Patricia R.
December 2007
Dec 20, 2007
My gastritis seems to be the biggest road block right now. The prilosec is just not cutting it. I discussed at my doctor visit and she put me on Nexium for 20 days, which helped. Now I am back to prilosec and I can feel that pain again - which makes me want to eat to make it go away. Calling the doctor today to see if she will put me on something stronger again. I am disappointed that I can't seem to get that last 10 pounds off... Now with the holidays it's been harder to find time to excercise, too. I joined the gym at work so that I now have two places I can go - the rehab center near my home and the gym at the office.
I had two cysts removed from head last month and when the nurse went to remove the stitches last week, she remarked how much hair I had! Ha ha ha. After all that I lost! So, all of you out there reading this -- it does come back! I started taking biotin pre-op and still do, so maybe that has helped it come back in.
I find that I can tolerate some sugar now - sneak a cookie now and then. But any more than that, or any large portion of refined carb or sugar - I dump. Break out in sweat, feel dizzy, have to go lie down. (No puking anymore.)
It's wierd - I wish I could feel the way I did right after the surgery. I had no interest in eating and could go for hours and hours without thinking about it. Maybe it's the gastritis, but now, I get that feeling in my stomache that I want to eat.
Happy holidays to all of you pre and post opers out there! I hope reading this journal gives you some hope, peace of mind, or information that you need. I would love to hear from any of you. If you have any questions or just want to chat.
My email address: [email protected]
August 2, 2007
Aug 02, 2007
EIGHT (8) months out. 80 pounds lost. Size XL - 16! Reached goal #1 - to weight less than hubby!!
I hit a plateau for five weeks in June/July. Actually, I was experiencing pain in my stomach that disappeared only if I was eating. So, of course, I started grazing all day just to make the pain go away. Not good. I finally called the surgeon's office and she told me to go back on Prilosec, that I probably have gastritis. Sure enough, instant relief. Now I'm back on the losing track gain. Thank goodness! It's coming off very slowly, as I am eating more now and include carbs in my diet, as I really need that fiber intake. Nothing white -- no potato, no white bread, no rice -- just whole grain. I'm not doing the protein drinks daily like I used to, but I do find that if I get off track, going back to the drinks is my saving grace. And I can tolerate the taste so much better now. Isn't that wierd? I had two canisters of protein shake mix that I hated and shoved to the back of the cabinet for the kids or Tim. I took it out not too long ago and make a shake for the heck of it and it wasn't too bad after all. Go figure.
How others treat you. I a noticing more and more how prejudiced people are against fat people. All of sudden now, strangers don't have a problem striking up friendly conversations with me-- in the grocery store, in the elevator at work, etc. I must have been oblivious to it in the past-- but now, it's so obvious. If I were heavier, I'm sure they wouldn't have given me the time of day.
My tailbone pain seems to have subsided a bit, although it's still there and hurts most when I sit for a while in the wrong position, especially at work. I don't why this pain always pops up after surgery. After each c-section I've had, the tailbone pain popped up and eventually went away in a few months. This time it's lingering much longer.
Something really wierd happened to me last month. I developed what the doctor thought was an embilical absess. My belly button got really sore and I could feel lump under the skin. Then one night, I woke up with bloody fluid all over my nighty and sheets. It seems that the absess "popped" and came out of my navel. After that, yellowish liquid would ooze out slowly throughout the day. I went to the gynoc. thinking it was related to my tubal ligation I had a few years back. He put me on antibiotics and took some cultures from my belly button fluids. The lab test came back that it was yeast infection, so he put me on more meds for that. Happy to say, all is now back to normal. Dr. said I may want to consult with surgeon if it happens again -- some kind of surgery they can do to fix the problem.
My hair has stopped falling out. Yay! I can now see little spurts of new hair sprouting up. Yay again! I got my hair cut the shortest I've ever had and hate it, but had to do it. (Even shorter than in my photos.) Still taking biotin - I'm too afraid to stop. Looking forward to my hair growing out and having it a decent style.
I can hear my arm flab flapping whenver I put on deoderant. It's disgusting, but I don't want to go through plastic surgery. When I walk, I could feel the fat on my calves wobble back and forth, but that seems to have lessened now. I wonder why? Maybe my muscles are becoming more toned? Or could it possibly be my skin is shrinking back? ha -- if only!
Developed this very red Itchy skin on my legs and chest. I think it may have been some kind of eczema or something - it went away when I took the meds for the belly button. wierd.
My new goal: To lose 100 pounds and become a member of the century club!
March-April 2007
Apr 01, 2007
My hair continues to fall out at an alarming rate. Any parts I make in my hair reveal noticeable bare scalp. I am told it will get better by the six month mark... I hope I can make it without resorting to wigs or scarves!
