It's been awhile and usually one could assume that all is well and that's why I haven't posted anything. Well, I guess that's true and false for me.
I continue to struggle with getting in 64+oz. of water a day. It's so dang hard to drink ALL OF THE TIME unless it's 30 minutes before I eat or 30 minutes after I eat. I am probably trying too hard and over thinking this, but I swear it's a full time job just making sure I eat enough and drink enough every day! Most of the time my tummy (or sleeve as I call it) is ok now. I do still have a flood of acid in the morning upon waking, so I literally reach onto the nightstand and grab an acid pill (like Prevacid) and swallow it with water before I even fully wake up. That seems to help calm the acid down and let me feel pretty good. I have heard from other "sleevers" that taking an acid pill is required for the first 6 months until the stomach is totally healed, so I don't feel odd about it. I am getting a lot more water in me these days and my calorie intake is up to about 500-600 calories a day when I work hard at it. I got in 78 grams of protein the other day and that was the most by far that I have gotten since the surgery! I had two protein shakes that day which gave me 50 grams right there - a great way to get it all in - just wish they tasted better. Yuck!
All of the water going in has NOT helped me with the continuous water retention I have been experiencing though. :( My feet and ankles are LARGE and puffy and the skin actually itches and hurts on them and feel so tight! It's been very uncomfortable. I have theorized that the evil estrogen that haunts me yet could be the culprit. As I am burning fat, the estrogen stored in my fat cells is released and floating in my bloodstream. This has certainly wreaked complete havoc on my moods, and it seems plausible that it is also causing the moderate to severe water retention (edema) now.
I got down to 276 and then it was almost as if my body worked hard to hold water to keep me closer to 280. I lived at 280 for many months a few years ago when I was on Atkins for 18 months and lost a good chunk of weight. I wonder still if my body feels like 280 is a good place to stay...? Anyway, I would see the scale move down and then the next day right back up to 277, 278. It was maddening! I KNOW I am losing weight when I am eating so little and my energy levels have been higher, so I have been moving around more - feeling a little able to be more active. It's been two weeks of this and finally the pain in my feet, ankles, knees and hips was enough for me to realize that I am FULL of water! I saw my PCP this morning. He was amazed at how swollen I was for morning and immediately wrote me a scrip for a pretty strong diuretic (water pill) to start to get rid of some of this water. He thought that my "Estrogen Theory" had merit but also said that it could just be that my body has some imbalances that it's trying to compensate for. He did order a blood draw for my iron levels and electrolytes as he said I am "pale and tired looking". We'll see what those tell us. I think I was tired and pale from working for two days painting and redecorating my living room - another side effect of having a little more energy and less weight to drag around. He chuckled when he looked at my weight at check in today. "You have now lost a First Grader", he said. Seemed a little harsh, but he's right! I DO feel accomplished. :)
I got on the scale this afternoon as I took my first water pill. I weighed in at 279.2 pounds. DAMN WATER. The pill made a great first stab at the swelling and within 90 minutes I weighed 274.8. I was literally peeing every 10 minutes for awhile there! HOLY COW! I still have I bet 6-10 pounds of water on me, so we will see how much I weigh tomorrow night. LOL It's nice to see the scale moving down once more, as the weight had been lost, but the water wasn't allowing me to see it.
The doc asked me today, "Would you do it over"? I had to think for a moment, but I told him, "yes". It's a very hard road, with pain, and mental pain as well. I have had many down days (no doubt from my enemy estrogen) and I have spent a huge amount of time trying to calculate my daily protein intake and water consumption. It's NOT an easy path, but fact is, it's working!!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Moving Right Along!
The last couple of weeks have been full of emotional ups and downs. I continue to struggle most days with getting in 64oz of water and I have had only a couple of days where I actually got above 60 required grams of protein in one day. It continues to be kind of an annoying, tedious task to eat when not hungry and drink when not thirsty, but I am working hard at it.
The loss of weight has given me more energy for sure. Dragging that extra weight around is tiring at best and without it I am moving more and not hurting quite as much from the Osteoarthritis in my knees. I have now lost 57 pounds since starting my pre-op liquid diet in June of 2012 and I am going strong!
