Julie R.

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Well, I was surprised to see, after a week of holiday eating, that I weigh 117 pounds.  I am still within the normal range in weight charts, but I think I'm looking a bit scrawny.    My mother spent the holidays trying to feed me and convince me to go see a metabolic specialist.   I still feel that I have a rebound in my future, based on my current eating habits, and I'm keeping a close eye on things.    I am certainly NOT body dysmorphic.   I have not convinced myself that I am a fat person or anything like that.   I know I am thin - I do not look emaciated.    I want to give this a few more months before I talk to my surgeon about going on Creon.   I am due to have labs redrawn here soon to check on my A, D and iron, and I'll know more then.  

I definitely poop more with sugar/flour, which I think has contributed to my recent weight loss.   I wonder if, as my malabsorption increases over time, if I will poop less frequently, and thus gain a bit of weight back.

I went to a formal event for New Year's Eve, and felt like Cinderella at the ball.   I wore a long black velvet skirt and a gold off-the-shoulder evening blouse, high heels and (lo and behold!) fish net stockings!!!   I felt so dainty and petite.   I danced the night away, the first time since losing weight, and had such a nice time.    I hopefully will post a picture soon.

I haven't done any updating since my one year surgiversary.    My weight seems to have stabilized between 120 and 124, and I currently weigh 120.   I am wearing a size two or an XS.   It's so strange to wake up every single morning and put on a pair of fitted waist pants, AND a belt and they zip right up and never change in how they feel around my waist.   Pretty cool, huh??   I eat an incredible amount of food, and a great variety.   My gas issues, although certainly still significant, are better than they were.  I can now eat a cookie or a small roll and not drive into the next county with the fumes.   My only real issue is sugar.   If I eat a lot of it, especially something really concentrated like jelly beans, it literally goes right through me.    I will start in with diarrhea 30 minutes or so after ingesting the culprit food, and it will keep me up all night.   

 I just had my labs redone, because my one year ones were crappy and they are still...well...crappy.     Despite trying to up my protein and adding an extra dry A & D, I'm low on all, and my zinc too.   I have been taking Repliva for my iron for three months, and my hemoglobin, although it's come up a bit, is still low.   The good news is that my PTH has come down.  Interestingly, because I'd read here on OH that DS'ers tend to be low on zinc and copper, I took the liberty of adding a few extra labs on my lab order sheet, and now know that I need to supplement the zinc.   My doc, although completely unaware of the zinc/copper thing, was impressed that I was so informed and did not admonish me for creating my own lab orders, LOL.

I am now taking 50,000 of D once a week, adding some zinc and more A, and the doctor is trying to figure out what to do about my low hemoglobin and iron.  

Despite the lab issues, I am thrilled with this DS.   I love my mobility and I literally do not hurt anywhere.  I feel like I'm 20 instead of 46.   I love wearing high heels and sharp clothes.  I love having men treat me like a dainty little thing.   To newbies, I can't stress enough the importance of getting your vitamins, protein and water in.   Even though I'm uber compliant, I still have lab issues, so make sure you get your labs monitored regularly! 

I will post some new pics on my profile tomorrow!

It's hard to believe that one year has passed.    It's been probably the most amazing year of my life.    Here's the good, the bad and the ugly on what has transpired.

The good?   I weigh 124 pounds.   124 pounds!!!!    Never in my life did I dare dream to weigh this little.   I had 145 set in my head, and even 135 seemed like a far-fetched dream.    I can run, jump, skip and do a cartwheel.  I have been renovating a house and climb up and down ladders with the greatest of ease.   I feel like Wonder Woman.  The PA and her nurse commented at my check-up on how petite and small framed I am.   They told me  that it looks like I've never been overweight a day in my life.   I now am surprised to get what I call the "I hate you cause you're thin" glare from other women.  It's that up and down kind of look that says "How DARE you be that age and that thin?"   I know - I used to give it to women myself.   If they only knew, hmmm.......It makes me feel kind of guilty sometimes.     Men rush to open doors for me, and wait on me at the paint counter.   This sounds silly, but do you know what a church key is?   One of those little metal things you use to pop open paint can lids?    I've been buying paint for many years and have never gotten one for free from the paint man.   Since I have been rehabbing this house and buying paint frequently, I've gotten four of them!!!   When I was fat, it was "Hey, buy your own woman."   More good?  I wear a size two.   Shopping is difficult up here because I rarely find anything smaller than a six, and I am swimming in the few fours I can find.   I looked at a catalog the other day and thought to myself "I am now thin enough to wear whatever I want in here!"    I don't even have a panni to hide.  

