shrinkingviolet5466

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I am rarely here but decided to stop in to say hi.  It is 17 months out and things are going well.  As of January 1, I was down to 152.5 pounds and in the past six months I have lost a little more.  This puts me at 143.5 and for the first time in 30 years I am no longer even overweight.

Are there issues, yes, I need to be conscious of what I am eating and drinking every day.  Not to eat too quickly or forget to drink enough.  Any alcohol hits me very strongly.  Add to this the fact that I end up drinking on an empty stomach if I decide to have a drink (nothing to drink for 30 minutes after a meal) and a half a glass of wine can put me under the table.  Ocassionally I will start sweating profusely and feel very weak but stopping for something to drink (nonalcoholic) and some quick protein and I seem to be fine.  Other than these times I am always freezing.  We were in a restaurant in DC last month and I had to leave to buy a sweater couldn't sit there without it.

Would I do it again? Tomorrow! Some of the things I had worried about don't bother me at all.  I don't have any foods that I miss.  While I can't always eat everything I used to it doesn't phase me in the least.  Another thing that I was kind of concerned about is who to tell and how to tell them.  For the most part if someone I don't know well asks me how I lost the weight I tell them it was a long process over a couple of years.  If I know someone well I usually tell them or if they are very heavy I tell them.  I have never lied to anyone, and I don't really care who knows I just am somewhat private and don't like to discuss it very much.  Nor do I go around talking about my hysterectomy or gall bladder surgery.  None of these define me.

I have seen many statistics about failed marriages post RNY and I have a theory as to why these numbers seem so out of whack.  1.  People having surgery in order to save a doomed marriage 2.  Post RNY patient getting attention for looks, often for the first time and deal poorly with it. 3.  For years couple has been sedentary due partly to patient's inability to do a lot of things.  Now she wants to go out and do things while spouse wants things to stay the same.

My husband and I have been married for 28 years and I think things have gotten better as I can now do more things

As Kathy W. pointed out on another thread I haven't been around for quite a while.  I guess the old adage "Life Happens" is true.  I have been losing weight steadily and I feel wonderful.  I have not had one moment of regret or trouble related to the surgery. 

In August while on a bike ride on the Farmington Canal I fell and managed with my usual grace to stop the pavement with my face.  As a result I knocked out my front tooth which then went totally  through my upper lip.  I also ripped out two fingernails at the bed (by far the most painful part of the injury). This resulted in a lot of stitches and a three week liquid diet or as my brother referred to it my "crash diet".  I have since had two root canals, numerous appointments with a plastic surgeon, cat scans and exrays, and I have rotator cuff surgery and gum surgery coming up.  None of which ever happened when I was fat.  On another medical topic I received a bad result from my mammogram and needed to go in for a biopsy. The Doctor seems to think that part of the reason they were able to spot my problem is due to the weight loss.

I don't usually talk too much about numbers because that wasn't my primary reason for surgery but that said I am now 50 years old 5'4" and 157 pounds.  I would love to see a little more gone but if I don't I will be fine.  Thanks for being there.

Sorry it has been two weeks but weight loss has been discouraging on the surface.  I have lost very little lately but I know that it will change, and it is but very slooowly.  Last week I lost one pound and this week three.  I have found a neck and my rings are getting loser.  To be honest and not just critical I am definitely smaller.  I am able to wear clothes I couldn't think about a month ago.

I don't think there is a visible difference yet but there better be by Easter or I think I will be throwing things.

Today I am a little perplexed.  I started food this week and have done exactly what the Dr. told me to do.  I joined a gym and have gone twice (to be fair only one half hour on the stationary bike each time) I have introduced the foods as I was told too.  Everything should be fine right? Wrong!  I am down only one pound from last Friday, and if you look at where I was on Tuesday I am up 2 pounds.  In my head I know that this is temporary and my body is just readjusting.  But I am overall fairly pissed.  Either that or I am the only person in the world who this surgery has failed for.  Time will tell.

I don't usually post until Fridays but as today was my first followup appointment I wanted to update.  According to the Dr. scale I have lost 22 pounds since surgery.  I think the actual number is closer to 17 but he told me his is the official weighin.  He released me for whatever exercise I want and swimming and bathing.  He was a little concerned that I had stopped my anxiety meds and told me to check with my regular Dr.  (who by the way said no problem.)  My blood pressure was 116/70 and he said my incisions look great.  I did get a prescription for b12 shots.  

I left the Dr's office and went right to the little gym I picked out.  It is $20.00 a month and no signup fees.  Also by selecting a one year membership you get three one hour sessions with a personal trainer.  The gym is very small and the average age of antendees is between 43 and 52.  They also have a client who is one year out of surgery and down 155 pounds.  I was really impressed with the place.

I have been going to Weight Watchers and paying $12.40 a week just so that I can get an official weighin so I will stop going there and just weighin once a week at the gym.

Today was my weigh in day.  I ended up doing better than I thought I lost eight pounds this week.  I believe that I am down 12 pounds since surgery.  Not bad for 11 days.

A couple of years ago my nephew got married to a lovely girl from a very close Italian family (which is by the way very similar to how I was raised).  Well Mike and Marianna bought a house had a beautiful wedding and went on a two plus week honeymoon.  I will never forget how Marianna told me that aweek after being back she woke up one morning and thought "wow this is nice but when do I get to go home"  I now know what she was feeling.  I am 10.5 days without food.  I have absolutely NO HUNGER.  But I am doing nothing but thinking about food.  I have done every single thing I was told to do and will continue to do it.  But I'm not happy.  I will get over it and on Tuesday I will progress to cheese and eggs etc so there definitely is light at the end of the tunnel.  Overall I would say that there is a direct relationship between the number of calories I eat and my mood.  By Monday if they are smart people will be tiptoeing around me.
That said I am not for one second regreting my choice.  I would of course be happier if the damn scale would move at all.  Even that though is my own fault.  I have been drinking at least 16oz of some type of reduced sodium meat broth each day.  Yesterday I actually had 32oz.  So reduced sodium or otherwise that is way too much salt.  I am not going to have any more of it maybe that wil encourage the scale fairies to visit me.

This morning I went to Weight Watchers and was down 8.8 pounds from last week.  Five pounds of it I lost before surgery and the rest is in the 4 days since.  I feel great I would equate the pain to moderate menstrual cramps.  Just a dull achiness. 

Yesterday by 7:35am I was in the or and by 11 I was in recovery.  Due to a snafu with the cleaning staff it was 5pm before the bed was made up and I could be transferred to the floor.  The nursing and support staff were great but the room stunk.  First it was a triple with one lady who moaned all night and another who had at least six people in her room until 10 pm.

Then because it was a triple all night long there were people in and out administering meds etc.

I woke up this morning feeling fine.By 830 I was having my swallow test and by 11 I was on one ounce of h20 an hour.  My foley JP: and iv were all out.  My girlfriend came to visit and I went out for a long walk.  When I came back the lady in the other bed once again had her whole family including twin infants.  At 5pm the dr came to check on me and said everything looked great.  I asked if I could go home tomorrow and he said what about tonight.  And so here I am at home. 

tomorrow at 630 am I am scheduled to check in at YNHH for my surgery so of course that means that we are expecting a snow storm tonight.  I think I am all set so I just came on to read some profiles until I go to sleep.  Prayers please.