GreenTealael

TOMORROW IS MY DAY!

I am so very excited! My sister is here with me and my son. I am so excited. My anesthesiologist called me tonight to discuss our plans for tomorrow. I am not feeling nervous at all. Just excited for the future!

I did buy a few bottles of CFpreop which is really suppose to help you stay hydrated. It's pricey but I feel it's worth it. I tried the Watermelon tonight. I have to stop all liquids after midnight and I go into the hospital at 5:30am for check in. My surgery is at 8am.

SO HAPPY for this journey!

You can get the CFpreop on Amazon if anyone is interested. It comes in Watermelon and White Grape.

Read my night before thoughts on: www.SabrinaGoddess.com

🔽🔽🔽🔽 FINAL CHALLENGE ! 🔽🔽🔽🔽

had to stop in and read some NSV.  I hope everyone is doing well.

not much to update.  Weight is stable and labs are good.  always seem to be low on Vit. D but that seems to be the new it thing.

It's a weddings and Funerals kind of week and not something i enjoy so i needed the pick me up from the NSV page.  Keep posting there it really is little things that make this all worth it and reading about your small victories along the way helps more than you will ever know.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and give those close to you a hug

I am starting to flitter and flit around, starting to pack my suitcase, etc. I feel like a kid at Christmas.

December 9th is my Christmas Gift to ME!

I am nine days post-op with a 22 lb. loss so far.  The sleeve procedure is making me re-evaluate my life and the way I look (and eat) food.  I am still learning how to register being full.  Twice now I've thought I knew when I was full but within 10 minutes, the hiccups started and the uncomfortable feeling at the junction of my throat and stomach let me know I ate 1-2 bites too many.  

A little about me:  I was never overweight until my late 20's (even after 2 children).  My weight then went up to around 180 lbs. which is a good bit for someone who's only 5'4" tall.  I finally had my 3rd child when I was 29 and my weight went unchecked after that.  I ballooned up to 356 lbs. in the 1990s. At that time, I had already tried a lot of fad diets and finally found the only thing that worked for me..an item the FDA has now banned-ephedra.  I managed to drop 140 lbs using this around 2001.  I finally thought I had the weight problem licked and was really having a great time without people saying "you would be so pretty if you managed to lose some of that weight."  

I met my husband in 2002 and we got married on my birthday-November 23rd. Now the weight started to return.  Fast forward to 2019 and I finally decided enough was enough and began researching surgeons and programs in my area.  Began the long process of qualifying for the sleeve procedure.  Just before my approval came through, my husband had to be placed on hospice.  By this time my weight was holding steady at 288 lbs.  Once he was set up with regular nurse visits, my surgery date came through-November 18th.  Going forward, I now get to celebrate my birthday all week long beginning on my new birthday, November 18 and rejoicing through to November 23rd!

I know I still have a long, difficult road ahead of me to learn my new normal and make the transformation that I know is possible.

Starting my new life on December 10, 2019.

Just cleaned out my fridge of old/unwanted food. Next is cabinets and pantry!

One-derville has been passed today. Sort of a mental milestone, but I still have more to do/lose. Although it's nice to get over that hurdle for once (and all?).

I baked a gross of (144) chocolate chip cookies for the coffee break (fika) at work. The cool part was that I managed to not eat a single one of them. Not only that but I finished with my baking by 11pm and got up at 5am for my doggie walk before work. This time it was MUCH easier to skip the cookies since I was thinking about dumping in the back of my mind. That and the damn gremlins (oops I mean  grehlins) are on vacation at the moment.

At my Primary Physician appt, the Doc said you know you lost a whole person. When you started seeing me you were 265lbs now you're 148lbs.

She's right... I lost the fun me 😂 Joking Joking Joking. It's amazing who keeps track when you don't like insurance and browsers feeds

Feeling cute had to!

So it's been a while since I posted - but progress has been amazing.

My VSG was 5/1/17.  I dropped to 220lbs and stayed there for some time.  This was a huge win for me - so I decided to take the next step and I met with an amazing plastic surgeon who helped me with the next step - excess skin removal.  There were three things that needed to be addressed 1) abdominal hernia's 2) panniculectomy and a 3) abdominoplasty.

First, talk to your plastic surgeon - I spoke with several, and these are expensive procedures - but I finally found a surgeon that advised me that the panniculectomy could be covered by health insurance - and it was - saving me nearly $5000.  Overall I still paid $7k out of pocket - but way better than the $12 - $14k that I had been quoted by others.

I had my reconstructive surgery 1 month ago - the surgeon removed 14lbs of skin and fat - and I dropped a few more pounds - and am now weighing in at 195.  My highest weight was 445lbs.  I way less than when I started high school - and I feel amazing - I am still recovering from the surgery because it is fairly invasive - so pics to follow - but what an amazing journey - I never thought I would get here. 

My journey has been almost 14 years - a failed lap band, massive complications from that, weight gain and then struggling to gain the nerve to try again with the VSG - but my care team has been amazing - and I cannot thank them for giving me my life back.  At 52 I am the healthiest I have been since I was 14.  

Please remember, the journey can be tough, the struggles are real, the pain is there - but it's your life you are fighting for - and there is nothing more important than that.

