Kris G.

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Becca K. 23 years, 8 months ago

Happy TWO Year Anniversary to You! I hope that this post finds you healthy and happy. Please remember to drop by and update your profile from time to time. It's important for others to be able to see how we post-ops do on our journeys. You never know who you might inspire. Have a great day.

Cinna G. 24 years ago

Kris~You look great! I saw your before and after picture in the "photo gallery". Please don't forget to update so that others can share in your journey. It is the post-ops who pave the way for newbies. Have a great day.

kylakae 24 years, 8 months ago

Kris, Happy 1st year Anniversary of your WLS! Congratulations on your awesome weight loss! I hope that this anniversary date finds you feeling happy and healthy! You certainly look terrific!

Kris G. 24 years, 11 months ago

Nine Months This surgery continues to amaze me! At nine months out, I have lost 131 pounds and 134+ inches. I have gone from size 22 or 24 to 8 or 10. I am five pounds from the goal that Dr. Maguire set for me and I thought there was NO way I would come close to goal. Its been a month since the bowel obstruction surgery. Unfortunately, I overdid it at the beginning of my recovery and am paying for it with a longer recovery this time. Please remember to always treat a new surgery like you did the first one. I also had a scare and had to have a QV lung scan. I was having pulmonary emboli symptoms (shortness of breath, lightheadedness, chest pain [in my back lung area]) and it was a very scary experience. Fortunately, all the tests came back okay and boy, was I ever grateful for that. Even with the bowel obstruction and PE scare, I would still do this again in order to get my life back – which is exactly what this surgery has done for me. Looking forward to feeling 100% and getting back to a good exercise routine. I think that will help a lot with the energy. I was taking vita4life vitamins (www.vita4life.net) and those worked well. I need to reorder them, so am taking the Calcium Citrate, Mega 3 and Allergy A & D from Twinlab again. I noticed when I switched them, the stool is more firm. I still struggle with drinking regular water – but have found that Sam’s Choice (Wal-mart) carbonated water over ice, goes down well. I especially like the grapefruit, blackberry/apple and black cherry flavors. My eating quantity shrunk a bit after the obstruction surgery, but seems to be picking up a bit. When I went for my 9 month check-up, Dr. Maguire indicated I will probably go below goal and may need to eat more to keep my weight up. What a switch – and I’m not going to borrow trouble, so will only worry ‘bout it if the time comes. Below are my monthly losses and total losses. I am thrilled to have my life back. Am very excited for everyone post-op who is doing so great! My thoughts and prayers are with those who are having to deal with complications and I hope they are feeling 100% emotionally and physically very soon. I am hopeful for all the pre-ops that they are able to experience this gift of life – it was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received and I wish the very best for each of you. 9th Month Loss Totals Weight 14 131 Neck 0.25 2.25 Bust 1.5 14.5 Under Bust 1 13 Left Bicep 0.5 5.75 Left Forearm 0.75 2.5 Left Wrist 0 0.5 Left Thigh 1.25 6.75 Left Knee 0.25 1.75 Left Calf 0.5 3 Left Ankle 0 1 Right Bicep 0.5 5.5 Right Forearm 0 2.75 Right Wrist 0 1 Right Thigh 1.25 7.5 Right Knee 0.5 2.25 Right Calf 0.5 3 Right Ankle 0 0.5 Waist 3.5 20.75 Stomach 1.5 24 Hips 3.25 16 0 17 134.25

chance2lv 25 years ago

Hi Kris, My name is Karan and I am scheduled for an Open RNY with Dr. Maguire May 29th. I just wanted to thank you for all the information you have posted in reference to him, Kim and your stay at Kettering Medical....Again, Thanx, Karan