My stomach hurts when I'm hungry and I know to eat some protein. My throat and/or lips get dry and I know to drink. It's so odd still - eating and drinking only for need. The days of eating and snacking and enjoying meals are long gone. Sometimes it's a little bit hard and sad for me, admittedly. I have been very fortunate with this surgery though. I have no hunger, no thirst and really no "head hunger" to speak of. On a rare occasion I will think of something that sounds good to eat, but then within literally a minute or two, the thought it gone. I have not suffered from cravings of foods that are not something I can eat.
Every once in awhile I wonder if I have made the right decision. The gnawing pain in my stomach at times and the occasional intestinal upset, which is as of yet unexplained, are not the most fun to experience. It's hard to think about never eating a normal meal again. It's sad to know that I will never again comfort myself with chocolate when I'm "PMSing", and it's weird to think of family holidays and dinners where I will cook all day to watch everyone else eat. The real truth of it is that there is nothing that tastes as good as feeling good about myself feels. I am feeling more confident and happy every single day. I have SO many pounds yet to lose, but I am starting to see a real difference in my body and I am relieved to know that every single pound that I burn away will NEVER return!
Yes, this surgery is not for the faint of heart and certainly not for someone that is not commited to eating differently for the rest of their life. If you can "stomach" this surgery though, you can have your life back and feel really good about yourself again! More soon...
The loss of weight has given me more energy for sure. Dragging that extra weight around is tiring at best and without it I am moving more and not hurting quite as much from the Osteoarthritis in my knees. I have now lost 57 pounds since starting my pre-op liquid diet in June of 2012 and I am going strong!
My stomach hurts when I'm hungry and I know to eat some protein. My throat and/or lips get dry and I know to drink. It's so odd still - eating and drinking only for need. The days of eating and snacking and enjoying meals are long gone. Sometimes it's a little bit hard and sad for me, admittedly. I have been very fortunate with this surgery though. I have no hunger, no thirst and really no "head hunger" to speak of. On a rare occasion I will think of something that sounds good to eat, but then within literally a minute or two, the thought it gone. I have not suffered from cravings of foods that are not something I can eat.
Every once in awhile I wonder if I have made the right decision. The gnawing pain in my stomach at times and the occasional intestinal upset, which is as of yet unexplained, are not the most fun to experience. It's hard to think about never eating a normal meal again. It's sad to know that I will never again comfort myself with chocolate when I'm "PMSing", and it's weird to think of family holidays and dinners where I will cook all day to watch everyone else eat. The real truth of it is that there is nothing that tastes as good as feeling good about myself feels. I am feeling more confident and happy every single day. I have SO many pounds yet to lose, but I am starting to see a real difference in my body and I am relieved to know that every single pound that I burn away will NEVER return!
Yes, this surgery is not for the faint of heart and certainly not for someone that is not commited to eating differently for the rest of their life. If you can "stomach" this surgery though, you can have your life back and feel really good about yourself again! More soon...
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Pissed
Here I am - 5 weeks post-op and I still haven't lost anything since August 1st. I am beyond frustrated now, and I am depressed, feeling hopeless and wanting to stop this necessary obsessive behavior to ensure I get enough water and protein every day. It seems I live for counting ounces of water and grams of protein. I can barely function or get out of the house to do anything because I am constantly worried about eating when I think it's time to eat and taking CONSTANT sips of water that don't settle very well in my stomach. :(
I got on the scale yesterday to see a 2 pound weight loss! I was so excited and thought that maybe, just MAYBE this blasted weight loss stall was over. Got on this morning to see 1 pound gained. I am just fit to be tied! I am now able to eat about 500-650 calories per day and I yesterday I drank almost the full 64 oz. required of me daily. How is it possible to eat that little and not lose weight? I don't get it!
I am eating high protein foods with little to no carbs and very, very low fat. WHAT IN THE HELL is wrong with my body? I know that there have been other people who have not lost weight with the VSG, but it's so rare. I can't believe I am going to be another. This is unreal. I am also still retaining water in my feet and ankles. I thought that maybe drinking more water might release that, but it doesn't seem to be making any difference yet.
I finally tried on some of my smaller clothes to try in desperation to find something positive to celebrate here and I have moved from a size 28 to a size 24, but I think that was probably done with the pre-surgery 28 pound weight loss.
I am calling my primary care provider in the morning. This whole situation is crazy and I need some help here - if only for some anti-depressants.
