A couple of things I have noticed that I am experiencing since surgery on March 28th.
- My mouth dries out HORRIBLY at night. I wake up and my mouth is completely dry and I can't get the saliva to moisten it up. I've been keeping a water bottle by my bed. This has never happened before. I did look it up on line and dehydration is one of the possible causes. I am going to try drinking water closer to bed time (normally I avoid because of the bathroom issue) and see if that helps. Wondering if anyone has experienced that?
- My husband stopped wearing earplugs to bed. He said since I have been back that I haven't been snoring as badly. He asked if they took out my "snoring glands" This is a happy side effect of surgery for me.
In my last post I wrote how I was looking for bento boxes (inexpensive - which is the key word) in order to portion control my lunches. I've actually become a little obsessed. I've recruited my son and daughter-in-law who are stationed in Japan to look for them for me as well.
I'm actually applying my "redneck" smarts (I do live in the South y'all) to make my own compartmentalized lunch system.
At Walmart I bought the smallest containers I could find in the food storage area - Rubbermaid 4 oz. They come 2 to a pack and are approxmately $3.50. I bought six packs (so right now I have 12 containers total - the goal is to get through a five day work week without having to wash the compartments every day).
I still want some smaller sizes and was able to find 2 oz containers on Amazon - in their baby food section http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YQQQJW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A1FFW6CJ14WSRU . I want those for smaller items like dressing, nuts, granola.
While I was looking around on Amazon I also found these water bottles which I loved - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005447K7S/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER. I liked them because they will fit in my lunch box and you get five of them, plus a tray, to put in the fridge so you can just grab it and go for the week.
I tried out my redneck bento box yesterday and I LOVED IT! Portions were perfect and it allowed me to "snack" throughout the day.
My four containers yesterday held -
Hummus (which would have been better in a 2 oz container but they haven't come in yet)
Crackers for the hummus (we only had the long butter crackers so I had to cut them in half to fit in the container but that worked well).
Turkey cubes with a cut up cheese stick (I love that I can buy the turkey already cubed up at the grocery store)
Yogurt
Today my containers hold -
Tuna fish
Crackers again
A mix of cut up cherry tomatoes and olives
jello
Making lunch has become more enjoyable and definitely less of a chore.
I'm in San Deigo and panicked a bit when I didn't see anyone to greet me but I got a call from Ana within 5 minutes of finding a comfortable waiting spot. My driver got stuck in traffic but is on the way. Whew! Flight was uneventful although I am springing for the baggage fee on the way home. Having to lug that around two airports was not fun early this morning!
Only have had 4 glasses of water ALL DAY.
Got sleeved last night. I remember getting wheeled in and then I was put under. The next thing I know I am trying to get into the bed with some prodding from the nurses who got me from surgery. I remember being VERY nauseous. They gave me something to get sick into but I managed to get through that without getting sick. I remember the light being VERY bright (almost migraine level intolerance to the light). They got pain and nauseous medicine in me and I remember laying very still waiting for it to kick in (again like a migraine where you are afraid to move and have the searing head pain). I had no trouble sleeping on my side (either side...which is good because that is how I sleep). It seemed like the nurses were coming in every 15 minutes to take vitals.
My mouth was super dry. I was told I could suck on the ice chips but not to drink the water down. I'm guessing that was a last night thing because this morning they said I could.
I have not experienced any horrible gas pains like some people have reported. I have gotten up to walk a bit only because I don't want any blood clots to form!
They are making me do lung exercises with a breathing "toy" with balls in it. That is super annoying because they want it done for 5 minutes at a time and the deep breathing is making me light headed.
I've gone to the bathroom several times without any issues (peeing not...you know )
The on call doctor said that we would be taking our leak test tomorrow so basically I'm getting in some marathon sleeping today (which is fine with me!)