Kris G. 25 years ago

Eight Months On 4/20, two days before the celebration of my eight month anniversary, I ended up requiring an emergency surgery for bowel obstruction. A couple days prior to the surgery, I was experiencing some pain in my mid-back, mainly the left side. It was a tired, achy feeling pain and I thought I was perhaps coming down with the flu. On that Friday evening, I started getting really bad gas and bloating, which is rare for me . I got much less gas post-op, then I did pre-op. After taking some meds for the gas, the gas pain turned into severe pain in the stomach area. My hernia was very distended and I couldn.t push it back in. I called the emergency number and was waiting for the on-call doc to get back to me. The pain got so much worse and I began to panic, thinking I had a strangulated hernia or something. I called Dr. Maguire.s nurse, Kim, at home . who is also a very good friend, and she suggested I have Jason bring me up to Kettering and check into the ER. She said it sounded like an illeus (sp) to her (the beginnings of a bowel obstruction). My hubby drove me up there and before receiving pain meds in the ER, I.d safely say that I had a couple hours of the worse pain I had ever felt. Kim and Dr. Maguire are THE best! Kim called Dr. Maguire at home, as he was not the doc on call. Dr. Maguire had called the ER twice before I got there, to see if I had arrived yet. He made arrangements for me to see the resident surgeon, instead of the ER doc, so that I could get right in as a private appointment instead of waiting in emergency. Upon arrival, I was vomiting and quite the loud paitient due to the pain. I was dehydrated and they were having trouble getting an IV into my already hard to hit, tiny and rolling veins. Dr. Maguire arrived at the hospital about the same time I did and while I was getting ready for the CT scan, he indicated he thought I may have a kidney stone. He reviewed the CT scan, along with my husband, as they were performing it. Immediately afterward, he indicated I did have a bowel obstruction and that we needed to do surgery right away. I was in surgery from 12:30 or 1:00 a.m. until 2:30 a.m. He repaired the bowel obstruction, which ended up being a kink in the bowel, with adhesions wrapped around it. He also spent time butting away adhesions that had developed since my original surgery. He also used mesh to repair my hernia. Summary of symptoms: Back pain Gas Severe abdominal pain Dehydrated Very pale Clammy Vomiting He indicated that because it was caught in such a timely fashion, that he was able to repair the obstruction with no damage to the bowel. A matter of just a few more hours could have caused some major problems with the bowel dying, becoming gangrenous or causing sepsis. I feel VERY fortunate to have such a conscientious, caring surgeon. I asked him about the possibility of a bowel obstruction recurring. He indicated that this was even less likely than having a bowel obstruction in the first place, which is a very low percentage. I was in the hospital 4 nights. Was released on 4/24 after I had been passing gas about 12 hours. In the hospital, I was on potassium to get me rehyrated, an antibiotic, the morphine pump, toradol. It was all pretty similar to the first surgery, as he had indicated it would be. Though, he said it might be a little rougher than the first time around, I found it to be a bit easier. Especially, the walking was easier at this much lighter . I was a walking fool! They even took the inflatable stockings off after the second night, as I was up walking so much. They used the existing scar and the new incision was the entire length . but a bit longer at the bottom. I had a jp drain, which I came home with and have to drain and record the volume twice a day. I go in Friday, 4/27 to have the staples removed and hopefully, the jp drain. The recovery requirements, such as lifting, etc. are the same as they were for the original surgery. If you have any further questions on my experience, please let me know. Remember that this is very rare . I want to say 1%, though it might be a little higher percentage. Thanks to everyone who was so loving and helpful to me during this time. It meant the world to me. Definitely not the way I would have chose to celebrate my eight month anniversary, but am very grateful it was caught in a timely fashion. I had a better weight and inch loss this month than last month. And, due to bloating of all the IV fluids, am guessing next month will look pretty good, as well. Until the bowel obstruction, I was feeling really great . feeling almost normal and very healthy. Fitting easily into size 10 and some 8.s. Only 7 more pounds to be .normal. weight and 19 pounds to the goal which was set by Dr. Maguire. I lost 12 pounds this month and 8.25 inches. Below are the accumulated totals of loss: To-date Loss Weight 117 pounds Neck 2 Bust 13 Under Bust 12 Left Bicep 5.25 Left Forearm 1.75 Left Wrist 0.5 Left Thigh 5.5 Left Knee 1.5 Left Calf 2.5 Left Ankle 1 Right Bicep 5 Right Forearm 2.75 Right Wrist 1 Right Thigh 6.25 Right Knee 1.75 Right Calf 2.5 Right Ankle 0.5 Waist 17.25 Stomach 22.5 Hips 12.75 117.25 inches Obviously, I need to concentrate on more on staying hydrated, so am going to really try and drink only a little Diet Pepsi and try to have water as my mainstay liquid. I continue to take Prevacid for GERD and since I switched vitamin brands, I haven.t had to take acidopholus or Devrom. Will be interesting to see if that changes after this second surgery. I also found I need to continue taking Zinc, as for me, it truly helps stop the hair loss. I hadn.t taken it for 4-5 days when starting my new vitamins, and it started falling out again. Coinicidence, perhaps, but it is the 2nd or 3rd such coincidence. On some of the other lists, it has been mentioned that Nixoin (a shampoo also utilized by chemo patients) helps with the hair loss, as well. The new vitamins I take are Vita 4 Life, specifically for weight loss surgery patients and can be found at: http://www.vita4life.net I continue to feel very blessed with the surgery, although I.m disappointed I was one of the few who got a bowel obstruction. I.m not thrilled about having to go through recovery, basically, again. But, am very grateful it was caught in time. Even with this recent surgery, I would do it all again . as it has truly given me life back -- my good health back! The happiness I feel because I.m not disgusted with myself, the energy I feel because I am so much more healthy . makes it all MORE than worth it. I still count myself very fortunate, as I didn.t have major problems and still haven.t. And, may have even taken the obstruction blow statistics for a bunch of you. =)

Kris G. 25 years, 1 month ago

Seven Months This has been my lowest month of weight/inches lost. Only a net three pound loss and four inches lost. I am still very thrilled with how well I have done in the seven months. I have averaged 15 pounds lost and over 15 inches a month lost. I was sick for at least half of this month. The main thing that was different, was that I ate and drank much less, due to some antibiotics (13 days’ worth) that made a horrible mineral/nickel taste in my mouth. I found out I can not take Bactrim (doesn’t work – not absorbed well) or Biaxin (the one that causes horrible taste). I gained six pounds while I was sick and was able to lose those plus three more, once I was able to eat better. I am looking forward to next month being a bit better. My body fat percentage has had a good drop, so I am excited about that. It has probably dropped about 15% since I had the surgery. It was pointed out to me, that even though I was eating more after I was sick, that I still was eating much less than I was before I got sick. So, I plan to try and eat more often – it is so very bizarre that the more I eat, the better I lose. I also need to be MUCH more consistent at my workouts – probably only worked out a handful of times this month. My goals for next month are to workout at least three times a week. And, to try and switch from drinking mainly diet pepsi, to drinking mainly water. This one will be hard for me, as diet pepsi, to date anyway, has gone down much better than water. My hernia, which I named since it was going to be around awhile – Sheldon – is growing. It really doesn’t bother me and I was told that unless it got real painful or distended where I couldn’t push it back in, that I didn’t need to worry about it. Still gotta talk Doc M into doing a tummy tuck with the repair. He used to do them, but lately, has been calling in a plastic surgeon. My hemorrhoids were gone, but came back after the antibiotics. I had looser stools and wished I had thought of this during the treatment, but better late than never. I believe I need to take more acidopholus to get some of that good bacteria in there to make the stool more firm. This helps a lot with the ‘rhoids. Dr. Maguire also indicated that some folks feel the Devrom helps make their bm’s firmer – I thought it was just for odor – but will give that a try, as well. Overall, I feel great. I am almost 100% after the viral/bacterial infection and my energy level is getting back up there. Even with the hernia and hemorrhoids, I would do this again in a heartbeat – because it feels so good to feel more healthy, not have so much joint, feet and back pain, no more shortness of breath, great blood pressure and my bloodwork came back great. It is also wonderful to feel more “normal” – I have gone from a size 22 to size 12 and it is so nice to not have to pay premium prices for a raunchy selection of plus size clothing. To-dateLoss Totals Weight loss 105 Inches lost:Neck 2 Bust 11.5 Under Bust 10 Left Bicep 4.75 Left Forearm 1.5 Left Wrist 0.5 Left Thigh 4.75 Left Knee 1.25 Left Calf 2.25 Left Ankle 0.5 Right Bicep 4.25 Right Forearm 2.25 Right Wrist 1 Right Thigh 5.75 Right Knee 1.5 Right Calf 2.5 Right Ankle 0.25 Waist 17.25 Stomach 22.5 Hips 12.75 109

