The Holiday's are Almost Over!`

YAY! I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE HOLIDAY'S TO BE OVER!

I don't want them to be over because I am not into the holidays, I love the holiday's. I am just tired of all the extra food around. Since I know my husband doesn't read this, I will admit, he is an eater. He loves food, and it is his motivation. If I ask him to go do something in town he usually would rather just sit home and watch TV unless I say, you want to go out to lunch. Then he is out the door and in the car in a flash. So, of course, he has been pigging down the food like usual over the holiday's and I have been baking cakes, cookies, fudge, food dishes, making eggnog with brandy, and whatever other fattening dish of food there is. Thank goodness I have a small stomach right now or all this food would be hard to say no thank you to.

So far I have noticed not very much of anything upsets my stomach or gives me dumping. According to what I have read, dumping is basically a hot flash with flushing and racing heart beat. Since I am used to that having already went through menopause, I don't even notice it. I have noticed with me, my so called "dumping" doesn't happen from food of any sorts, but rather by over exertion or pain.

Since my side is still not fully healed and I have issues doing my normal daily physical activities, exercising at a normal pace, and anything that requires some strength from the stomach. I am amazed at how much your stomach is used during your daily routine until you begin to do small things, like lift up my dishes to the cupboards and I feel those muscles pull and I almost drop all the dishes.
Anyhow, pulls and pains like this begin to sting and burn and then my "dumping" begins. I start sweating and flushing and my heart races. So, I have associated my dumping with pain rather than food, and it really isn't that bad. 

Once New Year's is over and hubby has had his sauerkraut and black eyed peas, he is ready to begin to watch what he eats and exercise. That I will see if he sticks with since after about a week, he usually has an excuse to not do it with me.

HIt the 170's!

Woo Hoo! I am officially in the 170's weighing in at 179.8 today. I am thrilled that after so many months of not being able to do my normal routine and my super slow weight loss due to inactivity, I am finally feeling 90% normal and beginning a light workout plan and the weight is slowing coming off just a few ounces at  a time, but happily, it is coming off!

Now, I have a new goal, to be in the 160's!

Got my haircut today!

I officially broke down today and went to the salon to get my haircut. I was pleased to find out they had a new girl there who moved here from New York, YAY! Finally someone who has been trained to cut hair outside of the state of Texas, that means she will know how to cut hair other than the 2 hair styles they know how to do here.

She did an awesome job! She looked at my thinning hair and made a suggestion and made my hair look fabulous instead of thinning drying hair that made me look old and frumpy.

I did confess to her that I had ordered a couple of wigs to wear out in public so as not to show off my terrible thinning hair and balding spots, and then she gave me pointers in an effort to make sure that I do not lose more hair by wearing the wigs too often.  I feel blessed to have this new stylist here in town and have her to cut my hair in the future. I just hope she doesn't move away.

Just one pound away from the 170's!

So today I got on the scale expecting to have a small gain and still be at my 182 to 183 pounds. I was pleasantly surprised when I weighed only 180.8, since I have only been at the 181 pound mark for the past day or two I really didn't expect this.

Now I am pleasantly excited about losing just one more pound so I can officially say I am in the 170's.

Since I am finally feeling well enough to do some exercising I think it is helping to contribute to moving the scale in my favor.

One more pound, I can do it!!!

Wishing I was losing faster

Well, today my weight was 181.6 pounds. I am getting anxious to get down to 179 so I can say good-bye to the 180's. It seems now it is taking its sweet all time in losing. I am realizing I can eat larger portions of food already without incident. The other day I ate a 6 ounce Greek yogurt and did not have the feeling of being too full, but was perfectly comfortable.

There are times when I first eat and only get down a few bites and it hits my stomach pretty hard and hurts for a while.

My goal this week is going to be to exercise a little each day in hopes that next week for my weekly weight loss weigh in that I have made my goal of 179 pounds.

My First Workout Since the Surgery

Finally, after 3 1/2 months post-op, I began my first bit of exercise with Richard Simmons "Party Off the Pounds". I only made it 12 minutes, but I can feel it burning in my core. It can only get better from here.  Now, the real test will be to see how I feel by evening and especially tomorrow morning.

I have hit 182 pounds exactly today, with only 67 pounds left to lose. With the possibility that I can handle exercising again, I will exercise everyday in hopes to lose the rest of this weight and hopefully at a better pace than I have up until this point.

Thanks Richard Simmons for having these not to difficult workouts for people like me.

Time for a haircut.

     As we all know, our hair falling out is part of the process of gastric bypass surgery. I haven't been upset about it since I knew it was coming and I also have (had) very thick hair.
     I did ask my doctor at my last visit how long it lasts, he said it could last up to 6 to 9 months, it just depends, but it only happens during the rapid weight loss phase. WOW! I was thinking at that moment, I better get all healed up soon so that use this time to really lose all the weight I need do.
     Since I had so many set backs from complications, I am wasting part of my time to take advantage of this time to lose more weight than I should. After all, I am still at only 40 pounds lost after 3 1/2 months post-op. 
     Well, I decided today to take a picture for those of you who wonder how much hair actually falls out. This hair is what came out of my hair today taking a shower. There was still more that washed down the drain, but this is just the hair that comes out in my hands as I wash my head.
     I have decided today that I will go and get a much shorter hair cut so when it does fall out it won't be as noticeable and it won't pull out so much when I brush it out.
     So for all you ladies in a panic, this is normal.

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!

