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For me - WLS is part of an ongoing "self improvement" kick. 5 years ago I was in the pit of a nasty depression. I stayed at home with my youngest, wouldnt shower for days, barely dressed myself and didn't go out. I was very bad to myself, and my family. I don't know how they stuck with me, but they did. I didn't work, we were so poor, my mom was helping pay my bills, I ruined my credit, was moody, and just sunk lower and lower.

One day I got a wakeup call when my mom's situation change and she was no longer able to help us. I had to pick myself up and straighten myself out.

I found it very difficult to find a job, having been at home so long. "Mom" is not much on your resume, despite the amount of work it takes. After a couple miserable attempts at minimum wage jobs, I was lucky enough to get an entry level job with my current company. I excelled and in 4 years I have TRIPLED my salary and moved up from the entry level position to a job at the corporate office.

I took advantage of my job's benefits and went back to school. I have earned an associates degree and am now working on my bachelors.

I had a breast reduction, which eased a few physical problems (like constant debilitating migraines)and helped my confidence.

We moved and bought our first house.

Next was WLS, and recently laser hair removal.

I also renewed my relationship with my dad and my brother after 22 years of not seeing them.

Every single day I pat myself on the back and thank my family for helping me pullout of the hole I was in, and sticking by me at my worst. While none of my relationships are perfect they've supported me through everything and I am a different person now.

Every pound I lose, every new class I pass, every step forward is a victory for my whole family.

I still feel like I cheated my children out of some good years, while I was so self pitying and disgusting, but someday I hope they will understand and forgive me. We have a good relationship now and life is so much better. It took me this long to really live.

What do I expect after WLS? Continued improvement and a long healthy and HAPPY life... it's worth every bit of work.

I'm all bloaty, but now it doesn't seem so bad.

 

Area	Pre-op	1 Month	2 Months
Chins	2!	1!	1!
Neck	15.5	15	14.5
Bicep	14	14	13
Shoulders	47.5	44.5	44
Bust	49	48.5	47
Under Bust	45	44	43
Muffin	50.5	45	46
Waist	49.5	47.5	44.5
Stomach	54	51	51
Hips	54	54	51.5
Thigh	29.5	29	25.5
Calf	17.5	17.5	16
Total	426	410	396

Well I haven't typed anything into this nifty blogamajig in a bit soooo here we go.

Weightloss wise - I am down 35 lbs this morning (same as yesterday), doin pretty good for a lightweight. I've dropped two sizes and feel good about that ( I got out of the 20s in clothes woohoo). I need to get off my ass, but it seems that everything that is keeping me busy this week is sedentary. Work, school, etc. It's supposed to be nice this weekend so I am going to make a point to get outside and also to hit the gym. I wanna try that elliptical thing.

I'm hoping the other people at the gym won't laugh at my floundering as I try to get coordinated enough to operate it - I haven't had much luck with elliptical trainers in the past, but I was also heavier when I tried them so we shall see. If they do, well I am feeling fiesty enough today to punch someone so hey I may get a good boxing workout :)

On other topics - Ugh financial stress! Work messed up my paycheck and did not pay me my sick time for this month, so I got HALF a paycheck, on mortgage due week. Then when they fixed it and I put the paper check in the bank, the bank twerps put it on hold for a week. I had a little cash but the ortgage company is NOT happy with me at the moment (I'm on a payment plan because we got behind). The good news is that all my financial aid for school went through and I have all my tax stuff, my estimated refund is quite large so as soon as I get those two things I can shut the mortgage company up for good. Lets just hope they don't start foreclosure in the meantime.

I need to get new batteries for my camera and take more pictures - I don't think I do it enough and I'm not seeing any difference. Seems like 35 pounds should show someplace? Two sizes down should be evident somehow, but not to me. I know this is common but I don't want to be common, I want to be the one different one around here lol

Anyways there's my update, sorry this one isn't comic relief. My kids are squabbling as I type and I'm having to stop every couple minutes to re-duct tape them to their separate chairs. I am almost out of duct tape though so I am looking at other options now ;) I'm still big enough to sit on them so maybe thats next.

By the way - I LOVE my RNY :)

1 Month out - 241 lbs

I reformatted today and lost this spreadsheet (and my spreadsheet program) so I winged it, I'll fix it tomorrow

Area	Pre-op/1 Mo
Chins	2!/1!
Neck	15.5/15
Bicep	14/14
Shoulders	47.5/44.5
Bust	49/48.5
Under Bust	45/44
Muffin	50.5/45
Waist	49.5/47.5
Stomach	54/51
Hips	54/54
Thigh	29.5/29
Calf	17.5/17.5
Total	426/410

I see progress here i DO NOT see when I pull on my pants lol

You know, I am aware I'm in the 'easy" stage, where weight just comes off. I'm 3.5 weeks out and losing a pound or so a day. Thursday I had a weird day and didn't get my water or protein in, and the scale didn't change. I made extra effort yesterday and I'm down 2 lbs. But -- I can't help but be excited every time I see a pound drop.

