lunabella007

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I can't believe its been two months--although I hardly remember what it was like eating only liquid for two weeks afterwards!  It's funny how our brains block that stuff out!

I'm SO MUCH HEALTHIER now it's ridiculous.  One of the reasons I got a VSG is because I'm only 26, and I was starting to have high blood pressure!  Well, that's all changed now!  Only two months post-op and my blood pressure is consistently reading 124/73!  That's excellent, and I never expected it!  My pulse has slowed down, too!  The only thing we're looking at right now is my iron, which might need to be supplemented, on top of my bariatric multi. I'll have the results from the most recent blood test in a few days, so we'll see.

My doctor was considering whether or not I should go on blood pressure pills before I had the surgery.  Now, he's glad we waited until post-op because my BP would be too low!  My phlebotomist wanted to see my scars, and she couldn't believe how tiny they were, and how much weight I'd lost.  I told her I'd give her a video of my surgery, because she's a geek like me and is interested in that kind of thing.

I love my medical team--they're SO awesome and warm and caring!  I recommend them to everyone who is looking for a new doctor in my area.  They're head and shoulders above pretty much everyone else I've ever been to see.  So a big shout out to Packard Health, West Side!

All I have to work out is my energy levels.  It might be fine with just a little extra vitamins, and a little time for my body to find its new normal.  In the meanwhile, my doctor doubled my dose of my alive/awake/alert/and enthusiastic medication so we'll see how that works.

Today is a good day.  I came home with a renewed feeling of accomplishment.  Someday soon, I'll be feeling excellent and I'll be healthier than I am today even.  I can't wait!

It feels so good to be back to semi-normal food now. 

I got this surgery in part so I could try to live my life as a normal human being, not obsessing over everything I put in my mouth.  So far, it's worked SO well in that regard.  I don't overeat, I eat tiny tiny portions, I enjoy everything I taste and life is good!

I didn't get this surgery so I could live like an alimentary nun!  Today, I celebrated my lunch with a bit of crumbled bacon, and feta cheese (both pretty good sources of protein thankyouverymuch) and tossed them in with a bit of romaine and red wine vinegar.  It was scrumptious!

I mean, it was a micro-salad by any standards, but it was still a salad and my god have I missed salads!  It felt so luxurious to put both cheese AND bacon on my tiny little salad (something I would never do pre-surgery), but the whole shebang didn't cost me more than 120 calories!

I'm so glad there are other options out there for us post-ops other than lean turkey breast.  Cause that can get boring fast.  I like turkey too, but when it becomes the only meat you're allowing yourself to eat, that can backfire pretty quick.  I eat tuna, non-fat refried beans, roast pork, lots of quality low-fat dairy like cottage cheese and greek yogurt, but I also allow myself a piece of pepperoni (why not!?), salami, or bacon every now and again.  I don't have to be a slave to "diet food" anymore because of my teeny tiny little portions.  I don't need celery to feel virtuous anymore!

Hoorah!

I haven't blogged in quite awhile.  Life happened, and I started being able to cope more on my own without the crutch of support the online community has given me.  I missed it here, though!

A lot has happened--I'm able to eat pretty much what I want, within reason.  I mean, I'm not trying to eat nachos or something crazy like that.  I had some shredded chicken in a low carb tortilla with salsa and that was pretty much divine.  I could only eat half.  I'm still sort of in the "soft foods" stage.

I ate a slice of cooked carrot tonight, and got a REALLY bad reaction (mouth watering nausea--yuck!)  I gave up on dinner.  I'm just going to have some protein broth later.  That only happened twice before since the surgery.  The first time was when I was eating farina and it got too thick as it stood and I failed to notice until it was too late, and the second time was when I over indulged in some cherries (the queen annes this year are spectacular).  My chewable vitamins make me nauseated, so I've switched to slimline tablets.

So, no carrots for me for awhile!

I'm down about 45-50 pounds depending on which scale you ask!  I can walk up and down more stairs than I used to be able to, without stopping.  Pants that haven't fit me in six years now fit me again!  Still, I feel like it should be going faster.  My surgeon says I'm straight-on normal as far as my progress.  His nurse said "well, you're losing inches, that's what counts."  Like 45 pounds is nothing!

Oh well.  I'm doing my best, that's all I can do.  If my body won't whip itself into shape even though I'm eating like 800 calories a day, there's not much else for it, is there?

Not trying to be pessimistic.  I mean, I'm a billion times better off than I was.  I should keep that in mind.

I had to write an addendum to my post for the 23rd day Post-op, because today I ate a tiny salad. 

