Iwant2Bthatgirl

Full release at my 6 week post-op visit today! I am approved to go back to work with no restrictions. I weighed in at 228, day of surgery weight 251, pre-op initial weight 269, total loss 41 lbs, 23 since surgery. Better than that, I'm wearing clothes that I haven't been able to fit in for two years! I'm really excited about my weight loss so far.

I told myself I was going to document from the start of my pre-op diet through my journey (I hate that word ... it sounds fruity, but it is what it is. Moving on!) however, I apparently am still a procrastinator. Whoops. Well one bad habit at a time I suppose. I'll tackle weight loss first and procrastination ... eventually! So, I'll spend a bit of time catching up. Now I am under no assumption that anyone is really going to read my ramblings, but I wanted to do this for me so I can look back in a year, roll my eyes at the kind of dork I am, and be happy about how far I've come.
 
 
Pre-Op - the dreaded 14 day liquid diet (aka What do you mean I can't drink tequila, it's a liquid!!)
 
Before I started my 14 day liquid diet, I had to wrap my brain around what craziness I was about to put my body through. Part of me was quite thrilled because it made deciding what to have for each meal very easy and it was very easy on dishes and the grocery budget. However, there was another part of me that was cussin like a sailor .... that was the part that didn't want to give up pizza, or pasta, or margaritas. So, I duct taped the mouth of the inner voice that wanted the junk food and tossed her in a closet .... I had me some work to do!
 
My pre-op diet consisted of 2 daily Bariatric Advantage shakes, and I could also have SF pudding, broth, SF jello, SF popsicles, SF creamsicles, Gatorade, SF applesauce and light yogurt. Wow, my doctor just recommended me the diet of a 6 year old. So, in I went on day 1 and I have to admit it was not bad at all. The worst part about it so far had seemed just making sure I was prepared to take all my liquid goodies to work since I had to eat something every 2 hours, in addition to the 64 oz. of water I had to consume. Fortunately I found a little trick for myself on the water, in that the Gatorade bottles I had were also 64 oz, so once I had drained one of those, I kept filling up my daily water in one of the Gatorade bottles so I knew if I had my minimum in. It really helped me make sure I was getting my water in.
 
I have to say, I did pretty darn good .... until about day 4 when I realized I wasn't have anything salty, and my body was starting to scream for it. I'd had broth, but it wasn't really cutting it at all. This is when I discovered the magic that is frozen green beans! My NUT had told me my snacks had to be no more than 100 calories per serving and these were 20 per serving, so score! I was able to add some greenies to my diet with a dash of sea salt and I got the salty taste from time to time that I was craving.
 
Something that stood out to me during this phase was the sheer volume of food advertisements that were on TV -- and even weirder to me, I didn't want any of it. It surprised me that I actually had no cravings at all when I saw or smelled food. However, back to my original point - there is a ridiculous amount of advertising on TV not only for food, but for food that is utter crap. It's no wonder so many people are rockin weight problems - it's plastered all over the television! I can't say that I recall more than 1 or 2 for something healthy ... which is really scary.
 
I finally came to the last day of my pre-op diet though - I had survived!!
 
Day of Surgery - June 13th, 2012
 
My surgery was scheduled to begin at 7:30 am and I had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am. My procedure would be performed by Dr. Christopher Hart of Atlanta Bariatric and I would be in Emory Hospital, Johns Creek, GA. I wasn't one bit nervous that day because of the absolutely amazing job Dr. Hart and his staff did in preparing me for that day, as well as all the reading and research I had done on the VSG forums. I was ready !! I got my IV, said my bye's to my mom, and went down to the holding room where I met my OR nurses who were also fantastic. One of them had sleeve surgery a few years prior with Dr. Hart and had nothing but awesome things to say, which made me feel even better. I was surrounded by medical professionals who had nothing but the highest regard for the guy who was going to take out 70% of my tummy - totally ready for this!! I'm very fuzzy from the point they gave me the "i don't give a rats behind about anything drug" and wheeled me into the OR until some point I was waking up in my room. I vaguely remember going into the OR, seeing a nurse with cats on her scrubs, a few brief flashes in recovery, but that's about it. When I woke up, I thought I was going to be in pain ... but none. Cool !! I spent quite a few hours drifting off to little mini naps and every time I woke up, no pain, no nausea.
 
