laptopdancer
Where did the six months go?
Aug 02, 2008
Gosh - where did the time go?
It's been a long, long time since I updated this blog - life got back to normal - no more nausea! My surgeon put me on some new meds which make the food move through my tummy quicker and voila - no more early morning heaves, no more misery. Sure, sometimes something disagrees with me, or I get a real tight pain in my chest because I've eaten too fast (note to self - do NOT delay meals and get sooo hungry!) but that's all normal and I know exactly why. I can't tell you the incredible difference this has all made in my quality of life. Being endlessly nauseous just downright sucked.
I don't even take the motilium all that often now. It worked like a circuit breaker, and seemed to help me get off the merry-go-round of endless misery.
Anyway, enough of that. Here I am six months out, having lost 112 pounds and only 30 pounds from goal. I eat pretty much what I feel like (although I've made some naughty bad choices, I must admit). My six-month surgiversary was a bit of a wake-up call, remonding me that the "easy" weight loss window is closing so it's time to stop being laissez faire. Not that I was terribly bad - it was just a relief to eat something that didn't make me feel sick that I didn't sweat too much over whether it was the perfect WLS choice.
My food day now tends to include:
PRE-BREAKFAST: 350 mls berocca (liquid vit B & C) with my liquid multi-vitamin combined, while I cycle 20kms on my exercise bike
BREAKFAST -1 soft-boiled egg
MID MORNING - 1 english muffin or slice of toast with vegemite, PB or jam
LUNCH - could ba 1/2 toasted cheese, ham & tomato sandwich, or a few bites of a curry/meat/leftovers type deal
MID AFTERNOON: Piece of fruit or a few nuts, such as almonds
DINNER: it varies - whatever is leftover if I'm on my own, or a few bites of a "normal" meal if I'm with my boyfriend. Last night we did slow-cooked lamb shanks in tomato & garlic - I had a few forkfuls of meat, a few bites of carrot and some of the "sauce" the shanks were cooked in.
I make sure I get at least 1 litre of liquid a day, although these days it's closer to 1.5 litres, so that's good. Drinking is easier when I exercise in the morning; sometimes that's the only motivator - I know it will be tougher to get my fluids in so I get on my bike.
I get at least 20g protein a day (I know - you all are told to eat more protein and drink more fluid than me, but rest assured I'm following what my surgeon dictated for me, and it seems to work so I'm not questioning it).
And the results? I'm down 112 pounds as of today, with another 30 to reach goal. That said, I'm pretty happy with my weight now and won't sweat if I don't lose any more.
I've gone from an Australian size 22 (a US 18) to an A12 (a US8) and last week bought an A10 jeans (US 6). I've lost less on the top half, although the whole sizing thing is nuts - the jackets/shorts/jumpers in my closet range from a A 12 to an A16. I figure that's more about sizing madness than me; and I don't expect to go down a whole lot more in the top as I'm fairly broad-shouldered.
I didn;t lose anything in my boobs for a long time, but now I'm down from a 22D bra to an 18C. I've got a couple of 16Cs on standby but I'm pretty happy where I am; I've bought a stack of new bras and now I can get the really pretty ones (although I still go for an underwire, and I've found the odd padded bra sneaking it's way into my collection to make up for the shrinkage!)
I haven't lost any hair - although I'm starting to wonder if I just haven't noticed, because everyone else seems to lose a bit). I have gone through the odd period where my hair felt really dry and rough, but I figure that's more a reflection of not eating right, and since I stopped feeling sick all the time things seem much better, hair-wise.
I can't say I have more energy as I've always been fairly energetic - kind of the energiser bunny, but when I stop - man, do I stop. I used to push myself harder I think; now I know I will fall over if I go to hard so I limit it to 30 mins aerobic exercise 6 times a week, and weights/floorwork (crunches etc) 3-4 times per week. The exercise does make me happy - and it's winter down here, so it's warming as well.
Speaking of which, I can;t remember ever being so cold in winter. Amazing what the loss of 8 stone will do to lower your core temperature! Am wearing lots of singlets/spencers and winter woollies this year - oh dear, another excuse to go shopping!