I got on the scale yesterday to see a 2 pound weight loss! I was so excited and thought that maybe, just MAYBE this blasted weight loss stall was over. Got on this morning to see 1 pound gained. I am just fit to be tied! I am now able to eat about 500-650 calories per day and I yesterday I drank almost the full 64 oz. required of me daily. How is it possible to eat that little and not lose weight? I don't get it!
I am eating high protein foods with little to no carbs and very, very low fat. WHAT IN THE HELL is wrong with my body? I know that there have been other people who have not lost weight with the VSG, but it's so rare. I can't believe I am going to be another. This is unreal. I am also still retaining water in my feet and ankles. I thought that maybe drinking more water might release that, but it doesn't seem to be making any difference yet.
I finally tried on some of my smaller clothes to try in desperation to find something positive to celebrate here and I have moved from a size 28 to a size 24, but I think that was probably done with the pre-surgery 28 pound weight loss.
I am calling my primary care provider in the morning. This whole situation is crazy and I need some help here - if only for some anti-depressants.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The Menu
So what I am eating this fourth week since surgery? Well, at this point I am sticking to pretty light foods and mostly what are called "full liquids".
Full liquids are kind of confusing. Since I don't have a surgeon here in the states and I really don't have the support that is so helpful, I have been relying vastly on the fellow "sleevers" (as we call ourselves) on a Facebook group that I joined. We all either had the surgery in July or are having it this Summer. It's so helpful to have a Nutritionist to see, but of course my crappy insurance policy through Aetna doesn't cover that either. Anyway, but I digress... Full liquids are loosely termed thus as they contain a large group from pudding, jello, soups without vegetables or meat, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, protein shakes, Cream of Wheat, grits, cottage cheese and things all the way up to scrambled eggs. Scambled eggs don't seem very liquid to me, but they are ok. I have eaten things not on this list like cheese, thinly sliced deli meats, and even very tender pieces of beef chewed well. Not much feels good going down right now. I have only had true pain once when I know it was a little bit too much food for my sleeve, but it's more of an uncomfortable indigestion. Whether I eat or drink seems to make little difference. Very rarely do I feel GOOD after eating or drinking something. It's just kind of not very much fun.
I have started tracking my caloric intake as well as my protein intake daily through a free app on my iPhone called MyFitnessPal. It's really great and it shows me how much I am taking in. The gastric sleeve is a great tool, but the real work comes in for me watching that I am getting a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day! I took for granted before my sleeve getting in the proper nutrition. When you eat as much as I ate, you know you are probably getting everything you need. Now, it's very tough to get in 60g of protein in a day. If I eat less than that consistently, I will lose my hair and become ill. This is a serious minimum and I have to work at this every single day.
A protein shake in the morning is good for about 25g of protein. Much more than 25g-27g per meal is not even absorbed by the human body per meal anyway, so that is about right. Sounds like a good and easy way to get some protein, right? Not so much. Protein shakes are not the most delicious things to drink and after many weeks of them I am downright SICK OF THEM. I can't really complain because lots of sleevers are absolutely repulsed by them since surgery. Our tastes change very much after surgery and sometimes things that we liked or could manage to eat are no longer possible. They taste bad and they are gritty, but that is a good start to proper protein intake for the day, so I try to drink one every morning.
Lunch is easier - I can eat part of a 3oz little cup of Chicken of the Sea tuna "to go" and that is good - all protein. Sometimes a little chicken salad made with canned chicken and some fat free mayo is good too, but you will note that neither of these is a "full liquid". I chew very, very well and I try to eat slowly.
Eating slowly. That's a topic all on it's own. I always thought of the people I know and of my family members, I ate pretty reasonably slowly. Wrong. I have to really concentrate and work hard to chew, chew, chew and I am forcing myself to swallow about once every 1-3 minutes. Do you know how hard that really is? My sleeve needs time to allow the food to move/slide down to make room for the next bite. Not waiting between swallows makes for pain and for some people, vomiting. I have been very fortunate with nausea and vomiting. I have had little nausea and no vomiting since Day 3 after surgery (and that was caused by that nasty Barium we had to swallow for the leak test).
