Showing posts with label pounds lost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pounds lost. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
My scale is in shock!
I think my scale is in shock! It registered the lowest weight EVER when I got on it this morning! I had gained 10 pounds after surgery from the IV fluids and such - it was quite disheartening. So I have lost that 10 pounds and an additional 7 pounds since that - just over a week past surgery. I'm hoping that it's not a fluke - I guess the coming days will tell. I have just 8 pounds to go until I hit the weight that my bariatric surgeon had set for me. If I can hit that and stay there for a while I will be draggin' my butt straight to the plastic surgeons! This extra skin has proven to be a major issue. The small incision that Dr. Jalkut made was where my c-sections and hysterectomy were - all the extra skin has made healing a bit hard. I won't get into the graphic details - but I'm hoping this actually helps my case for getting the abdominoplasty (read ... tummy tuck!) covered by insurance. And it's great encouragement to continue my walking while I can't run!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Ramblings ....
So I keep thinking "I'm going to blog about that ..." and then it doesn't turn into much to talk about. So excuse me if this blog is rambling a bit - just a bunch of things going on in my head.
So I'm now 13 months out from surgery. I have been stuck playing with the same few pounds since September. I had to stop running when I had the vertigo problems and the ear surgery. It took me a while to get back into a good running routine with how cold it has been here. I have a hard time running in the cold - my old asthma rears it's ugly head then. I am now back into a good running and exercise routine in order to meet my running goals for 2010. But I am still stuck at the same weight. Frustrating.
I had my 1 year follow up appointment with my doctor. He was happy with my progress but would like to see me loose another 20 pounds. I, personally, would like to loose another 30 pounds. I have come so far - I find it hard to believe I can't loose this last 30 pounds. So I have recommitted myself to tracking my calories and my exercise on http://www.livestrong.com/ (they took over The Daily Plate). I am trying to stick to 1100-1200 net calories a day. I am easily able to eat about 1500 or so calories a day. That is really wreaking havoc with my brain. This part won't make sense to some of you. I know that is a normal amount of calories to be taking in - possibly even still pretty low. But it scares me. I'm afraid to take in too much more than that in a day. The fact that I haven't lost weight in 3 or so months scares me. I am not ready to be done and I am afraid of going in the other direction. I have actually started dreaming about it - waking up and I'm up over 200 pounds and I'm so mad and afraid and disappointed.
And there are some days I think Kanga has become made of steel - I can eat a lot of things I couldn't before - I can take in more than I could before. I don't like that. I don't want to go back to "normal". And then there are some days that she reminds me that she is still in charge and I can't get more than a couple of bites of anything or I dump on something that hasn't caused me to dump in the past.
I did get my hand slapped at my 1 year follow up with Dr. Enochs. I am not good at the vitamin regimine. And for no good reason - just not good at it. So I really need to get on top of that pretty quickly here. I am going to have some bloodwork run soon and that should give us an idea of what the impact of that truly is.
Some other things that have been rearing their ugly heads now that I am a year out: I have been having some off and on pain my abdomen. Sometimes it's breath-taking pain - sometimes it's just an ache. I talked to Dr. Enochs about it and he has a couple of different concerns that can be common after gastric bypass. One is scar tissue. I have had quite a few abdominal surgeries - 2 c-sections, an open hysterectomy, an open gallbladder removal, and some laparascopic surgeries. So I most likely have quite a bit of scar tissue - that could be catching or kind of strangulating my intestines. Something else that is common is that you can get an internal hernia once all the fat that used to hold things in place is gone. So what do we do about it? The only way to tell if the pain I'm having is one of these two things is to have surgery - there's no test that will tell them definitively if one of these things is what is happening. It's a fine line to when we decide to do something about it - right now it doesn't normally interfere with daily life, but it could happen over night and become something that needs to be taken care of immediately. So the approach we are taking right now is "watchful waiting". We shall see.
I have also started having some reactive hypoglycemia symptoms. I haven't had that officially checked out, but it looks like that is what I am dealing with - drops in blood sugar that make me weak and shaky, etc... From what I can track it appears to be reactive which means I should be able to control it with what I am eating and how often I eat. I plan on talking to my doctor about it when I see him next week.
