Rough Week

Well it's been a rough week.  My last living grandparent dies on Friday.  It started out with her breaking her hip at 93 years old.  She only lasted a few days in the hospital before her heart gave out.  It was her time.  Her wake is today and funeral tomorrow.

As for how I handled it......I really wanted to eat!  But thank goodness I had this amazing surgery done.  I cheated, of course.  I think I had 3 or 4 Reese's PB Eggs and half of a Toblerone.  Since I am only 7 weeks out from surgery I still can't eat very much.  It is helping me learn to cope in different ways than I used to.  I have tried to keep busy and I watched a lot of TV and Facebook.  At night I used Xanax to help me sleep.  It was the best I could do to cope.

On a good note, I am down 37.2 pounds in those 7 weeks.  I am so excited!  Of course I have seen people on the BE support group I am on lose a lot faster but I am very happy with where I am at.  I am down almost 2 pants sizes and my work uniforms are falling off of me.  Thank goodness for long underwear!!!  (I am a letter carrier).  I also registered for the workout room at Silver Cross Hospital.  As a patient I get to use that 3 days a week for free.  So I will be taking full advantage after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Sure beats paying for a gym membership.

Here's to a good week for everyone.  Happy losing!!!!

5 1/2 weeks Post-Surgery

I had my 3 week follow up with the doctor on January 15, 2016.  I was down 21 pounds since surgery and 28 pounds from my heaviest weight.  The doctor said I was doing well.  (He's not very talkative). After my appointment I had about a 20 minute gap to fill before my post-surgery class so I just did laps in the hallway to get some steps in.  The class was pretty good.  I learned a few things but also knew a bit because I have been doing all kinds of research since I made the surgery decision.

A big plus was knowing I can now take the orientation class to use the hospital weight room free of charge.  So I set that all up.  I am kinda excited about that since I can go in three days a week and do strength training there and then use my treadmill or bike at home and it doesn't cost me anything.  I am learning from my youngest daughter that anything you can get for free you should get.

As for eating, it is still a struggle.  What I mean by that is I have a lot of head hunger, especially during my PMS week.  I suffer from an extra special type of PMS called PMDD.  So when my head hunger wants something it screams and yells like a little child.  I have been able to somewhat subdue it with No Sugar Added Hot Chocolate and Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding. I say somewhat because I have given in and had a Reese's Christmas Tree or Two or a donut at work.  I'm very thankful for the sleeve because it doesn't allow me to over do anything. One of the best decisions of my life.

My protein intake is going very well, just on real food.  Once in a while I will have a protein shake but I have found it to not be necessary for the protein.  I pack P3 snacks and cheese sticks in my cooler for lunch and have my veggies at home.  Again, No Regrets!!!

My stats for weight as of this morning:  I am down 34 pounds!!!!  WooHoo!!!!!

Three weeks POST-Surgery

Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks from my Gastric Sleeve surgery.  It's been a weird ride to say the least.

Let me try to recap.

Day 1-  Sleep all day.  Have catheter in place.  Hate it!

Day 2- Could not sleep.  Walked a lot.  Hernia repair painful every time I roll out of bed.  I manage.

Day 3- I go home, armed with 3 days worth of syringes full of blood thinners and my pain meds.  Arrive and promptly go to my recliner.

While at home I forced myself to get up and move and rely on pain meds for the next 7 days because of hernia repair.  I was told my hiatal hernia was very large, resulting in the doctor having to pull my stomach back down through my diaphragm and back where it belongs before continuing with the repair and then the VSG. 

Week 2- Pain is slowly going away, better each day.  Trying not to take anything for pain.  I have insomnia.  Very hard for me to fall asleep at night.  Good news- No acid reflux!   I take advantage of the mild weather to go for 20 minute walks outside.  At this point I am down 23 pounds and have hit a stall.  

Found that I need to make sure I am eating at least 1000 calories to continue weight loss.  This is difficult.  But I am trying.  Weight now coming off 2/10 of a pound at a time.  I am getting frustrated but thanks to support from the BariatricEating Support page on Facebook I keep pushing on.  I still step on the scale every day but I am trying not to let the numbers get to me.  

That brings me to today.  I am currently wearing both a FitBit and a Garmin Vivofit.  Why?  I have owned my FitBit for over a year and I love it!!!  I love that I can challenge my friends.  The Garmin is from the doctors office.  This is the one they prefer. I am going to wear it until I see how they will use it to track my progress or if they even use it at all.  If they do not check it then I am going to give the Garmin to my niece and stick with FitBit.  I am now down 24 pounds, losing only 1 pound last week.  I am okay with that for now.  I think my body is just trying to adjust.  I am sure my wacky hormones have a play in that too.  

