mittenfarm
October 20, 2013
Oct 20, 2013
Now 6 years out and things are still going well. A little regain over the years, but manage to keep within normal BMI with a little effort. Have developed iron deficiency anemia this far out so am now dependent on iron infusions to manage this. Eating goes well as long as I don't overdo the carbs. Some issues now with bowel motility that I am seeing a specialist for. Still would not trade this for anything in the world; love my DS!
March 18, 2012
Mar 17, 2012
Wow, haven't been on here since last July! Thought maybe an update might be in order. I am doing very well from all standpoints and hopefully have conquered all my DS associated issues and finally have a handle on this thing at 4 1/2 years out! Still on Actigall, which seems to keep all my liver/bile duct issues at bay and my liver enzymes were normal last fall for the first time in a couple of years. I quit coming on here because I was tired of obsessing about everything associated with WLS and just wanted to move on to a normal life, which I have done. My weight has stabilized at 150 to 155 lbs which puts me right in the middle of normal BMI. Take my vitamins quite religiously with only a few missed doses here and there. Bone density has been a problem, but had a Reclast infusion in January and will do this yearly which I hope will help, as calcium absorption is such a problem for us. Over consumption of it doesn't necessarily help calcium levels and bone density, it just gets secreted out the kidneys and causes stones. Been there, done that and don't care to repeat it! Have not been ill since last July when I had a nasty campylobacter intestinal infection that came from Lord knows where. No food issues as long as I stay away from much of anything with flour in it. I can eat flour, but get horrible gas which I hate dealing with , so try to behave myself!
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July 1, 2011
Jun 30, 2011
Wow, has it been a long time since I last blogged on here! Just rarely spend any time here any more. I am healthy and doing well and no longer wish to be defined by this surgery and to have it and all it's little quirks occupy and define my life. I feel "normal" now, so am trying to live as normally as I can and that involves putting this whole WLS persona to rest. I still am religious about all my vitamins and eating healthy and exercising(most of the time). But the rest of me has moved on and I am happy with that. I have not even been going to the support group meeting at my surgeon's office because they always seem geared toward those early on, which is fine, and I like to be supportive of the newbies, but going involves too much travel time and gas $$, and I don't feel I get much help for myself, nor do I feel I need any right now. So I will check back in on occasion when I have nothing else to do, but I am going to go on and enjoy my new fat free life!
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March 31, 2011
Mar 31, 2011
Just about missed doing a March blog! I seem to be losing interest in spending much time on this site any more, and have been trying to figure that one out. I think I have been thin for so long now that I finally feel like a "normal" person and am not obsessing about this whole process 24 hours a day. I am still very vigilant about vitamins and follow my labs very closely. Try to make sure I eat enough protein every day. I no longer do any shakes or bars or protein supplements of any kind. I eat all of my protein. Lots of meat, cheese, and nuts. Try to stay away from carbs as much as possible, but I do eat oatmeal and whole grain breads daily, with the occasional cookie or Krispy Kreme donut thrown in! I eat a lot of veggies and at least 2 fresh fruits daily. Another thing I have noticed is that I no longer have any gas issues. Last fall I had a bout of severe colitis/diarrhea that landed me in the hospital for 12 days with a boatload of antibiotics and Flagyl. Ever since then I have had no more gas! The only other thing I am wondering if it could be is the Actigall I have been taking since about that same time. I no longer have a gall bladder(taken out at the time of my DS) but have had liver/bile duct issues since having it removed. Since starting the Actigall I have only had one incident and feel 100% better than I ever did. I don't even get gas with eating carbs any more. So it was either the antibiotics or the Actigall, but I am happy with it!
2 weeks ago I had surgery on my tailbone area. I refer to it as a buttcrackectomy! I have had a lot of tailbone issues since losing so much weight and had developed a pilonidal cyst that would flare up every now and then for the past 2 years or so. My PCP sent me to a surgeon and she removed the cyst as well as the skin of my upper butt crack which was so thin she could see the bone through it. Stitched my buns back together and is hoping that will provide me with more padding over the tailbone. So I now have a new butt crack! Actually, it is still all stitched up, which is miserable for anything but standing up. I don't sleep well at night yet and am still relying on pain pills, especially at night. Never get surgery on something you have to sit on! She wants to leave the stitches in for at least 3 to4 weeks as she is afraid it may separate if it is not completely healed. She did not offer any guarantees that this would fix everything, but felt she needed to do something about the thin skin in that area or it was just going to break down, especially as I get older. Kind of a bedsore waiting to happen, I guess. So I'm kind of stuck home as riding in the car is not much fun either at this point. But I am getting a lot of reading done!
