Shasta L.

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OMG I have been waiting for this for so long. The last time I was in the hundreds was at least in 5th grade (isn't that sad) . I really never thought I would get here. I had stalled around 205 pounds and then even had a little regain(although now I think it was just a fluctuation) and I figured that I would just stay at 205. I was trying to be totally ok with that, but I have to admitt when i started losing again I was so ecstatic.  Does anyone remeber that cartoon Ren and Stempy?  The two little characters from it (what were those things by the way?) would sing, "happy,happy,joy,joy." I've been singing that song in my head alll morning.
OMG I only have 35 more pounds to lose and I'm at goal!!!!!!!

Very funny. I have a class this semester with this guy I dated a few times. He is in the same program as me at school so I knew him for a little while, and went out with him a couple of times, but he was a total jerk so i completley stopped seein him. He hasn't seen me since a couple of days before surgery. Anyways I have a class with him this semester, and the other day he sat down next to me as we were waiting for class to start. I had been avoiding him up to this point, and thought he had been doing the same because we never even said hi up to this point. Well....... he introduced himself, and started hitting on me. I suddenly realized he had no idea who I was! I could hardley contain my laughter. The worst part came when he asked me my name. This guy was a total jerk, and I didn't want him to figure out who I was so I was trying to think up a name to give. However I can't think when I'm put on the spot, and I ended up telling him, "I don't know." LOL that's right he asked me my name, and I said, "I don't know." What a lame comeback. Anyways he got the point and left me alone after that. I wonder if he's figured out who I am yet

Hello all, Wow! I can't believe that I am eight months out from surgery. I t seems like only yesterday that I was desperate for a date, thinking it would never happen. LOL that amount of waiting seems so trivial to me now. Now I'm looking towards the rest of my life,and mainitining a healthy weight for life.  I havn't blogged in awhile. Many of you may know that I have sporadic access to the internet so If I am not keeping in touch wiht you its not because I dislike you are anyhting it's just that I don't get on here that often, and well, as many of us figure out after WLS alot of life starts happening, and we get busy. I'm alos going to make a confession: I hate to write, so this blog really isn't going to be that formal. I am mostly just going to jot down some random thoughts I've had since weight loss surgery. hopefully that will get you all up to date on me.



I really never knew how much my weight was effecting me. I didn't have diabeters, or really any of the otrher co-morbidites that come from morbid obesity. I knew I lacked energy, and that physically I had a hard time keeping up with people, and I always thought that weight loss might help a little, but over all I think I was in denial. I really overall thought I was really healthy despite my weight. The doctors all told me I was healthy except for my weight. I really didn't know what this meant. Now that I've lost 133 pounds I do....

Before surgery if I ...
had to be on my feet, or do any walking for even a small length of time I would becoem overwellmingly physically exhasuted and my feet would ache.
i had plantar facilititus from so much weight on my feet.
I could barely get through a four hour shift at my job, where I have to be on my feet the whole time.
Short walks would get me out of breath, and stairs practically killed my
I would wake up in the morning and feel like I hadn't had any sleep. i would have to take naps every afternoon. I
often thought I was lazy because I could barely make it through my classses(im a college student)and then had to nap.
I was way to tired to  do homework, and often barely made it through.
I didn't have the energy to play with my nieces and nephew. Once when my nephew was about two He ran off form my. He thought it was funny, and we were playing a game, but it we were actually in the middle of a busy parking lot, and I was too fat to catch up to a two year old. I thought he was going to get hit by a car. It made me think that I should never have children.

After 133 pound weight loss I...
I can breeze through a 12 hour shift at work. my feet don't even hurt!
I can walk four plus miles at a time, and switched to a job at work where I have to do alot of walking. I log approx. 5,000 steps for every four hours of  shift at my hospital. No problem
I've even started jogging a little, and am training for a 5k.
I take stairs two at a time.
I wake up in the morning felling refreshed and ready to start the day. Ieven get up early enough to make my morning classes on time (lol no more excuses for missing class).
Instead of taking naps I feel so great I can actually use that time to study!
A couple of months ago I was babysitting my three nieces and my newphew ranging in ages from 1 year to eight, and I kept upwith them the entire time.  we played tag, I pushed them on the swing set, I even climbed up the monkey bars to retrieve my frightened three year old niece! I no longer feel like my obesity would keep me from having children should I decide I ever want them.