I got picked up at the airport and it turned out to be my fault that the driver couldn't find me! I bought my tickets through United but they put me on another one of their carriers U.S. Airways so that messed up the pickup location (because I said I was coming United in my email to them). It all turned out well (thank god for cell phones!). I tipped the driver $20 only because I am sure she doesn't make that much. She tried not to take it but since I budgeted for it I made her
It took about 40 minutes to get to the hospital and getting into Mexico was a breeze. I didn't need to show ID or Passport. However, the line coming OUT of Mexico was HUGE! I am assuming that is where I will need my passport. The driver said it is very busy for a three hour gap of time (which is when I guess most people are leaving).
Love the hospital it feels cozy and less intimidating then our hospital back home. Staff has been great. I've met with Dr. Kelly and another (female) doctor. I've been attended by two female nurses and one male nurse (and one male aid...he wheeled me to xray). I'm trying not to flash my naked behind too much
Dr. Kelly asked if I would be willing to have my sleeve today instead of tomorrow - he had the space and I've fasted. I said, "Sure, why not!" So I am literally an hour away from being sleeved. I was going to go out with SexySlims friend who accompanied her but that got changed with the operation being today. Right now I am trying to stay awake. I am super sleepy from being up very early today and dealing with the three hour time change.
Dr. Kelly met me in the room and answered any questions I had. I gave him the cashiers check at that time. I was asked to give a urine sample and I spent longer then I would like to admit trying to figure out how to get the darn hospital gown on! I filled in more paperwork and had blood drawn and an IV put in (I didn't think my veins were that hard to find but apparently so!). I rode in my first ever wheelchair to get my chest xrayed. That went super fast. A nurse came in to take my vitals and put on compression socks (to prevent blood clots during the operation). Dr. Kelly said the operation only takes about an hour (in case anyone is wondering). They gave me slippers when I came in as well so that is what I will be wearing when I final walk the halls.
I just had another doctor come in to take an EKG and check my heart and lungs (very nice man). Dr. Kelly just popped his head in and said I am next.
I am at 9 months out from surgery. I managed to break out of the 190's thanks to the flu I am at 188.2 and now working on my next goal which is to get out of the 180's (not sure how long that will take since I am a pretty slow loser). I am hoping to be in the 170's by my 1 year anniversary in March (my goal is 145-150).
Starting Weight - 246 lbs
Weight Now - 188.2 lbs
Height - 5 ft 5 inches
Pant Size - 16 regular (I can fit into some 14's but they are tight around the stomach). I started at 22W
Shirt Size - L to XL (mostly XL). I started at 2X
I do not regret my surgery at all. I had a great experience with Dr. Kelly.
I have not told my Primary Care Physician. I went for an OBGYN appointment the other day scared that she would notice the scars but she didn't so all is well. I only see her once a year for my OBGYN appointment so it is not like we have a close relationship. I choose not to say anything because I didn't want it noted on my file and possibly be denied some treatment as a result. My husband knows I have had the surgery so if it is necessary to say something he would. Again....I rarely get sick or find myself need of medical attention. I don't think I have met my deductable for the past 2 years (for which I am immensly grateful).
My New Year's goal is to be more mindful of my eating and to preplan my eating (healthy things in the house...etc...).
Happy New Year to everyone!
I am at 11 months post op and weigh 179.6 lbs. My total weight loss to date is 66.4 lbs. I have averaged a weight loss of approximately 6 lbs per month.
I am currently purchasing size 14 pants (my 16’s are getting baggy) and L shirts (I am between a L and XL depending on the shirt). I am 5’5” tall.
Last month I wrote that I was going to be doing the Paleo eating challenge for the month of Feburary at my gym (Crossfit). I credit that for this month’s weight loss which was 6.2 lbs (I had only lost 2.8 for the month of January). The diet eliminates all grains, dairy, sugar, and beans from your diet. This wasn’t too much of stretch for me since I had given up most grains and sugars after my surgery 11 months ago. I didn’t eat/drink enough dairy to miss it that much and while I enjoy beans again I didn’t eat enough of them to really miss them either. I did miss the alcohol thoughJ. As part of the challenge we were to also drink half our body weight in ounces of water. I never made it (that would have been 12 cups of water a day!) but I drank more water during the challenge then I normally do.