They did get me up for my first walk after 4 hours of getting into my room and I was ready for a whole world of pain the second I got up. Nope, nothing. I swear, I actually checked to make sure I had the incisions because it did not feel like anything had been done - certainly, I had to have some pain, right? I had the incisions, but no pain and they assured me that they did in fact do the surgery and it was very successful. I wasn't up for eating much of anything that day, even though they brought me my trays of clear liquids. I did manage a popsicle, some broth and a bit of water but I was mostly sleepy.
 
When I wasn't sleeping though, I was finding I wanted to get up and try walking. I was walking about every 2.5 - 3 hours and I was really surprised at how well I was doing. By morning, I was slowly consuming broth and jello and water. Holy crap, still no pain! I had been asking for my pain meds of course, but it was usually ever 4.5 hours or so, just to see if I would experience any. I had some minor discomfort, but nothing painful. Clearly, I had the best doctor ever!!! Fortunately I was cleared to go home after just an overnight stay - Dr. Hart was very pleased with my progress and I certainly was very pleased with how I was feeling. I was pretty tired and zapped of energy, but that was a pretty easy surgery all things considered.
 
I have to give mini props to the hospital though as they have their own Bariatric wing where everything is designed with the bariatric patient in mind - even the beds were pretty comfortable as far as hospital beds go! The other thing I loved about them is that they have a second bed in the room (all rooms are private) for your guest if they want to stay overnight with you, which I think is pretty darn cool considering a lot of people come from out of town for this surgery, so that saves their care giver a night in a hotel room. In short, I cannot recommend this hospital or this surgeon more - everything was stellar!!
 
As I was getting checked out, I asked the nurse when I should start taking my blood pressure meds again (assumed they had been giving them to me in hospital since all my vitals were always right on target and normal). I was a bit surprised to find out that they had been giving me nothing for my BP -- and my BP had been giving normal readings. Say what??!
 
Post Op - I'm Home!
 
I've done a lot of sleeping since I've been home since my energy has been pretty zapped the entire time, but it's been improving. One of my first calls was to my general MD to ask her about my BP medication. Even though the hospital said I could start taking it, I wanted to make sure because I was a bit scared of my BP dropping too low (think that's the first time I've ever had that thought in my life!) She of course asked me to come and I did and I about fell out of my chair when she told me that I could stop taking my 2 BP meds. Say what??!! I'm 2 days post op and I'm completely normal on my blood pressure?? Holy @#$(!!! She asked me to monitor my BP at home, journal it and come back to her in 2 weeks - if I saw my BP spike, I should only take 1/2 of 1 pill. Whoa. I'm pleased to report I'm now 6 days in and my BP is still normal. Wow, that was fast!!!
 
Overall, I've been doing pretty well at home. I did set my alarm to make sure I was walking every 4 hours still and doing my breathing exercises to keep my lungs open. On day 3 I did get the dreaded gas in my shoulder but a few Gas X strips and my walking got that out of there by the next morning, thankfully!! I'd have to say day 3 was probably the worst, just because of the gas pain in my shoulder so every time I would do my deep breathing exercises, I was getting spikes of pain in my side and in my shoulder - not a fun day!
 
I'm fortunate that my work allows me to work from home on my lap top so I started doing work on day 5. I found that I could sit in front of the computer, but not for long periods of time yet - I would get achy in the middle and tired, but I'm building up to it!
 
All in all, I would do this again in a heart beat and recommend this surgery to anyone who asked. I feel it's very important to have good support around you, know exactly what you're getting yourself into, have a plan of how you're going to execute everything, and above all - find the best surgeon you can !!!!

Tomorrow, tomorrow, he'll sleeve me tomorrow.....it's only a day away!!!
 
Yes, I love music.....and shoes. Funny how those 2 things seem to be the back drop of my life and memories.
 
But for tomorrow, I am as ready as I'll be.
 
