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A blog by deedee

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Over one big hurdle

My week of constipation has finally come to an end. I started taking Miralax (Monday or Tuesday?) and have really worked hard at upping my water intake and protein. I'm not sure what actually did it, maybe my body just decided that 7 days was plenty long. I don't really care, just super excited that it has ended. Now if only my body would decide it was time for the scale to start moving down again, but I know that will happen in it's own good time as well. I was actually a lot more anxious regarding the constipation than not losing weight...but now that I seem to be over that, I'll probably start fixating on the scale:-)
deedee

deedee

1
 

1 Month Out

Yesterday I had my 1 month post-op appointment with the surgeon and weighed 201. This morning I weighed myself at home and it read 201. I finally lost a pound after 13 days of bouncing between 202-203.5.   The doctor was very pleased about the total loss, 37 lbs since pre-op diet and 21 lbs since surgery. He did lecture a little, as well as the nurse, when I confessed to not doing great with my liquid intake this week and now I'm constipated again. He wants me to stay on soft/mushy foods for another month. I'm okay with that, but I am getting a little tired of seafood (never thought I'd say that).   He also cleared me for full exercise, which is great since my dance classes start next week. I am going to go to jazzercise tomorrow morning and do everything at a low level. I haven't been in about 14 months and am expecting a bit of a hard time, but I can't let that stop me.   I took my measurements today and so far have dropped 3" in my waist, 3" in my hips, and 3" in my bust. I took pictures today and although they don't show a whole lot of difference, I notice some change in my hips.   Overall, I am very happy with my results and the process so far. Every day is still a learning experience with eating, drinking, and protein, but as I reflect back I see just how much I've learned over the last month about my new stomach and way of life.
deedee

deedee

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Valentine's Day

This has never been a favorite holiday or anything (always felt kind of contrived), but I wanted to journal about how this one went food wise.   My husband and I had lunch around 11:30 AM before going to see Up in the Air, which I loved. I wouldn't say the honeymoon is completely over in terms of my sleeve, but it's definitely changing. I ordered an 8 oz. steak and ate 4 ounces with slight discomfort (ate too fast at the end so didn't realize I didn't need the last couple of bites until it was too late). In the past, like last month, I could only ever get in about 2-2.5 ounces of steak at a meal.   For dinner, we went to one of my favorite restaurants here in town. They only offered a Valentine's special 3 course selection menu. I got the spinach salad, shrimp and broccoli fettucini alfredo, and strawberry cheesecake. I also ordered my first alcoholic drink (orange crush-vanilla vodka, orange juice, and sprite). My drink came out and I took a couple of really tiny sips, but even by the end of the meal it didn't look like I'd had any because it was so full to begin with. I thought I did pretty well on the salad, but when she took it away it also looked untouched. This was the first time having pasta since surgery and I ate one noodle and three pieces of shrimp and was full (not uncomfortable-I wanted room for dessert). I love our waitress who knows how little I eat so came at the perfect time and took it back to be boxed, but the people next to us kept glancing over...oh well. Now cheesecake use to be MY THING before surgery (discovered I liked it for the first time in grad school and my weight pretty much stayed in the obese category after that). I hadn't had any since surgery and it was so good. I again was only able to eat 2 bites and the great thing is I was so satisfied. I decided not to have that boxed because I could see myself grazing on that all day long.   I still weighed in at 147 this morning, so nothing horrible happened I suppose. I ate more than I typically do on any one day and can definitely see why the first 6 months are called the "honeymoon phase." My sleeve tool is still there for me to work, I just think I'll have to be a little more diligent about working it now that I seem to be able to eat more.
deedee

deedee

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Leaving tomorrow, getting nervous