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2 weeks ago I had surgery on my tailbone area. I refer to it as a buttcrackectomy! I have had a lot of tailbone issues since losing so much weight and had developed a pilonidal cyst that would flare up every now and then for the past 2 years or so. My PCP sent me to a surgeon and she removed the cyst as well as the skin of my upper butt crack which was so thin she could see the bone through it. Stitched my buns back together and is hoping that will provide me with more padding over the tailbone. So I now have a new butt crack! Actually, it is still all stitched up, which is miserable for anything but standing up. I don't sleep well at night yet and am still relying on pain pills, especially at night. Never get surgery on something you have to sit on! She wants to leave the stitches in for at least 3 to4 weeks as she is afraid it may separate if it is not completely healed. She did not offer any guarantees that this would fix everything, but felt she needed to do something about the thin skin in that area or it was just going to break down, especially as I get older. Kind of a bedsore waiting to happen, I guess. So I'm kind of stuck home as riding in the car is not much fun either at this point. But I am getting a lot of reading done!
February 7, 2011
Feb 06, 2011
Time for a Feb. post, I guess. Not much to report, as I am caught in the winter in MI doldrums!! Should get out my cross-country skis and get my butt moving, but I am very unmotivated to do anythng lately. The treadmill is also collecting dust. On the medical front, had a bad time over the weekend with bile duct issues again and think I may have had another stone blocking things. I think it passed, but now I am dealing with the aftermath of a very irritated liver and duct system, which basically means that I am OK as long as I don't eat for the next few days. If I eat, I get diarrhea and gas, no matter what I eat, and mild spasms of the bile duct. I remember this happening before when I was having so much trouble with this, so I know it will get better over the next couple of days if I take it easy with food. My hubby has to do clear liquids today for a colonoscopy prep, so I told him I would join him in those dietary delights! Thought I was past these problems as I have been feeling so much better since they started me back on Actigall, but apparently I will never be out of the woods with this. My OB/GYN started me on hormone replacement about a month ago, and I am feeling much better from a female standpoint, but I think it has also greatly increased my appetite! I'm not hungry, but want to eat constantly, so have to battle this as well. I've gained about 5 lbs. in the past month, which is OK, as I was really too thin, but don't want it to continue upwards any further. Of course, it would probably help if I would get my scrawny ass in gear and exercise! And problem #3....I have to see a surgeon next Thursday because I have a problematic recurring pilonidal cyst on my tailbone. My tailbone bothers me so much since I have lost so much weight, and it constantly irritates at the base, causing these flare-ups, I guess. I'm hoping they can do something about the tailbone as well as remove the cyst.
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January 2, 2011
Jan 01, 2011
Well, it is the new year and time for an update. Too busy with a lot of not nice stuff in Dec. to do this. I was really hoping for a good Christmas this year as last year was awful, but it was not to be. I have recovered well from my colitis that put me in the hospital for 12 days in Nov., but my FIL became very ill with CHF after Thanksgiving and passed away rather suddenly from cardiac arrest on Dec. 20th. So a funeral 2 days before Christmas and then having to live with my MIL who cannot be alone due to falling. And all the endless phone calls and paperwork that accompany dying! Never realized how complicated it is...dying is actually the easy part! Finally got her moved in temporarily with her also elderly sister until we can get all their financial stuff figured out and get her in assisted living to the tune of $3500/month. She is 92 years old and generally in good shape other than her balance issues, so we think this will be the best answer to her needs. My hubby is their only child, so it really falls on me to deal with all this, and I am at the end of my mental rope at this point. Note to anyone reading this....do NOT have only one child! But I am finally, as of yesterday, back in my own house and my own bed, and now have access to a computer and DirectTV, so life is a lot better again! I would not do well as an Amish person!
