katie42582
Days gone by...
Sep 14, 2014
It's been a long time since I've posted...5 years to be precise. A lot has happened and most of it bad. I did indeed have a decision to RNY on July 26, 2011. In just over a year I lost 109 pounds going from a starting weight of 272 to 163. My recovery from surgery was not without incident. I had what turned out to be nerve pain in my abdomen and had to take different medication and also take two extra weeks off from work I didn't anticipate. I also discovered fairly early on that I don't dump. For a self proclaimed sugar addict that's not good. But for the first year I did amazingly well. I also lost a lot of hair and it was very fine to begin with. I had been warned about this but nothing really prepares you for the clumps of hair that end up in your hands after you shampoo. Then there was the excess skin. It was really really bad. Had I stayed at 160ish I would have seriously contemplated plastic surgery on my tummy and my breasts. But as it turned out I didn't need it because as of today out 3 years and change, I've regained 50 pounds.
The worst thing about the regain is I don't even really know how it happened--how it started. I think it was a series of little bad habits that just spiraled. My portions started getting larger and I stopped exercising as much and for a while that was OK I was still able to maintain. But then it started catching up with me. Things started getting in the way like work and my social life and healthy eating and exercise stopped becoming a priority. It took longer than I thought though to get to where I am now. I remember in January 2013 I was around 170/175. In December 2013 I hit roughly the 200 pound mark. And here I am now at 215. But....in addition to all that I also had issues with my shoulder that needed to be addressed...
Just prior to my surgery I was experiencing severe shoulder pain. It was so bad that at my pre-op appointment they sent me to the orthopaedist to take xrays because they were concerned that I wouldn't be able to maneuver around after surgery with a bum shoulder. I was diagnosed with calcific tendinitis of my shoulder. Basically my body was depositing calcium in my rotator cuff causing chemical and physical inflammation. I received a cortisone shot and got me through the surgery and the following year when I was at peak exercise level. But then the pain came back. In the fall of 2013 I had a second shot and it did nothing. Long story short on August 7, 2014 I had arthroscopic surgery on my shoulder to remove the calcium and repair my rotator cuff. At 6 weeks out I can't lift my arm on my own. I try bit it doesn't work. I have at least another 6 weeks of PT before I can progress to normal training again. On the plus side I have not gained any weight since the surgery which I feel is a huge milestone. But I am so limited in my activities that it's a huge setback. Especially since I feel like my head is in the right place when usually it's not. It's always something.
So right now I'm trying to celebrate the little things and not gain any more weight and really make an effort when I'm all healed to get back on the wagon and lose maybe just 30 pounds...nothing crazy. 160 was almost too skinny for me...my skin fills out better a little heavier lol.
Till next time;