Kris G. 25 years, 3 months ago

Journal Notes - Months 4 and 5 Four Months Wow! This continues to be too good to be true! 80 pounds and as many inches gone forever. I feel so incredibly blessed. Very odd that I am still about 22 pounds more than I was in 1993, when I wore the same sizes I can wear now. I guess its that extra bone density weight? Told my DH from here on out – I will be thinner than he has every known me. I am wearing 16’s or 14’s in bottoms and XL or L in tops. I feel SO much better that I can’t hardly stand it! I am hoping that at next month’s weigh-in, I will be under 200 lbs. and under 30 bmi – I just can’t believe how fortunate I feel and how great it is to have my life back! I haven’t been as faithful to my workouts as I need to be. That really needs to change after the holidays. I am still managing to do an hour of nautilus, crunches and recumbent bike once a week – but that’s not enough on an ongoing basis. Food – I can eat ANYTHING I want, though still have that strong need for protein first. The only thing that is kind of different than before surgery, is that I don’t really care of Italian-type tomato sauces, like pizza. Which, for me, is really strange, since pizza was one of my favs pre-op. Liquid mainstay is still diet pepsi, though water isn’t quite as heavy to drink and I’m still hoping to switch over to mainly water at some point. Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss 1st Month 2nd Month 3rd Month 4th Month Totals Weight 32 18 18.8 11.2 80 Neck 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.5 1.25 Bust 3 2 2 2 9 Under Bust 3 3 2 0 8 Left Bicep 1.25 1.25 0.75 0.5 3.75 Left Forearm 0.5 0 0.75 0.25 1.5 Left Wrist 0 0 0.25 0 0.25 Left Thigh 1 1.25 0.75 0.5 3.5 Left Knee 0 0 0.25 0.25 0.5 Left Calf 0.5 0.25 1 0 1.75 Left Ankle 0.25 0 0.25 0 0.5 Right Bicep 1.25 1 0.75 0.25 3.25 Right Forearm 0.5 0.25 0.5 0.5 1.75 Right Wrist 0.5 0 0 0.25 0.75 Right Thigh 1.75 1 0.5 0.75 4 Right Knee 0 0 0.75 0 0.75 Right Calf 0.5 0.25 0.75 0 1.5 Right Ankle 0 0 0.25 0 0.25 Waist 4.25 4 1.75 2.75 12.75 Stomach 8 3 2.5 2.5 16 Hips 4 2 2 2 10 Totals 30.5 19.5 18 13 81 Five Months Amazing, simply amazing. This continues to be almost too good to be true. I’ve lost 90 pounds and over 87 inches in five months. Now, I measure both sides of my body (arms ‘n legs versus one side which some do) and it has pretty consistently been an inch a pound. But, this month it is different. I lost 15.4 pounds and a total of 6.75 inches. Where as last month, I lost 11.2 pounds and 13 inches. Hoping I might be gaining some of the muscle mass I surely have lost. Workouts are still not consistent enough, but I sure feel SO much better when I do them. They are not necessary to lose weight – but are so good for my muscle mass, spirit and soul that I really need to be even more consistent. This is something I really want to work on. My 16’s are becoming too big now and am getting into a 14 bottom and size L tops. I was able to fit into a couple size 12 pants and bought one of them and a M top – but, certainly, those just ran large. I even tried on some of hubby’s 34 jeans and they fit – truly fit – as in I could really wear them. I haven’t worn Levi’s since I was in high school and the women’s 550’s size 14 fit. Well – the 12’s I got on with a great deal of struggle. I’m sure if they were watching me in the fitting room with their cameras that they were saying – “lady – quit trying to pry those pants on – you’re gonna bust the zipper”. But, because the 14s were a bit loose in the waist, I know the 12’s would have fit fine in a matter of weeks. Got my first hemmorhoids of my life – I believe it is due to frequency of bm’s (average 2-3 every morning, where I was more every other day pre-op). Mine are also still not too formed often, but it doesn’t bother me, as there isn’t a sense of real urgency. Witch hazel on a cotton ball seems to help shrink the hemmorhoids (which is about ½ a dime size), warm baths and prep h help with the pain and itching, as does keeping a tuck’s pad compressed for about 15 minutes. Food is still real good. I can truly eat ANYTHING that I want. I have a little something sweet almost every day. Thing is – it’s a LITTLE something and is very satisfactory. Still try and make protein my main focus, but do eat a little bit of complex carbs (ie. part of a baked potato, bread or chips) with most meals. Had my bloodwork done at my 4 month check-up and all my levels were good. I am so thrilled that things are going so well. Feel very fortunate and very blessed. Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss 1st Month 2nd Month 3rd Month 4th Month 5th Month Totals Weight 32 18 18.8 11.2 15.4 90 Neck 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.5 0.25 1.5 Bust 3 2 2 2 0.25 9.25 Under Bust 3 3 2 0 0.5 8.5 Left Bicep 1.25 1.25 0.75 0.5 0.5 4.25 Left Forearm 0.5 0 0.75 0.25 0 1.5 Left Wrist 0 0 0.25 0 0.25 0.5 Left Thigh 1 1.25 0.75 0.5 0.25 3.75 Left Knee 0 0 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.75 Left Calf 0.5 0.25 1 0 0 1.75 Left Ankle 0.25 0 0.25 0 0 0.5 Right Bicep 1.25 1 0.75 0.25 0.5 3.75 Right Forearm 0.5 0.25 0.5 0.5 0.25 2 Right Wrist 0.5 0 0 0.25 0 0.75 Right Thigh 1.75 1 0.5 0.75 0.25 4.25 Right Knee 0 0 0.75 0 0.25 1 Right Calf 0.5 0.25 0.75 0 0 1.5 Right Ankle 0 0 0.25 0 0 0.25 Waist 4.25 4 1.75 2.75 0.5 13.25 Stomach 8 3 2.5 2.5 1.5 17.5 Hips 4 2 2 2 1.25 11.25 30.5 19.5 18 13 6.75 87.75