Tomorrow I'm heading home (WA State) for 11 days. It's been two years since my last visit and have planned to be there over two weekends so that I had time to spend with old friends (who will mostly be working during the week). The more I talk with friends the more concerned and nervous I become about the whole eating thing. Fortunately my husband and I have eaten out quite a bit since surgery, so I am really good about finding nutritious, soft/mushy food (soup, eggs, grilled or broiled seafood), but I started studying the menus and nutrition values at restaurants I knew we frequented while I was pre-op.   I will be staying at my grandmother's house, so I plan to head to the grocery store the morning after I get in since tomorrow night I have a friend picking me up from the airport and we're going straight to a barbeque. I think I'll buy some yogurt--I get the diabetic friendly kind--eggs whites, veggie cheese, turkey sausage, chicken breasts, and lactaid milk. I'm going to pack some protein powder to take with me since the only ones I can tolerate are only available by ordering...I think.   Another big concern is helping my friends understand what I can and cannot eat. Although they all know about my surgery, I told everyone in my life (and some who weren't) when I first started looking into it, since they are so far away, I haven't really educated them on the ins and outs of my day to day eating.   I have one friend that wants to treat me to lunch next week (she's a little depressed because all of her kids are now school aged for the first time). I'm thinking of suggesting visiting some places around town that we used to hang out and ride our bikes to when we were kids. Another two friends want to go to the big fair and in the past the fair has always been a place for me to overindulge in bad foods. She is much more health conscious and although she mentioned wanting to get a scone I know the trip will be more about checking out the booths and stuff. So I should be fine if I can fight the head hunger. I'm thinking about picking ONE treat that I can have and take a few bites.   As for packing, I'm really confused on what to bring. Money has been a bit tight since I'm still not really working much and have about a month more off. I've budgeted out a certain amount and don't plan to go over. So normally I would use any vacation as a chance to add to my wardrobe (when I was a size 16 or below, larger than that and shopping was just not appealing), this time I really need to bring enough to get me by.   I know all of these things will work out, but I'm just having last minute worries. I've been pretty fortunate since surgery in that I've been in a pretty controlled environment most days and able to plan ahead for the most part. With this trip, I kind of feel that I am now officially on training wheels.
deedee

deedee

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Learning to live

I flew across the country at about 5.5 weeks out of surgery. I was still on soft/mushy food and was pretty nervous about both the flight (5 hours direct) and the 11 days I was to spend with my grandmother, family, and friends. Well...I'm now back home almost 7.5 weeks out and down an additional 5 lbs.   I wasn't perfect in my eating--ate too fast many times (definitely felt it), ate more carbs than I had been, and missed my protein goal some days--but I feel like a complete success! I feel this trip was the beginning of my new life (I know it's sort of corny). It helped me realize that although I must plan ahead when it comes to food and exercise, I do not need to be obsessed about it like I had been in the pre-op and direct post-op period. I now understand that the last couple of months I have been making real lifestyle changes, not just dieting, and those changes were evident on my trip based on the decent food choices I made and fun I had incorporating exercise.   Another interesting food related thing to happen was when I went to a favorite chain restaurant with friends, I discovered that without being able to scarf down food with liquid, it really wasn't that good. I am now a lot more conscious about how the food tastes seeing that I only get a few bites before being full.   Overall, I learning to live with this wonderful tool and finding that I love it!
deedee

deedee

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Two Victories

This morning when I weighed myself I was at 187.5. This means I am down 50.5 pounds since beginning my pre-op diet in July AND officially am at my halfway mark. I have 49.5 pounds left to go to meet my goal.   Over this past weekend, I did some shopping and fit into many size 14 pants, bought a size 12 dress, and a medium sweater. I went to Chico's and bought size 2 pants (the lady told me that is a normal size 12/14) and a size 1 (normal size 8/10) blazer that sort of fit, but I wouldn't spend that kind of money if it wasn't going to last for a while, so I bought it snug. Now obviously these must be brands that run pretty large, but it still made me feel really happy seeing that just 3 months ago I was wearing sizes 22/24 and couldn't shop in normal sections of stores.
deedee