     First off I just want to say I am thankful to be alive! When I went in for surgery this past August, I expected a couple of weeks recovery at the most and life back to normal for the most part. Boy, was wrong. Not only did I feel like I was going to die after I had surgery and the few days that followed before they went in and did the revision to fix the leaks, I was so wore out and swelling that I could not wait to get back to the US to be near my family to recover. Little did I know that I would be back in the Hospital, but the Trauma Center Hospital 96 miles away from my home for 10 more days. Even there is was day by day and the code blue incident was a reality check of how serious my condition was.
     With all that being said, and still not 100% and back to a normal life, I am very thankful to be alive today and had the opportunity to share this holiday weekend with my husband and two children still living at home. I am thankful that God was so gracious to me and bestowed such mercy on me in providing a bariatric physician, and a Christian, to take me as a patient. When I reflect back on the things that could have been worse that could have caused my life to end, either in Mexico or back home, I see God's design in watching over me.
     We celebrated as a family this year with our prayer of Thanksgiving and I cooked all the traditional turkey dinner fixings, and I cooked so many different flavors of pies. My family has yet to eat them all and I have had to freeze some to pull out one at a time.
     The day after Thanksgiving, we drove to San Antonio, my first long car ride since I have been released from the hospital. I did well on the ride. I did well sleeping in the hotel bed too. We spent two days at Six Flags for the Holiday in the Park. It was wonderful. The first day, I walked for about 2 hours, sat down a couple of hours, then used my walker for the last few hours until we went to the hotel. The next day, I was very sore and had some issues just standing up from a sitting position and walking was painful, so I rented an electric wheelchair/scooter thing for the day from the park. This made enjoying the lights, Santa, and my kids faces enjoying themselves at the park absolutely wonderful.
     I am happy to be home and back in my own bed and not overdoing it, but talking it one day at a time, doing a little more than the day before to push myself in my recovery.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday as well.

Finally Slept All Night in my Bed

For the first time since I have had the surgery have I been able to sleep in bed. I have tried before but could never lay longer than an hour. Earlier this week I began getting uncomfortable sleeping in the recliner. Oh, the recliner. It has been my bed for almost 3 months now. It was too painful to lay back completely and I could not lean on either side of my body. Every time I tried to lay down in my bed it was difficult to breathe, my abdomen ached and I had no strength to raise myself to get up. The recliner allowed me the comfort to lay back with my upper body slightly raised and it was very easy to get out of.

This past week, I had been very uncomfortable sleeping in the recliner. I couldn't get my legs right, I tried stretching them out, moving them to lay closer to me bent, nothing helped. My legs and back were hurting. In my frustration I got up and decided I needed to lay flat for just a bit to relax and stretch out. I felt like I was cramping up.

To my pleasant surprise when I laid down, it felt so relieving. I wasn't having any trouble breathing. I turned to my right side where my body is healed and then used my body pillow to support my leg and apply soft gentle pressure against my abdomen. This took all pain away from my left side.

The next thing I know it is 4:00AM my husband is getting up for work. I got up and went back to my recliner. It was still uncomfortable so I went back to lay in the bed. Relief. I fell back asleep and slept until 7:00 AM when my daughter woke up.

What a milestone. It felt so great to sleep in my own bed again. :-)

Last Scab Finally Fell on my Incisions

Only a few days short of being 3 months post-op, the last scab that was still on one of my incisions that opened up and leaked.  It is still fairly sore inside under my incisions and it is still difficult to walk or stand for any period of time. It is almost very painful to bend over. I can lean to the side that had no complications, but the side that broke open and leaked still feels like it has hard knots inside and when I try to bend over it makes a burning sensation and pushes up against my rib cage.

My right side felt similar to this right after the surgery, but it went away after a few weeks after the major healing.

I do recall my doctor telling me in the hospital it could take up to 6 months to completely heal and now that I am almost 3 months out, I think it will take the entire 6 months before I am completely healed and can begin all my normal activities. Until then, it is one day at a time.

Here is a picture of before when the incision was open after I returned home from the hospital in mid September and the after photo was taken this morning after the scab fell off. 

Before - Mid September 2013

3 Months Post-op

Over Did It!

I just learned a valuable lesson. I have been getting out and doing more daily so I can get back to normal as well as be able to exercise. Well, the other day, we were out and decided to look at some new homes. Without thinking we viewed about 5 homes, all with stairs. I did okay going up and down the stairs, but later that evening my stomach area begin to hurt and ache. I was crashed and snoring by 8:00 PM. Then the pay off, yesterday I was so sore, I could barely get up and walk. My muscles in my abdomen are still not healed and sore, so it was too soon to do this much for me. I couldn't sit up in the chair for more than a few minutes at a time, so I ended up sitting in my recliner all day leaned back.

Today, I am much better. My abdomen is still sore and tender, but not nearly what it was yesterday. What did I learn from this, I am not ready for something that intense. My few steps in my home, okay, but multiple homes and multiples steps, not quite there yet.

I am very close to being almost 3 months out from surgery and my doctor did say it could take up to 6 months for my insides to be completely healed after all my complications. After yesterday, I think I will remind myself of that the next time I try to go out and conquer the world.

Review of Unjury Unflavored Protein Powder

My shipment of Unjury protein powder arrived yesterday. The bottle was bigger than I expected it be once I saw the box, but the scoop size is so large, that it says it is only 15 servings per the entire bottle. Seems a little spendy for $25, but I will say that just as other people reviewed about the product, it is truly tasteless. I even tasted a bit dry to be sure.

I mixed myself a glass of chocolate milk to try it. No problem, getting it down. It did not change the taste of my drink. It was the easiest 21 grams of protein I ever had to get down.

My only complaint, I had wished that it provided more servings per container. I still have my other liquid protein to get down and I may try it at a later date and see if it still hurts my stomach to save money.

