2 years out!

Nov 07, 2011

Wow.  I know everyone says this, but I can hardly believe it's been two years since my surgery!  I remember leading up to it, I could barely think about anything else, and now, two years later, I hardly think about my surgery at all.  My mom had to remind me on Sunday of my 2 year surgiversary.  My experience has not been perfect, but I would still do it all again tomorrow if I had to.

I unfortunately have not lost as much weight as I would have liked due to some hip issues.  In the past nine months, I have had two hip surgeries, one on the right and one on the left.  These surgeries were for a previously existing genetic condition that I have been dealing with for the past 4 or 5 years.  About one month after I had my RNY, my hips started getting increasingly painful.  My doctor began by giving me cortisone injections, and when the injections did not work as planned, we did some MRIs and discovered the underlying condition.  I ended up having surgery on my left hip this past March, and had surgery on my right hip about a month and a half ago in September.  After each surgery I was on crutches for 4 to 5 weeks, and had physical therapy for about 6 weeks.  However, I went to my doctor last week for my 6 week check up and he said I graduated!    Barring any unforseen issues, I never have to see him again!  Which is amazing since I feel like I've been living in his office for the past 18 months...  It'll still be about 4 more months before I am clear to run or do any heavy aerobics, and I still have some pain and a limited range of motion, but I can start using the bike and the elliptical and some weights.  So next week I am back to the gym!  

Currently, I am about 175 pounds and a size 14.  I've lost around 130 pounds from my highest weight and 10 sizes (24 to 14).  According to my weight loss ticker, I've also lost 22.4 BMI points.  I'd like to lose about 25 pounds more and/or 4 more sizes.  I'd say my goal size is a 10.  I already have some serious loose skin issues, but plastic surgery is not on the horizon currently.  First of all, I'd still like to loose a bit more before I look into PS, and second of all, I'm still paying off my hip surgeries.  And I literally just finished paying off my WLS last month!  Anyway, I can deal with the skin.

I do have some surgery related issues.  I have reactive hypoglycemia, although I have not been diagnosed by a doctor.  After a particularly carby day or meal, I get very weak and dizzy, my hands will start shaking, and I can get rather irritable.  I eat something as soon as I notice it coming on, usually peanut butter or cheese, and I'm getting better at catching it before it gets too bad.  I have also been having problems swallowing pills and some minor pain in my abdomen.  About a year after my surgery, I stopped being able to swallow pills.  Every time I did so, I would vomit about an hour later.  Strangely, up to that point, I had been able to take handfulls of pills with minimal problems.  I have been visiting a gastroenterologist and have had a bunch of tests, but so far we have no answers.  I am going to see my surgeon next week, so I'll ask him if he has any ideas.  The only reason I haven't been seeing my surgeon for this issue from the beginning is that he is so far away.  However, I think I may have to follow up with him rather than the gastroenterologist from now on.  The result of this problem is that for the past year, I haven't been able to swallow any vitiamins.  I can only take chewables.  I am taking chewable multivitamins and calcuim, as well as sublingual B-12.  However, prior to this issue I was also taking vitamins A and D and Iron.  I cannot tolerate the Iron at all now, as I have tried liquid and it also made me very nauseated.  As to the A and D, I cannot find a cheap chewable option.  I am having bloodwork done every 6 months to monitor and if need be I will get an iron infusion, but so far the hematologist says there is no need.  Strangely enough, I also have acid reflux now.  I had it before the surgery as well, but it went away for a while and then came back.  The gastroenterologist prescribed some pills which I open up and put in yogurt.  I'm not sure why this is, as I though the reflux should have gone for good after my surgery, so this is something else I will be bringing up with my surgeon when I see him next week.

Honestly, even with these problems, I would do it again.  Everything is so much easier now.  Before the surgery, everything was an effort and I was constantly worrying about my size in my day to day life.  I went to Israel in February which I would never have done before the WLS.  In fact, I had the opportunity before the WLS and did not take it.  Before my surgery I worried about fitting into a plane seat, hiking, and even just keeping up with the others in my group.  When I went in February, I didn't worry at all about fitting in the plane seat or keeping up with the others in my group.  (I did still worry about the hikes a little...  )  Day to day, my body isn't a concern for me anymore, and it's getting harder and harder for me to remember the days when it was.  Seeing old pictures is shocking to me.  Intellectually, I remember that I was over 300 pounds and what that was like, and that I had weight loss surgery, but day to day, this isn't something I think about, so photographic evidence is surprising.  In fact, most of the people I know now never knew me as that 300+ pound person.  I am used to myself like this now.  Occassionally the scale will creep up a few pounds and I will go back to calorie counting until it gets back to where I was.  Hopefully though, now that I can start the gym again, I can get that number even a bit lower.  Overall, I am so grateful for my WLS.  I know that I would not have the quality of life that I now have without it and although certain aspects of my life have been changed forever by it, I would certainly do it again in a heartbeat.

1 Comment