My hands are always cold. My double chin has receded slightly, but the skin looks like crepe paper. Looking for some kind of cream I can use to improve the looks of this. Probably something with retin-A or glycolic acid. My arms are getting flabby. When I walk, I can feel the extra skin just above my knees wobble back and forth. Creepy feeling, but at my age, I can deal with it. If I was younger, I'd probably want to get plastic surgery eventually...
The weight loss is slowing down to about 1.5 pounds per week. I started eating some carbs... 1/2 slice bread, a taste of pasta. I thought I would miss this stuff immensely, but, you know, after waiting so long to taste it again, I'm not impressed. I can do without. I'll stick with the protein and veggies and fruit and eat a little carb when it's something really special, like home-made Greek spanikopita.
I'm doing better at eating out. When my meal comes, I immediately cut my food into the 1-cup portion I will eat now and push aside the portion I will take home (or give to Tim). This helps me avoid stretching the pouch. I also spend a lot of time cutting my food into little pieces. That way I end up finishing my meal at about the same time as everyone else.
Oh, man, what I mistake I made last week! I treated myself to some fat free-sugar free vanilla ice cream (Turkey Hill) and added some fat free-sugar free chocolate sauce for added flavor. But I grabbed the wrong bottle of chocolate sauce from the fridge! It was the regular kind - which my daughter pointed out to me the next day after I suffered much of the night with diarrhea, hot flashes, nausea, sweats, cramping, you name it. At least I know my "tool" is working!
February 11, 2007
Feb 11, 2007
Some AHA moments: Being able to tie my shoes without sitting on the bed in contorted positions..... Fitting into a restaurant booth (no more scoping out tables with regular chairs!)..... Slipping my opal ring onto my finger, which hasn't fit for at least 10 years...... Walking out of my shoes because my feet have gotten smaller..... Hiking up 3 flights of stairs at work - which I could never do before without running out of breath.... Being able to scratch parts of my back with my own hand, not a ruler or backscratcher..... No more swelling feet..... Less back pain.... Friends asking me if I got a haircut or styled my hair differently (no, I didn't -- my face looks different because it's got less fat packed in!)..... Fitting into my "skinny" clothes.... and... best of all....Having my 16 year old daughter tell me that she is proud me. Now how cool is that? Makes it all worth while.
Medical updates: The constipation has subsided considerably. I was taking Colace almost every day, up to 4 pills every night. As of 2 weeks ago, no longer need to take anything. I think getting in some fresh fruits, vegetables, beans and yogurt have helped tremendously. I am using fitday.com to track all of my eating and I really like that site. It tells you how much protein, vitamins, fiber, carbs, etc. etc., that you are getting in and how much you are burning off. So, I am no longer on protein drinks, as I seem to be getting more than the 60 grams per day in protein. Still going to the gym (Main St. Rehab) 2-3 times per week. I like it there, but the driving is getting to me. After commuting to Hartford everyday, the last thing I want to do is drive 30 more minutes to get to the gym. Considering some other options right now. Last week, I came down with a urinary tract infection, which I am sure is due to not getting in enough fluids. I stll struggle with that. My PCP put me on antibiotics and I feel much better. I worry that it might come back. A friend at work told me that it's caused by too much sex! Ha ha ha....don't think so! While the quality has certainly gotten better, the quantity has not due to hubby's work schedule and us both being so tired at night. Why do they call it the golden years?
Things I worry about: I find that I am able to eat more and drink more in one gulp now. That scares me. And I am still giving myself large portions. Why do I do that? It sure is hard to break these old habits. Not doing too badly sticking to the 30 minute rule. Its portion control that I need to work on. I don't want to stretch out my pouch and break the tool that I was given. I pray for some more inner strength in dealing with that. I noticed that my daily calorie intake has crept up from 800 calories per day to nearly 1,000. Need to watch that. And I get these empty feelings in my belly like I am hungry.. No tummy growling or anything like that, but more like an emptiness or dull ache -- that feeling that you get just before your stomach growls. Hope I am not getting an ulcer. Don't see how I can with taking Prilosec every day. I have been noticing more than normal hair in tub drain past few days. Arrrggggg... here we go.... :(
Questions to ask surgeon/PA at visit next week:
Should I continue to take Prilosec everyday even though the box says to stop after 14 days?
Do I still need protein drinks?
Any tips on avoiding UTI? (Besides drink more.) Are the cranberry pills ok to take?
Do I still have to cut pills or is it ok to take them whole now?
Do vitamins still have to be chewable?
Thoughts on biotin?