As far as my health goes, I have recovered from my awful colitis/diarrhea episode and have my strength back again, so now I need to get my sorry butt back on the treadmill and get back in shape. I have done NOTHING for the past 6 weeks or more due to illness and the incidents following in December, and I can tell. Much as I hate to exercise, I feel better when I do. On a bright note, my gastroenterologist has put me back on Actigal and it seems to have solved a lot of my GI issues, especially the gas and bloating. I had started to have mild bile duct spasms again off and on since summer. I had not associated the increased gassiness with this, but now I think that had a lot to do with it. I did have a rather uncomfortable "attack" at work the other night, but that was the first one in a long time. And it was followed by a lot of gas and intestinal miseries over the next 12 hours, which always happens after one of these attacks. I think I had missed my actigal that afternoon as my med taking really fell by the wayside over the holidays due to my very upset lifestyle schedule. So I am hoping that now that my life is somewhat back on track, I can keep this under control. My New Year resolution this year is to stay out of the hospital! I have some lab work due in January to check my liver function as well as some vitamin levels so we'll see where that all lands.
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As far as my health goes, I have recovered from my awful colitis/diarrhea episode and have my strength back again, so now I need to get my sorry butt back on the treadmill and get back in shape. I have done NOTHING for the past 6 weeks or more due to illness and the incidents following in December, and I can tell. Much as I hate to exercise, I feel better when I do. On a bright note, my gastroenterologist has put me back on Actigal and it seems to have solved a lot of my GI issues, especially the gas and bloating. I had started to have mild bile duct spasms again off and on since summer. I had not associated the increased gassiness with this, but now I think that had a lot to do with it. I did have a rather uncomfortable "attack" at work the other night, but that was the first one in a long time. And it was followed by a lot of gas and intestinal miseries over the next 12 hours, which always happens after one of these attacks. I think I had missed my actigal that afternoon as my med taking really fell by the wayside over the holidays due to my very upset lifestyle schedule. So I am hoping that now that my life is somewhat back on track, I can keep this under control. My New Year resolution this year is to stay out of the hospital! I have some lab work due in January to check my liver function as well as some vitamin levels so we'll see where that all lands.
December 1, 2010
Nov 30, 2010
Well, I made it home finally on Sunday the 28th of November. Far longer in the hospital than I had intended. But they just couldn't figure out the diarrhea issue, although the biopsy results from the colonoscopy did show bacterial colitis. They had stopped my antibiotics on the Wed. before Thanksgiving because nothing showed up on any cultures and the biopsy results weren't back yet. This turned into a terrible night Wed. night with diarrhea and abdominal pain returning big time. Ended up needing IV Dilaudid to get through it. So Thursday they had the results back on the biopsies and started me back on an oral antibiotic(Xifaxin). Things began to improve after a day of this, so I guess I definitely needed the antibiotics. They finally let me go Sunday, although gastro was not happy that they never really figured out a cause or what bug they are really treating. The diarrhea issue continues to improve every day, and I am on antibiotics through tomorrow, so we'll see what happens when I stop them. I'm sure I am in the crapper from a nutritional standpoint because I barely keep things OK when I am healthy. It may take me awhile to get that back to where I should be. I have to go see Dr. Kemmeter on Monday, so I am going to ask for some labs to check protein and albumin, etc. just to see if it is really bad or just sort of bad. I feel pretty good but tire so easily and completely crash in the evening, which is very unlike me; I usually have tons of energy all day. I lost almost 10 lbs. with this whole diarrhea thing, so now need to work on putting that back on as well. To top it all off, we are dealing with very elderly ailing parents(my in-laws) who are still living at home and probably shouldn't be. So I have to drag them to appointments every week which involves walkers and oxygen, etc. Somebody please shoot me when I turn 80!