My mother asked yesterday if I was afraid, if I was prepared. My answer was, " I don't have time to be afraid or prepare. Are you kidding me?" And that is so true. Between work (I really do love my job), my 4 kids, and 1 very pregnant daughter in law.....I am a busy girl. I laughingly told my mom "I'm really kinda looking forward to the 24-48 hours of peace and quiet!"......she just sighed.
 
My sister calls today (she is the youngest). She is excited for me to have the WLS so she can see how much trouble it is. Honestly, why am I the guinea pig? I'm the oldest, that's why. She's obese too and knows something has gotta give.......she's just hoping that something won't be her knee!
 
Weight, really is a ghost......haunts every aspect of your life.
 
My kiddos are pretty pumped. The father's day card I gave their father depicted a man dressed in tails with a shapely woman in a red dress on his arm (wearing great, black, high high heels). They all laughed and said,"Dad, that'll be you and mom next year!' I laughed too cause I was thinking the same thing!!
 
I don't have any wisdom, poignant thought at this point.
 
I'm too busy day dreaming about really great heels.................

Well I went in today for my 1 week post opp follow up. I can say that I was very happy with where my weight was and the nurse was happy with my progress so far. I started on May 4th, 2012 at my pre-opp weighing 324.5 lbs. Today I weighed one and a half weeks after pre-opp and one full week post opp of 305.0 lbs. This is the most exciting thing watching this weight come down. My sister in law just posted some pictures of when I was about 12 years old in her and my brother's wedding and I was so overweight then and so glad to know that I finally have the tools to get my weight under control where it has been running wild for 20 years now.

Hard to believe that it's been 1 month today. I really can't believe the difference! This weekend has been absolutely awesome. Saturday, we worked at the Food Bank, then came home for lunch and a nap (I had tuna salad, hubby had tuna salad sandwich with fresh fruit and potato salad). Then we worked on the fence around our barn, as some of our hens have been sneaking out during the day to go foraging around. We live out in the country where we have foxes, racoons, possums, bobcats and even black bear. Not to mention the dogs that everybody seems to like "dumping" out here. So now the girls can't get out and get eaten. I would dearly miss their fresh eggs! Their eggs have been a god-send during my initial recovery! Later we went to town, and went out to eat. I was nervous about going, but felt that it was time for me to step out and see what I could handle. We ended up at Red Lobster. I ordered the wood-grilled scallops, shrimp and chicken, with asparagus on the side, hold the salad please. I was able to eat 2 scallops and about 5 stalks of the Asparagus - they were super tiny. Got a "to go" container and brought the rest home. DH even ate super slow with me, (got a to go container too) and we spent the time talking and catching up on stuff from the week.DH even confessed that he was absolutely terrified for me having the surgery, but wanted me to be happy, and felt that if this was what it took, then he would support me. He said that he was so thankful that it was working for me, and that I was feeling really good, and he was also very glad that the first month was past.
 
Today, while I was getting ready for church, I noticed that my pantsuit was way too big. So I had a mild panic attack thinking that I didn't have anything to wear. I looked further back in the closet and found another pantsuit that I hadn't worn in a long time. It was a size 20. I held the pants up to me and told DH that there was no way I could wear them. He said for me to try them on. So I did. And what a shock it was that they went on with no problems, and even after I zipped them up . . . they weren't the least bit tight!!!!! I was so shocked!! I've lost 30lbs so far, but I didn't know it would make such a difference. Prior to surgery I was a 24W, and now I'm in 20's. I keep thinking that maybe they have the wrong size tags in them. After church, DH and I enjoyed our leftovers. I still couldn't finish all of mine, so I had them for dinner tonight too.
 
On Friday, as I was taking Mom to town for 2 of her doctor's appointment's, she said, "I don't think you notice this, but you have so much more energy". I said, "Well, I'm almost a month out from surgery, and if my energy wasn't starting to ramp up, I'd be a bit worried". She said, "No, that's not what I meant. I mean your energy is much more that it was even way before the surgery. Before the surgery, you always seemed tired. I am really proud of what you've done. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and I'm really proud of you for doing it". Wow - Mom made my day! I know my Mom loves me, but I can't recall the last time she told me she was proud of me. And, since she's mentioned it, I have to say, that of course she's right. I hadn't really noticed it, but I DO have more energy than I've had in a while.
 
