So it's been awhile since I have been on this website. I probably shouldn't have stopped blogging my progress. I have gained some weight back. About 15 lbs. not too happy about that. I started this summer. A pound here a pound there. Then October I started packing on the weight. 2.5 in October. 2.5 in November, 5 in December, 2.5 in January, and 2.5 in February. I recognized that the weight was coming on but I kept telling myself that it would come off fast just like before. Well that's not the case. I have been struggling. And I am very frustrated, very disappointed, and a little scared. I lost my confidence for sure. BUT, I made a promise to myself that I was gonna get this turned around and lose the 15 I gained.
One of my issues is not doing any exercise. That can be attributed to my change in work schedule. I have been temporarily assigned to a location 2 hours way so every day is a 13 hour day for me, 2 hour drive, 9 hours working, and 2 hours drive home. There is light at the end of the tunnel. My project ends next week. And I am happy to report that I started working out again 2 days ago and I have an appointment with a pilatites instructor on Saturday.
My second issue is my eating has been inconsistent with the doctors instructions. And it is so easy to get off track. I can eat more now. I have been eating things that are not on the approved list, like bread, rice, and pasta. I haven't been getting enough protein in if at all and I have been waiting too long to eat. Instead of eating three meals and two snacks I've been eating three meals no snacks high carbs high sugar just junk. I also have been eating out a lot. Which is not bad and of itself but the places I've been eating has been fast food and bad fast food like I've been going to Popeyes eating the biscuits and fried chicken, McDonald's small cheeseburger small fries and sweet tea, I've been eating portion sizes that are larger than the three-quarter cup 1 cup restriction. I've been spending longer time eating instead of restricting myself to the 30 minutes so I can eat more in one sitting. And lastly I've been eating when I'm not hungry just bored or for entertainment. I think mainly that's because I'm not drinking enough water so instead of really being hungry I'm really just dehydrated instead of drinking water first I reach for food.
Finally, my husband was also had a surgery has not been the best at the diet either. He eats bags of chips, buy ice cream for the house, buys chocolate and candy for the house, and rather go out to eat.
So I came up with an action plan to try to get myself back on track. Step one was to start exercising which I started this week and tomorrow I have an appointment with a Pilates instructor. Step two, I started tracking my food through my fitness pal again and I bought one of those step trackers. Step 3, blog blog blog.
Anyway, I will let you all know how it is going.
Well, its been 9 months since I was sleeved. I am very happy with the results. In fact, I don't think I have ever been this thin not that my goal was to be super thin. It really weird to see my reflection. Kind of a nice surprise everytime it happens.
Now that my husband has been sleeved too, it is even easier to make good food choice. Nothing was worse than having to try to order a health food option off a menu when everyone around you is ordering cheeseburgers and fried chicken. Its nice to have somewho is that closed to me to truely understand my food challenges. Not that he was wasn't supportive before the surgery...he just can relate more now.
I have lost 96.8 lbs. I started at 208lbs on December 2011. I don't have some excess skin but to be honest it not that bad. There are only 3 areas that really bother me and I saw a plastic surgeon for those areas last week. I have excess skin in my arms, belly, and butt. The good thing is that I only need two surgeries to correct these areas. The bad new is the its going to cost $15,000 to fix it. The one thing I was really pleased with is that I am a canident for a short scar arm lift brachioplasty. The short scar arm lift is achieved by tightening the skin of the upper arm and making an incision in the armpit instead of an incision from the elbow to the armpit. The other really good news is I can take care of my belly and my butt in on operation for a lower body lift. This doctor even offered to do fat injections in my butt to make it rounder, which I have never heard of. Because its so much, I think I am going to do the arm lift first because that bothers me the most ($5,000) then wait a year and do the lower body lift ($10,000) this will also give me time to save for the lower body lift since its so much.
So close yet so far. I have been on a two week stall. It’s crazy. I am really trying hard not to freak out. I have been under a lot more stress lately. About a month ago, my older brother had heart failure. It was really scary. They were not sure if he was going to make it…but he did…now he is living with me…for now.
