Suzanna N.

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I have lost about 42 pounds. The last month has been tough......one pound up, two pounds down, two back up, three down.....sheesh.
Oh well, as long as it goes in the right direction.....even slowly....I am happy.
I eat around 1000 calories a day. My restriction is better with the stomaphyx, but I have to pay a lot more attention and really heed the "full" signal or I can easily overeat.
My computer has been broken and going back and forth to HP for a month and a half, so I am lurking and catching up with all thats happening on the message boards.

I was rumaging through my closet this morning and pulling out some of my pants that didn't fit and I found a pair of jeans that I haven't been able to wear in at least a couple of years.
I held them up and thought no way, not yet.
But I had to try them on anyway to see how close it would be.
The darn things fit. And they fit correctly too.
Not bad for 16 days after surgery.

Since the StomaphyX is such a new procedure and because the Doctor told me very bluntly that if I insist on pushing more food in this pouch than I should that it won't work............just that simple.

So I decided to try to 'tune in" to this whole thing a bit.
And the one thing I notice so far is that I get the famous runny nose when I eat any more than a 1/2 cup of food at a time.
Now this is tricky to figure out, since I am still on the full liquid phase. However, cottage cheese is on my OK list and it gives me the signal.
I don't know what is going to happen on solid food and that is going to be the true test.

It is going to be hard to get into a habit of measuring out my food and I know that I won't be perfect everytime. But its simply what I am going to have to do until I get this down to a science.

Liquid goes through me fairly well so it is really hard to tell right now how this is going to work overall.
So far my pouch "feels" very similar to the way it did after my first RNY in 1998. No hunger. I get full on 4 to 6 oz of cottage cheese easily. I haven't had the 'one bite too many' sick feeling yet, but then I don't think I pushed it that far yet either and have no plans to do so while the scar tissue is healing around those pleats. 
I was laying flat this morning and put my hand over my pouch and I could feel a loud heartbeat in it.....I guess that means good blood flow to the area which will help it heal.
I guess I am just surprised at that tightness I feel in there all the time. It is somewhat annoying because it doesn't go away. It feels like your pouch has a muscle cramp in it constantly.....not really a painful one, just one that is constantly there.
As far as how good the restriction is going to be......I will know more when I can eat more solid foods....so time will tell and I will keep updating.

I took a digger as far as feeling 'good'. I walked over a mile a few days ago and felt awesome and the next day I felt like a$$. I thought I might have overdid the walking a bit, but I think I was fighting off a mild case of the flu that the rest of the family had. Two days of sleep and the mildest nausea and now today I feel good again. I got up early and hubby got ready to go shoot his clay targets.....
Well since he stole my car and won't let me drive it until I get the Doc's OK, I asked him to take me to Starbucks for a treat this morning.
It was so embarrassing when we got in the drive thru lane and suddenly they recognized my mini cooper all started shouting my name and asking me where I had been, etc....
Then they upgraded me to a grande size because I sang them such a crack version of Jingle bells, batman smells....etc..............
Anyway, now my hubby KNOWS just how addicted to SB that I really am. He can't believe they know me by name at the place! 
Silly man......If he only knew.
12 grams of protein in this Sugar free, non fat vanilla latte!!!!

Lets see....weight loss so far....around 12lbs in a week and a half.
I get in about 80 grams of protein a day and the calories range between 500-750. I am logging the numbers in a diet minder book and it amazes me that I can put so many calories in my body when it feels like I am eating practically nothing. I guess thats how they sneak up on you so easily.
Here is an example of a 750 calorie day.
Breakfast:
4oz yogurt , 45 cal., 4g pro.
Coffee with high protien milk, 75 cal., 7 g pro.
Coffee with high protien milk, 75 cal., 7 g pro.

Lunch:
Pea soup  4oz with High protein milk, 215 cal., 14 g pro.
cottage cheese 4oz, 90 cal., 13 g. prot.

Snacks:
protien drink (lean body) 17 oz total for day, 170 cal, 40 g pro.

Dinner:
2 SF fudgecicles, 80 cal., 3 g pro.