What a blessing this has been for me so far! I look forward to the next 30 days to see what is in store for me

I had my sleeve on Feb 1st and the surgery went great. The surgeon described it as "textbook" and I was only in there for a little over an hour. The pain was not severe, well as long as I didnt try to bend over to put my underwear on (but thats a whole nother story lol). The pain medication more than manages the pain. I didnt have any problems with nausea while in the hospital, the pain thing I noticed was stomach spasms. From the time I woke up from anesthesia I kept feeling this sensation in my upper abdomen that felt like I was hungry. I kept telling my surgeon "I think Im HUNGRY!!?!". She just smiled and explained to me that I was feeling stomach spasms. Cold water has been my only enemy since my surgery. Even little sips of cold water cause slight discomfort/nausea/spasms. The odd thing is, if I put crystal light in my water, I dont have the problem. So for now, I drink crystal light and try to drink room temp h20 as often as I can. Like I said though, ice cold or even cold water has been the only thing I have a problem ingesting. So far my incisions have healed up nicely. The discomfort in my abs with exertion is pretty much gone now, and I must say, I feel like my old self. Right after the surgery my "bathroom habits" were very frequent, which my surgeon said was to be expected. That has even regulated itself now. Im glad to be posting on here finally, I think I had been putting it off because it all seems unreal- like "yeah, this happend!!". I can honestly say that I still feel that way, like I am shocked that its all over with and im safe and healthy at home.

Okay, venting shall now occur and I consider this fair warning!
 
So I realize that I should be grateful that (for the most part) my friends, coworkers, and family are behind my 100% on this surgery. It definitely takes down the stress level and for those who look down on me for it I have no problem walking away. I've been going through the hoops and am almost done with all my classes/tests. In fact, all I have is the EKG (Monday!) and the support group meeting (3/8!) and I'm done pending final clearance by the insurance company. So why am I all "bitchy Lyra" right now? For the last few weeks all any of my friends want to talk about is the surgery. Again, I tell myself that I am happy that they're so curious and supportive...but it feels that anytime we get together somebody brings it up and they continually ask me if I'm scared/nervous/excited. They can't seem to believe me that no, I'm not scared. They ask me if I'm going to miss eating, etc. I dont really want to talk about how I'm worried that I might have emotional upheavel for awhile afterwards as I go from food being my emotional blankie to just something that I eat to survive. I feel so mean spirited and hypocritical, but I'm getting really frustrated with them. I am more than just a weight loss surgery. Talk to me about horrible monster/zombie movies, my art classes, work, my hobbies, my bucket list, my desire to play the violin...anything other than my surgery. I have this nagging fear that after it they're going to want daily updates on my weight loss. I know that it's up to me to have boundaries but this is just maddening. I love these people dearly and don't want to snap at them but I'm so irritated right now. Perhaps there is such a thing as being too supportive? God, what an oxymoron. Anybody else have this happen to them?
 
Okay, rant over. On the flip side I had my chest xray done yesterday and had a funny conversation with the technician.
 
Tech: So this is pre-op for gastric bypass?
Me: No, it's for the vertical sleeve gastrectomy of the stomach.
Tech: So its for the bypass.
Me: No, there is no bypassing. It's a VSG.
Tech: So its a lapband.
Me: ....no.
 
Personally I think it's more disturbing for them to totally bypass your stomach or to have a plastic thingy in your side where a surgeon can influence a choke-collar on your stomach. This woman was horrified at the idea of someone cutting part of your stomach out, which to me was the saner choice. Po-tay-toe, po-tah-to.

Today marks 1 month to date Dec 12 - Jan 12, and I have lost 43lbs(337/298) and 9.75 inches.
 
The last time I took any of my daily medicine (10 pills and 1 shot) was the day before surgery. The purple pill included (Nexium).
 
I love reading what everyone else is going through because it does help me and some of it I can relate to. Thank you all for your important input sincerely.
 
 
 
I am so thankful for all of you and your comments on this site.
May God keep and bless you on your path to weight loss.
 
Char