I am tired of working so hard to eat already, but to be totally honest, I am not hungry in the slightest and do not miss food. I am forever grateful for this release from what could have been total torture. People that have the lap band or gastric bypass don't get this wonderful benefit. Losing that part of my stomach that makes Ghrelin (which signals hunger to the brain) is the BEST part of this surgery. I know when it's time to put energy into my body, but I really don't crave anything and I am not hungry. Every once in awhile I will think of something that I used to enjoy, but the thought is gone within literally only a few minutes. I just have no interest anymore. Seeing that in print and thinking of it the past few weeks has caused some tears here for me. I am happy and grateful, but I have grown up loving food so much, that it seems almost wrong or twisted in some way. It's such a new me and such a new life! I can't believe this is how I am now!
Snacks are easy for me right now - string cheese sticks, a slice of cheddar or some Greek yogurt (not my favorite) will give me quite a few more grams of protein. I look forward to being able to get just a tiny bit more in me, because at this point for most foods I can eat less than 1/4 cup at a time. The surgeon told me I will get to 1/2 a cup within the year, but I will probably never eat much more than that. Have you really looked at how much food goes into a 1/4 cup?
Right now, many of the other sleevers I talk to are telling me that I am not eating enough and certainly not getting my 64oz of water in everyday that is required and they tell me that this is why I am not losing more weight more quickly. I am going to make a big effort for the rest of the week to get in enough water and more than the 350-500 calories that I eat everyday. They say I should be up around 700 calories! Maybe this will end my "2 week stall" and give me some loss..... We'll see.
Full liquids are kind of confusing. Since I don't have a surgeon here in the states and I really don't have the support that is so helpful, I have been relying vastly on the fellow "sleevers" (as we call ourselves) on a Facebook group that I joined. We all either had the surgery in July or are having it this Summer. It's so helpful to have a Nutritionist to see, but of course my crappy insurance policy through Aetna doesn't cover that either. Anyway, but I digress... Full liquids are loosely termed thus as they contain a large group from pudding, jello, soups without vegetables or meat, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, protein shakes, Cream of Wheat, grits, cottage cheese and things all the way up to scrambled eggs. Scambled eggs don't seem very liquid to me, but they are ok. I have eaten things not on this list like cheese, thinly sliced deli meats, and even very tender pieces of beef chewed well. Not much feels good going down right now. I have only had true pain once when I know it was a little bit too much food for my sleeve, but it's more of an uncomfortable indigestion. Whether I eat or drink seems to make little difference. Very rarely do I feel GOOD after eating or drinking something. It's just kind of not very much fun.
I have started tracking my caloric intake as well as my protein intake daily through a free app on my iPhone called MyFitnessPal. It's really great and it shows me how much I am taking in. The gastric sleeve is a great tool, but the real work comes in for me watching that I am getting a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day! I took for granted before my sleeve getting in the proper nutrition. When you eat as much as I ate, you know you are probably getting everything you need. Now, it's very tough to get in 60g of protein in a day. If I eat less than that consistently, I will lose my hair and become ill. This is a serious minimum and I have to work at this every single day.
A protein shake in the morning is good for about 25g of protein. Much more than 25g-27g per meal is not even absorbed by the human body per meal anyway, so that is about right. Sounds like a good and easy way to get some protein, right? Not so much. Protein shakes are not the most delicious things to drink and after many weeks of them I am downright SICK OF THEM. I can't really complain because lots of sleevers are absolutely repulsed by them since surgery. Our tastes change very much after surgery and sometimes things that we liked or could manage to eat are no longer possible. They taste bad and they are gritty, but that is a good start to proper protein intake for the day, so I try to drink one every morning.
Lunch is easier - I can eat part of a 3oz little cup of Chicken of the Sea tuna "to go" and that is good - all protein. Sometimes a little chicken salad made with canned chicken and some fat free mayo is good too, but you will note that neither of these is a "full liquid". I chew very, very well and I try to eat slowly.
Eating slowly. That's a topic all on it's own. I always thought of the people I know and of my family members, I ate pretty reasonably slowly. Wrong. I have to really concentrate and work hard to chew, chew, chew and I am forcing myself to swallow about once every 1-3 minutes. Do you know how hard that really is? My sleeve needs time to allow the food to move/slide down to make room for the next bite. Not waiting between swallows makes for pain and for some people, vomiting. I have been very fortunate with nausea and vomiting. I have had little nausea and no vomiting since Day 3 after surgery (and that was caused by that nasty Barium we had to swallow for the leak test).
