Alicia W.

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So yesterday was my 10 year anniversary!!  I am still 270 lbs., down from the 400 on the day of my surgery.  My Dr. is happy with where I am at.  I have held steady at this weight for many years now.  I am healthy and my Diabetes is still in remission.  Dr. says that some people aren't able to maintain this long.  He said it's because they don't follow directions and take their vitamins.  I CANNOT stress enough how important it is to continue the proper lifestyle for the rest of your life.  This is a life-long commitment, not a quick fix!  Keep up the journaling.  Record your successes and always remember "VICTORY STARTS HERE", with you!

So here it is a year later.  I am now 8 years post-op.  My weight has been pretty steady for the last 4 years.  Not that much has changed for me.  I still have a problem eating mayonaise.  Milk doesn't always bother me although, after all these years of drinking soy milk I find cow's milk tasting yucky to me.  I am still taking my vitamins.  My PCP has me taking 2000 mg of Vit. C a day now.  Ever since I started back to college I have been getting sick easily.  With taking the Vit. C., wiping down keyboards and using hand sanitizer, I was able to avoid being sick this last term.  Please do not make ANY changes to your meds. or vitamins without the consent of your doctor.   New email.    [email protected]   put obesityhelp in the subject line so I don't accidently erase your message.   8-)

Here I am 38 years old and 7 years out from my bypass surgry.   My life has completly changed.  I eat differently.  I eat a lot of beans and rice.  If you combine a grain and a legume you get a full protein.  Beans and rice...all protein no fat!  Since I live alone it makes it much easier for me to maintain the lifestyle I need.    I am able to walk the dog, go to school, eat what I need to when I need to.            There is one thing I can not stress enough...YOU MUST TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!  If you don't you can become very ill.  Been there / done that.       My last post pretty much says it all.  please read it.  If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave me a message or email me at radicallysaved@ yahoo.com   For those of you who are just starting this journey...If you follow up with you doctor on a regular basis, work with a nutrionist, and take you vitamins and follow ALL dr. orders you will be ok.  This is a big decision, but you can do it  VICTORY STARTS HERE with you.

My name is Alicia.  I had my surgery  June 17, 2004. I have lost almost 150 lbs.    I would like to talk to you about all the things I’ve done and learned in the last 2 years. In addition to all the after surgery advice I can, and will, share with you there are three things that stand out in my mind as being vital to remember.

            First of all you must do this for you.  Not for anyone else.  You can’t do this because someone has told you you’re overweight.  You can’t even do it because your doctor recommended it.  You must do it because you are ready to make a change in your life.  I think the most famous quote from Shakespeare has to be “This, above all, to thine own self be true.”  That is what you must be.  True to your self and no one else.  Now before you start feeling guilty NO you are NOT being selfish.  You are taking care of yourself so you can take care of those you love. 

 

 

            The second lesson I learned is that having gastric bypass requires an ENTIRE lifestyle change.  Every aspect of your life WILL BE DIFFERENT!  Unless you are willing to completely change your life, as you know it, then this is a waste of your time and resources and a waste of the doctor’s time and resources as well.  You must go into this with total 100% commitment.

 

 

            The third and most important lesson I’ve learned is that gastric bypass is not just a physical challenge but a mental challenge as well.  You must be prepared mentally if you want this to succeed.  One of my favorite movies is Renaissance Man starring Danny Devito.  There is one place in the movie where Danny’s character is speaking to a group of army recruits.  He points to his head and says, “Victory starts here.”  It is the same with gastric bypass.  Victory starts here.  If you think you are going to have problems and fail, you will.  If you do not expect trouble and failure chances are there will be little if any difficulties.  There is always the possibility of surgical complications but if your mind is set for victory they will not be as bad as they could.  If you remember nothing else I say to you tonight, remember this, VICTORY STARTS HERE!   

 

            Now, for the after surgery advice.  Start moving around as soon as possible.  Go to physical therapy if you have to.  Walk with a walker if you have to but you must start moving around.  That is one of the things I didn’t do.  I came home and went straight for my chair, and as a result I developed pneumonia.  I was lucky it was a very mild case but the point is I never would have gotten sick if I had done what I was told and started exercising right away.  Once you get your strength back start walking.  Start with around the block and work your way up to more.  I have joined Curves and work out there 3 days a week.  Exercise is very important.  You need to push yourself just not too hard.

 

 

            Following the directions given to you by the doctor and the dietician is so very important.  Those directions, however silly they may seem, are given to you for a reason.  Just before I had my surgery, there was a story on the news about a lady who had had gastric bypass and then died.  I asked Dr. Flum if he was familiar with the case.  He said even though she was not his patient he was aware of the situation.  I asked him what had happened.  Was it complications from surgery? Did she do something wrong?  What went wrong?  What went wrong was this lady was not taking her vitamin supplements as she had been told.  She died of malnutrition.  Following the directions given to you could mean the difference between success and failure.

