vellenturner

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

August 21, 2018 will be 9 years since my Gastric bypass. I am still at goal, and under. My small meal habits, no caffeine, no drinking with meals and less then 12 grams of sugar per meal has kept my weight off. I have been thankful for every day I have been given as a thin person. The only complaint, if you can call it, is, I can wear the same lobes come summer or winter. Oh well, that is a good thing! I love going to cindignment shops and thrift stores to find bargains. To those getting ready for the surgery, follow your doctors instructions and you will succeed. This is a life long commitment to yourself. It is worth it.

I am still below the goal weight of 155. I stay between 142-147. The surgery was a blessing for me and a tool that I continue to use. Because of throwing kidney stones I do not get enough Calcium. This has had a negative affect on my teeth. I am still battling adrenal issues, but I would have had this issue whether I was fat or thin. My 7th anniversary is coming up. WOW, 7 years! I eat 6 small protein based meals a day. My body has accepted my thin self and helps me keep it here. To any and all who are considering this surgery, if the time has come to you and you know this tool will work for you, then research and work with a surgeon. You will not be disappointed as long as you work within the realm of the rules the doctor gives you! I will never be sorry I did this! 

I think of all the living I have accomplished in the last 4 years and how a lot of it may not have happened without the surgery.  In 2012 I finally went through back surgery.  That was a major stepping stone.  I haven't gained and in fact am 15 pounds below  the goal set by my surgeon.  My visit this year was fine, all my blood work was normal.  The doctor was pleased, as was I.  Staying on track is so automatic now.  I've been thinking of helping others who may be having problems staying the course.  But would anyone listen?  I guess the thing to do is attempt it and see where it goes.

I had some health issues this summer.  I was having problems with very low blood pressure.  I would stand up from a sitting position and feel the 'tunnel' heading my way.  I thought sure I would pass out.  I would stand still, put my head down and breath deeply.  The feeling would then subside.  This started happening in March and by June it was all the time.  Then one night in late June I got up from the bed and walked to the hallway and that is the last thing I remember until 15 minutes later my husband found me face down on the rug in the hallway in a pool of blood.  I had busted my lip pretty badly and also busted my nose.  It took awhile for the bleeding to stop.  I waited until the next day to go to the doctor's and by then my lip was so swollen and sore and my eyes were black and blue.  The doctor checked my blood pressure and did not like the numbers that came up and the fact that I didn't remember going down.  They sent me to the hospital for an overnight stay to run a lot of tests which lasted 3 days.  It wasn't my heart and it wasn't my head.  What they found was my adrenal glands that are sitting on top of my kidneys had completely stopped working.  Stress and other things had caused my adrenal's to shut down.  They help regulate your blood pressure.  I had been craving salt, I MEAN CRAVING salt for months.  I didn't tell the doctor that I was craving salt as I didn't know it was a sign of adrenal failure.  But I had other symptoms like total exhaustion, sleeplessness and and drinking lots of water.  They put me on 5 steroid pills a day to attempt to kick my adrenals into gear.  They tested me again in August and cut my steroid usage down to 3 pills a day as the adrenal's were still not up to par.  I am down to 1/2 a pill a day and hope the next test I have will show I can get completely off.  I still have 'funny' feelings now and then, but they pass very quickly and they aren't as bad as they were before.  I have more energy and feel better but I was hungry all the time on 5 pills a day.  That has slowed down but it did put 15 pounds on me.  Now to get back to the beginning and lose those 15 pounds.

I hope everyone is doing well.  I tell everyone I meet that I would do the surgery again in a heart beat and I mean it!  This has been a blessing, I'm on less medication then before, and I feel good about myself.  I hope all of my friends who have the same new 'birthday' are doing as well.

Vera-Ellen Turner

I am happy right where I am at the moment.  I have a lovely size 14 wardrobe and want to enjoy wearing these clothes for a while.  I am currently eating a little bit more to stay where I am in weight.  If I only go to a size 12 I will be happy.  Even if I don't get there, I am happy.  I am so glad I had this surgery.  It will help me stay where I want to be.  I have no more back pain and sleep well.

