Well, did you miss me?

So I'm getting close to two years post op. I haven't updated this blog because, well, I didn't have time. I was living life. My life is so different now. I have built up the confidence to do more in life. I am almost finished with my teaching certification for Early Childhood Education. As a mother who works full time, my measly eight classes left will probably take 2 more years because the last two will take most of my years vacation to do classroom observations.
Once you pass that one year mark, it gets so much harder. It can be incredibly easy to fall back into old habits. I gained back 15 pounds this past fall and I've been fighting to lose it all again. I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 7 so far. My greatest, and most exciting, news is that I have been able to run again. I hurt my knees in the Navy years ago and haven't been able to run regularly without severe knee pain and swelling in 11 years. For the past 3 weeks I have been running in the mornings (when I can drag myself out of bed). I am soooooooo psyched! This will help me lose the rest and continue to maintain, build my endurance, and help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.

I have fallen off the wagon for the winter for riding my bicycle, but I am working on riding again this spring and building up my mileage again.

I have also fallen into some pretty bad eating habits. Eating all manner of desserts. I lost my strength and will power that I had that first year to say no. I snack. I eat too much and stretch my pouch. I am not the perfect patient. I have maintain, mostly, my weight loss but I struggle EVERY DAY to eat healthy, portion my meals, and stay away from those wonderfully evil desserts.

On the plus side, I've maintained a size 4 for well over a year. I was an 8 in highschool and I was athletic. That feels great. I am energetic and spry. I can run around with my daughter. In fact, she runs with me in the morning. So I'm teaching her healthy routines for life.

I live and eat more naturally. In fact, I'm beginning a new blog soon on natural beauty. I taught a class on it this weekend at First Landing State Park. I love teaching. It makes me feel more confident and...alive!

Here are some post op pics:

Back to work . . .

So this was my first week back at work. It was interesting. I was worried that I wasn't ready and that I'd be too tired. I was just fine. I work in an office. The heaviest thing I would need to lift is a pack of paper of a stack of car titles (I work for Avis in the title department). Monday was a holiday (a stormy Independence day) so I started back on Tuesday, 7/5/2011.

I was really tired my first day. I was still a little sore in the mid section, but not in any pain. The hardest part was driving my daughter to daycare then driving to work. Sitting in the car and driving was a little uncomfortable. I had to lean my seat back when I'm used to sitting straight up. But it wasn't bad. I wore a light, elastic waist skirt, a loose tank top, and a knit top. Comfy, but did not show my weight loss.

The people in my department suck and are not the cheeriest group of people. Lots of women and attitude. lol. They hate my energetic, cheerful personality. Whatever. LOL. My best friend was there, so I was happy. A few coworkers and other people in the building noticed that I was back and asked some questions and said welcome back. The rest in my department basically ignored me. lol. It's times like that when it sucks to be such a proud person because I wanted them to be like "Oh, it was hell without you" and "we missed you so much, you're the best!". LOL. But this is the real world, and the ones that mattered missed me. I had soooo much to catch up on. I took it easy all day, but I was exhausted by the time I got home.

The second day I wore clothes that fit me a little nicer (but all my clothes are getting really baggy now). That's when people in the building started noticing that I'm losing weight. It felt good. Tuesday, day 2, I snuck on the scale (I only weigh officially on Saturday mornings) and I hit Onederland! I was 199. I'm finally below 200 pounds. It was awesome. My first NSV (non=surgical victory).

The third day I wore my skinny jeans. They were also my "butt jeans". Well, I put them on and they were baggy in the butt and legs. I easily pulled the waist away from me and it went 3 inches out without me really pulling. Before surgery, these jeans fit snug. Now they gave me a saggy butt! It was my second NSV in one week.

Thursday I was feeling even better. I started getting in the groove of work better. I finally was starting to feel more normal at work. It helps that I get up and walk around for a min every hour.

