One year post op appt. today with Dr. Paya.

All labs good.

I was released, to return in one year.

Mantain and lose a little more weight if desired...he called me a total success thus far. :)

<180 pounds baby!

New pix in my profile. the "officials" from his office.

Thanks to Crystal, Shelly, and of course Dr. Paya for their expertise.

Please look me up in Facebook or MySpace. I tend to me more active there.

I haven't been online in a very long while. I am sorry. I now weigh 192 lbs and I feel fantastic! I take my vitamins every day.

For those looking into WLS (weight loss surgery) and are befuddled over the vitamin issue, here is what I do:

On month three post op, I asked my surgeon, the handsome Dr. Mark Paya, if I could take conventional vitamins. I was concerned about the size of the "horse pills". He said yes and the anastamosis (the opening of the pouch to the jejunum) was about 2.5 cm wide and could easily accomidate a typical vitamin pill.

Here is my regimen of supplementation: In the early morning, I have my coffee with two rounded tablespoons of "Benefiber" mixed in. Benefiber (or its generic) is tasteless and colorless, and keeps things moving. We all need our fiber, and low carbers (which is what the WLS post-op diet basically is) do NOT get enough of this important colon sweep.

Before lunch sometime, I take two 630 mg calcium citrate tablets with D. Nothing special. The tabs we buy at Costco or Sams Club. The bottle will last over 6 months.
At bedtime I chew an chewable iron supplement that contains 29 mg ferrous ferumate. I learned from my preop classes that this type of iron (vs. ferrous sulfate) is better absorbed. I tolerate the chewable. Ferrous ferumate is available in most pharmacies in capsule form, but it tend to "come up" on me, and the iron/liver flavor makes me gag. bariatricadvantage has the chewable iron I prefer.

Once that is chewed and my teeth are brushed, I take a "One-A-Day" women-over-50 multivitamin. I used to take Sam's Club general multi, but decided that 1) I can afford the brand name and 2) I am menopausal and need the additional support.

It is important to take ALL supplements after WLS. No excuses. I have a coworker who is not doing well, and she is generally not compliant with her vitamins. Her surgeon wants to do a revision (read: reversal) of her surgery. :( One can get sick pretty quickly when not complying with the doctor's orders, which includes irreversable maladies and death. 

TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!

This morning DH, DD and I took Fargo the wonderdog to Central Bark so he could go run with his peeps.

There is a soccer field between the parking lot and the dog park. On the way back to the car, Fargo and I jogged back to the car. I was not winded when I got there.

Mind you, I can probably walk faster than I run, but it was interesting, me having both feet off the ground at one time.

When I hit a half mile, another of my goals will be attained. I reached goal #1 when I weighed less than the hub.

I "only" have 41 lbs before I reach my first goal of 170.

This tool is frikking amazing. I am pretty much at the weight I was on my wedding day.

Being Thanksgiving and all, I guess I am pretty thankful.

:)

I have worked for the same medical group for 16 years and at the same site for 5 years. There are hundreds (thousands?) of women whose mammograms I do year after year.

Some patients prefer I not do their mammogram. That is fine. A note is written and I pass the exam to the other tech.

Friday morning, I greeted a patient at the front office and asked her to follow me down the hall. I noticed a note: "Patient wants Amy to do her," attached to the paperwork. I told the patient Amy resigned last month, but there was another tech if she preferred someone else to do her mammo. She shrugged and said, "No. You are fine."

I brought her into the room and did the study with little incident. I asked her if she knew Amy personally. She said no. Since she wasn't volunteering information, I chose not to push it.

It was after she left that I figured it out...she did not recognize me from last year! She thought I was someone else!

LOL!