I liked the challenge because it gave me some focus this past month (I was also teamed up with someone from the gym who was very nice and kept me motivated). I cooked a lot more (new recipes) this month then I normally do (my husband cooks most of the time) and ate a lot more fresh fruit and veggies. I had a few slip ups (minor) mostly because I wasn’t prepared in certain situations. The girl I was partnered with lost 10 lbs. I am supposed to get my after measurements taken today so I’ll see if I lost any inches.
The challenge is over and I plan to keep grains and sugar out but I will most likely add small amounts of cheese and beans (i.e. chili and hummus) back in.
I also upped my exercise this month. We were required to do a minimum of three workouts at the Crossfit gym during the challenge (which was what I was doing anyway) and you got extra challenge points for extra workouts. I have been averaging two extra workouts a week this month for a total of five days of working out.
I reached my personal goal during the challenge of getting into the 170’s so I am happy. My next goal is to get to 176 by my 1 year post-op anniversary, which is at the end of March. That would put me at 70 lbs lost for the year (with only 30 lbs to go to my goal).
My paleo challenge got me thinking about other challenges. I did a random internet search for anyone else who had done a paleo challenge for 30 days and ran across a TED talk featuring Matt Cutts (some random person who works for Google) - http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html . He has been working on trying something new for 30 days. He hasn’t done Paleo but he has done a lot of other things. This got me thinking that this would be a fun challenge for myself this year. So in the spirit of trying something new each month for 30 days I signed up to do yoga in March (I am counting my Paleo diet as something new for February). I choose yoga because I have never done it and our local studio was running a 30 days for $30 which seemed like a reasonable price. I started making a list of other challenge ideas for myself. Some of them include watching 30 documentaries in a month, reading four nonfiction books within a 30 day period (one a week), no TV, try 30 new recipes in my Vitamix, etc. I’ll report back on the yoga next month.
Hope everyone is have a good start to the new year. I’ll check back in next month!
I have reached the 10 month mark post surgery at the end of January. I am finally down 60 lbs. My weekly weight loss has been a series of slow losses, never reaching the 1 lb + mark. This has led to a “will I” or “won’t I” get to a 60 lbs loss every time I have stepped on the scale this past month.
Now that I have reached my short term goal of 60 lbs I am moving on to the next goal which is to get out of the 180’s (I am currently at 185.6). Since my surgery date I have averaged a loss of about .8 lbs a week (so sloooow).
I am continuing to go to Crossfit three times a week. I have now been going for 6 months. I continue to have a love/hate relationship with working out but I am working on that. The routines have a lot of weight lifting so if you thought you couldn’t do any “weight lifting” after the surgery…not true. I joined the gym’s Paleo challenge for the month of February. It isn’t that much different then how I normally eat but I thought the challenge might help me through this slow weight loss period. I’m only on day one today but the biggest challenge has been to drink ½ my weight in water.
My clothing sizes haven’t fluctuated much this past month. I am between a 14 and 16 in pants (mostly a 16 with some 14’s) and a L/XL top (again mostly XL).
My hair is growing out nicely but I am losing more than I ever did pre-surgery. My hair went from “thick” to “medium” in weight. I am growing out a very short haircut and the fact that I can pull it back in a rather scraggly pony tail is cause for celebration.
I eat pretty normally, except for smaller portions and not going back for seconds or thirds. I do try to limit carbs and sugar (the Paleo challenge should help with that). I still eat when I am bored and I have to watch that.
I don’t regret my surgery and am glad I did it. I am getting lots of compliments and “how did you do it?” to which I reply “eating South Beach like diet for the most part” – which is true. I really don’t want to put “weight loss surgery” out there and have anyone undermine the effort I have put into loosing the weight.
Wish me luck for the next month. Hopefully I will be in the 170’s if all goes well
