Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Own Pursuit of Happiness

Gall Bladder Surgery

2009-09-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

I had heard that it wasn't uncommon for the surgeon to take your gall bladder out when he did your bypass, and it's been over the past couple of months that I have seriously wished that my surgeon (ha) had taken out mine.

I'd been having some problems for a long time, like my spontaneous barfing syndrome, where I suddenly puke violently for no reason and then go on, but it progressed into some pretty serious stomach pain about five or six weeks ago. The short story is that my family doc sent me for an ultrasound, and guess what!?! Gall stones - lots of them. I met my surgeon and had it taken out in a lap surgery last Tuesday. In by six and out by eleven. Yep, day surgery.

I was pretty sore - and definitely cranky that doc hadn't given me anything but 7.5mg Lortabs. Take one every four hours, the directions said, and I did that, but they reallly didn't cut it. We called the doctor's office and complained, and his nurse said that I could go ahead and take one and half every four hours, and that helped a little, but not nearly enough. We called again Wednesday morning and he insisted that I come in before he would give me anything stronger.

We got there and he kindly explained to me that the surgery I had was just a routine little procedure and not a big deal, or it wouldn't even be a day surgery. He did give in a give me a script for something else, telling my husband with a grin that if the 2mg dilaudid didn't tale care of it, then he should just take me out back and shoot me as there was nothing else that he would or could do.

By Saturday morning, I was pretty cheerful as nothing actually hurt but my incisions, and I was actually thinking that I was about over it. Maybe I'd even go back to work on Wednesday, if my sub didn't mind me cutting her time short. By Saturday afternoon, I thought that I was going to die, and I was off to the emergency room with A GALL BLADDER ATTACK?

It was horrible - my stomach was screaming worse than it had so far and I kept puking. I spent three hours sitting in the local emergency room lobby, waiting for someone to see me, before I gave up and left. We went to the next town over and spent maybe an hour waiting to see the doc. He did some x-rays and some blood work, gave me some demerol, then explained to me that I had a stone left in my bile ducts, and that was causing all of the problems. I was going to have to go back to my surgeon and he could either arrange to have me scoped or he might even have to go back in and remove it like he did my gall bladder. Since Monday was a holiday, he said that my surgeon (whom he called) said to call him first thing Tuesday morning and see when to come in.

I did that, and Tuesday afternoon I sat on a table in my doctor's office, listening as he removed my staples and told me that I had confused the pain of my incisions with gall-bladder like pain. He said that he hadn't seen the lab results or XRays from the hospital, but he didn't need to see 'em and wouldn't look at them if he had them. I wasn't yellow, and if I had a stone left, I'd be jaundiced. I just expected to get well too soon; after all, I had experienced a major surgery and I couldn't expect to feel better and be able to do everything like normal so soon. I'd been stabbed four times, he said. What I did expect except to have a lot of pain?

Husband and I just looked at each other as this was exactly the opposite of what he had said the week before when I was complaining about hurting. Then it was all about how it was a minor procedure, blah blah.

We left from the surgeon's office and stopped by my faily doctor's office and asked if he could call us. When he did later, I explained about hving to go to the ER, how bad it hurt, what the ER doc said had happened, and how the surgeon said he didn't need to even see the lab work to know that nothing was wrong with me. Doc J. asked if I had wanted him to make the determination between them, then, and I said yes. That's when Doc J. said that he sided with my surgeon, and that if he said I was fine then I was fine. Does this mean that I don't even need to have the X-rays or lab work sent for you to look at? That's right, Doc J says. Don't even need to see them.

Um, wow. Okay. I was imagining things, and the ER doc was, too.

What in the hell do I do now?

Ups and Downs

2009-08-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

Now isn't *that* funny? Ups and downs - get it? I bet that anyone who has been dedicated to serious weight loss for more than a year gets that one.

It's August, 2009, and I have finally wandered back to my little forgotten blog. I am at 200 pounds now, and I am hoping that I don't go any higher. I joined a gym with the family right before Christmas last year in an effort to fight off moderate depression (another funny, and I'll explain that one in a minute, too).

We were dedicated - four or five days a week, three days some weeks when we had a lot going on - for at least an hour and a half. Some weights combined with an hour on the treadmill. I made my goal in calories instead of distance, working all the way up to a goal of 800 calories per session according to the machine I always used. Over the course of five months, I lost a grand total of (get this - it's the funny part) FIVE POUNDS.

Did I mention anywhere that I've had a gastric bypass, so it's not like I can pig out or anything? LOL.