My review is a nutshell, Unjury unflavored protein powder deserves 5 stars for the taste. It did not upset of hurt my stomach. My only thing is I would give it a 2 star for price in this economy.

Getting Out Again

I am beginning to finally feel like a normal person again. Today I weighed 186.6 pounds so I am happy with my weight still going down. I am able to do some light cleaning around the house and cooking meals for the family. I am back to driving again this week, but not long distances. I am driving my daughter to school and to the store for things.

My endurance is much better as I can shop for longer periods of time now and sometimes I do just walk around the store and browse just to get in some additional walking.

I still have muscle pain and fatigue on my left side where my main incision complications were after the surgery.

One thing is I am feeling much better mentally. My desire to celebrate the holidays has returned. I have almost finished my Christmas shopping, I have shipped off the Christmas gifts to my son and daughter-in-law in England. I even bought a new artificial tree. After throwing my old one out two years ago, I finally feel happy to get a new one. My daughter is so excited, but what 6 years isn't excited about Christmas.

I also have bought our turkey for Thanksgiving and most of the trimmings. I even want to bake our own homemade pies this year. My daughter cannot wait to help me make them. She loves helping out cooking in the kitchen.

It feels good to feel normal again, and I believe it has to do with my blood sugar level being normal and being off the meds. My entire outlook on life went from the doom and gloom I had to my per-diabetic mindset of being happy and positive. I like the new/old me.

Results 11 Weeks since surgery

So far I am still making progress. I am averaging about 3 to 3.5 pounds a week in weight loss. I am down a total of 35 pounds now. It really doesn't seem like much, and yes, I still look fat, but not a big as before. Here is an update of my photos taken yesterday in the parking lot at the local Target.

Before:
August 19, 2013

 Down 35 pounds

November 5, 2013 - NO more double belly roll. :)

 

 

As the Hair Falls Out . . .

First of all I am excited this morning as my weigh in showed I am now down to 187.4. Wooo Hooo!

As, I have been anticipating my hair to begin to fall out about now since I have read it starts somewhere between 2 and 3 months and finally stops about 7 to 9 months, I have been watching for loose falling hairs. I have occasionally noticed one here and one there, but yesterday I did some pull through my hair with my fingers and had more than just a few, my hair has begun the process of falling out.  It isn't falling out in clumps in case you are curious, it is just one here and one there, but it is all over. It is more of a thinning. It does not bother me at this time as I have always had extremely thick hair.  I have decided to let my hair grow out during this time frame and when it has completed the process I will see how my hair looks once it is done and begins to grow back in.

Sometimes are hair can do funny things after stuff like this so I will wait and see if my blonde grows in a bit darker or if I have my grey hair growing in at that time. Only after that will I decide what I need to do with my hair to manage it looking appropriately.  My conclusion is . . . Let's wait and see.

Eating Eggs

I have finally added scrambled eggs to my diet and have been successful at not getting sick from them as quite a few RNY patients do after surgery. I am increasing my protein and still trying to figure out the timing to get in all the required liquids. I drank unsweetened tea yesterday and it tasted wonderful. I have tried coffee and also drank about 2 ounces of my favorite starbucks blend, but insure I do not over do it, I only order a tall, drink a small amount and let my daughter finish it off.
So far this has worked out wonderful as I satisfy my little craving without over indulging.

189 pounds even

To my surprise, I weighed 189 even today. It was a little over 5 years ago that I weighed 189 on my up to my 222. So, it is quite a victory to finally be back down to 189 since all my other weight loss efforts would stall out at 192 and never budge any lower.

I did spend 2 weeks at 192, but I finally broke that this past week, YAY! My weight loss for this week was -3.2 pounds. The past few days I have pushed myself in doing things, going out and shopping.

I am ready to try some walking exercising this week. I do have some walking dvd's so I may just start with those in the house and see how much I can take, and hopefully I will begin to lose weight at a more consistant rate.

Pleanty of Rest

One thing I have noticed post-op since I had so many complications from the start is that I still sleep more hours at night and I still nap for about an hour each day in the middle of the day. I understand my body needs this rest to heal, but a part of me wishes that it still didn't hurt so much across my abdomen so I could walk more and do more around the house and most important start some sort of exercise program.

After reading through my post-op diet instructions, I saw some things on there that I can eat to bring up my protein intake so I can reach 70 grams of protein a day. I am still having issue with drinking all the fluids so I need to work harder at getting them in.

My weight today is still 191.4 and I want to break this 190 stall and get down to the 180's by November 1st. That is my goal! So I have 6 days to drop 2 pounds and 4 ounce.

I CAN DO IT!!!

Stall, Stall, GO AWAY!

As I hover around 192 now for 2 weeks, I can officially say I am in a stall. Since I am not able to exercise yet or walk to boost my weight loss I will have to cut down my calories to make the scale move again. I know I need to break this stall since over the last 5 years whenever I dieted I could only get down to 192 pounds and then I would stop there. I could hold that weight for a while, but eventually my diabetes would work against me and slowly the pounds would come back again.

For the next few days or even a week if I must I will just drink my protein shakes and puree any food I need in an effort to help with the speedy digestion. I really want to break this stall and get myself down to the 180's.

Thinking positive thoughts that I will break this stall.

What about gas????

For those of you reading this wondering what to expect or what could happen, here is a new one for me. . . GAS!

I have never been much of a passing gas person. If I did it was pretty rare and after my gallbladder was removed in 2004 I did occasionally get gas, but it was always in the form of burping.

Since I have had gastric bypass I have gas all the time. At first I thought, okay this from the surgery and after all the gas leftover from the surgery is finished passing I should go back to normal.
Well, as you all know from reading, I didn't have the best recovery and I did have some pretty serious complications with my side opening up and my waste coming out through my incisions and I was hospitalized for 10 days and not able to eat or drink while the Fistula closed up and healed.

