redheadtiff

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SO, I'm now a little more than 4 months postop and everything has been going really well.
I'm down 68.6 lbs since the start of my preop liquids. I now need an entirely new wardrobe...but I'm waiting to get maybe one pair of jeans and some Target long sleeve T-shirts to start and then hopefully I'll get some gift cards for Christmas!
The biggest hurdle so far has been "head hunger." I know that it's only in my head so I'm trying to ignore it and just drink more crystal light in between meals.
I've also been doing a lot of walking and jogging and I believe I haven't been getting enough calories after tracking calories in and out. What i decided to do is add 2 more protein shakes each day. I initially gave them up once I got on solid foods but I can't do it without them with the amount of excercise I'm doing. Now that I'm getting fit, I don't want to give up on the excercise. There are days that I skip and there are days that I walk less vigorously and do not jog at all. I'm tracking everything that I put in my mouth on thedailyplate.
I have about 11 more lbs to go to my goal weight. My biggest fear is what to do once I get there! That has always been the monster....maintenance...but this time I have a tool....my sleeve! My glorious sleeve....I love it. I just want to be sure that I'm doing the right things. I don't want to stretch it out but at some point, I will need the weight-loss to stop. I will post again after my 6 month postop appointment in November.

So today I'm six weeks out from surgery...8 weeks from starting my preop liquids and I'm down 37 lbs. I feel good physically, have been able to excercise on a regular basis and am getting stronger all the time. My stamina has increased also. I walk most days with my 3 year old in the jogging stroller...and I jog for short periods out on the trail.
I just advanced to a regular diet last Thursday and was really nervous to do so...but I did it....slowly.
I've been mixing it up with some softer stuff. I usually do quick oats (1/4 cup cooked) with half a scoop of chocolate protein powder mixed in after cooking and a splenda for breakfast. I started adding a few blueberries and a strawberry to this. Lunch could be tuna fish with 2% shredded cheese, refried black beans with cheese and a little Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or a leaf of Romain lettuce with a slice of deli turkey and some shredded cheese rolled up like a wrap. Sometimes I just grab an EAS ready-to-drink carb control from the fridge. I made a baked chicken breast and cream of chicken soup and rice casserole the other night. I figured the rice would be ok because it would be soft. I cut off a small piece of chicken and maybe 2 tbsp of the rice and I did just fine....just ate slowly and chewed a lot.
I do still have moment of "head hunger" which I know will not leave me anytime soon....as it has been with me most of my life. But at this point in the game, I have to remember to identify it as such and keep my head screwed on straight.
I have not been out to a restaurant yet but I think I'll be ok to do that in the next month or so.
I'm trying to start upping my calories because I'm getting between 400 and 500 pre day. I'm enjoying the weight loss but I don't want to ruin my metabolism for later.
My confidence is increasing all the time. I cut my hair really short again and I love it! I've been red since the age of 15 but I'm going platinum in about 2 weeks. I figure, I've always wanted to see how I would look and if I hate it, I'll just dye it back.
I've held off on buying new clothes but I did get rid of ALL my fat clothes last week....3 garbage bags full to the local charity...some of that stuff I've held on to through 2 or 3 cycles up and down the scale...finally GONE!
I have 2 pairs of pants that I've been wearing that are now hanging off me.....perhaps I'll hit Old Navy and look for a pair on sale.
Well, I feel badly that I've waited so long to write here but here it is. I will update again with any new developments.
Feel free to send me messages if you'd like...and thanks for reading!

So Today was my 8th day on the full liquids pre-surgery. It could be better but also worse I suppose. I will weight again tomorrow but yesterday I was down 8 lbs. I have my preop appointment with my surgeon tomorrow and I need to remember to tell him several specific things about nausea and pain management that were missed when my close friend had her sleeve 8 days ago. We are both nurses and were appalled by how long it took for her to get both pain and nausea meds once she asked for them. I'm hoping that I will not have the nausea that she did since she is very prone to it.
At any rate, I am now working on making sure that I have everything I need when I come home....cream of chicken soup, broth, jello, protein supplements, etc...
I will update after the weekend when I start to go into panic mode. I feel it coming slowly. I am very apprehensive about my future lifestyle. I just want to do it right. I know it won't be perfect because I am not perfect but dammit....I have to work this tool to the best of my ability.

