kaynd

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Holy moses! Time just really flies by...seems crazy that it's been four whole months already. I'm loving my sleeve!!! I look great, but more importantly I FEEL great. Everything is easier and takes less effort when you have 60-some pounds less to lug around with you!

I've been experiencing quite a few Non-Scale Victories lately...
Movie-Theater Seats: I can finally just sit down normally in them and have extra room around my hips, whereas before I had to do the "sit on the very edge and slide your ass back into the chair" thing.
Clothing: I can wear jeans from Old Navy! Hallelujah!! It's so great to be able to walk into a normal store like that and wear things from the regular line, not the plus-size line! The jeans in my "16 Weeks Post-Op" pictures are a new pair I got from ON. Also, that shirt is a Large from Old Navy. A freaking Large!! Never in my life did I think I would be in a Large. It's amazing!
Men: I definitely get more glances. I got hit on the other day at Sam's Club. First time ever. I was dumbfounded, but I felt like hot stuff, haha! Also, a guy I dated last winter (when I was 60-some pounds heavier) saw me the other day and said, "Damn...I really made a mistake." I said, "Yes, you sure did," and kept walking. Lol. Felt SOOOO good!!
Car/Steering Wheel: I can finally get in and out of the car without having to adjust the steering wheel.
Crossing Legs: I can cross my legs like a dainty woman and actually keep them there comfortably! I love it!

There are so many more little things that I realize every day, and I think to myself, "Oh my gosh...I couldn't do this before!!" Makes me excited to see what another 60-some pounds will do!

In the middle of June, about 3 months out, I did start having some terrible pain in my upper-left abdomen. I called my doctor's nurse about it, and she said to come in right away. They did an EGD, and it turns out that it was a stomach ulcer! The doctor cauterized it while he was in my stomach with the EGD, and all was well. He gave me Protonix and I feel great now. Amazing what a tiny little ulcer will do, though.

I finished Massage Therapy school on June 25th. I'm moving closer to home in two days! A lot of stuff and 180 miles. Ugh! Haha. But I'm so excited! I'll be starting my own Massage Therapy business. I'll still work in a salon as a Cosmetologist part-time. Things should be interesting over the next few months. So exciting, though!

Two months down. Holy moses! Doesn't seem like it's been this long! So far I'm down 47 pounds! People are starting to comment, telling me I look great and asking what I'm doing. It's so great!

I can finally go up the three flights of stairs to my apartment without being out of breath. On Sunday, I wore a pair of white capris that haven't fit since my senior pictures, which were almost 6 years ago! I'm down two clothing sizes...nothing in my closet fits well anymore. My clothes hang on me. It's pretty cool! I fit in chairs with arms better. My butt is skinnier, lol. I'm also noticing that as I'm losing weight, my butt is starting to pop out a bit more. I've always had a flat butt...but now that I'm losing fat from my back, my butt has a bit of shape to it! Yay!

It's fun watching my body change shape, but it's even more cool seeing how my habits and confidence are changing. Instead of going for food when I'm upset or bored, I find something to do. Go for a walk, call a friend, read. Anything to get my mind off of it. I can't believe how often I turned to food before! It's crazy realizing how often I ate when I wasn't even close to being hungry.

A lot of people ask why I couldn't have just started eating healthy like I am now without the surgery. My response is this: "I needed the surgery as a weight-loss tool. The stomach isn't doing all the work for me--it's a daily decision to eat healthy. But I also know that my stomach can't handle certain foods. I don't feel well going out and eating a Little Caesar's pizza. Before the surgery, there was nothing to stop me from eating things like that. So the surgery WAS necessary."
It's a lot easier to continue to eat healthy when I can visibly see and feel the results. I feel better when I don't eat so many carbs, and I also lose weight more steadily. There was no guarantee of that before the surgery. Now, as long as I do what I'm supposed to and eat what I'm supposed to, I lose. It's a good deal!

