BuckeyeSylvia

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Today is my two year surgiversary and I'm in constant awe of my DS. The freedom....oh, the freedom!!! Freedom from the bondage of food, guilt, and the scales. I NEVER thought I'd be in this place, but here I am and it's amazing! As someone who suffered from obesity since the age of 9, and at 35 start a new life, I can honestly say that I feel like I could run a marathon (but, I'm still WAY too lazy!)

Last month, I achieved a life long dream of having a tummy tuck. And, then suffered complications. It seems ironic since my DS recovery was so picture perfect smooth! But, my incision opened with my tummy tuck and that's been a bad experience. But, as my surgeon told me "you're young and very healthy...you'll heal quickly." Me...healthy? LOL! You betcha! And, he was 100% correct. I'm healing at a rapid rate and really kicked up my protein (to 150g a day) to help in healing. And, the best part? I don't worry about gaining weight from what I eat! Ooohy, goohy McDonald's double cheeseburgers are an excellent and quick source of cheap protein. With the DS they are actually good for me! What an excellent way to live post op! And my cholesterol is a whopping 150 at 2 years post op. That's fantastic!

Finally, I have to say that I had a major breakthrough in November of this year. I cleaned out my closet and threw away all my size 12 and up. I thought 12 was so tiny (and it is for some people). I never thought that size would be too big. But, I sit here at a size 6 and can't believe I'm this size. It's an amazing feeling to be reassured that with the DS, its so easy to maintain! What an excellent perspective on post op life.

Here's a warm and hearty soup for my fellow DSers. Some of you are still in the weight loss phase and some are still restricting carbs for various reasons. This soup is a wonderful "lower"-carb potato soup that's super easy to make...and IMO, anytime you can cook something in a crockpot, it's easy!


1 quart half and half
1 stick butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 cans of chicken broth (depending on the thickness you like.)
1 pkg Cream Cheese (softened)
2lbs Bacon (I cheat and use the premade crumbled bacon in the salad isle)
1/2 cup onion (again, I cheat here and use frozen onions)
8-10 cut up potatos (I use the red potatos and don't peel them...too lazy in the morning to peel potatos!)
2 cups shredded cheddar (add to the potato soup when finished and you put it in your bowl)
Scallions (if desired)


Mix all ingrediants (with exclusion of shredded cheddar) in a large crock. Stir together. Cook on low for 8-10hrs or High in 4-5 hrs. If possible, stir a couple times while cooking...if you're gone and can't stir, that's fine too. When cooking time 30 minutes from being complete, SLIGHTLY mash and stir contents. This will make the soup thicker.
Top with cheddar cheese, extra pieces of crumbled bacon, and scallions (if desired).

IMO, it's the cream cheese that makes this soup really good!

As I have posted before, I became overweight in the third grade when puberty began. As I gained weight, I gained a belly. I can remember seeing my first stretch marks on my stomach in early high school and my brother yelling at me over it..."You're so gross! You haven't had a baby and you've already got stretch marks!" At that time, I no idea what having a baby had to do with stretch marks. Of course, now I do.  In addition to the stretch marks, I remember having the "belly flap" in high school. By the time college came and I had my largest weight gain that pushed me over 200lbs, it was pronounced enough that it affected my clothes. I HATED it and always wished I could get it removed. I assumed it would magically go away with massive weight loss...but it just got saggier. While it is smaller, it's certainly visable. Now that I'm a whopping 125lbs, it's still there...now just skin. Before, it was skin and fat.

I developed a very tiny hernia that Dr. Teel said was common for everyone (he even has one) and most don't have them repaired. However, he told me he could repair it and while repairing it, could remove my "flap". He said that it was such a minor flap (although it looks huge to me...and puts me in a size 8-10 when the rest of me is a size 4), I could do it as an out patient procedure. This will save me big $$$ too. When all is said and done, the totaly out of pocket cost to me would be less than $3000. He also said that while it wouldn't be classified as a "tummy tuck" but a panni removal, he would go ahead and stitch the stomach muscle and make me a belly button too.

So, after looking at my work calandar and talking it over with my family, I will be having my surgery on December 4, 2008! That's almost 2 years post op DS. I'm so very excited! It's another realization of a dream thanks to the DS!!!

I had my 1.5 year follow up with Dr. Teel today (a couple months late). Everything is looking fantastic. I was 1lbs up from my last visit. I said "yeah, but I haven't pooped yet today." We both got a good laugh out of that one. It's obvious that I've finally become rather unconcerned and unobsessive about weight...in terms of numbers, that is. I've finally reached the point to where I can judge my weight by my clothes and how I feel. I've bounced between the same 5lbs since about 10 months post op. That's so cool.