With that begin said, I accept there is still more gas passing inside and hurting and yes it did. Although, the Fistula is closed, my incisions are almost completely healed, but the gas is still there. I can hear it and feel it moving inside my belly and after a while, it finally passes. Wow, I feel like such a lady now farting quite a bit each day . . . NOT!

Now, I wonder, will this be my new norm, or will it change over time. I sure hope that it changes and I go back to how I was before the surgery. I don't like this little added bonus, but at least I can say, it is livable to deal with, just not pleasant on the Miss Manners end.

 

Image source: http://lovelylittlelexemes.blogspot.com/2011/06/fart.html

Finally Tried Eggs

After reading on the Obsiety Help forum how many people had pain and stomach aches after eggs, I have been quite fearful of eating them. Today, I decided to be brave and made some scambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. I have already had bacon and not had any problems so I knew if I started not feeling well or started to have digestive problems it would be from the eggs.

I started off eating just a few bites, I noticed I felt full quite quickly after eating my slice of bacon and a few bites of eggs. So far, no problems. I set them aside and will try eating a few more bites in an hour or so and see if all is still well.

Today I am finally down to 191.4. I haven't been this small in almost 6 years. Woo Hoo!

Drinking Enough Fluids

I know how important it is to drink a lot of water, but I have always had trouble drinking a lot. When I did, I was never ate as I had no appetite. I haven't noticed any issues yet, but I am still only drinking about the same amount of fluids as I did before the surgery. I find it most difficult to remember the 30 minute rule of not drinking 30 minutes before or after I eat. This is especially hard as sometimes I am hungry almost every hour, so I cannot find the time to do my sipping.

I have noticed that I feel able to eat a bit of food, so I wonder if my pouch is a little larger than some. I think I can eat at least 2 or 3 ounces at a time without any issue or uncomfortable feeling. I stop myself from eating more for fear of not losing weight.

Belly Shots (Photos)

These photos show my 30lb weight loss. The first photo was take on August 27, 2013 after I arrived home from WLS in Mexico.
The second photo is how much my stomach has went down in size. Taken today - October 18, 2013.

I Drove the Car Again!

Since my surgeries and hospitalization I was finally able to drive the car. Sure, it was only a short distance to my daughter's school and home this morning, but up until now, I have not been able to even attempt trying to drive. It was important to me and to her, there was an awards ceremony this morning for honor roll students, and she made the honor roll and was awarded a certificate and they served them cake a punch afterwards. I was so proud and she was so proud to tell all her friends "This is my Mom!" I think my code blue and days in the hospital really made her happy to know I am better and alive and she is proud to have me alive and well.

I don't plan on driving very much for a few more weeks as it was difficult to attempt this today and I would feel better about driving when I am not still so sore and having pain in my abdomen.

I can finally eat real food!

Yesterday, my doctor appointment went well. I weighed 196 there. As of today I am 195.2, so down a bit more as well.  The doctor looked over my incisions and said all looks well and I healing fine. He authorized me to go from just having liquids and pureed foods to eating real food again in small amounts and to chew it very well.

It feels good to eat again. I am beginning to be able to do more a little bit each day. I cannot wait until I am all healed up with no pain and can go back to doing more normal things. I am hoping to be able to sleep in my bed within the next week or so. As of today, I am still sleeping in the recliner as I am unable to sit up and down without support or help without a lot of pain.

I am in Onederland!

After two days of weighing 200 pounds exactly I was pleasantly surprised today when I stepped on the scale and it read 197.8. I did not expect that much of a drop, but I am ecstatic to be back in the 100's again: Woo Hoo!

I am handing my pureed food well without issue and I am very thankful for that. I am still very sore and not able to do my normal routine. I look forward to the day when I reach that point.

Feeling more normal

Today I awoke with more energy and feeling better than I have in days past. I feel like I turned a corner in my recovery. I can walk a little better today without pain. I feel motivated as well, but I do not plan to do anything yet. I tried that a couple of days ago, vacuumed my living room and I paid for it the rest of the day and the next. So, the things I do will be very simple and not strenuous in any way.

The scale was still 200 pounds exactly. I will admit, I am a tad disappointed that I did not drop down into the 100's but that is okay, there's always tomorrow.

My task today will be folding the clean laundry as it comes out of the dryer.  I am still not at a point were I can bend over and do things without causing pain in my abdomen. Maybe next week that will not be an issue, but until I cross that bridge I will do what I am able one day at a time.

Post 7 days on liquid diet

So today marks day seven for me being able to have liquids. Although, the past few days I have done thick liquids per say. I have put my soups in the Nutribullet and liquified them so they are drinkable but hardy. I have had no issues digesting them and they help keep me from being hungry a little longer than broth alone.

I am trying to get my protein shakes in. I will admit, I am still a bit afraid to drink too much at this time, afraid it my be too much and spring a leak or cause constipation like some others have had and cause a bowel obstruction. I may be overreacting a bit on the side of caution, but I want to make sure I heal and do not end up back in the hospital.

Call me a wuss if you want, I would rather take it slower than mess myself up. Today I did sip my protein shake without adding milk to it. I do have liquid protein I can sip as well, but I will take the bottle in to the Doctor appointment with me next week and ask him about adding it to my diet first before I add it.

I made myself some tea today to drink. I am still having trouble drinking the crystal light drinks. I have never been one to use artificial sweetener and the aftertaste just keeps me at bay, so I made my own drink and added my organic sugar/stevia to sweeten it just a bit. I have already drank twice as much today than I have been for the past 3 days.

