoy at least one of the Premier chocolate shakes per day, as long as I took a lactaid pill with it. And I never had any issues with yogurt. Not the case post-operatively... I've sworn off of the Premier shakes entirely (too bad, because they pack 30 grams of protein in each one!), and as of yesterday, decided that the yogurt wasn't working either. So there went two big sources of protein. Between the vomiting, and the lactose intolerance, I've been really struggling to hit the protein goals set by my surgeon. I'm probably averaging about 40 grams/day, with a goal of 60 grams.   So with all this talk about what's not working, this probably sounds like a pretty discouraging post. So let's talk about what is working! Foods that I can eat in small amounts with no issues: Eggs, refried beans, powdered protein shakes made with almond milk, and bananas. Sounds like a pretty short list, but here's the thing: I'm never hungry. Like, never. If I wasn't worried about my hair falling out, I would happily just drink my vitamin water all day and not eat at all. Once in awhile I get a craving for something, like yesterday I kept thinking about bagels, but it's never accompanied by actual hunger. It's just a craving, and it passes.   Pain-wise, I haven't taken a Vicodin in three days, and prior to that I was only taking them at bedtime, and taking Tylenol during the day. Now I don't take either. I get an occasional twinge of pain under the incision on my left side (where they took the stomach out), but it goes away in a few seconds. As far as my surgical incisions go, all of my steri-strips (the little tape like things over my incisions) have fallen off, and I have to say, they look good! Three of them are completely healed over, and the last two just have tiny scabs on them. I've been putting vitamin E on them.   And now... the big scale question. I have lost (drumroll please) 24 pounds since I started the pre-op diet, with 11 of those pounds having come off since surgery. So that's 11 pounds in less than two weeks, 24 pounds in less than a month. I am pretty pleased with that. And, hey, I just realized that 24 pounds is more than 10% of my starting weight, which is something I never managed to accomplish in months of sitting through meetings at Weight Watchers!   The pictures below were taken yesterday. I decided after looking at someone else's before and after pictures to wear the same clothes in all of my progress pictures... I can really see a difference in how the shorts fit around my butt and thighs. My husband can't get over how much thinner my face is already. So overall, very pleased, despite all of the challenges!   I have my first follow-up appointment coming up this Wednesday, and then I go out of town for 10 days, so I'll have some info to put in another update pretty soon!
butterfyeffect

butterfyeffect

3
A Journey to Me
 

Tomorrow is the big day!

One Day Pre-OP Weight: 293.6 Weight Lost: -3.1 Total Weight Lost: -11.3 BMI: 44.3     So this is it. Tomorrow is the big day! I am filled with so many different emotions. Obviously, I am super excited. Words cannot express the amount of excitement that I am feeling. Tomorrow opens a brand new chapter in my life. And there is no looking back.   But there is also fear looming about. There is the natural fear that everyone has right before surgery. Praying that everything will go right. But I also have this fear that I will not be successful. I know in my mind that I am ready, that I am determined, and that I have the full support of my family and friends. However, there is still that small little part of me that thinks…what if I can’t do this? What if I go back to my old ways? Having this fear of failure, I think, will push me not to go back to my old ways. Not only will I be disappointing myself, but I will be disappointing all those who have supported me through this process and as my journey continues.   This week was actually a breeze with the exception of the anticipation. Saw the surgeon on Tuesday for a final appointment, and all went well. The diet actually was ok. I didn’t lose as much this week, but I expected that. I stopped wanting to eat everything that I saw. Had a few cravings every now and then, but nothing too horrible. Had a weird craving for a simple deli sandwich. That’s all I wanted. But I never cheated once, and that makes me proud of myself for sure. A gold star for me!!   Now I sit here with my boyfriend, Joe, patiently awaiting tomorrow. Special instructions for tonight: shower and then wipe myself down with special body wipes. Yuck! But it is what it is, and it will be worth it. No eating or drinking after midnight. No biggie there. All I hope is that I can sleep tonight. Being filled with excitement and anxiety, I doubt I will, but one can only hope.   That’s it for today. I will definitely update once I get home from the hospital, either Wednesday or Thursday. Thank you all for reading and thank you to all my family and friends for all your love and support!!
yllwrose

yllwrose

2
susanjdk's Blog
 

I have a date!

When I got my surgery date, I felt ecstatic! After all the anxiety, research, changing type of surgery and surgeon, as well as waiting for the insurance approval, I am ready!!
susanjdk

susanjdk

0
Butterfly Wings
 

Next steps..

