Havnfun2

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Once again I am behind on keeping my postings current. Its now been 8 months and I have lost 108 lbs since surgery and counting the 16 lbs lost prior to surgery I have now lost 124 lbs!! Wowee!!  I've hit a few plateaus this past couple months but I keep on track and eventually the pounds begin to move again! I never realized how  much different I would feel or look losing a whole person and how embarrassed I am to say that I was carrying around another person. I'm now am often mistaken for my oldest daughter which is a great feeling for me.. dont know how she really feels about that though.  It's been great though her and I love to clothes shop together.  I never thought i'd say that either.. that I would love clothes shopping.. as before everything didnt fit or looked hideous as far as I was concerned. Now I enjoy going with my daughter and sliding into a pair of smaller pants and actually being able to wear them AND look good at the same time! As embarrassing it is for me to say I was wearing a size 28 pants and now to my surprise I can wear a pants size 14 to 16!!  I saw my surgeon a few weeks ago and she told me when I asked for a goal weight that I could go another 10 lbs.  I said I was thinking more about 50 lbs more and she said that would be ok too.. so thats my goal to head for!  Wow 50 lbs to go.. what an incrediable feeling to know this surgery helped me to reach what I have been looking for for so many years. "Freedom from food"!!

Well its a little over 6 months since I had surgery and what a difference it has made in my life! Since surgery back on June 24th I am now down 100 lbs!! WOW!!  If you count the 16lbs from the pre-surgery diet then I am down 116 lbs! I never in my life time thought I would be able to say I've lost that much weight in my life! I'm so very excited and glad that I made this life changing decision now and I dont regret any of the things I've had to go through to do so! My family and everyone else for that matter is very supportive and have seen the changes its created for me and it makes me very happy. Its funny as my own daughter met up with me at Walmart recently. She finally found me and when she did she said "I dont even recognize you from the back now as you change everytime I see you!'' One of my neighbors the other day said, "I didnt realize it was you until you turned around, I thought you were your daughter!"  I laugh at comments like these,  but feel good at the same time. In all honesty, I dont see those changes really when I look in the mirror yet. I know by my clothes i'm losing and the scale as well, but in my own eyes I dont see it. Is that unreal of me? I guess really until I see my own pictures as I did tonight when I posted them that it is then that I realized what everyone is talking about. Pictures make a lot of difference for sure. I'm proud of my accomplishments and so glad I've had the help to get to where I am today. I do have a lot of problems with neausea as of yet and take medicine for it that I wish I didnt have to do. Also my family doctor refuses to take me off all the medicine i've been on for so long just yet. I'm hoping with my next visit in a month that he will get rid of some of them finally. I still have a lot of problem with lower back pain and knee pain and have even added a few aches and pains that I thought would be gone with the weight loss. I've had a complete blood draw done and everything came back perfect which I'm very happy with as well. As for the holidays I found that old habits can come back very easily if you let them as I found myself wanting to just have a taste of this or that. All in all though I made it through the holidays without any major distractions or weight gain! I tried on my oldest daughters pants the other day and found they slide right on! Thats a big thing for me as she is much smaller than I have ever been in a LONG time! So to feel them slide right up felt good! I realized also that I'm down 8 sizes now in clothes and what a great feeling that is! Embarrassing at the same time and I just now am comfortable telling my daughters what I weighed and wore back 6 months ago. Thats something I've never done before. Maybe now that I'm smaller I feel it doesnt matter if they know, but at the same time i'm embarrassed to let them know how large I really was. I know one thing though I will never be that person I was 6 months ago ever again, she's gone for good!