I also chewed a flinstones vitamin today for the first time as well. I will try my liquid vitamins tomorrow in a small amount and see how I handle it first before going full throttle.

My incisions are still very sore, but scabbing over nicely. I am still not able to exercise or do too much and I have not been out of the house other than to go to my doctor appointments. I am feeling a little better every day in spite of my slow progress.

On a good note, I weighed 200 pounds exactly today and my blood sugar was only 89 today. Woo Hoo!

Honest Thoughts and Ramblings

One thing about having had this fistula . . . I know I am still scared to really eat much and anything to strong in flavor. I mix my protein shake with a little milk so it's not to thick either. I only eat an ounce at a time about every hour. I still hurt and when I do too much, which isn't much at all.

I get chills like I am cold. It's something I have always gotten when I have trauma or severe pain. I take my pain medicine to help me relax through it. I figure by how I feel now I am about 6 weeks from feeling better enough to go places again.  So far I only go from the bedroom to the kitchen. I am still sleeping in the recliner we brought into the bedroom. I cannot sit up or lay back without it as my stomach cannot handle the pain.

I fear springing a leak again more than anything and then I also fear the what if it starts leaking again but stays on the inside. I weigh myself every day to make sure I am not leaking on the inside and gaining weight. I know some of this may all sound paranoid but then again you may be worrying about the same things.

With the complications I began doubting my surgeon. Well, I was already doubting him before I had the second surgery to fix the first surgery. I didn't feel like I was good when I was released from the hospital, but I wanted to board the plane and come home so if I at least died, I died in the US near my family rather than alone in Mexico.

Once home I was healing fine until one day I started with a small leak from 2 of my incisions. I didn't know if I had caused the leak by massaging some of the hard spots on my left side. They were like hard lumps that hurt and pushed against my ribs. So I massaged them a bit in hope's they would go away. I also wondered if I had pulled it apart by getting up and down from my chair. Now, I wonder if it's just the doctors hurrying and not taking extra time to sew us up right in the first place.Sort of like a puppy mill for surgery.

I received my first notice from our insurance asking us if there is a third party they can go after and for me to describe what happened. The first one is from my local hospital who did the cat scan and transported me to Houston and this bill is over 11,000. I sure hope our insurance pays for it.
I hate to see the bill from Houston after spending 10 days in the hospital.

On the Mend

I can hardly believe the month of September is almost over. This past month has been such a blur with everything that has happened. I even surprised myself being able to keep up on the important things.

Today I feel better than yesterday. I am struggling to drink enough water, but I am also sipping lots of chicken broth as well. I mixed my protein shake with 1/2 shake and 1/2 milk to help get it down and digest easy. That really did make a difference and I did not get that awful bloated feeling.

I am getting up and walking around several times throughout the day to help me gas build up. I will say I am looking forward to being able to puree my food in a couple of weeks. Yesterday, I had some Progresso soup that was wonderful. I strained the broth and set the meat and noodles aside. I was thinking how much I wanted to throw that can in my Nutribullet and liquefy it and drink it down.

It seems almost every hour I am having hunger pains, and I need to eat and drink something. I am having a hard time eating the jello, but I never was a big jello fan.

My six year old last week said to me "Mom, maybe this wasn't such a good idea" as she stood by me and held my hand. Last week, I was feeling somewhat in agreement, but this week, with Picc line out and finally drinking foods, I only see what is in my future, no more diabetes, no more meds to control my blood sugar, and the ability to lose the weight I put on from the diabetes. The desire to not be overweight anymore and to be thin again and living a happy, healthier life makes all that I have been through this month and all that I still have to endure worth it.

Slow and steady wins the race, and I plan on taking it slow and steady.

Finally Moving Forward and Making Progress

 My appointment with the bariatric doctor went well: better than I had anticipated. The fistula is closed; the incisions that had opened are closing and no longer leaking.  Dr. Snyder removed the picc line and stopped the TPN.  

I am now allowed to drink liquids and Dr. Snyder gave me the starting diet to begin. It feels really good to be able to drink fluids again. I am no longer chocking and gaging from dry mouth and throat.

Yesterday, I drank some minestrone Progresso soup broth and it tasted wonderful. I followed my diet instructions and also drank the protein shake, but I felt sick for hours afterwards. I was so bloated and uncomfortable. I had already tested out drinking and ounce of milk with no issues, but the protein shake was still just a bit much for me. After all it has been 5 weeks since I had the surgery and not being allowed to eat or drink anything. I have decided to hold off on the protein until I am digesting the broths and milk a little better. I figure I need a least a week of my system working before I attempt to add the thick protein drink back to my diet.

I felt so well Thursday that I started my day off strong, but quickly realized I am physically not up to the task and had to rest most of the rest of the day.  I plan on taking things much easier and slower as I do not want to risk hurting myself and ending up back in the hospital.

Dr. Appointments Today

Today will be a long day for me today. I have 2 doctor appointments. I have my blood draw and Picc Line gauze change at 10:00 this morning. I hope it goes by quicker than last week.

Second, I see the bariatric doctor and I can see how my progress is going and if I can finally drink or eat anything. I am really hoping I can start drinking. I have not enjoyed being thirsty and having the dry mouth and gagging from not being allowed to swallow anything.

I will update later, unless I am too exhausted to update today, then I will post tomorrow.

Fiasco at my Dr. Appt Wednesday.

It is Friday and I am just now feeling up to posting about my Dr. Appt. from Wednesday.  Someone set up the appointment for me, but failed to inform my local doctor what the appointment was for or what they needed.

My doctor had no notes sent over and we tried to fill in the blanks for him as best we could. They only had one person on staff qualified to change my gauze on the Picc Line.