Hopefully my shopping addiction (transferred from food) is under control now - there's no need to buy new clothes quite so quick as the weight loss has slowed, and I've just exchanged contracts on an apartment - I have until Sept 29 to come up with another $20,000 to add to my $20,000 deposit and the (gulp) $353,000 I've borrowed from the bank for my mortgage. I've worked it all out and there should be no dramas meeting my saving goal, but still, it's been hard to break the habit of wandering around the stores at the weekend looking at all the cute clothes I can actually now fit into! Plus I CANNOT buy any more shoes - I am ashamed to say I have 11 pairs of boots in multiple lengths/colours/styles. Stop me before I spend again!
Just kidding. (Sadly, not about the boots, although in my defence the majority were bought in a massive sale so each pair was reduced by literally 90% and cost me no more than $30). Seems as if there is a small silver lining to the credit crunch and the fact that retail confidence is down; hence about a million genuine sales all over the city.
Right ... no more shopping, no more nausea ... now my every waking moment is about packing up my current (rented) apartment bit by painstaking bit. Who knew I could end up with so much STUFF??? I've donated endless clothes to charity, given some to friends from work, been ruthless with my library, and I'm about to have a massive garage sale. I've even put some furniture on e-bay (anything to avoid having to pay to have it moved, or to avoid packing it). Fingers crossed my queen-sized bed, spare single bed (bought for sleepovers by the nephews and neice) and spare bedroom sofa (usually festooned with clothes and ironing) actually sells, because it would break my heart to have to move the damn things.
So that's it - the six month update. I really must post some photos ... but I have to get around to taking them first!
I probably won't be back for a while, simply because life is about to get very very busy. But hopefully I'll update again before 12-months is up!
Nausea Update
May 30, 2008
I guess it's fairly obvious for them delay in updating that the dreaded nausea is back. It had gotten to the point where I was dry heaving (no actual food coming back; it'd usually occur about 5am when I'd wake with the foamies and run to the toilet. And no, I'm definitely not pregnant!).
It had also become almost impossible to get more than about 700mls of liquid in during the day, so while I was prepared to put up to a certain extent with not being able to eat, the endless nausea - more like morning, noon and night sickness - I wasn't about to play around with dehydration. I've sat in ERs twice now all night to be rehydrated, and I aint going back there again!
Yesterday I went I for my second endoscopy/gastroscopy and dilitation, and am feeling a great deal better. Please please please let the second one be a charm.
So it's been a bit of a rough ride, but I honestly can't fault my surgeon's response. Each time I've contacted him in desperation he's had me back in for a gastroscopy and dilation (not sure why it's officially referred to as a dilitation, as that just seems wrong) in less than 24 hours (at no cost).
Each time I have felt slightly better afterwards, so I truly hope that this is not going to become a regular thing.
The good news is I'm just two pounds off having shed 100 pounds ... all in one day short of four months! I've gone from an Australian 22 to 12 in jeans and pants (that's from a US 18 to 8) and an Australian 22 in tops to a 16 (US 18 to 12). I'd like to go lower but I'm fairly broad-shouldered and boobalicious, so that may not happen. (For those of you familiar with Trinny & Susannah, I'm your classic "vase" body shape).
And I haven't lost any hair yet (although I'd better whisper that so as not to tempt the hair gods).
I originally expected to have a tummy tuck but I'm not sure it'll be necessary as my panni is minimal - and likely to disappear if I lose the last 36 pounds or so. Unfortunately my arms aren't great - plenty of "bingo wings" there - but as the plastic surgery required to fix it is fairly huge and leaves significant scarring that's harder to hide I don't think I would consider that. A mini facelift is another thing though; I now have a little "wattle" under my chin which annoys me! But we'll see. I'm flirting with the idea of a facial peel and botox for my forehead - something I pooh-poohed when my facial skin cells were plumped up with fat, but I'm less quick to dismiss now.
Originally in my photos I've attempted to wear the same thing and you can't see that much difference; I think next time I'll do it dressed as the difference is far more obvious.
Measurement Sunday ... two weeks late and a day early
May 09, 2008
I'm homehunting, so weekends have been spent traipsing around looking at apartments, which means I've been a bit lax with my weekly measuring. But here it is - two weeks late and a day early. There'd better be a lot of changes!