Anyways before I had weight loss surgery I had a million reasons why I wanted to lose weight. I have realized some of them had nothing to do with my weight, and some really didn't matter, but all the things listed above are what make this all worthwhile, and they are what motivate me to continued success.

Well its a little over four months out now, and I feel like i should record something about my journey. I was going through an old journal the other day. i had started keepint it right as I went on my last attempt at dieting. At that time I though that Gastric Bypass was a four letter word. I thought I could starve myself if I wanted to, why did I need a surgery to do that. Anyways it was funny looking back at my journel. I was so full of angst!  Buy the end of the journal I was writing about how deseperate I was to get the Gastric Bypass. LOL Well even if It took one last failed diet to get me here then I'm glad I went on that diet because the Gastric  bypass was teh best descion I could have made for myself.  
I was just thinking the other day that my goal before going into surger was to ahve lost 100 pounds by my 24th birthday, which is in July. Honestly, I though that this was highly unrealistic. I didn't think ther ewas anyway I could amke it. Well I have only 8 more pounds to lose and I will be down 100 pounds! And I'm two months away from ym birthday. So now I have set a new goal to be in onederland by my birthday! Again it might be a little unrealistic,  but i've been suprised before.

My apologies I do not know who the original poster of this article is and therfor cannot give do credit. If you know who it was please PM and i'll be happy to give them credit. thanks.

1 pound = a Guinea Pig
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs
3 pounds = an average human brain
4 pounds = an ostrich egg
5 pounds = a Chihuahua
6 pounds = a human’s skin
7.5 pounds = an average newborn
8 pounds = a human head
10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year
11 pounds = an average housecat
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs
16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain
20 pounds = an automobile tire
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
25 pounds = an average 2 year old
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephant’s heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!)
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year
117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11”)
118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month
130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year
140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year
144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’4”)
150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
187 pounds = an average adult man
200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds
235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger
300 pounds = an average football lineman
400 pounds = a Welsh pony

Well tommorow I am officailly 3 months out, and down 76 pounds. I am wearing a size 20(and 18's fit but are tight) this is down from a size 26. hmm its late and I don't have anything else to add, but if I think of something I'll post it tommorow.

Today I am officailly two months out of surgery. Everything is going well. I've lost 62 lbs so far(WOW!), and am at the point where I can eat normally again. And by normally I mean not soft or pureed, but I am still eating healthy:low fat, and low sugar, high protien, and lots of fruits and veggies. Sometimes I struggle. Like the other day I ate some chips, and it turned into a total disaster. I have realized this is a trigger food for me, and that I can not have things like this in the house. I have really amped up my exercise at this point. I am now going to Curves( a woman's only gym that uses circuit training) 3x's a week Also My exercise physiologist wants me to be up to 30 minutes of arobic (I like to walk so thats hat I'm doing) at least six days a week by the 1st of MArch. So, I am also working on that. I'll be honest it is really wiping me out. I am so exhausted all the time now. I can barely make it through a day, but Im trying to just take it easy, and not care of everything doesn't get done. i have given myself permission to slack off if I need to and focus on getting plenty of health, losing the weight, and just staying healthy. RIght now the only sucky thing in my life is work. They are making me work twelve hour shifts right now and I am really just to exhausted to handle them. I have told them I need to go down to eight hour shifts only. Which they said I needed a doctors note for. Well my doctor gave me a note, but it was only for 1-2 weeks. I said I needed two weeks but ended up only taking the one week which was my first week back. They also told me they were hiring someone so i could go back to my normal shift. FAT CHANCE. These people have had so long to hire someone and its just not happening. Also they are giving me no leway. I have so little energy that its hard to keep with all my work. I am not taking full breaks, or lunch, and I ma staying past closing time just to try and get everything done and I am still not. Oh well I don't think Im doing any worse than anyone else, but of course all my co-workers can do is complain, and nit-pick about every little thing. Yesterday I got a cal from my boss, and we need to "talk". Honestly I don't give @3*&#%&* what I did wrong. I have gone out of my way to work these long shifts for these people. I even was having complications,and they wouldn't let me call off even for 1 day. So part of me is thinking about just laying into them when I call because Im hestly just really pissed. I have been looking for another job, but am worried about not having the same insurance. Oh well I know Ill get through it. Anyways thats my two month update

