Wendy's Happiness!

4/3/06

Apr 03, 2006

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated my profile! I also need to get some new pics up here! Between work, home, and going to the gym every night, it's hard for me to keep up with it. Let's see, what do I have to say? Let me preface this by saying, please forgive me, because I'm about to rant and rave, and everything's going to come out as one big blurb, but I promise, it will be understandable! Well, as of today, I'm down 105 lbs. and holding. Holding I say, because I've been at this plateau for weeks now. It's somewhat frustrating because when you're used to weighing yourself everyday and seeing the pounds just melt off after surgery, then you start exercising and thinking that it will increase the weight loss but the scale doesn't move, it's depressing! And my OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder!) won't let me get rid of the scale, not weigh myself on a daily basis, or relocate the scale to maybe my mom's house (Lord knows, if I did that, that would not thwart me...I'd then be there every morning weighing myself!). It's funny too because I had told myself in a previous post that I wasn't going to obsess about the scale, but here I am, obsessing! The good thing is, I'm still losing inches. My trainer at the gym tells me that I'm gaining muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat, so as long as I'm still losing inches, I'm still losing fat. And I have to admit, I've never felt better. My hair loss has really slowed down and has almost stopped as well, thank goodness! I see a lot more new growth, which is very promising, as that's the one thing I always took pride in, my hair. I think this is the healthiest I've ever been in my life, between the weight loss, the water, the vitamins, the protein drinks, the food I'm eating AND not eating anymore, the exercise, etc! I'm a gymaholic now, going almost everyday. If I can't go for some reason, I feel guilty. The treadmill used to be all that I could handle, along with the weight machines. Now, I call it "The Dreadmill" because I find it so boring, as I can now be on the once intimidating elliptical for a straight 45 minutes! The days I can't/don't go, I do what I can at home. Who would have thought that I would end up loving to exercise?! I will tell you that I no longer crave sweets, thank goodness! I can't even bear the taste of something that is sugar free, but sweetened with sugar alcohol or Splenda...makes me sick to my stomach. Ice cream? No more, not for me! Even sugar free makes me dump. To tell you the truth? I don't miss any of it! I still can't eat chicken or pork for some reason, but beef and fish are my friends! This weight loss has made such a major change in my life. No more foot, knee, back pain anymore from carrying all that extra weight around everyday. I'm sizing myself right out of Lane Bryant, the Avenue, and the Plus size sections of stores! A couple weeks ago, I went shopping for new clothes. First, I went to Modell's because I needed new exercise clothes...the XXXL shirts I had are now way too big for me to wear, they're like tents on me now! I can now fit into a XL! Then I went to Lane Bryant. I brought some 14/16s into the dressing room, thinking 'well, they'll probably be too tight on me now, but by the time I'm ready to wear them, they'll be just right'. Well, they fit NOW! I fit a size 14 pants, and a 14/16 in tops (little tight in the boob area, but I can get away with it!). Needless to say, I started crying right in the dressing room. I can't remember the last time I didn't have to shop in a big girl store! I can now go to a regular store! Mind you, in JCPenney or Macy's, I'm still a 1x (boob issue again), but so what? Hey, at my heaviest at 322, I couldn't even fit into the 3x at these stores, it was always the big girl stores at 26/28, or the dreaded 30/32. There's so much more of a selection that I have right now, it's amazing. The funny part was, I needed new panties, so decided to check them out in JCPenney. Well, I'm so used to buying 14/16, 18/20, and so on in Lane Bryant, that I had no idea how their sizing system worked! What the heck is a 7?! No sizing chart anywhere! I was so confused, had absolutely no clue, and had to ask a saleswoman, who looked at me as if I had 3 heads. Apparently I'm a size 7...for now! I feel so confident about myself now too, I have so much more self-esteem. I no longer feel like everyone is staring at 'the fat girl', and I no longer think of myself as the biggest person in the room. I no longer have to ask for a table only, or size up a booth to see if I would be able to fit comfortably in it...now I can sit anywhere with room to spare! In my SUV, I had the seat the farthest back it could go...after the surgery, little by little, I've had to adjust it to make up for all the room I now have between my stomach and the steering wheel! Also, my hips were so wide, they were wedged on either side by my door and the center console. Now, I sit nice in the seat, but I recently started noticing that when I turn a corner, my ass slides on the leather seat and I feel as if I'm going to fall right off! Too funny!!! It's really improved my marriage as well. Without getting into too much detail, we're much more friskier! And socially, we go out a lot now, whether it's out to dinner, to the movies, or out with friends. I used to be such a couch potato, now I want to be out all the time, enjoying life. I never knew how much my weight affected every aspect of my life. It's amazing. I also lost weight in my feet! I had bought all new pairs of shoes last Spring/Summer (12 pairs to be exact), 9 wides. Even with the wides, my feet still swelled like balloons after walking on them, looking like little sausages by the end of the day, and KILLING ME with every step I took...I literally had to peel them off my feet when I got home. Well, I tried them on the other day, and forget about it! They are way too big, I'm sliding out of them with every step, even if I put one of those cushion things in them! If this keeps up, I swear, I'm going to have to take out a loan for all the new clothes and shoes that I have to buy...it'll definitely be worth it though!!! I've had to have ring guards put on a lot of my rings too. I wasn't wearing my wedding rings for a month because they would slide right off, and I was so scared I would lose them. Well, needless to say, the hubby wasn't too happy that I wasn't wearing them (I just didn't have the time to go to the jeweler to get the ring guards on!), so I finally made the time and got it done. I also had to have links taken out of some of my watches, as they got too big and were rolling around on my wrist like a bracelet! All in all, I have to say that this surgery changed my life for the better in so many ways. I still have a ways to go, but the improvement that it's already shown is awesome. I'm so thankful and grateful for the lessons I've learned, (and am continuing to learn), as well as the new friends I've made along the way, especially my special peeps from our incredible OCWLS Toms River support group! I've gained control of my life back, and I know that I've added years to my life as well.

