Well today makes day 8 post-op for me. Yesterday was the first day I felt really 100% and I was able to stay at work all day with no issues. Today is better. I am itching to get back into the gym. I had to lose a good amount of weight before my surgery and I did it through diet and exercise. I have been cleared for exercise, but I think it is a bit soon for Zumba!
Still on liquids,but on blended foods. Last night I had a 1/2 cup of cream of jalapeno soup. It was so yummy! I am not finding myself to be hungry. It is like I have to remind myself to eat or drink. Now that i am back at work, I keep my water bottle with me at all times. I think tomorrow I will start making my own protein shakes so I can control how much protein I get in with them. Or I may make a trip to smoothe king. I hear they have a low fat/low cal smoothie with 46 grams of protein! I have not stepped on the scale. I am going to wait until next week when I can be sure I have dropped 100% of my TOM weight and bloating.
The title of today's subject cracks me up! I really do mean this literally. This may be TMI to some, and if so I apologize. I have been backed up before surgery due to the amount of protein we take in and I am still having this problem. I searched the message boards and found a topic that discussed this already. So I will be attempting to use either Miralax or Benefiber. I think the Miralax will provide some relief and the Benefiber will help with fiber until I can consume more through eating. I am drinking as much water as I can.
On a side note in Houston, it is time for the Livestock Show and Rodeo, with the carinival. So there is a lot going on with food, drinks and good times. Funny thing is that I am not even hungry nor do I have a desire to eat that food. Every year we go the barbecue cook off and this year we skipped it. I thought I would be a bit upset about not going, but no. My health and well being mean so much more!
Today was super busy. I stayed on plan even with my favorite spinach Alfredo pizza being ordered in during our lunch and learn. I had my shake and lots of water. For dinner I had grilled fish,green beans and pineapple chunks. I travel tomorrow to Dallas for my uncles funeral, so I will keep my shakes in my mini cooler before we leave. Once we get there I should be fine.
I went in for my fill appoinment and came out with...............NOTHING!! LOL! Looks like I have hit the green zone! I am going to take this month slow and see what happens. Since I first went to true results I have lost 49 pounds and 30 since surgery. I lost 8.5 last month and we confirmed I have 6.9 CC in my band. I told the nurse about my eating habits and I am afraid that more fluid may put me in the red zone, so I will just hang out here for this month and see how it goes. But I am over the moon happy about my progress so far. I hope that people that are researching this option see my story and know that if I can be successful, that they can too. Life is about choices and I am choosing to be happy and healthy!
I am feeling so good. I have my appointment for a second fill on 4/11 and so far this past month I have lost 7 pounds and I am wondering about another fill. I have found myself snacking in between meals. They are healthy snacks but I am snacking where I was not before. I am in a size 18 which is getting more loose every day, so I guess inches are being lost also. I am back at the gym full time and that is a great feeling.
I had to lose a chunk of weight to qualify for my surgery.Before I got approved, I started on my weight loss journey and lost 60 pounds through diet and exercise. Since surgery I have lost 21 pounds. I am going to Vegas in July and would really like to possibly hit the 100 pound mark by June 15th. So we are on the road to 100!!!
Weight loss my friends is hard...probably one of the hardest things to do. It is not pretty, it sucks and you have to work hard. No matter which path you choose. I know for me that choosing the band, was choosing to save and improve my quality of life. The physical perks are nice, but it feels good to know that I am able to play with my kids, climb stairs without being winded and to really like the me in the mirror that is looking back instead of getting dressed and only looking from the shoulders up. It is also about learning to love me again... So I hope on this road we can all learn to love ourselves again.
So it has been over three weeks since my psych and cardio evaluations have been completed. True results has the reports,but their medical director only clears charts on Friday's. Sigh..... I hope Monday or Tuesday brings a call with a surgery date. I have lost 11 pounds on the pre-op diet. My advocate suggested I start early since I was already insurance approved and just waiting for medical clearence. So ready to get on to a new me. Right now I feel like I'm in limbo.
So I called yesterday to true results here in Houston and was told I am now medically clear for surgery. She had me leave a message for my advocate so she could call me with dates. Well no calls yesterday or today. I am debating on calling her if I have not heard from her by noon. So more waiting ...
