Six Month Post-Op Appointment

I had my six month post-op appointment on September 14.  The appointment went awesome!  They were very pleased with my progress.  I have lost a total of 140 pounds since surgery.  My BMI has dropped 22 points since before surgery.  They said that was well above average.  My labs were good.  I just have to increase my vitamin A and D intake daily.  Everything else was normal.  I am totally off my medicine for acid reflux.  I rarely have a problem with that anymore.  My blood pressure was low compared to what it was before surgery.  The best part was that they could use a normal blood pressure cuff on me!  It is funny how little things like that make your day. 

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but life is so good!  I still can't put into words how great it feels to live again.   I really can't thank Dr. Kemmeter and Saint Mary's Health Care enough for what they have done for me.  I have no regrets.  I am feeling better and enjoying life.  My biggest problem now is that all my clothes are too big.  My husband tells me that I look like a bag lady.  I am sure there are worse problems to have, so I am not complaining. 

I am addicted to Zumba classes.  I found a really good class and I absolutely love it.  I really think that you need to find exercise that you enjoy doing.  You are more apt to stick at it if you like it.  I look forward to every Tuesday night.  It is a ton of fun and I really can tell in my body that things are getting smaller.  Thanks for reading this blog.  I appreciate your support more than you know! 

Life is Good!!!

Things are going so great for me.  Next week will be six month's since duodenal switch surgery.  It is hard to believe that it has been six short months.  I feel like a new person and sometimes it is hard to imagine life before surgery.  I have so much more energy and can do so much more than I did before.  It is difficult for me to stay home anymore because I want to be out there doing things. 

I am struggling with buying clothes.  I have tried not to buy a ton of new clothes because I go down sizes so quickly.  My husband says that most of my clothes are way too big.  I actually am excited for fall.  I am looking forward to going through my closets and seeing what I can wear and what needs to be donated.  I look in the mirror and still see the old me.  I look at clothes and think there is no way it will fit me.  Then I put it on and it is too big.  I am sure there are worse problems to have in life. 

My six month post-op appointment is next week.  I got my labs back and they were all good except for vitamins A and D.  I have to increase those vitamins.  I have lost a total of 131 pounds.  It is hard to put into words what having this surgery has meant for me.  It has given me the ability to take my life back.  I realize now that I was not living before.  I was existing, but not enjoying life.  It is almost like I am seeing things through a new set of eyes.  It is truly amazing!

I will post more after my appointment next week.  Thanks to everyone for reading this blog and following along on my journey.  I appreciate it more than you know.  

110 Pounds Lost!!!

It is so incredible but so very exciting to me that I have lost 110 pounds in the four months since I had duodenal switch surgery. It is hard to put into words how wonderful this feels. I am not the same person that I was four months ago. My life has changed so much. I look in the mirror and it is hard to believe that it is me. I know that it will take some time for my mind to catch up with my body. I was looking at some old videos of myself tonight and could not believe it. This is the most amazing thing that I have ever done for myself.

The first couple of months were the hardest. I can't tell you an exact date, but things just started getting easier for me. I have heard that this can happen anywhere from 3 to 6 months after surgery. I can do so much more and actually want to get out and do things because I can now. I did some shopping last night and it was so cool to pick up things four sizes smaller and KNOW they were going to fit. I know this is just the beginning. It is funny because I was telling my husband that it won't be much longer and I can shop in a "normal" store. He is not ready for that because he knows I will go crazy. LOL

I can't think of a proper way to thank Dr. Kemmeter and Saint Mary's Health Care for giving me my life back. I know they hear it all the time from patients, but it is the truth. I would recommend this surgery to anyone who was thinking about having bariatric surgery. Saint Mary's does such a great job and they really care about their patients. If you are reading this and have any questions regarding surgery, please let me know. This has been such a postiive experience for me and I want to share it with others. Thanks to you all for supporting me along the way. I have a long way to go. I know that I can do it. Hugs to you all!

Three Months Post-Op

It is so hard to believe that it has been three months since surgery. Time does go by so quickly. Life for me has been so crazy busy. I am starting to feel so much better, but things have been an adjustment. As of today, I have lost 92 pounds! I am having a hard time with clothes shopping because I still see myself at my old weight. I go shopping, and automatically grab my old size. As you can imagine, my clothes are really big on me. I had to go out and buy all new underwear. It is the best feeling in the world to be able to wear old clothes and they fit. I just can't describe how great this makes me feel.