deedee

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2 months post-op

Today is my two month surgiversary. As of this morning I am 186 pounds; down 52 pounds from the beginning of my pre-op diet (July 7), and 36 pounds since the morning of surgery (August 4). I have been at the same weight (+-2 lbs) for 4 days now.   I am really hoping to make my second weight goal of 184 lbs, by my 30th birthday, which is on October 12. I made this my second goal because it was the lowest weight I have ever been as an adult (my first goal was 199 lbs).   I had my 2 month follow-up visit with my surgeon two days ago. He seemed very happy with my progress and he cleared me for solid foods. He wanted me to get my labs done before this visit, but my vacation did not allow time for that. I'm going in on Friday and he will call to go over them once he's received them.   Overall, I think I am doing very well. I'm still learning to adjust to my sleeve--eating slower, recognizing when I'm full. I'm also noticing that I MUST continue to plan out my food in order to make the best decisions. Last week was my first week back at work (although I'm subbing until the 15th when I take over my classroom again) and I didn't do the greatest with my eating. But thanks to this tool I know I will get back on track and continue to lose.   I am so happy that I had this surgery!!!
deedee

deedee

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TMI...NSV sort of (might not want to read)

A little background... So a big reason for me to have WLS was to be healthy enough to get pregnant. A year ago this month I had my first appointment with a fertility specialist. At that time my cycle was anywhere between 55-80 days (I think). I remember that they gave me medicine in November to bring on my period so they could do 3 day blood work, and it still took 11 days before my period actually came. They determined my fibroids were so large (as well as small) and numerous that I needed to have them removed before proceeding with treatment. I was also diagnosed with PCOS (although my PCP had diagnosed it 2 years previous as well). I had the open surgery to remove the fibroids in Jan. 09 and my next 2 cycles were fairly normal (around 36 days). Then I started really packing on the weight and had an 80 day cycle. I began researching weight loss surgery (there were other factors as well).   Well, for the NSV... This month I had a 28 day cycle! After the last two years, it is just so amazing. I actually recorded the date I thought I ovulated and it was exactly 14 days into the cycle. I am so excited and hopeful that this will continue.
deedee

deedee

1
 

A little carb overload this weekend

When I got home from work on Friday I was a little warm and had a sore throat and cough. I ended up having to cancel my Halloween plans and have spent most of the day today resting and napping. Luckily I never developed a true fever, but my cough has gotten worse and I have a stuffy nose, so I guess I have a head cold.   The problem...this weekend I had a couple of planned things and I was not going to worry about my carb intake (not have candy, but I was going to have tortillas and bread). Even though I had to cancel plans, I still let myself overindulge a bit with the carbs. I had a lot of teriyaki turkey jerky, probably 7 oz. over the weekend (I didn't even weigh it), which I usually limit to 1 oz per day. I had 1/4 of a subway sandwich and actually ate the bottom half of the bread (I usually eat a bite or two of the bread, but I just left the entire bottom on). I also had 2 orange cream bars. Basically I just ate like crap. I know that I will get back on track tomorrow, but I needed to get this off my chest now.   On a positive note, I managed to get my exercise in both Friday and Saturday. I'm also planning to fill out my application to try out as a Jazzercise instructor this coming week. There is a tryout in February and one in June. I was going to wait until June because I wanted to be in great physical shape, but talking with my instructor this weekend, I think I may shoot for the Feb. one. This would mean that I would need to add a little more exercise into my weekly routine.   Saturday was also a great day (besides being sick). After exercising, I went to Old Navy and Ann Taylor Loft and bought new exercise clothes. (I was so sick of having to hold my XL pants up when I was working out or tap dancing.) I bought 2 large pants and 3 size mediums, and they all fit! I also bought 2 size large tank tops. I was so excited.   I also broke out of my mini-stall. This morning I weighed in at 175, but I'm sure I'll be up some weight over the next couple of days once this weekend's eating catches up with me, oh well.
deedee

deedee

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No Scale...