Today I woke up with a scratchy throat and a slight cough. Blah! This will make the fifth time I have been sick since my flu shot in October! I was afraid this would happen. Although my pre-op is two weeks away,it takes about that amount of time for me to get back to bring 100%. So I am praying that it's nothing.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!! This was always a fun day for me and ny hubby! Lots of friends, drinks, and food! Today will still be a fun day with all of the above, but a lot less for me. I have lost 26 pounds since my surgery on 2/15. It has been a slow loss and I an thankful for the gradual loss. However this month seems to been a super slow weight loss. I think the changes in my diet and exercise may be the cause of this. I have loss three pounds and I am hoping for another two before I check in at the doc on 5/9. The bruise I was complaining about last time went away about a week or so ago. I have included Iron with my vitamins to help offset this. I did get in my new vitamins from Celebrate. If you want to try a sample, you can order a great sample kit for 3.00 from them. It included a multi, calcium, iron, B12, etc.
So I have been testing out different foods to see how I can handle them. I had some friend chicken and I did okay with it. Just have to remember to chew well. I am still struggling with making sure I do not eat too fast. It is like Palov and the dog. It hurts and sucks to get stuck, but for some reason my brain has not quite gotten this yet. I have not had bread of any kind. The thought of getting stuck with bread scares me! I just want to make sure that I do not do anything that would hurt me or my band. My best friend had her fluid measured to see exactly what she had because she did not think the nurse actually put the correct amount.Turns out she was right. The nurse wrote in the chart that she 5.7 CC and she had only filled her to 5. When they attempted to put all the fluid back in, it was too tight and she is not back at 3.7 until next month. I think I would have been a tiny bit pissed.
As I said before I think if I get a fill this time I will request only a small one. I think I may be almost at the sweet spot, but we will see.
Well days three and four were good. I did avoid all of the yummy stuff that they served for the dinner after the service. Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes. Today the team I supervise had a potluck and ordered party trays from Chili's. I did have one boneless wing, but I had three shakes and a 1/2 cup of tomato soup today. Tomorrow I am going to get the remainder of things I need for my surgery. Any hints on where I can find the liquid tylenol?
Today I realized how much I really am going to miss the gym when I have my sugery. I workout four times a week, which my patient advocate said was good. But I have heard it's pretty intense coming from abdominal surgery when you head back to the gym. I guess the thing to do is work out hard before going in.
I am two months out from surgery and two fills down. I had my last fill two weeks ago and since then I have a huge bruise right over my port. I can also see the puncture mark. Does anyone else experience this? I have a appointment scheduled in two weeks and will see my surgeon also at that time. But could it be something that I am missing from my diet? I think I may switch to one of the bariatric vitamins also. Right now I take two centrum chewables, two viactiv for calcium and b12 as needed . I have been checking out the Celebrate website and I think I may go that way.
The scale is still in the same place but TOM is over so I guess it will move again soon. But my clothes fit good and I am feeling great.
I finally got a call yesterday from my patient advocate, Rachel and I had the all clear! Dr. Reilly's office called today and we scheduled my pre-op and surgery dates!! My pre-op is on 2/7 and the big day is 2/15!!! I am going to get all of my surgery needs taken care of this weekend. Any suggestions of items that are must haves? I am getting the Gas-X strips, chewable vitamins and foods or liquids I need for the first two weeks.
It has been a while since I have updated this blog. Today I am five months out and 38 pounds lighter! I am also two pounds from reaching one of my goals to lost 100 pounds. I feel great and have been told I am looking great! LOL! I have had four fills and think finally this last one is it. I have 7.5 CC's in my 10 CC band. I am still experimenting with which foods are ok. Beef is hard for me, but chicken and seafood are okay. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, green tea and greek yogurt are a huge part of my fridge. I am still exercising 4-5 times a week, and I recently started running, which I really do hate, but it is good for me.LOL. I am here to tell you that this amazing tool will work for you as long as you work with it. Do not try to east around it, do not cheat yourself by not exercising. The hardest part is keeping going and every day is a struggle. Just keep going!
