The Goddess Eats! 3 month update

Nov 15, 2009

November 16, 2009
My 3 month surgiversary was November 11, 2009 so I am a few days late getting this up.  New pics in new album in My Photos.  My recovery is mostly unremarkable - energy still a little slow to return.  I did have  setback in that area with about a 10 day  bout of something that I am still not quite over.  Flu?  I don't know.  Some kind of resperatory yuck with a big wet cough, sore throat and some nausea.  The cough lingers, but the nausea is gone and I have felt tons better the last few days.  This past weekend was gorgeous, spent lots of time outside with my favorite little man.  So great to walk to the park and not be worn out and have my feet killing me!  Last night we took the almost four year old grandson out to the Chinese Buffet where he could enjoy his favorite combination dinner of red jello and crab "racoons."   This was my first real attempt at dinner out and I thouroughly enjoyed and misbehaved.  I can't believe how much I was able to eat.  I had at least a taste of (and maybe more) of all of the following:  hot and sour soup with chives and fried noodles, sweet and sour chicken with sauce, fried shrimp, crab rangoon, zuchini tempura, mussels with sweet red peppers and capers, crab legs with drawn butter, butter pecan ice cream and a cream puff!  Please don't flame me!  I DO NOT eat this way every day!  I will say that some days I can eat all day and some other days I can barely get anything down.  I don't know why.  I do pay attention to my obligation to load the protein but I do eat carbs.  I get terribly constipated if I don't eat carbs.  I did my three  month consult with Dr. Husted by telephone and I had already e-mailed him my progress report of percentage EWL and examples of my diet and my vitamin and supplement regime.  We are both quite satisfied with how things are at the present.  He does not require labs until 6 months out.  My PCP did a few random labs on October 15 and my D and B-12 are excellent.   My beverage of choice is home brewed, artificially sweetened (Splenda,) fully caffienated iced tea and I drink it all day long.  Dr. Husted has no objection to caffiene and I frankly would be a complete zombie without it.  I keep a little bit of an eye on my protein numbers, just to make sure I am getting it in, but I am not counting anything else at this time.  Time will tell if carbs need a closer watch but right now I am staying right on target for the desired percantages of EWL, with a goal weight that will give me a high normal BMI.  Even when the scale does not move, my size continues to change.  An interesting thing is I am losing weight in a slightly different way than I ever have before.  I have a pair of old jeans that I still can't quite zip up - getting closer every day - but I can already tell that these already hemmed up in a previous life jeans are now going to be too long!  This tells me more weight is coming out of the overall volume of my butt and legs.  This is a very good thing! 'Cept it sucks I will have to re-hem!

Anyway, here is a copy of the notes I
sent Dr. Husted for the telephone consult (slightly edited for internet!)


                                               Notes for Dr. Husted
                      (Per telephone appointment we will have later today.) 
 
Grammo, female, age 55 years, height 5’ 1½”, goal weight of 130 pounds would give me a high end normal BMI of 24.2. 
DS surgery date August 11, 2009, surgery day weight 271.5 pounds
Weight this morning, November 11, 2009, is 221¾ pounds which represents loss of 49½ pounds since surgery exactly three months ago and also represents approx, 35% EWL which I hope is on track. I was almost exactly at 25% EWL at the two month mark and know I need to be at 50% EWL by the six month mark.     I hit a “stall” in weight loss, as per the scale, at day 21 and this stall lasted about four weeks, though I could tell my actual size continued to change. I also had no bowel movement at all from day 21 through day 29. Oddly, once movement resumed, it did not seem impacted or hardened as one might expect from a case of constipation. I still occasionally skip a day, but mostly there is one movement a day in the morning. There have been a few rare occasions of more than one a day. I learned I must eat some carbs to promote movement.
Though I have pretty much felt steadily “better” day by day, I am still lacking energy. I had a bit of setback in that area all of last week (actually from evening of 10-30-09 through morning of 11-09-09) with a cold or flu or something. (I had the regular flu shot but have been unable so far to get the H1N1 shot.) Sinus drainage has always nauseated me a little, but I think my newly re-arranged guts must have been especially revolted. My chest is still rattling, but the drainage is much better now and the nausea is gone now. 
I think I may be battling depression. I did go off my Wellbutrin prior to surgery and never resumed. I’m not sure if lack of energy equals depression or vice versa or if they are two separate entities all together.
 
