bobbyswife

Good stuff!

How fun!

PHENOMENAL. Every one of you!

Of course there are lots of people that don't weigh or measure anything with great success. It's the ones that are forced to weigh and measure everything to get through a stall that I'm speaking in reference to.

1b. Be HONEST about what you're documenting. Lying to yourself about those little nibbles here and there will only be disastrous to the bottom line. Also, if you aren't weighing and measuring CORRECTLY, you could be grossly underestimating your totals.

It always gets you when you least expect it. You’re cruising right along, doing your thing, and then something happens and that fight or flight reaction stops you in your tracks. Humans have fear to keep themselves safe. The fear of the unknown has kept us safe for thousands of years; we do what is most comfortable, hardly venturing out into the great unknown without a reasonable reason for doing so. In cases of elective surgery, it’s a tricky thing because as in the case of bariatric surgery, no one is saying to you something like, “Your appendix has ruptured and we have to remove it”, or “Your heart has a blockage and we must do a bypass or you’ll die”. It’s tricky because without bariatric surgery, oftentimes it’s only a matter of time until it kills us. Although in many cases it’s probably not in the immediate future, but definitely not a long way away, either. Or, maybe your health is pretty good like in my case. I don’t have heart problems, diabetes or high blood pressure, but rather my weight has robbed me of my quality of life. With degenerative arthritis in my back, the pain from the weight has taken away a lot of my joy. So, when I say that it’s only a matter of time until it kills us, it could be in the physical or emotional sense of the word. I’m amazed at the change in emotion as I go through this process and it gets closer and closer to my surgery date. I’m still vacillating between excitement and fear, and I presume that’s going to be the case until I’m on the operating table on December 18th. However, I no longer fear the procedure itself. I have the utmost confidence in my surgeon. Now, I am more apt to be fearful of the recovery itself, and occasionally the years ahead of me as I age. Since there is no long-term data specifically on my surgery type, the future is uncertain even though people have had portions of their stomachs removed due to various reasons including cancer. There are thousands upon thousands though, that have had successful surgeries and recovery times, and the number of those with life altering complications are slim. But, it does happen and I have to be educated and aware that the possibility exists. Nonetheless, the fear is an ever-constant subtlety that will likely remain. That’s the trouble with fear; it’s not something that is easily controlled.

Ambivalence is defined as the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something. On this particular journey in my life I've decided that I have but only two kinds of days. The only way I can refer to them is as positive days and negative days. The two never seem to cross paths, and each morning promises one of the two. A new friend of mine that I have begun to get to know through this site, said it best; "It's almost like a strange retake on Groundhog's Day, where we've somehow got caught up in this (seemingly) never ending loop." That's exactly how I feel. I fall asleep at night thinking one of two things, either worry about the surgery and/or post op, or feeling excited about the surgery and/or post op success. I wake up feeling either anxious about how many days are left until surgery or hopeful about how positive my life will change for the better. I'm not quite sure why I keep vacillating so much between these two outlooks. The good thing about being on this site is that you can read all sorts of varying experiences from literally thousands and thousands of people. The bad thing about it is the exact same thing. It's the epitome of a catch 22. Sometimes when I read horror stories that people have gone through or turmoil that people going through right now as a result of surgery, its sets my nerves on overdrive. One side of me says, "that won't happen to me", and the other side says, "the risk here is real, even the risk of death". Those two extremes are just that. Extreme. Granted, I'm relatively healthy other than morbid obesity, degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia. I don't have blood pressure problems or heart issues. But, the clock is ticking. I am getting no younger and no thinner being incapable of exercise in this state that I'm in. I know that I've made the right choice and I know that the more positive I remain, the better I will do. If I don't go through this surgery, one thing is for sure, I will get sicker, I will get heavier, and I will face more health challenges. My mind is made up, I just wish I could stop this cycle.

When did you have surgery? I get headaches when I don't get enough protein, but I'm still pre-op so that's only my best guess...

hahaha! We had a great time and actually stayed in Metairie!

When I started this process I was just so excited to find out that my insurance covered bariatric surgery after researching the process for over a year, that I left out an important piece to the process. It was all kind-of a whirlwind though, when I got my consultation appointment literally for the next morning after trying to get in to see the surgeon that I was set on using. Once that appointment opened up at the last minute, there were so many emotions going on and so much excitement that the ball was FINALLY rolling, I neglected to make a list of questions to take with me to my consult. Now, to be clear, I had been researching this procedure and my surgeon and his center of excellence for a very long time, so I was already very much aware of the process and most of the national statistics, but I didn't make a list and that was a bad idea. Fortunately, the nurses and staff have been great about replying to my questions as I have them, but I wish I had been armed with them so that I could have spent more time with my surgeon in the beginning. If I had it to do over again, this is the one thing I would have changed. So, I have made a list of questions for you, the reader, to use for your consult. You may already have a list, and if so, just take a look at these and see if there is anything you missed. The more information you have in your arsenal the better prepared you will be and the more likely you will be to succeed post op! How many years have you been performing bariatric surgery? What type of training have you had in bariatric surgery? Are you board certified? Are you FACS? (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) Do you use staples, sutures, or both? After the stapling of my sleeve, will you over-sew the staples? What is your complication rate? What is your mortality rate? More specifically, what is your sleeve leak rate? How many trocars will be used for my surgery? I have read that most leaks happen at the top, or at the bottom; are there any extra measures taken to protect against this happening? Will you leave in a drain that will need to be removed a few days later? Will you put me on Lovenox or other blood thinners after surgery? What type of compression devices will you use on my legs to prevent blood clots? If I have a hernia will you repair it at the same time? Do you remove the gallbladder during surgery? What size bougie will you use? Is your center or your hospital a center of excellence? Are you a member of ASBS? (American Society of Bariatric Surgery) How many sleeve surgeries have you performed? How many do you typically do each year? How many nights will I be in the hospital? Does your facility offer support after surgery? When will be my first post op appointment and how often will I check in at the office after that? Does your bariatric center offer a clothing exchange among other patients? These are the most important questions that I think need to be asked. Feel free to add your own! Make sure you take a good pen and leave room to write in all your answers.