I haven't weighed 245 since sometime before 1998. 1998! Wow...And its likely I never weighed 245, just went from 220ish to blammo.

I was alittle worried about the infamous 3 week stall, but so far I'm doin ok. Of course it may be the 4 week stall or the 6 week stall.. whatever.

I just found out I go back to travelling for work in March and I'd love to be more comfy on that airplane. Here's to hoping I won't have to stuff myself into the seat like a sausage into its casing.

So far, this HAS been the easy way. I've had relatively zero issues. I dumped a little once from peanut butter, and had an issue with a shake combination. I got stuck once when I got a little ahead of myself on the food thing. Other than that.. smooth sailing.

This is the best thing I could have done for me and I am silly but proud of myself for being brave enough to do it.

I can't wait to see what the future holds, and what my scale will say tomorrow :)

Prior to my 11 years of "diets dont work hell" the heaviest I got to was 230 lbs. From there I was at least able to yo-yo. After the birth of my daughter I was right around 230 and managed over a year or so to get back to 170ish.

Then I had my son - back to 230.

I didn't lose that weight right away but within 2 years I was back down to 170ish.

Then kid #3 came and I ballooned. I wasn't working, stayed home with her and just got bigger and bigger. Once I passed 230 the weight would no longer come off.

Sooo my next milestone is 230 lbs. Today I am at 248.

It doesn't seem as much of a hurdle when you break it up into bits and pieces. At 230 lbs I will have 79 lbs to go until "goal", I will have lost 36% of my excess weight.

Well, 2 weeks out and I am feeling human again. I still have some soreness around one incision (the biggest one) but it's not too bad. I passed the 250 mark so that plateau weight is out of the way.

I didn't get all my water in yesterday and today's Weight loss is negligable, but I have a good excuse. I went to the dentist for a deep cleaning (scaling) and we decided to get rid of my last wisdom tooth (I only had two total, the other one cracked up and had to come out last year). Well it was quite the experience - removing  a healthy tooth. There was no room in my mouth for it, hence the extraction. Thats a bit puzzling since I'm famous for my big mouth but hey who argues with the guy with the big pliers?

Anyways they had numbed me for the cleaning but it took a few more shots to get me numb enough for the extraction. They push and pull and push and pull til its loose and there was this loud "CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK". Yanno if you could eliminate the NOISES of dentistry I think it would go alot easier. So with all the numbing meds it took FOREVER to get feeling back in my face. I couldn't eat or drink,I was afraid I'd bite myself.

After the anesthesia wore off OH MY GOD the jaw pain. So I smashed up the lortabs they gave me and spent the rest of the night totally stoned lol On the bright side, I slept GREAT (nothing like narcotics for that eh?).

Today it's a little sore but I just took some tylenol and it's goin ok so I shall be watering up heavily.

I'm going to go by curves once it opens up and see if I can talk them into a free membership. I really want to do the YMCA or the local gym but I just can't afford it right now. Curves is about half the price and I think it will be ok, at least at first, while I get used to regular gymness again.

I go back to work monday (groan). After not having a real vacation last year its been kinda nice sitting on my ass,  but oh well. At least I got to make that wench at work a little insane trying to keep up with my job as well as hers. (MUAHAHA) I was almost hoping I'd get a hangnail or something so I could stay out a little longer and push her around the bend. 

SO 2 weeks out, 24 lbs down from my highest, 20% of my excess weight gone, so far so good!

Well so far so good. I'm finally feeling myself and the only time I am sore at all is when I try to get up in the mornings. I am still sleeping on the couch right now because my partner in crime likes to throw an arm right over where my incisions are in the middle of the night. I figured they might not know about a RNY's dietary needs in prison, should I kill him in self defense.

My incisions are almost healed, even most of the scabs are gone. The biggest and messiest one still looks a little rough. The bruises from the heparin shots, however, are clinging on forever. Ugh go away! I look like a domestic violence victim.

Foodwise - I am having ZERO trouble getting my water and protein in. I drink two shakes a day that consist of an EAS carb control chocolate shake (17g protein) with a scoop of chocolate body fortress powder mixed in (23g) and a splash of coffeemate (sounds weird but it makes it more milkshakey and less protein drinky). That's 80g right there, in about 32oz of fluid. Then I nibble on some shredded up (puree shall not pass my lips) chicken with some kinda sauce on it or some other high protein whatever for my other meal.

