trenansac

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I decided to have surgery after years of struggling with my weight.  I already had a thyroid problem, degenerative disc disease, arthritis of the spine, fibromyalgia, carpel tunnel sydrome, and sleep apnea.  I was on several medications and very sedentary.  I began to get swollen ankles.  I was out of breath walking just short distances.  I couldn't tie my shoes or even reach my feet most of the time.  I was completely miserable and decided it was time to do something about it.

I went to see my primary care doctor and discussed the idea of gastric bypass surgery.  I asked for a referral and my journey began from there, in October of 2005.

I was originally supposed to start the program at Kaiser South San Francisco but they had too many patients and only one surgeon, so I was transferred to Richmond Kaiser.  I was very discouraged going into the program at Kaiser in Richmond.   They were not attentive or sympathetic to my individual needs.  They treated me as if I were a number and not a person.  I was offended by the lack of compassion and understanding that I expected from Kaiser.  They didn't take into account my doctors support or even acknowledge my doctors input regarding my ability to have this surgery.  They didn't know me but were quick to judge me and went so far as to dismiss my doctors input after they had asked for it.  They were oblivious to anything I had to say and even denied me for the program.  They were also so slow that I'd probably still be waiting for surgery if I had stayed there.  That is where my journey started so long ago and why it took me a year to be able to have my surgery.  If I had stayed at Kaiser South San Francisco I'm sure I would have completed the program in half the time.  

I am glad that I transferred back to South San Francisco.  I did get discouraged when I realized how long the classes were going to take and how long it would be just to get to the actual surgery because I had already spent several months dealing with Richmond Kaiser.  But I hung in there and it was all worth it.  Without the classes I would not have learned valuable information to make my journey a success.  I hope to carry those skills with me on my journey and remember to use them.

I just recently had my surgery and I couldn't have asked for a better surgeon.  Ramzi Alami is my surgeon and I am amazed at how well he has taken care of me because my prior experiences with doctors had not been as wonderful as my experience with Dr. Alami.

I went into the program at Kaiser South San Francisco on June 13th 2006.  I had lost 39 pounds since that date. I am 9 days post op and have lost an additional 16 pounds.  I am not worried about losing it too fast or having any complications.  I feel good and can actually touch my toes!  I am also having my sleep apnea checked soon.

I'm looking forward to the rest of my journey and to the new me! I can't wait to see the changes in my health.  I really hope losing the weight will free me from the added pain that I suffer every day.  I'm hoping to get  to where I can tolerate the pain in my back with little or no medications!

If you're beginning the program at Kaiser South San Francisco you are in for a very enlightening educational journey!  The entire staff are very knowledgeable and they pass all that knowledge onto you so you can use the tools it takes for successful weight loss.  You will not come out of a single class without having learned an abundance of information for your success!  Stick with it and make the trips to San Francisco.  You will definitely be glad that you did. The entire staff is caring and supportive of your individual needs.  They are awesome!  I cannot say enough good things about the wonderful people who make up the team!

I will update my blogs as I go.  I will always look forward to the future but never forget where I came from!

December 4th 2006;  Today I had the gastric bypass surgery.  Of course I am posting this after the fact so that I have it in my journal

December 6th, 2006;  Today I left the hospital and came home to recover more and get to know my new pouch.

December 14th 2006;  I lost 13 pounds in the first 4 days. I lost an additional 3 pounds the last 2 days for a total of 16 pounds. That seems very sporadic and I wonder if this is normal. I thought the first 13 pounds was awfully fast but I didn't expect to stay at the same weight for 3 days now. I'm really confused on the weight loss process. As per my doctors instructions am at the soft mushy food stage. I'm eating mostly creamed soups and cottage cheese. I'm drinking lots of water too. I have a hard time with protein shakes because they sit so heavy on my stomach and I was feeling uncomfortable so I went back to the liquid for a day and now back to the cream soups and cottage cheese.

Trena here again: I guess I didn't phrase my question correctly. What I am asking is; Is it normal to lose a lot of weight then none at all this early after surgery? Do others have this so early post op? What did you do differently? I know that will happen from time to time but I didn't think it would be this sporadic this soon after surgery. I realize everyone is different but when I talk to others or read about them, they all seem to have some sort of weight loss going on from the beginning and don't slow down or plateau until they're much further out post op. I don't count too much on my weigh scales. I usually go by the doctors scales. This is a bit confusing because I seem to be very sporadic.

December 17, 2006; Last night I decided to take my measurements instead of weigh myself.  I had logged measurements back in August so I had something to go by when I took them last night.  I thought my clothes were fitting much looser but wasn't convinced since I hadn't lost much weight.  But as it turns out I have lost 3-2-3 inches and although it doesn't seem like much I have pants that are too big and sagging in the rump.  Time to go down a size.  I can see all my clothes will be gone out of my closet soon.  I hate shopping but I'm looking forward to the day I no longer have to shop Lane Bryant or other large size stores!

 December 18, 2006;  Although I was reluctent I did step on the scales today to discover I have lost a total of  20 pounds since my surgery on December 4th.  Tomorrow will be the true test when I see my surgeon for my post op appointment and step on his scales.  I'm looking forward to his opinion and input on my progress.  I trust him 100% and I'm still very glad he is my surgeon through this process.