 

I stepped on the scale yesterday morning and weighed in at 198.5!  I was dancing on the ceiling!  What a feeling it is to be under 200.  I've been getting some walking in everyday and that helped me push past my first plateau.  I was hovering around 200 for 3 weeks!  I am finally all healed too.  The area where the drain was has taken over 2 months to heal!  It now has scar tissue over it.  Up until this week, it still had a scap over it.  I was wondering if it would ever really heal.  But it did, finally.   I need to start using vitamin E and rub on the spots to keep the scar tissue from being so hard.  I've been doing well with the eating plan and haven't had to worry about any strange cravings.  What a blessing that is.  I will be going to a Thanksgiving dinner but don't think it will be a problem.  I'll eat what my body says it needs and that will be that.  The size 16's are getting very baggy on me, so I guess for December, I'll be looking into size 14 clothes.  I'm down 76 pounds this year!  My doctor was so pleased a couple of weeks ago that I was down 73 pounds, but now it is more.  I only have 38 more pounds to go and I will be at goal.  I may reach that before my birthday!  I'm so glad all the bumps are over and I'm on track for being healthy.  The first part of next year will be a period to investigate a back surgeon.  Gee, I'll have a whole new body!  Whatever shall I do with it?  LOL

It has been a while since I wrote.  I had to have 2 endoscopes to have the stricture stretched.  Since then, if I eat too fast, it doesn't stay down.  It isn't that I'm not chewing, it is that I'm eating too fast.  I definitely have to eat slow and steady.  I'm down 67 pounds this year, 34 since the surgery.  If I keep this up, I will be under 200 by the 28th of this month!  Gee, I haven't been in that range in a good 20 years!  I'm fitting size 16's perfectly and X-LG tops.  I had to go out and get a whole new wardrobe as I had no 16's in my closet.  Of course I hit Goodwill and New Hope thrift store.  I found a real bargain at the New Hope Thrift store in Clarksville, IN.  Liz Clairborne pants, 5 pairs in 16 for $1 a pair!  Couldn't pass that up and they fit perfectly and were in excellent shape.  It was like finding a gold mine!  

I've had 2 WOW moments since returning to work.  Two people told me how young I looked.  That was nice.  Everyone had to make comments about how 'skinny' I was getting.  Well, it isn't over yet, so watch out world.  I've been sending my clothes to a friend who is losing and is a bit behind me.  I hope she gets some use out of them.  

The only problem I have is making sure I get all the vitamins and minerals in and all the water.  The protein isn't a problem.  I've been on so many low carb diets that protein first is a habit and easy to follow.  I am glad I can finally eat fruites and vegetables now.   

I've been swimming at the 'Y' and walking when I can.  I may even take up skiing again at this rate!  Who knows?

 Gastroparesis    I don't know if they will find anything tomorrow.  At least now I have medication to handle it.  Maybe the surgeon will find something and maybe not.  But at least I feel better about the problem.  And yes, it is a problem.  I hope to get over this soon.

I visted the surgeon yesterday and told him about the problems I am having with the vomitting and ability to only eat a little at a time before I am so full and then it all comes up.  He has scheduled an endoscopy for tomorrow.  He doesn't beliew it could be anything but will check.  I also have an upper Gi and xray scheduled for Monday, which means I won't be back to work that day.  It could be an ulcer or a stricture or it could be nothing, which is what the surgeon believes.  After speaking with one of the nurses that works with him this morning, it may be that I have become lactose intolerant.  I've been having stomach pains, nausea and vomitting.  I eat during the day and as I eat my stomach gets fuller and fuller and then finally it all comes up.  I hate the feeling of too full and everything sitting in my gullet.  It is a horrible feeling and I pace and wonder how to stop this feeling.  It happens with everything I eat.  I was doing so well and then this.  I'm so tempted to say the hell with it all and have major surgery to put it all back - but I'm really not up for that either.  I have to deal with what I have.  I am having some tenderness and pain in the lower right area where there is 'something' but not sure what that is.  Oh well, months from now I pray that all this will be past me and I'm on my way to a much happier life.  I'm off all my meds, which is good.  My back bothers me early in the morning, and when I sit too long.  I'm not sure I want any type of surgery ever again.  I've become quite squimish since this surgery.  I dread needles, doctors, hospitals, everything.  I'm running out of food that I can eat.  I've been following the doctors instructions, but at the same time, I eat something one week and 2 weeks later, I can't stand that food anymore.

Well, maybe we'll know more tomorrow, or not.  The surgeon still thinks everything that I complain about is in my brain.  I was so tempted to cancel the procedure tomorrow.  But I'd better not!  I don't want Dr. Shina mad at me anymore then he already is.  Once again, I've become a patient with problems.

 

It has been 5 weeks since my surgery - and I'm 28 pounds lighter.  That has caused me to lose so much energy.  I've been sick twice - had to get rid of whatever was on my stomach.  I see Dr. Shina next Tuesday and am supposed to go back to work the following week.   If I don't get more energy I will be sunk.  I won't even be able to walk to the restrooms.  

I haven't accomplished as much as I wanted while off. But that is okay, I'll work it out slowly. 

Need to eat more and get more calories.