Kris G. 25 years, 5 months ago

Two Months 10/22/00 – 50 pounds and 50 inches gone! Wooooooooooo! Hooooooooooooo! The pneumonia is gone out of my lungs and I am almost 100%. Started doing nautilus again last Wednesday and it went well – will go again Monday and Wednesday this week and then probably 3 days a week after that. With at least two days of cardio (Fast Track) on the off days. This surgery is SUCH a blessing that one morning I woke up and the thought that crossed my mind was that EVERY day is like Christmas. I have had a few problems – dehydrated to the point or almost needing to be readmitted, had a pinched nerve in my thigh (ice 3-4 x a day for 20 minutes at a time and it was gone in a couple days), fear of aspirating vomit when I threw up once and it came back up my nose (was told that wasn’t a concern that far out – 6 or 7 weeks, I think), had pneumonia for 3 weeks, but am almost 100% healthy now. While mine hasn’t been a totally uneventful recovery – it has been very “doable”. And, I would do it again in a heartbeat! My appetite is getting better (it was not too hot during the pneumonia). We went to the Outback the other night and I had about a handful of bloomin’ onion with sauce, a half a dozen bites of salad w/ a teeny piece of bread, about 1/3 of my filet mignon, about 1/3 of my baked potato and a couple grilled shrimp. I am trying to just eat like I “normally” (with this surgery normal, that is – not like my pre-op normal) and not worry too much about my intake, as long as I concentrate on protein. I have thrown my food in dietwatch to calculate the protein a couple times and both days averaged around 1400 calories and 73 protein grams. I decided not to be too obsessive about tracking my protein and food, unless my first bloodwork does not come back okay. If it comes back okay – I can just continue doing what I’ve been doing and not obsess about tracking things – what a (BPA) switch from the diet days. No more dieting – EVER! Water still does not agree me with well – in that it doesn’t taste/feel good – it seems to still be too “heavy” for my stomach, but it has improved a bit. I’ll look forward when I can drink it as my main liquid intake. Right now, diet pepsi is it – its what goes down the best – poured over ice to remove the carbonation. I can no longer wear any of my pre-op clothes, unless I want the REAL baggy look. I am wearing 18’s in shorts and pants and 1X in tops. I have tried on some 16 jeans that fit me when I lost weight from 220-181 in 1993, and I can already get them on – just not buttoned up. This is almost too good to be true – I have to pinch myself every now and then and make sure I’m not dreaming. I do have the oil slicks in the toilet fairly often – but I have a fairly high fat content diet. I have never “leaked” or gotten the oil slicks or the orange oil on my clothing. I am going to call and order some Devrom as so many of said how excellent it works. I gotta tell you that sometimes (just like pre-op) the bm’s can smell pretty horrible. And, while Ozium does the best job at dissipating that odor, I’d like to see how well Devrom would work for me. However, today was a perfect example in comparing non-DS to DS bm odors in this household. I have to say that my DH’s smelled worse than mine did – and this was usually true pre-op too. Some times my bms are worse smelling than others – the worst being kind of a major sulfur smell, but it was worse than most times occasionally pre-op too. I do not feel like it is anything that will be a social embarrassment or something with which I can not live the rest of my life – even if it didn’t get any better than now. I usually have 2-3 bms when I get up in the morning – within the first ½ hour to hour. That is my norm – occasionally, I’ll have one later in the day and sometimes one in the evening – but mostly just the morning sessions. All my innards are feeling well enough to have sex now, much to my DH’s pleasure. And it is already more pleasurable for me than pre-op, because I am less inhibited – I know it will only get better! I am extremely thankful for this surgery and feel so very blessed that it is working for me. Aside from the birth of my son, this is the BEST gift I have ever received. And, I plan to be as compliant as possible to make sure to reap the full benefits of the gift. Speaking of compliance, I do have sugar on occasion – well actually, probably a little each day. And, was told not to have sugar the first year. So, I guess I’m not completely compliant. But, I wanted to see just how close I can eat to “regular” – ie. not worry about what I’m eating – eat til satisfied (with is very quick and easy to do) and eat exactly what I have a craving for. I talked to Doc M about this – specifically about having regular popsicles during my first few weeks post-op (the ones with aspartame tasted disgusting to me) and he said not to worry about having a moderate amount of sugar, unless it appeared to be a culprit in slowing the weight loss. Which, at this point, it doesn’t appear to. I started my period yesterday and as it was pre-op, I usually had a chocolate craving (post-op, not necessarily chocolate but something sweet – chocolate is often TOO sweet). I found the Reese Sticks that are 90 cal. a stick, 7 g of sugar and 2 g of protein per stick. One of those – on a couple occasions two of those, did the trick in satisfying the sweet craving. I take Twinlabs vitamins which Dr. Maguire stocks and sells (at a cheaper price than I can get them at GNC or online at vitaminshoppe, where I usually buy vitamins) – the Allergy A & D, Calcium Citrate Caps and Mega 3 Caps. I am also still taking Prevacid (which I think I will be for 4-6 months, if I remember correctly), my Prozac and birth control. My liquids are good – at least good enough to not dehydrate, but like I said – I’ll be glad when I do better with water, as it is so much more healthy to drink. Guess, I’ll quit rambling on now. Any questions, just lemme know. Life is great and just keeps on getting better!!!!! My greatest hope, now -- is that the pre-ops wanting this surgery, will be able to REAL soon. I was excited to check out the measurements today, which I’ll take on the 22nd of each month: 1st Mo. Loss 2nd Mo Loss Acc. Loss Weight 32 18 50 Neck 0.25 0.25 0.5 Bust 3 2 5 Under Bust 3 3 6 Left Bicep 1.25 1.25 2.5 Left Forearm 0.5 0 0.5 Left Wrist 0 0 0 Left Thigh 1 1.25 2.25 Left Knee 0 0 0 Left Calf 0.5 0.25 0.75 Left Ankle 0.25 0 0.25 Right Bicep 1.25 1 2.25 