10/13/05

Oct 13, 2005

No more pain anywhere anymore!!! I took my surgeon's advice and stopped bending over and twisting my body to do housework or pick up things off the floor, and sure enough, the pain just disappeared one day. I can now fully sleep on my stomach or my side, and that weird gravity feeling that I felt pull on my pouch and stomach disappeared too! What an incredible feeling!!! I'm now walking on a daily basis, and feeling great! Still can't do any weights yet, have to wait 8 weeks post-op for that. I haven't gotten weighed since my last appointment, but I know I've lost a lot...I'm down 2 sizes in clothes! I had to buy a couple pairs of pants, as my old pants were falling off of me and looking sloppy. Shirts that I had that I couldn't button up and had to wear a tank underneath, I can now button all the way and still have room! What a feeling! And last night, hubby gave me a hug, and said "wow, I can fit my arms totally around you now"! How cool is that! I even had to adjust the seat in my car!

My only issue right now is that I have started taking birth control pills (Ortho Tri-Cyclen). My surgeon stated that WLS surgery will mess with your hormones, and rapid weight loss sometimes leads to increased fertility. Note that prior to my WLS, I had been off the pill for quite some time, as hubby and I were wishing to get pregnant, but the weight had hindered our efforts. So, during my annual visit to my gyno, I advised her that I was having WLS and needed a prescription for birth control. Well, I'm 2 weeks into the first pack now, and originally, I was taking it after dinner. However, about 45 minutes/1 hour later, I would get very nauseous and sometimes vomit. I then started taking it right before I fell asleep, but if I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm sick to my stomach. Also, I find that I can't really even think of drinking or eating anything until at least after 12 noon, or I vomit. This morning, I woke up at 4am, and sure enough, started burping a lot and eventually vomited. Prior to the start of taking the Pill, I didn't have these symptoms at all, so I know that it's definitely the Pill...maybe too strong for my pouch, my body? All I know is that I can't continue to vomit on a daily basis, but then again, I can't not be on some sort of birth control. I read the information packet that they provide with the Pill packs, and it said that nausea and vomiting are normal side effects, and that it'll take your body 1-3 months to get used to the Pill. However, I know that those instructions don't pertain to women who have had WLS. So, I'll be contacting my surgeon and my gyno to advise them as to what's going on, and to see what my options are. Wish me luck!