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November 21, 2010
Nov 21, 2010
I'm sitting herre in the hospital again in November! This is not my month. Thought I'd update what I blogged on last month and fill in on the latest. Halter Monitor showed multiple bradycardias; heart ECHO was normal. Cardiologist put me on Lasix instead of HCTZ for a diuretic as he thought that may have been lowering my B/P too much, hence the fainting spell last month. He wasn't concerned with the slow heart rate as it was all while I was sleeping. Thought all was well until last Sunday when I could not sleep after working Sat. night because I had such a headache, and every bone in my body hurt. This went on all day Sunday. Monday felt better, but then started having diarrhea. Felt even better Tuesday and thought maybe I was on the mend, but had a terrible painful night of gas and cramping and diarrhea. This continued Wed. until I was severely dehydrated by Wed. night with a temp of 102.5 and very high heart rate. Wasn't sure who to call, but decided on my WLS surgeon given the intestinal issues. He sent me to ER, and them admitted me due to very low potassium as well as what looked like inflamed/infected colon and some small intestine on CT scan. He kind of wanted to go to OR and look around just in case there was a small bowel twist they couldn't see on CT. But my potassium was too low to risk putting me under, and he didn't think the small chance hey would find something was worth the risk. So he got gastroenterology involved and they have been mainly managing things. Took 2 days of endless potassium infusions(painful) to finally get that in a just decent range, and I still have potassium in my main IV line continuously, as well as am on 3 antibiotics. They sent a million tests down on my stool but all came back negative. Meanwhile the diarrhea continues, so tomorrow they are going to do a colonoscopy, just to see if there is any odd thing they may have mised. Also had to be seen by hematology because my bloodwork was very odd on some points; low WBC's , low platelets, low hemoglobin,low RBC and all continuing to drop=pancytopenia. But they saw me today and are not concerned as some of these things have already started to correct themselves. He thinks it was just a response to whatever wierd viral insult I experienced. Had a terrible night last night with the diarrhea; from 1 AM on I was up 8 times. So far since then nothing, but I'm sure it will catch up with me again tonight as I think there is some bowel prep in my future too! So we'll see what tomorrow shows, if anything and continue to hope they can figure this mess out, or my body just gets over it by itself. My guess is the fact that I am running on a short gut due to the WLS is not helping things. And, of course, I am losing weight like crazy as I always do when ill. I don't even want to know what I weigh now. I'll wait til I'm home and then get on the scale. I just hope I can get out of here before Thanksgiving.
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October 19, 2010
Oct 19, 2010
Just realized it's my 3 year anniversary today! I cannot begin to express the thankfulness I feel for what the DS has given me. I have my life back and more. I have a life I never had because I dealt with obesity for most of my adult life, so never knew what it was like to live like a "normal" sized person. I can now shop anywhere. I can fit in any booth at any restaurant and most of them are now too big! Seat belts fit me. I can sit in any chair without first evaluating it for size and sturdiness. I have a few medical issues most likely due in some part to the WLS, but nothing I can't live with very easily. I have lost 240 lbs. and kept it off now for almost 2 years. I got too low a year ago with a hospitalization and extended problems, but have managed to get back up to where I should be over the past year. I am 5'8" and weigh 142 lbs. which gives me a BMI of 21.7. I am trying to maintain a weight in the low 140's, which may be a little thin, but I am so petrified of regain at some point that I don't dare allow myself to creep back into the 150's or 160's. But I pretty much eat anything I want at this point and so far am doing OK with that. I try to avoid carbs, but still eat the occasional donut or cookie or chips/pretzels. Ate a large order of fries on the way to work Sunday night, which I haven't done in years! But as a rule I eat very healthy other than high fat. Tons of meat proteins and lots of veggies and some fruit. Eggs and cheese are my life savers-I live on them. Also snack on a lot of nuts.
So far this year I have dealt with kidney stones, continuing occasional issues with my bile duct pain, and the latest was a syncopal episode last Thursday up in Traverse City where I suddenly passed out for no apparent reason and fell face down in my wet burrito at Sleder's Tavern! This is the second time in the past year this has happened to me, so now my Dr. is looking into possible cardiac issues. Had to wear a halter monitor for 24 hours and have to have a heart ECHO this week. She is also looking into changing my diuretic as that may be causing some of my issues, such as endless low potassium. Part of this cardiac workup is to determine why I need the diuretic yet and why I have such fluid retention if I don't take it. I tend to run low blood pressures, so she really would like me off the HCTZ if possible. We'll see what if anything shows up with all of this heart stuff. But in spite of dealing with some of these things, I fell great and would never go back to obesity just to be rid of these health issues. If I was 379 lbs. again I would have a whole lot of other health issues I'm sure. Now my joints don't hurt any more and I have tons of energy, so I think I am doing well. I am going to get my yearly lab work done next week, so I am anxious to see how that all turns out. My Dr. has been following my liver function tests every 3 months, and those are OK, a little elevated, but not bad at all. And I had some labs done in the ER last week and my calcium was 9.7, so that was great. Hopefully all my other calcium indicators will be good as well so I know my bones are not being depleted. I am very curious to see where my vitamin D level is as well as my A level, as these are the 2 things that give me the most trouble.
