Today I had my drains removed. That was quite the experience, not the most painful thing but the most uncomfortable thing ever. I thought the drain tube was only a few inches inside me, I was wrong. Those tubes are like 1.5 feet long with a thick plastic ending. My stomach area is pretty sore from the drain removal but other than that I'm doing great. I must say I feel like I could eat anything as long as I chew it enough. I had campbells chicken noodle soup today. Chewed the noodles/chicken many times before I swallowed and it went great, no indigestion or anything. Finally figured out how to make a good protein shake (thank you booster juice). I also had some nibbles of a cheese string and a few bites of scrambled egg whites. I know the stomach takes time to heal, but after that terrible 2 week pre op diet I couldn't wait anymore to chew something. Hopefully my eating doesn't cause any problems. In my defence the first week post op was water and juice only as I was still in the hospital with complications, not from my stomach but a nick in my cavity. In other news, I'm currently wearing a shirt that I haven't worn in 2 years due to my size.
I had VSG on Monday Feb 28, 2011. Everything seemed to be going well when I woke up after the surgery but as the hours passed I knew something wasn't right. I was rushed back to the O.R. on March 1, where the doctors drained internal bleeding and huge bloodclots. I have never felt so sick in my entire life. Wednesday was terrible as I had to do leaks tests and could barely keep the dye I had to drink down. Thursday and Friday went great, a little queasy and sore (my back) but other than that I was fine. I went home Saturday morning with two drains in me that will be removed (hopefully) on Tuesday. Everyday I'm doing better and better, and losing some serious weight.
highest weight - 318
weight before pre-op diet - 294
weight before surgery - 274
current weight - 247
I can't believe it's been a month since my surgery. I feel absolutely amazing..and look pretty amazing too. I bought myself a gym pass this past week, the first time I went I did get a little light headed but it's all good now. This week I went shopping for some new clothes. I bought myself size 16 jeans (was a 22) and some L/XL shirts (was a 3X). At first I thought I would need some sort of reconstructive surgery but my skin is not loose or saggy at all. I guess it's true what they say age and length of obesity really does play a part in skin elasticity.
Woke up sunday morning with a sore throat/head cold. Woke up this morning dry heaving and feeling like a bus ran me over. I called the surgeons office to let them know how I'm feeling and I was told to take some gravel and if the nausea doesn't go away that I need to come to the hospital. Im feeling alright now but still kinda scared. The last thing I need right now is a leak. Other than not feeling great I'm doing ok. I'm getting in most of my protein, I'm supposed to get 60-80g a day and I'm getting in at least 55g a day. My weight is steadily going down, today I weighed in at 258. Even with the complications I had, this was the best decision I've ever made.
Today I decided to keep track of my weight loss journey, so here it goes. After reading all the stories about the pre op diet i was pretty nervous to start it. I was put on the 2 week meditrim diet. 2 shakes, 1 bar, 2 cups of vegetables and plenty of water everyday. Day 1 was great i had no hunger pains, headaches or dizzy spells. I had 2 vanilla shakes, one peanut butter bar and lots of liquids. Im also allowed to have decaffeinated coffee or tea with sweetener and skim milk as well as anything 5 calories or less. Day 2 so far is going good. I was pretty tired around 10am but i figured i would be tired on such a low calorie diet. I just made some crystal light popsicles to help with snacking habits, hopefully they turn out good.
Today so far is going great. I mixed my vanilla protein powder with cold black coffee instead of water and it was amazing. I still haven't had any hunger pains or headaches. This morning I weighed myself because I was curious. I started the diet weighing 294 and as of this morning I weighed 286. I couldn't believe it so I took a 30 pound weight and weighed it. Turns out the scale is right, I lost 8 pounds in 3 days. The crystal light popsicles I made yesterday turned out pretty good. Once I finish them I'm going to make a batch of Arizona peach ice tea popsicles.