Anyway, during my appointment we discussed my hernia. He said "you know that's smaller than the one that I have...and I choose to let be". I said "yup...but I was hoping you could fix it and remove this flap of skin on my belly." He looked. And, said "oh yeah, I can do that." He then proceded to say that it was significant enough to warrent removal but small enough to be of little concern medically. He said he would even do it as an outpatient procedure which would save me about $3000!!! I'm so thrilled I could bust! DH and I had struggled with this. We want to become debt free (besides our house) by next year. If I have to pay much for this to be done, I had promised to wait a year or more. I could live with that and he's always been supportive with me wanting a panni and/or tummy tuck. Now, it looks like I'll be having this done in DECEMBER!!! Yeah!! I can't tell you how excited I am!!

Another great note, while it will be coded as a panni removal, it will be more like a tummy tuck. Dr. Teel said he would create a new belly button for me and stitch my stomach muscles back together. Usually in a panni, there's no stitching of the muscles. So, it's kinda like a free-bee.  I've had this panni since I was in high school and lost 40lbs. It just stayed there kept getting bigger the larger I got. I can't imagine what life will be like once it's gone. I'm soooooo excited!!!! 

Well, it's Monday after a week of vacation. I'm back at work..and down 2lbs from when I left. I think it's true when someone wrote:
"You know you're a DSer when you go on vacation and LOSE weight".
Granted, I lose and gain the same 5 lbs throughout the week (I bounce between 124-129). But, this morning, I was down to 122...after eating Krispy Kreams and TONS of seafood for a week. Isn't that crazy? I fell in love with butter this vacation as I grew to appreciate it on my crab legs and bread. Somehow, food always tastes better on vacation!
This year's beach vacation also held another suprise as I wore a size 8 tankini to the beach. I'm still stunned over that size. I'm still a fan of the boyshorts so I wear them with a sporty top. I'm not a bikini girl...no matter what my size! And, my mom continuously complained that my shorts were too big...I might have gotten down to a 6 but I don't appreciate the "poured in" look in anything...even swimsuits.
Even with all that, the highlight of my vacation was having my cousin ask me about the DS. She's wanting to have it too. I'm so happy for her. We struggled with our weight all our lives...her even more so than me. She's such a beautiful woman. I can't wait for the entire world to see that too!!

If you would have told me a few years ago that I would be in a swim suit in public, I would have laughed. Now, granted, I have gone to the beach every year since I was 10 and have worn them at the beach. But that is different because I will never see those people again in my life...no harm, no foul. I do live somewhat close to Kings Island (an amusment park in Ohio) and have never been there where I didn't see a handful of people from my town. Last year was the first time I went to their waterpark...and couldn't wait to get there again! Last year, I rode a couple of water rides. This year, I planned on riding them all.

Since I've been overweight since the age of 8, water slides are a new experience (again, the fear wearing a swimsuit in public surfaced at an early age). We went with another family and my dear friend (who is a size 6) decided to ride these outrageous tube slides. Having never rode anything like this before, I didn't know what to expect. Well, half way down the tube, my nose filled with water. I couldn't catch my breath and I thought I was going to drown. Once I saw light and popped up out of the pool, all I could think was "thank goodness I'm alive!!" Then, I started reflecting on the experience (as I was climbing back up the steps to ride it again) I realized that I NEVER would have had that experience without my DS. I NEVER would have ridden that ridiculous thing if I hadn't lost over 100lbs. After enjoying the waterpark, we went to Skyline Chili and I had a chili-cheese coney dog. As I ate it, I couldn't help but again be thankful for my DS as my size 6 friend said "I couldn't eat that, my thighs would HATE me for it!"

I could list another million reasons why I am so thankful for this surgery. But, because my life is so active now, I just don't have the time to sit and type....and that's a good thing!



This is my friend and I coming out of the slide the first time...yeah, I'm that graceful one on the left.