I did feel better, and I would still be going except that my gym was moved and completely remodeled at the end of May or so, and now, since it has no dressing room, no fans, and fewer nachines, we just don't go. It sucks to go to the gym for three hours and spend half of that waiting in line for a squeaky treadmill.

There are two other gyms in town: one is painted dark gray and red with minimal lighting (????????) and the other is National Fitness - which we just can't afford.I've gained a grand total of two pounds of it back. I know that I am going to have to look at it from the "Wow, but I was so fit!" point of view rather than the "I worked how hard for how long to lose how much??" or I'll never join another one.

Right now, I am on the gall-bladder-weight-loss-plan. For those of you have never had the good fortune to try this effortless approach to weightloss, all you have to do is cultivate a couple of gall-stones, and then not only can you eat very little of anything, a portion of what you DO eat just makes its reappearance within about twenty minutes. I've heard that it's very common for people to develop gallstones after a bypass - so common that many surgeons just take out the gall bladder when they perform an RNY. Not my doc! Maybe he hopes that we'll come back so he leaves it for job security, or maybe he just doesn't see having another surgery as a big deal. For me, though, it is, and I am astounded at how my apparently poor choice of a surgeon is the gift that just keeps on giving.

As far as the depression goes, it seems to be over. I feel like a normal person now, and the best part is that sometime over the summer, cigarrettes stopped bothering me like they did. They don't set off my I-wanna-SMOKE reflex any more. They just STINK, and it's wonderful. All those years I smoked and had no idea that they smelled like something that blew out of the devil's ass. Ha.

I haven't read my old posts, so I don't know how much I have mentioned fertility issues - or even if I have at all. A little over a year ago, at age 38, I started seeing a fertility doctor in Johnson City for IUI. It took about three cycles to realize just what a total quack he was, and we moved across the street to see another one. I've had a total of six or seven rounds of IUI, one chemical pregnancy, and spent a small fortune. Husband and I figure we are good for about two or three more runs at it before we count the blessings that we have and move on. Finally, for the first time in YEARS, I can feel at peace with that idea, too. We still want another child, but at least now I can look at other people's babies and not cry.

I think that this year is going to be a good school year, especially compared to last year (a total CF). Half the people on our team were new last year, and out of those, most of them have already gone into something else for a living as they realized how unsuitable (or unemployable) they were for education. One is now on disability, one is working the desk at a local tourist trap for minimum wage... Another is still with us, but at least that one is now located right beside someone else - who happens to report straight to Central Office. I suspect that person's days of ignoring the children to chat with an S.O. is over. I just don't think that person's lack of activity is going to be a problem anymore. YAY!

Some people look at teaching as a job, and for others, it's personal.

I have lesson plans to do and groceries to get, so I am going to blow right on out of here and into the Sunday sales papers for some serious stick-it-to-Walmart ad-matching.

Catch you later!

PS - I thought that I'd take a look at my weight loss tracker, and look - I weigh exactly the same thing that I did in '07 on my first post. That goal weight is looking farther and farther away. How ironic.

Yes, It's Been a While

2008-01-21T04:10:00.000-08:00

Where do I start on this one? It has been a time of surprises and of healing since I last stopped by to lay my thoughts out for the world.

I had given up, you see.

I had problems and I knew it. I have tried repeatedly to get in to see my surgeon, making perhaps five trips to Johnson City to see him, to try to get answers to my questions about why I feel tis way or that, why my weight loss had slowed down to such a crawl early out, etc. This past trip was during Christmas break - I call his office and very clearly explained why I wanted to see him. I haven't seen him since I was in the hopsital, I explained. I don't feel well. I am not losing weight - as a matter of fact, I have *gained* at only eight months out, despite only eating about 1200 calories a day. My PCP does not know how to deal with my since I have had my bypass, and he constantly refers me back to my surgeon. The appointment clerk sounded horrified that I had not see the doc since I was in the hospital, and she promised me an appointment with him on the only day that he would be in the office over my holiday. Great! Maybe I would get some answers.

I showed up with my notebook of questions and went to the window sign in. When asked for my check, I declined to hand it over, suggesting that it would make it far easier to wait until we established that the doc was really, actually going to see me - especially last time he wasn't even in the office I had to argue to get my copay back.

Guess what?!? That's right, he never even came in at all that morning, and his office didn't bother to pick up the phone and call me, saving me a THREE HOUR ROUND TRIP for apparent reason. I just thanked to the girl at the front desk (somewhat snottily, I'll be the first to admit) and left. Husband stood there and clowned a bit, loudly explaining to the crowd in the waiting room that once you were paid up by the insurance company then you were on your own.