Okay....The bad?   My labs were kind of messy - I am anemic, my protein was low, my PTH was high and she is sure that based on that, my A & D are going to stink too.   I have always had really wonderful hemoglobin, so I was surprised to see this.   It probably explains why I have been getting dizzy lately.    I have been put on Repliva for the anemia, have been ordered back on protein shakes for supplementation and she's going to confer with the internist about my PTH.     My PA also is concerned that I am still losing, even though the Tanita scale shows me to be well into the "underfat" range (13.1 body fat) and after trying to analyze how many calories I need to eat, finally threw up her hands and said "Oh - just eat as much as you can!"   (Who would thunk it?)  My family members think I've gotten too thin and keep asking me when I'm going to stop.   I did stop - my body just hasn't caught up yet.   I am hopeful that with the ten or so rebound most DS'ers experience, I will be back up to 135 or so in a couple of years.

The ugly?   Definitely still skin issues.   I have noticed some rebound since the beginning of the summer though, and my PA told me that we have some rebound for up to two years.   I need to start lifting weights too.  At any rate, I will never EVER regret the day I had this surgery.   My PA feels these are all workable deficiencies and that my body is just playing "catch-up" from the very rapid weight loss.    I am going to have to be extra-extra vigilant about this, because I don't want these issues to get out of hand.    I LOVE my DS!

For my eleventh month, I'm recording a loss of seven pounds and am down to 128.   My goal was 135, and the big thing I learned this month is that just because I've set a goal, it doesn't mean my body wants to be at that goal!   I am a bit concerned about this loss, because I've been eating like there's no tomorrow and still losing.  I AM very active, and even more so lately because I have bought a house and am in the process of getting it fixed up.   My hope is that I will eventually rebound back up to 135 and stay at that goal for life.   My skin issues are pretty significant now, and even though I look good in clothes, I look pretty darn scary out of them.  I went tubing and swimming today and used the restroom at the state park.   When I walked out of the bathroom, I actually scared myself in the mirror, this skinny lady with all the saggy skin!!!   I just spent all of my money buying this house (I didn't want a mortgage) so now do not have money for plastics.   Oh well, I guess I can either take the money out of the house somewhere down the road, or just go into big-time self-acceptance mode.     I bought an entire wardrobe in a size four thinking I'd be at that weight for a while, but now all of them are getting too big, and I can't find size two's up here.   Eleven months ago, did I ever think I'd be whining about my size four's being too big?   NOOOOOO WAAYYYY!!!!  
I feel fantastic, I did a cartwheel yesterday, I can run and jump and skip.  I spent an entire day squatting, scraping paint and still have energy to go for a bike ride in the evening, and I thank God EVERY DAY for this wonderful gift!

Julie

Yup - I'm headiing out for a cruise to the Bahamas tonight, and my secret goal was to be at 135.    That is right smack in the middle of my goal range, and I knew I'd feel pretty darn happy right there.

Lo and behold, stepped on the goal this morning and I'm 135!   I just can't believe it!    I am down 133 pounds from my surgery weight and 147 pounds from my highest ever weight.    I've lost a whole me!

It has been a stressful month for me.   My fiance's mom died a week ago and we have been very involved with the funeral (which turned out beautifully BTW).  I also sold and closed on my house downstate, which involved multiple grueling weekend trips 4.5 hours south to pack up and move 25 years' worth of belongingings.   Hopefully, a corner has been turned and I only have 12 more school days left till I'm off for the summer!  Yee Haw!

Anyway, I lost eight pounds for the month, bringing me down to 140, with a total loss of 128 pounds.   I am stunned.  I did not expect to lose this much this month, but I think all of the exertion of moving did it.  I am consciously trying to slow down, as I really don't want to get below 135.  Doctor told me not to get below 125, but I am looking awfully thin now and would like skeletal at 125.  I am 5'4, but have always "carried weight well."