Right Forearm 0.5 0.25 0.75 Right Wrist 0.5 0 0.5 Right Thigh 1.75 1 2.75 Right Knee 0 0 0 Right Calf 0.5 0.25 0.75 Right Ankle 0 0 0 Waist 4.25 4 8.25 Stomach 8 3 11 Hips 4 2 6 30.5 19.5 50 Three Months Wow! This continues to be almost too good to be true! Will I ever wake up and find out its just a dream? NO! Its for real! Thank God – I have my life back! I am SO thankful, that I can hardly stand it. What a Thanksgiving this will be! 68.8 pounds gone and 68 inches – who woulda thunk it? =) Will be interesting to see how long the pounds and inches lost stay so similar. Its funny – but true – I bought my parents a 10 set CD of the 101 greatest Country hits, as a thank you gift. I tease them about liking country music, but found that there were many songs I liked in the set. So, I made myself a couple tapes. The reason this is pertinent to my journal, is that one of the songs I was listening to, REALLY hit home with how I feel about life right now. The song was “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” by Donna Fargo. Part of the song goes, “Shine on me, Sunshine, Walk with me, World, It’s a Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Day, I’m the Happiest Girl in the Whole USA”. You know what? I REALLY felt like that song was describing ME. There is no way, now how that just three short months ago, any such thought would have crossed my mind. I just had to share it, as its one of MANY ways to stress what a beautiful gift this surgery was/is to me, but I don’t know that I could ever find the words to truly explain how amazing this is. Am totally cleared for any exercise, including crunches, as of 11/14. I haven’t been as diligent in my workouts the last couple weeks – things have been quite hectic around here. Need to get back to being more consistent. I always feel much better when I’m working out regularly. Bowel movements are about the same. Consistently 2-3 bm’s within about the first half hour upon waking. Rarely have any other bm’s through the day, but occasionally one in the afternoon or evening. Eating is, well, heck – I can eat ANYTHING I want. I have not found any food that gives me trouble. My stool is usually soft and floating anyway and sometimes is runnier than others, but that does not bother me. I would rather eat what I want and put up with a bit of diarrhea. I feel COMPLETELY satisfied. NEVER deprived and never get that miserable stuffed feeling. I am definitely more of a dark meat chicken-kinda gal, where pre-op I was more of a beef girl. Yesterday, I ate two egg yolks, two sausage patties, about ½ cup of hashbrowns w/gravy and a half a piece of toast for brunch. Had a couple bites of my toddler’s birthday cake. Had a handful of cashews. For dinner, I had two chicken legs, sans skin, about ½ piece of corn on the cob and some cole slaw. Late night snack was cheese popcorn – about 4 handfuls. I lost 1.8 pounds yesterday. It is amazing that the more I eat, the more I lose. A concept to which I don’t know that I’ll ever feel accustomed. Diet Pepsi is still my liquid mainstay. I hope to be able to switch to water, but right now it still is heavy and DP is doing the trick. I do drink a little water, and get some liquids in the occasional fruit. Carbs are part of almost every meal. Thing is, it is in SMALL, yet satisfying quantities. The other night, I ate some cheddar cheese and had 5 Ruffles chips with them. It was completely satisfying and delish! Physically, I feel almost 100%. The only time I notice I had the surgery is when I look at my scar that is keloiding (and haven’t decided whether or not to have cortisone shots – hear very opposing opinions from docs). Or, when I lay on my stomach a long time – the innards are not sore – but noticeably tender. I’m wearing 16’s in pants. Have a 14 denim skirt that fits, though is tight. The tops are L or XL, depending. I just can’t believe it! This is so exciting – kind of like having a pleasant surprise every day! I am SO grateful for the ds site and egroups list – I feel that all of you are part of helping me get my life back, too. My family, my friends – I can’t say how blessed I feel for all the support! Dr. Maguire – well, he’s the bomb! His skill is second to none and I am VERY thankful for him. The bond that I feel with buddies from the main ds list and the Maguire list is absolutely the best – very much life family! A bunch of us met Kris Sanchez (from Germany) in Ashland, Kentucky and spent the weekend. What a terrific person and beautiful friend. We all had a great time – Kris, Ronda, Michele, Rita, Brenda and Mary Lou – what a great bunch of gals and true friends. We had SO much fun! Michie already posted pics and I need to get some up there too. There has been a lot going on with a death in the family, a birthday in the family, company, holidays – I promise to get pics posted soon. We had a fantastic time at the Dr. Maguire support group meeting of 11/14. First, we did a clothing exchange which Michele organized. Then, we had a pre-support group dinner with Bonnie and her son, Jeremy, Cindy and her hubby, Kay from Mississippi, Michie and her hubby, Sandy and her daughter, Sarah, Ben Little (Doc M’s poster boy – lost 310 pounds 4 ½ years ago) and his wife, Betty (who will be switched 11/28), Ronda, Jackie and her hubby and me. I hope I didn’t leave anyone out – it was a great dinner and such great company! Then, we had a speaker at the meeting. An exercise psyiologist from Sports Medicine. We were able to see some of other special friends – Linda N. was in the hospital and was to go home the following day. And, Pat Jones was in town from Indiana to visit Teresa, another list friend who was doing great after her switch. Below are the pounds and inches lost for these first three months. If anyone has any questions, please let me know. If I don’t know the answer, I can surely point you to someone who does. Loss Loss Loss Loss 1st Month 2nd Month 3rd Month Totals Weight 32 18 18 68 Neck 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.75 Bust 3 2 2 7 Under Bust 3 3 2 8 Left Bicep 1.25 1.25 0.75 3.25 Left Forearm 0.5 0 0.75 1.25 Left Wrist 0 0 0.25 0.25 Left Thigh 1 1.25 0.75 3 Left Knee 0 0 0.25 0.25 Left Calf 0.5 0.25 1 1.75 Left Ankle 0.25 0 0.25 0.5 Right Bicep 1.25 1 0.75 3 Right Forearm 0.5 0.25 0.5 1.25 Right Wrist 0.5 0 0 0.5 Right Thigh 1.75 1 0.5 3.25 Right Knee 0 0 0.75 0.75 Right Calf 0.5 0.25 0.75 1.5 Right Ankle 0 0 0.25 0.25 Waist 4.25 4 1.75 10 Stomach 8 3 2.5 13.5 Hips 4 2 2 8 30.5 19.5 18 68