I'm graduating from massage therapy school in the end of June...can't come soon enough! Life has been busy lately--school full time, work part time, and ten hours at a massage therapy internship each week. I'm planning on moving closer to my family in July, so I'm excited about that, too. My first nephew will be born in the end of July, and my sister has asked me to be her massage therapist during labor. I'm SOOO excited for that! What an honor!

So overall, life is good. My buyer's remorse is gone, thank the Lord! I can finally say in complete honesty that I LOVE MY SLEEVE!!! It's about time!

: )

Boy, oh boy. What a bumpy ride it has been! I had my surgery on April 1st (yes, April Fool's Day).

Everyone was great when I got there. The nurses in the pre-surgical area were friendly and kind. I got this huge paper gown to put on, and it had these random holes in it that they hooked up big hoses to. I wasn't sure what was happening, but then the hoses started blowing warm air inside my gown! It was wonderful! Very comforting. They weighed me at 300.2...that's a 26.8 lb loss since starting the pre-op diet!! Felt great to hear that...like all that hard work actually paid off!

I walked to the OR, got up on the table myself and such. The anesthesiologist's assistant was great as far as calming my nerves...he was joking with me and just being really nice. Next thing I remember was waking up in recovery with a crapload of pain. OH MY LORD did it ever hurt!! They kept asking me to rate it on a scale from 1-10. All I could say was "10! 10! Ohhhh boy. Oh boy." Lol. The nurses in recovery were pretty great, too. Gave me morphine when I wanted it, nausea medicine when I needed it, and ice chips, because goodness gracious those meds made my mouth so dry!
They transferred me up to my room--I don't remember much about the ride there, but there was 3 women who moved me from one bed to the other, and my lord that hurt, too. And they kept trying to make me roll onto my left side, where 3 of the incisions are. Uhhh...yeah, ladies, that hurts a lot!!

My parents were both there right away when I got into my room, and I just remember crying because it hurt so much. One of the nurses forgot my chart in recovery, and then it got lost, so it took an extra half an hour before they could get my morphine pump hooked up...bastards. Ugh. But they finally got it and once I got my morphine, things were better. I tried to sleep, but it didn't work too well. I drifted in and out most of the afternoon.

They got me up to walk that night. Getting out of the bed hurt, but not as bad as I was anticipating. The walk wasn't too long. Only about two doors down from mine. That night I didn't sleep hardly at all. They had me hooked up to an oxygen monitor, and every time I would fall asleep, my breathing pattern would change, and the damn thing would start beeping. Shoot me in the head, people! Gosh I just wanted to sleep, but I couldn't!! Very annoying.

The oxygen came off the next morning when I was able to prove to them that, yes, I can indeed breath on my own. Very well, actually. That morning I had to go have my stomach tested to make sure the doctor got a good seal on it. Barium tastes like shit, just to be clear. And then I hardly got anything to wash it down. I was pretty close to throwing up, but I didn't. I felt like crap, though.

I was an emotional wreck alllll day Thursday. I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a few nights at that point, and every time I tried to sleep, someone or something would wake me up. I finally got in a good nap that afternoon.
The nurses didn't communicate very well, and one took my morphine pump away saying I needed to start the oral pain med, and then the other one came in a few hours later all confused as to why I was in pain when I could be using my pain pump. Ugh. That was annoying.

Thursday night I slept quite a bit better. Friday morning my mom helped me shower...what a chore! I couldn't reach half of what needed to be washed. But it felt good to get clean. Dr. Schmit left for vacation that day, so Dr. Kavlie came in to take my stomach drain out and check on things. He cleared me for discharge, and I went home late Friday morning!

The first few days at home weren't the greatest...lots of pain. But day by day things got better.

6 days out...Wednesday of the next week, to be exact...I developed a severe pain in my lower left abdomen. I figured it was just gas, so I put up with it all day Thursday, too. It was getting to the point where I didn't even want to move because it hurt so bad whenever I did. Friday morning I called Dr. Schmit and spoke with his nurse. I told her my symptoms and she said I should head to the ER.