Well, I guess I would have to call myself addicted to the scale. The last couple of nights I have been house/dog sitting for a friend and she doesn't have a scale. I have not been able to weigh myself since Saturday and have actually considered going to buy one at target up the road so I could weigh in tomorrow morning. This is absolutely ridiculous because it would not weigh me the same as mine at home, and really what does it matter, I obviously have scale issues:-) I really do need to have other things to focus on besides my weight. It's hard because I'm here alone with the dog and only had time to run a few errands and meet my husband for an early dinner before I needed to come over to take care of her. I now have the rest of the evening in front of me with no cable and my mind obsessing about if I gained or lost a pound overnight...it's a bit pathetic, but by writing this post I just managed to talk myself out of buying a new scale, so that's good.:ohmy:
deedee

deedee

1
 

4 Month Follow-up Appointment Today

I just got back from my follow-up appointment. The whole office was very excited to see the progress I've made over the last two months. After saying thank you for the compliments, I didn't know what else to say...it got to be a bit embarrassing and I kind of felt awkward.   The surgeon thought my blood work looked pretty good. He's having me take a break from the Vit. D for a month and then start taking 5,000 IUI's every other day (that level was too high, in July it was only 18). He's just having me take 500 mg of vitamin B12 because those levels were high as well. He wasn't concerned at all about my low iron because the saturation looked fine. For my cholesterol, he said to watch my cheese intake (I pretty much add cheese to everything in order to up my protein).   He did bring up my goal weight and basically said he'd like for me to shoot a little lower than just normal, he mentioned 22. We'll see, at 148 lbs I will have a bmi of 24.6, and at that point I know will feel like a success. I think I'll just know when I'm done and that will be that.   At the end of the meeting, I asked him about getting pregnant. He basically said what I thought, I need to be at a healthy weight for 2-3 months and that is usually around 12 months out for most. I'm considering coming back to a low carb diet to speed up the weight loss and hopefully get to goal sooner. I was planning to start trying in June (around 10 months post-op), but it would be great if I could start even sooner :001_tongue:.
deedee

deedee

1
 

Failing

I am currently in a stall and IT'S ALL MY FAULT. Currently I am 4 months, one week out, and am pretty close to being at a normal bmi (my goal for now), but I'm just wondering if I'm ever going to make it.   My mind knows what I need to do, but I'm just not doing it. The biggest problem is that I am now snacking, and not because I'm hungry, which has upped my daily calorie intake. I've also added more fruits and veggies (salads) into my diet, but unfortunately this has meant less protein. Each night of the past week I've had the best intention of starting the next day with a protein drink, but it just hasn't happened. I'm hoping by writing this down, I can recommit to my weight loss journey.   This time of year (winter) has always been an emotional roller coaster for me, but it seems that this year, in particular, has been a lot more extreme "excitedness" and a lot more sadness. Lots of things seem to set me off in tears and then I try to pull myself out of it by focussing (obsessing) on some goal I'd like to accomplish, which excites me and gives me a purpose. The good news here is that my house has never been more organized, I actually spent 48 hours a couple weekends ago cleaning/completely emptying our sitting room, purchasing and putting together furniture and it looks great now!   I guess all this rambling is to say that I'm not doing too well with my sleeve tool. I really do not want to fail and hope I can get my mind back into the game soon.
deedee