So by the middle of January I am back at my PCP, complianing about the same problems that I was bitching about in October: serious fatigue, major irritability, insomnia, lack of weight loss, mental fog, difficulty concentrating, lack of motivation on all fronts, and now, very irregular periods as well. I told the doc that I was there for a referral to an endocrinologist as I was certain that there was something wrong hormonally. Doc said that was fine and that he was not going to send out my regular labs to include a thyroid test as it had already been tested "out the yin-yang" before I ever had my surgery. I had been talking to two ladies that I work with, and they were very insistant that I should have my thyroid tested - BOTH levels of it. So I asked the doc to do so, telling him to please just humor me. It wouldn't hurt anything and just might ease my mind. He agreed, wrote down "mood disorder" on my diagnosis page, and offered to increase the wellbutrin that he had put me on in October. I declined, explaining that it wasn't doing anything at all for me. He said that he would call with my results that next day, and yes, he would check both levels.

No one called on Tuesday as he said, but Wednesday the nurse let me know that my appoinment for the endocrinologist was for March 28th and all of my labs were just fine, except that dlkgjhsdfkgjhsdklfjhg. Pardon? Can you slow down, please? I want to make sure that I understand everything after the "except" part, as I am pretty sure that just might be something important (ya think?). Turns out my TSH level is 5.89, but that's okay, the endocrinologist can get me straightened out when I see her in March. His nurse also tells me that they very thoughtfully faxed the results of my bloodwork to my surgeon. WTF? I had just gotten through explaining to this man that I couldn't get in the see the surgeon, that I hadn't seen him, and probably was never going to get to.

The endocrinologist will start me on something in MARCH?!? I am supposed to just keep feeling like this for another two and a half months because the doctor says that he doesn't know what to do with me because I am a gastric bypass patient? I am a patient with a thyroid problem - this has nothing to do with my surgical history.

So the next day I changed my PCP with the insurance company and go to see my husband's a doc - an internist. (Husband calls and begs me in, explaining that I am not in very good shape and need help.) The new doc immediately put me on 100 mcg of levothryoxin and asked why my PCP did not do this as soon as he got the test results back. I explain the whole thing and I am so relieved to actually find a PCP who has an idea about how to deal with bypass patients.

New doc also tells me that the NSAIDS old doc had me on for cramps could kill me, that the idea that old doc had about them being okay for me just a couple of times a month just wasn't accurate. Yay.

So now I have been on meds for this for a grand total of four days now, and I already not only feel beter but have lost a little bit of weight again for the first time in a couple of months.

Weight this morning: 191 (again - finally)

PS - all that crabbing about not being able to sleep before... poor husband.... it wasn't really his fault at all.

Day 253 - As the Tummy Rumbles....

2007-12-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

I think that my lower belly must be full of rocks - at least it feels that way. I am definitely F.O.S as things just haven't been working out right for the past couple of weeks. For a good long time, I had a lot of success eating a spinach salad every day for lunch and taking a couple of colace, but it seems like the charm of that has worn off, despite increased fiber and water as well.

I've gained (are you getting this - GAINED???) seven pounds in a week and a half, but at least three of them came back off, leaving me at 195 yesterday morning.

Husband and I have a new hobby - woodcutting. No, we aren't carving, but rather we have been selling firewood. He does most of the work during the week as his job gives him a lot more flexibility than mine, but we're out there every weekend getting a load or three, and I took off a day last week just to go cutting. It's funny to me that things that were so heavy just a month or two ago are now getting plumb light, and it is so easy to drag things around that used to just plain herniate my fat ass. LOL I've put on a decent amount of muscle, and I realize that is partly responsible for the weight-loss slowdown, but I sure would like to see the scales move again. It seems that I have been stuck forever.

On the bright side, this past month I bought my first size 14 jeans since I was in JUNIOR COLLEGE. Yay! While I hope that this isn't "it", I sure am glad to be here than where I was a year ago.

Highest weight: 294
Weight yesterday morning: 195
Weight last week: 191
Current size: 14/16

A Rant

2007-10-11T00:58:00.001-07:00

I love the man, I really do, but I just can't take it.

The past month or two, I couldn't figure out what was going on - I would get on my broomstick every morning and fly to work, then come home and be totally, um, witchy. I've been depressed, exhausted, and moody, totally unable to concentrate, and I actually started worrying about my mental health. I went to the doctor and got a prescription for ambien and wellbutrin, thinking that maybe I was having biochemical problems with depression or something, especially when I put all of my symptoms together.

