flyingwoman

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

 From one of my posts, something I wanted to save for future reference and to share with anyone interested:

One of the things I have learned through therapy and through my mindful eating program, is how much we undermine ourselves by catastrophic thinking. Having a history of dieting really trains our brains to do a marathon of this crap, and it really takes a lot of intentional work on our thinking process to loosen the reins. 

Basically what I am pointing to, is the way that everything goes on the line of every action. On every action and on every choice we make, we put everything that matters to us, and every one of our goals at stake. If we fall, or fail, or choose to take a rest, all of that expectation, all of that critical "at stake" crashes to the ground. It puts all of our successes in shadow, and makes all of our goals unreachable. It is further "proof" that we are failures, that our efforts will not bear fruit. 

It serves to underline, what we have "secretly" suspected all along: that this really hard thing I am doing (and am afraid of, that makes me feel vulnerable and challenges me to the core) is not worth doing. It exempts us from having to try by reassuring ourselves that it was never going to work in the first place.

When viewed compassionately, as I try to do a lot these days, this thought trap is really just trying to protect us. Our emotional setbacks are difficult to deal with. When we don't try, we don't risk, and when we don't risk, we don't get hurt. Except you and I and everyone on the over 50 board knows, the reality is that when we don't try and when we don't risk, we get hurt very badly. Our bodies grow and seize and hurt and will eventually kill us. 

Changing the catastrophic thinking is just as important to our ability to succeed as learning to eat on plan. When the world doesn't end when we stumble, when the goal is not lost when we fall, when the baby of what we have accomplished is not thrown out with the bathwater of what we just failed to do, it becomes critically easier, and critically more a habit to pick ourselves up, laugh it off and keep moving forward.  

Thought I'd paste this here for fututre reference:

Pre Surgery:

- Go to hospital use no creams, no deoderant no nail polish etc, take only medications as specified in your PATTS
- Arrive and check in on Floor 5 pre-op area. They ask questions, take next of kin info, insurance info, state room preference here.
- Change into hospital gown one on front (first), one on back (don't reverse this, I did and had to change in the Ops room in front of everyone), also a hairnet and hospital booties, no undies.
- Talk to a nurse who asks a million questions that you've answered before, weigh you, take blood pressure and temperature.
- Nurse will lock up your belongings, label your CPAP machine if applicable, someone will have to come pick up your belongings when you are back, if you need the hospital to transfer them to your room, identify that now.
- Wait in the 5 floor waiting room with any people that are with you.
- Get taken down with max 1 person accompanying you down to flr 2 for pre-surg waiting room.
- Meet with the anesthetist to discuss procedure.
- Meet with the surgeon, introduce the person waiting for you. Dr Sohi told us he would come down and provided timelines for us (my hubby for mine or me for my hubby's) but not all doctors do that. If you want someone notified, make sure to arrange for it here. He will also ask you how you did with Optifast and check your records.
- Leave your company, go with the surgeon, walk into OR, Get onto the table. Your arms go out to your sides, your feet go against a table "floor" and everything gets strapped in. (No IV or cathetar, in case you were wondering... IV comes later when you are asleep).
-  The anethetist will hook you up to the mask and off you go.

Company will wait in main waiting area of hospital near front doors, surgeon should come down to update when the procedure is over. Once they have been notified, they can go to the 5th floor post-op room to wait for you to come to your room.

In recovery (2 hoursish normal, 4-6 hours for apneac patients or complications):
 
- You will wake, likely disoriented, they will tell you what has happened, check your responses, monitor your vitals, and provide pain relief if needed.
- You can have ice chips (and will want them) but can only have 15 ml  per 15 mins.
- If you have apnea, your machine will be with you and you can ask for it on, it will help you breathe and help clear the anaesthetic.
- Once cleared from recovery you will be wheeled to your room, and as soon as you are there, your company can come in (max 2 at one time) to see you.

Diminishing Dawn posted this in one of the threads and I just wanted to have it for reference, so I thought I'd post it here.

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS!

While you will lose weight in the first few months after bariatic surgery, you reach your maximum weight loss in 12 to 18 months.  Here is what you can expect to lose post op!

For patients weighing 200 to 250 lbs.
10 lbs. in first 10 days
15 to 25 lbs. in 6 weeks
25 to 35 lbs. in 3 months
35 to 45 lbs. in 6 months
60 lbs. or more in 1 year
70 lbs. or more in 18 months

For patients weighing 250 to 300 lbs.
10 to 12 lbs. in first 10 days
15 to 25 lbs. in 6 weeks
25 to 35 lbs. in 3 months
45 to 60 lbs. in 6 months
80 lbs. or more in 1 year
90 lbs. or more in 18 month

For patients weighing 300 to 400 lbs.
10 to 30 lbs. in first 10 days
25 to 45 lbs. in 6 weeks
35 to 55 lbs. in 3 months
50 to 80 lbs. in 6 months
100 lbs. or more in 1 year
120 lbs. or more in 18 month

 For patients weighing 400 to 500 lbs.
10 to 30 lbs. in first 10 days
25 to 45 lbs. in 6 weeks
35 to 60 lbs. in 3 months
50 to 90 lbs. in 6 months
120 lbs. or more in 1 year
150 lbs. or more in 18 months

A list of fun goals.... to celebrate progress

350: Skinnier than when I got married! Done!
315: Down 100 lbs: Done!
309: No longer Super Obese! Done!
299: Twoterville! Done!
295: Lower than I've been all millenium! Done!
287.5: Halfway there! Done!
270: Skinnier than when I graduated university! Done!
265: Down 150 lbs! Done!
247.5: No longer Morbidly Obese! Done!
245: 2/3 of the way. Done!
230: Skinnier than when I graduated high school! Done!
223.75: 3/4 of the way.
215: Down 200 lbs!
207.5: Half the woman I used to be!
199: Onderland!
190: Skinner than when I graduated grade school!
185: No longer obese!
165: 250 lbs down!
160: Goal!
154: No longer overweight.