I COULDN"T TAKE IT ANYMORE!  I used to eat a salad every day, and I haven't been able to have one for over three weeks and it was driving me nuts!  Finally, I got to feel that crunchy, and taste that vinegary garlicky goodness that I just need need need in my life!

Puree stage or no puree stage, I needed a salad, so there!

Just think of all the stuff that I used to like to eat that holds no interest for me now!  I used to love tortilla chips and salsa, now even though I still fancy the taste of salsa, I have no desire for chips!  That might change, but I'm glad that that isn't the case right now!

I finally shook the sheer exhaustion that's been plaguing me for days now.  I don't think this was sleeve-related.  The lady at disease control at the health department said that I probably have Pontiac Fever, and that I should take it easy until I feel ready to resume my regular activities.  My husband is finally recovering from Legionnaire's, He's still coughing up blood, but it's more clotted now and not as fresh (maybe a good sign?) and his high fevers are a thing of the past.  Still, he managed to drench the bed with sweat yet again (when I just put fresh sheets on!) 

Oh well, life is good!

I'm going to my cousin's wedding in two weeks, and I'm so excited to let my family see the new me!  No one on that side of the family knows about my surgery, or about the extent of my weight loss.  All my dad knows is I'm on a diet, and I'm doing pretty well on it.  I think everyone will be surprised, especially since who knows how much weight I'll lose between now and the wedding!

Yesterday, I felt like I ate like a horse.  I had some black grapes for breakfast, sugar free chocolate pudding with protein powder for a snack, two bites of noodles in broth for lunch (chewed to oblivion), diced peaches for a snack, a coffee protein shake for dinner, and sugar free vanilla pudding with protein powder for dessert.  I know, right?  I mean, probably easily under 1000 calories in all, but I felt like I was eating ALL THE TIME.  I felt like I needed it yesterday, though.  My energy was at an all time low.  I feel much better today!

I can't wait until I can sit down to a bit of chicken or turkey breast instead of that protein powder.  It's starting to smell like farts to me :P

Today, I'm going to make some homemade caramelized cabbage soup, and I'm really looking forward to it--it's a real taste sensation!   And, I can eat everything in the soup because it all kind of cooks down into the broth.  My husband loves my cabbage soup--he proposed to me after I first served him a bowl!  No lie!

Also, today I'm going to go swimming for the first time after surgery!  Surgeon gave me the go-ahead since I'm past the 3 week mark, but I think I'll try to pat my incisions dry as soon as I get out of the water, just in case.  They feel like they've got a lump underneath the skin, and the new skin is pretty bright pink but there's no pain, and no heat, and no infection.  I think that's just my normal "healing" tissue's color.  Actually, the place where the bandage ripped off some of my skin is in worse shape than the incision.  Pleatman did a great job with closing me up.  Even the place where he pulled my stomach out of me is less than 1" wide.

I wonder if swimming often will help me lose weight faster?  Not that I feel the need to lose weight faster (almost 40 lbs so far!), just that I'm at the stage where I feel I'm ready to start helping it along.

I also feel I'm ready to move along with my jewelry making.  It's about time I get some more pieces finished for my line.

I'm SOOOO tired.  Sweet Baby, Mother, and Joseph, I'm exhausted! 

My husband contracted Legionnaires disease and is coughing up blood, my mother in law has been diagnosed with senile dementia (and it's getting worse quickly), I'm trying to take care of them both which is not easy since I don't know how to drive, and I'm having the worst time in the world just getting my butt in gear!

Exhausted, yes.  I'm afraid that I'm getting sick too.  The lady from disease control said that I should look out for fever, chills, aching joints and muscles, fatigue, and possible nausea.  That's for Pontiac Fever, which is basically Legionnaires lite. 

Jim had a fever of 104.6 the other day.  Today, mine is 101.  But in this heat (it was 90* today) it was more than enough to sap the life out of me.

I'm having trouble staying hydrated since I can't seem to sip enough water, and I'm sweating all the time.  I just wanna gulp it down by the bucket full!

On the positive side, today I ate two black seedless grapes, chewed them up like the dickens and had no trouble at all!  God, I missed fruit!  I had half a mashed banana with a drizzle of honey for breakfast, and it was excellent.  I'm well into the puree phase of my diet, but I'm finding that I'm able to "puree" many foods well enough in my mouth that I can have the pleasure of chewing again.  I had some diced peaches in their natural juices yesterday for a snack and that was really nice!

It's amazing how thrilling it is to eat simple, whole foods.  It's like being a baby again, re-learning how to taste, and enjoy, all kinds of foods!

Today, my husband and I went to whole foods (a real indulgence with the economy being what it is today) and they have all these lovely samples, right?