Today started nice and ended crappy. The day dragged really slow, but it was my first day this week that I was felling closer to my energetic self. I wasn't tired and yawning all day. My Sarah and I went to Taco Bell for lunch. I had the inside of a bean and cheese burrito. I ate about 4 really small bites of it, well chewed of course, and was full. It was delicious. It was nice going out for lunch. Later that afternoon my manager asked me to come to her office. She let me know, much to her chagrin, that I would only be getting paid for four days this next check (we get paid bi-weekly and we get paid next Friday). My short term disability was denied because the surgeon's office did not send the required paperwork. Now I have to go through this whole appeal process that can take up to 45 days. It can take that long to be approved and compensated for my pay. Luckily I don't have any bills due this paycheck. I was sooooooooooo pissed. The surgeon was out of office until next week (Tuesday). The insurance lady at his office was out of office. Before the surgery I brought up to the surgeon that I applied for FMLA and short term disability and that they faxed the paperwork to be filled out by him. He told me that he would fill it out after surgery because things can change during surgery and he wanted it to be filled out correctly. He also mentioned that he charges them for him to fill out the paperwork. I don't care about that. I just want it filled out. They actually faxed the paperwork twice.

The office never filled out or sent the papers. It's been almost three weeks since surgery and the short term disability office still has not received the paperwork. So, without the paperwork, my claim was denied. It's a lot more work to appeal. I have to write a letter with the required info. The surgeon's office has to provide all the paperwork on my surgery, including info proof of why I had to be out of work for two weeks. It's such a pain. When they said they'd do the paperwork after surgery, I just believed it. I now realized that it was my own fault. I should have been my own patient advocate and proactively pushed it through. Now I know. You live you learn. I will NOT make that mistake again.

Physically, I'm feeling so much better. I still can't sleep on my side. I can lean to the side for a few minutes now. That's progress. But I can't stay there. I can't wait to be able to sleep on my side again. Maybe then I'll be able to sleep well again. I sucks sleeping on my back every single night. I barely feel sore at all now. Only if I twist to the side to reach for things, if I scrunch my belly, if I reach straight down to pick something up, and if I stretch too much. I am not as tired as I was. I feel pretty normal. I barely feel like I had surgery. What keeps reminding me is that my clothes feel loose, I have to drink all day long, and I can only eat a few bites of food. I still don't feel the least but hungry. Now I do get a little head hunger, but if I stop and listen to my stomach, then I can recognize that I'm not hungry. I just want something because I saw a sign or commercial or heard someone mention it. Then I don't want it anymore.

It's sooooo hard to get all my fluids and protein in. I'm only getting two and a half protein shakes (25-30g of protein  and 8oz of skim milk each) and maybe 6-8 oz of other liquids like water. That's no where near where I need to be. I did better before I went back to work. I need to sip, sip, sip. I get caught up in work and forget to sip. I'm getting tired of protein shakes. I need an insulated shaker cup because I don't want my shakes when they aren't cold. I can't drink them fast enough so they get warm. If I add ice, then they get watery and gross. I'm eating soup more than anything right now. I'm working on some Amy's lentil soup and some creamy broccoli and cheese soup from Panera Bread. I'm also eating babybell light cheese with roasted red pepper hummus. When I get through that, I have a protein northern bean puree in several jars in the freezer. I also still have tuna bites that are in the freezer. I also have a few salmon cakes I made in the freezer. I have more than enough food now. I also have my Fage 0% yogurt and I bought some sugar free jam to mix in it with some unflavored protein powder.

Well, that's my big back to work post. Feel free to comment.

Adios!

-Cat
(Gastric Kitty)

Day 10 post op . . .

Good morning everyone! 

First, I wanted to post again about Shelly's give away. This time she is giving away an ice cream maker. I would love it to make some protein ice cream. Here's the link, today's the last day to enter.

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2011/06/eggfaces-5-year-anniversary-giveaway_23.html

My last blog I was at day 3 post op. Day four I was feeling really gassy. I was only able to burp it out and that wasn't getting it good enough. I walked a lot. I went on four walks outside that day. It was nice to get out and dispel some of the air in my abdomen. 

That day I received flowers and a balloon from my mom, sister, and nephews.

I wanted to share some pics from my surgery experience:

 This is a pic of me in the waiting room of the surgical area on surgery day.









This is a pic of me about to go under for surgery.

This is a pic of me after surgery in the hospital. This was day two. They took my IV out for a min so that I could get dressed. They also took me off the pain med pump and started giving me liquid pain meds.

This is me waiting to leave the hospital on day 3.