I see my doctor next week to get fitted for orthotics for my running shoes. I seem to have developed bursitis in my left foot and I don't want anything to distract me from my goals for running this year.
Speaking of running goals - I have already raised $500 for my Polar Plunge after the 2010 Torch Run. I can't believe I have raised that much money! I am looking forward to that run and will be sure to post pictures of of the craziness that ensues.
So thanks for listening to me ramble on and on. I just had a bunch of things on my mind and no clear way to get them all out, but getting them out on this blog really is cathartic.
So I'm now 13 months out from surgery. I have been stuck playing with the same few pounds since September. I had to stop running when I had the vertigo problems and the ear surgery. It took me a while to get back into a good running routine with how cold it has been here. I have a hard time running in the cold - my old asthma rears it's ugly head then. I am now back into a good running and exercise routine in order to meet my running goals for 2010. But I am still stuck at the same weight. Frustrating.
I had my 1 year follow up appointment with my doctor. He was happy with my progress but would like to see me loose another 20 pounds. I, personally, would like to loose another 30 pounds. I have come so far - I find it hard to believe I can't loose this last 30 pounds. So I have recommitted myself to tracking my calories and my exercise on http://www.livestrong.com/ (they took over The Daily Plate). I am trying to stick to 1100-1200 net calories a day. I am easily able to eat about 1500 or so calories a day. That is really wreaking havoc with my brain. This part won't make sense to some of you. I know that is a normal amount of calories to be taking in - possibly even still pretty low. But it scares me. I'm afraid to take in too much more than that in a day. The fact that I haven't lost weight in 3 or so months scares me. I am not ready to be done and I am afraid of going in the other direction. I have actually started dreaming about it - waking up and I'm up over 200 pounds and I'm so mad and afraid and disappointed.
And there are some days I think Kanga has become made of steel - I can eat a lot of things I couldn't before - I can take in more than I could before. I don't like that. I don't want to go back to "normal". And then there are some days that she reminds me that she is still in charge and I can't get more than a couple of bites of anything or I dump on something that hasn't caused me to dump in the past.
I did get my hand slapped at my 1 year follow up with Dr. Enochs. I am not good at the vitamin regimine. And for no good reason - just not good at it. So I really need to get on top of that pretty quickly here. I am going to have some bloodwork run soon and that should give us an idea of what the impact of that truly is.
Some other things that have been rearing their ugly heads now that I am a year out: I have been having some off and on pain my abdomen. Sometimes it's breath-taking pain - sometimes it's just an ache. I talked to Dr. Enochs about it and he has a couple of different concerns that can be common after gastric bypass. One is scar tissue. I have had quite a few abdominal surgeries - 2 c-sections, an open hysterectomy, an open gallbladder removal, and some laparascopic surgeries. So I most likely have quite a bit of scar tissue - that could be catching or kind of strangulating my intestines. Something else that is common is that you can get an internal hernia once all the fat that used to hold things in place is gone. So what do we do about it? The only way to tell if the pain I'm having is one of these two things is to have surgery - there's no test that will tell them definitively if one of these things is what is happening. It's a fine line to when we decide to do something about it - right now it doesn't normally interfere with daily life, but it could happen over night and become something that needs to be taken care of immediately. So the approach we are taking right now is "watchful waiting". We shall see.
I have also started having some reactive hypoglycemia symptoms. I haven't had that officially checked out, but it looks like that is what I am dealing with - drops in blood sugar that make me weak and shaky, etc... From what I can track it appears to be reactive which means I should be able to control it with what I am eating and how often I eat. I plan on talking to my doctor about it when I see him next week.
I see my doctor next week to get fitted for orthotics for my running shoes. I seem to have developed bursitis in my left foot and I don't want anything to distract me from my goals for running this year.
Speaking of running goals - I have already raised $500 for my Polar Plunge after the 2010 Torch Run. I can't believe I have raised that much money! I am looking forward to that run and will be sure to post pictures of of the craziness that ensues.