Neck = 36.5 cm (0.5cm loss this week, total loss 2 cm)
Ankle = 25cm (loss 1.5 cm this week, total loss 2.5cm)
Calf = 42.5cm (0.5cm loss this week, total loss 4 cm)
Thigh = 58cm (loss 1 cm this week, total loss 10 cm)
Hips = 105 cm (loss 1 cm this week, total loss 22cm)
Belly = 109cm (down 3 cm this week, total loss 11 cm)
Waist = 94cm (6cm loss this week, total loss 26cm)
Bust = 109 cm (3cm loss this week, total loss 18 cm)
Upper Arm = 32cm (2cm loss this week, total loss 7cm)
Wrist = 17 cm (loss 0.5cm this week, total loss 1.5 cm)
Hey - they're great figures! And to make myself even better I'll add them up ... that's a whole 104cm, or 1.04 metres lost from my frame! No wonder I've been dropping in the sizes! I'm down from Australian sizes 22 to 14 (and just about ready for size 12 jeans I think. That equates in US sizes (which I always like to work out because they're smaller) to a reduction from an 18/1x/2x to a 10/8/medium!
While my weight loss has slowed dramatically, I'm still down 10 pounds in a month, and if I push really hard I might be able to get under 190 by my next post (sitting on 193 pounds today) but I'm premenstrual so maybe not ... if last month was an example I may find I just sit there for a couple of weeks and then start losing again.
Still, 91 pounds lost in 4 months (I'm counting from my first weigh-in, which was 3 weeks pre-op) is pretty damn impressive ... that's 6.5 stone!
And only 44 pounds to go to goal! If I can manage to drop 10 pounds a month (which is pushing a bit, probably) that will mean I'll be at goal by September 9, just outside my 6 month window! More maths - by goal I will have lost more than half my body weight!
Public Exposure
Apr 19, 2008
Okay, so with all the rapid weight loss the clothing issue is getting expensive. I've now had to gone down three different pant sizes, which makes looking professional at work a tad expensive. And sadly there are no thrift shops or clothing exchanges around my way that have the kind of "professional" clothing I need.
Aha! thought I. I'll just whip up a couple of tube skirts from stretchy material - simple as anything, look good with a jacket and boots (we're going into winter here down under). Bought some nice fabric, sewed up a couple in a weekend, and voila - a new wardrobe to get me by for a few weeks.
So there I was after work, dropping in to the local supermarket to pick up something for dinner, a bit vague (as I tend to be after a hard day at the office). As I wandered through the mall I felt something catching around my calves ... looked down ... and ...
It was my newly-sewn freaking skirt, which had slipped down over my hips and was now around my ankles!!!!!!!!!!!
Now thankfully I had a slip on so I wasn't likely to be arrested for exposing myself. And it was 7.30pm-ish, and the mall wasn't crowded, but it wasn't deserted either! I burst out laughing, stopped, hitched my skirt up and tucked it under my belt, and continued on ... a trifle red-faced but chuckling nonetheless.
Here's hoping my future NSV's are not quite so - ahem - revealing!!!
NAUSEA WATCH
I've had another bad couple of days, but I have proved to myself that this stomach spasming is definitely stress-related. Last week I was doing well - had just come off a two-week stall and was back to losing about a pound a day, even while keeping my dietician happy by getting up around 700 calories/day.
Then came Friday - a horribly horribly stressful day at work, and bingo! My stomach cramped up, I felt sick as a dog for two days and was barely able to eat. Needless to say the Buscopan didn't really help, and I gave up on food and just concentrated on getting at least a litre of fluid in. Took myself off to bed at 7.30pm, and spent most of Saturday in bed and sleeping too... not completely 100% but feeling much better today. I managed to do a 30 min ride on my exercise bike and am already 600mls into my fluids, with a goal of 1.5 litres today.