OCT. 11, 2008
      Well.. here it is 5 months already! I cant believe its been that long since I have had this surgery. It seems I waited a life time and now its flying by and so are the pounds! I'm down 80 lbs since my surgery June 24th and if you count the 16lbs I lost on the pre-surgery diet 2 weeks prior to surgery..then I am down 96lbs! 96lbs.. I cant get over that number.. but at the same time it makes me wonder how I let myself go so much that I had another person attached to me. Sad that I let myself do this to myself. 
      I have a brand new grandson that was born on Nov 7th.  After he was born he had trouble breathing and ended up having a hole in his lung and was given a chest tube and machine to help him breath. He is home now and doing so much better..but that week was very stressful and hard on us all. I'm sure I didnt eat as I should have but I tried to keep myself in check during it all.. as I had to be there for everyone else.  It really made me see just how much everyone relies on me and  i'm glad I had this surgery so that I can be there for my family. 
     I noticed something that has really been bothering me lately as well. Now that I've lost this weight so far.. more people talk to me than I've ever even noticed existed! Where are these people coming from and where have they been?? Where were they when I was bigger and needed a friend?? Why is it.. that now I'm more approachable so to speak and they want to talk to me?? I dont know.. it all really bugs me. I mean i'm the same person I was 100 lbs ago right?? Anyone else have these thoughts or is it just my mind rambling on its own?? 
     Clothing is still a lot of fun. Depressing at times too as I dont have anything to wear! I never thought i'd ever hear myself saying that! lol It used to be I didnt have anything because it was to depressing to go shopping but now if I do go shopping I just have to go back a few weeks later!  I go to the closet and slip clothes on only to find they are to big. I've found myself sneaking into my daughters closet just to find a shirt or even some pants that might fit. She dont mind.. then again.. maybe she does.. but I need something right?? lol Goodwill is my new best friend  too.. as I wear something a few weeks and then back I go again. Fun all the same!
    I'm so glad I had this surgery and I dont ever want to be that person I used to be again! Its funny how everyone says I look so different but yet I still see "Me" when I look in the mirror. Its not until I look at before and after pictures that I realize just how much I've lost and how much I really have changed physically! All for the good mind you.. just another thing I noticed. Inside though.. I'm still am "me"!
   

Well here it is four months since i've had my surgery. I've lost 70lbs since surgery and or 86lbs if you count the 16lbs I lost on the pre-surgery diet two weeks before surgery. Unbelievable!  I have been on a plateau this month and it seems that the scale never wanted to start moving! I know they say not to watch the scale but its become like my best friend these days. Unfortunately when I dont see the scale move and I know i'm doing everything right I become very frustrated! As someone told me though a pound is a pound and I should be happy, as I should remember when  I tried dieting before surgery I would have been excited to see that one pound and thats so true too. I think my biggest thing to, is to NOT compare my weight loss to someone else who has this surgery. Its so hard to not think i'm doing something wrong when I hear someone else has lost so much more than I have. I know everyone loses at their own pace and I've told others that, I just have to live up to my own words and worry just about me and what I'm losing. As hard as it may be at times!
Clothes have been a real experience for me lately as well. I can remember before losing weight,  going into clothing stores to find something to wear and coming out crying because they didnt fit or the clothes looked ridiculous on me. Now,  trying on clothes is so much fun for me! In my closet I find clothes that I havent worn, some with tags still on them, I try them on and they slide right on or dont fit because I've bypassed that particular size. It so exciting to me!
My only complaint food wise is I cant eat meat! Things I ate before such as chicken, now become stuck and cause me to become so ill that its just not worth it for me to  try eating them again. I also can not drink the protein drinks or eat protein bars. I become so ill when I do that they are not for me either. Same with most sugars. Otherwise I eat just about anything I like now, of course in moderation. My eating habits have changed so much that it has brought into light for me just how much I really did eat before, even when I told myself I wasnt eating that much.
I did go today for a medicine review and the doctor sent me for a blood test to see how the vitamins in my body are doing. My biggest worry lately  is that someone told me  that most that have this surgery need the Vitamin B-12 and thats something I havent had to take since surgery.  So I asked the doctor today and he said he would check my B-12 levels and if he felt I needed it then he would give it to me. I'm anxious to see what all my levels were at when the results come back this time as its been awhile since i've had labs done. One thing I found funny that happened while getting my labs done was  that they always had trouble getting blood from me because of my veins. Today she just slipped the needle right in the first time. Amazing what weight loss can make happen isnt it?
All in all despite some of the downfalls I've experienced, I'm so glad that I chose to have this surgery and that I have this tool to use to get myself healthy. It has meant the world to me especially when playing with my grandbabies. Being able to go for walks or to just be able to play with my grandchildren without being winded or having to sit all the time means the world to me. Exercising in the pool or just going for a walk now is so much easier without the added weight and I've noticed exercising really helps the weight to come off as well.  
Even though it's only been 4 months since I had this surgery, it has changed my life and has made my dreams come true. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to change my life for the better and  for the pleasures in life it has and still will bring me. There is still a long journey ahead for me in the months to come,  but its a journey i'm prepared to take and keep on going to the end! Until next time... I'll keep on losing!!  Happy Halloween Everyone!