So thanks for listening to me ramble on and on. I just had a bunch of things on my mind and no clear way to get them all out, but getting them out on this blog really is cathartic.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Overweight
I know! I know! I know! I have been neglecting Pamelot again! I have many worthy excuses, I promise. Though, I'm sure you're not really interested in any of them. It's been a crazy few weeks getting things ready and set up for this year's Upward Cheerleading season. The work as Cheer Commissioner is keeping me a bit busy. I am also in a very busy phase of my project at work.
I am now 10 months out from surgery - hard to believe. I am in the phase where I am able to eat more and more foods - my body is adjusting nicely to my new insides - and I am feeling like I have adjusted to "my new normal". It's no longer this new novel thing to have had gastric bypass. I feel like I have finally adjusted and settled in to life with a smaller stomach and less intestines (romantic isn't it?). I don't have to think so hard about what I'm going to eat, or plan ahead so much. This is just my life and I have settled into it. And I like it.
The weight loss has slowed dramatically - as I knew it would. I would like to lose 20-30 more pounds. I feel that when I up my exercise (I have been slowly getting back to exercise since my ear surgery) I will be able to get a better handle on that and make some progress there. The scale still does move, which is encouraging.
I was having an interesting conversation with some co-workers about BMI yesterday. We were talking about what a "normal" BMI is - how most people are not "normal", and how even though I have lost over 100 pounds I would still be considered in the "obese" range. We were playing around with a BMI calculator and seeing what different weight and heights gave us. So I plugged in my latest weight and discovered .... I am finally overweight! I am no longer obese!
Some calculators also put a category of BMI's above 45 as "Super Morbidly Obese". At my heaviest just before surgery my BMI was 47.6, and so I fell into that awful category. As if "obese" isn't bad enough - you add morbidly to it - then super morbidly. UGH! I always hated that! But it was telling me what I didn't want to hear.
Dictionary.com defines the word morbid as:
Unhealthy mental state or attitude - check. I had a bad attitude (some would argue I still do!)
Characteristic of disease - check. High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, sneaking up on Type II Diabetes, hard to breathe, hard to exercise, hard to do just about anything.
Pertaining to diseased parts - check. Not much to explain there - felt like my whole body was diseased.
Gruesome; grisly - check. That is definitely how I felt about myself.
But I spent many years denying and simply avoiding this about myself. If I can actually loose these last pounds I will find myself in a "normal" BMI range. That actually blows my mind a bit.
I am now 10 months out from surgery - hard to believe. I am in the phase where I am able to eat more and more foods - my body is adjusting nicely to my new insides - and I am feeling like I have adjusted to "my new normal". It's no longer this new novel thing to have had gastric bypass. I feel like I have finally adjusted and settled in to life with a smaller stomach and less intestines (romantic isn't it?). I don't have to think so hard about what I'm going to eat, or plan ahead so much. This is just my life and I have settled into it. And I like it.
The weight loss has slowed dramatically - as I knew it would. I would like to lose 20-30 more pounds. I feel that when I up my exercise (I have been slowly getting back to exercise since my ear surgery) I will be able to get a better handle on that and make some progress there. The scale still does move, which is encouraging.
I was having an interesting conversation with some co-workers about BMI yesterday. We were talking about what a "normal" BMI is - how most people are not "normal", and how even though I have lost over 100 pounds I would still be considered in the "obese" range. We were playing around with a BMI calculator and seeing what different weight and heights gave us. So I plugged in my latest weight and discovered .... I am finally overweight! I am no longer obese!
| 18.5 or less | Underweight | ||
| 18.5 to 24.99 | Normal Weight | ||
| 25 to 29.99 | Overweight | ||
| 30 to 34.99 | Obesity (Class 1) | ||
| 35 to 39.99 | Obesity (Class 2) | ||
| 40 or greater | Morbid Obesity |
Some calculators also put a category of BMI's above 45 as "Super Morbidly Obese". At my heaviest just before surgery my BMI was 47.6, and so I fell into that awful category. As if "obese" isn't bad enough - you add morbidly to it - then super morbidly. UGH! I always hated that! But it was telling me what I didn't want to hear.
