gonersmom

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Well, it has been 6 months now and life is better than it has been in 20 years!  I'm getting comfortable with my progress, getting my 'head' in shape as well as my body.

My heaviest weight was 325+, my surgical weight 297, and as of last week I was 241 which means just short of 60# in 6 months.  I know I haven't done as well as I would have liked, however, I am very happy with these results.  I will be honest.  I haven't done everything by the book.  I have done a bit of cheating here and there.  I sometimes don't exercise for a week or more at a time.  But I am OK with all of this.  My weight loss has been consistant and I am continuing to lose, get healthier, and everyday I find something new that I can do now that 6 months ago I couldn't!  YAY ME!!

About getting my 'head' into shape as well as my body.  I decided even prior to my surgery that I would never 'diet' again.  That's one of the reasons I'm not as diligent as I should be.  I came to the realization that dieting is what put me into that horrible shape I was at, and just as my weight didn't grow overnight I wasn't expecting my weight to drop overnight either.  Slow and steady wins the race in my head.  I make sure to make protein a priority, and keep my carbs low, but I can honestly say there isn't anything that I won't eat.  A bite of something extravagant does fill me up and keeps my 'head' happy too!  This may not be the best advice for everyone, but this is what has worked for me so far.

This also has allowed me to 'grow' into my smaller sizes with my head, as well as with my body.  I started in a 3-4X top and 28-30 pants.  I now am in 18 pants and XL tops.  I am planning to get into 12's and Mediums by the time I hit the one year mark.  I think over all this will be the best for me mentally as well as physically.  I have quickly lost large amounts of weight in the past doing Atkins with mega-amounts of exercise, only to gain it back just as quickly.  I know that with the restriction I have that will be close to impossible with my VSG, however the 'attention' I was getting from my husband and other people in general always made me feel uneasy.  So again, I am working on my 'head' as well as my body this time around and am loving it!

Last summer I could barely get out of bed in the morning, make it through the day at work, and then come home to finish up what to be done.  This summer I bounce out of bed, enjoy my 2 jobs (!!), have made a large improvement in my house/yard work, AND I was blessed to take a 10 day vacation to Wyoming with a cousin who I hadn't ever really known.  We white water rafted, horseback rode, hiked, shopped, and NEVER dropped until LATE into the evening!.  Even with the 10,000 Ft. Altitude we were hiking in I didn't suffer from sucking-wind, sweating to death, and I EVEN SET THE PACE for my cousin to try to keep up with!  (And she's in great shape!!)  It was a great experience for her too....she and I shared meals, saving both of us $$ and calories.  I came back without having gained a pound! 

I have also spent the summer walking, biking, canoeing and using my eliptical (a gift from a friend!), along with lifting weights.  I don't do it as often as I'd should or even would like to.  Somedays I only get to do 2-3 minutes of exercise 2-3 times a day....but HEY!  That's 10 minutes more exercise than I could do last year, and it's 10 minutes of movement instead of 10 minutes of couch potatoing at the end of the day!  

If you are reading this, and not sure whether you should go ahead with WLS know that we've all had those doubts.  Even if I don't lose another pound I am living and loving my life like I haven't had the opportunity to in 20 years!  I look forward to the next 6 months!  I know that I'm a lot farther away from lying in a casket than I was last year at this time.  And believe me....that's a great feeling!  

My PCP is a good guy, however, he wasn't the most supportive of my decision to have VSG.  Yesterday however I had my 3 month followup with my labs drawn last week.  He admitted that he is "becoming a believer in this procedure seeing the progress I've made, and that he looks forward to my next visit in 6 months."

I am officially off my Metformin (was on it for 6 years), off of my blood pressure meds (been on them a little over a year), off of my Potassium (on it for 8 years), and have reduced my water pill by 1/2 -3/4 (I've been on it for 15+ years).  He suggested I drop the water pill completely, but I am afraid of my feet swelling so I will basically take it as needed. 

My blood pressure was 122/76 down from a high of 190/90, my A1C was 5.7, down from 6.5, and my cholesterol was down from an all time high of 385 to 272, which is not great but is a drastic change in both of our opinions.  (I get sick from most cholesterol meds so I have refused to take them.  I did agree to try fish oil again since I've found one that seems to not be making me burp fishy tastes). 

My legs which were getting really dark brown from mid calf down to feet have a marked improvement which PCP said , "This is awesome, I am astonished at their improvement!".  

I did go in armed with some literature I've found online regarding VSG and diabetes/hormonal changes which he was very interested in. 

He asked if I would be willing to do testimonials with other patients if he has any that inquire about WLS.  I walked in wearing an 18 sundress with a knit shrug and I could tell he was impressed.  The last time he saw me I was in 28 pants with a 4X shirt.  

I asked him to realize that for some people it is NOT JUST about diet and exercise.  I told him, "After 25 years of my being obese, do you really think that I haven't diligently tried at least 100 times to do just that??"   He did mention that I have lost large amounts of weight in the past, only to regain.  I countered with, "I've never NOT been hungry in the past tho."  That's when he admitted he was impressed and is becoming a believer.  

All in all I'd say it was a fantastic doctor's appointment!  I am definately in love with my sleeve!