Next week, we're going on a family trip to Vermont for a few days. Looking forward to skiing and relaxing and just spending time with the family - away from all the hustle and bustle. Maybe this time, I'll be able to buckle my ski boots all by myself! Stay tuned!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU ALL!
January 4, 2007
Jan 03, 2007
Well, I am on pureed/soft foods for two more weeks and then on to regular food! Yippee. My 3-week follow-up with Dr. Choi went well. We spoke about her appearance on TV the day before -- She was interviewed on channel 8 and did a great job providing a lot of information about bariatric surgery in a short period of time. This is going to be gross, but might be helpful to some of you out there... I asked her why my bm's were so frequent, hard and large - the largest I've ever had in my life -- when all I'm ingesting is liquids. Just didn't make sense to me. She said that people mistakenly think that it's made from food product, but it's really not. It's all made from bacteria that is produced in your intestinal tract as it digests the food. So, I guess my body produces a lot of bacteria! I've had to take milk of magnesia 3 times so far, but now I make sure to eat 2oz of pureed prunes everyday and that seems to have done the trick. What a relief! Some days I felt like I was delivering a baby!! ha ha ha. OK, enough of the gross stuff.
I am feeling absolutely great. My energy level has improved, my snoring has cut down, and my clothes are all lose. What a wonderful feeling. I need to work on getting all of my fluids in every day. I seem to alway be short about 4-8oz. And now that the fluid requirement has increased, I need to focus on this even more. Last night I scared myself because I found I was able to eat almost 8 oz. of chicken and hummus at one sitting. I didn't feel full or sick at all. I think maybe it was because I didn't wait the full 30 minutes after drinking some Crystal Lite. Maybe it all just slid down into my digestive tract with the liquid that was still in there. Again, I need to be more careful about this. I don't want to stretch my pouch and I don't want to sabotage myself. I need to remember to use the tool correctly or I won't get the right results. Kind of like using a hammer... if you use it incorrectly, that nail will never get pounded into place, or worse, get bent or damaged.
I am lucky (I think) that I don't get nauseous and vomit after eating. I hear a lot of people do. I need to appreciate this fact and not abuse it.
I go back to work on Monday, Jan 8. These past six weeks have flown by, but I am glad I was able to take the time to focus on getting used the changes and to build some good habits and drop the bad ones. The true test will be when I start eating normal foods. I hope I can continue on the right track.
Dec. 12, 2006
Dec 11, 2006
I had my surgery on Nov. 27. It went well, but was not without some bumps in the road. Check in and pre-surgical prep went smoothly. The nurses were very very nice, even after I started crying because I was so scared. One of the nurses hugged me and told me she understood - she had cancer surgery and had been scared, too. After that, I realized that my problems were nothing compared to hers. I should be thankful that I have this opportunity at all. After that, it took them an hour to put in an intrevenous line. My veins are small to begin with, and with no fluids in my system, it made them even smaller. Four different docs/techs tried, to no avail, including the anesthesiologist. They kept injecting novacaine (or whatever it is) to numb the pain, but it didn't help much and I was in agony while they tried digging on all different parts of hands, wrists and arms. Thank goodness for the OR technicians - they were sooooo nice. One of them let me squeeze her hand as hard as I could and the other one was very calming and protective. Finally, they were able to put in a baby intrevenous line and off I went. When I woke up, one of the tecnicians discovered that the anest. forgot to undo the tourniquet on my left arm. It was there for the entire surgery. He apologized to me and admitted that it was his fault. I could tell Dr. Choi was pissed, but she remained professional. After 2 weeks, I still have bruises all over my arms, with one humongous one on that left arm.
The hospital stay was as I expected. The nurses are very very busy. There's not enough resources to attend to all the patients in a timely manner. I felt bad for my roommate (not a bariatric patient) who was suffering from severe migraine headaches. She called for pain meds and didn't get them until 4 hours later. The good thing about having a roomie was that we could moan and groan together and help each other out when needed. If one of us needed to call a nurse, we'd check with the other to see if she needed anything so we could get it all taken care of with one nurse visit and not have to keep bothering them. Our room was very hot and try as they did, the temp could not be adjusted. I wished I had a fan with me. I slept with the covers off all the time... I didn't care who walked in to see me like that... it was just too warm. I loved the compressors they put on your legs to prevent blood clots. It was like getting a leg massage all day long. I did pretty well at practicing my breathing. I would feel phlegm come up and need to cough it out, but had to hold my belly, cuz it would hurt to do it. One of the nurses gave me a beautiful hand-made heart-shaped pillow to use for this purpose. I have it at home now, and whenever I look at it, I think of the day I started this new life.