I am the kind of the person who can sleep through almost anything and not wake up, but once I am awake, then it's over - no going back to sleep for me. I guess that's what has made it so hard for me to figure out just what has been going on. I wouldn't wake up enough to realize just what was happening on the other side of the bed.

Last night was my second night with sleeping pills, and I really did expect to get a good night's sleep for a change. I even suspected that I had been *dreaming* that I was waking up. After all, I was taking a SLEEPING PILL, for God's sake! Anyway, last night before I went to bed, I was pretty determined that I was going to make sure that I was really waking up and not just imagining things. So at one this morning when I looked at the clock, I made sure to roll over and rationally evaluate, "Yep, I am awake." I managed to go back to sleep that time, but when I woke up the second time at 2:45, I wasn't as lucky. I lay there and listed to the snorting, snorting, moan-and-groaning (complete with roll-over motion) until I couldn't stand it anymore. I got up and went to try to go back to sleep on the couch, but it was just too late - I was really, really awake. (Did I mention that he puts out so much heat that I cook every night? Body heat isn't just it, either - we have an electric blanket with dual controls, and he cranks his side up then radiates heat like a furnace.)

I used to wonder why older couples would have separate bedrooms or even separate beds. I used to love to snuggle up to DH, and now I am wondering if I am ever going to be able to sleep in the bed with him again, especially since this has been going on SO long and it's been so bad that I have gone to the doctor to get MEDICATED to deal with the effects of it.

Geez. I dunno what I am going to do!!!!

Time Marches On - Day 193

2007-10-05T02:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, time keeps moving, and the scales barely do. Still, husband tells me not to complain as I am going down in measurements and sizes. Being a woman, however, gives me a license, and I plan to take full advantage of that, even if it is only here.

I did quit smoking, and it was not very pleasant, as I am sure you can imagine. I used Chantix and quit smoking after about four days on the meds. I took the pills for just a little over two weeks, until feeling like a poster child for unwanted side-effects, I put the pills to the side and decided to weather it out all on my own. After all, two weeks of not should be enough to break the cycle, right?

Side effects, you ask? Ewwww.... they were monstrous! I was exhausted, extremely nauseous, and still pretty-short tempered. I think that I was waking up on the average of three to five times a night, but the dreams, while vivid, were not a real problem. In the past two weeks since I stopped taking Chantix, I am still having difficulty paying attention and sleeping through the night. I am not nearly as tired all the time, but I am having trouble sitting still, etc. I am showing many of the classic signs of ADD, but I am not sure if this is related to quitting nicotine or if it is my natural state and the nicotine used to mitigate that. I dunno.

Anyway, here are my stats:

Highest weight: 294
Weight this morning: 197
Current size: 16

Day 166

2007-09-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

My weight loss has slowed down A LOT, but I have finally made it under 200 pounds for the first time since I was in college! Yay!

I started taking Chantix last Wednesday, and I am already feeling the effects from it. I am not smoking nearly as much, and they taste pretty gross when I do. I also have the nausea and fatigue, but interestingly enough, I don't have headaches - I'm rather light-headed instead. Pretty weird, huh? Wonder how long I'll have to take this med... I really don't like it, but I have to do something about smoking! I have bronchitis yet again, and my skin and circulation need all the help that they can get.

I have all kinds of new lines and stretch marks that I never saw before now, and I while they are not *that* noticeable, I can see exactly what I am going to look like when I do get all old and wrinkly. Between my respiratory issues and my skin, I really do have to do something. There's no sense in going through everything I have done the past six months to get healthy only to kill myself with Marlboros, you know?

Highest weight: 294
Weight this morning: 199
Current size: 16

The Long Stall...

2007-08-22T02:19:00.000-07:00

It seemed like this long stall would never, ever end! I suppose that I was spoiled a bit, watching the weight fall off after my surgery. For a month almost, nothing happened with the exception of gaining two pounds. How *that* happened I have no idea, especially since it's not like I can really eat much of anything.

The scales finally started moving again about four or five days ago. I dug around in the cabinets until I found my trusty jar of protein powder, and I started drinking about 35 grams every morning before I went off to work. After just a couple of days of that, the pounds just started melting off again. I guess that my body had gone into a mini starvation mode, and the influx of extra protein reassured it that all really was well.

My energy has really picked up as well, and I am very grateful for that, especially since I have gone back to work. The only real problem that I seem to be having is being all stopped up - yet another issue that my surgeon never bothered to mention! (grrr!)

Highest weight: 294
Weight today: 202

Day 124

2007-07-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well, only a little over four months, and already my weight loss has seriously slowed down. Only 8 pounds since the last time I posted on Day 100.