Time for a status update:  

Yesterday marked my one year anniversary on Bariatricpal.com.  What a year it has been and I am so grateful for all the people here that have helped me along the way.  I'm also so grateful for @Alex Brecher for creating and maintaining this site for all of us.  I hope that my ongoing purchases of calcium and multivitamin supplements are enough to express my gratitude.  I'm a huge fan of the BariatricPal Multivitamin One 45.

I kept a journal starting in July of last year starting the 2nd day after I was serious about considering bariatric surgery.  Reading all the entries is very therapeutic to me. 

Looking back, I probably wouldn't have changed a thing about how I started and went through this process.  Almost everything has gone well in this journey for me.  Sure I've had my low points, but I seemed to have come out the other side very much in-tact. 

There's still a long road ahead once my real hunger returns, but I'm going to keep on the straight and narrow path of eating well and exercising every day until that happens and then some.

In celebration of my 1 year on this site, I thought I'd share one of my early personal journal entries:

Quote

 

8/7/18 - I signed up to the BariatricPal.com website yesterday to find support from people in the same situation and to see what they are all going through in the process.

Looks like I'll be doing this for months after all before even thinking about surgery.

Sounds like I have to change my habits sooner than later, was not expecting that.

Yesterday I stopped for the large pouch of Baby Bels at Target and this morning I got my two scrapple sandwiches again.  I could not be more disgusted about it.  So over this…

WTF????  I just ate more M&Ms and knowingly did so. 

This has to stop now!!!!  That's it, we're having vegan for dinner tonight.

 

Just saw a YouTube vid about Beyonce's health routine to prep for Coachella: She was 175 lbs. I now know where I need to stay under... the Beyonce weight limit 😂

I haven't checked in for a long time. Thought I'd give an update. So after getting within 15 pounds of my goal, which was 167 the last time I posted, which was approx 16 months after surgery, I little by little started to slide into some old habits - using food for comfort, not eating enough protein, filling up on carbs, etc etc.  As of 3/31/19 I hit another bottom. I'd gone back up to 213 (my top weight was 241) and I was physically miserable and it was impacting my mental and spiritual health. What I was eating was NOT feeding me in any way. My mother had passed away and I found myself avoiding grief by eating anything I wanted.  As of 4/1/19 I began by doing a month of Whole30 to eliminate foods that were causing me distress and inflammation. It was a wake up call I needed. My skin cleared up, my inflammation is in check, my eyes are clear, my body feels more energetic and I don't feel the need to nap everyday due to fatigue, I can take the stairs without dread, and I feel freedom from the effect of food - even peace - for the first time in my life. I did not get to this place of paying REAL attention to nutrition until I hit a bottom. I was one month from turning 55 and I knew if I didn't do something, I was going to really plunge into a despair I might not come back from.  I completely threw myself into learning how to cook from a place of health, not putting butter and cheese on everything to "flavor" it (including salad).  I've eliminate dairy, sugar and flour from my diet almost 100% and I've got a primarily Mediterranean diet at this point. My spiritual/mental/physical health is so much more important to me now. I'm feeling so grateful.  I am 178 pounds - and figure my body is going to find it's stopping point when it's ready. I feel committed to my health in ways I wasn't when I had the sleeve surgery. I thought I was ready to change, I really did, but I was not willing to admit that some foods not only trigger me, they plunge me into addiction and it's very hard for me to find my way back to peace with food once I jump off track.  So I make it my intention to stay clear of processed foods, junk food, fried food, the things that make me not only in full addict mode, but enhance my feelings of low self worth and depression.  If I don't have the first one, I don't have to eat the last.  It's doable. One day at a time.  If you had surgery and gained weight back - DO NOT DESPAIR - you can find your way to health. It may take time and it will surely take effort, but once you get to that place of being done hurting yourself, you will want something different so you'll do something different and find a path back to wellness. It took me a little over two years to feel "ready" to change. I have no more shame for being someone who gained weight after surgery (I sure did though...and it was painful), I feel open and willing and I know that my experience was mine to have.  If I can help anyone else feel hopeful that it's not too late, no matter how many times you've tried to heal yourself and better your health, then it will all have been worth it. I'm 55 and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart...it gets greater later. xoxo

PS I've attached some before and after pics. Some are before gastric sleeve surgery, some are from March of this year and now (before and after getting back on track).

Have decided on the Lap Band.  Excited, tomorrow 7/24 I have my consultation with my surgeon!  Hoping he will approve me.

7 days post revision... I am wiped out! I forgot about the energy depletion stage 

Logically I know there is some fat left for use... But not much

7 days post revision... I am wiped out! I forgot about the energy depletion stage 

Logically I know there is some fat left for use... But not much

7 days post revision... I am wiped out! I forgot about the energy depletion stage 

Logically I know there is some fat left for use... But not much

7 days post revision... I am wiped out! I forgot about the energy depletion stage 

Logically I know there is some fat left for use... But not much

Day 3 of Liver shrinking diet. 11 days to go. Come on 31JUL. Trying not to get impatient

3 days post op and I want to go to the movies to see The Lion King... #slowdown

3 days post op and I want to go to the movies to see The Lion King... #slowdown

3 days post op and I want to go to the movies to see The Lion King... #slowdown