I also found SF rocket pops! OMG the taste of childhood, they rock and taste like the real thing.

I haven't been walking as much as I should, but the past few days I have been a ton more active. I've done some light housework and gone out here and there to wander around. Sunday kid #1 and I went uptown to the library and tooled around there some. It's hard for me to walk just to walk, I need purpose lol

Anyways my scale said 251 this morning, which is 10 lbs down from presurgery weight and 23 lbs down from "I just got home and I'm pumped fulla liquids" weight. I am counting those lbs too dammit! I am a little paranoid because in the past every diet has stalled out at the 250 mark, either by my idiocy of defeating myself or just by the nature of crappy yo-yo dieting and metabolic issues. I'm working hard on extra water and protein today and watching my salt because I NEED to drop 2lbs tonight and see 249. It will be a mental, physical and emotional victory for me.

Time to babble a little about surgery and stuff I guess -

I got to the hospital about 715 (15 mins early). Surgery was to start at 9. They got me signed in and to my surprise told me that since I met my deductible for the year I didn't have to pay a single dime... thats right - get your stomach rerouted ABSOLUTELY FREE!...

About 15 mins later they took me back to the pre op area, started an IV. 14 billion people came in and asked me the same damn questions over and over. Ok so it was only like 8 people but it sure SEEMED like 14 billion. My surgeon was the FIRST one to come see me, which was awesome. I had 0 apprehensions and the first thing I said to him was "lets do this thing!"

I met the Asst. Surgeon (who's name totally escapes me, though I saw him again later) and he wasa cool dude too.

The anesthesiologist came in and man, for someone who puts people to sleep? He was the poster child for Red Bull. You could see the energy crackle off this guy. He was everywhere and talked a mile a minute.

Anyways, eventually they got my IV's going, took some blood, oh they had me pee in a cup too when I first got there. They gave me a heparin shot in my stomach for clotting (ouch?!) and then put some "happy drugs" in my IV. I was wheeled off down the hallway but never saw where I was going, I was out before I got there.... Surgery started probably about 10:20 am (ran late but its cool)

So I wake up in recovery about 1pm. It took me a minute to realize I was done and then whammo and ouchie, I hurt! The nurse asked how bad using the normal 1-10 scale, I said probably a 8. She handed my morphine pumper button to me and said here you go! "BEEP" drugs. Nice!

Then her and another nurse pulled my bed out to take me to my room. Welllll lemme tell ya, I wish they'd knocked meback out for that ride. I think they hit every corner, wall and door along the way. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGH.

SO i get to my luxury suite (lol) It was a big room really, had a sitting area with a couch and chair and everything. I met my nurse Mirtha, who was particularly awesome and very nice. I was dozing off and on and had those leg pumper things on my feet kind of lulling me off to sleep. Some wench kept waking me to take my blood pressure and for some reason my catheter wasn't working right. I actually had to PEE into it, it didnt just get the pee by itself, or whatever it does. This was a problem that bothered them the whole time I was in there btw.

Later that night I got a new nurse - Amy and I saw both Dr. S and the assistant AGAIN to check on me. THey said my incisions were great and Amy got me up and walking.

I could only have ice chips at this point, I was workin the ice chips hard.

Once I was out of the bed I realized that I felt 1000 times better OUT OF THE BED, so I spent the entire rest of my time in the chair or recliner. I had some pain management issues, which were resolved overnight by two things. 1) Amy informed me I could hit the button every 5 mins... (whoa I was hittin it like once an hour?!) and 2) they shot me with Toradol, a anti inflamatory.

Well that "inflammation" of muscle was nearly all my pain, so after that I was breezin through. I was making laps, watching tv, playin on the laptop, you name it.

I was up all night and very early day 2 - there are the docs again! They came back already to check on me, were pleased to see me up and said I could start drinkin water. So I did. Lunchtime they took out my cath and unhooked me from all the machines and junk and I got to take a shower! (only the fluid IV was left)

Then here come the docs again! Dr. S said well you're doin great, you look fabulous, you're keepin the water down, wanna go home? I said hell yeah!
I did get one "meal" first - cottage cheese and some SF pudding. I had some pudding and tried the cottage cheese but UUUUUUUUUUUGH how to people eat that crap??

 They made me finish up my bag of fluids, which took an hour or so and then I was on my way out the door at about 8pm Friday. Not too bad for 36ish hours eh?

 

Area	Pre-op
Chins	2!
Neck	15.5
Bicep	14
Shoulders	47.5
Bust	49
Under Bust	45
Muffin	50.5
Waist	49.5
Stomach	54
Hips	54
Thigh	29.5
Calf	17.5
Total	426