Then there was the issue of the labs. They never sent over what labs they needed. My doctor tried calling several people for over an hour to find out any information with no success. He finally ordered a bunch of labs to be safe. Off to the lab I go and what a surprise, no one knows how to use the picc line to retrieve blood so they are poking and prodding to find a vein to get some.

By the time we left the doctor's office it was 12:30 and my appointment was at 9:00. I was so happy to get home and lay down at this point.

The only good thing that came out of this by Thursday we had it all figured out so now my doctor's office is informed for next week and my TPN bags are to be delivered today for the week.

In general, I am tired today and feel just a little bit nauseated.

I am hoping that I am way better in a month from now than I feel right now. Please keep up the prayers, I am doing better, but I am not out of the woods yet.

Thanks!

Slowly Feeling Better

Slowly I am making progress. I didn't do too much walking yesterday. I went to the kitchen and leaned over the sink so my mother could help me wash my hair. It had been almost 12 days since I had my hair washed and it was making me crazy feeling so gross. They wanted to take me to a local salon to have it done, but I know I don't have that much energy to do that just yet.

Hair washing was a success. We also removed the bile bags that were attached. Since there has hardly been any drainage, which is a good thing. That tells me the fistula that we have all been praying to close, is closing since it is no longer leaking out my incision sites. Anyhow, the bags had been on for almost a week and I could feel them beginning to hurt and eat away at my skin. My mother stood by and cried for fear when we pulled them off and my son and I slowly peeled them away. Nothing leaked out. We wiped them down with sterile gauze and sterile water. They felt better immediately!
We are keeping them covered with sterile gauze in the event there is still small amounts of leakage.

I have begun weighing myself daily to make sure I am not leaking inside my body and gaining weight. So far I am losing a small amount of ounces every day. This morning I actually weighed 209.8, so that is a good sign. I am still no food or water by mouth, only the TPN bags for my food through the IV Picc Line.

Today I feel a little more alert and my mom said my color is looking better. I am still napping a lot, but that is good, I know I am healing and I am finally sleeping better at night and can lay almost entirely flat now without any complications.

I see my local PCP on Wednesday, where he will draw my labs for Dr. Snyder and change the dressing on my Picc Line. I will let him know what we did with removing the bags and covering up my skin with gauze so it can heal.

My first appointment with Dr. Snyder is Wednesday, September 25th.

Please continue to pray for my healing and recovery. I hope to be able to be back on track in less than a month but only the doctor will know for sure when that is, but I am hoping it is sooner than a month.

Well, I am ready for a nap and will try to post more often now that I am feeling a little better. I just do not want to over do it.

Below is a picture I took today of the hole from my incision where the leak began and how it looks today after removing the drainage bags. I felt the bile by the incision was just eating away at my skin and making it larger. It actually looks better today than it did yesterday when we first removed it.

Finally Home from the Hospital.

Where do I begin. First of all I am happy to be alive and I am happy to be home.

This journey has not been easy and I have withheld saying my true opinion until I had a chance to think about it entirely before posting. I am most thankful that I was back in the US when my bile leak just began pouring out my incision sites. I was transported immediately to Memorial Hermann Trauma Hospital in Downtown Houston where I have been under wonderful care for the past 10 days. Praise God I was there with many of the best surgeons and medical care in US if not the world.

On Tuesday September 3, 2013 while having a picc line installed for my TPN, I remember telling them I could feel my lips or breath. I was code blue. The next thing I know they are pulling at me and calling my name as I struggle to gasp for air. When I open my eyes I see nothing  but medical doctors, they are holding my chin up and administering  high doses of oxygen. My nurse told my husband my lips were blue and my body was purple when she fist saw me.

This experience was very scary and when I finally was breathing with just small amounts of oxygen in my nose I began going into a mild shock and shook uncontrollably. I was freezing to the bone even with layers of blankets on me. I was so happy when it finally passed.

I cannot eat or drink anything by mouth until my leak (fistula) is completely healed. In the mean time I am receiving all my nutrient's via my picc line. I still cannot drink anything for the next two weeks as it continues to heal.

What I have been withholding back in my surgery experience in Mexico with Dr. Kelly. I heard all the great things, I went through all his degrees and certifications, and yes he was nice, but I was not happy with surgery procedure. From the moment I woke from the first surgery August 19,2013 I could feel something was wrong. I was yelling in Spanish No, Muerto! (sp) I was exhausted and in a lot of pain. Anything that I swallowed caused pain. All my vitals were good though.
By Wednesday August 21, 2013 I was taken to my leak test and failed. When I look back I am not surprised. So back to the hospital I went and Dr. Kelly did a revision surgery. My recovery was slow and painful. I didn't see Dr. Kelly much after that and I never saw his wife Cecy again.

On Saturday August 24, 2013 I was again take to my leak test, this time there was another patient who had the sleeve done. You could not tell he even had surgery as he was walking around and carrying his back pack. I was still in a wheel chair. I supposedly passed my leak test this time. Dr. Kelly removed my drain. Very painful. He said he would be by hotel later to removed the IV line left in my hand and check in on me.

By 10:00 still no sign of Dr. Kelly. I removed the IV stuff from my hand myself. I slept in a chair. The next morning Dr. Kelly's assistance came to take me and another patient to the air port to return home. She seemed shocked Dr. Kelly never came to see me since he was there and checked in on the other patients. At this point I just couldn't wait to get stateside and home. I had wheelchair assistance the entire time at the airport. I am so thankful I did. I was so blown up with fluids, they could barely make the seatbelt on the airline fit. When I stood the pain was excruciating and my back couldn't support the weight of my belly hanging, so I had to support it with my hands.