MEASUREMENT SUNDAY
Neck = 37cm (no change this week, total loss 1.5cm)
Ankle = 25.5cm (up 0.5 cm this week, total loss 0.5cm)
Calf = 44cm (0.5cm loss this week, total loss 4 cm)
Thigh = 59cm (no change this week, total loss 9 cm)
Hips = 106 cm (loss 0.5 cm this week, total loss 21cm)
Belly = 112cm (down 1 cm this week, total loss 8 cm)
Waist = 100cm (3cm loss this week, total loss 20cm)
Bust = 112 cm (3.5cm loss this week, total loss 15 cm)
Upper Arm = 34cm (no change this week, total loss 5cm)
Wrist = 17.5 cm (loss 0.5cm this week, total loss 1 cm)
And not only is it Measurement Sunday, it's new Picture Day! Not thrilled with my 10 week update - Scott must have taken the picture from a different angle, as I don't look any smaller and I definitely am by weight and clothing size... :-(
Measurement Sunday
Apr 05, 2008
Here we go again ...
Neck = 37cm (down 0.5 cm this week, total loss 1.5cm)
Ankle = 25cm (no change this week, total loss 1cm)
Calf = 44.5cm (no change this week, total loss 3.5 cm)
Thigh = 59cm (down 1.5 cm this week, total loss 9 cm)
Hips = 106.5cm (gain 0.5 cm this week, total loss 20.5cm)
Belly = 113cm (down 2 cm this week, total loss 7 cm)
Waist = 103cm (No change this week, total loss 17cm)
Bust = 115.5 cm (gain 1.5cm this week, total loss 11.5 cm)
Upper Arm = 34cm (down 1cm this week, total loss 5cm)
Wrist = 18 cm (gain 0.5cm this week, total loss 0.5 cm)
A couple of gains there - not sure if it's a real gain, a change in the measurement position or the result of water retention/PMS.
Went to the dietician last week but was pretty unimpressed. She wanted more calories, and since following that I have stalled/gained. When she suggested more, I pointed out that I would stop losing and she didn't actually deny it. I said I didn't want to do that and she countered with "but you don't want to wreck your metabolism either".
I don't know ... she bills herself as a WLS specialist but I'm still dubious as she's about 12 years old. I was also a bit concerned she'd never heard of online food tracking sites like thedailyplate.com or fitpeople.com or sparkday.com ... in fact the entire concept seemed new to her.
I'll go along with the increased calories for a while - after all I'm still not getting to 600 daily, and I would like to return to relatively normal eating patterns (as in three meals a day instead of one) with serious portion control instead. It's just hard at present with this endless bloody nausea. I'm still trying to ignore as much as I can and just get on with it. No more vomiting/dry heaving thank god.
Nausea update
Apr 03, 2008
CURRENT STATE OF PLAY:
Good days and bad - usually in the proportion of 1:2, for no apparent reason.
A good day is when I can eat a light lunchand a tiny bit of dinner, and not feel as if I'm going to barf every second. I get my exercise done, have energy, manage stress better at work because I'm not pushing myself just to get through the day.
A bad day is when I feel I'm going to barf even when I don't eat anything. It's when I struggle mightily with my fluids and every mouthful sits in my esophagus swirling around and making me feel sick. And it's when I feel my stomach spasm into a tight little ball, refusing to let anything in, and it hurts.
My solution to bad days is Buscopan and lots of sleep.
I'm hanging in there, and waiting patiently for things to improve. Thank goodness for the odd good day ... it is light at the end of a long long tunnel.
2ND POST-OP CONSULT
Got absolutely no answers, asked to be patient and see how it goes. I went through the whole sorry saga, but what was really annoying was I had a great day yesterday where I easily got my fluids in, ate a lunch and dinner, plus had plenty of energy to do my 5km power walk in my lunch break. It was like magic, like I'd turned the corner. Sometimes I think this new stomach of mine is like a car ... you hear a weird noise when you drive, but when you take it to the mechanic the noise disappears., only to reappear again the next time you drive it
Anyway, I felt decidedly ordinary again at my consult, and told the physician associated with the practice (not the surgeon, as you have to wait weeks to get in to see him) . Basically was just told to perservere and it will improve. Oh yes, and if there are any problems to call. Bloody hell!
I've come to the conclusion in my own mind that some of it is stress-related ... I know when things are stressful at work (and there's always something) I can actually feel my stomach clench in a tight cramp. That's when I know I'm going to feel bad for a couple of hours because no liquid will get into my stomach.