My brother is morbidly obese, drank heavily, and was not taking his high blood pressure meds. Since moving in, he has gotten the blood pressure under control, quit drinking because now he can’t or it will kill him, and he has loss 30 lbs. in 30 days! As a heart patient myself, it was easy for me to tell him what he needed to change in his diet and near death experiences can be pretty motivating. But it made me a little sad that I could not stick to my own advice 5 years ago which lead me to having WLS to begin with. Then again, as I watched his pain and fear, I realized that I made the right decision for myself 6 months ago. I will be honest with you…there was the little bit of doubt in the back of my mind up until that day…could I have done it on my own…maybe I could had…No…watching him there in the hospital bed with all the machines and the wires and the doctors…No…I could not have done this on my own. If I did not take this step, that could have been me all over again. My weight and my eating habits were slowly killing me. I did not do this to look thin. I did this because I wanted to live…and live well…and live happy and so now I am living well and happy for the first time in my life.
But back to my stall, this has been the longest stall so far. I really should not complain because I am 4’ 11’ and 123 lbs with according to the BMI chart I am NORMAL!!!! I passed my personal goal of 130 about 3 weeks ago but I am 3 lbs shy of my doctor’s goal. I really wanted to be there by this Friday for my 6 month follow up.
I did finally join a gym last week but I have only gone once…I feel out of place there…so many mirrors. Still not used to seeing myself. Also…tee hee…when I went to the gym several men were checking me out…tee hee. Not used to that either. I am definitely going today. I am hoping to lose at least 1 lb before I Friday.
Its been 4 months, 2 weeks, and 1 day since my surgery and I feel great. I finally got the hang of this sleeve thing. I don't feel bad any more about not being able to eat what everyone else is eating. I am a size 4 and a S to XS shirt. I have had to buy all new clothes for the 5th time but I don't care because I really enjoy it. I still gravitate to the women sizes and I get these weird looks from the ladies there but then I find my way back to the correct area. I am really happy. I haven't been this happy about my looks since...well..ever.
The gurgles and gas is the worst. I am suppose to eat a quarter of a cup of food per meal but when I eat I get air in my stomach then the pressure in my throat which makes me think I am full. I eating less that a quarter of a cup at each sitting. Then sometimes I don't even bother eating at all. It is impossible to find healthy options most of the time.
Having the worst day ever!!!! I am soooooooooo thirsty I can't stand it. I am at a client sight managing the work of 12 other people on this project and I am just sooooo stressed out I forgot to drink most of the day. I ate ok but I forgot my protein. GRRRRR!!!
I had a meeting this week with one of my working groups that physically meets once a year for two days and so many people really noticed the difference with me. The team lead couldn’t figure it out, the difference I mean, so I told him that I lost 57 lbs with the assistance of a weight loss surgery called a gastric sleeve. Then I answered all the usually questions. So we got on the topic of weight loss surgery and one of the girls said that her sister died from WLS (Gastric Bypass). OMG. I felt sooooo bad but the weird thing about her story was she did not die from the surgery but 5 years after because she became addicted to food again. She didn’t go into the details but it seems to me based on what she was saying that her sister didn’t follow the doctor’s diet plan, very much like me friend who went through Gastric Bypass 10 years ago. There have been sooo many people who have come up to me to tell me about people they know people who gain their weight back after Gastric Bypass. I know I had a gastric sleeve but I really hope that I am not one of those who do gain their weight back.
On a happier note, I am a size 10 and I am 2 lbs. from being overweight. So far I have lost 58 lbs. in 81 days, that’s 5 lbs. a week on average. Of course I am no losing 5 lbs. a week but my breakdown is as follows:
Month 1: 35 lbs., Size 18/20, XXL
Month 2: 13 lbs., Size 14/12, L
Month 3: 10 lbs., Size 10, M
As you can see, it is slowing down. I hope to lose 10 lbs a month until I reach my goal. I have only 20 lbs. to lose to reach my personal goal but 30 for the doctor’s goal. I am thinking I should just stick with my doctor’s goal.