9/27/05

Sep 27, 2005

Much better day today everyone! Took it easy, drank some water first to see how that would be. Ate some chicken liver pate' for lunch, which I love and is filled with protein. It went down and stayed down! Drank my protein shakes, took my vitamins, I'm back on track!


9/26/05

Sep 26, 2005

Bad day today! Tried to go back to work. Now, I only live about 15/20 minutes away, and I sell commercial real estate, so there's no real physical labor involved. I'm mostly on the computer checking out listings, in the office, on the road, showing property, easy stuff. I had a Carnation Instant Breakfast, No Sugar Added, before I left the house, and then brought one of my AchievOne Protein Coffee Drinks and a water to work. The car ride killed me, with the bumps, shaking, etc. I felt really nauseous, and the pains in the usual places were terrible. I figured it would pass, so I just went about my business. Everyone was happy to see me, and were like wow! They could tell that I lost weight, which felt great to hear! I caught up with everyone, and got settled. Started looking at some listings on the computer, and the pains started kicking in, same places as usual. Had to almost recline in my chair to get any sort of comfort. I felt a build-up in my chest, and headed right to the bathroom (thank goodness it's out in the common area of the building and not within our office!), where I threw up for the first time today. I say "the first time today", only because I would throw up another 10x throughout the day. I went back to my desk after the first, then in another 15 minutes, felt that feeling again. That was it for me! Told my boss I tried, but had to leave, and then threw up again in the restroom before heading home. I barely got home before I had to throw up again. Tried to drink some water, but that didn't work. I don't know what happened...maybe it was the car ride that shook and jiggled everything inside my pouch? Whatever it was, it was a horrible feeling. Needless to say, I was scared to eat or drink anything for the rest of the night, so I didn't. Guess I'm not quite ready to go back to work yet. I can do a lot of work from home, so that's what I plan to do...I have my laptop, fax, copier, printer, scanner, etc. I just wanted to go back to the office to get back into the swing of things, to see and interact with other people, other than my cat and my husband at home! My doctor said that for this procedure, I can take off up to 6 weeks, so maybe that's a wise thing to do.

9/23/05

Sep 23, 2005

I'm down 24 lbs. in 26 days!!! Couldn't believe it when I got on the scale at Dr. Brolin's today! Great progress! Told him that I was still experiencing pain on my left side, as well as the left of my belly button. He said it's normal, he did a couple of extra dissolvable stitches on the inside to the muscle, so it'll be tight and sore for a while. Put me on a prescription for Actigall for 6 months to prevent gallstones...said it might "disturb your upper GI tract"...layman's terms? Make me feel nauseous! Yeah for me. At this point, I don't care what I have to do, as long as I keep losing weight, I'm a happy camper! Lisa, the nutritionist, gave me my new diet, which is basically what I'll be on for the rest of my life. She said to only try one new thing a day, and try to keep a journal, because there might be a food that doesn't agree with me, and if I try 2 new things, I won't know which food bothered me. Makes sense! She also said that a food might agree with me one day, and not the next, with no rhyme or reason...there's no explanation for it, it just happens. I'm also allowed to swallow pills now, so if I want to switch from liquid vitamins to pills, I can. She mentioned that a lot of their patients enjoy Wendy's chili, it's packed with protein. Needless to say, hubby and I made a pitstop before going home and got some Wendy's chili! I melted some fat free cheese on top when I got home, and mmmm, it was delicious! Went down nice and stayed down! Maybe next time I'll add some fat free sour cream!