Once home, I weighed almost 20 pounds more than before I left and my kids said I looked fatter like a puffer fish. My recovery was still very painful and slow. I never received my email report from Dr. Kelly on the revision surgery. I wondered why he didn't want to face me before I left. I questioned if he knew something wasn't right but wanted me to go home hope it all worked out. I really felt like he has done so many sleeves that he may have forgotten how to perform the RNY surgery.

Well, I was home only 5 days when my incisions broke open and bile came out my sides like water. I was very scary and we immediately went to the hospital and there began my journey. They ran a cat scan and also discovered my liver has a laceration on it as well as my spleen. It took them hours to find a bariatric surgeon willing to take me on as patient with such problems. Dr. Snyder stepped up and accepted me and I was transported to Houston. There I spent 10 days recovering I have months of recovery ahead of me.

We are all still praying the fistula continues to close so I will not need another surgery. So far God has been very good to me and I am so thankful for His faithfulness.

13 Days Post-op

It is hard to believe it was 13 days ago I began this journey. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Since, I am still so weak and tired, yet this is my best day yet. I will post a time line of what I recall now before I completely forget what I wanted to share.

August 19, 2013 --- Flew to San Diego, arrive in Tijuana with Cecy, Dr. Kelly's wife.
Admitted into Nova Hospital. Had a short discussion with Dr, Kelly.
Blood tests were done, and x-rays.
Dr. Kelly arrives in my room about 2:00PM and we discuss the RNY and my decision for this surgery verses the VGS. After our discussion, Dr. Kelly understood why I choose to have a 95% guarantee to be rid of my diabetes.
I would be prepped for surgery that evening.
Surgery was performed and I awoke in a great state of pain.

August 20, 2013 --- Continuous round the clock care, drank some weird blue solution that Dr. Kelly requested. Was not allowed to drink anything. Felt extremely tired.
Dr. Kelly came in a couple of times and brought another doctor and introduced him. They kept looking at the drainage tube color. Dr. Kelly seemed concerned, the other doctor seem to tell him it would be okay. I just knew I would feel a burning sensation inside if I even had a drop of water down my throat and I was still very tired.

August 21, 2013 --- Dr. and Mrs. Kelly drove me to Angelos Hospital for my swallowing/leak test.
Dr. Kelly was noticing my extreme tiredness and inability to get around.
The leak test was painful and they made me do it twice. I could see Dr, Kelly's face through the window as he was watching the monitor and I could see real concern on his face. Without anything being said I knew something was not right.
After the test Dr. and Mrs. Kelly were making numerous phone calls. Dr. and Mrs. Kelly drove me back to the hospital and Dr. Kelly explained that he needed to go back in for surgery and he was putting his team together and they would also use a camera.
6:00 PM. I am back in the OR having revision surgery done.
Awoke in my room feeling much better than I did from the first surgery.

August 22, 2013 --- Hospital recovery.

August 23, 2013 --- Hospital recovery.

August 24,2013 --- Discharged from the hospital and take to swallowing/leaks test. Other patient who was there from Alaska was also having his done. He was walking and carrying his bags as if nothing was even done on him. Made me rethink my decision to have had this surgery done.
Passed my swallow/leak test as did the other patient.
We were both transported to Lucerna hotel which was lovely, but I was still in no shape to enjoy. I just wanted to get home.

August 25, 2013 --- Flew home, felt better to know I was back at home in the event I had anymore complications at least it was home and family was near.

August 26-29, 2013 --- Each day felt the same, continued all the antibiotics and other meds Dr. Kelly gave me when I left. Still really couldn't walk much, my side where the drainage tube was removed is still extremely sore. I am sleeping in a recliner in our bedroom next to the bathroom so hubby can assist me up out of the chair and to the bathroom. I am gaining strength and energy a little bit every day. Have severe dry mouth and I worried of getting thrush from all the antibiotics I have had.

August 30, 2013 --- Hubby is back to work today and my eldest son is left in charge of caring for me.
I begin to notice thrush developing in my mouth and throat and I am having trouble drinking and swallowing. I had some spare Fluconazole that the pharmacy dispensed to me earlier in the year and had not used. I took this about 3:00PM.

August 31, 2013 --- Day two with son's care. So thankful to have him here to help me.
My throat is feeling better. Hubby's work day is over and again he will be off with me until
Friday next week. Had hubby stop and pick up some Listerine for gargling.
Had a restless nights sleep.

September 1, 2013 --- Feeling my drainage hole wound begin to leak more. I have been applying pressure on the hard knotted areas and applying pressure and helping to discharge more the fluids.
Once I drained a lot of this fowl fluid my mobility has been better. Took a shower today, have been purposely applying pressure to drain the wounds of anything and size is going down and I feel even better. I have walked more, sat up more, and felt more alert today than any day so far.
I ate my fist semi-solid food today besides the occasional Greek yogurt. I had cream of wheat for breakfast. It tasted wonderful.
Still not sure how I feel about the entire process at this moment, but wanted to share where I was with all of you so you can be informed.

This has taken me a few hours to do with breaks in between and I am ready for rest. More updates will follow later.

Tomorrow is the Day!

As I make my final prep plans today for surgery tomorrow I have all my information at my fingertips, stored in my phone and printed out on paper as a back up.

My bags are packed and we will be heading down to Houston this evening to check into our hotel. Since I need to be at the airport by 6:30AM to leave at 8:15AM to fly out my husband and I booked the hotel. Traffic on Monday mornings is Houston is awful and there is a much lesser chance of us getting stuck in traffic and being late. Yes, there is heavy traffic on all the highways here in Houston at 6:00AM.