I am tired of working so hard to eat already, but to be totally honest, I am not hungry in the slightest and do not miss food. I am forever grateful for this release from what could have been total torture. People that have the lap band or gastric bypass don't get this wonderful benefit. Losing that part of my stomach that makes Ghrelin (which signals hunger to the brain) is the BEST part of this surgery. I know when it's time to put energy into my body, but I really don't crave anything and I am not hungry. Every once in awhile I will think of something that I used to enjoy, but the thought is gone within literally only a few minutes. I just have no interest anymore. Seeing that in print and thinking of it the past few weeks has caused some tears here for me. I am happy and grateful, but I have grown up loving food so much, that it seems almost wrong or twisted in some way. It's such a new me and such a new life! I can't believe this is how I am now!
Snacks are easy for me right now - string cheese sticks, a slice of cheddar or some Greek yogurt (not my favorite) will give me quite a few more grams of protein. I look forward to being able to get just a tiny bit more in me, because at this point for most foods I can eat less than 1/4 cup at a time. The surgeon told me I will get to 1/2 a cup within the year, but I will probably never eat much more than that. Have you really looked at how much food goes into a 1/4 cup?
Right now, many of the other sleevers I talk to are telling me that I am not eating enough and certainly not getting my 64oz of water in everyday that is required and they tell me that this is why I am not losing more weight more quickly. I am going to make a big effort for the rest of the week to get in enough water and more than the 350-500 calories that I eat everyday. They say I should be up around 700 calories! Maybe this will end my "2 week stall" and give me some loss..... We'll see.
Hard Times
The last couple of weeks have been hard. There's no sugar coating this. I am very depressed and struggling.
My last big weight loss success was when I had the doctor here take out of my sutures. I have since been in a struggle with water retention and a stubborn body that seemingly doesn't want to be smaller.
There IS such a thing as the "2 week stall". Almost all patients experience the 2 week stall after having a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Some people say it's because our bodies have depleted the glycogen stores that are kept to prevent us from burning muscle in these intense weight loss situations. Glycogen is stored for immediate energy use. I would hypothesize that this glycogen would be used for emergencies in cave man times when the food supply has been low for a long time and the body is way undernourished and then out of the bushes comes a saber-toothed tiger or something. The body then has this immediate energy to draw upon to run and escape. Anyway - with the glycogen stores depleted, the body needs to hold on to water and some calories to store more away. Other people say that the 2 week stall is merely the body's way of healing from the tremendous shock of the surgery and protecting itself during recovery.
Either way - the 2 week stall SUCKS. I have been sitting here at the same weight since August 1st. The 2 week stall lasts sometimes for a week or so, but in others it hangs on for 2 or even 3 weeks. Well, I am into the 3rd week.
The first week of the stall I noticed I was retaining quite a bit of water - mostly in my ankles and feet. The weather was hot, so I wasn't sure if it was the weather or what it was. When I first came home from Mexico, I had the smallest ankles I have had in YEARS, so putting the water back on them was disappointing. It just sat there and even if I kept my feet up as much as possible, it didn't seem to budge. By the end of the first week, I was also noting a really bad emotional state. I was very irritable, cranky and sad. Very sad.
The second week of the stall brought only more of the same, but also my menstrual cycle which really seemed to aggravate things. I gained 6 pounds (obviously only water) and I was deeply depressed. I had little to no interest in daily life and just getting showered daily was a major accomplishment. I cried many times a day and I napped or laid in my bed for a couple of hours a day. I was really struggling with my emotions and felt like everything in my life was a mess. My poor husband could do little but duck and try to be understanding. Of course, there was no weight loss.
At the end of the second week, I lost the water weight and was back down to the 293 I was at the doctor's office for suture removal. Sad, but at least no gain.
The third week has been much of the same. I am fighting for normality. I am trying my absolute hardest to be happy and grateful for all that I have and I am trying very hard to fight the urge to obsess over the numbers on my scale. I weighed myself yesterday to find I have lost 2 pounds! I was so elated and felt like maybe, just maybe the 2 week stall was over... This morning, I weighed 293 again. No loss. I am dealing with it ok but I am starting to wonder if it's possible that the VSG doesn't work for everyone. I have a VERY low metabolism and I know this. Is it possible that I won't lose weight with this surgery? I have been tracking my calories and I am eating between 350 and 500 calories a day. How can I not be losing weight?????
