Nancy Rivers

I haven't been on here for a while - just been really busy with life (work, school, boyfriend - yes, I actually have one now!). I had my VSG surgery on July 12, 2011. On Wednesday, October 4, 2012 I had a checkup and just got my blood test results back from it and had to share with you. Every single blood test result they were monitoring is now 100% NORMAL - without medication! Prior to my surgery I was diabetic with an A1C of 8.8 - that is now 6.0 with no medication since surgery. My cholesterol is the best it has ever been. My Vitamin D has always been very low - is now in the normal range. No, I'm not taking the supplements like I'm supposed to - but it is still in the normal range. I'm getting it through my normal diet.

Yes, my weight has not come off like I have wanted. I am a SLOW looser. My starting weight was 288.8. My current weight: 216.6. My BMI is now 37. Do I care about this? NO. Why? Because I am feeling the best I have EVER felt in my life health wise and my blood work is finally 100% normal (also, probably for the first time in my adult life). As far as I am concerned the VSG is a HUGE success. I have regained my health over and above my wildest dreams. My weight on the scale does not matter. I did this surgery to get my life back - to get my health back. I have! The weight will take care of itself. I will stick with the program of course, but the scale does not rule me.

Would I choose to spend the money out of my pocket for this surgery again knowing what I know now? OH HECK YES!!!! It has easily been the best investment I have ever made.

So, 5 months after my surgery, I am down 40 pounds from the weight that I was the day of surgery (50 pounds down from a year ago). Last year and this year I was Santa's elf at a local Christmas program. The picture shows me last year and this year. The top is the same one, but obviously, I had to get new pants.

Babyt - I spent 1 night in the hospital. When I wasn't sleeping, I was up walking around after getting my head cleared from the anesthesia. I had a little bit of pain that started in my left shoulder from the gas - but I did some shoulder exercises (rotating my arm in different ways) and the pain went away and never came back. I also made sure to give myself a pain shot before getting out of bed each time. As a result, I really didn't have too much pain. I had no nausea and had no problems getting the liquids down once I was allowed to have them. I was given a prescription for pain medication and another for nausea. I never filled the pain prescription and only took 1 pill of the nausea medication and that was primarily so I could sleep through the night after not sleeping well for the previous 4 nights at home. After waking up so groggy after taking the one pill, I vowed I would not take another unless it was absolutely necessary (which it wasn't). I was very lucky in that regard.

I did not take anything but my cell phone with me to the hospital as I needed to call my ride when they were to release me. I was glad of that since I really didn't feel like doing anything else. I wore home the same clothes that I wore to the hospital (which were relatively loose fitting around the waist).

I had my surgery on July 12. Today is November 5, so I am almost 4 months post-op. I started my journey at 288.8 and now I am at 246.6. Sadly, I have been at this weight (in the 240's) for the last 6 weeks. I'm hoping that breaks soon.

I started out in size 28W pants and 3x/4x tops. Today, I am wearing size 22W pants and L/XL tops. Actually, I did try a size 20W pants on and while they do fit, they are very tight - so I am hopeful that they soon won't be so tight.

My A1C (measure of blood sugar over a period of 2-3 months) was 8.8 in May. It is now a 6.6. I am completely off my diabetes medications. My cholesterol has become healthier with the HDL at 39 (was 34 5 months ago) and LDL is now below 100 (was over 120 5 months ago). My triglycerides are now in the normal range as well. My blood pressure is now normal instead of borderline high to high. My back still pains me, but my knees are not as painful or sore.

I can now stand for a full hour while I do my job. I have not been able to do that in years. I can walk for about 3 miles (prior to surgery it was about 100 feet). I have more energy now than I did before the surgery. I am working out at the gym several times a week and absolutely LOVING it! I never in a million years would have thought that I would ever say that. I actually miss working out when I cannot make it to the gym. No way would I have ever imagined that for me either.

Just the other day, I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror as I was passing by and I did a double take. I recognized myself, but at the same time I did not recognize myself. I am still me - I still look like myself. However, the reflection was not the same person I remember from 4 months ago. It was a very strange feeling, but I liked it.

My biggest hurdle so far has been my own head. I had no complications after the surgery. I have not had any issues with eating food. I have been able to eat anything that I have wanted. That in many ways is exacerbating my head hunger problem. I wish I did have some problems with eating some food - if eating a food would make me ill, then maybe my head would finally learn. My problem is making the healthy choices rather than the unhealthy ones that was making prior to surgery. I can eat at a restaurant - typically bringing about 70-80% of my meal home for additional meals (a restaurant meal that I would have eaten before surgery in one sitting now lasts me about 4 or 5 meals).