People have asked me recently if I regreted having surgery. The answer is a big no. I am starting to feel better, but that has taken some time. It takes a little time for your new body to get used to the changes. The whole way that you eat and drink has changed. I used to be a person that only ate once or twice a day, just bigger portions. Now I have to eat every three to four hours and small portions. I have to tell myself several times during the day to get my fluids in.

I am doing well on my vitamin intake. I feel like an old person because I had to buy a huge pill organizer. This really helps me so much. Every Sunday, I fill up the organizer with all my vitamins for the next week. I have a little plastic cup that I take my daily vitamins in to work with me. This helps me to stay on track so that the vitamins are taken over the course of the day.

Exercise is going really well for me. I LOVE water aerobics, and try to take three classes a week. This is something that I really enjoy and is great workout for me. I also do a kettle bell workout dvd and I enjoy that as well. The first time that I did the workout, I could not walk too good the next day. I kept doing the workout and am finding that I can do more of it.

I feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to have surgery. In only three short months, it has changed my life so much aleady. The only regret that I do have is that I didn't have it done sooner. I love to talk about my experience and share it with others. Thanks everyone for your support and for reading this. It means a lot to me to have you along in my journey.

WOW Moments

It has been nine weeks since I have had surgery. It is amazing how time goes by so quickly. I am adjusting to my new life and new way of eating and drinking fluids. I am on no food restrictions now, as long as my body can tolerate the foods. I have found that my body does not like carbs. I have tried potatoes a couple of times and it was not good for me. So, I am trying to limit my carbs and that seems to be going fine. It is a big adjustment to get used to a new way of eating. It is hard to tell your mind to stop eating after only eating a little bit. It does help to eat at least six small meals a day. I don't like not being able to drink when I eat. It is getting easier for me and I am so happy about that.

I started doing water aerobics three nights a week and LOVE it. Water aerobics is the exercise for me. I have so much fun and love the class that I take. I also added a Zumba class last week and that is a ton of fun. Once I can learn the steps it will be more enjoyable. I couldn't walk after the first Zumba class, but that is okay. :-)

I have been having some pretty cool WOW moments recently. To some people these might seem small, but to someone like me they are huge. I think it is important to count all the small things along the way. I have a long way to go on my journey, so these small things will keep me motivated along the way. Here they are...

1. Was able to completely button a leather jacket that I have never been able to button. And the jacket was already big on me.

2. Went to a restaurant with my husband and we sat in a booth! We are always so used to sitting at a table with chairs. We sat in the booth and I had tons of room.

3. Wore blue jeans for the first time in at least two years.

4. Was able to do stretches are aerobics that I have never been able to do.

Thanks everyone for all your concern and support that you have shown to me. I could not have made it this far without you. Hugs to you all!

Three Weeks Post Op

I am almost three weeks post op from having Duodenal Switch surgery. Time has gone by so fast. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, and other times it feels like it was so long ago that I was in the hospital. I have heard that it takes 4-6 weeks to heal from surgery and I totally believe that. I feel so fortunate to have had surgery and so thankful for this new life that I will soon have.

The surgery went just fine and there were no complications. I was surprised at how quickly they have you up walking the halls. I know that the reason is so that blood clots don't form. I think I should get some kind of award for all the walking I did! It actually felt better to be upright rather than laying in bed, so I took full advantage of my walking time. I would do three or four laps each time instead of just one. I feel like that helped my recovery. I did a lot of walking of the halls in my house once I got home.

The pain was more severe than I anticipated once I got home. There was no pain pump for me to press. I did find that if I stayed up on the pain meds every four hours it was better. Each day the pain seemed to get better. I was off pain meds five days after surgery. I returned to work full-time seven days post op. That has been going fine. I would not recommend going back to work that quickly. It worked okay for me, but I could have used more time at home if I had the opportunity.

Adjusting to my new stomach post op has been a challenge. For the first two weeks post op, I was on a liquid only diet. This consisted of high protein soups, drinks, and shakes that I got from my surgeon's office. It was hard the first few days to get all the protein and fluids in. After surgery, my abdomen and stomach were swollen. Once the swelling went down, I was able to take in more liquids. I am now on a soft food diet for two weeks. That only adds in a few high-protein foods. I love cottage cheese, so I am glad to be able to eat that.

Things are a slow-go for me right now, but it will get there. The important thing that I need to keep remembering is to have patience with my body. I am so positive that things will get easier day by day. Thanks for following me on my journey and reading my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you!