Dictionary.com defines the word morbid as:
| 1. | suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive, extreme, etc.: a morbid interest in death. |
| 2. | affected by, caused by, causing, or characteristic of disease. |
| 3. | pertaining to diseased parts: morbid anatomy. |
| 4. | gruesome; grisly. |
Unhealthy mental state or attitude - check. I had a bad attitude (some would argue I still do!)
Characteristic of disease - check. High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, sneaking up on Type II Diabetes, hard to breathe, hard to exercise, hard to do just about anything.
Pertaining to diseased parts - check. Not much to explain there - felt like my whole body was diseased.
Gruesome; grisly - check. That is definitely how I felt about myself.
But I spent many years denying and simply avoiding this about myself. If I can actually loose these last pounds I will find myself in a "normal" BMI range. That actually blows my mind a bit.
Friday, May 1, 2009
It's been a while.
I know - it's been a while since I have updated my blog. My apologies. The past few weeks have been incredibly busy and hectic for me on just about every front in my life.
It's birthday season in the DeVries house right now. It starts on April 13 with my sons birthday. Then 2 weeks later it's my girls birthday, 2 weeks later is my husband's birthday, 2 weeks later my birthday, 2 weeks later our anniversary, and in there we have Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day, and this year - Kindergarten graduation.
On top of that, my parents sold their house and have moved into their RV (a.k.a. hotel on wheels) which is now parked in my yard. A week before closing on their house my mom fell down her stairs while carrying some boxes and broke her leg! So that whole transition has been a little difficult. Her sister (my Aunt Linda) came in and saved the day (or the week I should say) and that was incredibly wonderful. Mom is now camped out in the RV (no pun intended) and is getting around a little bit better than she originally was.
I have also been having to take my husband to UNC hospitals 3 times a week for some procedures for the past 3 weeks. UNC is about an hour away and when we go we are there until at least noon. He is wiped out for the day - gets a day to recover and then we are back at it. I don't mean to be vague about this issue - but I just can't share more than that at this time. :)
At work I have been assigned to a new project and I am swamped there as I get up to speed on what we are trying to accomplish. I have also started out the project by raising some rather major objections to the current approach and tool. This has not endeared me to my systems counterparts. That is OK with me. I'm not paid to be friends with everyone at work - I'm paid to analyze business requirements and make sure that the solution that is delivered meets those requirements.
Whew! This week I hit 4 months post-op! What a wild ride! I am sneaking up on 75 pounds down since surgery! I have had some major WOW moments in the past week related to my weight loss. The first is that I have begun shopping in "regular" sizes! No more plus sized clothing for me! Most of the clothes that I have right now are way too big for me. I have taken to wearing belts a lot. Last week when taking my kids bowling I forgot to wear a belt and my pants literally almost fell off! My kids were victims of a major crack attack. Poor things. :)
Another WOW moment was that I was picking up my girls from a birthday party. There was a mom there that I had not seen for quite some time, but we knew each other. I walked up to the group of moms and joined in the conversation. I sat there talking with them for almost 10 minutes when this other mom Arlene looked at me with her eyes wide open and said "PAM?!?!?! I knew I knew you, but I couldn't figure out who you were! I totally didn't recognize you! You look like a totally different person!" I am so not sure how to handle these types of moments. I am flattered, but I don't know that I'm comfortable being such a focus of attention.
And this is the last WOW moment - I promise. :) I had lunch yesterday with some colleagues that used to work at the company I work for. Unfortunately, they were laid off late in 2008. One of them I had not seen since well before my surgery. He showed up late to lunch and ran into our booth to sit down and was going around the table saying Hi to everyone. He looked at me and he said "If you weren't wearing your glasses - I'm not sure I would know who you are! You look totally different! You look fantastic!" Again - I am unsure how to handle that kind of attention.
So I apologize again for not updating my blog more the past few weeks. I promise to be better!