Note to self...don't mix chocolate protein powder with black coffee. Other than that little mishap day 4 is going great. I feel better than I've felt in months, make that years. I lost another 2 pounds which means I lost 10 pounds in 4 days. My nutritionist told me I would only lose 15-20 pounds on the 2 week diet so I'm probably going to have to call my nutritionist if the weight loss keeps up like this.
Day 5 and still going strong. I do admit I was a tad bit moody today but lack of sugar will do that to a person. I got a new blender today and bought the protein powder for after my surgery. As the days count down I get even more excited.
The pre-op diet is finally starting to take it's toll. I was so tired and weak all day I even had to leave work early. All I want to do is sleep which isn't so bad as it makes the days go by. We got all new "blue menu" (healthy) products in at work today, it took some will power to walk away from sampling them. Hopefully I'll be trying them out soon enough. Tonight for dinner I'm having spaghetti...squash. Only 8 more days to go!
Today is going much better than yesturday. I'm not tired at all or grumpy. The squash I made last night turned out great *says the bf* but i didnt like the texture at all. The choclate flavored protein shake is really starting to bother me. At first I could handle it but now it's just gross. I'm going to call the pharamacy to see if I can switch the chocolate for vanilla, I doubt they will let me but it doesn't hurt to try. I'm getting so excited for my surgery I've already started to browse the non-plus size stores. I'm also excited for the money I'll be saving. I'm sick of paying an extra $50 for an additional 3 inches of material.
Today my boyfriend and I went through all of my old clothes. I found tons of clothes that I never got a chance to wear because I gained weight. This made me even more excited for the surgery. So far I'm feeling great today. I'm making cauliflower soup for dinner. Having experience in the kitchen is really paying off, being able to make food taste good without adding fat. The zumba game for the wii is a pretty good workout, but I can't stand the music.
I think I'll try it on mute with my ipod on next time. Tomorrow I have a meeting with the anesthesiologist to discuss the surgery.
Today I had my final appointment before my surgery. I met with the anesthesiologist to go over my medical history and talk about the surgery day. I totally forgot about the breathing tube, I knew you needed one while under general anesthesia but for some reason it slipped my mind. I was also put off with the fact that after they take the breathing tube out I can't have water for 2 hours. I hate having a scratchy throat and no water. Over the weekend I ordered the book I'm going to read while in the hospital, if I'm awake. Technically it's not a book but a graphic novel, The Walking Dead omnibus 3. I have to mention that I have a thing for zombies. Only 6 more sleeps!
Today I bought bio oil, palmers coco butter (for after pregnancy and weight loss) and a body scrubbing brush. I know these products aren't a tummy tuck/body lift in a bottle, but even if they don't reduce scars/stretch marks or firm my skin up at least i'll have really soft, even toned skin. I don't think i'm going to have that big of a problem with excess skin but you never know. All of my excess weight is pretty evenly spread out over my body, no bulging belly or backside. In other news I've had a headache since 3pm. I took a tylenol but without an advil (which I can't take) there's not much hope. Hopefully it won't last too much longer.
Day 11 - I cheated. I had 1 light part skim mozzarella cheese string. I know most wouldn't consider that cheating but I do. I just caved, I needed something solid in my stomach. It was amazing, I didn't feel guilty at all and I still lost another pound. The bio oil I bought the other day is amazing. I used it on my face and the back of my arms. I can already tell a difference is skin tone, it's not as uneven. The coco butter is probably my favourite lotion ever. It smells amazing and made my skin so smooth.
So I can't stand the music on the zumba game but I love the wii fit plus. My boyfriend and I compete each other in workouts. It's actually really fun and playing with him makes it seem like we're not working out. I noticed that somewhere over the past 2 weeks I must have missed a few protein shakes, hopefully this won't affect anything. I've got everything I need for after my surgery, well except the book that I ordered. Now I'm left just counting the hours down.
Today I made a cup of tea with rotten skim milk. Somehow I didn't notice till half way done when, when my stomach started to gurgle. Not fun! Only 2 more sleeps till my surgery.
