tazdiva

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

My goodness!  Another year has gone by.  It's now five years since my life changing surgery.  I am still off my blood pressure medication and feeling great.  At least in that respect.  The two knee surgeries I had had split results:  one worked and the other did not.  Unfortunately, since the knee is hurting so much, my activity level has dropped.  And since the activity level has dropped, the weight has started to come back on.  However, I am still way below what I started.  And I monitor the weight so it doesn't get totally out of hand.  Ahhh, the problems of getting older.  But, on the up side, my husband and I have a goal to participate in a 5K walk/run for juvenile diabetes on October 1st.  So I have motivation and a targer set.  Wish me luck!!

Well, here I am four years later and a lot has changed in my life.  To begin with, I've had two knee surgeries.  It was hard to stay active so my weight has gone back up a bit.  But nothing like it was before the surgery.  I'm still recovering from the second knee surgery, but this time I knew what to expect.  I actually lost 14 pounds instead of gaining 30 like I did the last time.

My personal life has changed as well.  Since my weight loss, I was getting noticed more.  Some co-workers and I started walking at lunch.  One was a really good friend, the other was just an acquaintance.  Well, the acquaintance was a man who was going through a nasty divorce.  So he would vent while we walked during lunch.  Those walks changed the course of our relationship.  Last year, we got married!

Other than that, all I can say is:  I am still happy with my decision to have the WLS.  It gave my life back to me.  I didn't realize how miserable I had become dealing with the excess weight.  Now, when I realize I'm putting on weight, I know I have the tools to take it back off.  I'm still not where I want to be as far as the number on the scale but I am where I want to be as far as my health is concerned.  I have not had to take my blood pressure medication since the day of my surgery four years ago.  I had a scare last year because my blood pressure was slowly increasing.  But then I realized it was because I was dealing with all the stress of planning a wedding and not eating properly.  Since I've settled into married life, this is no longer a problem.

And, because I gained the confidence in myself and now have the support of my wonderful husband, I have returned to school and am in the process of getting my Masters degree in Social Welfare.

I had stalled in my weight loss.  I increased my exercise time and watched what I was eating.  My clothes were still getting bigger but the numbers on the scale weren't moving.  I'd fluctuate up and down by 2 pounds and could never  drop below 240.  So I decided to go back a step and replace two meals a day with protein shakes.  I talked with my doctor's office at my last visit and he explained sometimes people stall out.  He suggested I try the pre-op diets:  clear liquids for two weeks, then step up to full liquids, etc, etc.  When I told him I'd decided to replace two meals with protein shakes, he agreed I could try that first. 

Well, I started that on Saturday.  I drank a shake for breakfast and one for lunch the next two days.  For dinner, I'm eating chicken or fish with a vegetable, while cutting out the carbs.  And, surprise surprise, this morning I'd dropped five pounds and now weigh 237.2.  I feel great, I'm not hungry, and I'm still full of energy.  I guess sometimes our bodies just need a jump start.  I'm going to stick with the two protein shakes for the next two weeks or so.  If the weight loss stalls again, I'll go to the clear liquid diet for a while and then work my way back up.  If it's successful, I'll replace one of the shakes with a meal.

I had a friend give me a couple of pair of pants yesterday, saying they should fit.  I looked at them and really thought I'd be too big for them.   However, my friends convinced me to take them home and try them on.  I started out wearing a size 28 and the pants were 20s.  I took them home and tried them on just to be able to tell my friends I had.  I was pleasantly surprised!!!  One pair fit perfectly and I intend to wear them to a party I'm going to on Friday.  The other pair were a little tight around the middle.  I was able to get them on and zipped but had to lay on the bed to do it.  But I got them on!!!!  I was feeling depressed about other stuff going on in my life right now & that was just the boost I needed!!!!!

I had another follow-up visit with Dr. Steward.  I've lost another 14 pounds and my blood pressure was fantastic!!!!    I haven't taken any medication for it since the day before my surgery!!!  This is so exciting!!!!  My clothes are still getting big and I feel so much better.  I went to a football game with my son and best friend on Thanksgiving.  We had to walk quite a distance to get into the stadium and to our seats.  Before the surgery, I would have had to stop several times before we got there.  I didn't have to stop once and I wasn't out of breathe for 1/2 hour after we sat down.  Having the surgery was the best decision I could have made and I'd do it again without hesitation.

Well, I had my surgery on August 31st.  The official weight loss since that time up until October 10th is 39 pounds!  I am getting into clothes I haven't been able to wear for over 2-3 years.  And the clothes I was wearing before the surgery are now too BIG!!  I never thought I'd say something was too big for me!