Darla S.

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Right now, I want to be like Edi.  She's a new friend from my support group, and I just admire the heck out of her!  She and I seem to be kindred spirits in many ways, and her weight loss has been AMAZING!   Over 150# in a year and one week?!  SHEE-IT!  She doesn't even look like she's related to her former self!  Yup - I wanna be like Edi.    

Edi, if you read this:  

Edi -->  <-- Darla

Last night, a friend from work and I went to a "Junque Market" at an apple orchard near home.  It was the preview night.  I ran into a friend I've had since 2nd grade, so we're talking 38 years of friendship here! We hadn't gotten together since last summer, so we hugged, caught up a bit, and kept browsing.  About 10 minutes later, she came up to me and said "Darla, you've really lost weight!" 

   WOW  (that's why they call 'em "wow moments")

I said yes, I have, and that I'd had wls about 6 weeks ago.  She was SO HAPPY for me!!!  Said a mom of a friend of her son's had had wls a couple years ago and looks GREAT!  So she can't wait to get together again this summer or fall and see how I'm doing!  Normally, I'd think 'That's too much pressure!', but with my tool, I KNOW I'll keep losing, and getting better and better!  

YAY WLS!!!

I went on a road trip with my mom this weekend to a grad party in Wisconsin, and made a couple of kinda exciting discoveries !!

There are VEINS in my hands!!!  And they are actually raised above my flesh!!!  WTF?  My brother used to give me grief about my chubby knuckles, that I had dimples where the knuckles ought to be!  Of course, that was back in our teens... you think he'd get it if I showed him my new veins??

And there was a pool/hot tub at the hotel we stayed at.  I put my swimsuit on, and it HUNG on me!!!  I've worn the kind with a skirt to cover my nasty upper thighs for years, but the last time I put this suit on, it CLUNG to me - now, it HANGS on me!!!  WOO HOO!!!

Well, today I'm back to work for the first time since 4/25.  Blech....  I mean, part of me is glad to be back, I've got some good friends here and I KNOW I'll be better about getting all my protein and liquids in (just by virtue of waking up earlier!).  But I have to admit, I was kinda liking that whole stay-at-home-mom thing.  Never have had the luxury unless it's been recovering from childbirth or surgery...

But... is it just me, or are we post-ops excessively GASSY??  I really wasn't aware of it at home, when I could just git 'er done in private.  I swear, I've been glancing up to the ceiling, hoping there's no tell-tale green cloud hovering over my head!  The cushion of my desk chair muffles the sound quite effectively, but if this keeps up for an extended period of time, the foam will break down!  I mean MY GOSH, am I alone in this???!!! 

I saw Barb today for my 2nd post-op weigh in - and I'm down THIRTY TWO POUNDS since May 3rd!!!

WOO HOO!!!!!

... so I don't know where I'm at just yet as far as weight loss is concerned.  It's hard to believe I'm losing anything, I don't feel like I spend that  much time in the bathroom - and if you don't lose it in the bathroom, where does it go?  THERE'S something I didn't learn pre-op!  

Yet I do believe I am losing.  The bloating I wrote of previously is gone, and I have had my first official "WOW" moment!  I'm having a garage sale at my house for my Girl Scout troop.  We're planning a trip to Santa Monica, and need to earn a few hundred dollars more in order to pay for the whole deal with no out-of-pocket expense per girl.  So anyway, I walked to the signs at the end of my driveway to put some balloons up this morning, and BADA-BOOM - my JEANS fell down!!!  **YIKES!!**  luckily, I grabbed them before anyone saw (at least that's what I'm telling myself!), but MAN, talk about your WOW moments, eh??!!   HA!

I have my next appointment with Barb on the 21st, so I'll find out how much I've lost then.  I'd sure love to have a nice big number!  But - do I use my pre-op weight, or the ridiculously inflated bloated-to-my-gills high weight from 6 days post-op? 

As of immediately before surgery last Friday, I am UP NINETEEN POUNDS of nothing but FLUID!  Can you stand that?  3 days and nights of IV fluids, and getting all my water in ever since - I need to start PEEING!!!  I feel like an over-full waterballoon!  But Barb was not concerned, so I suppose I shouldn't be, either.  but dang...

I figured I better get something posted here - I've been absent for a longer time than I expected, but had a couple of unexpected developments with my surgery.

My doc took a look at that hernia and decided it was such a mess that he needed to get it taken care of right away.  Quite a tangle of intestine, skin and adhesion had been poked out for the past 7 years, and somehow my appendix managed to wiggle in there - so while he was taking care of the rest of it, he removed that as well!  Unfortunately, he couldn't get to it well laproscopically, so he had to open me up for that portion of my surgery.

The bypass itself went very well - he told my hubby it was one of the easiest he has done!  So I have an incision that more or less mimics my c-section scar, and 6 holes from the lap RNY.  Not like I was going for a bikini bod in the first place, it's just nice to have my "knob" gone!!!  To think I thought it was mesh...  sheesh! 

I spent 3 nights instead of 2 in the hospital.  Could have stayed one more if I had wanted to, but my day nurse was driving my nuts!  She had no personality whatsoever.  I tried to lighten her up and crack a few jokes, but she looked at me with that deer-in-the-headlights look, then walked away every single time!  If she had to give me 3 meds in one visit, she'd check and read the name and birthdate on my wrist band THREE TIMES - even tho neither one of us ever left the room!  She must have missed the day they spent on bedside manner in nursing school.  I'm glad to be home.

And I might add - Roxicet ROCKS!  It makes being home recovering a bit more like vacation  :]  (I do have a bit more pain than the average RNY bear, with the extra work Dr. Jones did... so I'm not being a hero about not taking the pain meds.  They help a great deal.)

Well, that's about it for now.  I go in tomorrow for my first post-op nurse visit, it'll be interesting to see what I'm down 5 days post-op.  I lost 13.5 from my pre-op appt. to surgery, 9 days!  

Time for a nap - I'll be back on checking in with everyone later  :)

I got a call from my clinic today, and they need another EKG!  WTF?  I've had two already - one in March, so they decided to run another at my pre-op, just to have one closer to my surgery date.  Well, it seems the lab tech flip-flopped a couple of the wires, so they need to do it again!  I guess I'll be going in pre-mag. cit. on Thursday.  

Dang it... minor set back, I know.  At least I'll have a chance to weigh myself and see what I'm down since starting the liquid diet!

3 MORE DAYS!!!  WOO HOO!!!

Liquid diet = hershey squirts.    'Nuff said.