Lastly, my husband is going forward with his surgery. We went to his first appointment. They change their program a little so the cost went up by 100 bucks but that’s ok. We expect that he will go under in August.
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So last week I was on travel and I did pretty good. I didn't get the eat all the things that everyone else was eating, which made me a little sad. My coworkers went to famous local places like Fat Matt's Rib Shack, Glady's Chicken and Waffles, and the Flying Bisquik. I didn't go but everyone else did and said "it's the best they had ever had." Tradition southern cooking...deep fried or full of sugar...I miss food like that.
BUT...it did have fun with everyone saying how good I looked and see old friends. I also noticed that I suddenly became very interesting to many of the men there. Tee hee! I did do realy good eating too. I mainly had the breakfast that I packed (mini wheats) with soy milk and apart of a banana. For lunch, I have the dinner from the night before. For dinner I had grilled chicken with a salad, salmon with asparagus, and steak with green beans. I didn't workout because I forgot to pack my workout outfits. But my best friend and coworker found a really big mall near by which we walked for about two hours a night...stopping of course to shop. I didn't by anything because I didn't want to spend any money on something that was only going to fit for a month. For my protein shakes, I had the Nectar brand packs, which was great because they are really easy to mix and taste great!
When I got home, the first thing I did was weight myself. I was only hoping that I didn't gain anything. However, to my pleasant surprize, I drop 4.6 pounds. I am about 5 pounds away from being classified as "overweight".
WOW...never thought I would be overjoyed to lose 0.2 lbs before but hey...a loss is loss, right?!?!
Well Monday I will be going on a business trip away from home. This will be the first long trip since my surgery. I am very concerned about how successful I will be away from my refrigerator and my resources. But I am taking with me my protein packs and 4 – 4oz containers of mini wheat’s. I found a grocery store near the hotel and my boss is renting a car so I will be able to drive there on the first day. My doctor even wrote me a note that says I need to have access to frig and microwave. Hopefully, they will be able to meet my needs.
If any of you have traveled this early with a sleeve (9 wks), tell me how it went.
So I modified my breakfast for the last couple of days to see if that would help and it worked. I have strawberry mini wheats in soy milk and some banana. Went down great. But I have not lost any weight 5 days. In fact, I went up by half a pound and I am really trying hard not to freak out. So I worked out longer today. We shall see how I did tomorrow. Wish me luck.
One of my issues was not getting in my protein shakes in between my meal. During yesterday's visit to my doctor's I admitted that I just couldn't do it. It was smell and taste that would make me gag! And I tried quite a few different types. The only one that doesn't bother me as bad is chocolate flavored ones, which is funny because before the surgery, I could drink chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc. I even made shakes with oj and lemonade...for example if you mix vanilla powder with oj it tasted like a creamsicle...or strawberry powder with lemonade....yummy then....yucky now. So all your pre-surgery folks...be prepared...what you like now you may not like after.
I have noticed that my hair is falling out more so than normal. The nurse explained that this is normal for two reasons...(1) the shock of surgery and the sudden drop in calories will cause this to occur and (2) not getting enough protein also causes hair loss. Good news is that is only last between 3-6 months and it can be corrected. Sooooo my goal is to ensure that I drink a protein shake twice a day as directed. My hair loss is really not that big a deal for me because I have A LOT and I mean A LOT of hair and my hair is very thick and coarse so I don't think losing a few strands is going to break the bank but I will say that my girlfriend who had bypass loss her hair and it did not look good. She looked like she was balding. She was not getting her protein in at all. Today, she looks normal but she also gained back 50+ pounds. I am happy to report that I am able to drink a full 8 ozs of a protein shake at this point in one sitting but it does take an hour.