My care in the ER was exceptional, for sure. They were very attentive and all so nice. Turns out I have diverticulosis, with a very early stage of diverticulitis. They caught it early enough that it can be treated with some antibiotics. They gave me Cipro and Flagyl. The nurse practitioner didn't listen very well when I told her I couldn't take pills because I just had stomach surgery...she told me I could just crush them and I would be fine. Uhhh...no. They taste like death. Seriously...rat poison. I kid you not. They're horrid, and I can't keep them down. So after pestering enough, I got a liquid version of Cipro...they basically crushed up the pill and mixed it with some ridiculously sweet liquid stuff, so I can hardly taste the nastiness...just a bit of gross aftertaste. The Flagyl doesn't have a liquid form, though. so they suggested crushing it, mixing it with Caro syrup, and putting it in juice. So that's what I did. Still disgusting, but better than before. So for the next 9 days, I get to take both of these wonderful substances twice a day. Lucky me!

Overall, I'm definitely having buyer's remorse right now. Not sure I made the right decision. I eat pretty much nothing allll day. I'm living on jello with whipped cream, sherbet, a bit of soup broth now and again, and yogurt. I drink lots of apple juice and powerade. Flavored water is pretty high on my list, too. I thought I'd drink a lot of crystal light, but I can't even stomach it right now. The thought of it grosses me out. I've found that my tummy doesn't like pudding, either.
This coming Tuesday I'm starting pureed foods, so that will be nice...mashed potatoes are calling my name! They've always been my comfort food, so it'll be good to be able to eat those when I want.

Hopefully things will start looking up pretty soon!

Ahh it's finally here!! I'm praying for today to go by fast, lol. I'm slightly nervous--not about the surgery itself, but about the time after. I don't do the whole "pain" thing well. I've decided that I'm going to have a good attitude, though. One step ahead of the game!

I took my mag citrate a few hours ago...and man, that wasn't very fun. There wasn't much in my stomach because of the diet I've been on, but still. Ick. I didn't realize it was going to give me such a horrible stomach ache. I mixed it with a packet of sugar free tropical punch kool-aid and it was bearable, I guess. Still didn't taste the best, but I plugged my nose and chugged it!

I'm just getting antsy. I'm going to start packing here pretty soon--my mom and I will be going to Bismarck tonight and staying in a hotel. Roads are pretty nasty, and it's blizzarding everywhere, so we figure it'd be best to get a move on tonight. Less to worry about in the morning!

UGH! So practically all of North Dakota is flooding right now...and I just found out that part of I94 is closed. We're supposed to just get more precipitation (rain AND a blizzard...seriously?!) so this basically means that I won't be getting to Bismarck for my surgery. I'm ridiculously upset.

I know, I know...think of how much worse it could be, right? There are tons of people who have lost a great portion of their belongings already and whose homes are under water. I realize that. And I'm terribly sorry for them. I'm just really upset.

Great timing, Mother Nature.

Well, 10 days down, 3.5 to go! I can't believe it's so close already! Seems like time is moving so fast. That's definitely a good thing, though. My mom keeps saying (in awe), "Everything is just falling into place, isn't it? I think this is definitely God's will!" So that's pretty cool.

It's true...I first decided to have LapBand, so I had my intitial evaluation appointments on February 23rd. On that date, one of the program coordinators at St. Alexius Hospital and Dr. Schmit both talked to me about doing VSG instead. I weighed my options and decided to go with that. I'm lucky enough to get in on a pilot program that the hospital is doing with BC/BS to study VSG, so insurance is completely covering the surgery. We only had to submit the one letter. We didn't think we'd get approval so quickly, but within 2 and a half weeks, they approved it. When I got the call, I was thrilled, but they said that the first surgery date available was the 1st of April. No!!! My spring break starts the 26th and goes through the 5th of April, so in order to get ideal recovery time in, I wanted to have it March 25th. So they talked to the Dr. and worked me into his schedule on the 25th! How great is that?! Then, I didn't think I'd be able to get my pre-op physical done in time, but my regular doctor ended up calling me herself and setting up a time after-hours to come in and get checked out. She's so wonderful!