I am wondering if this is what my endocrinologist and OB/GYN warned me about when they suggested that I have this surgery. I was told then that I would never be a "normal" weight because of my PCOS, but I could lose some of what was making me so miserable.

Dear God, I hope that this isn't "it". I don't eat a lot of junk - heck, I can't eat *anything* with more than 10 grams of sugar or 10 grams of fat. I've been exercising and everything like I am supposed to, but only eight pounds in 24 days.

On the bright side, I'm not freezing anymore, even though I should be in about another week. Turns out, that particular issue is PMS related. Nothing quite like being bitchy, tired, *and* cold, all at the same time.

As The Scale Turns - Day 100

2007-07-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

My husband told me the other night that he thought the doctor's office hadn't told me enough about what to expect in the days after my surgery. Sure, they gave me a lot of information about the surgery itself and what to expect during recovery, but very little about the changes that I would go through as the weeks progressed into months and my body kept changing.

I wonder if that is just the nature of surgeons: they are so preoccupied in the actual procedure that they really don't know how to get involved and pro-active in the life changes that come as a result of what they accomplished.

I went back to the doctor's office several weeks ago, and I had all of my questions lined up: Is it normal to have a change in your drive after this surgery? Am I supposed to keep drinking the protein mixes? Is it okay to switch from Flinstones vitamins to adult chewables? You know, questions like that. Instead of the doctor, though, I got the nurse practitioner, and I got the feeling from her that she didn't finish that much school because she was that smart, but maybe instead she just worked really, really hard and promptly forgot everything as soon as the exam was over. I don't mean to be disrespectful to her, but I've met other professionals that just seemed to be rather, well, dim, but they were just willing to work hard enough to "get through it". After a couple of answers like, "Oh, don't worry about the vitamins anymore..." and such as that, I threw the rest of my questions out and figured that I would just do my own research. I just might be better off that way than taking what she said as gospel.

So what's new? I am freezing at night now. Night before last, I was shivering and shaking so much that my husband got up at two in the morning and got an electric blanket for me - in July, no less. I've always been the kind of person that could generate enough body heat to get through just about any temperatures, but now, now matter how many blankets, I can't even overcome the AC keeping the house at 72 degrees. That's not to say that I can't get overheated outside during the day, because that's not the case, either. It's mostly at night, and then I freeze like it's mid-winter in Minnesota or something.

Something else that is interesting is the lumpyness. It's not like cellulite, but when I rub my hands over my arms, I can feel a million tiny little bumps under my skin. Husband says that it is because the body doesn't lose weight evenly, but takes the fat from where it can most easily obtain it. He says that I will smooth out later, and I certainly hope so. While it's not something that you can see to look at me, it sure does feel weird.

I am starting to look too small for my skin, showing signs of droop and sag. The worst places are under my arms, where I am getting the "granny sag", and across the tops of my thighs, where you can see where the skin is starting to just hang there. I wanted to talk to my doctor about that, too, and ask him if there was something that I could do to minimize that and how much of it just time would take care of, but like I said earlier, I didn't trust the nurse practitioner to give me a thoughtfully considered response. (Please don't get me wrong - I've met nurses that I trusted more than the doctors, but she just wasn't one of them.) Anyway, I really, really want to try to avoid any more surgery unless I just have to, and my doc is one that just takes it as a matter of course that you must have more after your bypass to correct the skin issues, etc. Maybe you do, but I'd like to be really certain.

I am such a weenie. :)

One really nice side effect of this surgery is that everyone in the house has lost weight since I started being really careful about what I fix for us to eat. We still do the traditional sit-down dinner every night, so I have to make sure that whatever I fix is "safe" for me. My daughter has lost her baby fat belly, and my husband has lost about 40 or 50 pounds (but he's been dieting, too. He says that he doesn't want to be looked at as the fat slob with a skinny wife, so he works pretty hard at it.)

I am not going to have a blasted thing to wear when school starts. All of my clothes fit in one dresser drawer. It's a big drawer, but still... I can't shop ahead, either, because I have no idea what size I will be in by then. I have boxes and boxes of "fat clothes", and I have no idea exactly what I am going to do with them. I guess I need to find a consignment shop and throw them out. We've threatened to have a rummage sale, but I have more stuff than I could honestly expect to get rid of at just one sale.

I still get nauseated sometimes, especially when I eat too fast or try something new, but that is to be expected. I've lost my taste for sweets, which is really good since I can't eat them anymore. Even Splenda doesn't get it. Wild, huh?