9/21/05

Sep 21, 2005

It's a miracle!!! I was finally able to sleep on 1/2 my side and 1/2 my stomach last night! Hallelujah! I couldn't stand it anymore, so I used a pillow and braced it against my side to see if that would work. It hurt until I "schooched" around a little bit and was able to find a comfortable position. Yeah for me!

Mom's endoscopy test came out negative, thank God! I had driven for the first time since the surgery that day, and boy, I never realized how many bumps and holes there are on the road! And the chairs in the waiting room were uncomfortable...I feel a lot better in a reclining position than a sitting-up position.

I don't know if I've lost any more weight yet (although hubby says I have)...I go back to Dr. Brolin on 9/23, couple more days, to get weighed, get a new diet (solid foods I gather), and he's going to give me a prescription to take for the next six months to prevent gallstones since I didn't have my gallbladder removed. I haven't been weighing myself, figure I'll just get weighed at Brolin's office when I go for my follow-ups. I've been down that road before where I've weighed myself 3x a day, and obsessed over it, and I refuse to let myself do that again!

My latest rant...anyone (outside of the WLS circle, of course) who thinks that WLS is an "easy way out", need to step into our shoes for just one day, and they'd see what we go through - between making sure we get in our daily protein intake, our water, our vitamins, getting exercise in, avoiding sugar in our foods, hoping our pouch accepts any new foods that we introduce to our bodies, hoping & praying against hair loss...shall I go on?! It's real work. You have to be dedicated to your health and wellbeing for the rest of your life. And when we lose the weight, it's not as if we can automatically stop all the above and forget what we've learned and done along the way. The surgery itself is not the end-all, it's the work you put in afterwards, and none of us can ever forget that...we didn't go through major surgery and have our organs cut and pasted and rearranged for nothing!!!


9/14/05

Sep 14, 2005

Finally got some good sleep last night, albeit on my back! Still some pain from the incisions over my stomach and near my belly button...I gather because that's where my surgeon did the most work with the instruments, so there was some stretching and cutting through skin, tissue, fat, muscle, nerve endings. It'll take a little while for it to go away, I just have to stop bending over (stop with the nasty thoughts! lol!) to load/unload the dishwasher, washer/dryer, filling/emptying our cat Mi'Ke's dishes, etc. It's hard for me not to do those things though...I hate feeling helpless, and I don't like to leave it for James to do, especially since he works sometimes 13-hour days, the poor thing. But I have to stop so it'll heal. And I wish the swelling in my abdomen would go down already...I tried putting on a pair of pants that fit fine before the surgery, but they won't even button now...thought that after 17 lbs. gone, they'd be falling off me! I cried my eyes out over that one! Other than that, I'm just ducky! Haven't gone back to work yet, might go back next week...staying in the condo is making me stir crazy! Although I'll tell you, it's somewhat nice to not have to wake up to an alarm clock, and not have to blow out and straighten my hair everyday! Shower, ponytail, done!

I have to get in my protein everyday, so between protein coffee drinks from AchievOne (that taste just like a Starbucks Frappucino, thank god!), Snack & Slim chocolate protein pudding, and these other protein powder shakes (everything I've ordered from bariatriceating.com), I'm trying! And I have to get in 64oz at least of water a day to prevent kidney stones...never thought that'd be difficult because before surgery, I'd drink water all day, all night. Now, I have absolutely no appetite for anything, and have to remember to eat and drink. What a difference!

I'm going to drive for the first time since the surgery tomorrow...have to take my mom for an endoscopy at Jersey Shore Medical tomorrow...still having pain below her bellybutton...cross your fingers, toes, pray...

9/9/05

Sep 09, 2005

Well, today was the day from heaven and from hell! Hubby drove me an hour plus to my surgeon's office for my 2-week follow-up visit, as well as to get weighed and get my staples removed. The ride killed me...I was nauseous and very light-headed going there, and on the ride back home. It was totally worth it though, those staples were killing me! I had 17 total, and they were getting a lot more painful than the "cut and paste" job that was done inside of me! They made my skin soooooo red, and I would always feel that tightness. What a relief to get them out! AND I LOST 17 LBS.!!! I'm so happy!!! I see him in another 2 weeks for a new diet...more food choices are on the horizon!