In previous posts, I wrote about how I was offered a full time professorship this year after working at the university for 5 years. Well, that was surprising enough. Today, I was really shocked.
The Executive VP of operations called me in for a meeting "to talk". Hummm...I had lots of thoughts running through my mind but I assumed they might want to decided to stop paying for my tuition. I could deal with that because of economic hardships and the fact that we all still got a 4% raise. Our university is doing well. But, again, the economy is rocky.
When I sat down, I got usual reaffirmations about how valuable I was. It's nice to get stroked with affirmations. But, then, he asked if I would be willing to take over the high school student initiative program. In Ohio, our gov. has decided to give grants to universities who are willing to do on-site college courses in high schools so students get dual credit...high school and college. Essentially, he asked me to be the PR person for the university with the local high schools counselors, principals and boards. I almost laughed...not that I didn't want the job...but that the job was actually being offered. After they promised me a fat raise with very little additional time added to my schedule, I couldn't help but to think back to my pre-DS days. Needless to say, I certainly wasn't the "PR type". But, there I sat in a beautifully tailored size 8 black and grey pinstriped suit with my size 24W only a distance memory. After I gladly accepted the position (I didn't need time to think about it...frankly, I also didn't want them to change their minds), I got in my car and broke down in tears. Who would have ever thought that weight loss could bring so much more opportunity?
As I was driving home, I called my dad to tell him of the offer and my shock. I couldn't even get to the shock part before he said "Do you think it has anything to do with your surgery?" I laughed. I was also glad that I wasn't the only one thinking it.
I know I've written it before, but I just have to say it again here and now. If you're reading this and are on the fence about WLS or trying to decide which one to have, I can not tell you with enough emphasis how wonderful the DS has been for me and what a wonderful impact it has had on my life. My post op diet is remarkable..."unbelievable" as my peers say. I've been maintaining my weight for about 6 months without any effort. I could also lose more if I wanted but I'm thrilled and healthy where I am now. I also have to say that it's something you have to live to understand. There's really no words to express the relief that WLS can bring.

I also realized I had not made a 1 year post op post. I just wanted to add this for any lurkers and newbies who surf these blogs. I know I did it and always said that if I was ever fortunate enough to get the DS, I'd return the favor. Well, here I am, at goal weight and living a very fulfilling post op DS existance.
As someone who's been overweight their ENTIRE life, this is a new experience for me. I've had a fat face since I was in the 3rd grade so that's something that strikes me as being so very different. The body...well, it's just par for the course. I also get told all the time how much I look like my mother. I kinda like that too. But, sadly, the thinner my face gets, the bigger my nose looks so it's a trade off.
Here's my "close up" one year pics as well as the full length shot:

A couple of weeks ago, my PCP took me off of dyazide. This is a prescription water pill. I've been on it for 7 years and frankly, had stayed on it because I had high blood pressure. After my DS, all of my meds were gone as all my comorbidities resolved (including High BP). I stayed on the dyazide because I retain water easily. Dyazide was causing a bit of low potassium in my bloodwork (low is 3.5, mine was 3.3) so my PCP discontinued it.
HUGE MISTAKE!!!
I gained 10lbs in 2 days. The office nurse (who isn't my PCP's nurse and has NO IDEA what the DS is) told me that I needed to change my eating habits. Um....OK. So, I explained the DS to her. She says "You can gain weight quickly with the gastric bypass, dear." I said "Dear, you're not listening to me." After much hoopla, I got an appointment with my PCP who put me back on the dyazide and I lost 12lbs in 36 hours. Yeah...crazy.
She has me set up with a cariologist (as the fluid retained gathers around my heart) as well as a kidney specialist to assure all is in working order. She realized that 7 years ago, I was prescribed dyazide during my last pregnancy due to fluid retention. I told her that the cardiologist said I drank too much water but my OB said to keep drinking it. Nothing like conflicting Dr. reports.
My PCP asked me to track my drinking for the day...any typical day. So I tracked it for 2 days. I quickly discovered that I was consuming about 200oz of fluid a day. Yeah...200oz! People struggle to get in 64 and I get 200. I always knew I was a heavy drinker but had NO IDEA how much. Irnoically, my  mother and grandmother (both are/were thin) are chronic water drinkers too...maybe it's a genetic flaw. I don't think I actually drank this much as a preDSer because I was so full of food all the time. I was constantly eating AND drinking. Now, I constantly drink but only eat when I'm hungry. Hummm...who'd have thought?

Our university started a new semester this week. Classes officially started today. I have only one Wed/Friday class and it's in the late afternoon. It frees up my mornings and early afternoon...which is nice. It gives me a chance to eat lunch in the cafeteria and then work on my own school work. I read did miss the students over Christmas break...it was nice to be back.

I'm almost a year out now. Last year at this time, I was soooo excited for my surgery. At the same time, I was very miserable at my weight. I can remember being short of breath a lot and struggling to go up and down the stairs at work. I can also remember NEVER eating in the cafeteria because it was all fried, buttery, greesy foods. Now, I LOVE eating there!

Today as the first day I've eaten in the cafeteria since the end of November. Most of the ladies were eating no-dressing salads or plain chicken wraps. I was eating pizza. As I walked up to the table one of my coworkers said "OMG...did you LOSE weight over the holidays?!?!?" I said "yeah, about 2lbs." She said "You're getting so tiny." I didn't really go on from there. As I sat there eating lunch, I listened to weight gain stories. The holidays reak havok in the lives of dieters. I remember those days...and I'm glad they're GONE!!