 Total, 750 calories and 89 grams of protein.

We had terrible thunderstorms last night and the weather alert radio kept going off. But somehow, I managed to sleep pretty well through it all. I took a walk earlier today (all the way to the end of the street and back...whoo hooo.)My incision is nice and sore, but I feel very good. I cut back to one pain pill at a time as that seems to be sufficent.
I am not having much luck getting in my meals so far. I am falling a bit shy on that, but will keep trying till I get it where it needs to be. I am doing well with protein and the water though. My throat is pretty irritated still from the StomaphX.
I bought some banana and some chocolate 'lean body" protein shakes......was not too fond of the banana (too sweet) so I mixed it with the chocolate. Good save! Much more doable that way.
I will certainly be glad when I get most of my protein from my regular foods instead of these darn shakes.
So far, I have been really lucky this time. I haven't had those horrible episodes of overwhelming fatigue yet......and I sure hope I don't....those just sucked. 
My husband has been very helpful and that makes things easier as well.

After all of my "gut noise" I still had not gone #2 yet so I sent the DH off for the suppositories...............and 45 minutes later....voila........
..I feel like my cat when she takes a big poop and then runs around the house at warp speed for about two minutes, celebrating.
I just hope things continue like they are right now. Nice and steady recovery and back to work as soon as possible.
Walk, sip, breath, sip, walk, walk, walk.......

I went in on Wednesday morning at 6AM. I was pretty calm this time and I am not sure why because my first RNY was horrible. 
But this one was quick an uneventful. I walked a lot while I was in the hospital. I blew two IV's so they didn't bother to put another one in on the second night.....So I was easily mobile after that and just kept walking. I used my spirometer religiously.
I did have some bad bouts of nausea the first night and am certainly sore.
I came home Friday and because Dr. Ovecash did a stomphyx on my pouch / stoma....I am on full liquids already.
(Of course I haven't got much past water, jello and a liitle bit of blenderized oatmeal so far)
I am going to go take a shower and try to eat a bit and then a walk and then my favorite............another nap!!!

I think I failed my RNY and it eventually gave up fighting with me.
My doctor in Utah told me very explicitly to NEVER drink carbonation again. 
I did.
He told me not to drink with my meals and wait at least a half an hour afterwards.
I did it anyway.
He told me to stay away from Carbs. Do protein first and maybe some veges second.
I ate anything I wanted. What the hell, I couldn't eat much, right? Until I figured out that what 'slider' foods were. I think I figured that out about two months out.
He told me to eat 3 small meals a day and two protein shakes. 
I did protein for about a week and didn't like it so I stopped. 
He said no grazing.
I didn't for a while, but eventually I became a habitual grazer.
He said to excercise regularly.
Well that lasted about two weeks!

I am at work today and of course I can't concentrate on it. I could care less. I am too caught up in the excitement of "tomorrow".
I am excited to do this because I know how great I will feel in a month or two. I decided to put myself on all fluids today to flush out my system well and get me ready. So I am drinking my water now, after finishing my last Starbucks that I am gonna have for a while. All is good and I am not nervous right now but I am sure that will change by this evening when I have to drink the magnesium citrate.
I am a bit perplexed because I don't know how my stoma will be revised until I wake up. Dr. Overcash will do either a stomaphX or a 'regular' surgical revision depending on what he has to work with. So that feels a bit weird not knowing for sure what I am going to have when I wake up. But I trust the guy. He knows what he is doing.
I am just worried about failure. That is a bitter pill to swallow. 
Failure, which leads to a second post.

How did I do this to myself? Why did I ignore it when the weight loss stopped half way to goal? And worse, why did I ignore when I gained a few pounds back?
Why did I wait until I gained 60 pounds back did I finally own up to my own screw ups!!!!
All of this is looping in my brain as I head out for my pre op appointment.
I guess I already KNOW the answers to my questions. I just don't like them.
So, as I climb back in the RNY saddle, I truly intend (and hope with all my heart) to do this right this time. 
Follow the plan. Follow the plan.
Don't go wild again child...............follow the plan. 
Did I ever mention that I talk to myself...................?