Kris G. 25 years, 6 months ago

Week two 9/5 – went to the doctor’s to get staples removed and j-tube (feeding tube removed) – yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Felt like freedom. The feeding tube removal didn’t hurt a bit. I had a list of questions to cover with the doc while he was plucking out the staples, and I really only felt a couple little pinches. Down 19 pounds. Thought it was gonna be 20, but doc’s scale weighs a pound higher than mine – or was it that I should have taken off my binder at his office? In no certain order, here are some events/thoughts from the 2nd week: - am able to drink/chew frozen things (ie. sno cones, popsicles), diet iced botanicals and even diet pop (poured over ice), better than water – drink some water, but to me it feels much heavier than all the above - vomited one time – was eating in a Mexican restaurant (had a few chips with salsa, almost a whole cheese enchilada and a few bites of refried beans), took too big of a drink of pop and felt like a knot – got up to go to the bathroom – didn’t make it to the toilet, but did make it inside the stall – very much different than vomiting pre-op – no watering eyes, no foul smell or taste, no burning on the way up – just kinda blooped back out - found out I had GERD from my pre-op tests – was only taking the acid-controlling (Xantac?) prescription drug the last couple days – doc told me to take it on a regular basis for about 6 months or so - just about finished with the vicodin and taking it on a less regular basis – but certain I’ll finish it off - at some point, my family had worried about a couple things and had me call the nurse – first, they were worried that on either side of the incision where the staples were – it was REALLY red – I told them I thought that was normal, but they were concerned, as there was no oral or topical antibiotics prescribed – I called and this is very normal (think I had about 36 staples) and the reason that the incision is to be left clean and dry (use soap and water on it only – same with feeding tube), is because if something goopy, like Neosporin, was put on the incision – it wouldn’t be able to breathe as well; second, I felt burning sensation while urinating and felt like a bladder/urinary tract infection coming on, so I called Dr. Maguire’s answering service on Saturday – he called me back within FIVE minutes and called in a prescription for some sulpha drugs – VERY impressed at his turnaround time - found out that another patient of Dr. Maguire’s had to leave her j-tube in when she got her staples removed, because she wasn’t drinking 2 liters of liquid a day (thanks for the helpful hint Sandy – who, btw, has lost 34 pounds in 3 weeks), so I knew what to say to make sure mine was taken out at the same time – though I’m pretty close to the right amount - other foods added – tacos, pizza w/tomato and jalapeno (just a little), bbq ribs, shrimp – manage to get about 20 grams of protein in each “meal” and a few in each “snack” Questions I asked Dr. Maguire while he was plucking my staples and his answers: When can I drive? Okay to drive now, as long as I feel I wouldn’t hurt by having to react quickly – drove about 10 miles or so to a few errands today – felt like freedom. Is it okay to use 2-5 pound dumbbells for arm conditioning? Yes How much walking should I be doing a day? 2 miles What’s the 6-8 week rule – can I do ANYTHING I want at 6 weeks if it feels okay? Swimming – okay to do now Ab crunches – at least 10 weeks Nautilus – 8 weeks Lifting more than 10 pounds (like my 35 pound toddler) – 6 weeks Sex – anytime (course hubby doesn’t know this yet – should I tell him that it’s the same as ab crunches? Lol) Aspartame in frozen form does not taste good to me – is it okay to have products such as popsicles, snow cones with “real” sugar? In limited quantities and as long as it doesn’t appear to slow down the weight loss. When will post-op bloodwork be taken? 2-3 months Things convenient/would recommend: Placing couch cushions at the top of the bed between mattress and box spring – offered a great angle for recovery – was able to take the cushions out about Day 12. Put my toddlers “Diaper Genie” in the bathroom to use for disposing of the baby wipes I used for butt wiping. This helped keep the bathroom more odor-free. If they don’t automatically order a binder for you at the hospital, you may want to ask them to do so. This was very helpful in the travel home and off and on during these first two weeks to help hold things more in place – made it much more comfortable and had it off often enough that it did not slow down the healing process. For future Maguire patients: Make sure you – - have them take a pre-op picture at your one-on-one consultation with doc - don’t’ forget to get your New Life Surgery drinking bottle - the first month’s vitamins are free, so get those even if you don’t plan to use his specifically (those his are VERY reasonably priced) – it includes a mega, calcium and A & D Week three 09/12 – No official weigh-in, but I do know that my scales weigh a pound lighter than Dr. Maguire’s. So, as of my three week mark, I am down 25 pounds. Yes!!! The incision from my feeding tube is almost all healed. The puncture holes on either side of the main incision and the incision itself are still pretty red, but fading a bit. I was told to put Vitamin E oil on this and haven’t had a chance to buy any yet. Have been putting some Curel on it after shower and before drying off – that is keeping it soft. The incision from the jp drain is still scabbed up, but getting much smaller. My eating has not been as good as the first couple weeks, quantity-wise. And, the liquids haven’t been as good as they should be, either. I am either walking or doing my Fast-Track at least 2 miles a day (with the exception of a couple days) and have done as much as 2.75 miles. Today I had a scary experience. I got up this morning and felt fine – about a half hour after I woke, I started feeling REAL sick. Went into the bathroom to have a bowel movement (I had not had one for two days) and felt very clammy, shaky, weak – looked in the mirror and my face was pure white – I came very close to calling 9-1-1 as I had never felt this sick. Instead, I paged my husband to come home. In the interim, I called Kim (Dr. Maguire’s nurse) and immediately she knew that the problem was caused by an electrolyte imbalance and not being hydrated enough. So – strict instructions to have 64 oz. of liquid, preferably water every day to avoid having to go have some fluids administered intravenously. I fill two bottles (liter size) up with water from my Brita each morning and make sure to drink those – hard, but gotta do it. Feel good, but kinda weak and am sure its cuz of not being hydrated enough. Drove to Kettering today to leave a urine sample and make sure I didn’t have an infection (I didn’t) and then to have dinner and chat a couple hours with