It's birthday season in the DeVries house right now. It starts on April 13 with my sons birthday. Then 2 weeks later it's my girls birthday, 2 weeks later is my husband's birthday, 2 weeks later my birthday, 2 weeks later our anniversary, and in there we have Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day, and this year - Kindergarten graduation.
On top of that, my parents sold their house and have moved into their RV (a.k.a. hotel on wheels) which is now parked in my yard. A week before closing on their house my mom fell down her stairs while carrying some boxes and broke her leg! So that whole transition has been a little difficult. Her sister (my Aunt Linda) came in and saved the day (or the week I should say) and that was incredibly wonderful. Mom is now camped out in the RV (no pun intended) and is getting around a little bit better than she originally was.
I have also been having to take my husband to UNC hospitals 3 times a week for some procedures for the past 3 weeks. UNC is about an hour away and when we go we are there until at least noon. He is wiped out for the day - gets a day to recover and then we are back at it. I don't mean to be vague about this issue - but I just can't share more than that at this time. :)
At work I have been assigned to a new project and I am swamped there as I get up to speed on what we are trying to accomplish. I have also started out the project by raising some rather major objections to the current approach and tool. This has not endeared me to my systems counterparts. That is OK with me. I'm not paid to be friends with everyone at work - I'm paid to analyze business requirements and make sure that the solution that is delivered meets those requirements.
Whew! This week I hit 4 months post-op! What a wild ride! I am sneaking up on 75 pounds down since surgery! I have had some major WOW moments in the past week related to my weight loss. The first is that I have begun shopping in "regular" sizes! No more plus sized clothing for me! Most of the clothes that I have right now are way too big for me. I have taken to wearing belts a lot. Last week when taking my kids bowling I forgot to wear a belt and my pants literally almost fell off! My kids were victims of a major crack attack. Poor things. :)
Another WOW moment was that I was picking up my girls from a birthday party. There was a mom there that I had not seen for quite some time, but we knew each other. I walked up to the group of moms and joined in the conversation. I sat there talking with them for almost 10 minutes when this other mom Arlene looked at me with her eyes wide open and said "PAM?!?!?! I knew I knew you, but I couldn't figure out who you were! I totally didn't recognize you! You look like a totally different person!" I am so not sure how to handle these types of moments. I am flattered, but I don't know that I'm comfortable being such a focus of attention.
And this is the last WOW moment - I promise. :) I had lunch yesterday with some colleagues that used to work at the company I work for. Unfortunately, they were laid off late in 2008. One of them I had not seen since well before my surgery. He showed up late to lunch and ran into our booth to sit down and was going around the table saying Hi to everyone. He looked at me and he said "If you weren't wearing your glasses - I'm not sure I would know who you are! You look totally different! You look fantastic!" Again - I am unsure how to handle that kind of attention.
So I apologize again for not updating my blog more the past few weeks. I promise to be better!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sneaking up on 60 pounds down!
Here are some more pics from my vacation. This is picture below is of the first outfit I have bought that is NOT a plus-size outfit! NO WAY! I am slowly but surely sneaking up on being 60 pounds down since surgery. It's only been 12 weeks. I am quickly running out of clothes to wear! I don't know what I'm going to do about clothes for work pretty soon.
This is a classic picture of my sister just enjoying the sun on the dock.
I just love palm trees.
This is a classic picture of my sister just enjoying the sun on the dock.
This was just a fun pic before heading out on the town.
I just love palm trees.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Neglecting Pamelot again
So sorry that I have not posted to Pamelot in a week or so. Last week my friend Becky and her family came for a visit. Becky and I have been best friends since high school. It was so great to catch up with her and just spend some time together. It had been about 3 years since we had seen each other. Her kids and my kids get along great so it was really quite nice for them to play and spend time together as well.While she was here we also got together with someone else we went to school with who lives close to me - Catrin and her family. That was also fun. Here is a picture of all our kids - as well as one of all of us:
The other cool thing that happened this past weekend is that I officially hit 50 pounds down since surgery! I am 2 months from surgery and 50 pounds down! I can't believe it! Becky took some pictures of me so that I could commemorate the occassion.