 

 

            Your dietician is going to tell you to eat a lot of protein.  They’ll even encourage you to drink protein drinks.  There are several options I have discovered.  The most obvious being protein powder that you can buy at most any store.  These can be mixed with milk or water or even soymilk.  They are usually made from soy or whey and come in 3 or 4 different flavors.  I have a hard time drinking these because of the texture so I add the powder to my food.  Coffee, yogurt, scrambled eggs, cornbread, biscuits, anything that you can add it to.  Another option is High Protein Ensure.  Slim Fast has at least ten grams of protein and the Balance Bar and Marathon protein bars aren't half bad.    Other good sources of protein include eggs, meats, cheeses, and yogurt.  Once I could eat solid foods I ate a lot of cheese and crackers.  Lunchables are my friends.

 

 

            There are a lot of other dietary changes you will need to make.  I have developed lactose intolerance and I have very little tolerance for sugar.  If I have a milk product I take a Lactaid first.  The Wal-Mart Brand of these is quite reasonable priced and works just as well.  I use sweetener in my coffee instead of sugar.  I make my Kool Aid with Splenda.  I buy no sugar added juices and sugar free cookies.  I basically live a diabetic lifestyle.  I even order my latte’s sugar free.  I am to the point now where if I eat much sugar, it comes right back up.  I do have to be careful not to let my blood sugar drop too low however.  Just remember that everyone is different and that what is true for me may not be true for you. 

 

 

            The changes you will need to make may come as a shock to your system.  My advice is to start making as many changes as possible now to help reduce that shock.  Start now by cutting back on portion size, eating high protein foods, drinking a LOT of liquids, lowering your sugar and salt intake, and start exercising, even if it's only walking the dog.  Develop a routine of exercise and for taking your vitamin supplements and medications.  This will give you a familiar place to start after surgery. 

 

 

            Now after surgery you will only be able to eat small bits at a time.  You will need to eat small bites and eat slowly.  You will not be able to just pick up a glass of water and drink it.  You MUST sip your liquids or they will come right back up.  My solution to this was to purchase toddler dishes.  Use the small plates and bowls.  Eating with toddler-sized silverware will force you to take smaller bites and eat slower.  Drink your liquids from a sippy cup.  This will prevent you from gulping.  It took me almost a year to train myself to sip and not gulp.  Be resourceful.  And don't be embarrassed to be seen in public with a sippy cup.  You should be proud because of what you have accomplished.  Use it as a conversation piece to brag, just a little, about what you have done.

 

 

            It is imperative that you have a support system.  There will be days when you wonder how you could have done this to yourself.  There will be days full of nausea and dumping syndrome, depression and self-pity.  Do Not isolate.  Find a support system.  Family is a very useful place to find support.  Not just your immediate family but also a church family if you have one.  I know I leaned heavily on my church family and my love of music for probably the 1st 6 months.  Without them and my faith in God I'm not so sure I could have made it through emotionally.  And music is a very powerful tool, so use it to your advantage. 

 

 

Find something that you do well and do it with all your heart.  Hobbies are a great way to make you feel good about yourself.  Read a good book, listen to music, learn to sew or crochet, knit, or cross-stitch, learn to tie flies and fly fish, take up golf or bowling, volunteer in hospitals or nursing homes

 

 

            People talk about grieving for food.  I thought "yeah right!"   But it's true.  It took probably 9 months before it hit me and then I had a horrible time.  I wanted to eat all the time even when I wasn't hungry.  I would crave foods that I knew made me sick.  A good support system is helpful for this as well.  I suggest an awesome website  obesityhelp.com.  You can talk to others who have had this surgery and ask them for advice.  Most of them are great.  You can cry with them and celebrate with them.  This is an incredible resource.  Use your hobbies and interests to distract yourself and take the focus off food.  Use your talents to benefit others.  By helping others you are actually helping yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

            I do a lot of journaling.  I find it gives me an outlet for my frustrations and a place to record my victories.  A victory may be something as small as being able to tie your own shoes but it is still a victory.  I recommend that you get a journal and start writing in it now.  Make a list of your goals and then mark them off as you achieve them.  Some of my goals include getting in a car and being able to wear a seatbelt without an extension, being able to tie my shoes and having the knot on the top of my foot and not the side, being able to use a regular bathroom stall and not the handi-capped one, fitting through turnstiles, buying underwear that's not double digits in size and being able to buy my Clothes at Wal-Mart instead of having to make them.  When I look back at the list of goals that I have marked off, I feel really good about myself, and that is very important.

 

 

The last point I want to make is that you need to celebrate your success.  Don't reward yourself with ice cream but with a new outfit.  Buy a new shirt or pair of pants.  Get rid of all but one of your old items of clothing; keep that one as a reminder of what you will never be again. I took all my size 5X's to the church rummage sale. Chart how many inches you lose.  This can be a great motivator on those days when life seems impossible.  Share with your success and victories with your friends and family.  They care too.