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So far this year I have dealt with kidney stones, continuing occasional issues with my bile duct pain, and the latest was a syncopal episode last Thursday up in Traverse City where I suddenly passed out for no apparent reason and fell face down in my wet burrito at Sleder's Tavern! This is the second time in the past year this has happened to me, so now my Dr. is looking into possible cardiac issues. Had to wear a halter monitor for 24 hours and have to have a heart ECHO this week. She is also looking into changing my diuretic as that may be causing some of my issues, such as endless low potassium. Part of this cardiac workup is to determine why I need the diuretic yet and why I have such fluid retention if I don't take it. I tend to run low blood pressures, so she really would like me off the HCTZ if possible. We'll see what if anything shows up with all of this heart stuff. But in spite of dealing with some of these things, I fell great and would never go back to obesity just to be rid of these health issues. If I was 379 lbs. again I would have a whole lot of other health issues I'm sure. Now my joints don't hurt any more and I have tons of energy, so I think I am doing well. I am going to get my yearly lab work done next week, so I am anxious to see how that all turns out. My Dr. has been following my liver function tests every 3 months, and those are OK, a little elevated, but not bad at all. And I had some labs done in the ER last week and my calcium was 9.7, so that was great. Hopefully all my other calcium indicators will be good as well so I know my bones are not being depleted. I am very curious to see where my vitamin D level is as well as my A level, as these are the 2 things that give me the most trouble.
September 10. 2010
Sep 09, 2010
Here we are already at the 10th of Sept. I must be old because time flies by now really fast! I really am not ready for summer to be done, even though I love fall. I'm sitting here already cold and my hands are ice cold. But that is the way it is for me all fall/winter and spring until it hits 80 degrees again. Sometimes I miss my fat!!(not really). I have been working on getting the carb monster off my back the past couple of days. Yesterday was slightly less than successful, so I need to do an all protein day again today like I did on Wed. I pushed the fluids like crazy and ate NO carbs at all, not even healthy ones. Nothing but meat, cheese, and eggs all day. I was down 4 lbs yesterday morning after only one day of this! But yesterday I had to go out for lunch and to a potluck for supper, and though I tried to be good, it kind of went down the drain in the evening. So back in the saddle today. And I HAVE TO get my lazy butt back on the treadmill. I'm always so busy with outdoor things all summer that it completely goes by the wayside, and it takes me forever to get exercise back into my daily routine for the fall and winter. I have no good excuse, I just HATE exercise, always did. Probably had something to do with getting up to 379 lbs! I get no "high" from exercising-never did. I didn't walk until I was 18 months old because I was perfectly content to just sit in my bouncy seat and watch the world go by, and I guess I'm still that way. I'm not a couch potato, but just prefer exercise with a purpose, like sports, or outdoor work. Simply going for a walk or run bores me to death.
Next month will be my 3 year anniversary and I am very curious to see where my labs are at. If insurance would pay I would get them done every 6 months instead of yearly. I did have my liver function levels run this summer by my PCP and they were much better although still elevated, but she was very happy with them as was I. My cholesterol numbers were also excellent.
Looks like Europe won't be happening, but I think I am going to go see my brother in Montana maybe next spring along with my parents. They want to take a train trip out there, so maybe we'll do that. Hubby just wasn't down with the cost of the Europe trip, but on the bright side, I think he feels guilty for not letting me go, so now he is talking about maybe letting me get some plastics done. I don't have any huge skin issues at all, thankfully, but at age 55 and after 4 kids and losing 245 lbs. lets just say there's work that could be done! I think I am going to look into just getting an evaluation from a plastic surgeon to get some idea on costs of various procedures.
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Next month will be my 3 year anniversary and I am very curious to see where my labs are at. If insurance would pay I would get them done every 6 months instead of yearly. I did have my liver function levels run this summer by my PCP and they were much better although still elevated, but she was very happy with them as was I. My cholesterol numbers were also excellent.
Looks like Europe won't be happening, but I think I am going to go see my brother in Montana maybe next spring along with my parents. They want to take a train trip out there, so maybe we'll do that. Hubby just wasn't down with the cost of the Europe trip, but on the bright side, I think he feels guilty for not letting me go, so now he is talking about maybe letting me get some plastics done. I don't have any huge skin issues at all, thankfully, but at age 55 and after 4 kids and losing 245 lbs. lets just say there's work that could be done! I think I am going to look into just getting an evaluation from a plastic surgeon to get some idea on costs of various procedures.
About Me
County Line, MI
Location
24.0
BMI
Surgery
10/19/2007
Surgery Date
May 24, 2007
Member Since
