Quick 6 month post up appointment update

Because I had such POSITIVE feedback at my 6 month post surgery appointment yesterday, I felt compelled to draft another quick blog update.

Technically, 6 months would fall on February 28th.  It was that day in August that I went under the knife.  I remember having a feeling of readiness; yet few expectations after a failed lap-band procedure in 2006.

Anyway, so yesterday I had an appointment for my 6 month follow up.  It was one of those days where you arrive on time only to sit in the waiting room for another 2 hours before being called back.  Even then you sit another 30 minutes before the first "visit" occurs. 

First comes the infamous weigh in and blood pressure check, followed by a quick consult with the dietitian.  We typically discuss any issues I've had with foods (any vomiting?  any nausea?  etc), what types of foods I've been eating, whether I've been getting a minimum of 60g of protein in daily and what my physical activity looks like.

I explained that I was sick from Dec. 24th through the first week of February; and that I'm JUST now starting to feel among the living (two rounds of antibiotics and allergy meds later).  My appetite during that time was hit and miss.  And nothing tasted good.  Fortunately, it's finally coming back.

Last Friday night we met friends at Bobby's Place on Main for happy hour and dinner.  We had half prize appetizers.  Then a few hours later ordered side salads.  My salad was so heavenly that I had a little more than my stomach was happy with.  BAM!  Nausea.  Thankfully I still had my magic anti-nausea pills.  15 minutes later, I was golden!

I also filled the dietitian in on our Valentine's Day trip to The Melting Pot....the first meal in over a month that was THOROUGHLY enjoyable.  One word:  OVERINDULGENCE.  I spent 30 minutes in pure hell before the magic pills set in.

She didn't seem too concerned...was happy the appetite was coming back and thrilled with my weight loss success.  She also seemed content with my activity levels.  Surprising I didn't get more of a lecture there.  I have a sedentary job; and the most footsteps my Jawbone logs is on weekends.

I did mention to her that I've noticed new food cravings, things I've never "craved" before, per se.  I went on to explain that on Superbowl Sunday, Kevin and I stocked up on junk food for watching the game.  I then told her that for some reason I also insisted that we get a veggie tray and a fruit tray/fresh fruit for that day.  Oddly enough, I had a couple bites of the poor choices (my former faves) and then decided I wanted/craved the fruit and veggies.  It sounded so fake; but it was true.  I ended up enjoying the fruits and veggies more.  It's a phenomena that I've noticed more and more lately.  I can't explain it.  But she did.  She proceeded to explain to me that when you begin eating healthier, your body quits craving the bad foods and starts craving healthier things.  I'm having a hard time believing it is happening to me.  Such a stark change for me.  Another very surreal feeling.  Sadly my mind and my stomach aren't always in agreement.  At times, I still THINK I want those former faves; but in the end, I can only take a bit or two of them and I'm done.  Gone are the days of overindulging on chips, dips and sweets.  Fortunately, one or two bites satisfies me.

Anyway, so long story longer.............I am experiencing very different cravings these days.  Ones I never thought were possible.

Ok, so once we were done "visiting" I spent another 10 minutes or so alone in the room before the Nurse Practitioner came in.

She went over what the dietitian noted; and then wanted to "check my belly".  I have to laugh.  She presses around my abdomen and then tells me, "everything looks beautiful".  NEVER really thought of my belly as "beautiful", so it tickles me every time she says it.

Lily, the NP went on to tell me she was THRILLED with my results to date.  She says that typically they do not see this pace of success on a "revisional surgery".  My bypass is considered revisional because Dr. Scott removed my lap-band to do the bypass.  I had a former treatment for obesity (the band) that failed me.  And typically results are slower on patients like myself.  She tried to articulate it more clearly for me by saying that I am beyond their expectations for me at this juncture.  This was certainly music to my ears.

She gave me an order for lab work to check my cholesterol and things I currently take meds for.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to cut back on my daily maintenance meds, as well as my CPAP.  But I'll need to see my specialist for another sleep study likely (as far as the apnea goes).  I've been sleeping without my CPAP for a week or so now.  Kevin swears that the mask must be too big for me now as the leaking air keeps him awake at night.  I've yet to make an appointment with Midwest Chest Consultants....mostly due to the fact that my health plan switched over from PPO to a HSA on Jan. 1.  So basically I have to pay 100% of everything till the deductible is met, then I pay coinsurance.  Not very practical.  I digress.  In addition to the lab work order, Lily gave me a prescription for my B12 nasal spray which I take weekly.