Hi everyone! I am now settling into North Carolina life. This is the place I will come home to recover, the place where I'm sure many tears and deep thinking will happen. But I hope this will also be the place in which I become a better me. A stronger me. A healthier me. My stepmom has been a wonderful resource so far. While I have only been here 3 days (tonight is my third night) we have already talked candidly about weight loss surgery and she has been impressed with how much I've gleaned from the interwebz. Although a lot of my "insider" info she talked about I knew because of all you guys. My next steps will to find a job (probably a part time so that I have the time to get to therapy, doctor's appointments etc) and to go ahead and make my next weigh in/check in. I am incredibly excited to be on this journey and will continue to update y'all as time progresses.
ajb1029

ajb1029

0
Onederful Opportunity
 

Are My Fat Friends Threatened?

I wasn't going to go here.   I really wasn't.   But I can't seem to shake it and when I can't shake something I usually have to write it out.   I know that everyone will have opinions of weight loss surgery and I'm finding out that I really don't want to hear it. I know that I've failed in the past, I know that surgery can be dangerous, I know that life is going to change considerably for me, and I know that it's a completely different life than the life that I've led. I also know that most of the people who are concerned are coming from a loving place, no matter what the conversation makes me feel like when it's happening.   But if it's one thing that I've noticed it's that the most challenging conversation and the biggest naysayers are my friends that are overweight... and it' hurts.   I've tried to place myself in their shoes. I remember when I knew nothing of weight loss surgery and I considered it to be a "cop out." I even thought it was the "easy way out." One thing I never thought was that it was an opinion that I would share with someone who was having the surgery! Now that I've spent the last year reading everything I can, working on my food addiction, and learning about the procedure I understand just how wrong I was... but at least I was wrong to myself.   In the meeting with my nutritionist the other day we were talking about what's been the hardest thing for me at this time and it was (overwhelmingly) dealing with the people who have negative opinions about this. As I was speaking the images of the people I was talking about kept running through my mind and I noticed the theme. They were all of my friend's that are overweight/obese.   Of all of my friend's I'm quite possibly the biggest. Some are close to my 320 lbs but most are hovering around 250. Are they threatened by my potentially weighing less than them in the future? Are they concerned about my passing the "fat torch" to someone else? Will my loss make them feel worse about themselves?   I did Ideal Protein last year and I lost 75 lbs and I had to go over in my mind how our relationships were affected by that loss. I guess I was so busy just trying to make it through that I didn't realize how little I saw of them during that time. I think it was self-imposed because I didn't want to subject people to my diet or make them feel badly about eating in front of me. Maybe they thought I became distant as I was losing weight.   Has anyone gone through this? Were your heavy friends supportive or missing through your process? How do I maintain friendships but work on my health?
rhodywoman

rhodywoman

4
Onederful Opportunity
 

Expectation vs. Reality

Expectations. I think one of the biggest problems with my gaining and losing weight over the years is my expectation of the situation. Reading the forums here I see that I'm not the only one who suffers from expectation problems.   For example in late 2012, I joined Ideal Protein. It's a medically supervised low carb, high protein diet that garners relatively fast results. I was expecting to lose weight quickly and I did. What was the problem? I expected to lose it faster than that! I expected to lose 100 lbs in under 6 months and when I had successfully lost 75 lbs I couldn't really consider it a success. I wanted to but I didn't make my goal. I didn't live up to my expectation.   Had I looked at the reality of the situaton: I LOST 75 LBS IN 6 MONTHS perhaps I woiuld've been more gentle with myself. Perhaps I would have taken more pride in my accomplishment, perhaps I would've care more or acted sooner when I started to feel the weight start to slowly creep back. My reality was that I had already failed at this process and so the 5 pound gain that turned to 10 which quickly morphed to 50 lbs was simply more failure.   With this process I'm trying really hard to have zero expectations of how it's going to work out but that's easier said than done. From my first meeting the expectation was that it would take months to fulfill the insurance company requirements. I wasn't going to let that deter me. Just proceed on and understand that this could take a while. Nutrition and Psychology and the toughest to schedule with people waiting MONTHS to get appointments. I was prepared. I had zero expectations. My psychology appointment was booked on a Wednesday for the following Monday. WHAT?   When I discovered that my 6 months at Ideal Protein covered my nutrition requirements and I only had to see the nutritionist twice through the surgeons office I was pleasantly surprised but I was told that scheduling them could take months. I had my two appointments within 30 days. That was better than any expectation I could've set for myself.   As of yesterday, I have fulfilled all of my requirements for the insurance company submittal process so now I have to wait. I know that it can take up to 7 weeks to get an answer from my insurance company but I plan to just continue to have zero expectation of time. It will unfold as it has to unfold and I will yield to the time gently.   I'm going to carry this out to my surgery and then to my weight loss following surgery. I know that there are many people who have lost extraordinary amounts of weight in short periods of time. I know others who have had more stalls than a football staduim's restroom but I am neither of those people. I am me and my weightloss will be unique to me.   My goals is to: Follow my surgeon's instructions
Make my meal planning a priority
Keep my body moving
Educate my family on what this surgery is doing for me
Not compare myself, my diet, my surgeon, my instructions to any other persons
Have zero expectations of how this wll play out but know that if I just follow the rules it will play out as my body needs it to.
Tha'ts my new reality.
rhodywoman