deedee

1
 

Thought I'd Share...what lead me to the sleeve

I just responded to someone trying to decide which wls to get, and while I think this is a very personal decision, I thought I'd share that response here. It was a good way for me to remember and reflect on my thought process.   Hello there,   I completely understand where you are coming from with weighing your options here. Ultimately I went with the sleeve because from everything I read about the band I KNEW it wouldn't fit my lifestyle. Yes, I understood that this surgery provided a tool, not magic :-) and we must work it, but I wanted a tool that would be as maintenance free as possible. I read lapbandtalk.com quite a bit and also asked my surgeon (well my husband did) about fills and unfills and finding that "sweet" spot. The surgeon basically said that the majority of people would be at a good restriction with the band by their 4th-6th fill. When my husband asked what about the others and the percentage who are not, the surgeon stated that in his experience some people (about 20 % of his patients) take 8 + months to find the right restriction. Like everyone else, I wanted this weight gone yesterday, and didn't want to find myself in the camp still not at a proper restriction a year out.   The reason we were questioning the surgeon re: band fill/maintenance was because both my husband and myself had similar fears as you. We were concerned with the permanent removal of so much of my stomach with the sleeve, although by that point I wasn't too concerned, but he was. I'd seen written many times on message boards...I want this weight loss to be permanent, so I want a permanent tool and that made sense to me. I read about many people, who had stomach cancer, living just fine with smaller stomachs for decades and that coupled with my own "laziness" and worry about never getting the proper restriction had me switch directions towards the sleeve. Another thing that pushed me were the stories I read of people needing to have the band removed due to erosion and scarring, nothing they could even control. I did not like that possibility at all!   Now on to the sleeve. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I HAVE EVER MADE! As you know I am a little over 4 months out. I am down 62 pounds since the day of surgery and 78 pounds since beginning my pre-op diet (modified Atkins) on July 6 (so 5 months ago). I am definitely eating regular foods and in the last 2 months have not had any trouble getting anything down, sometimes I "slime" or choke from eating/drinking too fast, but I can drink water pretty quickly now without choking. Unfortunately the last month I've let some "bad" foods slip back in and started snacking quite a bit, which has lead to a slow down in my weight loss and caused some mini-stalls. But a couple of days ago I recommitted myself to getting to goal and this morning I was finally down another 1/2 pound. I know that I am not the fastest loser, but I'm happy with the success I've had so far. Below you will find some of the things I attribute my success to besides this great tool:   *Consistent exercise: I do Jazzercise 4 days per week, tap dance once per week, and the first 3 months walked 2-3 times per week (hurt my foot last month and haven't made it to the doctor...it comes and goes, but I'm afraid the doctor will make me stop exercising for a while, I'd rather just limp 2-3 days per week).   *Only drink water for the most part (and protein shakes when I can make myself)   *Visit the message boards and post when I can...this really helps me stay accountable, although the last couple of weeks even that didn't seem like enough   *Attended all of my post-op appointments...another accountability thing   *Desire to get pregnant...my surgeon said that once I was at a healthy weight for a couple of months that I could start trying; I actually have some other woman issues that might hinder this process and want to begin trying as soon as possible to see if I will need more help   *Allowing myself to eat anything I want, but in moderation...I added carbs back in pretty early and am trying to lose the rest of my weight the way I plan to maintain, so I feel as "normal" as possible   Sorry about the book, but I wanted to give you as clear of picture as possible regarding my decision making and thought processes. For all that I stated above, I think the band might be a good surgery for some, but I just decided it wasn't best for me. Please let me know if you have any further questions or just want to chat. I wish you luck with your decision! What a great way to start the new year.   Dee Dee
deedee

deedee

1
 

5 Months Post-op

Five seems to be an important number today. It was five months ago today that I had this life changing surgery, and as of today, I am five pounds from my goal weight.   I can't believe how fast the time has gone. So many changes have happened both physically and mentally. I'm finally getting used to people's comments. One new excellent development that occurred is my ability to wear shoes with heels. I went shopping on Saturday and wore heeled shoes for 7 hours and was pretty okay. Today I wore my boots all day at work and couldn't tell a difference than when I wear flat shoes. I guess with less weight on my body, my feet can handle being elevated.   Back to shopping, I really am developing a problem. Over the last month I have spent way too much money on clothing. I went to outlets in Virginia this past weekend and felt okay buying clothes because I am so close to goal and they should still fit when I drop the rest of the weight, but I know I need to get a handle on things soon.   My eating over the holidays was a little off. I did pretty good up until I went to visit family, but for some reason I REALLY lost it New Year's Eve and Day. Yesterday I finally got sort of back on track and hope to continue to lose 1-2 pounds per week.   As for my goal weight, I'm really thinking that 148 is a good goal weight for me. I'm pretty sure that I should be able to maintain it watching my diet with a few splurges (like last week) and my current exercise plan. I do not want to feel like I'm always on a diet...so for now, I'm thinking that is a good goal weight for me. I have tap tonight, but will have my husband take 5 month pictures when I get back.
deedee

deedee

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Almost...