Okay, let me give you the good, the bad, and the ugly.    The good?   I feel fantastic!   I wear a size four!!  I cannot believe how delicate and lightweight I feel.  I feel like I move through space differently - almost like floating.  When I conduct my choirs, I feel so much more graceful and expressive (that's hard to explain).   I love the fact that I can literally try on anything I want now and have it fit and look good.  Remember all those excuses and agonies of clothes shopping?  "It doesn't fit.  It  must run small.  Why can't I zip these up?  Why are they so baggy in the legs and tight in the waist?"  All of that is gone.   Shopping (except for swimsuits!) is so easy now.   "Hmmm....that looks cute.  Oh darn, there are no size six's.  Let me see this four.  Zip!  It fits!"  I also love the fact that I thoroughly enjoy food and eating still, with NO GUILT!

The bad?   I am having a rough time adding carbs.   I need to, to slow the weight loss down, and I am bascially eating what I want to eat these days, but everything gives me gas or frequent BM's!  I have been avoiding anything with gluten in it, but white sugar does it to me too.   I went to Whole Foods market while I was downstate and bought a few gluten free products.  Just had some rice bran crackers dipped in peanut butter for breakfast.  Let's see how those do.  I can handle corn, potatoes, and rice to a certain extent.  It's funny - some things are inconsistent.  I can eat an eggroll with no ill effects, but four bites of a bagel will give me diarrhea for 24 hours.  I think it has to do with the fact that the eggroll is fried in fat and it makes the carbs slide right through.   French fries will give me problems though (but not the eggrolls!)  Go figure!  So for me, it is still a time of experimentation.  Probiotics have helped very well, as long as I take them religiously.  I take four a day, and they are not cheap, but they really do work.

The ugly?   Ohmygosh - hands down - my breasts.   They literally frighten me.  I hope that one day I will be able to have them lifted.  I can handle the very tiny panni I have and I can handle the shar pei thighs, but my breasts are awful, and I can't figure out how to fill a bra with them.   Bra origami is SO accurate.

Okay -I've rambled on enough.   I hope that I give the new post-ops a good view of life a few months down the road. 

I just can't believe it has been eight months!   I was shocked to step on the scale this morning, after spending a week in NY/Boston area eating like a pig, only to find out I am down to 148.   I weighed 148 when I became pregnant with my first child at age 22.   I have never been able to get lower than about 150 since he was born.   My mom saw me yesterday and said I looked like I did in high school.  That gives me a grand total loss of 120 pounds.   Not bad for eight months, huh?   I wear a pretty solid size six now, and even put a pair of Levi's 515's in a four and they fit!   I wear a size small.  I am going to start slowing things down a bit here now.   I had wanted to reach 135, but I wonder if perhaps I am too old to be that thin.  I could probably list all of the wonderful things that have happened to me since I've had the DS, but they are all the same as the many testimonials of other DS'ers.  I would say the ONLY downfall is the terrible gas that I get when I get even within ten feet of anything containing white flour, and I am suspecting just about anything of a wheat nature.   I might have to start taking some flagyl for times when I want to indulge, because the gas can be overwhelming.   I need to try probiotics very consistently for a while to see if they help.  That is THE only downfall, but we really live in a white flour world, and while I was in NY, and felt like I was missing out on a few things, such as wonderful breads, pastries and pizzas that I would have liked to try as a special treat.  99% of the time, I have no problem with it, as I have found suitable low-carb or flour free alternatives, but sometimes it just isn't the same!  I was surprised to find that my vitamin D & A levels were a bit low, so I am taking extras of those.   Other than that, I feel fine, look fine and thank God every day for my DS.

Now, I am not sure I advise doing this, but remember how I was whining on Friday about only losing six pounds for month seven?  Something strange has happened.   On Friday, we were heading down to Detroit.  I figured, "What the hell, it is my seven monthaversary, I'm going to eat what I damn well please, especially considering I only lost six pounds this month."  (Great logic, huh?)    

I ate on Friday:  
B- A fried chicken breast (nice and greeeeasy)
L- Fried chicken thigh and part of a leg, few bites of crab salad
S- An entire bag of microwave popcorn with butter on it
S- Dark chocolate
D- Arabic food:  Kibbe, hummous, swarma meat, salad, a bite of baklava
S- More dark chocolate
S- Some of my daughter's leftover chinese food, including a bowl of fried rice, which I have not eaten since surgery, but it tasted so darn good.