This picture is for my mom - she insists she can't recognize her daughter's own rear end these days.
This was a fun one for Becky. HEHEHEHEHEHE.
More to come soon on other developments this week in Pamelot!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Keepin' Me Humble
So I am officially down 41 pounds! I am finding it difficult to find clothes to wear that aren't humungous on me. The clothes I do have that fit are capri's and clothes for spring. While the weather here in North Carolina is fabu these days (in the 70's this week!), I don't know how appropriate it is to wear capri's and sandals in February. But I have decided that y'all just have to get over it! If I don't wear these clothes now, I won't be able to wear them at all. And I don't want to spend a lot of money on clothes I will only wear for such a short time. But I may have to just bite the bullet soon and spend some money. You know it's time to go shopping when even your underwear is falling off your heiny. YEE HAW!
So this past weekend's weather was gorgeous after weeks of really cold weather. Sunday the kids wanted to ride their bikes to a friends house. So I said "OK - let's ride our bikes over there." They said "But you are going to walk, right mom?" No - I think I will ride my bike. "You have a bike? You know how to ride a bike?" Um - yeah! I used to pull you guys in the bike trailer - I guess that was so long ago you don't remember. OK - no big deal. So my husband gets my bike out and pumps up the tires for me, etc... The kids and I walk our bikes down to the end of the driveway and we go to get on our bikes. I start riding away and I can hear delightful glee behind me as my kids start yelling "Great job, mom! You can do it! Keep going!" Part of me was being kept humble by my kids who never knew I could ride a bike because I wouldn't dare get my fat ass on one. But another little part of me was jumping up and down inside "Great job, mom! You can do it! Keep going!" Hehehehehehehehehe. Yeah me!
I find that I am at a part in my weight loss where I would normally be quite satisfied with myself and all the weight that I have lost. I find it almost strange that I just keep loosing. I know that sounds so weird - I am having trouble putting words to what I'm feeling and why. Maybe it's because I am getting really close to being a weight and a size that I have not been in a very long time.
I am also struggling with my food addictions and obsessions. I want an ice cold Pepsi in the worst way right now. But that would be like toxic for Kanga at this point so I have not indulged. I was sitting at the circus Friday night with my kids and the person behind me was having a hot dog. Good lord! I could smell it! I wanted that stupid hot dog! I have found myself a few times standing in front of the fridge just staring inside a few times. I finally stopped and asked myself what I was looking for - what do I want out of here. The answer was not food. There was nothing I was really hungry for. I wanted comfort. I wanted to totally stuff my face. I just can't do that. I have even forgotten a couple of times and eaten too fast ... that is an absolutely miserable experience, I have to tell you. I am convinced now more than ever that this is the only way I could have been successful in weight loss, by having this surgery.
I am still struggling with the stricture. I have been taking the steroids and they seemed to be helping for a while, but now I am having trouble again. We will see what this next week brings.
So this past weekend's weather was gorgeous after weeks of really cold weather. Sunday the kids wanted to ride their bikes to a friends house. So I said "OK - let's ride our bikes over there." They said "But you are going to walk, right mom?" No - I think I will ride my bike. "You have a bike? You know how to ride a bike?" Um - yeah! I used to pull you guys in the bike trailer - I guess that was so long ago you don't remember. OK - no big deal. So my husband gets my bike out and pumps up the tires for me, etc... The kids and I walk our bikes down to the end of the driveway and we go to get on our bikes. I start riding away and I can hear delightful glee behind me as my kids start yelling "Great job, mom! You can do it! Keep going!" Part of me was being kept humble by my kids who never knew I could ride a bike because I wouldn't dare get my fat ass on one. But another little part of me was jumping up and down inside "Great job, mom! You can do it! Keep going!" Hehehehehehehehehe. Yeah me!
I find that I am at a part in my weight loss where I would normally be quite satisfied with myself and all the weight that I have lost. I find it almost strange that I just keep loosing. I know that sounds so weird - I am having trouble putting words to what I'm feeling and why. Maybe it's because I am getting really close to being a weight and a size that I have not been in a very long time.