The other issue I have been having lately is diarrhea. It's not all the time but very random and quite sudden. Since I have not been tracking what I have been eating everyday (which you should be doing by the way), I have no idea what was triggering it. The nurse said that it is not uncommon to become lactose intolerant after surgery and that milk can cause diarrhea. Or sugar is the problem...I know what you are thinking...you had gastric sleeve not bypass...well guess what...you can get dumping syndrome in a gastric sleeve as with bypass but without the horrible cramps as with bypass. She explained that when you introduce large amounts of sugar into the system this will cause your body to “dump” water into your intestinal track to flush it out causing diarrhea. I asked about fiber sups to help. She said she would not have an issue with that but I have to get in at least 64 oz of water in a day and I am not there yet. If you take fiber sups. without adequate water you will be constipation. SOOOOOo…I am trying Silk instead of milk. Read the labels because Almond Silk only has 1 gram of protein and regular Silk has 6 grams. Also, I was admitted that I had a tall skinny caramel macchiato which has 24 grams of sugar!!!!! (the light came on). NOT TO CONFUSE PRE-SURGERY READERS but you are only supposed to have 6 grams of sugar per meal…that’s added sugar…naturally occurring sugar is ok like in fruit.
Anyways, it time for lunch…
Going back to work was a lot harder than I thought. My job requires that I travel to local site 2-3 times a week and sometimes I would forget my lunch so I had to eat out. But I think I have finally adjusted.
I hate to admit it but I had buyer's remorse up until week 6. Three things happened...(1) I was able to get into a size 14, (2) I was able to drink 50 oz of water and didn't have dry mouth any more and (3) my husband told me that he was going to go through the surgery as well. Eating is better too.
So today I had my 8 week follow up with the nurse and dietition. I am not longer under any restriction. I can have strawberries, nuts, and drink through a straw. YAY!!!!!! Also, I have lost 43 lbs and I fit into a size 12 comfortably but can squeeze into a size 10. My back no longer hurts. My knees no longer crack. I can run up and down the stairs no problem. I feel great! It was totally worth it. Oh...and my sex life is amazing!!!!! :wub:
Sorry I haven’t been in touch for the past 10 days. So the day after my follow-up, things felt easier because I had an explanation as to why I was in so much pain.
On Day 12, I was given permission to go from CLEAR (teas, water, crystal lite, broth, plus 2 protein shakes mixed with milk) to FULL liquids, which meant that I could have a creamy soup, vegetable juice, sugar free Jell-O, Cream of Wheat, sugar free pudding, fat free yogurt.
On Day 14, I was given permission to go on the Mushy diet plan. The first thing I tried was tuna…not good. I was told that I should have 3 meals and 2 proteins shake. The meal are to be 2 tablespoon of a protein, 1 tablespoon of a veg and 1 tablespoon of a fruit…4 tablespoons total. So I tried 2 tablespoons of tuna with 1 saltine cracker (which is permitted also, if you’re not doing a fruit or veg)…an oh boy it tasted good going down but not so good coming back up. Soooo, I have learned that I can only take in 2 tablespoons at a time. I also wanted to report that I do not have any pain what so ever at this point. The only thing I have is an uncomfortable feeling in my throat if I eat too much.
On Day 15, I went back to work…got a little sick at work because my friend and I were talking and I was not paying attention to how much I was putting in my mouth. But I am happy to report that I have only vomited one time.
On Day 18 and Day 19…when out to eat with my family for the first time. It wasn’t to bad. I order soup and tea. Because I haven’t been drinking enough, my nutritionist said I can skip the 30/30 rule (for those who don’t know that rule…you have to stop drinking 30 meals before and after the meal) to only 30 mins after the meal. This has helped a lot. I will tell you that I am very tempted to gulp my water but that give me gas pain and it’s just not worth it.
So I went to my first follow up at my doctor’s office. The nutritionist said I was doing fine and to not worry about not being able to get 64 oz of water but to try to drink as much as possible. The gurgling was normal but it might be easier to warm up the water a little or add crystal light to the water. The nurse explained that because I was had a hiatal hernia repair I was experience more pain than most Gastric Sleevers, and that in 4 weeks I would feel like everyother Sleevers.