The food fest continued on Saturday, as we were dining out all over the place:

B- Leftover almond chicken
L- 3/4 of a tamale, tortilla chips, some grilled shrimp, a corn tortilla, 1/4 beans, few bites of rice
S- MORE dark chocolate!
D- Indian food!  I don't even remember what I ate....several small dishes, and simple carbs were definitely on the menu, and I was beginning to scare myself as to how much food I was managing to hold.   
S- More popcorn!  More dark chocolate!    
Guys and gals, I was scared out of my gourd that I was completely out of control here.  I figured, what the hey, I'm celebrating this weekend with my kids and Sunday I'll get back on track.  You know that old diet mentality, right.

So this morning, I get up for my church job, and threw on a pair of slacks that I had just worn a couple of days before.   Woah, I said to myself, these are huge on me!   They can't be stretched out because I just washed them yesterday.   I of course, had been afraid to attempt even getting on the scale after my two-day food orgy, but I just had to check this bigger pants situation out.  Yup - I was down THREE POUNDS from Friday!   Was it weight I was destined to lose anyway?  Did I shake something up metabolically with my increased caloric and carb count?  Did I poop all that weight off?  I dunno.   But this is at least the third time I've noticed myself literally shrinking in size, not just on the scale, overnight.   Has anybody seen this happen after upping their caloric intake?    Did I mention lately that I LOVE MY DS????

Ho Hummmm...another week, another three pounds.  162 today.  I think the last time I weighed 162 was when my son, who is now 23, was a baby.

Well, today was my six-month check up.  Exactly six months ago this evening, I was pushing that pain pump every ten minutes, LOL.  I have six month pics on my profile, for those who care to see. 

My surgeon's PA told me that I should be the DS poster child, LOL.    I am down to exactly 165.  That is 103 pounds from my starting weight, 118 pounds from my highest-ever weight.   I have lost ten inches from my waist and ten inches from my hips.  Amazing how proportional that is.  On the Tanita body fat analyser, I am actually within the "ideal" ranges of body-fat percentages, but she told me that I could safely lose 20-30 more pounds, which I would like to do.   I DID lose muscle mass, and she said that although they expect about a ten percent loss (because it takes more muscle to carry all that extra weight around) that I have lost more than that, and that it is high time I start doing some resistance training.  Fortunately, we just joined a gym this week.  She told me she would NOT advise that I get below 125-130 pounds, and that I should call their office if I get that low before my one year check-up.   She said "at 45, gravity is at work there, and when you get that thin, it just isn't pretty."  Dang, I like that girl.   One of my biggest concerns about my surgeon's office was that because they were new to the DS, their nutritional and PA staff did not seem very educated about the DS.  This PA is now making DS patients her specialty,  and we spent about a half hour together going over my labs, talking about how we can prevent nutritional deficiencies, misconceptions about the DS, etc.   She asked me many questions, and afterward thanked me for being so open and informing.  Made me feel real important, LOL.  My nutritionist was equally pleased, and told me that I was doing absolutely everything right.  EVEN when I told her I pour butter on my popcorn and eat KFC Crispy Chicken Strips in order to stay "regular."  They advise their RNY patients to eat three meals and one snack a day.  I told her that there was no way I could get my protein in that way, and she told me to do whatever it takes, even if it is six meals a day.  That sounds more like it, hun, LOL. 

As for my labs, my protein is STILL low!  I am so darn focused on protein and I was shocked to find out that it had not improved at all.   more protein shakes.    The stupid PA who I had my three-month check with, thought I had had the RNY and filled out the RNY lab form!  THerefore, no ADE or K levels were drawn, or PT, etc.  I was ticked off, because now I have to make the trek back to do a fasting blood test.  My current PA was not thrilled either.  Other than the protein though, everything was fine.   

The PA showed me my pre-op picture.  Guys, gals...I was stunned.  I had no idea I was that fat.  I almost cried.  What a long way I have come, and how wonderful I feel.    Those of you who are just out of surgery, don't be discouraged.  You WILL feel fantastic.   I am shaking my head in wonder and just saying "What a gift I've been given