Gratefully, I have discovered the issues with my mood. As fat is burned, the estrogen that is stored in our fat cells is released. Overweight women are basically estrogen warehouses!! I have to be burning fat, because the estrogen overload is out of control! I am just trying to be patient with myself as well as others while I am suffering through this stage. I have explained to my sweet husband that I am working hard to be normal and I am trying very hard not to nit pick him or be impatient with him, but I am sure I will still have my moments. I will be really happy when I am out of this stage in the weight loss. The hopelessness I feel is devastating and I am struggling to just be out of bed - even as I type this.
My last big weight loss success was when I had the doctor here take out of my sutures. I have since been in a struggle with water retention and a stubborn body that seemingly doesn't want to be smaller.
There IS such a thing as the "2 week stall". Almost all patients experience the 2 week stall after having a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Some people say it's because our bodies have depleted the glycogen stores that are kept to prevent us from burning muscle in these intense weight loss situations. Glycogen is stored for immediate energy use. I would hypothesize that this glycogen would be used for emergencies in cave man times when the food supply has been low for a long time and the body is way undernourished and then out of the bushes comes a saber-toothed tiger or something. The body then has this immediate energy to draw upon to run and escape. Anyway - with the glycogen stores depleted, the body needs to hold on to water and some calories to store more away. Other people say that the 2 week stall is merely the body's way of healing from the tremendous shock of the surgery and protecting itself during recovery.
Either way - the 2 week stall SUCKS. I have been sitting here at the same weight since August 1st. The 2 week stall lasts sometimes for a week or so, but in others it hangs on for 2 or even 3 weeks. Well, I am into the 3rd week.
The first week of the stall I noticed I was retaining quite a bit of water - mostly in my ankles and feet. The weather was hot, so I wasn't sure if it was the weather or what it was. When I first came home from Mexico, I had the smallest ankles I have had in YEARS, so putting the water back on them was disappointing. It just sat there and even if I kept my feet up as much as possible, it didn't seem to budge. By the end of the first week, I was also noting a really bad emotional state. I was very irritable, cranky and sad. Very sad.
The second week of the stall brought only more of the same, but also my menstrual cycle which really seemed to aggravate things. I gained 6 pounds (obviously only water) and I was deeply depressed. I had little to no interest in daily life and just getting showered daily was a major accomplishment. I cried many times a day and I napped or laid in my bed for a couple of hours a day. I was really struggling with my emotions and felt like everything in my life was a mess. My poor husband could do little but duck and try to be understanding. Of course, there was no weight loss.
At the end of the second week, I lost the water weight and was back down to the 293 I was at the doctor's office for suture removal. Sad, but at least no gain.
The third week has been much of the same. I am fighting for normality. I am trying my absolute hardest to be happy and grateful for all that I have and I am trying very hard to fight the urge to obsess over the numbers on my scale. I weighed myself yesterday to find I have lost 2 pounds! I was so elated and felt like maybe, just maybe the 2 week stall was over... This morning, I weighed 293 again. No loss. I am dealing with it ok but I am starting to wonder if it's possible that the VSG doesn't work for everyone. I have a VERY low metabolism and I know this. Is it possible that I won't lose weight with this surgery? I have been tracking my calories and I am eating between 350 and 500 calories a day. How can I not be losing weight?????
Gratefully, I have discovered the issues with my mood. As fat is burned, the estrogen that is stored in our fat cells is released. Overweight women are basically estrogen warehouses!! I have to be burning fat, because the estrogen overload is out of control! I am just trying to be patient with myself as well as others while I am suffering through this stage. I have explained to my sweet husband that I am working hard to be normal and I am trying very hard not to nit pick him or be impatient with him, but I am sure I will still have my moments. I will be really happy when I am out of this stage in the weight loss. The hopelessness I feel is devastating and I am struggling to just be out of bed - even as I type this.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Sutures Out
I had talked to my Family Doctor before traveling to Mexico about the surgery and that I would need him to remove the sutures from my belly when I got home. I made the appointment for 10 days post-op as I had been told to in Mexico. The doctor was excited to see that I had now lost 40 pounds and was down to 293!
He said my incisions looked good and took out the sutures with little difficulty. Only two of the many he took out were a little deep and smarted just a little as he removed them. The wound that had originally had the drain hanging out of it began to weep a little bit after he took the stitches out. He said it was just "serum" and totally normal. There was a small collection of fluid in my belly behind that incision and it was going to weep out. He dressed that one and made sure it wouldn't soak through my clothes on the way home. Other than that, everything looked great!