So, I'm not actually hungry when we're shopping because I don't have hunger anymore, I just have the vague memory that I'm supposed to be eating right around now (when its time for a meal) but some of these samples are calling my name.

They had flaked cheese, and I knew I couldn't eat a cube of cheese, so I picked up a paper-thin flake of cheese and put it on my tongue.  I waited for it to dissolve, and rubbed it against the roof of my mouth.  It had disintegrated before I swallowed.

News: My sleeve does not like cheese yet!

I love cheese, or at least I did--I don't know anymore!  It isn't lactose intolerance because I do fine with milk and yogurt and cream soups.  I think maybe the taste was a little stronger than I've been used to--or maybe it's the fat?  I got a little nauseated (for the first time since I got home!)

H*ly Crap!

I can't believe it!  My hips are actually six inches smaller than they were on the 6th of THIS VERY SAME MONTH!

My thighs are all be-dimpled as I lose pockets of fat, and my stomach is creeping upward and inward all the time.  I never had visible cellulite, but now my thighs look like cottage cheese with VERY big curds lol.  That's ok, those are just the older fat deposits that have developed a harder texture over the years.  It'll all be gone before long, and I don't give a crap what people think--I'm wearing my bathing suit!

My stomach has a few dimples too where I've lost more fat than other places, but that's all normal and it's all to the good

Instead of making me self-conscious, these changes thrill me!  It's a sign that my body is finally making the changes it needs to to make me a healthier person!

God, it feels like I didn't even have surgery!  The only reminder I get from time to time is when I get hot and thirsty and drink water too quickly.  That, and that VERY nice "full" feeling I get after about 6-8 spoonfuls of anything thicker than beef bouillion.

My lady time began today, so my weight loss has been slowed down for the past couple of days.  From what I've read this is pretty common.  After the time is over, lots of women drop a lot of weight all at once (like 5-8 pounds in the next week).  I'm glad I haven't "gained" any weight, at least (which probably means I'm still losing since I usually gain and lose about 10lbs of water weight each month).

Good times, good times!  I hope to go downtown tomorrow and see if I can get a take-home pint of my favorite Indian lentil soup to kick off my puree stage!

I don't know if maybe I'm getting too philosophical, but I feel more peaceful inside since I had surgery.  It's like the noise in my head telling me "I'm hungry, I'm craving, eat eat eat, don't you want something salty? something sweet? You're soooo hungry," has suddenly stopped.  It's a great feeling.  I'm less anxious, and feeling open-hearted and open-minded, like I can do just about anything but in its own good time.

I'm feeling lighter on my feet and lighter on my knees.  I really want to be able to get this extra weight off me so I can feel what it's like to move my body effortlessly.

There's still a little pain and itching around one of my incisions especially, but otherwise I'm not doing too badly at all!  I'm about 75% back to normal.  I still feel a little limited by the tenderness in my stomach (when I push it too far and do too much), but it's getting better day by day!

Tomorrow is my Puree day where I can move forward from my full liquid diet to more pureed foods.  I'm REALLY looking forward to this, since my favorite food is Indian food and soon I'll be able to have soft vegetables.  I miss salads most of all, though, and those are still several weeks away :(

Still, this is marvelous!  I should have done it years ago!  When I think how miserable I made myself on super strict diets (with my HUGE stomach always wanting more food) it's like night and day.

Down 13 pounds from surgery day!

I got to speak to some ladies today about my surgery experience.  It was nice to be able to reassure others, when I myself was in need of reassurance just a week and a half ago.

When I was talking to them, I came up with a pretty concise way to explain the effect the sleeve has had on my eating habits.  It's like brain surgery via the stomach.  The sleeve talks to my brain, but the brain can't talk back anymore!

I'm astonished that I have cravings for food in the abstract now.  For example, a steaming pizza in a commercial--yum!  A piece of pizza on my plate, cut up into little pieces, chewed for 1 minute every bite, swallowed, and processed by my sleeve suddenly doesn't sound so yum!  Also, when you can only hold 8 Tbsp of liquid at a time, you kind of start to wonder how you'll ever be comfortable keeping anything more down!

My bandages came off today, and my incisions look great, so that's to the good.  I got some free soy milk from my mother in law's food gatherer's, and I'm going to use it in my shakes because that badarse soy milk has 11g of protein per serving!

Tomorrow and Wednesday is going to be insanely hot, like 96*, so we're going to huddle under the A/C, but after that I hope we'll be able to start hanging out by the pool.  I can't wait to swim!  I have to wait three weeks from my surgery date, which would be the 29th of this month and it can't come soon enough!