So basically everything has ended up working out perfectly. I hope things will continue to do so! We're a little worried about the weather--I have to travel about 3 hours the day before the surgery to get to Bismarck, where I'm having the surgery. We're supposed to have lots of rain and icky weather for a few days at the beginning of next week, so hopefully that won't hinder things!

This weekend is pretty stressful...this coming week is actually my finals week, and I'm missing two classes on the day of the surgery, so I'm planning to take those two tests and one other on Tuesday morning before I leave for Bismarck. I'm studying like a mad woman this weekend! Plus I have two HUGE final projects due on Tuesday, so things are kind of crazy. Good thing I'm not a procrastinator : P (said with MUCH much sarcasm, lol).

The diet is going fairly well...temptation is a bitch, though, that's for sure! I got some different flavors of the Atkins Advantage protein shakes yesterday, and they're great! I got Strawberry, Mocha Latte and Caramel Cafe. YUM!! I actually really don't mind drinking them. I have to think of something other than the fact that they're protein and I'd much rather be having pancakes for breakfast, lol. But they're pretty decent.

3.5 days....I'M SOOOO EXCITED, AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!!!!

Well, almost one week down. Only one more to go! I'm getting so excited! This not eating much thing isn't very fun, but I'm realizing how often I used to eat when I wasn't even hungry! Now I'm finding other things to occupy my time, and it's great. I think the hardest thing right now is all the Peeps that are around because of Easter. Peeps are my all-time favorite candy!! Agh. Oh well. Losing weight and getting healthy is worth WAAAAY more than a Peep. Lol.

I'm still having my protein shake for two meals a day and then meat and veggies at my third meal. Tonight I made stir-fry without the noodles or rice. It was delicious! I used one chicken breast and fresh broccoli, green and red peppers, onions, green beans and carrots. Then I added a bit of garlic and onion powder and some hoisen sauce, stir fry sauce and a bit of sweet and sour sauce just on the veggies. It was soooo good. If anyone has heard of the restaurant HuHot...it's my favorite restaurant, and what I made tasted almost exactly like what I get there!! I was so proud of myself!

I ordered a bunch of different flavors of the Atkins Advantage shakes online, and those should come tomorrow, so that will be nice. The milk chocolate ones aren't bad at all, but they're getting old when I have the same flavor twice every day! I'm getting my liquids in, so that's good. Crystal Light has been my best friend! I try to drink straight water for at least half of my 64 oz, and then I have Crystal Light or something else for the rest. I discovered Powerade Zero, and that's pretty good. Kind of blah, but it's still decent.

This week is the last week of classes before finals, so things are kind of nuts. Lots of final projects due and such. Hopefully the next 8 days will go fast because I'll be keeping busy!!

So today was the first day of my Pre-Op diet. Protein shake for breakfast and lunch, and then a small salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and chicken for supper. The salad was great. The shakes, not so much.

Got word from the Dr today that insurance approved everything and surgery is set for March 25th. That's only 13 days away! Soooo excited! I keep watching all these YouTube videos of different members who are weeks to months Post-Op and so happy. I can't wait to be there and be able to be an inspiration to other people!

The only thing I'm nervous about is being sick Post-Op. I hate throwing up! I'm hoping I won't have too many problems.

In other news, I met with my neurologist today. I've been having these episodes where I fall alseep pretty randomly throughout the day...it's been going on for almost a year, and I finally came to terms with the fact that it might be something more than just fatigue. I did a sleep study last week, and the results came back as "possible disruptive sleep apnea" but they're not sure. I definitely show all the correct signs for narcolepsy, and my bloodwork came back as positive for narcolepsy, but the Dr said that the narcoleptic symptoms may be a result of the sleep apnea. So now I have to go back and do another sleep study (ugh!) with the CPAP on the entire night, and then if I still exhibit signs of narcolepsy, they'll diagnose it as such.

Of course, if it IS sleep apnea, losing weight will help that. So who knows what will happen. Time will tell, I guess.