Sam I Am

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

This post is based on my personal experiences based on questions I see posted on the board quite often.

Going back to Work after Surgery

I see people post a lot asking how long they should wait before they go back to work.  I waited three weeks.  I was up and around before then, but I probably felt so good and recovered quickly because I took some time for me.  I couldn't fathom going back to work before I was even able to eat solid food.  I went back to work after I had been on solid food for three days and after my three week doctor's appointment.  My job is not strenuous or physically demanding but at the end of my first day I was tired.  More tired than I had been at any point since I had the surgery.  I went back right before Thanksgiving so I worked a two day week the first week and a three day week the next week.  It was a nice way to ease in but I know not everyone has that option.  My advice is not to be so quick to rush back into your old life, take this surgery for the life changing event that it is and take as much time as you can.

Getting Regular

Since I'm letting it all hang out.  I struggled with being regular after surgery and the first week or so after I started eating solids were rough.  I got a lot of great advice on the board and I have started having one colace every other day (not the laxative just the stool softener) and 6 packets of benefiber per day.  I dissolve the benefiber in my juice and I don't taste it at all.  So far that is doing the trick.

Food Portions

Early out from the surgery I started to feel panicked that it somehow didn't work, that I could eat more than I should.  I thought I had broken or stretched my pouch out this early out.  The reality is that early out you don't feel full, the nerves that signal fullness are cut or damaged during the surgery and take a long time to heal.  I am seven weeks out and I am just now starting to feel full.  Early on it is very important to watch your food portions to make sure you don't eat too much.  In terms of portion I can eat one individual size cottage cheese, a small yogurt cup, two cheese sticks, one third of a chicken breast.  In other words, very little.  

Dry Skin

I have struggled with dry skin since the surgery.  I am not sure what it is from, the trauma of the surgery, the drastic change in my diet or a combination, but my legs are dry and itchy quite often.  Haven't found any great solution except to drink as much as I can, use lotion and keep them shaved, for some reason they itch less when they are shaved.

I believe I have entered what will be my first stall. I have lost 66lbs, but have not lost anything in the last five days. I am told this is normal and the scale will start moving again soon. This weekend I begin exercising and I think that will do wonders to get the scale moving.

What I'm eating now:

I'm still eating everything I was before though eating has become more of a challenge than it was before. I would say that about 80% of the time I have no problem, but I am noticing some foods that agreed with me before no longer agree with me. For a few weeks I was eating quiche every day, then one day the one with bacon starting causing me pains in my pouch. I have laid off of it for a while and hope eventually I can go back to it.

Coffee--I always loved coffee but it used to upset my stomach. One pleasant change since the surgery is it no longer does that. I limit it to only one cup with caffeine per day and then switch to decaf, but it might be time to dust off the coffee maker. (No more indulging my starbucks habit until I have a job :-))

Fage--is a greek yogurt that is very sour almost like sour cream, but is very high in protein. I've been putting French Onion soup mix in it and having my own version of (soy) chips and dip. It feels like a guilty pleasure.

Chocolate pudding--I have discovered that cook and serve chocolate pudding with protein powder is quite good and when I find the time to make it, I have it just about every night.

Cream of Chicken soup--Jeff has been sick and so I made him some chicken soup, the chicken was a little tough so I blended it up in my magic bullet and added fat free half and half. I really liked it. So much that I ate it for lunch and dinner for four days in a row.

Chicken--Some people have trouble with chicken, but as long as it is moist I have no problems with it. It is one food I can reliably get down.

Cheese--I still have string cheese every day.

Life gets more and more normal every day. I am able to go to a restaurant and find something to eat, and it is once again the enjoyable social event it used to be, only now its cheaper.

When you have surgery like this it is hard to see the weight loss in yourself. I look in the mirror every day and while I know my clothes are too big and the scale says I'm losing weight, it is hard to see the changes on a daily basis. I'm proud to say that I've had my first few wow moments:

I looked in the mirror the other day and I saw the me that had been missing for so long. The chubby cheeks are still there (and in reality no matter how much weight I lost may always be there) but there is a definition to my face, my eyes are brighter, my neck is slimmer. I see myself the way I always thought I should look in pictures.

I look forward to physical activity. A trip to the mall is an exciting idea. I have excess energy which I haven't had in years and am happily planning all my organization projects. Yesterday Jeff scheduled an appraiser to come to our house, giving us about 4 hours to get the house cleaned. I vacuumed and scrubbed and cleaned and organized without breaking a sweat and when I was done, I wasn't exhausted.

All of a sudden there are lots of babies and children in my life. The stamina to walk around holding a baby was something I hadn't been able to do in a long time. A trip to target holding a baby the entire time now tires out nothing but my arms.