Weight this January: 294
Weight at surgery: 274
Weight this morning: 218
Current size: 16/18

PS - a word about insurance... Blue Cross Blue Shield not only turned me down for this surgery back in October of last year, but they left me stuck with over $500 worth of doctor bills. I filed a grievance, and they had until December 2, 2006 to respond. I called several times even after I changed insurance companies to try to find out why I was never notified of their reasoning or response to my grievance, and finally about a month ago, I was told that they never acted on my grievance AT ALL. I filed a complaint with the state insurance commission, and then I called the state department of education. I figured that since they were the ones who negotiated the terms of my coverage, they might have an interest in BCBS's failure to respond and provide the coverage agreed upon in our contract. To make a long story short, it took the lady in the state department of education's insurance department fewer than two days to get that matter straightened right out, and and I should have a refund check from my doctor's office within a day or so. The letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield informed me that "an administrative decision" had been made to go ahead and pay the claim. I sure wish my current insurance company would sue them for the cost of the surgery, too.

Day 79

2007-06-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

I've been really tired the last couple of days, probably over a UTI that came from not drinking enough water. That's probably been my greatest challenge: the timing of nothing to drink for 30 minutes before or after meals. I get really thirsty sometimes before dinner, but I lose track of time afterwards and then find that it has been an hour and a half before I realize it.

Weight in January: 294
Weight this morning: 227

Day 40

2007-05-05T03:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've posted, but it's the end of the school year, and there really is no way to describe how busy and hectic it gets at this time for everyone that works in a school.

So what's new? Hmmm...

I'd been buying the protein mix from Wal-Mart because it was low in sugar (like 1 gram per serving) and no fat, but I had to quit drinking it once I realized that it was what was making sick in the mornings. I've switched over to something called "Edge" from CVS, and it seems to do the trick. I'm not sure what the difference it since the labels indicate the sugar content is about the same, but the Edge has less protein per serving and it doesn't make me nauseated. Go figure.

I've been working a regular schedule, and my surgical site doesn't hurt anymore. Still, I am prone to getting really tired by the time evening rolls around. Finally last night I went to bed around seven p.m., and I didn't get up this morning until almost six. Hopefully I'll be a lot more on top of things now.

Last week or two, I've managed to get all of my seeds planted and several flower beds done. I have a ton of crinum lilies coming that I bought via eBay, and I am pretty excited about getting them in the ground as they have the most beautiful blossoms.

I talked to a friend of mine at work yesterday, and it turns out that she had her stomach "done" several years ago by having her excess skin removed. The thought of having a band of 100 staples under the lower edge of my belly really didn't do a single thing to perk up my morale. What a surprise. :(

I do get hungry again and have for a couple of weeks now, but I am pretty easy to fill up. It's been pretty inconvenient trying to find options for lunch or dinner when I am away from home, but so far I've had a little luck sticking with McDonald's grilled chicken sandwiches without eating the bread - just the chicken and fixings with mustard instead of mayo. Same goes for Sonic's grilled chicken wrap - again with mustard instead of the ranch dressing. (There's no nutritional info on the dressing packet, so I am afraid to eat it.)

Weight last December: 294
Weight the day before surgery prep: 274
My weight this morning: 243
Clothing size: 22 (mostly)

Day 23

2007-04-19T02:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I felt almost normal again, and I think that I may be reaching the end of my blog.

I don't hurt much anymore except for some tenderness and a little pain if I pick up something heavier than I should, but I have my energy back and I feel more like getting out and doing things like walking, shopping, etc.

Highest weight: 294
Weight before surgery: 274
Current weight: 253

Day 20

2007-04-16T02:38:00.000-07:00

I had several pretty good days in a row at the end of last week: Thursday and Friday both went really well. I had plenty of energy, and I got a lot done.

Saturday and Sunday were both grey, rainy old days, and it seemed like my energy level corresponded. I didn't get anything useful done at all on Saturday, and Sunday, I only managed to stay up for a couple of hours before I was back down for a nap. On the bright side, though, I did managed to get all of our tax info (talk about the last minute!) entered in and ready to file.

I found a new message board full of great information about having this surgery:

http://www.wlsbutterflynetwork.org/forums/index.php?act=SC&c=2

Day 17

2007-04-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day, it really was. I made sure that I got my protein in first thing in the morning, then it was off to work. I put in a full day, came home, planted some flowers, cooked supper for the family, cleaned house, folded some clothes, and then watched about an hour of a DVD that came in the mail from Netflicks. I managed to stay up until about 9:30 without any problem, too.

