Day 27: I'm getting the hang of it

Eating 1 ounce of food 3 times a day isn't a problem. I'm not hungry, ever. I guess the problem is that I get bored with the food I'm eating. Not very much flavor. Other things are too sweet.
My meals are:
Scrambled Eggs, Boiled Eggs, Deli Ham or Turkey, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Chicken, Cream Cheese, fish, shrimp, crabmeat and broth,
Its difficult getting much flavor with just a little bit of food.

Day 9

Well, it's been 9 days since my surgery. I'm doing pretty good. I still have pain at times. Sometimes a lot of pain. (Some of those people in the groups I belong to were not lying about the pain).
Trying to sleep at night is a flipping bear. I have to sort of sit up leaning slightly cause I cant lay on my side or stomach and I can't sleep laying down yet. I'm very emotional at times. But for the most part, I've been fine (in my opinion, others may have other opinions but this is my blog so their opinions don't get to enter here 😊 ).
My Superman(Doug) has been amazing as always. He's been very supportive and so very helpful and just plain awesome. He's been cooking, cleaning, remodeling and wiping tears when those things start to flow.
My children have been great also. Calling and checking up on me. Listening to me cry and complain or just vent. My daughter has hung out with me probably more than she has wanted to, lol. And it's been great. I've really enjoyed the time together.
Last night I fixed a full meal for Doug and Daniel(who didn't come home for supper even though he said I'll be there in a little bit(5 hours later he shows up). I already knew he was full of it about that).
I fixed bbq chicken in the crockpot with potatoes, corn on the cob and a salad. Of course, the chicken was dry 😐. *grumbles a lot* I wanted everything to be perfect and of course, that made a couple of tears flow.
I had 1/2 ounce of cottage cheese and 1/2 ounce of egg salad....yummy. It was really good. 20 more days till I move to 2 ounces! *wOoOoOot!* 💪
I had a hard time getting my fluids in yesterday so I had a bad night. Some pain and a little nausea.
Today I am feeling better and on the way to a good start with my fluids, protein and vitamins. I'm already 28-1/2 ounces into the day and it's only 11:23am. Not bad, although I got up at 5:30am and started this process. 😐 Only 36 more to go 😏😩
Doug is working on the bathroom. It's looking amazing. Can't wait till I can take a bathtub bath. But that will have to wait till the doctor says it's ok.
God has truly blessed me with a wonderful family and I thank Him!