I am unemployed. I suppose this is a thought that should make me unhappy, but it does not. For the last five years I have run a million miles an hour making money for someone else, working for someone else and playing by their rules. They operated on my stomach, but it is also like they operated on my brain. It gave me clarity on my life, and three weeks out of the office made me realize exactly how unhappy I was, and so here I sit jobless and yet happy and free. Like I can finally breath again. Life works in mysterious ways and for every door that closes another one opens and now I must choose which one to walk through.

My new years resolution is that I am taking me back.

I am down 57lbs!!!

December 5, 2008

Cheese--any kind of cheese, it is a staple that I practically live on. I love mozzarella cheese and we are going through a ridiculous amount of cheese stick in that house. I can also have ricotta, cottage cheese, cheddar, Havarti dill (my favorite) and pretty much any kind of cheese I want. I haven't had cream cheese yet, but mainly because I like it on a cracker and I am trying to keep my carbs low.

Bread--Many people have problems with bread after WLS. I have only had bread twice since the surgery but I haven't had any problems with it. I am not making it a habit or consuming large quantities, but it is nice to know that it is not something I can never have again.

Lunch Meat--Lunch meat was never a favorite of mine, but I like it more after my surgery, I have it about two or three times a week. I occasionally have it with a cracker but usually just dip it in mustard.

Seafood--I love all kinds of seafood and always have. It was the easiest thing for me to digest in the beginning and I still love it. I've been enjoying shrimp, scallops and lobster. I've rediscovered my love of Tuna. I used to eat this all the time and then went several years without having it.

Meat--I have had chicken and turkey with no problems. I tried a hamburger and it didn't sit well so it will probably be another few weeks until I am brave enough to try beef again.

Nuts--I waited a while to try these, but they are such an easy thing to eat that I finally broke down and had some almonds today. The jury is still out on whether they agreed with me or not.

Desserts--Not much in the way of dessert, but I have been making pudding. This counts as high protein because I make it with milk. I also found some sugar free cookies yesterday which are just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Eggs--I've never been a big egg fan but i'm practically living on them now. I have a mini frozen quiche or an omelet at least three times a week.

Fruits--I haven't tried too many fruits yet, mainly because I am afraid of the high sugar content. I have had grapes and banana's with no problem. I have really been wanted watermelon and I think that will be the next new thing that I try.

Drinks--I am still drinking mainly tea, I got sick of herbal tea and finally switched to regular tea. I am mixing it with mashed up oranges and for now I am enjoying it. I can drink that and V8. I still have a hard time with water and I can't drink anything with fake flavoring. I still enjoy my nightly hot cocoa with milk for extra protein and do just fine with regular milk as long as I take a lactaid first.

Vitamins
2,500 mg of calcium citrate (10 pills a day)
36mg of Iron (two pills a day)
2 B-50 Complex pills
1 Biotin Pill
1 Tender D3 pill
Sublingual B-12
2 multi-vitamins

December 5, 2008

On Saturday I woke up with a sore throat, on Sunday the aches started and by Monday I was officially sick. I went to the doctor and got an antibiotic, cough syrup and a decongestant, I had my first post weight loss surgery upper respiratory infection. In the past I usually feel better within twenty four hours of taking an antibiotic. I took my first one Monday night and expected to feel better by Tuesday, it didn't happen.

I have learned that I can no longer take extended release medications. They work very well for about three or four hours and then I have twelve hours until the next dose. I couldn't sleep at night because I was coughing so badly and the medicine would only give me three or four hours of relief. I also discovered that the antibiotic Omnicef is no longer nearly as effective for me as it once was. I kept feeling worse and worse, until Friday I couldn't take it anymore and called my doctor crying about what misery I was in. She gave me three different cough medications and the antibiotic Levaquin. The Levaquin did the trick and I started feeling better on Saturday morning. I have a nagging cough that the doc says it may take a few weeks to get over.

That's the good news. The bad news is I'm exhausted. Last week I could barely eat, eating food made me feel sick and I had a hard enough time getting in all my liquid. Now I'm eating again but I'm tired, in that bone weary sleep for a week kind of way. It is a reminder that my body is different now and I can't just keep moving and pushing until I feel better. While I feel really good most days, I don't have any energy reserves, something simple that I might have once pushed through can knock me on my butt for a week. It may not always be this way, but for now I'll take this as a warning and be thankful I wasn't really sick. I rarely take a sick day, but I might have to take it as a sign that I need to slow down and relax when I don't feel well. Relax....that's a new concept for me.

December 2, 2008

If someone told me how much my life would change in just one month I would never have believed them. For years I refused to consider this surgery, I thought it was too radical, too permanent, not necessary. I thought I was fine with my weight and that it wasn't a problem, the reality is I was lying to myself. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner. At first was afraid to tell people I was planning to have this surgery, afraid that they would judge me, afraid of how they would react, but now I want to shout it from the rooftops. I FEEL GREAT!