I have already checked in for my flight this morning with ticket pick-up at the counter. I wanted to make sure that they can list my return flight as needing a wheelchair. I was advised by Stephanie who had her revision surgery with Dr. Kelly this past Monday that I will not be able to stand in the long lines during check in upon return and to order the wheelchair so they will take me to my gate so I will not have to stand. (Great advise, thanks Stephanie!)

I have also packed me a small pillow to take on board the flight with me. I recall from gallbladder surgery that riding in a car or sudden movement hurts your insides and the light pressure of a pillow helps keeps things from moving and hurting.

My laptop has been updated this morning and I made sure my Netflex, Huluplus, and Blaze TV are all set up so I will have something to watch in the hotel room. I have also packed 3 books that I have been reading and this will be a good chance to get them completely read before I begin my next semester of college in September and won't have time to finish the for while.

As far as I know, I have all my food supplies already purchased for my return home so there will be no stopping since I expect to feel pretty lousy and just want to come home and rest.

I recall not feeling completely recovered and ready to take on the world full day like normal for almost 9 days after I had gallbladder surgery so I anticipate that this will be the same way give or take a day or two.

My weight this morning was 233.4, so even after two weeks of pre-op diet and two days of clear liquids, broth, and such, I have neither lost or gained any weight.

Well, here's to my new future. I do not anticipate feeling like posting until I checked out of the hospital and into my hotel room on Wednesday, August 21, 2013.

See you all then!

Day 2 of Pre-op Liquid Diet

Yesterday was not a bad as I thought it would be following the clear liquid diet.

I only had one episode about dinner time where by blood sugar dropped and my body began to shake and feel listless. I opened a can a sprite and drank it down to get the sugar back in my system and I was able to make it through the rest of the evening.

All was well until I awoke about 4:00 AM with an awful migraine headache. I took only one Tylenol rather than the normal two I would for a headache. I sipped some milk to wash it down since I already felt nauseated from the headache.

By the time I awoke this morning, I still had a headache, but it was at least no longer on the migraine level. I drank some tea to give me caffeine and it has helped tremendously. I do not feel the greatest today but I am feeling okay. At least I can function normally today.

My weight today is still 221.6. Even after two weeks of following a pre-op diet, my weight has not changed. Very much the same as when I have dieted with no weight loss.

I am excited that my surgery is only 2 days away now. :)

Only 3 Days Left!

I am finally 3 days before my surgery. Wow that time went by fast! I am now really nervous and excited at the same time.

I began my 3 day pre-op diet and so far today I have been doing fine with just the broth. I have been fortunate enough to not have any diabetic issues needing to eat or take my medicine.

3 Days Prior to Surgery  

• Complete bowel prep by taking laxative (only once) on the 3rd day prior to surgery.

• Consume only clear liquids, i.e.; broth, Jell-O, sugar-free juice, etc. after that.  

4 Days until Surgery!

Yesterday my husband began to get nervous wondering if going to Mexico for surgery was legit. Worried itcould be a scam or they just make a few cuts on me and do nothing or do something other than I paying for. All his worries are understandable.

So today we went through and looked at all of Dr. Kelly's creditials and heard from others about his great reputation. I also contacted his office and shared with them his worry and concern and they will request that Dr. Kelly call us later this evening.

All in all, he is beginning to feel better about the decision.

Seven more days

Well, I am coming down to the end of wire here with only 7 more days until my surgery.
I am both excited and nervous at the same time.

Now that I am this close to my surgery date I have additional steps to following within these last 14 days.

7 Days Prior to Surgery    
 • Discontinue vitamins, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, Nuprin, Aleve or any other non- steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. This includes baby aspirin and most arthritis medications.  These medications can cause unnecessary bleeding after surgery. (If you are not sure, please check with our doctors.)
 • For headache or minor pains you may use Tylenol. 
 • Do not take any herbal medications/remedies.

Feeling Remorse for What I Will be Giving Up.

It began last night, the second guessing “am I making the right decision?” The dread of knowing I can never have any ice cream or sugar used in anything I eat. Wondering how long it will be before I tire of eating the same thing day in and day out for the rest of my life. The thought of never enjoying a Margareta or a rum and coke at an occasional celebration made me really feel like the loser that school kids called me many years ago.  I questioned my decision, asking myself, “Why can’t I lose weight?”” Why am I so different than all the countless others who do what I do but get results?” It surely does make me feel like a failure since I am unable to do this without surgery.

Then, I began questioning the type of surgery I chose. Should I do VGS since I can go back to eating normally after a few months and I could still enjoy all the foods of life like every other human?

As, I woke up still pondering my thoughts and questioning my decision, I was listening to the Sunday morning news and one of the doctors discussing health issues went on to talk about how Americans are given too many pharmaceuticals, blah, blah, blah, but then he said no all pharmaceuticals are bad, for instance heart meds since hypertension is the silent killer, then he said diabetes. He said no doctor likes to know his patient has diabetes because it has so many downfalls and complications a patient can have to shorten their life, hamper their quality of life, and so on.

That is when the light bulb went back on in my head. BINGO! That is why I chose RNY surgery over VGS in the first place. I wanted the 95% chance of my diabetes being gone. It reminded me to not feel like loser or failure, but to realize, that I am not like many others. I am older, I am diabetic, and as my doctor told me in the past, diabetes will prevent me from losing weight. It will fight against me.

I now feel confident in my decision to have RNY and I welcome leading a more active and enjoyable lifestyle without all the foods I cannot have anyway as a diabetic, but with a future filled with better health and not having to worry about all the problems associated with diabetes.

I think having these thoughts is very normal, this is a big step. RNY is a life altering decision. It is not something to take lightly, but the results far out-weigh what not having it done can do to my life. I am no longer second guessing my choice.