You took the easy way out

So many times people that have weight loss surgery that is open about it get told, "oh you took the easy way out" or "can't you just diet?" or "you could just not eat so many times a day".
I'll address the first one:
"Oh, you took the easy way out"...Yeah, the easy way. Ok for those of you that do not know in order to have gastric bypass RYN with insurance you have to see multiple doctors to get clearance. Such as cardiac, pulmonary, primary care and psychiatric clearance. You also have to see a nutritionist normally for 6 months. There's lots of testing such as CT scans, echocardiogram, breathing, stress test, blood work and more. There's also surgical education and dietician appointments. Sometimes there is a couple of weeks of the liquid diet. You have to quit smoking and they test you before surgery. If you drink there's no drinking for a year after surgery. Yep, easy! But I'm not done.
The day before surgery you have to stop eating at midnight. Then the day of the surgery you are taken back asked lots of questions. Sign some papers. Then IV's put in. Then meds to relax and off to surgery you go. Now all I know is the next thing I saw was the mask coming down to put me to sleep. When I woke up I had 5 incisions and a pain medicine pump. You're not allowed anything to eat or drink all that day. They will give you the little sponge suckers and a cup of ice chips to wet your mouth with. 4 hours after you wake up its time to get up and walk. See while you are in surgery they fill your abdomen with air so that they can see what they are doing. This causes very painful gas. Walking helps to get rid of the air. It also keeps your mobile and helps to prevent blood clots. They want you to walk 6 times a day.
Pain from the gas and incisions and just feeling blah is such a treat!
Next day...liquid diet all day. Broth, water, crystal light...pick your poison. 1 ounce each meal. Don't to hit that pain pump when needed. You will also sleep from time to time except when the nurses or care partner comes in to take BP, check your sugar or whatever else there is to do. Oh, I almost forgot the blood thinner shots to the stomach every day! Oh yeah, we're still on easy. So let's see what's next? More walking. No shower. You can have a bird bath. Oh, and you're probably going to start your period if you are a female.
Day 3 I was allowed to have scrambled egg or oatmeal. I chose the egg. Shower day! And I was able to go home.
Now once you are home after you've hit every bump on the way home and figured out how to get in and out of a car without popping your incisions open...INCISIONS; remember there is 5 of them.
After you come home a flood of emotions hit you worse than in the hospital. Tears will most likely flow freely. You may or may not be able to have a bowel movement. If you can it may hit you like never before! If you have to go, I suggest you go as soon as the urge hits.
The pains in the incision are painful at times or they were for me. Pain meds help. I also had to sleep sitting up then slowly reclining a little more each night. Getting up is a job! Laying down is also a job.
Ok, now when you get home you have to eat 1 ounce of food 3 times a day. Just ONE ounce! For a month. Also, you have to drink 48-64 ounces of water(tea, protein shake, broth, crystal light, Jell-O, sugar-free popsicles etc) each day. 2-11 ounce protein shakes a day, which goes towards your fluid intake. Also, you take 2000mg of Calcium Citrate, 5000mcg of B-12 a week, 2 Flinstones Multi-Vitamin a day for the rest of your life. All meds have to be crushed or liquid. Now I've seen some of you "fit" people eat. Ya couldn't handle it!
"Can't you just diet?" Don't you think I've tried? Over and over? Every diet I could afford? Even things I couldn't afford. Not everyone just sits around and eats and does nothing to fix it. Sometimes it just gets overwhelming. You've put on pounds after pounds over the years. And you get lost.
"You could just not eat so many times a day". Yeah...that's stupid! Eating 3 meals a day is a healthy way to lose weight. It's also better for you than skipping meals.
It's not easy. There's nothing easy about it. There's also the fear of death. The loss of friends because they didn't agree with your choice. So before you start judging people for trying to be healthier think about this.
Now if you still have this opinion about it being easy...I feel sorry for you.
So yeah, I took the EASY way out.

Echo/Echo-cardiogram Stress Test

So my appointments for my cardio test for release were the 17th & 19th.

So I went on the 17th for my appointment at CVAL. My appointment was at 11am...WRONG! lol. My appointment was actually for 2:30pm. So I had to hang out around Virginia for a few hours. I decided to go to a few thrift stores. I found some items for my bathroom. Then I went where both of my sons, Heath & Daniel work. Heath and I went to lunch(Daniel had already eaten his lunch).
We went to YNot. We had the spinach and tomato pizza and salads. It was a nice lunch and I didn't overdo it. I had a slice and a half of pizza with my salad and a glass of ice water.
Then I went to my appointment. Of course, laying there with no shirt or bra on and a paper robe is so much fun(dripping with sarcasm). But had a nice conversation with the tech about weight loss and exercise. The test did not take a long time and I was on my way home.

On April 19th, my appointment was at 11am(not 2:30pm), yes I had them mixed up. My dad rode with me to Virginia.  For this test, I had to have an IV put in. And just so you know, Benard ROCKS! I honestly never felt the needle go in my arm.
So the test starts. Deborah(the tech) talked to me about the test. Then she placed all the nice patches on that needed to be on me. Then she started her part of the test.  Then 2 other techs came in and talked to me about the medicine they were going to use to make my heart race. They took my blood pressure. It was 120/72 and started the medication. The first push of the meds caused my heart to speed up a little. I could feel it. It wasn't bad at all. She took my BP again, 130/68. Another push of the meds. This made my heart beat faster. It was fine, wasn't uncomfortable. Another BP check, 134/68. Between each meds push was 3 or 4 minutes. Another meds push. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Yeah it was a little uncomfortable but not unbearable. 138/68. Another push. And pictures of my heart. They looked good. BP check, 140/68 and nauseous! Very nauseous! They gave me a bag and stopped the medicine. My heartbeat had reached a good number with no problems. Soon after the meds stopped, nausea stopped. I was able to remove the patches and get dressed. IV was removed and out the door, I went.
So now I wait for my results. Next appointment is May the 11th at 2:40pm with Dr. Ashby at CVAL.

I LOST MY MIND!!