Three different people came up to me today to tell me that I look like I have lost weight. Nice, but I'm not any lighter than I was when I started back to work. I thought that I would be since I am definitely moving around a lot more, but it hasn't worked out that way. Still, it's been almost twenty pounds since my surgery for a total of forty pounds since Christmas break. Only a hundred pounds left to go. (only a hundred - har har har...)

Breakfast: protein mix and skim milk
Lunch: Chef Boy-R-Dee ravioli cup
Snack: 6 pretzel sticks
Supper: 1/2 quesadilla and two tablespoons western-style rice

Day 16

2007-04-12T02:26:00.000-07:00

I stayed at work all day today, but it wasn't easy. One thing that I did discover was how critical it is to get in the protein like you are told to do. On Day 15, I was totally exhausted by 7:00 p.m., and it took everything that I had to stay awake and thus avoid another 3:00 waking.

So, this particular morning I mixed up about 56 grams of the protein powder in a cup of skim milk and forced that down before I left for work. I felt reasonably normal as a result, and I realize that is what I am going to have to do every morning in order to have a decent day. I guess I am still learning about how my body has changed and what it is going to take to keep me reasonably healthy.

Problem today: some pretty serious pains under my second incision site that started around 1:00 in the afternoon. This area was very tender to the touch at times but not consistently. I was pretty scared until I realized that the pain moved from right under the first incision to slightly under the second. I suspect that it is (embarrasingly enough) gas. If it doesn't get better really soon, it will be back to the surgeon for a consultation/exam, especially since it was painful enough to keep me from standing upright.

Day 14 (after gastric bypass surgery)

2007-04-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: Atkins shake
Lunch: Ravioli minis
Snack: Six regular saltine crackers
Supper: Two small slices thin and crispy pepperoni

I went back to work today, and I guess I did pretty well even if I did wear out toward the afternoon. I had a sub for a half day (a wonderful young man who has become a real friend in the past two years) who didn't mind me hanging around as he took charge of my kids. I had a lot of grading to catch up on for the week that I was out over my surgery (Week #2 was spring break, so it didn't count). Grades are due in tomorrow, along with year averages for our grade's top ten. State tests are next week, and we are in the last six weeks of the term.

I came home about 4:00 and I was in the bed by seven thirty with lights out by 8:15 or so. I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I'm paying for it now, though, as I was up by 3:00 a.m. on Day 15.

Most of the people that I work with, the ones who knew that I was out anyway, were really surprised to see me back and kept telling me how good I looked despite having surgery. Most of my students have no idea *why* I went into the hospital. A few, perhaps three or four, were told simply because of the degree of concern that they showed. One thing I can tell you for a fact about that: being nervous about going into the hospital definitely isn't helped at all by eighth graders with frightened faces staring at you and asking if you are going to die.

Weight last December: 294
Weight the day before surgery prep: 274
My weight this morning: 254
Clothing size: 24 (but getting baggy depending on cut)

My biggest fear about this: that something will happen to undo all this or it won't work
Husband's biggest fear: that I will get skinny and trade him in for a newer model (like I could ever find another man who would stand by me through thick and thin -har har- like he has).
Daughter's biggest fear: that there will never, ever be junk food in the house again.

So what are you supposed believe, anyway?

2007-04-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's been amusing and frustrating by turns to see the information that is being churned out concerning gastric bypass surgery, how it is supposed to affect you, what you can eat, when you can eat it, etc.

My surgeon (who seems to err on the side of extreme caution) almost a year before my surgery gave me a book to go by that tells me that I am to be on a liquid diet 10 days before surgery and almost 30 days afterward. The idea of staying on a liquid diet for ten days before my surgery was really funny to me - I mean, geez people, if I could stay on a liquid diet like that, would I even need surgery? Once I check into the hospital, I let the doctor's office know that I have lost my book and need another. They promise to bring one. (I think that what actually happened is that I got very frustrated a some point during year two of the insurance fight and threw it away, but I am not sure that want to admit that to them.)

The hospital staff are kind enough, and when they hear that I have lost the book from my surgeon, helpfully give me a book from a New York surgeon who has his available as a PDF download. This book is far more detailed and permissive than the one from my own doctor. I mention that to the doctor's liason, and she promptly orders the staff to never, ever hand out anything like that again. The damage is done, though.

As I said before, my doc tells me that I can only have liquids for about 30 days after my surgery: cream of nothing soup, sugar-free jello, etc. I ask him about the conflicting advice/instructions between physicians, and he thoughtfully reminds me who *my* physician is and why he gives his orders as he does. I wonder if *he* has ever tried to remain physically and psychologically sound after 30 days of liquids.

Welcome to My World,

2007-04-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

small as it is, anyway.