My abdomen is still very swollen, sore, and black and blue from the Heparin shots they gave me every day in the hospital to prevent blood clots. Hopefully in another week, it'll calm down.

I've started applying Mederma to the incisions to help in the healing process, as well as to hopefully help in the way the scarring is going to look.

I've been doing good in the eating department...so far, I've been able to keep everything down. I have to remind myself to eat though...I'm never hungry! When we got home tonight from the staple removal, hubby ordered a Domino's pizza with wings for himself (he was so sweet to ask me first if I'd have a problem with him ordering that, being that I couldn't eat that!), and normally, I'd chow down with him..we'd order 2 pies and 20 wings, cheesybread, cinnastix, etc.! I was totally unfazed by it, and was happy to eat my tomato soup!

I've been off the liquid Percoset for a good couple days now, which is good! I took a little for the long ride to my surgeon's office, but other than that, I'm no longer needing it!

Still can't sleep on my side or my stomach yet...still feeling sore when I try.

Although my surgeon cleared me for driving, I still don't feel comfortable with that. Maybe in another couple days or so. I've decided to take another week off from work. I work on commission (commercial real estate sales), and my boss is totally cool with it! He's so sweet too...he sent me some beautiful Godinger silver handled makeup brushes in a burgundy velvet box, with a note card reading "Here's to a new beginning, hope you're up and about real soon"...a new beginning indeed!


9/4/05

Sep 04, 2005

Well, I made it to the lighter side/losing side, whatever side, I MADE IT!

A BIG HUGE thanks to my angel, Timmy, who is the most wonderful person in the whole wide world (Sandi, you're a lucky gal!) ! Hubby said you called twice, but both times I was either sleeping or high on the morphine...sorry we couldn't talk. Thanks for keeping everyone updated on my condition, and most importantly, thanks for your well wishes! Can't wait to meet you at the next TR meeting when I'm finally feeling myself!

Surgery was Monday 8/29, came home Thursday 9/1, but haven't felt up to getting onto the laptop just yet. Figured I'd give it a try today. We'll see how far I get with this post! Now, due to circumstances beyond my control, the days just seemed to run into one another, so I might have some days/times off....do the best you can to follow along!

Arrived at University of Princeton Medical Center at 5:45am with mom & hubby in tow. Nurse gave me a valium, which helped immensely! Another nurse tried to start an IV on me 3x, but to no avail. P.S. I have teenie-tiny veins. The anestesiologist ended up having to start the IV on the OR table. Last thing I remembered was that he started joking about my name being a song...I said "no, that's Windy...Windy is a song. I'm Wendy"...he said some other funny stuff, then it was lights out for me!

Next thing I knew, I was in my room, mom and hubby were there, and I was pushing the morphine button every chance I got (even though the nurse said press it every 6 minutes, I had absolutely no concept of time at that moment!). She said don't worry, it's programmed and calculated into the machine, so even though I was pressing it ahead of time, it wouldn't give it to me until it was past that 6 minute mark. I had oxygen tubes in my nose, a foley catheter in my bladder, and that damn drain! Ooh, and the vibrating leg cuff things, which felt nice. Can I just tell you that I loved the catheter?! I was originally scared of it because some people posted saying that it hurt, that it smelled like kitty litter, etc., but that wasn't the case with me. I couldn't even feel it, and didn't smell a thing! Maybe their catheter's weren't inserted correctly? Anyway, I loved it, and not having to get up to go to the bathroom was a plus. I had the room to myself, and had the bed next to the window, which was another plus. I finally fell asleep between 12-3am, but because I fell asleep, I wasn't awake to press the morphine button. Pain woke me up, and it was excruciating. Tried the morphine, but the pain was past that stage, so the nurse had to page my surgeon, and he said to give me Toridol, plus increase my morphine dosage another 5mg. It took about 15 minutes to work, but I was in sheer agony for about an hour.