It has been almost 4 months and I have come a long ways. I have an even longer journey still ahead of me. However, I realized today that I am NOT the same person I was 4 months ago. I am still not the person I want to be, but I'm no longer the person who was eating herself to an early grave.

Am I happy that I had the surgery? Yes. Would I make the same decision today as I had back in May to have the surgery? Oh heck yes!

I've discovered that I can eat just about anything - although lettuce does not sit well with me. Keep it high Protein - and get the Protein in first, then veggies, then fruit, then other stuff if there is room.

I had a craving last weekend for cheese bread from a local pizza joint. I wasn't sure how well it would sit, but I had some and it was wonderful. It actually scared me a bit at how easy it was to eat and didn't give me problems. I won't be doing that very often (it will be a good long while before I do that again though as I know it wasn't the best choice to make - too many fat grams, carbs and calories). I could only eat about 10% of what I used to, but it was still enough to satisfy my craving. I know it was mostly the head hunger for the craving, but I had been doing so good that I figured the one time eating of it wouldn't do too much harm.

Hi Jenni,

Yeah, I've tried them all except the unflavored. Frankly, the mint chocolate chip ice cream, cinnamon bun and the chocolate mousse are my favorites, but I do like the strawberry and the vanilla ones too. I really did not like the Cappuccino - but I don't like coffee anyway. Their Vitamins are so much better than the Bariatric Advantage vitamins since they are not chalky.

I've been using nectar and Bariatric Fusion Protein drinks - they taste really good to me. I only use them as I need to - most of my protein actually comes from food now - chicken, turkey, buffalo meat, fish, etc. My dietician recommends at least 60 g of protein a day and I've been doing that from food alone for the last 4 weeks.

I haven't been around much lately as I've become rather busy again with work. But, it's now 2 months since my surgery. I totally missed my Labor Day goal - I had hoped to lose 30 pounds post surgery by Labor Day. I lost just 24 pounds post-surgery. A big part of why I did not meet goal was the fact that I hit not 1 but 2 stalls during that time. The first stall I had actually gained 4 pounds and held that for a solid week then it dropped. Then for the last 3.5 weeks I have been in another stall. Being stuck at 255 for so long was getting depressing. Well, last Thursday, I decided to try to "shock" my body back into dropping the weight again and went back to the basics. For 2 days I just did 2 or 3 Protein Shakes and a sensible high Protein dinner (grilled chicken, Mexican Beans, Tomato salsa). Prior to that I had been getting 100% of my protein from food. The last 2 days I went back to getting 100% of my protein from food. Well, it seems to have worked. This morning I am at 250.0! Still 1 pound from my Labor Day goal, but I'm finally making progress toward it again.

I have lost a total of 33.5 inches and have dropped 2 clothing sizes. I am moving around better than I have in years. My back doesn't hurt as much, nor do my knees. I am now able to walk a good 1/2 mile before breathing heavier and am able to take 15 to 20 stairs before breathing heavier. Prior to surgery, I could not take more than 3 stairs or walk more than a few steps before breathing heavier. My blood sugars are routinely below 120 (and starting to have more under 100), so I am completely off of my diabetes medications and have been since my surgery. At the end of October I'll go in for another A1C and it should be a good drop from the 8.8 it was at the end of May.

I will be starting this week at the health plex - working out at least 3 or 4 days per week in addition to the walking that I have been doing. I hope that I can keep up with the schedule I'm setting up for myself.

You may just need to use a blender because many Protein powders will clump even in cool or room temperature liquids. Whenever I add the Unjury unflavored powder to anything (it's never hot when I add it) it clumps. It just takes time for it to dissolve and unclump - mixing it forever seems to help that.

My requirements are at least 60 g of Protein per day, foods that are under 5g of fat or 10g of SUGAR are acceptable. No requirements for carbs or calories. My dietician this week told me that is for life (I was thinking just for a few months after surgery).

Many people experience this. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.

Congratulations!

I had my "6 week" checkup today - just one day shy of 7 weeks post-op. I've had several NSV's during this time - especially in the last few days. I asked the dietician to take my measurements again today. They were originally done when I first saw the surgeon on May 18 - about 2 months before my surgery.

All measurements are in inches.

Body measurement May 18 August 29

Upper Arm 16 13

Forearm 11 9

Chest 46 43

Waist 52.5 44

Hips 61 57

Upper Thigh 33 28

Mid Thigh 29 22

Calf 19.5 19.5

The only measurement that did not change is my calf. I can't believe how much my waist and thighs have changed though!