It really takes a concerted effort to literally stop your weight loss and gain it all back, but somehow people manage to do it. You have received a gift of life and health so don’t take it all for granted or think that weight loss and long term maintenance are permanent without your participation.

Print this out, stick it to the front of your refrigerator, and refer to it often. Sure it’s tongue in cheek and a bit over the top, but there are parts that will ring true for every one of us!

1. Assume you are different, and what works for the successful people doesn’t or won’t work for you.

2. Make excuses. For everything. Tell everyone you know how your predicament isn’t your fault.

3. Don’t exercise. You are a busy person and don’t have time. Besides, you hate it.

4. End every excuse-filled sentence with “I must be doing something right, I’m still losing weight.”

5. Test the limits of your surgery. Overeat. Graze.

6. Eat sugar. You can get used to a little nausea.

7. Eat bread, rice, potatoes & pasta. You shouldn’t have to deprive yourself of anything.

8. Fall for the packaging and advertising gimmicks. “All natural” means it’s good for me, right?

9. Whine. Think and talk about all the things you have to give up. Dwell on them.

10. Take the cheapest vitamins you can find. Stop taking them after a year because you are tired of the routine.

11. Don’t follow any advice or directions from your surgeon or anyone else. You know best.

12. Eat that holiday candy. It would be a shame for it to go to waste.

13. Don’t use your pouch. Try diet pills instead.

14. Forget protein. It tastes bad. Bring on the sandwiches!

15. Don’t educate yourself. Just follow your doctors blindly.

16. Drink soda. Preferably with meals. It’s just too hard not to drink something for that half hour three times a day.

17. Smoke. You’re an adult and you have that right.

18. Eat everything offered to you when visiting others. You wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings.

19. Drink alcohol. Daily. You have earned the right to enjoy yourself.

20. Be content with losing 50% of your excess. Losing the other 50% is too much work, and you didn’t do this to have to be on a diet for the rest of your life.

(note I took this off a post these are not my words-Thank you to whoever posted them)

different weight loss forum and I copied it for all of us here.  This lady gives some very important information that you should give to your pcp

I know this has been discussed in a couple other threads but I wanted to highlight this information in it's own thread. I feel this is important information, people and we all have the respondsibility to be aware of it AND to educate the doctors that we deal with outside of our bariatric physicians.

So here is the latest information about meds, post-op.

There are certain pills that you should not be taking after surgery because they will either irritate your pouch, such as all pills in the NSAIDs catagory or pills that just won't be absorbed like they should. Any pills with enteric coating (kind of like a candy coating) or any extended release type med isn't going to do it's job. It will probably basicly go right on through you. If any of your meds do fall into those catagories you will want to get them changed. Those meds need the gastric juices to break them down and after RNY those juices just aren't there to do the job until well down your intestinal system which won't be enough time to break those meds down.

So basicly, you want to avoid any meds that are extended release, delayed, controlled, sustained or any medication that is an NSAIDs.

Over-the-counter NSAIDs are:
Aspirin, Motrin, Advil, Aleve, Orudis KT, Ibuprofen, Excederin

Prescribed NSAIDs are:
Motrin, Naprosyn, Anaprox, Toradol, Lodine, Feldene, Indocin, Daypro, Relafen, Voltaren and Celebrex.

There has been studies out there that ALL it takes is ONE dose of NSAIDs to cause some kind of damage to your pouch. Yep, that's right I said ONE!! That honestly is the latest word out there people, I know I'm not going to ignore it.