One Day After Surgery

It is one day after surgery and I am doing okay. The pain has been a little worse than I anticipated, but they are taking great care of me at Saint Mary's. The nurses have been great and the pain has been manageable with pain medicine. I have had quite a few people visit me and have only fallen asleep on a few on them so far. I have had more energy today.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and concern. It means the world to me. I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to have surgery. I am thinking of March 16, 2010 as my second birthday. My life is going to change in huge ways and I am excited for that. Once I lose weight, I will be able to do things that I have never been able to do. I am excited for this journey and all the WOW moments that are to come. Thanks again for you support and I look forward to going on this journey along with you.

Excitement and Happiness

I am nine hours away from surgery and am filled with so much excitement. I am not nervous like I thought I would be. I should be in bed getting some sleep but I am wide awake. I have so much support pulling for me and that makes my heart sing. Tonight great friends came to visit and pray with us. Thanks Sharolyn and Joan for being such great friends. We cherish both of you so much. We both feel so at ease about surgery and you helped us so much!

Surgery is at 7:30 AM. I really have the better deal because I will be sleeping through the whole thing. Steve has the hard part and will be in the waiting room. I am so glad that his sister Brenda will be there to help him. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes. This is going to change my life and I am ready for that. I will post more after surgery so that everyone knows how I am doing. Thanks for reading this and for caring!

Update

Things on my journey are going really well right now. I am feeling good and staying really busy. It is less than seven weeks away from surgery and I am getting really excited. I was offered the opportunity to take a tour of the hospital where I will be having surgery. It was really cool to familiarize myself with the hospital and know a little bit more info about what to expect the day of surgery. I am sure I will still get lost though! Everyone at Saint Mary's is so nice and very helpful.

I met Lisa last week and that was a great time. Thanks so much Lisa for having dinner with me and allowing me to ask you a billion questions! It was so cool to meet someone that has been through what I am about to go through. She has had great success since her surgery and is so motivating. I learned a lot about what I can do now to prepare my mind for what I am about to go through. I am more excited about surgery more now than I was before I met her. I know that this is the best decision for me and I am going to put all the hard work in that I need to so that I can be healthier. I have so many family and friends who are pulling for me. I could not do it without their support.

There is a support meeting for DS patients scheduled in February. I am super excited about this. This will be so great for me because I will be able to meet other patients who have or will soon be having surgery. This support is going to help be greatly. I am looking forward to meeting everyone.

Lab Results and EightWest

I just got my lab results back and they are good. The only thing that is low is my vitamin D. I have to begin taking a vitamin supplement pre-op so that my level is where it needs to be before surgery. I am glad everything else was good. I was told that 60% of people have a low vitamin D level, so this is not unusual that this is low. I have to start taking 5,000 IU daily and they will test again before surgery. This will not delay surgery as I have a good two months on the vitamin to get the level up. I need to get used to taking vitamins anyway, so this gives me some practice.

I hope you got a chance to see me on EightWest on Wednesday. This is such a neat experience for me and I am so privileged to be a part of it. I love this show anyway, so it is so neat to be on the show. If you missed it, you can find it by going to www.smletgo.org or view below.

Surgery Date

Great news! My surgery is scheduled. I will be having duodenal switch surgery on Tuesday, March 16. It is so exciting to have a date set. It is also scary at the same time. It also gives me added motivation because I now have a target date to lose as much weight as I can on my own before surgery. I am down four pounds this week, so that is a step in the right direction. I know the next two months are going to fly by.

Pre-Surgery Labs

I went on Tuesday to have my pre-surgery labs done.  I had to fast for 12 hours, and that was very hard for me to do.  The not eating part wasn't so bad, it was the not drinking that I didn't like.  I guess you take for granted having the ability to drink water when you can and when you can't it is rough.  So I went to have the labs done.  They took 12 vials of blood for all the tests that needed to be ran.  The labs are very important post-surgery and so I will be having labs done at least twice a year to make sure that all my levels are okay. 

Welcome to 2010

Happy new year to everyone!
I am so excited for this year because this is the year that my life is really going to change. This is a scary thing, but something that I am so committed to. I know that I need to make changes in my life and I am determined to do that this year.  I am glad that you decided to read my blog. My hope is that you will continue to follow me on this journey. My desire is that we can all help each other to make better choices and be healthy.

Many people have asked me why I decided to have bariatric surgery. You may be thinking that this is the easy way out. It really is not. I think one of the misconceptions is that the surgey is a magic pill that will automatically make me lose weight. I am going to work just as hard and be just as committed to diet and exercise. This surgery will help me to lose weight so that I can get out there and do those things. I have been heavy my whole life and I want to change that. Please join me as I begin this journey. Together we can encourage each other and make changes to lead a healther lifestyle!