Ronda, Sandy and my Mom before Dr. Maguire’s support group meeting. We went to Damon’s and I ordered a 10 oz. filet mignon with baked potato, salad and bread (which lasted 5 meals). I had several bites of salad, a few bites of bread, half a dozen bites of the filet with sautéed mushrooms and several bites of potato, also drank about ½ an iced tea. Dr. Maguire’s support group meeting was pretty good. I prefer the open discussion meetings and Dr. Lora Cutter was the speaker at this one. She addressed emotional issues surrounding deciding to have surgery, surgery and life as a post-op. I’m amazed at how many people are having WLS who do not have access to the internet and I am seriously considering figuring out a means to educate the general MO population. I would love for everyone to be able to know about the procedure, even if they did not have access to the internet. Yogurt seems to be one of the foods that go down best. Also, cashews are usually in my daily staples. Tried the chocolate Designer Protein from GNC. One scoop in some milk wasn’t too bad. But when I blended up 3 scoops in milk it was WAY to thick and wanted to gag. Have found a couple high protein things I like to eat. One being an anti-pasta salad – use a little bit of lettuce, salami, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, tomato, onion, Italian dressing (pre-op used to ad olives and pepperocinis – but haven’t done this yet). Also taco salad with lettuce, meat, beans, cheese, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce. Another old low carb item I used to make and had one night is crustless pizza. Put mozzarella cheese in the bottom of a baking dish – sprinkle pepperoni and crushed red peppers (and any other pizza toppings you would want) then broil in oven til cheese is melted and crisp. Egg salad’s tasting pretty good as well. I am BEYOND thrilled to have been blessed with this surgery. Even though it’s a bit soon to be feeling on top of the world – I’m pretty darn close to that and know that soon I actually will feel on top of the world. I am VERY thankful! Four weeks/One Month 9/21 - Yippee! Skippee!!! I am no longer morbidly obese – I no longer qualify for WLS! I lost 32 pounds this first month and am very happy about that. The surgery is miraculous – to say the least. All in all I’m feeling pretty good. A bit tired, but I understand that’s normal. I upped my exercise to 3 miles a day on Tuesday, which marked my 4th week. My incision is starting to keloid a little and Dr. Maguire recommended putting the Vitamin E oil on it more often. When I go to my next month’s appointment, we may decide to inject cortisone to flatten the keloids – he mentioned it was pretty painful, so I’m hoping the Vitamin E does the trick. (bought 5000 IU vitamin E oil in the cream department at Wal-Mart). It is truly amazing to wake up and not be thinking about what all I wanted to eat that day. I was never much of a breakfast person, but must admit that throughout the day I was always planning my next meal/snack. Quite the opposite now – I woke up a few mornings ago and my thought was . . . “oh no, another day and I have to eat and drink” – what a (bpa) switch! =) But it’s a good “oh no” – it feels quite wonderful to be forcing TO eat/drink versus NOT. It also feels fabulous to not feel deprived. I found that if I don’t eat/drink enough, I can skip a couple days without a bowel movement. As long as I eat/drink enough – I have daily bowel movements – usually 3-5, with the first few upon waking and the balance usually late at night. They are not solid like pre-op – but vary in looseness dependent on what I have eaten. The odor is not always wonderful – but than it occasionally was foul smelling pre-op. It is a different kind of foul smell – but I don’t think any worse than some of my hubby’s and other people I know. Ozium (regular scent) works the best, imho. But, I also have Ozium Country Fresh, Ultra Citrus and just recently bought some “Air Wash” by Car Freshener – not bad – but not as good as Ozium. Sampled some of Ronda (buggles) Devrom and it seems to work well too – I will be ordering some of that – will especially come in handy if I am going to be in real close quarters with others. I have been taking ADEKs (2 a day) and Viactiv Chews (3 a day for 1500 mg. of calcium) and Dr. Maguire indicated I needed to add a multi-vitamin, so I will take the Twinlab Mega 3 that he sells to his patients (at a very reasonable price, I might add). The questions I had for Dr. Maguire today, and his answers were: 1) I occasionally have pain a few inches below my fight breast. He indicated it was where my gall bladder once was and the internal pain is normal during recovery. That perhaps adhesions are forming, as well. 2) How much should I be walking now? As MUCH as possible. 3) I need to get a cavity filled – is it okay to do that? Yes. Dr. Maguire was very happy with my progress thus far – everything seems to be going great. Inches lost: Neck 0.25 Bust 3 Under Bust 3 Left Bicep 1.25 Left Forearm 0.5 Left Wrist 0 Left Thigh 1 Left Knee 0 Left Calf 0.5 Left Ankle 0.25 Right Bicep 1.25 Right Forearm 0.5 Right Wrist 0.5 Right Thigh 1.75 Right Knee 0 Right Calf 0.5 Right Ankle 0 Waist 4.25 Stomach 8 Hips 4 30.5 Five Weeks 9/26 – 35.5 pounds lost the first five weeks. A good clip – but sure it’ll be slowing down very soon. I notice the scales won’t budge for a day or two – especially if I don’t eat or drink enough – what a (bpa) switch! =) A month or so prior to surgery, I had to take a round of steroids (prednisone) for a nasty eczema outbreak. I gained 15 pounds before surgery and then lost 4. I’m sure that the first 11 pounds that came off were a “piece of cake” and I wouldn’t normally be experiencing this rapid of a weight loss – but hey, it all has to come off somehow, right? Some of the foods I tried recently that go down good are: Texas-style chilli w/cheese, sour cream and onions – with a toasted piece of bread with melted cheese, Tuna salad (made with tuna, mayo, onion, sweet pickles), and just tonight tried Creamed chipped beef on toast – yummy – and the creamed chipped beef had 10 g protein per ½ cup. I haven’t exercise the last two days and I can tell the difference – energy-wise. Today isn’t over – I could still do that . . . we’ll see . . . Yesterday was the first day that I felt physically good (versus queasy or real tired) when I woke up – like I am feeling more “healed”. It is a good feeling – kinda like my innards are healing up and feeling stronger. I had mentioned in another post that I wanted to list the pros and cons. While I don’t think the recovery from such a major surgery would ever be a bed of roses, I still am feeling very fortunate and grateful that I haven’t had any major problems. Pros: - Don’t get near as short as breath - I’m already feeling healthier and happier – just because I don’t feel as uncomfortable inside my body - Am no longer morbidly obese - Feel