Today is Day 13 after my gastric bypass surgery, and I decided to start this blog to share my experiences with weight loss surgery (WLS) or gastric bypass surgery. So many of the sites that discuss what to expect really don't deal with the average day-by-day experiences. Most deal just with diet, and so many of them contradict each other, depending on the clinic or surgeon. While this little blog won't set a standard, it will guide you through one woman's experiences in what worked and what did not.

So far, it's been interesting, to say the least. Let me at first mention that I have very little tolerance for pain...

Presurgery - Surgeon orders a presurgery diet of 10 days of liquids without explanation, though his nurse says that it is to clean out my digestive tract, etc. Some web research tells me that some surgeons order this to deplete glycogen levels in the liver. Since I have no idea what the actual reason for the order is (and I have to work for a living, something that I just can't see happening on a diet of chicken broth and sugar-free jello,) I vow to do the best that I can and go on.

I checked into the hospital (3-26-2007), and the torture rack they provided for me (AKA hospital bed) weighed me a 274. One word of advice: Never, ever let them give you the room across from the nurses station. They still forget to bring you pain meds when you ask, and the noise is incredible.

On Days 1-2, if you had thoughtfully handed me something with enough caliber to end my misery, I would have gladly opted out of the whole experience. I remember one particular point in my morphine-induced haze when all of the joys of labor suddenly became fresh again, and I swore that I would never, ever have another child or volunteer for another surgery. One thing that surprised me the most was the effect that the anesthesia had on my lungs - it was very difficult to breathe the way that one is supposed to. My lungs felt very stiff and almost burned, so instead of breathing regularly as was my goal, I alternated between not breathing deeply enough and trying to pass out and hyperventilating.

On Day 3, I made myself get up and walk the halls, hoping that I would be allowed to go home. The surgeon came in and checked me over about 5:00 pm then released me complete with a JP drain and over 20 staples. I promptly installed myself in my big, comfy recliner while husband went and had my prescriptions filled.

Day 4: Out of curiosity, I climb on my home scales and discover that I have gained 10 pounds while in the hospital. Husband says not to worry as it just fluids. Still, that just doesn't help my feelings a whole lot. I so, however, actually managed to sleep the whole night through. While I can't stay awake all day, I am motoring around the house more, and my lungs are starting to feel like they are actually back to normal.

Day 5: Went to town and managed to navigate all of Lowe's then part of Wal-Mart before relegating myself to the sit-n-shop. I was just too worn out to do much more than that. This was also the first day that I did not take a nap.

Day 7: I managed to open yet another kitchen drawer by catching it on my JP drain tubing (which conveniently hangs a little over a foot out of my abdomen, catching on all manner of objects). I call the surgeon and am told to come in. Once I get there, he tells me that he is going to remove the staples and drain a week early. (YAY!) His nurse mumbles something about going to get the "staple-getter-outer" (no kidding) and I wonder if I am supposed to be worried. It was an incredibly gross moment having the tube pulled out, but it was great to have it gone. I am STILL peeling the glue from the catheter tape off of my leg.

Days 8-11: I am kind-of surprised at how tired I am staying. I seem to have a good day and then a bad day... Good days are those in which I feel like getting out and actually doing around, and bad days are those in which I feel like I am a little-old-woman (I'm 37, BTW.) I take naps pretty frequently.

Day 9: My first experience with dumping syndrome. I bought a box of sugar-free cookies (Murray brand). I ate two of them and promptly got very sick. Went to bed about 8:00 pm and slept until almost 8:00 the next morning.

Day 12: The pain has decreased to mostly soreness around the main surgical site. Husband sits me down out of concern to discuss my general apathy. I tell him that I don't feel depressed - mostly just really tired. He quizzes me about what I am eating (am I getting enough protein?) and I promise that I am.

Day 13: This morning the scales say 258 pounds. (I haven't seen that in a long, long time.) My owies are looking pretty good, and I for one of the rare times in life, I am extremely grateful for my fair skin. I think my scarring will be minimal.

I am going to try to get out and about today, aiming mostly for some exercise. I am going to go back to work tomorrow, and I am a little concerned about making it through the day as I teach 8th graders, and they are not the calmest segment of the school-age population to deal with. I did arrange to have a sub on hand for 1/2 days Monday through Wednesday, and if I can tough it out, I am going to stay all day anyway to get caught up on my grades.

PS - Here is a pretty good day-by-day guide that I found on the web:

http://www.answers.com/topic/roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-surgery

Actual experiences will vary. Too bad that I didn't find this BEFORE I went into the hospital.