I've been treating that, on the doc's advice, with Buscopan, which is just over the counter. I'm not so sure how the pills will dissolve inside my stomach when they can't get in, but am continuing to try and have faith!
NON-WLS SURGERY VENTING UPDATE
My office problem child and I had to have a little "free and frank" discussion the other day ... bet she's now regretting her request for honesty in communication! I'd asked her to switch her flex day from today as I had my second post-op consult, my other staff were either out of the office or on leave, and I couldn't leave our poor "new girl" there on her own. She agreed, then announced yesterday she would need to leave at 4.30pm for an "appointment".
I told her she needed to give me more notice if she was going to leave early, andshe hit the roof. I Let her calm down a bit and then called her back in, told her I didn't like the attitude, that she knew the media cycle (I'm the Media Manager) ran late and that was why we had negotiated to change her flex.
I suggested she might want to go away and have a think overnight - if her working hours were the most important thing about the job to her then she should let me know and I would see what I could do about transferring her to another section of the branch (which I've wanted to do for ages).
She came in the next morning, apologised for her behaviour and said yes, she'd like me to pursue the idea of a transfer. I accepted her apology, and said I thought it was a wise decision because it was clear her heart wasn't really in media, but she was a great writer and very productive during standard business hours, and while I couldn't promise I would do my best to find a suitable position elsewhere.
Yee-ha! I shocked myself at the success of my evil plan! Next up I'm solving the problems of the Middle East!
Almost 2 months post-op (and nausea update)
Mar 29, 2008
So I'm over halfway to goal with 59 pounds to go (although I may revise my goal downwards - I initially started with a goal of just getting into the high end of a healthy/normal BMI).
Two days to go to my two-month surgiversary, and it's Measurement Sunday, so here goes ...
Neck = 37.5cm (down 0.5 cm this week, total loss 1cm)
Ankle = 25cm (no change this week, total loss 1cm)
Calf = 44.5cm (no change this week, total loss 3.5 cm)
Thigh = 60.5cm (down 0.5 cm this week, total loss 7.5 cm)
Hips = 106cm (down 1cm this week, total loss 21cm)
Belly = 115cm (down 1 cm this week, total loss 5 cm)
Waist = 103cm (No change this week, total loss 17cm)
Bust = 114 cm (down 1.5cm this week, total loss 13 cm)
Upper Arm = 35cm (no change this week, total loss 4cm)
Wrist = 17.5cm (no change this week, total loss 1cm)
Went back to mushy foods on Friday, after sticking religiously to the post-endoscopy week of fluids. On Friday I stuck to liquids all day and for dinner I had an egg mashed with some 97% fat-free mayo, and salt & pepper. Last night I did the same but had fresh crab meat mixed with low fat mayo, lime juice and seasonings. I only managed about 4 mouthfuls so didn't eat much.
Unfortunately last night I was totally nauseous again, and this morning as soon as I had a few mouthfuls of liquid it was the same-old same-old. I obviously can't live on fluids for the rest of my life, and nor can I be popping in for an endoscopy and dilation once a week, so I'll really be wanting some answers at my second (postponed) post-op on Thursday.
I've been thinking back to what my surgeon said about a liquid multivitamin (which I haven't been able to find - only Berocca, which is primarily B&C so not comprehensive). Because I couldn't find a comprehensive multi I just had Berocca each day of my fluid week, but was noticing the result in my skin. Seeing as I was back on mushies I started taking my Centum again, but I'm wondering whether it was the return to solid(ish) food or the mutivitamin causing my renewed problem.
Given I take Nexium daily, would that prevent stomach acid from breaking down the multi? If so, would that mean they kind of sit there and sit there, filling me up?
I also had a super stressful week (which, lets face it, is pretty par for the course given my job) and I've learnt now to recognise the stomach clenching/crampy waves that come over me at the most stressful times. I've got one staff member - a bit of a problem child actually - and even the sight of her at my office door is enough to bring it on because I know it means there's probably a major mess I need to clean up.