Thanksgiving was great, I had been worried about how I would do with the food but it went fine. I could eat everything that everyone else ate, only a lot less. My bad spell with food seems to be a thing of the past. I can eat more and more variety. It is interesting that as my stomach heals I am able to eat even less than I was before. To put it in perspective I can eat one quarter of a chicken breast or half a cup of soup or one egg or two cheesesticks. I usually eat about 500-600 calories a day.

I have officially hit my first weight loss stall. As of Thanksgiving I had lost fifty pounds, I have not lost any weight in the last few days. I am trying to ride it out and not focus on my weight. Even though I may not be actively losing weight I am still getting smaller, right now I don't have a single pair of pants that fit and I am not complaining.

On Black Friday I decided to go out shopping with my mom at the crack of dawn. (I have no idea why I thought this was a good idea). To compound my stupidity we decided to go to K-Mart, I get nauseous thinking about going to a Walmart so why I thought I could handle K-Mart I don't know. I waited in line to save four dollars on some toy for my niece. I am going to chalk it up for temporary insanity. We walked around all morning running in and out of stores and though I was tired from a lack of sleep I had no aches, no pains, and I could have kept going.

Now that the physical healing from the surgery is done, the next step is to exercise. I am going to start by using the treadmill and will build up from there . I took the picture but haven't posted them yet, I promise I will soon.

November 24, 2008

I had my three week follow up with the doctor today and everything is going fine. My incisions are healing nicely and I'm down 48 pounds from my official weight when I left the hospital. (I gained 8 from the fluids while I was in there). Eating is going well, I'm taking it slow and I'm feeling much more positive about my progress.

What I like so far:

Mint herbal tea (for some reason it is the easiest beverage for me to tolerate) I have tried lots of other things and none of them go down as easy with the tea. I started out drinking crystal light but I don't feel great when I drink it, so for now I'm sticking with the tea. I used to love plain water and right now it makes me feel sick when I drink it, I'm not sure of the reasons behind that but I'm going to go with what feels good.

Seafood, so far all kinds of seafoods seem to be going down easy. I made scallops marinated in lime juice, and I've had lobster tail, shrimp, fake crab and tuna. No problems with any of them. Good thing I loved seafood before the surgery. Jeff wishes I would lay off the lobster tail though.

Tonight I made Zucchini Ricotta bake, basically you make it like lasagna but replace the noodles with zucchini. I may never eat real lasagna again. (sorry honey)

I can't drink milk but I can have yogurt, butter and cheese without a problem. It is possible the lactose intolerance was a passing issue, but I haven't been brave enough to try it yet.

I have also been able to eat salad, deli meat and cheese, Cobb lettuce and field greens and my favorite food olives.

What I haven't liked:

One night I decided to have some three cheese mashed potatoes and a chicken finger. Bad Idea, I'm not sure why the potatoes didn't' agree with me but they made me feel really ill. The chicken also didn't go down well, I think it will be a while before I try them again.

Hamburger, I went out to Red Robin with Jeff for his birthday and the burger was too much for me. When I met with the doctor today she said lots of people have problems with hamburgers early on, so I think next time I'll stick with something easy like soup.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Other than the occasional cracker I have eaten next to no carbs since the surgery. It doesn't make sense to make mashed potatoes for myself. The only carbs I have had are really those that are included in the veggies that I've eaten. That might be contributing to my rapid weight loss, but whatever it is I don't want to mess it up.

November 22, 2008

I feel much better today. It might have something to do with the scale telling me that I am down 45lbs and the fact that a shirt I have never been able to wear is now loose on me. I decided I was pushing my diet too quickly, that I need to relax and let my body take the lead. So I'm sticking to the basics and am going to be eating a lot of seafood for the next couple of weeks. I got recipes so that I can make the things I can eat slightly more interesting. I'm working on gathing recipes and will post the ones on here of things I end up liking.

My follow up appointment with my surgeon is on Monday, after that I will be cleared to exercise. Jeff is on the hunt for a Wii fit for me and I am going to do my cardio by walking/jogging on the treadmill.

I'm noticing in many subtle ways how much better I feel:

My back no longer hurts, this started about two days out from surgery and has never continued. I am now happy to go to the mall and walk laps, as a matter of fact I'm actually looking forward to the next time I go.

My knees don't hurt.

I'm cold all the time. Jeff and I have been "arguing" about the thermostat on a daily basis. I used to be hot most of the time, now I walk around in long sleeves, pants, thermal socks, and a fleece bathrobe. I told him I was going to buy some freezy freaky gloves to prove to him it is too cold in this house. (For those of you who do not remember freezy freakies, they are gloves that had hidden designs that would appear, when I was a kid the big thing was to put them in the freezer and see how long it took before the design disappeared.)