As luck would have it, 24 hours ago I recieved the anesthesiologists phone call.  Once again, someone was asking me to go through that extensive list of medications I take every day.  However this time, when I mentioned the Phentermine, he very quickly asked "Are you STILL taking that??"  My response was "Yes, and I don't like the sound of that question!".  LOL

Somehow along the way, no one else seemed to notice the fact I was still taking the meds.  I'm not sure how the mistake happened, but I guess I'm thankful it was found before something drastic such as my heart stopping on the table happened.  The doctor was very sympathetic and polite.  And I realize that it is a possibility that I may have mumbled through my list too quickly, or even forgot to mention it, altho I do know I mentioned it at my pre-op and history & physical appts within the last 2 weeks.

So...for those of you who are taking Phentermine as a part of your pre-op weight loss program, please be informed that you MUST refrain from taking it for at least 7 days prior to general anesthesia.  The risks are just too great to even try to get around it.  Even for myself, a risktaker, the possibility of ending up in a coma/stroke/dead situation just isn't worth it. 

So....oh DARN, I guess I'll have to enjoy an extra week or two off from work, and get the things I should have finished up last week done.  All things work for the good.  WIth this delay I will be able to completely pack up the last of my closed coffee shop. (Anyone want to buy a stove/deli case??)  I will be able to help with the lifting which I wouldn't have been able to after surgery.  I will be able to put a bit more emphasis on getting some good cardio exercise in to make sure my lungs are the healthiest they can be for the surgery.  I have a tendency to get pneumonia so exercise is a good thing!  And since last week was an over abundance of overtime, I really didn't get the rest I should have prior to having surgery.  So not that I've pouted and taken my revenge out on a bunch of poor innocent marshmallow peeps (Hey!  They are FAT FREE....give me a break!), I am ready to think about this in a positive way.

Twelve hours ago WAS supposed to be the big day, but it could have also been my LAST day on earth had no one caught this medication error.  So, now I shall wait on pins and needles, hoping they can reschedule me for next week.

Ok...so I haven't pushed myself since Thanksgiving until now.  A lot of life stressors going on, too many to mention.  I did gain about 9 pounds over the 'holidays' which for me is amazing.  In years past it would have been an easy 20-30#.  That alone is enough to make me float on air!  In this past week several of those readded pounds have come off, so I'm working it again!

With a surgery date of 2/23 coming up, I have gotten back into the eating mode of this lifestyle.  More greek yogurt, less carbs, altho even the carbs I've chosen the past few months have not been terribly white, just more of the 'healther complex ones' than I should.  With that said, I can tell the inches are coming off even tho the weight hasn't!!  

I started this journey  6/1/10 wearing a loose 4X or a tight 3X  tops and 28 pants, and now I am thrilled that I have been able in the last week to purchase a 1X and have it fit (22 or 2X pants).  Yes, a bit more snug than I'd like, but definately something I can wear in public and not look like the Michelin tire man!  LOL   After 20+ years of wearing the billowing styles, it's been an adventure learning to find/wear something a bit more flattering. 

It's been years since I've seen a 1X (albeit it's from Catherines with their specialty sizes being larger), however that doesn't take away the joy.  I can't imagine what it will be like to wear sizes that start with a "1" soon!  Even my size 14 feet have lost about a 1/2 size, I can almost squeeze into a 13, which if you don't have large feet you won't understand what that means.  Most cute shoes go up to a 12, shoes that are functional and still a bit stylish go to a 13, but once they hit a 14 they all look like something a 'Vegas Transvestite Show-'girl' would wear.  (No offense to the show-'girls' out there, but you really don't want 4 inch spike heels with sparkly gems on them when you are already 6ft tall.  Let alone the fact that 300lbs on those spikes will either kill you or ruin the flooring (except concrete floors) when you walk on them!)

So...life is feeling pretty good at this point.  Can't imagine what the future will feel like.  Now....if only I can find a way to get those other 'stressors' out of my life!  Well, one thing at a time, one day at a time, and one pound at a time.  2011 will be the best year I've seen in a long time.

It's starting to look and feel like I'll be sleeved soon.  After years of saying there was no way I'd consider WLS, I came to the decision the VSG was a good choice for myself on Memorial Day 2010. 

I've been working on the food issues, stressors, etc since that day and I've lost between 40-45# since, depending on what start date/scale you count as the beginning. This past year has been a wild ride, and if I can have lost what I have dealing with all there has been going on, then this next year's challenges should go well.

I had my surgical consult with Dr. Chua in Milwaukee this morning, and all seems to be on track.  H-pylori test came back negative, and I remembered I had a upper right quadrant Ultra Sound back in June for some other issues, so BONUS!!  I only need to have the reports sent over, I don't have to do the tests over.  YAY!!

Now the countdown begins.  I should hear from my insurance within a month they say.  I hope they approve it quickly, so I don't talk myself out of this process.  Over the past 25 years, I've so often lost up to 75# fairly easily and quickly (altho in the past 5 years or so it has gotten slower and more difficult) that I am afraid of talking myself out of this surgery.  I need to keep on track and remind myself that "attaining and maintaining" are not the same.  The maintaining for any length of time is where I fail, quickly and miserably.

Looking forward to what the new year will bring.  Just this loss of 40#+ has done wonders for me physically and emotionally.  I can't wait to see what another 100#+ will do!!