Non-WLS-related venting follows:
It was pretty funny actually ... I've been trying to do a 4-5km walk each day in my lunch hour, both for stress release and exercise, and she insisted on coming with me for some of it on Thursday (I limited her to accompanying me to the park, as otherwise the whole stress-release purpose is foiled). She then proceeded to proselytise non-stop about Landmark courses, of which she and her family are devotees, and how that would relieve my stress.
Now given I rank Landmark up there with Anthony Robbins and Scientology as a load of psychobabble bullshit, her sales pitch was never going to go down well with me. I started off trying to be polite by telling her I was delighted that she had found something that worked for her, but I simply wasn't interested.
Now most people would back off gracefully, but this woman was on a well-rehearsed mission. She came out with the (obviously well-rehearsed) arguments such as "but don't you want to be happier and more fulfilled in your life?" "I couldn't live with myself if I didn;t share this miracle with you" etc etc. I've heard these kind of phrases a million times before, and always associated with something dodgy like pyramid selling or spam email. By the end of the first kilometre of me blocking her and repeating I wasn;t interested, I was furious and politeness went out the window.
I pointed out that what she was giving me was a sales pitch from which her family would benefit (her mother teaches the courses which start at $597 for three days) so it was a conflict of interest, that I had far better things to do with $600 and my time, that it was completely inappropriate to push this in a professional setting, and finally that while I was glad she had got something out of it, it was all a bit cultish for my taste and to me, people who needed such things were either naive, gullible or foolish.
You'd think that would have stopped her, right? I mean, I was out and out rude. But oh no. She was like a bloody automaton, and then insisted that she tell me what Landmark had done for her.
She said that she wanted to feel that she could say "anything" to me and I should be free to say anything to her in return (an interesting take on the manager-employee relationship, at least in the NSW public service). I pointed out that part of the job as a manager was for me to curb my natural inclinations to be frank and to phrase things in appropriate, non-demotivating language.
I probably - no definitely - should have handled this better but I was pretty mad by then, and I added that I was happy for this to occur but she needed to really think about whether this was what she wanted - in the year she has worked for me there have been many instances in which she has been "sensitive" to constructive criticism, and if she really wanted me to tell her what I thought on every occasion, no holds barred, she might not only find it upsetting , but that there may well be implications that would make the workplace an unpleasant place. (What I should have said was our relationship was a professional one, and profesisonalism requires a certain amount of tact and diplomacy, so saying "anything you want" was not really an option. Then again I was hardly serving as a good role model at that pointin time...!)
I then went on to warn her that she would need to think twice about adopting this attitude with anyone higher up the management food chain, as it could seriously damage her career within the department.
I hate confrontation so it was stomach-clench city, and this woman seems to have no capacity to appropriately read people and know when to back off. (Then again, she has few social skills at the best of times, so she's hardly a good advertisement for her product!) The only good part is she made me so cranky that when I got to the park my adrenalin levels meant I did 5kms in less time than it usually takes me to do 4, so at least there was some benefit out of it.
On my return to the office I was discussing it with my own boss, and learned this silly woman had actually tried the sales pitch on the Number 2 person in our organisation, which made me cringe and wonder whether I needed to go and apologise on behalf of the Unit I head for the inappropriateness of the approach.
Needless to say, my boss and I are currently working out how to move this person to a setting in which she can do less damage. (I hasten to add that she has pissed off approximately 50% of the Executive, and i's not measuring up to the required benchmarks in the majority of her tasks anyway, which is something I will have to performance manage in the interim).
Dear God, if you exist please send me a better week, with no nausea and minimum irritation.
Measurement Sunday (a day late)
Mar 23, 2008
What with the nausea and stomach spasms (which seem to be abating slowly, thank God and the inventors of Buscopan) I missed Measurement Sunday, so here goes...