very satisfied on very little food, yet do not feel deprived when I can’t eat large quantities of food - The GERD I found out I had from the pre-op tests is now under control with Prevacid - I can already wear smaller clothes – have worn several things already that I haven’t worn in a LONG time - My feet no longer scream bloody murder when I walk around or workout - Can already clean for a longer period of time without having to rest - My hubby was rubbing my shoulders and said “ohmygod” I said “what?!?!” (thinking something was terribly wrong) – he said “I can’t believe how much you’ve lost already” - Smile and laugh more - All water retention/swelling is gone - Much more hopeful and enthusiastic about life - Bowel movement times are pretty predictable – they never were pre-op Cons: - The internal pain I get on occasion has still not completely passed - Had a scary bout with almost dehydrating - Get very fatigued at times - Can’t lift my toddler or anything else over 10 pounds - Keloiding scar - Figuring out something to eat that sounds good - Forcing myself to drink liquids when I don’t want to - Water does not taste as good and as heavy to drink (sno cone ice and diet pepsi over ice go down MUCH better) - Have to get up about ½ hour earlier than I used to, to get ready to go somewhere in the morning – this is about the amount of time I am in and out of the bathroom each morning - Needing to adjust to eating food more slowly – have vomited 4 times - Bowel movements are looser smellier than pre-op most times (sometimes even experience the orange oil slick in the toilet) – but Ozium works wonders – and really – the more bm’s I have, the more I know I’m losing, so this really doesn’t bother me To me, when I weigh the pros and cons – it is still a no brainer. I would have the surgery again in a heartbeat. The surgery and recovery were never promised to be a field day, but I feel very blessed and fortunate to have had minor problems only and to not have had anything major go wrong. I am thankful for information technology and being able to be as prepared as possible for all the things which might have happened. The ds list and my buddies on it, my surg sis, my angel – I thank you all! =) Six Weeks 10/03/00 – Down a total of 39.5 pounds. Didn’t lose as much this week as I had been and know that it is due to not eating enough. This week hasn’t been much of a fun one. I went to the doctor last Thursday because of some thigh pain – wanted to rule out the possibility of a blood clot. It was not a blood clot. Some things I learned to look for with a blood clot are redness and warmth in the area of the clot and swelling below the clot area (for example – the pain was in my thigh, if I had a clot, my calves probably would have swelled). It was also good to find out that usually the pain is in the back of the thigh or back of the calf with a blood clot. The doctor (one of family doc associates), thought the pain was probably due to some nerve damage. Either from working out (I don’t think so – hadn’t worked out for 2 days) or from coughing real hard (have a doosie of a body-shakin’ cough – not fun with my rearranged innards – but much better to have it now than a few weeks ago). She gave me some Tussionex for the cough and had me ice the painful area for 20 minutes every 3-4 hours for 48 hours. The next day, the pain in my leg was better, but my cough and overall bodyaches were worse. Ugh! The cough medicine isn’t working well – but will give it some time. Fever went up to 102 and called Dr. Maguire’s on-call doc to inquire about whether it was something about which to worry. She said it sounded like something viral and not to worry about it unless my fever got high and stayed that way with Tylenol or if I was coughing up yellow or green phlegm. Sick all weekend and cough getting worse and productive. Called family doc first thing Monday and Dr. Maguire’s office. Dr. Maguire indicated I should get some antibiotics from the family doc, as it sounds like there is an infection now. Family doc called in some sulpha drugs and also called in another Tussionex RX. Tussionex was not helping though – still waking up with the worse cough I’ve ever had – and I’ve had some doosies. So, made an appointment to go in today. Bottom line . . . pneumonia. Zithromax and double doses of Tussionex should do the trick. I’m going into such detail on these events, not only to keep track of them for myself, but to remind us all to treat our newly rearranged bodies, as we would a new baby. Seriously – we gotta know our bodies and be very proactive in checking on things when something isn’t quite right. Better to err on the safe side, ya know? Knowledge is power and sometimes a mixed blessing. By far and away – much more a blessing than not. Ignorance is bliss, they say. But, I would rather know any and everything that could happen -–be a ilttle scared – scared enough to make sure and do something instead of just let it go . . . I hope that each and every one of you take the time to check on ANYTHING out of sorts during your recovery. Ohmygosh – all this sick talk made me forget two most wonderful milestones. One, I have now lost ½ a pound more than I EVER lost in my myriad of diet attempts. I lost from 220-181 about 7 years ago and was a size 14/16. Two, I wore a pair of tailored, button waist shorts that were a size 18 today. Wooooooooo! Hoooooooooo! Seven Weeks Down a total of 43.5 pounds – this is ABSOLUTELY wonderful! I am getting over the pneumonia and feel my strength coming back. I can’t wait to get that awesome energy everyone speaks of post-op – I am looking forward to being rip, roarin’, rarin’ to go. My weight loss slowed these couple weeks I had the pneumonia – less food, less liquid – no working out. This shall soon change. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have thought that eating more = losing more. But, that’s exactly how it is with this procedure. I am EXTREMELY grateful to have had this surgery – it truly is a new lease on life. I was thinking today, as I was trying on different clothes I had stuck in the back of my closet that just several weeks ago were WAY too small – that is like having Christmas every day! We had a support group meeting tonight. Kay, Sandy, Michele, Ronda and I went to dinner before the meeting. What a wonderful bunch of gals! We had a great time! The pre-support group meetings are more beneficial to me than the actual meetings. The meetings are getting SO huge – that it is virtually impossible to have a well-structured meeting where everyone can ask all the questions they want in an hour’s time. Went to visit Pat Jones who was switched today – yaaaaaaaaaaaaay – she’s safely switched and met her daughter and sister – neat ladies! Pat, bless her heart, was in pain – but they were working on that – and she really looked pretty darn good for just being a few hours out of recovery. Her color was good and her spirit was good.