Well here it is 3 months already since I had my gastric bypass surgery. It sure doesnt seem possible its been that long!  If you had asked me 3 months ago was I glad I had this surgery I would have said HECK NO! I was so violently ill back then with neuasea, vomiting and severe stomach pains after having caught the gastronial intestinal bug during surgery. I remember crying my eyes out  telling my family I wished I had just stayed FAT and wished I hadnt had the surgery and why did I ever decide to do this to myself?!  Ask me that same question now today though and my answer to everyone is the total opposite! My answer now is most definately YES! Its been the best decision I made for my life!   I'm still having problems with neausea but my family physician just put me on a new anti-neausea pill as he said I needed one that contracts when my new stomach contracts. It has made me feel better though and  I'm really hoping I dont have to live on this pill forever! As for weight loss I'm down 57 lbs and counting the 16lbs from the two weeks prior for the pre-surgery diet (which I noticed a lot of people on here just add in)  then I have lost  73lbs!!   I noticed a lot of people just add in their pre-surgery weight loss when they tell how much they've lost and It drives my two daughters absolutely crazy when I say it both ways, but I like to know how much I've lost just since surgery too, so I say it both ways and continue to drive them nuts! lol  I'm eating pretty much what I want now but small quantities of course. I'm also finding out what I cant eat along they way as well. It seems lately its easier for me to stick with what works, but I find I am getting bored with the same foods all the time, so I have been trying new foods when I can.  I do have a problem with drinking the protein drinks though and I just cant do it for some reason. I've tried every way possble as far as mixing them and also I've tried different quantity amounts etc.. and I get sick every time with dumping problems!  Same thing happens with the protein bars, so now I stay away from them and  I have been trying to get protein from just my food intake, but its very hard to get it all in!  I think my biggest joy lately  has been my clothes which has become a lot of fun for me!Trying on things in the closet, some never had even had the tags off of and finding they fit or are too big because i've lost so much weight, its a big thrill for me!   I also notice more people talking to me now than before, asking "are you losing weight?" or telling me "wow you look great!" I sometimes find that hard, as I'm not used to compliments or so much attention. I'm usually the one you'd see sitting in the back ground or walking with my head down hoping no one noticed me, now that seems its impossible. See I live in a townhouse complex, and I have to park in the front to go to my section in the back. Ghetto as this may sound, the people who live here at the complex have chairs on their porches so they can sit outside and smoke or visit with the neighbors. So when I pull in to park, i've noticed lately I feel like i'm on display! I sometimes hear, 'looking good" or "your just melting away" or "how much is it now" etc etc..  I just know when I get out of my car that all eyes are on me and I just know if I walked around the corner and then peeked around to eves drop,  they'd be talking about me!  Oh well, they said things would change after having surgery and they were right i'm starting to notice it, but come on!! lol  Anyway I hope all of you that have had your surgery are doing great and for those of you contemplating surgery its a big change for your life,  but its a wonderful change for the better! !  Until next month everyone!!

Well its been two months since I had my gastric bypass surgery and if it were not for the neausea that just keeps hanging on I'd be on cloud nine. Todays weigh in was at 40 lbs lost since I had surgery. Its at 56lbs if you count the 16lbs lost two weeks prior to surgery. As I've said before I notice a lot of people count that in..but I like to say how much since just having the surgery as well. I've had my share of experiencing the "dumping syndrome" and its certainly nothing to brag about. I'm learning my tolerances to foods.. and chicken seems to be my worst enemy no matter how its cooked or how I chew it to bits. My tongue is still numb and tastes are still disgusting for some foods. I wish I hadnt had my mouth done prior to surgery so I could enjoy what I do get to eat. I've especially noticed the seafoods I once loved now have such a metallic taste to them I cant tolerate eating them at all.. but as I said I'm still having trouble with my numb tongue. Hopefully one day I will wake up and not have this problem! I'm getting in my protein and drinking my water.. its been no problem. So all in all.. some days are better than others.. but i'm glad I had this surgery done and that the weight is coming off.. its really a great feeling to step on t he scale now!!