The last couple of weeks have been super busy. I am a self-paying patient and spent about 1 week trying to get information regarding what the hospital price would/would not cover. Since I purchased a separate insurance policy for complications, I really wanted the hospital to be specific for what their fee covered...you'd think I was asking them to write a dissertation or something. It took a visit and many, many phone calls, but eventually it all worked out.   Another surprising thing that happened was my diagnosis of mild sleep apnea. The sleep studies were horrible experiences and I was so sure after the first one (as was the tech) that although I had a few episodes when sleeping on my back, I would not need the mask (CPAP I think). To my surprise I was called a couple days later and informed that I did have mild sleep apnea and once the patterns had been analyzed there were enough instances of not breathing per hour and for so many seconds that it warranted the mask. My surgeon (or hospital) requires that I use the mask for at least 2 weeks prior to surgery and bring it to the hospital so they can put me on it during recovery from anesthesia. So, I'm trying to use the mask each night for at least a couple of hours.   As for other pre-op stuff, I had my labs done, an ekg, chest xray, and an upper GI test. I had my pre-op with the surgeon a couple of days ago and everything looked great except I was low on vitamin D (18 is what he said, need to look up what that means). I also met with the nutritionist for my last visit before surgery and think I'm ready (in that I know what I can have) as far as the liquid phase goes right after surgery. Luckily I'll meet with her and the doctor each time I progress from one phase to the next on foods.   Now, I'm getting nervous about possible complications and trying to find a new focus to help the next week or so fly by.
deedee

deedee

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Protein

Yay! I'm getting very close to my surgery date now. Tomorrow I will begin 2 days of a clear liquid diet and have surgery on Tuesday.   Over the last couple of weeks I've been trying different protein powders from the list my nutritionist provided and suggestions I've read here and elsewhere.   I found one last week that I could tolerate a little (Syntrax Matrix Orange Cream) and ordered a tub and got the vanilla tub as well. Like I said, I could tolerate it if I sipped it very slowly, but I kept looking.   Well, I just got some samples of Chike protein and I LOVE the orange one mixed with milk. From what I've read it is supposed to be used as a meal replacement because it's higher in calories (especially after the milk I add), but I'm hoping that I like it just as much after surgery. I'm thinking I can use it for a meal and then use another one (lower calories) for supplement purposes. I should be receiving Nectar samples soon and still have some Unjury samples (didn't like much) that I can try after surgery.   On the other hand, my husband tried the chocolate Chike (I don't like chocolate unless it's a Baby Ruth:-) and said it was okay, but he likes his current one better--I thought I was the picky one. He has been a gym rat since about 9th grade and has used protein supplementation for many, many years. He did say if he had to switch to that one, he wouldn't mind, but his is much cheaper and can be purchased at the local store, so I don't think so. Just goes to show how this is such a personal taste thing for everyone.   Well, I've got to help my friend prepare for her 2 year old's birthday party and get ready to eat my last real meal pre-op. I still plan on following the low carb thing today--I've done pretty well with it and have lost 17 lbs (not quite the 10% they wanted, but my surgeon was still happy and applauded my effort).
deedee

deedee

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First Stall

Well, I'm now on day 5 of fluctuating between 202 and 202.5 lbs. I was sort of prepared for a stall, but it really does get old. I'm just trying to get in more protein and calories (I'm almost up to about 500-550 calories per day). I've started forcing myself to drink 1 protein shake a day and am getting in about 45 grams of protein per day. I'm also walking around 2 miles per day, but the last couple of walks have really taken a lot out of me, I was so tired and had to really slow down the second half of the walk.   I called the surgeon's office today and spoke with the nurse (surgeon's on vacation) because this is also day 5 of not having a bowel movement. Her first question was about my liquid intake. I know that yesterday I got in 70 oz of water, but before probably only around 50-60 oz. She told me to take Miralax, although I did take it yesterday and today. I'm going to call back in two days if nothing has moved. I'm not in any kind of pain and just started feeling a little bloated today.   So basically to get through this stall (and constipation) I'm just going to work very hard at following the program by upping my protein intake, my water intake, and walking further. I'm also going to try to start changing up and increasing my calories because I'm starting to get a little bored with my food decisions.
deedee