I was given two pain meds intrevenously. They started me out on Stxxxxxx... - I forget the name of it, but it was a gloried type of tylenol I think. Then when it didn't seem to be cutting it, I asked for something else and they have me morphine. I like the morphine at night, cuz it helped me sleep. Again, it takes them a while to respond. I waited too long at one point and was in agony by the time they got to me. I had to remember to ask at the first inkling
Chapstick came in very handy. I could not tolerate ice chips - it gave me "stomach" cramps. Room temp water was the best - and even then it felt somewhat crampy once it hit my pouch. It was hard getting all the water down. I know I didn't drink as much as I should have. By the time I graduated to jello, it was getting easier, but still difficult to get it all in because of the cramping I felt. Sips sips sips. Walking helped a lot. I never felt like walking, but I would force myself..... When I stood up, it felt like my insides were going to fall out... holding the pillow helped. They want you to pass gas before you can home.. again, drinking warm water and walking helped that to happen.
They had me on an oxygen monitor machine which malfunctioned often than not. If your oxygen goes below a certain level, it starts beeping very loudly. (My poor roommate with the migraines!) The darn machines, though would shut itself down for no reason and then start up again, all while beeping beeping beeping. The nurse would come in and tell me to "breathe, breathe, breathe" to get the levels up. I would keep telling them, no -- it's not me, it's the machine - there's something wrong with it." They didn't believe me. My husband brought my two daughters (ages 16 and 8) to see me that first night and the oxygen machine did it again while they were there. They hear the machine loudly BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP, and then the nurse comes in telling me to BREATHE BREATHE BREATHE... the girls thought I was coding!! They both start bawling and run out of the room. My poor babies!! The next day, I figured out it was the TV remote that was interfering with the machine. Everytime I changed the channel, it would shut down. I showed the nurse and she just shrugged her shoulders, so when she left, I untaped the monitor from my finger, unplugged the machine and pushed it into the corner. And there it remained the rest of my stay and no one ever said anything. ha ha ha
Generally, I found the second and third shift nursing staff more responsive than the day shift. The day shift is extremely busy... so I'd try to save up my requests for 3:30 or later. I had a student nurse from WestConn assigned to me one morning.. and she was the sweetest thing. She gave me sponge bath and even rubbed lotion on my back... boy did that feel good. Between that and the leg compressors, I almost felt like I was in a spa... ha ha ha.
I could only cat-nap during my stay. Between noise and nurses coming in and out doing vitals, etc., there was no peace. Even with the door closed, I could hear, every 30 minutes, the grinding and squeaking of some kind of cart wheeling across a tile floor. All night long.
With a roomie - it got tricky using the bathroom. We each had a "pee basin" that we had to use on the toilet so they could measure our output. The nurse is supposed to record the measurement and then empty it. I would try to remind them to do it every time I saw a nurse around, but sometimes I'd forget and then I'd have to go... and there'd be roomies' pee sitting in the toilet waiting to be recorded and emptied. Then I'd have to hold it until a nurse came down to take care of it. On the last day, I got tired of the routine and didn't use the basin anymore... just flushed it away! No one said anything. Oh, and, I got my period the second day (unexpected). So I didn't want to gross out my roomie with seeing that stuff either.
Taking out the catheter wasn't too bad, but taking out the abdominal drain was freaky. It felt like someone reached inside me and was slowly pulling out my intestines. My husband said he heard me yelling all the way down the hall. After that, though, I felt MUCH better. The pain in my belly was half what it was beforehand.
My surgery was Monday morning and I was allowed to go home Wednesday afternoon. When the time came, the nurse said I could wait 2 hours for a wheelchair, or walk out now with my husband. (Gee, which option do you think I took?)
It was soooooo nice to be home. Had to wait 24 hours before I could shower.... it felt sooooo good! First two nights, I slept on the recliner. It was the next best to a hospital bed. I couldn't roll on my side anyway. After that, I was able to sleep in bed and after about 5 days, I could sleep on my right side. That was nice!
Drinking the liquids gets easier as time goes on. I am now able to get 4-8 ounces down in an hour. But when I'm done I don't want to start over again. I can't bear to think of drinking even more. Thus, I am not getting in all the fluids I should be. The protein drinks I am doing ok with... I have been using Designer Whey. Some days it's not so bad, other days I can't stand it. It's really wierd how your taste buds change so quickly. Doing ok on the vitamins as well, although I'd like to find a different chewable mult-vitamin. The Centrum makes me gag and I have to hold my nose and chew to get it down.
I can't wait to start eating pureed foods. Cooking dinner for my family and watching them eat it is torture while I sit there with my cup of broth. I don't feel like eating, but I really want to feel the taste in my mouth. Looking forward to at least some cottage cheese and pureed steak starting next week!