From there I was free to go.....AND, I don't have to go back for another SIX MONTHS.  I made an appointment for August and set on about my afternoon.  After the August appointment, I will be on an ANNUAL schedule.  I am so incredibly excited about only having to go once a year thereafter.  Particularly with them being an all day adventure and taking place across town, a 45 minute drive each way.  Life is Good.

But BY FAR, THE best news of the day was that I had lost 35 lbs. since my last visit, 3 months ago.  This was with jeans and bundled up clothing on.

This morning, I weighed myself.  I am at 266.8 pounds, down from 356 starting weight.  That's 89.2 pounds down in just under 6 months.  While utterly overjoyed, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this is very real, not just some pipe dream.  I've far exceeded my own expectations already; and I still struggle to imagine what the future can possibly hold for me.  To put it mildly, the loss has given me a new lease on life.  Quality of life has improved infinitely.  It's VERY difficult for me to put into words the range of emotion and pride and excitement that come into play here.  My own mind is literally BLOWN that I am only 11 pounds away from being able to say I've lost 100 pounds.  That is HUGE....and so so hard to believe.  That milestone will definitely be cause for celebration!!!  But like my sales quota, I won't be happy to leave it at that.  I'm all about shooting for the stars, overachieving.  So I look forward to seeing where this journey lands me when all is said and done.  Where will I land (weight wise) and physical appearance wise?!  I'm anxious to discover the person who dwells inside me.

For now all I notice when I look in the mirror are subtle changes.....a face that looks slightly thinner, clothes that are fitting me differently, etc.  I don't see an overwhelming change like 89 pounds would sound.  I do notice that I don't critique photos of me near as badly as I used to.  And with that being said, below is a photo Kevin took of me after the hockey game (Mardi Gras night) last night.  I had to forgo the first St. Louis Blues, Fat Bluesday event due to illness.  So he bought me a shirt at the game I missed.  And because they do the whole Fat Bluesday themes at every Tuesday night game in February, I was able to sport my new threads at last night's game.  I am very happy that I was able to not only wear a 2X but that I was comfortable with a turtleneck under it AND it went over my ginormous hips.  That was a first in years.  Just 6 mos. ago I was wearing size 4X shirts so they'd go over my hips without bunching, gathering, etc.  I'm curious to see if I ever make it down to a XL.  Strange concept.

But first a reminder of my "before" photo.  THEN............

and NOW.......

I will try to continue with monthly updates and include my annual follow up appointment updates as well.

Thanks again to all of my family and friends for their positive words and encouragement throughout this ongoing journey.

Love-

Lori

It's that time of the month...........time to update the 'ol blog.  At year end, I weighed in at 284.6 pounds and was feeling relatively ecstatic that I was able to attend a Blues game and sit in regular seating, with no issues of fitting or feeling like a pretzel when I got up.  Life was good.

Fast forward to end of January/beginning of February.  Life continues to get better.  I don't even know where to begin describing the little observations I make daily.  THE biggest and most obvious improvement in my quality of life is, by far, the increase in energy and mobility.

Shortly after Christmas, my husband bought me a fitness tracker that I'd been wanting.  After researching the Garmin Vivofit, the Fitbit and the JawBone, I ended up with the JawBone Up.  I absolutely LOVE it.  It maintains a charge for up to 14 days.  I wear it at ALL times (other than when bathing or showering).  It tracks my footsteps.  The app on my phone also allows me to log my weight, my daily meals, my drinks, and even my sleep!  Not only do I get daily tips.  But I also get a weekly report emailed to me that summarizes my average sleep, average steps per day, etc.  I love getting the summaries.  While I do not have a regular exercise routine at this point, it seems to show me that I am most active on the weekends.  Sounds right, given we stay real busy on weekends.  For the past month I've worked my full time job and spend an additional 40 hours per week at least on the trivia night planning.  I am beyond thankful that I was in shape enough to be on my feet most of the 13+ hours we worked to set up and execute the event.  I was also able to navigate the room logging over 6500 steps and squeezing my way between back to back chairs all night.  To the normal individual, you're like, "so what?".  But to someone who has (for years) avoided crowded rooms, anything physically laborious, etc.  It's a huge improvement.

