DuchessDeviance

I went to the Health Unit at my job the other day because I was a little worried about my blood pressure. I automatically reminded the Medical Assistant to use the extra large cuff but she looked at me, squeezed my arm, and said, "No, I think the smaller one will fit." She was right and the added bonus was that my blood pressure is still holding steady at below 120.

I went home for the holidays and actually enjoyed shopping with my family. I'm two dress sizes smaller than I thought I was and actually found beautiful clothes that fit in the clearance sections.

Here's a little NSV story. When I first got to my current assignment last year, I was confronted with tiny blue armchairs in every office. Just looking at them, I knew they would be difficult to sit in, but I tried anyway. I needed the help of two people to get out! Yesterday, I found myself alone in a room with one of the little monsters and decided to try my luck. It was still an uncomfortable beast but I got in and out of it without any struggle, although not much room to spare. Still, it was a victory and I don't have to avoid the chairs and stand, or have another chair rolled in because I don't fit.

I still haven't had a vitamin panel yet so I can't judge from there, but I will say that I feel really good. The patches stay on even after a sweaty workout and they're so very convenient. I've been less constipated since I started using them, too. I use the multivitamin patch and I have iron patches as well. The MV has iron and calcium included but since I know that those two effect each other, I got the extra iron and I use calcium chews.

I just started using Patch Aid Multivitamin patches. So far, so good. We’ll see what my next vitamin panel says.

If anyone is going through a frustrating stall, I'd like let you know that taking a break works! Well, it worked for me. For one week, I kept to my prescribed low carb/high protein diet, kept my calories between 1200-1500, but i reduced my exercise from 45-60 minutes to 15-20 minutes. It was hard to not feel guilty or lazy by doing shorter workouts but the end result is great. After my 7 day "break", I started back to my regular routines and now the weight is melting off again. Thank you to the Poster who suggested it! I feel great and the frustration is gone.

I'm 4 months post-op and had a very frustrating stall last month where I only lost 5 lbs. despite adequate calorie intake, exercise, etc. I tried increasing my calories, then increasing my exercise, and I got nowhere. So, I took the advice of another poster on this forum and took a break. I kept my calories in the 1200-1500 range but reduced my exercise from 45-60 minutes, 6 days a week to 15-20 minutes. It was difficult for me to do that because I've become addicted to my time on the treadmill and my fun workout videos, but I did it. I gave my body some time off to reset and then got right back to my routine after a week. I've been losing 3-4 pounds per week ever since.

I can clasp my hands behind my back. And although I was still the biggest person on my travel tour, I wasn't the slowest or the least fit. I kept up with the tour guide, climbed over ruins, and hiked up hills with ease. I'm starting to see muscle definition again and my shoes feel too big. The weight loss is slowing down, but I'm still seeing wonderful changes.

My job brought me here. I have a couple of years left on this assignment. I have two uncles rolling in their graves because i’m here but they knew better than anyone that you go where Uncle Sam sends you.

Just got through the grandmother of all stalls and all it took was a cold virus to get me losing again. I’ve lost an entire dress size so I’m digging in to the back of my closet to reacquaint myself with old clothes. I’m touring Hoi An, Vietnam this weekend and trying very hard not to go into the fabric shops to have new clothes made. I’ve still got more weight to lose and a bespoke closet at the end of my assignment is just the incentive I need to stay motivated.

Half of a roasted chicken thigh. It was so blissful to chew!

I ordered some from PatchMD! They should arrive today. I’m ready! Haha That’s my least favorite part too! Let us know how it goes! It sounds like an exciting alternative to trying to swallow a pill bigger than my stomach!

I just saw that they have multivitamin patches in the Bariatric Pal store. Has anyone tried these yet? Taking my supplements is my least favorite part of my day.

When I hit my stall I started looking for progress outside of the scale. I took my measurements, tried on clothes that had been tight, noticed that I had increased my walking speed on the treadmill, and I busied myself with meal and exercise plans for the coming weeks. They helped keep the frustration down. It had been my pattern to fall off my fitness plans when I reached a plateau so I’m determined to end that cycle now.