I also made sure to have him note in my chart that I could no longer have Penicillin and never again could I take Ibuprofen or NSAIDs. He seemed a little startled by that since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, but he knew that I had researched this surgery from top to bottom and he seemed to trust that I knew what I was getting into. He kindly wrote me a prescription for liquid Tylenol with Codeine to help me sleep and sent me on my way - healing well and with a big smile on my face from the weigh in. :)
It felt really good to get those sutures out and I have not had any issues with my wounds or healing at all.
He said my incisions looked good and took out the sutures with little difficulty. Only two of the many he took out were a little deep and smarted just a little as he removed them. The wound that had originally had the drain hanging out of it began to weep a little bit after he took the stitches out. He said it was just "serum" and totally normal. There was a small collection of fluid in my belly behind that incision and it was going to weep out. He dressed that one and made sure it wouldn't soak through my clothes on the way home. Other than that, everything looked great!
I also made sure to have him note in my chart that I could no longer have Penicillin and never again could I take Ibuprofen or NSAIDs. He seemed a little startled by that since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, but he knew that I had researched this surgery from top to bottom and he seemed to trust that I knew what I was getting into. He kindly wrote me a prescription for liquid Tylenol with Codeine to help me sleep and sent me on my way - healing well and with a big smile on my face from the weigh in. :)
It felt really good to get those sutures out and I have not had any issues with my wounds or healing at all.
Learning to sip
The next few days were much the same as the previous days but each one had less pain. I felt a little bit stronger each day and after about 2 nights home, I slept about 6 hours without waking up!
Sipping my broth or water was a little challenging at times. I had to take such small sips and still my stomach would cramp painfully as I started sipping. After about 3 swallows it would ease up, but those first few sips were pretty hard. I was doing really well - no vomiting, mild nausea and no hunger. I was getting so little in me that it seemed crazy, but I was ok and although I was a little weak, I was ok!
After 3 days at home, I talked my husband into taking me on a short shopping excursion for clothes. A local Avenue store is closing and I wanted to take advantage of the deals. I got very tired pretty quickly, but I did get some great bargains and some cute clothes for the next few sizes down. My son continued to come by (a long trip from his house!) everyday for the first 4 days. He ran to the store, made dinner for the family and my husband and helped to keep things running. I am so appreciative for all he has done. He was a wonderful support to me and I am forever grateful. :)
In the mornings I would wake up thirsty and hurting but once I started sipping on something I would feel the pain ease and I felt better and better. I was thinking that it was about time to step on the scale, but I had heard so much about the post-op weight gain (from fluid retention) that I was afraid. Finally I weighed myself about 4 days after getting home (8 days post-op) and I was THRILLED to find that I had lost 37 pounds! I lost 28 with the pre-op diet and 9 more since surgery!
The weight was coming off and I was now below the ugly 300 pound mark to 296!!!!!!
I can't tell you how good it felt to see that I am now under 300 pounds. How I hated that number!
Sipping my broth or water was a little challenging at times. I had to take such small sips and still my stomach would cramp painfully as I started sipping. After about 3 swallows it would ease up, but those first few sips were pretty hard. I was doing really well - no vomiting, mild nausea and no hunger. I was getting so little in me that it seemed crazy, but I was ok and although I was a little weak, I was ok!
After 3 days at home, I talked my husband into taking me on a short shopping excursion for clothes. A local Avenue store is closing and I wanted to take advantage of the deals. I got very tired pretty quickly, but I did get some great bargains and some cute clothes for the next few sizes down. My son continued to come by (a long trip from his house!) everyday for the first 4 days. He ran to the store, made dinner for the family and my husband and helped to keep things running. I am so appreciative for all he has done. He was a wonderful support to me and I am forever grateful. :)
In the mornings I would wake up thirsty and hurting but once I started sipping on something I would feel the pain ease and I felt better and better. I was thinking that it was about time to step on the scale, but I had heard so much about the post-op weight gain (from fluid retention) that I was afraid. Finally I weighed myself about 4 days after getting home (8 days post-op) and I was THRILLED to find that I had lost 37 pounds! I lost 28 with the pre-op diet and 9 more since surgery!
The weight was coming off and I was now below the ugly 300 pound mark to 296!!!!!!
I can't tell you how good it felt to see that I am now under 300 pounds. How I hated that number!
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