December 26, 2006; I feel ok, I'm just overly tired.  Trying to get in enough liquids and protein and vitamins is very difficult.  I'm not getting in near enough water which is bad.  I'm having a hard time taking the calcium too.  By the time I get the protein and vitamins down I have no room for any food.  The last couple of days I didn't have the vitamins and protein.  I did have a tbs. of potatoes, gravy and a tbs. of stuffing and only one bite of turkey.  (yes I know! too many carbs) In spite of the very little that I had, It was enough that I didn't crave anymore.  Today I'm choking down protein and vitamins.  I'm supposed to be getting in 64oz of water a day which is essential in breaking down and removing waste from my body.  I've gotten down an 8oz glass of protein and about 8 oz of tea flavored water with 1 scoop of calcium powder.  I have another 8 oz to go to make up my 500 mg serving of calcium.  I just put the scoop in the water and that equals 500 mg.  I'm supposed to get 500mg 3 x a day.  I also have other vitamins so I'm getting really frustrated and stressed just trying to get them all down in a day.   I got the calcium chews but they leave a really bad bitter taste in my mouth so I'm going back and forth between the powdered calcium and the chews.  The powder is nasty on food.  I haven't found anything I can stand it in except for the drink.  Oh well.. That's my saga of the proteins and vitamins.  

I have lost 23 pounds since my surgery so I'm happy with that.  This is truly a unique and rewarding experience.

December 27, 2006;  I am only 3 weeks out and I'm completely frustrated because I'm wasting so much food because I can only eat less than 2 oz.  I'm sick of the protein shake I have and have ordered something different.  I am just not into eating because I know its a waste of food.  Even if I store it in the fridge, I still have to throw it away in a few days.  I have been forcing myself to eat on some days.  On other days its not so bad.  I haven't really had any cravings though.   I am not losing as fast as the people I read about here either.  I don't get it because I really don't eat more than an ounce or two depending on the food.  Compared to what  I used to eat, you would think I'd lose a bit more..

January 7, 2007;  Post op weight loss to date, 25 pounds.
I made it to the gym two days this week.  I had planned to go more but had to have a painful procedure called an endometrioptomy or something like that.  Its a painful test and it  caused me severe cramps so  I needed to take a couple of days off from the gym.  I I'm a bit frustrated today though.

All day Thursday and Friday, I threw up anything that I ate. It didn’t matter what it was. Finally last night I tried some mushroom chicken. (I know that is a bad choice but my daughter was eating it and I figured mushroom and chicken should be good for me if I can keep it down)  At first I felt like it was stuck so I had a tiny sip of Dr. Pepper that my daughter was drinking. I discovered that I felt better so I had more. I was able to get my meal down and keep it down. I don’t plan to drink soda’s but I was glad that for what ever reason it worked and I didn't throw up my food.

I have noticed since day one that everything hurts when I eat. It doesn’t matter when, where or what time. It just hurts. I measure my food, usually 2 -3 ounces. A lot of the time I can’t even get that down because it hurts so bad.  It even hurts when I drink water.  The pain only lasts for a few seconds but its very uncomfortable and I’m really miserable.

There were 2 days last week that I barely ate or drank anything because I knew it was going to hurt. I don’t know if I should take my pain meds or what to do. I know for sure that I wasn’t drinking near enough water or getting vitamins and protein in. I have tried 3 different protein drinks that make me feel sick after I drink them. I went online and read and found a drink called 50 gram slam. I had one shake yesterday and one today. So far they haven’t made me sick. I am also back to getting my vitamins in like I need to. Now I’m going to concentrate on my water. After that I will worry about food. I just cannot handle all that stuff in my stomach at one time and especially after I’ve drank any water at all. I am waiting the 10 mins to eat and 1 hour after but it isn’t helping. The only good thing is that I’m able to eat raw tomatoes and I bite the juice out of oranges and I can eat a banana. Over the last few days that’s all I’ve been able to eat.

January 13, 2006;  Post op weight loss to date is 25 pounds

I haven't had a lot of changes since my last post.  I have been working out 2 days a week and finding it hard to get more time in to the gym.   I haven't lost any weight since January 2nd.  I am a bit disappointed.  I decided to go back to sparkpeople.com and log my foods.  I am eating an average of 500 calories a day and getting my 55 grams of protein so I'm not sure what I'm doing or not doing.  I'm assuming it is just a plateau but it sure has lasted a while.  I'm new to all this and trying to stay patient.  My goal is to get to 5 days a week at the gym.  I'm just going to have to start telling people no so that I can have time to myself to do what I need to do for me.  I'm too busy running around and doing things for other people.  This is getting in the way of my goals.

 

 

 March 10, 2007;  Post op weight loss to date 36 pounds

I feel like I'm losing my weight very slowly.   At least that gives me a chance to tone up a bit.  I have more energy than before but not as much as I would like to have.  I need to work harder at getting to the gym.  I find that one thing or another gets in the way of my workouts.  I am thankful for every pound that I lose.  My total weight loss since my orientation is 75 pounds.  I don't know if I'm supposed to use the total weight loss or the total weight loss since surgery?  I started my journey on June 13th so to date I've lost 75 pounds.  That sounds so much better than 36 pounds!!  

I took my measurements again and I have lost 0-5-2 so I'm still losing inches.  I fit comfortably in a size 18 and snuggly in a size 16, but I don't care for snug or tight close so I choose to wear the 18s.  Which is the pair I wear most of the time.  Needless to say I wear my older baggy clothes and I do a lot of wash loads to be able to keep wearing the same pair.  I don't want to waste money on clothes yet.  It won't be that much longer until they're too big and I'll be wearing the 16s around.