So one day last week I woke up early. I got bored. Then hungry. Then extremely bored. Sooo I ate a whole bag of sweet potato chips & some roasted garlic hummus.
After I finished eating it, I felt horrible. I felt angry, guilty, sad, disappointed & frustrated.
I tried to make myself throw up. It didn't work. So I just sat here feeling guilty. Then I talked to a friend, Vicki. She told me, "just don't do it again! Stop feeling bad about it and move on." She also told me about drinking vinegar with Splenda in it if that's how I could drink it. She said it would help to digest the food faster. So I did it. Did it work? I don't know. I just know she was right. I couldn't sit there and feel bad for what I have done all day. I could learn from the mistake and not do it again.

So a few days later I received a card from Vicki. It made me cry like a baby.
The card said;
Deborah,
Just wanted to let you know, that whatever you, me or whoever did something stupid (like eating a whole bag of chips). God will still forgive us AND he gives us His holy spirit to remind us to keep trying. Starting with your husband, you have a lot of people who know you can and will be successful and will be able to inspire others! 
You already inspire me! 
You can do it!
Love,
Vicki

She's right I have a lot of people who are here for me. I have many friends and family that believe in me and that means the world to me.

Cardiovascular Consultation

Well, today was my visit with the cardiologist for my surgery clearance.
My blood pressure was 120/70. My heart rate was 76. My EKG was excellent.
I've lost 20 pounds.
Dr. Ashby wants me to have an echocardiogram Tuesday. And then Thursday I have an echocardiogram stress test. Something I said I would never have again.
The last time I had one of these, I thought I was going to die lol.
My heart raced so much it felt like I was going to explode but hopefully it will be over quick.
So now I have appointments tomorrow. Tuesday & Wednesday.
It's getting real now!

Support Group for March

Our March support group speaker was one of the psychiatrists. She talked about different eating disorders and gave us tips on working through our eating issues.

She gave us some recipes. 

We talked about using Pinterest for recipe ideas.

We talked about what to expect when we have our appointments with the psychiatrist. 

We had a question and answer time where if anyone wanted to ask a question they could and not just the psychiatrist would answer but people that have gone through the surgery and have experienced the issue that anyone had.

I enjoyed listening to her speak. Hopefully soon the plastic surgeon will be speaking. 

Next group is April 12th! Can't wait! That's also the day of my next nutrition appointment. 

March Nutrition Visit

Well, today was visit #3 to the nutritionist. She was the same one I had last time. She was very pleased with my progress and choices I have made. I've done everything on her list.
I'm down 16 pounds since my doctor's consultation and 12.2 pounds down since my first visit to the nutritionist. I'm super excited.
I haven't been able to do any exercise because I have hurt my back somehow(I don't have a clue how). But hopefully, soon I'll be able to do some exercise and maybe jump start my weight loss more forward.
We made my next appointment for April 12th, So I'm looking forward to what this next month has in store for me.
Doug has been so supportive. He's an amazing man and I love him with all my heart.
This month I shouldn't be eating out as much. My dad was in the hospital having knee replacement surgery and I was there a lot which meant a lot of eating out. I have to learn to prepare meals to take with me on those days. I'll do better with upcoming doctors appointments for him.

Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.
                                                                                                        Proverbs 6:8

February Nutrition Visit

February 14th, was my February visit with the nutritionist. A different one than the last visit.

I lost 4.6 pounds this month. That's pretty good :-)

We talked about my choices of foods and what changes I have made in my life.
And how I'm making changes in the way I eat. Sometimes it's hard and sometimes I fail.

She made some suggestions and I listened.
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Moving forward, Hoping not to fall down

When I go out to eat, I try to eat things that are not fried. No pasta. No cream sauces. Lean meats. Veggies. I also usually like to ask for a to-go box as soon as I get my food. That way I can put usually over half of it in the box to take home for the next day for lunch or supper. I've cut my portions down to about a quarter of what I use to eat. It makes a difference.
Sometimes it doesn't always work out but for the most part, it does.
I'm trying and I plan to succeed!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart 

And do not lean on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

And He will make your paths straight

                                          ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

I have a lot to do before the surgery

Weight Loss Surgery Requirements

1. Appointment Made: 1/9 -Done
2. Seminar: December 21st-Done
3. 2 Support Group Meetings-1/12 & 2/8-Done: Continuing to go
4. Nutrition Consult(6 consecutive months): 1/15, 2/14, 3/14, 4/12
5. Psychological Consult:
6. Labs(Blood work):
7. Chest Xray:
8. EKG: 4/11-Done
9. Cardiac Clearance: Cardiac consult: 4/11 Echo: 4/17 Echo stress test 4/19 Results Appointment: 5/11(hopefully I will be cleared then)
10. Pulmonary Clearance: Pulmonary: April 2nd-Done
11. Mammogram: 12/29-Done & Faxed
12. Pap
13. Most Recent Pre-Op Visit
14. Join a Gym
15. Pre Surgery Education
16. Surgery

Nutrition Visit #1

My first visit to the nutritionist was January 15th. 