rhodywoman

1
Short and Chunky's Blog
 

On The Road To Recovery

It has now been just over two weeks since my revision surgery. I still miss my band but I am adjusting. I am finding that I still get full with the same amount of food that I ate with my band - give or take a cup full. I have discovered I can't eat salad right now - which is very sad - it is summer in Florida and I lived on salads - but that is OK, I can find something else. I have, so far, resisted temptation to eat the evil stuff like bread, pasta, pizza, cookies, cake, pies, ice cream...you guys know..the good stuff! I am not back to my full exercise program yet, that could take 4 more weeks, but I am walking twice a day about 20-30 minutes each time and I am pleased with that. I am looking forward to getting back in the pool as soon as my incision heals.   Life after the band, is different. I never really thought about "not having my band". I was 59 years old when I got it..I thought I would be taking it with me when I left this world. Well, I guess that joke is on me now. I am trying hard to be very cautious as to not upset the plication..All I can think about is the seem on a pair of pants that are too small and watching the stitching come out..That would be the plication ! I cannot let that happen no matter what. I still do not know if I will be allowed to have another form of WLS or if the plication will be OK. So many questions....I see the surgeon on the 27th of May for another follow up and I guess I will be able to get some answers then. I begin the B12 shots on Thursday and I hoping that will give me some of my energy back.   I hope this blog finds you all well and "listening to your band". I saw a posting just a bit ago from a person who "thinks she may have a slip" and her symptoms sure sound like it. I will be watching, praying and hoping that she is wrong and that her band will be OK..This is not a happy thing when it happens.   Take care my banded buddies and have a great week.   Melinda in Florida
Short and Chunky

Short and Chunky

2
BlueMoon~T's Blog
 

Health Issues Rear their Ugly Head...Again

I want to start this entry out on a positive note... I'm still doing great with my band. I'm losing inches and pounds and I still love my band.   Now, if any of you know my back story you know last April I had a serious medical issue that put me in ICU for several weeks on a ventilator and dialysis. I recovered thank God and my Dr.'s were optimistic about my kidneys. I was just told under no circumstances was I to take any kind of NSAIDS. Well, a week and a half ago I started feeling sick and noticed I was retaining fluids, then it occurred to me that I hadn't tinkled in almost 36 hours. Got blood work done and of course I was in kidney failure again. I had to go back on dialysis for a week and luckily my kidneys started working again this last weekend. BTW, I'm one of those lucky people that dialysis makes me feel deathly ill. The anti nausea medication didn't help. So, I've just been miserable. My Renal specialist is less optimistic about my prognosis now. I no longer had acute kidney failure once! I now have kidney disease. Most likely... Ah, I'm not even going to say it. It just sucks because now I have to take two more medications added to the list of many that I already take.   My take away is this... I compromised my health by being so fat. I was on so many medications for all my different ailments that I eventually made my body sick as it was trying to process all the meds. Now, I have to deal with the consequences. Confession: I'm not good at getting my daily fluid intake in and for someone with my history that is a huge no-no! I'm not having a pity party, I'm just dealing with the gravity that I've potentially done irreversible damage to my body that could down the road put me in need of new kidneys. But, today... I'm done with dialysis! There are now foods that I have to stay away from completely to help my kidneys function properly and no alcohol. Bummer dude!   I'm kicking myself in the arse for waiting so long to have the surgery. In my mind I have those " What ifs" floating around. But, I'm still standing and as long as I am, I'm going to stay the course. I'm going to reach my goal. I'm going to finish what I've started and be the best and most healthy me I can be!   Plus, I have a grand baby due next month and I wanna be a GILF! Too much? Too soon? LMAO!!   Till next time, ~T
BlueMoon~T