Day 2 was tough with nothing by mouth. Still feeling pain, still pumping away on that morphine. They got me out of bed, and I walked with hubby and nurse's help from my bed to the door, tubes and all, then back to the bed. That wiped me out. They took me for my leak test, and I passed, so they said ok, no more catheter. Noooooooo!!!!!! OMG, getting up to go to the bathroom was horrible, painful. I don't know what hurt more...my incision site (the main one, you know what I'm talking about post-ops!), the cut and paste work that was done inside, or my back from having to stay in bed all day on my back. At some point, they also discontinued the morphine drip, and had me on a schedule of either Toridol or Liquid Percoset. Was finally given ice chips, and was very excited about it! (Hey, it's the little things in life!) My IV had blown up my left arm so badly, my arm was numb and sore at the same time, so they took it out. I won't go into detail on how many times they tried to get another IV into me, but this one chick Randi that they finally called (mind you, this is at 1am), young nurse, got it in one try, God Bless Her!


Day 3 was better. Hubby helped me walk from my bed, all the way outside, down the hall, and back. Painful, but did it. Was able to eat some broth, jello, tea, water, verrrrryyyyy slowly. My doctor, along with his 2 assistants, came in every day to see me. They said I was finally ready to go home Thursday. The dietician came in and explained to me my new modified liquid diet for the next month, and gave me the pamphlets for it. Finally got a roommate, a 90+ year old woman with a hip replacement...she was such a sweetie!!!

Thursday, Dr. Sadir, one of my doctor's assistants, came in at 6:30am and took out my drain. Now, I knew from previous posts from people that it would hurt like a bitch (yeah, I said it!), and told him hey, shouldn't I take something first, then you can come back and do that? He said not to worry, it'll only hurt for a second...LIAR!!! My roommate later told me that she never heard anyone scream like that in her entire life. It felt so weird pulling from one side of my body to the other, and the pain...Toridol was given afterwards. The ride home Thursday was rough. Takes an hour and a half, and the bumps are a killer! Needless to say, I was cursing much more than usual! The hospital had given me a pillow to hold against my stomach, but it hurt more to have it on my incision, so I left it off. I also had taken some liquid Percoset right before our journey, so that helped a bit. Hubby was a very good driver...he avoided a lot of the bumps as much as possible. Then I had the 3 flights of stairs up to our condo to tackle..."one step at a time Wendy, one step at a time" I kept saying to myself! Finally made it! Hubby helped me take a shower, which afterwards, I felt soooo much better. Mom filled my prescription for liquid Percoset, brought me my grandmother's cane that she still had in the house (God Rest Her Soul), and bought me one of those plastic elevated toilet seat things that you put on top of your regular toilet and it elevates it...that thing is a godsend!!!

I've only been able to sleep on my back, with my head elevated on 3 pillows...I hate sleeping on my back, I regularly sleep on my stomach or my side, which I guess I won't be doing for quite some time. When I left the hospital, I had a small blister on my back. They said to just leave it alone, it'll break on it's own. Well now, it's a blood blister, and hasn't broken yet. I have to call my doctor on Tuesday to schedule a time on Friday when I can come in and get my staples removed...I'll ask him at that time what I should do about the blister. I've been walking around the condo a bit, but haven't yet ventured down the 3 flights of stairs.
Gotta work myself up to that! Maybe I'll do that later with hubby, see how I feel. So far I've been able to keep down my foods, which is good.

Hubby always loves to makes me laugh, and I've had to tell him to try not being so funny because it hurts so much to belly laugh. That I'm finding is very difficult for him to do! Also, we have all these funny movies that I know I can't watch yet because if I do, I know I'll end up popping a staple or two!

All in all, I'm getting better as the days progress, and am happy to finally have the surgery behind me so I can move forward in my journey!

That's all I've got today folks! Much love to all for your well wishes!

About Me
Lake Como, NJ
Location
28.6
BMI
RNY
Surgery
08/29/2005
Surgery Date
Jun 18, 2005
Member Since

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