If you are unsure if any of the meds you are on fall into any of these catagories talk to your Pharmacist, they will know. It isn't a bad idea to let your Pharmacist know that you are a Gastric Bypass patient. They can list it in your information almost like an allergy so that if you are ordered a med that you shouldn't be on an alert will be generated. There are ALOT of physicians out there that don't know this kind of information it is our respondsibility to make sure they are aware of it.

Here are 21 basic rules we should all follow in regards to our meds:

1. If side effects appear or increase, consult your doctor or your pharmacist about dosage or other medication options.

2. First-pass effect medications may not provide effective absorption at the currant dosages. Check dosage or check for alternative medications that do not have first pass effect. (your Pharmacist will know if any of your meds are "first-pass" meds)

3. Medications that are in a liquid or solution form will be absorbed faster than those that are solids. Check for liquid forms of medications.

4. No extended-release, sustained-release, controlled-release, timed-release or osmotic pump medications.

5. Many medications can also have gastrointestinal side-effects like gas, diarrhea, constipation or intestinal cramping.

6. Read the pamphlet attached to the prescription bag for potential side-effects.

7. You should not take any NSAIDs without a protectant such as Cytotec or Carafate. EVER!!!!

8. Be able to recognize an NSAIDs when you see one.

9. Use a protectant if taking daily low-dose aspirin for heart health or to prevent stroke.

10. Check all PMS over the counter medications (OTC) for NSAID ingredients.

11. Read all OTC medication packaging to check for NSAIDs ingredients.

12. Inhaled steroids for asthma are okay.

13. Taking steroids of any kind, even by injection, requires taking a protectant as well.

14. Medications commonly used in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis such as Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva have the potential to cause gastrointestinal ulceration. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about alternatives.

15. Do not continue to take medications that have been discontinued.

16. If dosages have been changed, do not finish out a previous dosage just because it is there. CHange the dosage immediately unless instructed otherwise by your physician.

17. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if any of your medications are fat soluble. If so, stay in touch with the prescribing physician and report your currant weight every month for possible dosage changes. (as the amount of fat in your body changes your dosages may also need to be changed)

18. Tell all medical providers about your status as a weight loss surgery patient. (Lap-Banders too!)

19. Keep all your scripts at one pharmacy if possible.

20. Meet and get to know your local pharmacists. They truly can be invaluable friends.

21. Remember to have everyone work as a team for you! You're worth it!

(Used with permission of Little Victories Medical/Legal Consulting & Training. All rights reserved)

One other word of warning when it comes to taking Tylenol. You MUST watch the amount of Tylenol you are taking. No more than 4,000mg in a 24 hour period. You can cause yourself liver damage with Tylenol overdose. You need to read your labels. Look to see if things have Tylenol or acetamenophin in them. Vicodan has Tylenol so if you are taking Vicodan or Lortab make sure you aren't adding a lot of Tylenol on top of it. That is why it is important to read the information on those pharmacy bags and on otc medications.

I will be getting alot of this info on to my computer so if anyone wants any of it so that they can pass it along to their pcp let me know. I'm willing to send it your way. Just let me know. I will also have a list of resources used to compile this information for any physician or person that wants to read up on the studies themselves. Just waiting for my daughter to scan some of it for me.

 

 

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Hello everyone. I guess I havn't posted in anyhting in awahile. I have been really busyy, but I should let everyone know how it is going. Well I had my review appointment on the 28th(I think not too sure about the date), and everything went well. I was a little worried about the review appointment, but basically I just got to ask my surgeons any questions I had. Then he let me meet with the appointment setter and I chose my date. I am having ti done on December 12th, 2007.I chose this date because It will give me a four week break from school. Part of me is thinking that I am crazy for choosing a date this close to Christmas. My surgeon even brought that up, but he was willing to do it, and really it is the only time I can think that will work out for me. Oh well it is just going to be me and my mom this year for christmas, and we promised each other we would find new holiday traditions that don't involve food. Also i consider this surgery my Christmas gift to myself. I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt. Anyways thats all I have to say for now. I will continue to update as my surgery draws near.