I feel so much better now. I'm on day 10. I am able to keep down more and more fluids and protein. I can still only eat about 1.5 oz of food. The last few days I have been able to drink 43 oz of water. I still need to get to my minimum of 64 oz. My protein has been about 48g. I need at least 60g of protein. I started my vitamins today. I got the go ahead from my surgeon. The gas I had from surgery is almost gone completely. I only feel it a little bit now and I hardly ever need to burp. I don't feel really bloated any more. I little swollen still, but not a lot. My abdomen is still sore, but not painful. I can do more and more everyday. I've been walking a lot. I've been walking about 2.5 miles a day. But that is broken up in little 0.4 mile excursions. I can get up out of bed by myself now. I can reach down, carefully, to pick something off the ground. I can get on my knees and help my daughter with her bath and get up on my own. My back is sore a lot though because I can't sleep comfortably yet. I can sleep, but I still have to be slightly elevated and I always wake up early because my back is uncomfortable. I can't wait until I can eventually sleep on my side. I hate sleeping on my back. I've tried to sleep on me side or stomach, but it hurts. I can't last more than a few seconds like that.

Yesterday was my one week post-op appointment. It went well. The surgeon said I'm doing really well. He cautioned me to take it easy. He took the stitches out of the incision that originally had the drain tube. My incisions are healing nicely. I have an area that is kind of numb near one of my incisions, but not totally numb. He says that sometimes a nerve gets cut and it will re-grow the connection. I believe it because it used to be totally numb and every day I can feel a little more there. I am down to 205. My weight on surgery day was 210. Only 5 pounds lost, but I'll blame a lot on my water retention and bloating. I've been losing the water. Now I can start losing fat.

I go back to work next week and I'm a excited and nervous. I know that by next week the small amount I can eat will take it's toll on me and I'll be tired and a little weak for a few weeks. I hope they are understanding that I have to get up to walk often and that I'll be a bit tired. I'm excited to have something to do, but know that it will be crazy getting caught back up with my work. I also know that I will be asked all the time "how much have you lost?".

Well, I think that's enough of my prattle. :)

-Gastric Kitty

Just had my surgery . . .

 I just had my surgery on Monday. I just got home from the hospital this afternoon. I have Gastric Bypass Surgery Roux en Y and I had it laparoscopically. My surgeon was Dr. Robert Chastanet and my surgery took place in Chesapeake Regional Hospital in Virginia.

My surgery went really well. I have 6 incisions on my abdomen. They removed my drain tube today. They did an xray exam where I drank a barium drink while they checked for leaks. That went well.

Monday and tuesday I was on clear liquids. I just drank water until this morning. This morning I had my first meal (since Friday). I had cottage cheese. It was delicious. I had around 2 tbsp of it before I was full. I'm on soft/pureed foods for 6 weeks. When I got home, I made a pureed crab bake. Basically I put (on my mini food processor) 1 can of crab meat, 1 tsp of light mayo, 1 wedge of laughing cow light swiss cheese, a sprinkle of old bay, and 1 tsp of shredded low fat cheddar. I pureed it, put 2 oz in each of my little casserole dishes. Then I baked it for about 15 min. It was great! High protein too. Crab has a lot of protein. It wasn't too heavy on my pouch. I couldn't eat the full 2 oz though. I ate slowly and used a baby spoon (that helped me to eat tiny bites).

I just took my pain meds (I'm not really in much pain, more sore than anything). I don't think I'll need them for much longer. I've already walked a lot since I ate. I have been burping like crazy, but it helps me not feel so bloated with gas. The meds are kicking in, so I'm off to take a nap.

I just wanted to share this with all of you. :)

Have a great day!

-Gastric Kitty

Twas the night before surgery . . .

So yesterday was interesting. lol. I had to drink a whole bottle of calcium citrate (a laxative) and start a clear liquid diet. I got the grape flavor. It tasted like grape Dimetapp Elixer and alka seltzer and salt. It made me sooooo thirsty! I lived in the bathroom most of the day. lol. It was like clockwork every 20-30 minutes. I was fine by late evening. Me and my boyfriend went to Town Center, Virginia Beach and walked around a little. I wore out quick (my energy has been a little low) and we left before too long.

