KrissyMisssy

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I have been so busy lately that I haven't gotten on to give an update. SO much has changed since my last post (approx 2 weeks after surgery, I believe), I don't even know where to begin! I guess I'll start with my weight. I am currently at 191 lbs, which is 72 lbs down from my highest weight of 263. Like I was always told it would, weight shed quickly in the beginning, but has began to taper off lately. Once it struck me that my "honeymoon" phase was coming to an end, I got back on my strict diet, and I began to lose at a rapid weight again. So I guess it was more of a diet issue than honeymoon phase running out issue. Either way, I was able to see that I needed to change something and am back on track. 

As far as food goes, I am still struggling. I am still finding it hard to get in all my protein, so I still depend on Syntrax Nectar and Premier Protein shakes once a day. I recently started a new job, so that has helped me stick to a diet since I have to pack my lunch everyday (no cafeteria and no fast food nearby). Some of my favorite foods are: Baby Bel Cheese, String Cheese, Laughing Cow Cheese, eggs (scrambled for breakfast and half of a hard boiled egg for lunch), almonds, veggie stix on occasion (not completely healthy, but satisfies my chip craving and healthier than most alternatives), Baked cheddar cheese crisps, Deli meat roll-ups, beef jerky, yogurt, shrimp, grilled or baked fish, peanut butter (usually dip apples in it), and plenty of chicken. 

My water intake has gone up considerably from what it was soon after surgery. At first I was unable to drink water with no flavoring. Now I can tolerate it again, but I'm not motivated to drink it so I try to infuse it with different fruits. I ordered a Define Bottle online. It has a bottom section for fruit so the water can get to it, but the fruit won't get into the drinking part. I like to freeze strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemon slices, orange slices, cucumbers, and grapes to put in there. They help keep the water cold for longer, and I can shake it to help infuse the flavor. I also use the 0 calorie drink mixes like Mio, Crystal Light, Lipton, etc. I know they are just full of chemicals, so I try to scale back on them, but they are good every now and then. 

As far as exercise, I didn't start off doing too much after surgery. About 3 months post op, I began riding bikes at the park with my husband. I was incredibly out of shape, so at the beginning, I could only ride about a mile and I was worn out. But by the second day, I rode 3 miles before I was ready to quit. By the 3rd day, I could ride 6 miles! I really thought it would take longer to build up endurance, but it was super quick! So now we go riding at least 3 times a week, sometimes as much as 5 times. 

I guess that's all I have to update about that pertains to my surgery. I finished at my community college and will be starting an evening program at a private college, so I hope that doesn't negatively affect my diet. We will see and hopefully I can update more frequently than I have been. 

I was sleeved on 12/2 and haven't posted yet even though I had planned to. I guess the reason I haven't posted is because I have been feeling pretty down since the surgery. I was doing okay for the first few days, in fact, after my surgery the nurses had said they'd never seen a bariatric patient walk as much as I did the first 2 nights. But after I got home, it all went downhill. Painwise, I was fine. I never had any nausea or bad gas pain, and I never felt the need to take pain medicine. I did, however, have trouble lying down, so I spent the first 2 nights home sleeping downstairs in the recliner so I could be at somewhat of an incline. What was troubling for me was the diet.

For the first few days, I was only able to get in about 16 oz of liquid. I LOVED water and drank it all the time prior to surgery, but after surgery I just couldn't keep it down. Finally I realized that I needed to flavor my water with some sort of zero-calorie drink mix, or else I just can't stomach it. I'm pretty disappointed by that because sometimes I just want some good, cold water and I try it, hoping it will feel okay, but it always causes me pain and I regret doing it. I'm not sure whats up with that seeing as its just water vs. flavored water, so maybe its mental or something. I don't really know...  

The most of what had me feeling so crummy though, is trying to get my protein in. My doctor made me buy 2 of the gigantic bags of Bariatric Advantage for my liquid diet (even though there was no way I was going to need them all because its 70 servings worth), so I have tons of this powder that I'm trying to drink/use, but it just tastes AWFUL! We spent so much money on that, my husband fussed at me for suggesting I buy more (not because he's mean or unsupportive, but because money is tight and I didn't really want him to know that the $150 he just spent was going to be wasted), so I simply didn't drink them. That's right: I just said screw it and only got 15-25 grams of protein for the first week and a half. Yesterday, finally, after he realized I wasn't getting the nutrition I need, he took me on an hour's drive to the nearest Vitamin Shoppe to get Syntrax Nectar (because I'd heard great things about it on here), and I have FINALLY, for the first time since surgery, been able to get in ALL of my water and protein!

I'm still struggling to get enough calories because my sleeve is still picky and I cant really eat much besides yogurt and refried beans, but I'm slowly trying new things and starting to understand what certain feelings and noises mean, and it really helps that I'm down 18 lbs in less than 2 weeks. I'm finally starting to appreciate my sleeve and am taking full advantage of it while I can!

My surgery has been schedule for Monday, December 2nd. My 2 week liquid pre-op diet starts Monday, so this is my last weekend that food gets to control my life. The past week, I've been thinking about what I will eat for my "food funeral." I've been doing pretty well for my 6 month pre-op diet plan, so I figure it won't hurt. Maybe for some people this might be counter-productive, but I really feel like the emotions I'll feel while eating will help put my relationship with food into perspective so I can let go once and for all. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this day of gluttony will just make me miss food even more, but no matter what, I know I need to have this surgery and change the way I feel about food. I have no choice if I want to live a long and healthy life. 

It's been awhile since I updated, so I apologize for that. After my last post I completed my 6 month PCP supervised diet, saw a psychologist, completed esophageal Xrays, had my bloodwork done, got an EKG, saw a nutritionist and attended group support meetings as well as several classes. When I first started trying to jump through these hoops, it seemed as though surgery would never happen and it's just some arbitrary dream that may never come true. Boy, was I wrong! My prior-authorization was sent to insurance on October 18th, and I just got a phone call yesterday telling me that the surgery has been approved! The scheduler and I have been playing phone tag today, but when we finally get a chance to talk to each other, I'll finally get my date! 

I was supposed to have had an appointment this past Tuesday at the surgeons office to get everything started, but I had to cancel it as I just wasn't able to get the $500 program fee which was due. I still have the appointment with my PCP so I am still going to get my 6 months of appointments in, but the surgeons will have to wait. The appointment is this coming Tuesday, so I can update then! 

Age: 23

Weight: 260

Height: 5'4"

BMI: 45

I just had my consultation appointment with a bariatric surgeon yesterday, and I am glad to report that I am indeed a good candidate for surgery. I'm still weighing my options, but at this point I am definitely leaning towards the Gastric Sleeve as my tool of choice. My insurance requires the standard 6 months of appointments with my PCP, but I have fortunately seen her several times this year for weight loss. Hopefully this means that my surgery date won't be so far out, but we are still waiting to hear back from the insurance company for a definite answer. In the mean time, I was told to go ahead and make another appointment with her so that the appointments are as close to being 6 consecutive months as possible. My appointment with her is later today. 

My next step is to meet with the patient coordinator (I think that's her position anyway) to make payment for the $500 program fee and to set up an appointment with the therapist. They said she would also go over all of the details that weren't covered in my consultation. That appointment is set up for 8-20-13, so I will update after I see her and get more information!