48 Days Post Op (Freedom)

Hi! Today I had my 6 week post op nutritional class and weigh in. I've lost a total of 45 lbs. since pre-op started. 

So the break down:

• 280 lbs. the day I started my pre op diet
• 255 lbs. the day of surgery (3.5 weeks of pre-op diet)
• 245 lbs. two weeks after surgery
• Stalled for almost 4 weeks (Ugh! Wanted to scream!)
• 235 lbs. as of this morning (I lost 10 lbs. in one week. YaY!)

Does this surgery work? Sure it does but not without hard work on my part. And let me tell you, it hasn't been easy. Before surgery, I couldn't wait until I didn't feel hungry anymore. Well, I never thought that would be hard. Now, I have to remind myself to eat and then it's a game of "what do I want to eat that I've already had one hundred times in the last 2 weeks AND that I'm not really hungry for anyways." Ha! Now, I'm not complaining! It's just a huge adjustment.

The good news....freedom! Freedom to eat whatever I want! In my nutritional class today, I was told that there's not much that's off limits except for carbonated drinks, high calorie and sugar foods (in moderation of course), and celery. Mentally, this changes things for me! I'm thinking that maybe if I can have an open variety of foods that maybe my interest will pick up again. I'm hoping to enjoy food again soon. Not like I used to, of course, but instead, not dread my next meal. I think that my biggest problem is that I'm sick of the same old foods over and over again. That's hard! I was so excited when I was told today that life will start to get back to normal and I would still continue to lose weight. YaY again!

Exercise! Well, little has been happening here. I really want to but I have had a really bad hip since 1997 after an injury and it has only gotten worse over the years. I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon this morning. And no, I don't have to have surgery yet! Thank you Lord! But he did take some x-rays and discovered that I have osteoarthritis. He is sending me to physical therapy for 4-6 weeks to help strengthen my muscles in my hips and to help with my weight loss. Of course, he feels that if I continue to lose weight, the pressure of all that extra weight will no longer be present and will help a good bit with some of the pain. He also prescribed Celebrex which was on my list of medications that a sleeved person could tolerate. When I presented that to my sleeve surgeon today, he said absolutely not! Huh!?!? He said that it would tear up my stomach and that it's not safe to take until I'm at least 6 months post op. He suggested I call my orthopedic doctor back and have him give me a shot of something that starts with a "T"....lol....I wrote it down but can't remember. Go figure! After speaking with my ortho-doc, the shot that was suggested will only last a day. Well, that's not going to work! Ha! So, I'm scheduled to go in on Wednesday for a cortosone (sp?) shot in the hip. Hopefully this will help. If you've ever had to have this done, will you tell me your experience? Thanks in advance.

Oh, and my 25 lb. weight restriction has been lifted and I'm free to do whatever exercise I please....if I can do something with this hip. Sigh!

Things That I Use and Have Used (to get through this process)

 Here is my Nexuim Granules. I only had 30 days of these. Now I take Pepcid AC Complete Chewable. I will add that picture later.

 Here's what it looks like mixed with 1 tablespoon of water and after it sits for 3 or 4 minutes. By the way, the texture is like snot and the taste is intolerable...so I have to mix it with......

 

GRAPE JUICE....it is not my favorite anymore! lol It was so good after surgery and most certainly helped wash the Nexuim down.

 When I would put them together, this is what it looked like. Looks like floating snot! Ewww, makes me want to hurl.

So, this is what it looks like after I stir it. Much more appetizing! lol

 

Here's my wonderful blender that we bought at Costco. I love this thing. It's the best one we've ever had. It will make ice cubes into a snowy dream and it doesn't burn up the motor or dull the blades. All the inner parts are metal, not plastic....another plus. It was only $24.95.

 This is my food scale. I have had it for so many years, I can't remember where in the world I got it. It works wonderfully and it folds up into itself which is a plus.

 Here are my canning jars. No, I don't can with them. We bought these when I was 1 week post op. They are exactly 4 ounces or 1/2 cup all the way up to rim. What I really love about them is that I can easily heat these up on top of the stove in a little bit of water, I can store my food leftovers, and if I'd like I can freeze them. Most canning jars, you cannot freeze but these you can. We bought them at Walmart.

 Here are some of my supplements. I have my Bariactic Advantage Calcium Citrate Chews (Lemon) that are not pictured here. I take 2 chewies in the morning and 2 at  night. I will have to add a picture later. I bought the Vit. C (I take it every morning) and the Centrum Chewable (I take one in the morning and one at night.) at Walmart. We bought the B-12 at Costco and I take it once a week.

Last but not least, my protein shakes...which I forgot to take a picture of. I will have to add them later. I use Syntha-6 Chocolate Milkshake flavor. It was really good at first but now, I want to gag when I have to drink them.

27 Days Post Op (Pain Under Ribs and Incision Bothers)

Good Morning! Everything has been going good except a few things. 

First, I've been able to get all my protein in over the last 4 days....if I remember right. I finally figured out that baked fish or chicken is too hard on my stomach right now. Even when it is soft it seems too dry or something and hurts when it goes down. Now, canned chicken or tuna goes down pretty smoothly with a touch of lemon juice or light mayo. 

Second, I still don't have much of an appetite and I have to remind myself to eat. Although, last night I found myself wanting something sweet. That seems so weird considering my want "NOTS"  ...lol...through the day. I didn't have anything...just some more water. It wasn't a TAKE-ME-OVER feeling...it was just a little craving. Hopefully, I don't feel too much of that from here on out.

Third, my weight....ugh....it doesn't seem to move! Very, very frustrating! I'm still getting only 500-700 calories a day.

Fourth, my incisions! Well, they do okay, then they leak again and the one will have more pus coming out. I talked to the surgeon's office yesterday and they said that some discharge is normal. And that if I'm not having any pain or fever, it will be okay! I am definitely keeping an eye on those babies!

Fifth, I have pain under my left side ribs. They feel like really bad cramps you get when you run. The night before, the pain woke me up in the middle of the night. It scared me! Then throughout the morning hours, it would come and go. Finally, in the afternoon when I spoke with the doctor's office, they told me it was just gas. That I wouldn't believe how many people call in with the same complaint of pain. They said to do the Gas X strips. So I did. It still came and went. Last night, I went to bed with the pain and got really uncomfortable. I tried to turn on my side and that made it worse. Ugh! I had to get up and walk...that seemed to help a little. I was starting to feel so good until this. Right now, I'm okay but it's still there. If you know anything about this, please chime in here and tell me all about it. It seems like the pain is right where my stomach is.

That's what's been happening! I hope y'all have a great day!