Doug and I went to my first appointment and I already knew what I was going to hear.
There's no doubt in my mind or anyones mind I eat too much. I had to keep a food diary for 3 days before my appointment.

She showed me a new way of eating. Is it easy? No its not. But I'm trying.

35-45 grams of Carbs per meal. 15 grams of Carbs for snacks. 6-8 ounces of Protein a day. 5-7 teaspoons of fat per day.

So now I have to do a 30 day diary of what I eat every day.

My next appointment is Valentines Day.

Support Group

On January 12th I went to my first support group, which was amazing.

They discussed everything. People asked questions. The doctor was there. Also nurses and nutritionist.
I watched a woman get a pin for hitting 100 pounds. I heard women and men talk about the struggles, the highs and lows. It was amazing. I listened to the fears of others. The encouragement from those who have already been through the surgery. People laughed and cried. There was nearly 80 people there.
I have to go to 2 manditory group meetings but I intend to go to many more. They are so interesting. And you learn so much.
The question and answer portion is the best though. To hear what all these people have gone through and not in a totally negative way. Its just awesome. To see the progress they have made.
To hear what medicines they have come off of since having the surgery. I'm really excited about that.

My first challenge for the next month was to drink 64 ounces of water a day.


I'm going to add the next Support Group to this post because I'm behind in my posting.

February 8th:

Tonights Support Group was interesting. Doug went with me tonight.

I turned in my challenge. I DID IT! at least 64 ounces of water every day!

We had a special speaker. She was a dietician. She talked about different things that cause you to gain weight after losing weight by gastric bypass or by using medicines to lose weight.

We heard questions about how do we change the way we eat when we love food so much.
We heard a man talk about how a rescue of a patient was the last straw and he chose to have the surgery.

There was no pins given tonight. But it was still a great meeting.

Our next challenge is to eat 3 meals a day.

The Beginning

On December 9th, I went to my consultation with Dr. Spencer at Weight Loss Center at Chesapeake Regional.

A few days before my appointment I received a phone call from his office saying that my insurance company approved my surgery. Talk about being shocked! We had decided to try and pay cash for the operation. This was such a blessing to hear.

So, Doug and I went to my appointment and I weighed in and then talked to his assistant. Then Dr. Spencer came in. He talked to us about the whole process. I have learned details I had no clue about.

And the process begins. I have a list of things I have to do before the surgery and I'm excited and nervous but I'm ready for this.

I hear people say all the time....weight loss surgery is the easy way out. I laugh about that statement but it truly confuses me. I would love for someone to explain to me what is easy about only being able to eat 1oz of food at a meal. What's easy about having to go on a liquid diet for a week to more before surgery. Going to the hospital and being put under and having your stomach cut, intestine cut and glued back in another position. What's easy about not being able to drink 30 minutes before or after eating. Having to crush up all your medicines. Having to work your way up to drinking 64 ounces of water a day but not filling up at meal time on liquid. Not being able to have anything but liquids for at least a week up to 2 weeks and then moving to baby food(puree) stage for a month. Then to soft stage food. Not being able to eat regular food for 6 months to a year. To never be able to eat certain foods again for fear of having dumping syndrome. There's also the chance of losing too much weight.  Before you tell someone they are taking the easy way out, do some research. 

Just to make it clear, I'm not having this surgery to get "skinny". I've never wanted to be "skinny". I want to be healthy. I want to stop taking insulin & metformin. I want to stop using my CPAP machine. I want to do things that I cant do now. I want to be able to go places with my husband and take the stairs. I want to spend time with my grandchildren and do fun things. That's why I want to have the surgery.

I've had people try and guilt trip me into not having the surgery. God made me but I put the food in my mouth. It's not going to work. This is something I and my husband have discussed for years.

“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” Anonymous

“Improvement begins with I.” Anonymous

1 John 4:19 We love because God first loved us.