I don’t want to look like a flying squirrel after my weight loss, so I’ve spent a great deal of time researching ways to combat loose skin, and while there’s no promise of perfect skin after losing a lot of weight, I’ve come up with the most common things that have supposedly been helpful when talking to and reading about people who have lost up to 100 pounds and more. No, I’m not a skin specialist, but these are the top 10 things that I think I will do in these two months prepping for surgery Dec. 18th. None of these items would be negative, so any benefit that does come from them will be… well... a benefit! These are in no particular order 1) Coconut Oil – I’m slathering myself in this every day. Coconut oil keeps the skin’s connective tissues strong and supple, and can even help with skin blemishes. I’ve already noticed a major improvement in my skin health since starting this regimen. I’ve always been prone to itchy skin and it has all completely stopped in a matter of days. Also, cooking with coconut oil is the healthiest in my opinion. Cooking with oils such as olive oil is counter-productive because once it reaches a certain temperature it starts to oxidize and release free radicals. That’s never good. 2) Body Brushing aka Dry Brushing - Releases toxins, stimulates the lymphatic system and improves circulation. Always dry brush in a circular motion, brushing toward your middle. 3) Water, Water, Water – Drink, Drink, Drink. If you’re an adult, you know this. Enough said. 4) Weight Training - Work those muscles. This one is tricky for me because I am so arthritic and have fibromyalgia and I have to literally micro-manage my every move in order to prevent adrenal fatigue, but I am so hoping, praying and wishing that once some of this weight comes off and I am in less pain, weight training will be possible again because I love it! 5) Say NO to sun bathing and chlorine – both of these dehydrate your skin. If you’re like me and love to be in the sun, use sunscreen or good clothing coverage. But, for me, I’m personally going to avoid too much direct exposure, at least between now and goal weight. It’s a healthy practice to get into anyway. Unfortunately it can be a catch 22 though, since so many sunscreens are full of skin harming chemicals. Your best bet = cover up! And for Heavens sake – stay out of the tanning bed! If you must go swimming, even in an indoor pool, wash that chlorine off ASAP. Can you say dry skin? 6) Regular Massage – I’m a big believer in massage for too many things to list, but treating your skin to regular massage stimulates your blood cells and lymphatic system. Your skin is your largest organ – treat it nicely 7) Protein – Lots of lean protein will give your skin the collagen and elastin that it needs to stay healthy. If you eat a bunch of crap – expect your skin to be crap, too. I know this from first hand experience. Any time I get off track and start feeding my body junk food, my skin is the first thing to suffer. 8) Use Decent Soap – it doesn’t have to be the most expensive thing on the market, but cleanse your skin with a decent moisturizing cleanser and avoid over-cleansing. 9) Essential Oils – my sister has recently delved into the essential oil world and I’ve really been impressed with some of the studies that have recently been put out. Lavender oil and almond oil just to name a few are amazing things. I add a few drops to my bath when I feel like soaking. It’s good for the skin and the lavender is oh-so-relaxing, too! 10) Compression Wear – The support group meeting that I attend is lead by a bariatric surgery nurse who himself has lost almost 300 lbs. in about 18 months post sleeve. He swears by compression clothing and says it doesn’t have to be the expensive stuff either. Just a good quality compression undershirt and leggings makes a big difference, he says. Some other ideas I’ve heard about on bariatricpal.com and in my other searches include things like taking beef gelatin, using or making body wraps, using lotion with caffeine, and eating lots of high antioxidant fruits and vegetables. Getting in “lots” of fruits and veggies is particularly challenging for VSG’ers because protein must come first and there’s often not a lot of room for extra. For this reason, taking a bariatric grade supplement for life is critical. A couple of funny comments that I got when I posted a question on a forum about ways to prevent loose skin was “youth” and “good genetics”. I got a good chuckle out of the youth one because now that I’m in my 40’s it’s certainly apparent that I’m not a teenager anymore. But, alas, healthy skin is something we should try to keep at any age. The bottom line is that none of this may work at all, but if I don't try, and I end up with loose skin, I'll wonder if it would have been better if I tried. If I try them all habitually and I still have loose skin, at least I'll only wonder if it would have been worse if I hadn't.