BlueMoon~T

2
A Journey to Me
 

T-Minus Seven Days

One Week Pre-Op Weight: 296.7 Weight Lost: -8.2lbs BMI: 44.7   Before I get into things, I would like to stay how touched I am that so many people have taken the time to read my blog. I never imagined that I would get so many views, and am overwhelmed by the support that I have received. Thank you to all my friends, family, loved ones, and other Bariatric patients for reading about my progress and the support. It means the world to me.   Alright, so it’s T-Minus 7 days until surgery. This past week was pretty rough, I won’t lie. I’ve had a head cold most of the week, which did not help the adjustment to my new diet. For the first few days I was hungry most of the day. Everything that I saw I wanted to eat. And when you work in the grocery store, you see A LOT of food. A few times the thought “If I just cheat a little, that would be ok…” crossed my mind. But then I told myself that if you cheat once, you will continue to cheat. And that this pre-op diet is for a reason, and if I stray from that it could cause complications.   Mostly, I told myself that I really want to succeed at this. To succeed I need to change the way I think and the way that I handle situations in my life. Up until now, I have dealt with stress, sadness, anger, and being sick with food. Food has always been a comfort to me, and this week I have started the process to changing that. I didn’t put anything into my body that I was not supposed to have, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment. It may seem silly that such a small feat is such a big accomplishment to some people, but to me it was huge.   Later in the week, I started feeling extreme weakness and exhaustion. I wasn’t quite sure whether it was the cold or the diet that was causing it, or a combination of the two. I was pretty miserable though. Had to call into work one day, and the next day found myself using things around me to hold myself up. I slept plenty too. Pretty much every chance I had I was lying down and dozing off.   Thankfully, by Sunday I was feeling much better. I’m no longer starving most of the day. I haven’t thought about cheating in a couple of days. This morning when I stepped on the scale and saw that I lost a little over 8 pounds I was delighted. The suffering paid off, and I feel good about myself.   This week is going to be a long week. A few doctor appointments to get through. My feet are starting hurt pretty bad, and the only thing that I can take it Tylenol. It doesn’t do much for me. Mostly I think that the waiting for the day to come makes everything seem longer. I am blessed to have people around me, especially my boyfriend, to keep me distracted. He has been truly wonderful through this whole process. He’s so supportive and wants me to be happy.   I struggled through week one….and I’ll make it through week two.
yllwrose

yllwrose

0
My Journey to Skinny
 

85% of My Stomach is Missing! (Part two)