I’m 7 weeks and I can usually get down 1 egg and a few soft vegetables for breakfast, and 2 ounces of meat for lunch and dinner. I have veggies then too but i’ve reconciled myself to the fact that those two ounces of vegetables are going to take me an hour to eat. And I’m determined to eat them because I need the fiber 😅. In between meals I drink the Bariwise hot chocolate or cappuccino and the Bariatric Choice drink concentrates, which i’ll happily evangelize about if you’re interested.

Yes. My insurance required that i be on a medically supervised diet for three months. I had to be weighed monthly and submit progress reports through my dietitian. I guess they wanted proof that i was committed to weight loss and a good investment in my own insurance benefits! I lost 8 lbs. the first month but then gained 5 pounds back in the second (which turned out to be PMS) and then lost 3 in the last month. Despite the yo-yo i was approved. It was frustrating but i paid only $350 out of pocket for everything.

I have carpal tunnel too. After my surgery my IV hand got painfully swollen so I let my surgeon know and she sent me to a GP to have it checked out and to make sure I didn’t have a blood clot. I was diagnosed with thrombophlebitis which I was told was a hardening of the vein caused by the IV and the meds that went through it. The swelling hurt worse than the incisions! The only way to treat it is with warm compression. Mine cleared up a week after I saw the doctor. Keep heat on yours and you’ll get better soon.

I can sing again. Throughout my childhood and young adulthood I sang in choirs. The last few years I got so big and had such reduced lung capacity that I couldn’t hold a note anymore. Just now while I was on the treadmill walking 4.5 mph, my favorite song came on my shuffle and I started singing along, in tune, no panting or wheezing. When I realized what I was doing I started crying. It was such an incredible moment to realize that I have my voice back.

At my clinic this morning the surgeon asked me if I was having any trouble eating. I told him that I was doing okay but it was frustrating to me that soupy oatmeal is harder to get down than bean soup. He told me that I just need to be patient and to realize that my stomach is like a newborn’s now and I have to gradually train it to tolerate tougher foods. The key is not to force it and to sensibly eat the textures and amounts of food I can tolerate. So I’m going to keep going slow and I’m going to give “new” foods a try very carefully.

My surgeon said that my stomach tissue tested positive for a bacteria that causes ulcers so she put me on this odious 8 pill a day drug regimen which causes diarrhea. So, no constipation for me! 😒 The pills also make me nauseous so it’s hard to get in my protein and liquids. I’m done with the whole thing this week and I’m so looking forward to scrambled eggs for breakfast on Saturday 🍳

The diet my dieticians gave me doesn’t include a puréed food stage. I’ve gone from clear liquids to full liquids, and now in stage 3 I can have yogurt, pudding, and strained cream soups. Oh, I can also have oatmeal. On Monday I’m allowed soft cooked beans, vegetables, and low-fat cottage cheese. I’m overly excited about that because my biggest cravings are savory foods. All of these sweet shakes and drinks are driving me bonkers, and the packaged protein soups are drab.

I had an extra night in the hospital after my surgery because I wasn’t drinking. I had a lot of air or gas and it prevented me from wanting to drink anything. The only thing that helped was walking. The nurses would help me out of bed and walk the hallway with me. This helped ease the gas pressure and I was able to take more fluids. The pain medicine was also a lifesaver. I took small naps after and when I woke I was ready to walk and drink again. But the biggest thing was the support of the hospital staff. They were encouraging and caring. I think you should let your surgeon know that the staff is being less than supportive.

My surgery was on March 13, 2019. It was supposed to be a month earlier but I caught the flu and the logistical setbacks kept rolling on from there. Now, thankfully, I’m 17 days post-op. I feel relatively good. Still a little sore. Struggling to get all my protein and liquids in as I get accustomed to my new stomach. I have no regrets so far but I know the real challenges will come when I return to work overseas after surgery and recovery in the States.