I am also struggling with my food addictions and obsessions. I want an ice cold Pepsi in the worst way right now. But that would be like toxic for Kanga at this point so I have not indulged. I was sitting at the circus Friday night with my kids and the person behind me was having a hot dog. Good lord! I could smell it! I wanted that stupid hot dog! I have found myself a few times standing in front of the fridge just staring inside a few times. I finally stopped and asked myself what I was looking for - what do I want out of here. The answer was not food. There was nothing I was really hungry for. I wanted comfort. I wanted to totally stuff my face. I just can't do that. I have even forgotten a couple of times and eaten too fast ... that is an absolutely miserable experience, I have to tell you. I am convinced now more than ever that this is the only way I could have been successful in weight loss, by having this surgery.
I am still struggling with the stricture. I have been taking the steroids and they seemed to be helping for a while, but now I am having trouble again. We will see what this next week brings.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Making lemonade with my lemons
I am officially down 37 pounds since surgery. I had to take a picture of the outfit that I had on today. Just last week when I tried it on I could not button the pants. But today I slipped them on and went off to work! Never mind the hair today - it's attrocious - that's what happens when you spend the night worshipping the porcelain god.
I still don't see a difference, I just know that the clothes are fitting differently, etc...
My blood pressure is still good and I have not had any problems with my sleep apnea since surgery either.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Getting Better
OK - so the layoffs are over. Our department was affected, but my job is safe .... for now.
I have had some success with the Carafate When I use it I don't get sick after eating. But it's effectiveness only lasts for that meal. I took it this morning before breakfast and I had some juice with no problems. But later in the morning when I had my protein shake - not so much. I took it before lunch - and was good to go. So note to self - don't eat without taking the Carafate first.
I have an official weight loss update. I am down 35 pounds from surgery. That's 35 pounds in 5 weeks! I still can't believe it when I look at the scale.
This past weekend at the Super Bowl party that my mom had I was sitting around the table with my friends and one of them mentioned my blog. They were saying how they loved visiting Pamelot. Then one of them said "Soon it will be Pamelittle!" HAHAHAHAHAHA! That was clever!
So my row-mate at work, Krystal, decided that I need a new slogan for when I loose all the weight. She came up with the following "Half the Pam - All the Attitude." Oh yeah, I am so rockin' that.
I have had some success with the Carafate When I use it I don't get sick after eating. But it's effectiveness only lasts for that meal. I took it this morning before breakfast and I had some juice with no problems. But later in the morning when I had my protein shake - not so much. I took it before lunch - and was good to go. So note to self - don't eat without taking the Carafate first.
I have an official weight loss update. I am down 35 pounds from surgery. That's 35 pounds in 5 weeks! I still can't believe it when I look at the scale.
This past weekend at the Super Bowl party that my mom had I was sitting around the table with my friends and one of them mentioned my blog. They were saying how they loved visiting Pamelot. Then one of them said "Soon it will be Pamelittle!" HAHAHAHAHAHA! That was clever!
So my row-mate at work, Krystal, decided that I need a new slogan for when I loose all the weight. She came up with the following "Half the Pam - All the Attitude." Oh yeah, I am so rockin' that.
Monday, January 26, 2009
4 Weeks Ago Today ...
4 Weeks Ago Today I was off to see the Wizard! I can't believe it's only been 4 weeks. But more importantly, I can't believe that I am officially down 30 pounds since my surgery!!!!!!
I am still having a hard time seeing it. We talked about this at our latest support group meeting. I still see me 30 pounds ago in the mirror. People will tell me that they can tell I'm losing weight and I try to be gracious, but the first thing that pops into my mind is "They are just saying that because they know I had surgery." I know in my mind that I am losing weight and that I am getting smaller because clothes are fitting me different - some fit me that didn't before and some don't fit me anymore at all. But ME - in my heart and soul - I still don't see it or accept it. Maybe it's all those years of failing at diets. There is still a part of me that is afraid this won't work. I want it desperately to work - but I am afraid of hope.