So, post-op day one for me could be summed up with one word: Nausea. Starting around 10pm the night of surgery, I began feeling like I was going to vomit, and unfortunately it never really went away... despite receiving the anti-nausea medication (Zofran) every four hours. That whole night, and into the morning was sort of a nightmare for multiple reasons. First and foremost was the nausea, it would hit me in waves, and I would sit straight up in bed, holding my "puke bucket" under my chin, even though I knew there was nothing in my stomach to throw up. And then I would spit, burp, spit, burp, for about 10 minutes before the wave passed. Then I would put my bed back into the recline position, and fall back asleep until the next wave hit me... Secondary to giving that whole long night a nightmarish quality was the fact that when I was between waves of nausea, and able to sleep, I would inevitably be woken up for something. Literally every hour, for the entire night, I was woken up for something or other. Now, if you've read my other entries, you may be aware that I am a nurse, and I work nights. And let me tell you, I make it my mission when working a night shift to let my patients get as much sleep as possible. Not the case here. In her defense, my night nurse was brand new. If I'd been feeling better, I may have tried to teach her a little bit about grouping activities together. For instance, if I had medications scheduled at 12am, and 1am, it's perfectly acceptable to give both at 12:30! Vital signs due at 4am? Why not come in and do them when phlebotomy comes in to draw blood at 3am? That was just a little irritating for me. I was woken at midnight for vital signs and IV fluids, at that time, I asked if I was getting my heparin shot, and she said "No, that's due at 1am." So at 1:30am, she was back for that. At 3am, phlebotomy. At 4am, vital signs. At 5am more nausea meds. At 6am, she came and took my foley catheter out. And then at 7am, day shift comes in, so they all came in to say good morning! Aaargh! So post-op day 2 has already started off on a sort of bad leg. My surgeon did come in and talked to me at about 7:30, and at that time, I begged him for something stronger for nausea. He agreed, and went out to order me some Phenergan. Now in this instance, it was probably good that I'm a nurse, so I know how things work. Otherwise I probably would have sat there and expected the medication to be given to me in the next 10 or 15 minutes. But no. When the doctor says he's going to order a medication, there is a process that it has to go through. He types the order into a computer. The order goes to pharmacy. The pharmacist looks at the order, and verifies that the medication, dose, frequency, and route of administration are appropriate, and also that it won't interact negatively with any of the other medications the patient is receiving. If they have a question regarding any of those things, they don't call the doctor. They call the nurse. Then the nurse calls the doctor, clarifies the order, and calls the pharmacy back. Then, and only then does the medication get verified by the pharmacy so that the nurse is allowed to administer it. Needless to say, it was nearly two hours before I received the Phenergan. In the meantime, I had stopped using my pain button at 3am, aware that the dilaudid my very well be contributing to my nausea. So my pain was back in full force too. Regardless of that, I knew I had to walk, so I got myself out of bed, walked to the bathroom, and peed on my own for the first time. I also emptied my drain, which was alarmingly full, compared to yesterday. Then I brushed my teeth, and sat in the chair. That was how my husband found me when he came in to visit. Shortly after he arrived, they gave me my Phenergan, which does have the side effect of making you sleepy. So when they came to get me for my leak test, I was literally falling asleep while sitting up in the chair. But I wanted that leak test done, so I could get some oral pain medication, since I was refusing to use the Dilaudid anymore. So we went down to Radiology for that. Let me tell you, that test was by far the worst part of the entire experience for me. Everyone in radiology was super-nice, but the stuff they have you drink tastes like lemon dish soap (if your parents ever washed your mouth out with soap, you know the taste). They have you take small sips of it while standing in front of an x-ray machine, and a radiologist watches it flow through your esophagus, into your stomach, and into your small intestine. But you have to drink enough that they can see all that, and be sure none is leaking out, and also that there is no obstruction in your small intestine. I never would have been able to do it if I hadn't gotten the Phenergan prior to going. Even with it, I had to hold a puke basin in front of me, and dry heave into it every few sips. But, finally the radiologist said I had drank enough, and she hadn't seen any leaks, so I was allowed to drink water when I got back upstairs! The rest of the day was a blur, because I was so tired from the phenergan, and then the subsequent oral pain medication (Lortab). I did walk in the hallway with my hubby after I got back from radiology, then I was told to start sipping water, approximately 2 ounces per hour. I managed to do that when I was awake, but the