3 week follow up with doctor on Friday.  I'll keep you all posted.  Have a great day!!!!

Surgery Was A Success

I don't remember much pre-surgery.  I lost 8 pounds in the two weeks leading up to surgery on the protein shake diet that was prescribed.  At the hospital I had to wash with special wipes to help avoid

infection and then wait.  As I was getting wheeled to the OR I heard the nurse say "OK, I gave you something to relax you".  That's the last thing I remember.   

I woke up in recovery and shortly there after I was wheeled to my room.  I was in a lot of pain,  I found out before surgery that I had a hiatal hernia.  So it was no surprise to me that it was fixed.  The surprise was that, in the doctor's words, "It was a very large hernia".  It as also been the source of my pain since surgery.  If I do not take the pain pills then it is very hard to breathe.  

I came home Christmas Eve.  I sleep a lot more than I am used to.  I also started the pureed phase of the diet.  It hurts.  It does not hurt my stomach, it hurts my hernia repair.  I can feel every swallow as it goes through my esophagus. passed the diaphragm, and in to my stomach. I eat slowly.  Each day is getting a little better.  

Side Note:  The nurse who removed my staples before leaving the hospital was using the tool wrong and made some incisions worse.   When they go to remove your staples, make sure that the side with the two prongs is on the bottom and the one prong is on top.  Trust me, it is important.  Thanks to this nurse I now have to check my incisions and put antibiotic cream on them because she has two of them very inflamed.  Also, when the nurses take your morphine away DO NOT be afraid to ask for pain meds.  I don't care how cranky the nurse seems, you needs to pain control.

This Pre-Op diet is tough

Wow!  I'm not going to lie.  The first two days of this pre-op diet were killer.  I had a severe "dull" headache and brain fog for two days.  There was nothing that I could do about it either.  I had panic attacks and I wanted carbs very very badly.  I felt like this was the worst thing I could have ever done to myself, especially with Christmas right around the corner.  Thankfully I had a great support group of friends who have helped talk me through this.  Have I cheated.  Yes.  I have been adding PB2 powder to my disgusting chocolate protein drinks.  It really does help make them tolerable.  Yes, it adds 45 calories but no sugar so I am able to maintain the ketone burning levels the doctor wants.  I check this by using ketone test strips I got at the pharmacy.  It's a great tool to help me know I am still doing what I am supposed to.  And again, thankfully after two days my headache went away.  I am more alert now and I hopefully will stop screwing up at work.  On Thursday I delivered a package to the wrong house and then when I went back the people were not home.  Unfortunately the people who ordered it needed it that night for a program at school.  I felt terrible.  I even went back a second time.  No luck.  So lets see where I am in the countdown... I will get my surgery in 9 days.  I go back and forth with the fact that I am scared and excited then angry and nervous.  I know this is the right thing to do.  I feel like God has led me in this direction and I don't want to let this opportunity to better myself slip away.

Pre-Op Diet

Okay, here we go!!!!  I went to my 4 hour nutrition and pro-op class yesterday.  Let me just say.....I am afraid.  The diet consists on 2 protein shakes per day, 64 ounces of water, sugar-fee jello and sugar-free popsicles, AND one meal consisting of 4 oz of meat and a non-starchy vegetable.  I am supposed to start this morning but..... I am afraid.  I have the first shake all mixed up and ready to drink (did I mention you can only mix it with water!!!!).  I hope it tastes good.  Like I said, I am afraid.  Surgery is on December 22 and I will go home on Christmas.  I will keep this updated as I get closer and closer to surgery.  I am getting nervous.  I hope I am doing the right thing.

A long long wait

It's been a long wait since I was approved.  I am still hanging in there.  I have two appointments next week.  One is to sign my surgical consent, the other is a nutrition class to get me ready for surgery.  I have approx. 2 pounds to lose to get back to the last weigh-in weight.  I plan on having lots of soup to help with that.  I am also getting scared and excited.  

Actually, I could have already had my surgery already but I chose to wait.  I am a letter carrier and December is all about the overtime.  I did not want to miss out on that money.  So I wait and yes, I do get inside my own head quite a bit.  I feel like this is a God driven journey.  Everything has happened just the way it was supposed to so that is what I tell myself when I get into a funk.  

I know it will be worth it!  I am a healthy person other than this weight (and asthma) so this just makes sense.  I know I can't do it by myself so I am trusting God in this journey.

More to come after appointments next week!