I am still having a hard time seeing it. We talked about this at our latest support group meeting. I still see me 30 pounds ago in the mirror. People will tell me that they can tell I'm losing weight and I try to be gracious, but the first thing that pops into my mind is "They are just saying that because they know I had surgery." I know in my mind that I am losing weight and that I am getting smaller because clothes are fitting me different - some fit me that didn't before and some don't fit me anymore at all. But ME - in my heart and soul - I still don't see it or accept it. Maybe it's all those years of failing at diets. There is still a part of me that is afraid this won't work. I want it desperately to work - but I am afraid of hope.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A Cure for the Crankies!
I had my post-op appointment with my surgeon today. I am officially down 21 pounds since surgery! I am beyond excited about that. A definite cure for the crankies I've been having. Was told the ups and downs are normal and to be expected (both hormonally and on the scale). I was approved to move on to pureed foods. I was also told that I could stop crushing the Zoloft that I take every day. THANK GOD! That stuff is major bitter when you crush it. Now I cut it in half and take half at breakfast and half at lunch. I can also start taking my vitamins, etc... in chewable form. I had been adding a powdered form of vitamins to my protein shakes. It didn't have a taste, but it did have a smell and changed the texture of what I was eating. The B12 and Calcium I was taking was liquid and it was disgusting. So I bought some Bariatric Fusion from the doctor's office. It has all of the vitamins and supplements I need in it - specially formulated for bariatric patients. I chew 4 of them a day. Much better. My blood pressure was pretty good, too. Today was the first day that I noticed my pants felt looser when I put them on this morning, and the shirt I'm wearing is kinda too big. It wasn't tight before, but it wasn't this loose either. I have to admit - it's been a very long time since I have seen these numbers on the scale. Last night in an effort to run from the kitchen I went upstairs and got the treadmill out and going again. That was a very good use of my time. It's pretty cold here in NC, so it's good that I can do the treadmill instead of walking outside. I would really like to join a gym, but I just can't afford it right now. Ultimately, I would love to join a gym that the kids could go to and enjoy - one with a pool they can play at during the summer. I am still investigating - if anyone knows of any good deals out there - let me know!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Yuck
I'm still doing pretty good. I did develop a very nasty case of thrush last night, though. My whole mouth is covered in it - it's totally nasty. We are in the middle of the pharmacy dance with the surgeon - trying to get the "magic mouthwash" prescription called in correctly so I can deal with it. The thrush is a result of the overabundance of antibiotics I was on in the hospital. As soon as my IV was put in during pre-op I was given a bag of antibiotics. After surgery I had a regimen of 3 IV bags of antibiotics within the next 24 hours. So apparently this is a pretty common occurence between the reaction to the antibiotics and the fact that my body is going into ketosis. What is ketosis you ask? Simply put it means that my body is turning to it's fat stores for energy. WOO HOO!!! Problem is - between the thrush and the ketosis - everything tastes awful. Not the worst problem to have right now I suppose - but I especially hate the taste of water right now. I can't even put words to it - it's gross. The problem I was having yesterday with the drainage tube site seems to have resolved itself, and for that I am very grateful - that was even more gross.
I weighed myself this morning and I am down quite a bit. From my highest weight this fall I am down 26 pounds. From my pre-op hospital appointment I am down 15 pounds. From the day of surgery I am down 8 pounds. Sure sounds like a lot, but I'm not "feeling" it yet. My belly is still fairly swollen from the surgery. As someone recently put it to me - a train ran through them there parts.
I am going back to work tomorrow. I am anxious to get back into the routine of life - get away from my kitchen. Not to mention I have a lot of work to do this month at work!
I weighed myself this morning and I am down quite a bit. From my highest weight this fall I am down 26 pounds. From my pre-op hospital appointment I am down 15 pounds. From the day of surgery I am down 8 pounds. Sure sounds like a lot, but I'm not "feeling" it yet. My belly is still fairly swollen from the surgery. As someone recently put it to me - a train ran through them there parts.
I am going back to work tomorrow. I am anxious to get back into the routine of life - get away from my kitchen. Not to mention I have a lot of work to do this month at work!
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