71 down and so many more to go.

After visiting with the doctor last week I found out that I have lost a total of 71lbs. Someone suggested that I have almost lost a OCU dancer they only weight 90lbs. Not sure that sounds any better than a large child.

It has by no means been an easy journey probably the hardest thing I have every done. Still trying to figure out the whole eating thing. Never had a problem before as you can tell but now so hard. Eating slow is not something that I have ever dealt with or worried about. Now ever meal is an event. Something that has to be thought out and planned and not any fun at all but they tell me that it will get easier. I can’t wait one of the only major problems that I have left. Walking is so easy now and I can walk so much further than in forever. So much fun. Never thought I would say that in this lifetime.

So I have another bladder infection and went to the doctor. On their scales I have lost another 4lbs. So that makes a total of 75. Not posting that one yet waiting until I go back to the weight doctor and weigh in for that announcement. So that is a total of 4 infections since I started this program. So now I have to see an Urologist. Again how lucky can you get. Question how do you get a bladder infection when all you drink is water? Just another one of the mysteries of my life.

Where would we be with out humor in a river of tears? So took pictures for the six week update. Can you see 71lbs of difference?

66 lbs. down

One month out and I’m 66 lbs down with 25 lost since surgery. This is going so fast I can hardly believe it. In no way has it been a smooth ride so far from it that I don’t want to ever forget everything that I have gone through to get to this side. Finally on real food, thank you God. No more cottage cheese, beans and tuna for every meal. I love cottage cheese but don’t think that I will be able to eat it or Jello again for a long time.

I did go shopping and tried on some pants that were the same size as the smallest pants I had in my closet. Tried them on and they were too big and had no elastic in the waist so I thought it was just the cut of the pants. However when I got home decided to try on the jeans that were the same size, drum roll please. They are too big as well. I can’t believe that I can now wear a size smaller than anything else in my closet. At least it is the pants that are baggy. I can get away with baggy pants but too big shirt is another thing all together. The boys tell me that I look like a bag lady when I wear shirts that are too big. You can allows tell the people who are losing weight at the Doctor’s office they are the ones with big and loose clothes.

I go back to the doctor on the 31st and can’t wait to see what the scales say after two weeks. I feel better every day until I run out of steam, which happens every day at some point. Of course if you count how much fuel I’m putting in my body and how much I’m using. Simple math tells you that I’m running out of fuel. Doesn’t make it easy to except but a little easier to deal with when it happens. Just need to keep up the good work.

A lot harder than I though!

So as of tonight I'm almost four weeks out from surgery. I thought the hardest part was trying to lose the weight before surgery. Then thought nothing would be harder than the two weeks of liquids. Now I have start soft food and have gotten into trouble again. When the told us to eat slowly, I thought it meant to take small bites and chew completely. Instead they meant for you to take a small bite chew completely and basically walk away before you take your next bite.

I was eating slowly but not slow enough the food was backing up before it even got to my new stomach. The doctor and staff have placed me on a new special diet of soft and moist food the remainder of this week. No fun at all considering that the week included my birthday. No cake for me this year, or ever for that matter. Have done a lot better with the changes and hope to begin step 2 of the diet.

I really shouldn't complain as of last week had lost 61lbs. or a small child. Last week was three weeks since my last picture so I'm including the three week out pictures in this post. Hopefully I will have more success at placement of those pics. Last time they went where they wanted and not where I placed them. Hope you can tell a difference.

Minor Set Back

Have been having trouble with everything tasting like crap. So went to doctor for a problem with one of my incisions that was a little infected. However while I was there they started asking me questions and before it was over I was downstairs in the hospital with an IV for over 6 hours. They told me that I was very dehydrated. Should be drinking at least 64 oz. a day and was only able to do about 30. I guess I must have looked pretty bad for them to immediately decide that I needed fluids.

The best or worst part was that the surgeon told them to give me a bag of fluids in 15 minutes. Needless to say that they weren't able to get it done in 15 but in 25 and my arm is still freezing cold. They continued that for 4 bags. So I froze for over 6 hours. Then to top everything off the surgeon told me and the staff that he would come by to see me before he left for the night. By 7 that night he hadn't come by and when asked the staff told me that he had left. So they had to call him to see if I could go home.

Yesterday was really busy went to work for 3 hours then to the doctor at 1:30 and left the hospital at 7:15. Do I know how to spend the day or what. They did give me some medicine to help with the taste problem so hopefully we won't have to do that again any time soon.

I'm attaching the pictures I took the night before surgery. Might have mentioned that pre-op nurse suggested that I take a picture of myself every three weeks to track my progress. So here is the first.

One week today

I can't believe that a week ago today I had surgery. Seems like a lifetime ago and only a day. The best part is that one week of the liquid diet is over. Thank Heavens! It has been hard. To find things to drink that are filling and trying to not lose my hair. Right now the best has been soups, only the liquid part of the soup.

The pain is better not gone but more manageable. Haven't gone back to work yet but think I will go for a couple of hours tomorrow and see how it goes. Have discovered that rest is the most important part of this recovery. It gives my body the time is needs to heal. Still worry about the dizzy part of the liquid diet affecting me working, driving and walking. We will see tomorrow.

So far can't tell that I'm losing any weight. Not wearing clothes that would show that to me. With six incision sites still prefer to wear old comfortable clothes that don't touch the body. Hopefully by Monday, I will be back in good form that is the date of my post-op diet class. Starting two weeks of soft foods. Can't wait for that part. Kind of excited about chewing food again.

5 Days after surgery.

Today is the morning of the fifth day after surgery. The morning of surgery the pre-op nurse told us that she had the gastric sleeve in 2007. The level of nerves fell and everyone felt so much better about the surgery. I was so blessed to have my husband, brother and pastor there that morning.

Surgery went very well and the initial recovery at the hospital went well and fast. I went home the next morning at 9. They gave me the option of staying and taking a shower at the hospital or going home to take one. Of course my shower sounded so much better. Off we went. It felt great to be home.

The first day home was a blur, drug blur but good. Over the next couple of days I felt okay not good but okay. By day four I did not feel good. Woke up day 5 with a sore throat and runny nose. How much fun can one person have.

Still very sore in one spot. Have 6 incision spots that have stitches with a derma glue over. That part has been great don't have to worry about infected in those sights. However one spot on my stomach is very sore. Still find myself covering it up every time I move. May have to give the doctor a call if doesn't get better.

The liquid diet part has been okay. Not the easiest thing but okay. The biggest problem has been TV! Never realized how many food commercials there actually are on TV. When you know you aren't really hungry but that looks so good it makes it hard. At first the broth at the hospital was good but by now it is terrible. No flavor at all and doesn't last five seconds before you are hungry again. The jello, egg drop soup and ramen noodle soup is a great help.

So far everything has been worth it all but ready for the good times to start. Oh and let me not forget to mention the gas! Not only the gas that they use during surgery but the gas you have afterwards almost every time you drink anything. Looking forward to chewing something besides ice in the near but distant future.

1 day left

This time tomorrow it will all be over! I will be starting a new chapter in my life. Seems like a dream right now. Worked so hard for this to happen and now it is. Feel like I'm holding my breath, just breath. So easy to say but so hard to do. Not sure there is anything else to say but thank you to everyone who is praying and supporting me through this process. Would not be here in this place without my personal cheerleaders.