I have gone from a size 28W pants to 24W. My tops have gone from 3/4x to 1x. I am able to walk greater distances without loosing my breath (about 1/2 mile actually), stand for longer periods of time (about 1/2 hour) and take about 30 stair steps without loosing my breath. I couldn't do any of that before surgery. My back is feeling better, as well as my knees.

The actual weight loss isn't as much as I was hoping for, but it's still not bad. I'm currently in my 2nd stall.

I was cleared today for solids and to start with the personal trainer at the healthplex (2 personal trainer meetings and 6 month membership at the healthplex was included with my fee for the surgery). I'm currently waiting for the healthplex to call me to set up the meeting and start the membership.

The dietician today said that in another month and half I should start feeling normal again - like I never had surgery. I told her that I already feel that way - with the exception of some occasional itching in my stomach area from the healing incisions. She was a bit surprised by that.

The surgeon looked at the one incision that bled a bit the other day and confirmed that it still looks good and is not infected. In fact, he said they all looked good.

I never used mine outside of the hospital. I know I should have - should be, but I don't.

I would talk to a surgeon about that. You can go to the informational seminar and ask the question without having to "start" the process if you are looking to have the surgery in the future. The surgeon will be able to better answer your question.

Congratulations! That's a great feeling isn't it?

Congratulations!

Thank you ladies.

Tonight I went to a concert at a casino and had a longer than normal walk. Then my seat was in the balcony, so I had to go up about 2 flights of stairs to reach it. I did it all without losing my breath or needing to take a break. That is a real accomplishment!

This morning I went to a "prayer breakfast" that was held at the union hall that I usually work at. I was asked to video tape it for the local, so I took my video camera. The Breakfast I did good with - had scrambled egg and a sausage patty and 1 bite of hashbrowns (I was given about 1/2 cup that ended up being thrown out). I ate my Protein first and then had the bite of hashbrowns and I was full. I spent a couple of hours on my feet holding my video camera - so now my back and arm are sore. It's the longest I've been able to stand/walk around, so even though I'm sore, I'm very happy about that.

There were a few people there that I haven't seen in a while (like since 2 months before surgery), as well as a couple of people that I have seen off and on since the surgery. These people all called me "skinny" today. I'm still not "skinny" - but, I am now wearing size 24W pants for the first time in 5 years (down from my 28W which will be going to the local thrift store) and a 1x top. I'm definitely slimmer than I was, but still have a long way to go. On the other hand, I am feeling really good about all the "skinny" compliments.

I can't have raw fruit yet and am 6 weeks out. I would contact your dietician or surgeon.

My dietician said we could use either. I use cow's milk only because that's what I have always had. Although, I haven't had that much milk since the surgery.

I miss being close to my brother because he always goes deer hunting every October through November and seems to always get at least one deer and would share it with the family. Sadly, he had a spat with my parents and I never see him anymore. I guess I'll have to try to find someplace online for venison if I want it again (I'm not about to learn how to hunt so I can have venison for a single person).

I can't handle a lot of spice - although the Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime spices has as the first ingredient Chili Powder. I absolutely LOVE the taste of cinnamon - that's why I included it. With that combo of spices though, it was hard to taste the actual cinnamon. But it was really good.

Here is what I had yesterday. It's pretty easy to get 60 g of Protein in at this point - just takes a bit of planning is all. Sorry if it looks goofy - copy & pasted from my tracking program (realizemysuccess.com).

food Diary Entries for August 22, 2011

Meal/Item Qty Cal Fat Pro Carb

Breakfast

Cottage cheese: nonfat 0.5 cup 80.0 0.0g 12.0g 8.0g

Morning snack

lunch

Egg: large, boiled 1.0 ea 77.5 5.3g 6.3g 0.6g

Afternoon Snack

Lunchmeat: turkey 4.0 oz 118.0 2.0g 19.2g 4.8g

dinner

Ragu OWS STB Sauce 1.0 serv 70.0 1.5g 2.0g 10.0g

Meijer 96/4 Ground Beef 4.0 oz 130.0 4.0g 24.0g 0.0g

Evening Snack

Totals - Planned Food: 475.5 12.8g 63.5g 23.4g

I was told to use the 30-30-30 rule. 30 minutes before the meal, stop drinking Water. The meal should last for 30 minutes. Then start drinking Water 30 minutes after the meal. That's been working well for me.

You should be getting 60+ grams of Protein a day plus at least 48 (preferably 64+) ounces of water a day. Depending on the food, it could measure out a bit differently. I'm now up to 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and usually 3 ounces of meat (chicken, fish or beef) and be filled up. If it's a super brothy Soup (not much substance) then I can actually manage about 1 cup. If there's substance to the Soup though, about 1/2 cup.