Neck = 38cm (no change this week, total loss 0.5cm)
Ankle = 25cm (down 0.5cm this week, total loss 1cm)
Calf = 44.5cm (down 1cm this week, total loss 3.5 cm)
Thigh = 61cm (down 0.5 cm this week, total loss 7cm)
Hips = 107cm (down 4cm this week, total loss 20cm)
Belly = 116cm (No change this week, total loss 4cm)
Waist = 103cm (Down 6cm this week, total loss 17cm)
Bust = 115.5cm (down 2.5cm this week, total loss 11.5cm)
Upper Arm = 35cm (down 1cm this week, total loss 4cm)
Wrist = 17.5cm (down 0.5cm this week, total loss 1cm)
A few numbers to be proud of there! Important to note that my last Measurement Sunday was 9/3, so these new losses are over a two-week period. Then again, what with the nausea and all I haven't been getting my protein in so there's a good chance these losses are at least partly muscle, which is a bad thing. Tomorrow I will start with the protein supplements again and hope they don'tmake me feel sick.
Weight-wise I'm down another 9 pounds this week, no doubt the result of returning to fluids. I'm finding it a struggle this time around, particularly in the evenings when everyone else gets to eat dinner, but I'll stick with it if it means an end to the sickness and stomach cramps. I'm quite nervous about graduating to mushies as I really hate mushy food of any description.
Have to remind myself that this is worth it - I've lost a grand total of 73 pounds in 2.5 months (I count from the commencement of my pre-op diet) which is 5 stone and 3 pounds! And I'm more than halfway to my goal!
NSV's: My size 18 jeans are too loose and I've bought size 16 and size 14. The size 14's are still a bit tight around the tummy, but not for long, I suspect. I was going to post it on the Board but decided not to - because we don't have vanity sizing here (no such thing as a size 0 ... usually the smallest is an 8) it probably wouldn't mean much to the largely American contingent.
I'll get Scott to take some new pics today and post them as a (slightly belated) 1 month picture diary.
Setback
Mar 19, 2008
So there I was, blaming general work stress and exhaustion for feeling like crap, but it got worse and worse. I guess I didn't want to think I could be having a problem, but it had gotten to the point where I could no longer get my fluids in ... and a single bite of food would come right back up, after 4 hours of feeling completely miserable.
Oh yeah, and then there was the overwhelming nausea of every waking moment ...
I took some advice from a fellow VSGer (thanks Mattman!) and pushed the issue with my surgeon's office, and in less than 24 hours was undergoing an endoscopy to find out what was wrong. Apparently it was a small stricture and my sleeve had kinked from a banana into a "v", causing the pain and blocking the passage of food.
The endoscopy was a breeze - no pain, not sore throat, nothing - and it's fab to be able to drink again, even if I have to stay on fluids for another week. I can't say that I feel totally back to normal - I'm still a bit sore, and my surgeon says I probably will be for a while as my stomach was actually bruised by the "v" spasm, but fingers crossed that it's all looking good from hereon.
I don't want to be melodramatic about it but life really felt miserable and not worth it when I was feeing sick every minute So the moral of the story is: if you think something isn't right, insist on some answers!
I missed last Sunday's measurements because I felt too ill but will do them this week and hope for good results ... because even with the problem I was having I still couldn't get under 220 pounds. (Not helped by having to go to the ER for yet another 2 bags of saline, because I couldn't get my liquids in!). This morning I was finally down to 218, although I guess I was on a drip during the endoscopy so may well go up again on fluids. I won't worry about it though ... I just want to concentrate on feeling myself again.
Measurement Sunday
Mar 08, 2008
I broke my stall... and almost forgot about Measurement Sunday!
Okay, so here goes:
Ankle: - no change
Calf: - increase 0.5cm on my right calf, no change on my left (WTH???)
Thigh: 0.5cm gain
Hips: 2 cm loss
Panni: 4.5cm loss
Bust: 0.5cm gain
Upper Arm: no change
Wrist: no change
Neck: 0.5cm loss.
Okay, so I can't figure out the gain, or the weird differential on my calves. Right now I'm going to put the bust gain down to PMS ... and maybe the calf is due to walking? Still seems weird to me. Maybe it's just my measurement method or something. Anyway, there are still some losses to report, and while I didn't lose anything today (and probably won't tomorrow, as I didn't do any exercise today but rested up for my Hell Week) but this week overall I still lost 7 pounds and that's awesome, so no biggie.
I figure as long as I get some loss in a week, one way or the other, I'm golden. Meant to get Scott to shoot some more pics today for my (slightly overdue surgiversary, and of course I forgot... and we'll be away next weekend, so guess they'll just have to be a week late.