deedee

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Each day gets better

I'm not sure if I'm still stalling with my weight because I have not weighed myself in two days. I will say that if I am, my weight must be shifting because I wore a skirt today that I couldn't zip at the beginning of my stall.   I'm still learning how to eat in different situations. Yesterday I went to brunch and had scrambled eggs with cheese. It didn't go down very well, felt kind of stuck, but I kept taking bites and tried to chew better. I only ate about 4 bites but I felt overly stuffed for a couple of hours. I got the hiccups sort of (this has been happening when I eat too much), but felt better later in the day after I took a walk.   Today I sort of returned to work. I am a teacher, but will not start this year until mid October because I am taking over for another teacher who will leave and not return once she has her baby. I'm going back to my old job and school, so I went in today for their first work day back. It was great to see everyone and I got a couple of compliments. There is another teacher whose mother passed away yesterday so I will be going in this week to set up her classroom and do what I can for her.   Well, not much else happening right now. I'm just glad that I'm finding other things to focus on besides the scale. I was almost about to get depressed over the stall and then I remembered some fitness goals I wanted to accomplish and decided to start on those. I signed up for a two hour per week tap and jazz class that begins Sept. 10. I'm hoping my surgeon will release me for full exercise when I see him this week so I can start back to Jazzercise (haven't been in well over a year), it's been four weeks and I think I'm ready as long as I don't push myself too hard.
deedee

deedee

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Blood Results

I picked up my blood results today from my PCP's office. I'll be meeting with surgeon next week, so I'll be able to get his interpretation then. My PCP yesterday afternoon briefly stated that I was pretty much normal. I really like how the print out highlighted the areas that fell out of the normal range.   RDW-15.5 % (normal is 11-15 %) high
LDL Cholesterol-130 (normal 0-99) high, but all other cholesterol levels are normal including total cholesterol
Iron (TIBC)-244 (normal is 250-450) low
Vitamin B12-1679 (normal is 211-911) high
Vitamin D-111 (normal is 32-100) high
My pre-op blood work taken at the end of July found that I was low on vitamin D (18) and they had me supplement with 10,000 IUI per day. I'm going to cut back to 5,000 IUI per day until I meet with the surgeon.   They also told me before surgery to supplement with B12 and I think I will just do it 3 days per week now unless the doctor tells me something different.   My iron has been low or borderline low since about high school, but before surgery it was okay enough to not have to supplement (that might have to change now, I'll have to wait and see).   I was told by the nutritionist before surgery to supplement with calcium, but I've been very inconsistent (not at all in the last 3 weeks), but my levels here are normal.   My protein levels are normal.   I can't wait until next week when I can sit down and have the surgeon/nutritionist give me feedback on what I need to be doing.
deedee

deedee

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I'm on my way...

I had my consultation today (2nd surgeon) and have a surgery date scheduled for August 4. I'm supposed to immediately begin eating high protein, low carbohydrate foods/meals. I'm glad about this because the thing I am most nervous about is learning how to eat differently. I'll meet with the nutritionist on July 6, but I'm going to try to do my best up until that point.   As I reviewed the paperwork from the doctor's office this afternoon, it really started to hit me that this new chapter of my life is really going to begin soon. I'm very excited and a bit nervous. I started therapy about a month ago to begin discussing some of my issues with food and I hope that the transition I'm about to make won't be as tough with the right supports in place.
deedee

deedee

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Bariatric Surgeons: Want to research a weight loss surgery surgeon? Enter their last name below to start!

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