Well it looks like I'm not very good at keeping up my blog or answering messages as I thought I would be! I've promised myself i'm going to be much better about it from now on though.  I think my lack of post and responses to messages has been because of feeling so sick and my lack of energy. On July 28th  I went to my 6 week post op visit with the surgeon to address my neausea problems and see if he could help me with it. To my surprise he said this happens just as he said about the gastreonal infection I had after surgery and said  that I could have the neausea problems with for 6 months or even a year or more. Yippee.. thats just what I wanted to hear.. NOT! The neausea isnt as bad as the beginning was and at times I dont really notice it. Whether its lessening or i'm just getting used to it.. its ok by me at this point. As for my weight loss.. I've been on a stand still a couple of times now. I have noticed if I'm not active the weight stays in limbo.. but once I go to the pool or do something such as walking etc.. the pounds melt off. Sooo.. I need to get back in that routine as well!  I've also had the unfortunate pleasure of finding out what the "dumping syndrome" is all about!   Believe me I didnt enjoy that one bit and I'm trying to stay away from that as much as I can!!  Finding out which foods cause it and being surprised at the ones that do is part of the process though we all have to go through I guess.  As of today I'm down 34lbs and if you count the 16lbs lost two weeks prior to surgery.. I'm down 50lbs.  I did notice in e-mails and blogs etc.. a lot of people count the pounds lost before surgery when they tell how much they have lost and I was getting depressed at first and feeling like I wasnt doing well at all.. until I realized thats what was happening. So if your one of those feeling that way after reading a blog or e-mail like I did.. forget it.. if the pounds are coming off.. your doing great!!   Everyone loses at their own pace.. some faster.. some slower.. its all about the person.  All in all.. those words I uttered after surgery when I was in pain and so sick..  "why did I have this surgery?"  well those words are a thing of the past. I now know and remember why I had this surgery and its for the feeling I have today of being able to say I'm on the losing side!!

I've had such a rough time since surgery that at one point I asked myself why did I have this surgery!!  I know its only because I dont feel good that I say those words. I'm still taking anti-neausea medicine and pain pills every four hours and I've tried not to but the neausea always wins. I'm getting better each day but the dang neausea just wants to keep hanging on! If not for that I'd say I felt great!! Yesterday was my two weeks post-op and I have lost 16 lbs. now. So its working.. just slow goings! I made the mistake of going on here and reading peoples blogs that had their surgery same day and seeing some of their weight loss progress made me feel I wasnt doing right. But 16 lbs isnt that bad for 2 weeks and I realize everyone is different.. so I'm happy with my progress! . As long as I'm taking the neausea meds and the pain pills I can make it through the day. So now I'm just waiting for that morning I wake and say omg I feel soooo good!  Getting in all my protein and drinking all my water too.. also getting a walk and starting walking in the pool while my granddaughter plays yesterday. Hope the exercise helps.

I cant believe how very sick I have felt since surgery. I am always  very neauseated, have a very extreme pain in the middle of my stomach and dry heaves which about kill me and diaherra. I was released Thursday (June 26th) and went back to emergency room Friday it was so unbearable. The surgeon wanted me to go clear back to Portland but I couldnt really afford the gas for another trip.. so he let me go to emergency room here locally as long as they called him and he could tell them what he wanted.  Thank god.. I didnt want to make that trip again!! They took many test, cat scan, xray and blood work and said it all came back good. Filled me with IV fluids,  neausea meds and pain killers and sent me home. The surgeon said he thinks I caught a gastroenal bug during surgery and said that happens sometimes. I went to see my surgeon  today (Wed. July 2 = a week since surgery) and he said he thinks the bug is just about out of my system now and that i'm on the downhill side of things and that things should start feeling much better for me in these next days to come. I cant wait for that t o happen!!! It seems though as long as I take the neausea medicine and the pain pills I honestly can handle most of whats going on with me now. I dont want to live off these pills for the rest of my life though so I hope it turns around soon!  I also got on the scale at the surgeons offce today.. one week post op.. i'm down 10 lbs!  I'm lower than I have been in 5 yrs so it made me feel good to see that! So thats where things stand as of now.. just waiting for that day I can say I feel fantastic like everyone else!!

Just thought I should let you all know i'm home and alive. For those of  you who sent kind words before and after surgery I want to thank you all it really meant a lot to me. As for how i'm doing... well...I had surgery Tuesday (24th)  and everything went good and for that i'm very glad as I had alot of pre-surgery jitters. I got to come home Thursday only to have to go back to the hospital for extreme pain and neausea in the middle of my stomach. (which I'm still having) I havent really been able to eat much since I got home it just wants to come back up. They thought I had a gastronial bug that  I might have caught during surgery...so they ran alot of blood test, cat scan to make sure stomach wasnt leaking.. chest xray etc.. and everything looked good they said. They put me on pain meds and some anti-neausea meds and they do help some what for a bit. I keep hoping i'll wake in the morning with this glourous outlook at having this surgery and I really envy the ones saying its been so great for them and how good they feel! I really want that feeling too right now! I go back to the doctor this week to see what he thinks. Just wanted to let you all know i'm home and alive and when i'm feeling better i'll come back and fill you all in with an update!  Hope your all having a great weekend and thanks again for the kinds messages!