higgam1

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My goal was to get below 200 pounds before the wedding, and I did it! I am so proud of myself. Can not wait to marry the love of my life in less than 2 weeks and go on a honeymoon full of firsts - ziplining, jet skiing, horseback riding (okay, that's not a first, but it totally counts as something my weight restricted me from doing in the past). Go me !!!

Today I had my 6 month checkup with Kristi and Dr. Tom. I have lost 100 pounds since surgery day, and I am super proud of myself! They said I am a model patient, as all my blood work came back in the ranges they should be in (vitamin D was a little low, but that is to be expected during Ohio winters).

I really need to increase my workouts now that I have the 6 month mark. It is super easy to just not go. So I have set some goals for myself. Between now and the wedding (16 weeks, eeek!), I WILL go to the gym AT LEAST 3 days a week. I have decided that Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will be my days. 60 minutes per day of cardio and strength combos. If I can do that, consistently, for the next 16 weeks, I figure I will look damn good in that halter top wedding gown …

It has been 6 weeks since my surgery. My main complaint is the constant belching. My surgeon says it is very common and stems from air we ingest when eating, sipping water, or just breathing. Apparently, it takes awhile for the new smaller stomach to get used to this air, but I am told it goes away eventually and I CANNOT FREAKIN’ wait! As soon as I put anything in my mouth, the burping begins and the gurgling noises coming from my esophagus area are fantastic, let me tell you! I am eating verrry slow and chewing like crazy but I am going to try to focus on waiting a consistent amount of time between bites and taking smaller bites.

  I also started having severe pain in my shoulder/neck a couple weeks ago. It would start in my chest, under the breast bone and feel almost like there was a pocket of air stuck in there – then it would move up into my left shoulder and neck. This got really bad for a few days and I called the nurses, who scheduled me an ultrasound. They ended up finding gallstones, which is crazy since there were none there 8 weeks ago @ my pre-op ultrasound. The stones are caused from rapid weight loss (30 lbs in 6 weeks will do it, I guess). Of course they want me to have it removed, but I just don’t know. Gallstones run in my family, and my fiancé and I are planning on having kids after my wedding and one year “waiting period” are up.   I’m not sure if the chest pain (chest pain or upper abdominal pain, hard to tell the difference?) is from the gallstones or from the air/gas but it always happens at night. It is so crazy to see how your body reacts to this surgery! I am hoping for some relief soon.  

I went back to work yesterday after 3.5 weeks off. I'll be doing half days for a week, then back to full time status on Sept. 13th (my 1 month surgiversary). I am finally starting to feel better and going back to work has helped me to feel like my old self again. I am still not 100%, but looking forward to getting there. Main issue is still the pain in my left side at the largest inscion site. I have moved onto the blended stage of the diet progression and it is much easier to get my protien and carbs in ... still working on my H20 intake :- /

This morning was my 2 week check up. My dieticitan wants me to slowly introduce foods with more substance like smoothies, blended soups, and puddings for the next few days and move onto a fully pureed diet by Wednesday or Thursday. I am down 18 pounds since my surgery date and exicted about some of the new foods I can finally begin trying!

One week ago today at this very minute I was on the operating table. I stayed at the hospital until Friday and I am now recovering at home. I have had a few scares because I'm big chicken, but no serious problems so far. Once I sneezed and thught I had ripped out some staples for sure, but no signs of discomfort came from that. Yesterday, I think I drank too much at once and overfilled my stomach because I got lightheaded and sweaty for about 5 minutes, but that too went waway. Today some purple brusies appeaered on the hand opposite of the one my IV was in so I'm not sure what's up with that, but probably has something to do with al the blood thinner they gave me. Really, 2 shots a day of heparin may have been a bit excessive, doc ... I am still having pain in my side at my largest inscision and in my chest and shoulder because of the gas. Overall, each day gets better I guess.

This is day 2 of my recovery. Heart beats per minute dropped below 50 again last night and I may have hurt myself trying to take too many deep breaths. Today has been ok, but lots of pain in my chest. I woke up last night with some weird smells in my nose that no one else seemed to smell. My finance took me into the shower and helped me wash my hair. My favorite nurse is back on shift so I am hoping tonight will be better. Wish me luck!

Well, I did it. I got sleeved yeaterday. Here I sit in my room @ Riverside Methodist recovering. I am doing pretty good so far, already up and walking around and sipping water. A couple times i belched some back up, hoping that doesnt cause a problem in my healing. The doc also stiched up a hiatal hernia while he was in there. I had a pretty violent hiccupping spell after which I thought I tasted blood, but my vitals are still all good so I guess I'm ok there. My heart beats per minute are falling a little below the perfect range but they are keeping an eye on me. I will continue to keep you posted,