I'm now down 4 jeans sizes and 2 sweatpant sizes.  I'm not really sure how many shirt or blouse sizes as I tend to still wear my roomy ones.  I used to take a 3X or 4X in a t-shirt; and I'm now in a 2XL and dropping.  It's a VERY strange feeling to think that someday I may actually be able to wear a basic XL.  In fact, I did wear an XL last Saturday; but I still prefer my shirts a little roomier yet.  The 2X thing is really nice right now as Kevin and I can share hockey jerseys, etc or take turns wearing them.  It was a strange feeling fitting back into a size 26 jeans after I can't even tell you how many years.  Now those are roomy.  It's hard to buy clothes.  Because you never know how much use you will get out of them.  I have tried selling my like new larger jeans on Craigslist and Facebook, to no avail.

It's strange when I look in the mirror from time to time.  I see some slight transformation....a slightly more narrow face, a slightly different body shape, a person I don't recall ever meeting.  I try to wrap my head around what it will be like when I actually reach my goal weight.  Will I like how I look?  What will I feel like?  So many unknowns.

I'm not one on taking selfies; so I rarely have photos to share with you.  But as I have them, I'll be certain to share.  I'm looking forward to some more family portraits in April when we celebrate my folks 50th wedding anniversary.

I was ill from Dec 24th till the present day.  I seem to have caught some crud that lingers like there is no tomorrow.  This week I finally called the doctor back for more meds.  I got another round of antibiotics and a nasal spray.  I've felt like I've been hit by a Mack truck all week; so I finally broke down and called in sick....this is the third day.  I slept most of the day.  Hoping I can power through the next two days and take it easy over the weekend.  I've got to shake this.

For Super Bowl Sunday, Kevin and I made a special trip to the store for game day munchies.  We got some frozen Schnucks appetizers, sloppy joes for lunch that day, chips, dips, etc.  But the two things I really wanted the most were dip for my carrots and stawberries and fruit dip.  NEVER in my life have I craved fruits and vegetables.  I've always loved raw carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.  But I've never been that big on fruit, much less craved it.  As I've been home sick all week, I've managed to drain a bag of carrots; and I'm down to 3 strawberry bites left.  This is going to call for another trip to the store, STAT.  I am grateful that my taste buds are changing.  But I still get a little tripped out when I go to take a bit of something I THINK I want and it doesn't even taste good.  

It wasn't that long ago that I could totally KILL a bag of chips by myself or when one cookie was nowhere near enough of a snack.  It really blows my mind.

Today I stood on the scale.  I looked down and it said 270.6.  My pre-surgery weight was 356 if you remember.  That means I've lost 85.4 pounds since the end of August.  I'm FLOORED, honestly.  I've long confided to my parents that I cannot wrap my head around the concept of losing 100 pounds much less any more.  But today I'm only 14.6 pounds away from knowing that reality.  That's about how much weight I lost over the past month.  INSANE.  I'm anxious and nervous yet excited to see what the coming months have in store for me.

Truth be known, I do not have a regular workout routine.  I work a sedentary job and remain very active with my family on the weekends.  That's all.  I try to eat right and do the right things; but I am not dieting, per se.  I just eat a whole lot less (thanks to surgery and my smaller stomach) and move more.

Every.Single.Day I wish I had done this back in 2006 versus messing with the lap band.  I can't even imagine where I would be today if I'd have known then what I know now.

We have some big plans for February.  First there's a tasting on Saturday for my parents' 50th Anniversary reception....we have to choose menu items.  Hoping I can enjoy that!!  My birthday is the 9th.......hoping I can score a sugar free birthday cake.  I'm thinking a Key Lime Mousse cake is in order....HINT HINT mom and Abbie!  ;-)

Kevin and I share February birthdays plus there's Valentine's Day.  So we have reservations for one of our favorite places for the 14th.  The Melting Pot.  I am hoping I'm able to enjoy it.  I haven't been since before surgery.  And I hope I can enjoy the dessert without getting sick from sugar.  Kevin will be thrilled to "help" me eat all that I can't.  We also get a half dozen chocolate covered strawberries.  Mmmmm  I'm looking so forward to that meal.

We also have Blues tickets for the 17th, Kevin's Birthday on the 24th, Don Williams concert on the 25th and what we hope will be another delicious dinner at Kemoll's on the 28th.

Life just keeps getting better.  For anyone considering gastric bypass surgery and lap band, I sincerely hope my story is helping you to make informed decisions.  Bypass surgery has given me a new lease on life in just 5 short months.  I can't wait to see how I'm doing in 5 more months and 5 more after that.

PLEASE feel free to share my story with any friends you have who could benefit from hearing my story.  My entire reason for blogging is to track for myself the changes and feelings; but also to share my experiences with those who face the same challenges with obesity, mobility, quality of life, etc.

I hope to have more exciting news for you in a month...........the countdown to a 100 lb loss begins, NOW!!!