So today I started my preop liquids....it's now 10pm and I have a headache....probably from sugar and caffeine withdrawal. I had a meal replacement (Chike) shake for breakfast and lunch, cream of chicken soup for 2 snacks and chicken soup Unjury protein for dinner....and so much Crystal Light I lost track.
My good friend had her VSG today. I went to see her and she did well. She is very prone to nausea and as soon as she swung her legs over the side of the bed to get up and walk, she felt horribly sick. We waited for what felt like 30 mins for the nurse to bring her meds (we called twice). I'm not so impressed with that and I'm concerned because I will be there in 2 weeks! Perhaps the nurse was overwhelmed or just slow.....maybe I will get a different nurse.
Well, I'm hoping against hope that I might get a little sleep tonight after tossing and turning all night....like most nights. Sometimes I wish I had done the sleep study and got the damned CPAP....I'm sure I have sleep apnea....hence the sleepless nights. I'm also hoping my 25 minute walk on the treadmill will help.
So this is starting to sound like a diary or stream of consciousness, more than a blog.
Anyhoo.....that's my latest!

So today I finally got my surgery date of May11th! I'm so excited I can't stand it! I wish it was sooner but there's not much to do about it!
All I can do is get myself ready.

So I met with the Social Worker at Southeast Bariatrics on Friday for my psych eval and it went really well....as far as I could tell. Essentially, she wished me the best and said that she knows I will be a great patient...I took that as her giving me the "green light." So now the waiting game begins. I know that I may need to shell out a few hundred bucks for a sleep study if denied by insurance. But, I am crossing everything that they approve me the first time....we'll see.
I've been really trying to make positive changes in my life over the past few weeks. I've also been trying to get more creative when I cook and have been making more healthful choices...most of the time. "Failure" is always a notion that is hanging around in my head...waiting to trip me up. I am not going to let that little crappy voice get the best of me. Dammit...if I'm having 85% of my stomach removed, I AM GOING TO WIN THIS BATTLE!

So, here goes...
I am now 41, will be 42 in April. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter who I can hardly keep up with. My BMI is 36 and change.
Like most, I have tried pretty much everything throughout my life to lose weight...and have lost weight; only to watch the numbers increase again each time...and usually add a few more pounds.
About a year and a half ago my husband moved into the guest room due to my "horrendous snoring." Apparently he can hearing me out in the hall through the door with my "rain and thunderstorm" cd playing. I don't sleep...through the night. I wake up frequently and often times with a start or a slightly panicked feeling.
I participated in a research trial for a procedure called "POSE" which is "Primary obesity surgery endoscopy." It was an endolumenal procedure done down the esophagus with no insicions that, essentially, pulls the fundus of the stomach down into folds and then shoots a cuff-link-like suture anchor through the folds to create restriction. I had some restriction for a couple of months and then....none. The weight I lost returned.
This morning I met with my surgeon to discuss removing the suture anchors and having a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. He will do both in the same procedure so I only have to go under general anesthesia one time.
I was going to go with a different surgeon who is inside my hospital system (I'm a nurse) but he was not familiar with the research procedure so he wanted me to go and have the first surgeon remove the anchors and then wait to heal before going back to him for bypass. I was wanting bypass for about 5 minutes. I had originally wanted the sleeve and now have settled back on it.
My friend also had the POSE and is also wanting the sleeve....we actually saw the surgeon together this morning! Dr Voellinger is really great.
So...I just have to see the psych and then we submit to insurance. If I am not approved, I will then go for a sleep study in the hopes that it will show that I do indeed have sleep apnea.
So, once I get to the next step, I will update and try to do so regularly. This is a great outlet for me as well as info for others going through the same process.