Today was a busy day getting ready for surgery, doing laundry, etc. Once I was able to settle down I just had a "me" evening. I took a long bath, gave myself a pedicure and manicure, watched a crappy 80's movie, and relaxed all evening. My bag is ready. All I have to do is take a couple "before" pics and shower with the scrub brush the hospital gave me. I can't have anything at all after midnight. I took out all of my piercings until after surgery. Tomorrow I have to wash with that stuff one more time then go to the hospital. I have to be there at 7:30am. My surgery is at 9am.

Ok, well, I would post more but my boyfriend is impatient to go to bed. So a short version of how I feel before surgery: a little nervous, a little scared, a lot excited, and VERY ready.

Bye!

-Cat

Free stuff again . . .

Shelly at The World According to Eggface is giving her second prize (out of 5) this month. It's a 2lb tub of SEI MAX Protein in Vanilla and a 28 oz shaker bottle. I want it!!!! lol. So, I am posting this here to share this with you. Cross your fingers! I know I will.

I forgot to share with you all that I chopped off the rest of my hair last weekend.

I love it! It's short, easy, and cool for the summer.

That's all, just a little FYI.

Bye!

-Gastric Kitty

And so it begins . . .

Tuesday I had my pre-op appointment and began my liquid diet. I have lost a total of 14 pounds so far since my first appointment with the surgeon!!!! Basically, I can have three protein drinks a day (they must have less than 7g of carbs and less than 7g of fat). I can drink water all day. I've been drinking water like crazy. I'm drinking 96oz a day.

I can use sugar-free items to flavor like Crystal Light or my fav: Mio.

I can also have one serving of fruit a day. I verified that I can have a serving of V8 low sodium as my fruit if I want something savory. I can also have a tomato as my fruit. NO GARLIC: it's a blood thinner.
I stop my vitamins after today. I don't start them again until a week after surgery. I have to have at least 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of water everyday. NO CAFFEINE. The reason for the liquid diet is to shrink the liver.

The day before surgery I have to drink a whole bottle of Citrate of Magnesium. Then I will have to drink at least 8 oz of water every hour for 4 hours. After that I can only have clear liquids and nothing after midnight before surgery.

It's day three of the liquid diet. The first day sucked. I was starving! It was hard that day. My stomach was grumbling and all I could think about was food. It was more head hunger than anything. It sucked. Day two wasn't quite as bad. I still was hungry all the time, but not as severely. Now on day three, I'm still hungry throughout the day, but only a little here and there. I'm mostly hungry when I think about food or when people talk about it.

For my three daily protein drinks I have been drinking either my: EAS:AdvantEdge Carb Control, Vanilla which has 17g of protein and 3g of carbs; Bariatric Pantry's Cream of Mushroom Soup which has 15g of protein and 6g of carbs (it is delicious!!!! Especially when you're sick of sweet and want a savory protein powder. This is just like other protein powders except you mix it with hot water and it's yummy); and last, Bariatric Pantry Hot Chocolate (this was really good and tasted like regular hot chocolate to me) which has 15g of protein and 3g of carbs. I know that I'm not getting quite enough protein from those so I ordered powdered nonfat milk (Organic Valley Nonfat Dry Milk Powder) to supplement my protein drinks. I should receive it in a day or two. It has 9g of protein, 0g fat, 0g carbs.

I had a little crying spell yesterday. My boyfriend's working a second job, my mom can't come for my surgery, my best friend being stressed out with finding a place (I wish I could help!) and no one really seeming interested in hearing me talk about the surgery for the millionth time. I guess it got me a little down yesterday. I cried and told him I felt all alone and like nobody cares. I know I'm not alone and I know people care, but I still had those feelings and it felt good to cry it out. I felt much better after that cry.

I have plenty of positive things to focus on too. My boyfriend is going to be home with me the two days at the hospital and first day home. My friend April is going to help babysit me during the day the first week. My friend Sarah will visit me in the hospital. My Aunt mentioned she wanted to visit. My dad is taking my daughter for 2 weeks. I'm having weight loss surgery!!! I lost 14 pounds already before the liquid diet. Like I said, plenty of good.

Anyways, enough of my blabber.
Ciao!

-Cat
(Gastric Kitty)