Leslie B.
5 Years
Feb 24, 2015
It's been 5 years since my surgery. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Looking back, the decision to have surgery was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. My confidence has blossomed. That new found confidence has allowed me to make great strides in my career and my personal life. If I could change anything, it would be the agony I put myself through in making the decision. It can't be made lightly, but I didn't need to spend so much time worrying about what everyone else would think.
Gastric by-pass hasn't allowed me to eat anything and not gain weight. It's actually really restricted my diet, I have reactive hypoglycemia. So, if I eat anything with too many carbs (15g or more) I get really sick. I remember the doctor telling me that happens to about 10% of people and thinking that won't be me. Well, it was, but I am fine with that. A doughnut makes me sick now, but that's ok, I proved I couldn't eat doughnuts responsibly, so I can live with it. I am actually grateful for the carb intolerance. I fear that I would gain a lot of weight back if I could eat all those sugary gooey things.
I still have to manage my weight. Right now I am trying to loose 10 pounds I have gained in the past year after I got married. The smaller stomach makes it much easier to eat responsibly. I can be satisfied with a small meal. I just have to quit eating all day at my desk & a couple of other bad habits I've fallen into.
If you are reading this because you are considering surgery, I wish you luck. It's a great journey. The best info I got from someone before I had the surgery was this: "The couple of days after the surgery are difficult. I sat on my stairs crying thinking I had made the biggest mistake of my life. But, it was the best decision of my life. I would go through those days again in a heart beat to get the new life I have now." Those words helped me get through the first week or two. There's lots of other great advice, but that's the thing that stuck with me.
Blessings.
Vitamin B12 Shot Update
Jul 12, 2010
Catch up time
Jul 10, 2010
I"m trying to watch the girl with the dragon tatoo right now, it's pretty hard to type and read subtitles. I'll write more soon.
40 Pounds!
May 07, 2010
Now, I am phentermine free, smoke free, and even cafienne free. I am learning to eat better and I am walking miles a week. It feels so good. I am glad I made this decision. I can't wait to loose the next 40 pounds!!
Vitamin B12 shot
Apr 27, 2010
Onderland
Apr 15, 2010
Happy Friday!!!!
Komen 3-day for the Cure
Apr 11, 2010
Tired, the honeymoon ends
Apr 05, 2010
I've been doing really well at following the doctor's instructions & haven't had any trouble with vomiting. But in the last week, I have been starting to push the limits a bit. I forget to eat slowly and eat too much, and before I know it I am uncomfortably full. It takes about 3 bites when I "forget" and resort back to old eating habits. I am having to make more of a consious decision to eat the right way. It's good though. I know I will have to continue making these decisions as time goes on, so they have to start someitme.
Time to get back to the real reason I am up past 9:00 - The Buter vs Duke NCAA Championship. Go Butler!!!
Work & Post Op Appointment
Mar 21, 2010
I had my post-op appointment on Thursday. Everything is going well. I have to work a little harder on my fluid intake, but otherwise things are going well. I didn't realize that I could start eating meat again, so that has made the variety in my diet much better. Thank goodness. Fish and chicken sure help with the protein intake.
The most interesting number they gave me was that I had lost 23% of my excess weight already. I guess for me that is pretty easy to calculate because I have right around 100 lbs to lose. But I like thinking of it that way. I've already lost almost 1/4 of what I need to lose to get to goal. Even though right now only a couple of people have said they could tell I've lost weight, and I'm not really into any of my "smaller" clothes yet, it puts things into perspective. Hearing 23% helped me realize what real progress has already been made.
But my absolute favorite part of the appointment has to be when I learned to give myself my B12 injection! Hilarious. I was the kid that needed 3 nurses to hold me down when they gave me my kindergarten shots. I was actually kicking the nurses. So, I felt the need to warn my nurse, Judy, who was just sitting there expecting me to give myself a shot. She was great. Her response to my story was simply, "that's ok, you'll do it." She was very patient. I sat there staring back and forth between the needle and my stomach for about 15 minutes. I was starting to sweat. When I finally did it, my exact words were "gees, that didn't even hurt!" I walked out feeling like I could do it again without any trouble. But I can see a potential problem, once a month seems to be enough time to loose that confidence, and end up staring at the dang needle for 15 minutes again. I know SL B12 is an option, but the injections are only once a month and cheaper, so I'm going to give it a try for a while and see how it goes.
That's all for now - oh, I need to post some pictures. I will try to do that in the next week or so.
Plateau - Already?
Mar 09, 2010