problem was I kept falling asleep. But I probably managed to drink a good 20 ounces of water that day. And later in the night, I noticed that my left hand where I had my IV was getting really puffy. So I when I saw that my IV bag was empty, I stopped it, and didn't tell my nurse. When she came in, I showed her my hand, and told her I didn't want anymore fluids by IV, and promised I would drink enough. Since it was scheduled to come out in the morning anyway, she said that was okay. The nausea went away almost completely after the phenergan, although I did get a small wave of it each time I took the Lortab, it was nothing compared to prior, so I never took any more nausea medication after that. And that pretty much sums up post-op day 1 for me. I really, really slept that night, fortunately had a different night nurse who definitely is of the same philosophy as me, and lets her patient sleep, which I greatly appreciated. Woke up at 7am feeling like a brand new person! Post-op Day 2 was also discharge day, so with that in mind, I got right up at 7, brushed my teeth and my hair (which I hadn't done since I'd been there). I got a morning "breakfast" tray consisting of orange SF jello, broth of some sort, plain decaf tea, and a Crystal Light lemonade. I ate the Jello, but have had bad experiences in the past with plain tea causing nausea, so didn't go there. And lukewarm broth just wasn't appealing. I saved the Crystal light for later. I got lots of visits from all kinds of new people that day. The bariatric coordinator, Sandy came in and told me she was going to be there later to answer all of my questions, so I started trying to think some up. But I didn't have a pen to write anything down. Then another nurse navigator named Robert came in, and told me he was going to make my follow up appointment for me, which I thought was sort of overkill, since I am perfectly capable of dialing a phone. But I know it's his job and everything, so I told hime when my husband got there and we could look at his schedule, I'd call him. At this point, I realized everything was kind of stuck on my hubby coming to get me, and he'd spent the night with a friend in Miami the night before, which was at least an hour away. Knowing that this friend has a tendency to keep late hours, and party, I decided to call and find out an ETA. When I got ahold of him at 10am, he was just eating breakfast. I told him to hurry it up, since I thought they were preparing to kick me out. But in reality, I still had my drain in, and was still wearing a hospital gown. So I may have been lying a little to get him in gear. But shortly after, my nurse did come in, and said it was time to pull the drain. Now this drain is something I've mentioned in passing, but haven't really described yet. If you're easily grossed out, skip the next paragraph. It's called a JP drain, and it's like the little bulb shaped suction thingies that they use to clear out baby's nostrils, except attached to a long hose that goes inside of you (gross, I know). It's attached to your skin with a couple of sutures, and fluid collects in it. When I was first out of surgery, there wasn't much fluid, but it was all bloody. Now on day 2, it was full of more serous fluid, kind of yellow tinged. It had drained about 400-500ml of fluid out of my abdomen since I'd left surgery, so it's probably a useful thing to have, but I was sure psyched to get rid of it. So the nurse snipped off the sutures using sterile scissors, which hurt a little. Then she just pulled on the thing, and it was absolutely the most bizarre feeling I've ever experienced. It didn't hurt at all, but it was an extremely strange sensation of something moving inside of my abdomen. Maybe if you've ever been pregnant and felt the baby move, it might compare to that, but I haven't, so I had nothing to compare it to. It was just weird. But anyway, with the drain out, I thought maybe I could take a shower. Nope... that would require a doctor's order. Okay, I played along, and just washed up as best I could in the sink, and changed into my loosest shorts and t-shirt that I had brought with me. Around that time, my surgeon came back in with the Bariatric coordinator, Sandy, and told me he was ready to discharge me. I guess this is when I was supposed to ask the questions that I had come up with, but I didn't know that, and I hadn't written them down anyway, so I kind of blanked. So he just told me what meds he was going to send me home on (Vicodin and pepcid) and then said he would go write it up, and see me in his office in a few weeks. In retrospect, I would have liked to ask when I can start exercising, and when I can go swimming. But I am a smart girl, I can figure stuff out on my own. Finally, around noontime, my husband showed up, and probably not a moment too soon either, because they were definitely ready to be rid of me. Almost as soon as he walked into the room the discharge nurse came in behind him, and handed me my paperwork. She definitely wasn't answering any questions. So I signed, hopped in the provided wheelchair, and was wheeled out to my hubby's car in record time. Hospital stay over! I am completely without medical supervision until my follow up appointment on the 21st! I guess I'll end this entry here, and talk about being at home, and starting purees in a later post. Goodnight!
butterfyeffect