8:00 AM. Happy Valentine’ Day everyone! I feel great today. I can stand up completely straight longer than before. My incisions do not hurt at all. I only have slight lower ab soreness and I mean slight. I only notice it when I stretch. My stomach is way less bloated but still a little tender on the top half of my abs. I think this is due in part to the hiatal hernia repair I had in addition to my VS.
I am having a protein shake for breakfast this morning. Will check in later.
9:30 PM. I finally was able to drink 32 oz of water. And I was able to get in 1 1/2 protein shakes. And I walked 1.0 miles today. I think I just turned the corner.
Feeling really good today. No longer need to take my liquid pain killer during the day. And I was able to get in more protein today and more calories. Still can't get enough water in. Its very frustrating!!!! I sip and I get gas then I get pain. How long is this going to last??????!!!!!??? GRRRRR!!!!!!!!
I was able to to do 30 min staight on the treadmill today. Did about 3/4 of a mile. Tomorrow's goal is 1.0 mile.
Feeling better than yesterday. Yesterday, I felt pretty good when I woke up but as soon as I started drinking the pain came back. I never thought I would say this but I have to force myself to eat. The thought of consuming something is giving me anxiety.Last night I took out the pain pump. It was not painful at all but the water proof tape tugged a bit on one of my incisions. After I got it out, I took an hour long shower. I hadn’t been able to take a full shower is 4 days!!!! My hair was so nasty, I washed it 3 times. I finally felt human again.
This morning I woke up feeling great. I just feel a little sore. Still hurts to cough or sneeze. I am trying not to take the liquid pain meds as often because it’s running low.
One note to people who have not had surgery yet, DO NOT WEIGHT YOURSELF WHEN YOU GET HOME!!!! You are pumped up with so much fluid when you are in the hospital that you can be up to 15 lbs heavier and you will look really puffy. My hands looked like ballons. I was 13lbs heavier 4 days ago but today I am only 0.4 lbs heavier from the day before surgery.
Wow what a difference a day makes. I suddenly feel soooooo much better. My belly still gurgles but I learned that this is total normal. Drinking water is easier. I have already had 8oz of water. Still burping a lot after I drink. I just can’t seem to sip without swallowing air. Most of my pain is internal. Of course, it hurts really bad when I sneeze or cough.
Blood pressure is a lot better than when I was in the hospital. Two days ago is was 175/97. Today its 134/86. Still a little high but less concerning.
Also walking a little faster. Yesterday I walk 3 x for 10 min at 1.0 miles per hour. Today I walked 1 x for 10 min at 1.5 miles per hour. My goal today is to walk 5 times. :Banane06:
It is the end of Day 3 since my surgery. Still pretty sore but I am been really good about taking the pain med. I was having problems drinking. When I drink, my I get a lot of gurgling in the belly. The only thing that has worked was sugar free popsicles but that taste really syrupy. Anyone else have this problem? And if so, how long does it last. I was able to get 10 oz. of water down today and 20 grams of protein. Tomorrow’s goal is 20 oz. water and 40 grams of protein.
Yesterday they prepared me for coming home. Which meant taking out the IV and the drainage tube and instruction on how to inject myself with the blood thinner and remove the pain pump that is still in me. Let me tell you that I have broken my ankle twice, had two c-section, one natural child birth and almost died from a cardiomyopathy 6 years ago and nothing, and I mean NOTHING compared to the pain of removing the drainage tube. I screamed at the top of my lungs and cursed. I even said the one thing I promised myself I would never say "this isn't worth it". I cried for a good 30 min after.
So my surgery was done on Feb 7, 2012 (2 days ago). Everything went smoothly. The pain was bad but with the pain meds a little better. What bothered me about the pain med is that they made me very sleepy which made it really hard for me to do my walks. So that switched it with liquid Vicodin.