 
Lack of energy affects my biggest area of non-compliance with the post DS program which is I am not getting enough exercise. I have new walking shoes and good intentions.   I promise to do better.
 My protein consumption is probably 60 to 80 grams a day at this point and is all real food. I hate the shakes and bullets now. I eat basically all day long to get that in. I did resort to a few bullets last week when I felt so bad I could not eat enough, but in truth, I fell a little short during the nausea. I’m back on top of it now. I know I need to steadily increase my protein consumption as I become able to eat more. I do eat some carbs. I CRAVE vegetables. I have had very little bread, rice, pasta or potatoes – but I have tasted and tolerated. I have indulged in small treats, but I was happy to discover that I really don’t crave much and when I do, a bite or two will do. Except for the Splenda I put in my iced tea, I don’t use sugar substitutes. They about killed my innards pre-op, I don’t even want to think about what they would do to me post-op! So, if I do indulge, it is the real thing. At this point, three months post op, I have tried about every kind of food and seem to tolerate about everything. The worst consequences I have had have been from whey powder! I am avoiding it. Example of how I eat: dinner last night was steak fajitas with extra pico, extra queso, extra sour cream and no tortilla and I also ate five large nacho chips with salsa and queso. My “Jack Sprat” husband and I shared one take out entrée (with a side of extra queso) and we still have enough left to both have another meal from it and we will end up throwing out most of the chips and tortillas.   I put extra cheese on just about everything to up the protein count!   I quit counting my fluids as I am certain I am getting enough in because I have settled back into my old habit of constantly drinking something all day long. The only change is what I drink. My beverage of choice these days is homebrewed, fully caffeinated, iced tea sweetened with Splenda. I need the caffeine or I would just be a total zombie. 
As for vitamins and supplements, I have been on steady climb towards compliance. I found them impossible at first, but I’m doing much better now. I will include a list of all my meds for you.   I did see Dr.******, my PCP in Nashville in mid October and for his own curiosity he ran a few extra labs and I am happy to report my D is good at 53 and my B-12 is great at 1721. I am his only “DS” patient.
his is the label from my multi –vitamin
                                               One A Day Energy
Staying physically and mentally active is important, and having energy support can help. One A Day® Energy is a complete multivitamin with higher levels of B-Vitamins plus a Guarana Blend to help your body and mind feel energetic.* A Complete Multivitamin Plus More to Support:*
  • Mental alertness and an energetic feeling with a Guarana Blend
  • Physical energy by converting food to energy with higher†† levels of B-Vitamins
  • Helps maintain a healthy immune system with Vitamins C, A, Selenium and Zinc
  • Supports a healthy heart with Vitamins B6, B12, C, E, and Folic Acid
    DIRECTIONS: Adults take one tablet daily, with food.
Supplement Facts
Serving Size: One tablet
 
  Amount Per Serving % Daily Value
 
Vitamin A
  (40% as beta-carotene)
3500 IU 70%
Vitamin C 60 mg 100%
Vitamin D 400 IU 100%
Vitamin E 30 IU 100%
Vitamin K 25 mcg 31%
Thiamin (B1) 3 mg 200%
Riboflavin (B2) 3.4 mg 200%
Niacin 40 mg 200%
Vitamin B6 4 mg 200%
Folic Acid 400 mcg 100%
Vitamin B12 12 mcg 200%
Biotin 300 mcg 100%
Pantothenic Acid 10 mg 100%
Calcium (elemental) 250 mg 25%
Iron 9 mg 50%
Iodine 150 mcg 100%
Magnesium 40 mg 10%
Zinc 15 mg 100%
Selenium 45 mcg 64%
Copper 2 mg 100%
Manganese 2 mg 100%
Chromium 100 mcg 83%
Molybdenum 25 mcg 33%
Chloride 90 mg 3%
Potassium 99 mg 3%
 
Nickel 5 mcg *
Tin 10 mcg *
Silicon 5 mg *
Vanadium 10 mcg *
Boron 150 mcg *
Guarana Blend:
Guarana Powder (seed), Caffeine
200 mg *
 
*Daily Value not established.

INGREDIENTS: Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Cellulose, Guarana Seed Powder, Caffeine, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Oxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Niacinamide, Corn Starch, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Ferrous Fumarate, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearic Acid, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Zinc Oxide, Maltodextrin, Silicon Dioxide, Acacia, Magnesium Stearate, Ethylcellulose, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Crospovidone, Titanium Dioxide (color), Gelatin, Polyethylene Glycol, Talc, Manganese Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cupric Sulfate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Glucose, Hypromellose, Castor Oil, Sodium Borate, FD&C Yellow #5 (tartrazine) Lake, Vitamin A Acetate, Beta-Carotene, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, FD&C Blue #1 Lake, Sodium Selenate, Sodium Molybdate, Phytonadione, Nickelous Sulfate, Sodium Metavanadate, Stannous Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Cyanocobalamin, Cholecalciferol. Contains: Soy.

 I take one of these a day as well as
one Tender D 50,000 iu
one Tender A 25,000 iu
one sub-lingual B-12 2500mcg
six Citracal Petites (just started taking six - worked my way up from two) each has 200mg   Calcium Citrate and  250 iu of D – I take these separate from the multi vite because it has iron

 other OTC meds:
one daily Zyrtec 10 mg
occasional use of Aleve
lately have been using Tylenol Cold “daytime” and “night time” meds

RX meds:
one a day Prevacid 30 mg
one a day synthroid 0.112 mg
as needed use of Furosemide (like Lasix) 20mg
occasional use of ½ tablet of Aprazolam (like Xanax) 0.5 mg
occasional use of hydrocodone/apap 5/500
lately I have been using my Flonase nasal spray

My edema stayed gone for several weeks post –op but then it came back. Now it comes and goes and dictates how I use the water pill – my prescription allows for two a day.      I have made occasional use of the probiotic capsule “Gut Buddies.”   Would I benefit from taking this every day? Are there any other changes or recommendations you would make about my meds, vitamins and supplements at this time? Do you have any idea or opinion of how I should handle my general lethargy and/or depression? 
I look forward to speaking with you this afternoon.  

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About Me
Nashville, TN
Location
18.4
BMI
DS
Surgery
08/11/2009
Surgery Date
May 17, 2009
Member Since

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