butterfyeffect

4
My Journey to Skinny
 

85% of My Stomach is Missing! (Part one)

Well, here I am. Back from the hospital after a 2 night stay, with 85% of my stomach missing. I'll try and describe what it was like day by day...   Day 1 (Surgery Day): Let me preface this by saying that I did not sleep a wink the night before surgery. Not. A. Wink. So, upon arriving to the hospital for my 7am appointment, I had already been awake for 24+ hours. So that probably added to the dream-like quality that everything had to it that day. But still, that's the only way I could possibly describe everything that happened that day. It was surreal. Since I couldn't sleep, I decided that my husband shouldn't either, so I got him up at 4:30, and we set out from our hotel for the hospital at 5:30, even though it was only a 30 minute drive, and we didn't have to be there until 7am. At this point, I was convinced that I was probably going to die on the operating table, so I was giving my husband instructions, such as "My wedding ring is in the change pocket of my purse. I'll want to be buried with it on." Stuff like that. I'm sure he was amused by it all, but looking back, I can't believe I did that to my husband! (who already has some anxiety issues BTW) So we arrived at the hospital super-early, and I tried, yet again to catch a 15 minute nap in the car. When it became apparent that even that wasn't going to happen, we went into the hospital to register at 6:30. They brought me back pretty quickly, but left my hubby in the waiting room. They weighed me (219.4) and brought me into a room with a stretcher in it, and told me to change into the gown and socks that were on the stretcher. Now, I don't know if they just see that someone is having bariatric surgery, and automatically put the XXL gown on the stretcher, or what, but that gown was huge. You could have put three of me in it. The socks were also ridiculous, they could have fit on my feet over a pair of winter boots! But I did as I was told, and proceeded to spend the next hour and a half trying not to flash everyone in the pre-op area... Then a nurse came in, took my vital signs, and did an admission questionnaire and had me sign paperwork. Then three separate anesthesiologists came in and talked to me, looked in my mouth, and asked me several of the same questions the nurse had just asked. Then another nurse put an IV in my left hand. Then, finally they allowed my husband to come back in. We sat there and talked for awhile, and then my surgeon came in... now I know many of us bariatric surgery patients have had multiple appointments with their surgeon prior to the actual surgery day, but for me that was not the case. I'd only met Dr. Shillingford once for about 5 minutes, in January. But meeting him for the second time on surgery day, I was again reassured by his confident demeanor, and his relaxed bedside manner. Plus it helped that every other medical staff person I'd met so far that day had referred to him as an excellent surgeon. Once he arrived, that really seemed to get the ball rolling. Just about 10 minutes later, they were giving my pre-op "cocktail" (I asked, it was Versed). Then we rolled into the OR. I remember them asking me to scootch from the stretcher I was on, to the operating table, which I was able to do, and then....nothing. Next thing I knew, I was lying on a different stretcher, in a different room, with a different gown on and someone was taking an oxygen mask off of me, and putting me on a nasal cannula (the little prong things that go in your nose). I was in a lot of pain, which I guess they anticipated, because someone handed me a little button, and said I could push it as much as I wanted for pain medication. Now, being a nurse, I know there is a lockout period, so you can't overdose yourself, so I must have asked that. They said it was set to dispense medication every 8 minutes. There was a blood pressure cuff on my right arm that kept squeezing every few minutes, so I decided to push the button every-other time the BP cuff went off. After three or four pushes, the pain had faded into the background, but by then I was becoming nauseated. Like clockwork, they asked me if I wanted medication for nausea. Yes, please! Once I had those nausea medications in, I was feeling pretty good. Good enough in fact, that when they got me up to my room, I was able to stand up and waddle over to my new bed almost all by myself... At this point, I was hooked up to two IV's, I had a foley catheter in, and I didn't know it yet, but there was a drain hanging off of the right side of my abdomen. But the only thing that was sore (and still is) was the incision on the left side of my abdomen. I later found out that's where my stomach was taken out. The rest of that day went by in a little bit of a blur. I wasn't allowed any water, or anything else by mouth, but they did give me some swabs, and some ice chips, which were a godsend. I remember going for a walk, up and down the hallway with my hubby later in the evening, but other than that, I pretty much slept in between being asked, like 10 times, by 10 different people if I was diabetic, and/or did I need to have a CPAP machine (no, and no). And that was pretty much Day 1. And since I'm pretty wiped out, I think I'll save Days 2 and 3 for another post...
butterfyeffect

butterfyeffect

3
A Journey to Me
 

And so it begins...

Two Weeks Pre-OP Weight: 304.9 BMI: 45.5   Let me first begin by introducing myself. My name is Leslie, I’m 29, and have been overweight pretty much my entire life. I am a customer service manager at the local grocery store chain in Chicago. I have had two back surgeries in the last 4 years and have foot & joint pain.   I decided to start this blog because I thought it might help me to put my feelings into words. I also hope that maybe someone reading this will get know that what they are feeling is normal and they aren’t alone. I know that reading about other people’s experiences has helped me along the way so far.   Bariatric surgery was first suggested to me after my first back surgery. I’ll be honest, I was insulted. I thought it was an easy way out of losing weight and for people that had given up. A year and a half later I had to have a second back surgery because my disc has degenerated, mainly due to my weight. I started serious dieting, lost about 40lbs, and got stuck. Getting stuck caused me not to try so hard, and as time went on, I gained all the weight back plus some.   The surgery was suggested to me again. This time I took some serious thought about. It took a year, but after another trip to the back doctor, where I was told that another disc was beginning to degenerate. If I didn’t lose weight I have another back surgery in my future, and probably more after that.   That’s when I started the process. I realized that going down this road would not be easy. That it probably may be the hardest thing that I do. I had my consultation appointment in October of 2013. I decided that I would have the sleeve gastrectomy. And then I got the laundry list of things that needed to be done before the surgery can even be processed. Blood tests, ultrasounds, sleep studies, checked out by multiple doctors. But finally the surgery was scheduled: May 19th.   So here I am, two weeks until surgery, when the real fun begins. The start of the pre-op diet. A mainly liquid diet with one “real meal” a day. The meal consists of 2-3oz of protein, 2cups of veggies, and the optional 1 serving of carbs. Not something that I have been looking forward to. In addition to the diet, I had to discontinue the anti-inflammatory that helps with the foot & joint pain. This morning I woke up and had the feeling of a kid on Christmas morning. I woke up 45mins then I had to, and usually have to drag myself out of bed. But not today. I knew that today is the beginning…the beginning of the rest of my life. I’m ready to change, and I’m excited to experience the journey to the new me.   I won’t lie, today was tough. I was hungry most of the day. But I got through it. And I know that with each day, it will get easier and easier. And before I know it, the day of surgery will be here.
yllwrose

yllwrose

4
Short and Chunky's Blog
 

10 Days Post Op

Well, it has been 10 days since my band has been removed. I feel OK but not great. My stomach hurts, bloated and my naval is a mess. I follow-up with the surgeon tomorrow. I am ready to start feeling better and ready to go back to work. When I had my band installed - I went back to work 4 days later and never had a problem..wow, this is sure different. This is like "real surgery"..I have been trying to get better, but this really kicked my butt. I have numbness in my feet and toes too. I'll have to talk to the doc about that tomorrow too. I have begun walking again - about a mile per day and that seems to help but the pain in my mid-section is something else. Good thing I kept a pair or two of shorts that were too big and stretched out of shape - those I can wear. Nothing can touch my naval/mid-section. No nausea and I am eating (some of the junk I must admit) but I am trying to get in more protein..even if it is in shake form.   I will post again tomorrow and let you know what the doctor said. Remember Bandsters - please listen to your band and your bodies. If something doesn't feel right or sound right - PLEASE do something - if it the doctor tells you it is nothing to worry about - it is worth checking it out. I wish I had listened sooner.   Melinda in Florida
Short and Chunky

Short and Chunky

0
Butterfly Wings
 

Nutritionist and other large things happening

Hi everyone! I first wanna thank those that take the time to comment on my blogs, I do not have wifi at the new house and a limited data plan on my phone. I am sitting at the library at the moment, so if you like what you read and would like to further interact with me, please send me a message or something. And seriously, thanks for the comments, I love knowing people on here are willing to give advice, once I get to NC I should be on here a LOT more.   That being said, NORTH CAROLINA! In a week...well, no. In like 10 days, I leave Wyoming in a week, but it'll take me 3 days to get to my dad's house. I am really excited about the road trip, 3 days of me, my dog, and the open road. While I can't stop to sightsee since I will be in a small time crunch, I won't have to drive but for 12-14 hours. And I probably will stop closer to 12 but I have this thing you see, since I was a child on any trip, my bladder can't control itself. My dad says I see the world through bathrooms. It's not that I have a medical issue, it's just a mental thing I think for me...and the fact I hate feeling like I'm going to pee myself...and I love to drink on the road, while soda is something I really enjoy I will be trying to get my caffeine from energy shots (5 hour energy), caffeine pills etc and NOT energy drinks or soda which go through me in like 20 minutes. I drove a 6 hour trip and seriously stopped every time I saw a rest stop because I had to go, that was roughly every 2 hours. I hope to go longer than that between bathroom breaks. LOL   Saw my nutritionist today. Very nice fellow, much more personable than the pcp had been. He gave me the Idaho Plate Method to follow and instructions to start walking. Not only do I have a plan (which he says should average out to about 1400 calories) but it's DOCUMENTED! HURRAY!! 1 visit down, 5 to go. I am HIGHLY motivated to lose 30 pounds before July though, I have to fly *shudder* from Raleigh to San Diego....east to west coast. I hate flying fat. I hate that my thighs infringe upon someone else's space. I hate it. But the seatbelt fits better when I weigh about 30 pounds lighter than I do now. I am officially at my highest...322 :'( 290 is my goal for the wedding....I've only flown once at that weight, and the seat belt was much more comfortable but I still touched the person next to me's leg...Maybe, hopefully though this will be the last round trip flight I will take obese.   I figure losing 30ish pounds or maybe 35 won't hurt my case much for wls, and if I lose it now that's just 30 less pounds I have to lose when I do get it. I am looking forward to also finding a therapist and tackling my emotional eating and addictions I have, and I want to start working with weights to help tone the muscles so that maybe the saggy skin won't be as catastrophic. I'll deal with it either way, I'm sure it beats being huge.   'Till next time my friends!
ajb1029

ajb1029

0

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