Eating, Measuring and Exercise Physiology

A couple of weeks have passed since my last post. I am finally recovering from the shock of the move and beginning to get into action mode. Big Daddy and his dad left on Thursday to move the truck and the boat up to Hot Springs. Bad news is they only made it as far as Temple, Tx and the truck broke down. Worse news is that the engine will need to be replaced. After an overnight stay, he rented a car and left the truck and boat behind. He'll go back on Wednesday making a round-trip drive to pick up the truck and boat. I know he'll be exhausted. Keep him in your prayers.

So, what's up with me, you ask? Well, it's not the weight! I'm down 42 pounds since my surgery! I saw the surgeon on Thursday for a one month (5 week) follow-up. He said my progress was phenomenal! He also said it looks like I'm on track to lose around 100 pounds by my 6 month anniversary date. Wow! I can't believe it! The weight loss will slow down after the 6 month mark. From what I've heard, I really need to make the most of the early stages and lose as much weight as I can before I hit the 6th month. Also at my appointment on Thursday I asked that the nurse measure me again. I was surprised at the measurements! I have lost SO much! It is amazing. When I look in the mirror the only place that I see the actual loss is in my face. I know I'm losing it, I just haven't gotten the old Christy out of the mirror yet. Not really comfortable revealing the measurements yet. Maybe I'll get some more courage and post them in a few days.

Eating habits are changing around here. I have found that there are different kinds of protein I can eat. I've really been enjoying seafood. For the most part it is easy to eat. I have also found that I need to chew better and eat slower. In the past few weeks I have on more than one occasion eaten too fast or not chewed good enough. Let me tell you, it hurts! Also by eating slower I feel satisfied without over-eating. Additionally, we aren't eating out as much. Not much of the fast foods sound very good, either. One thing I have found that I can get when we eat out is a grilled chicken breast from Chik-Fil-A. Did you know that if you order just the breast of chicken without the bun and stuff that it's only $2.80 vs. the $3.25 price for the sandwich? I kind of like that little "perk." Bad thing is that if you want to purchase a smaller portion (kid's meal) at most restaurants, all they offer are things I don't need to eat: grilled cheese, mac & cheese, pizza, etc. Guess I'll have to stick to grilled chicken and fish in doggie bags...but I'm not complaining!

Yesterday I saw the exercise physiologist. I had the "pleasure" of going through a test to measure my VO2 levels. I think what the test does is determines at what point my body stops burning fat and begins to burn muscle. Primarily it is designed to tell me what my optimal fat burning and fit zones are. I learned that the heart rate level I was working out at was helping me as far as fitness was concerned but not necessarily helping me burn more fat. ~Gonna have to dial it back a bit. She also set up a program to help me go back and forth between the fit and fat burning zones so I get the best of both worlds during my workout. I do have to tell you, as I neared the end of the test I thought I was going to fall off of the treadmill. She had it jacked up in the air and I was walking very fast...not quite a jog...and all I could think of was if I miss a step it's all going to be over and I'll slide down the treadmill embarrassing myself forever! Thankfully, I think the exercise physiologist was thinking the same thing and she slowed me down to end the test.

Other good news is that I did a little shopping last weekend. I've gone down from a size 26/28 pants to a size 20! Yee-Haw! I've also been busy cleaning my closets and chest of drawers out again. I have another large black trash bag full of clothes to give away. I need to take pictures of myself in my original clothes so I can see the change.

I've got a sick kiddo in the house today. Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow. I'm dying to get out in the sun and enjoy the pool this weekend! Hope y'all are having a great weekend.

Moving...

Friday we found out that we will be transferring to Hot Springs, AR. Big Daddy is being transferred to Arkansas to take over an existing store. He has to report in a few weeks and I will relocate with the kids once school is out, we find a home and I find a job. ~Lots of changes in our near future and quite stressful for me. I'm worried about finding new doctors for me, the kids and Big Daddy. I am considering continuing to fly back and forth from Hot Springs to San Antonio to continue to see my doctor as I have already paid for a year's worth of follow-up visits after my surgery.

Good news is I'm down 5 more pounds or more.

Went to a friend's house last night for a birthday party. We had a wonderful time. Many of them had not seen me since around the time I started the weight loss journey. They were surprised at the changes I had made in the past 8 months. It was nice to see the expressions on their face when they saw me again. I also learned something last night. "Don't forget to chew, chew, chew!" I had a bit of a problem with a piece of brisket and didn't get it chewed well enough before I swallowed it. Boy, did it hurt! That will be an experience I don't ever want to forget!

Ups and Downs

Wow, I knew it had been awhile since I had blogged last, but didn't realize it had been this long. We have had a very bumpy past two weeks. My husband and I both lost our grandmothers within two days of each other. I won't bore you with the stress we've been through, however, just know things have been really crazy. Also during this time, I seemed to have hit a plateau. I wasn't really eating anything I wasn't supposed to, nor was I over eating...and I was still exercising. However, for some reason the scale just wouldn't take that last jump to leave the 300's behind. I asked a friend from another board about my stall and she told me to hang in there, that stress can also help you stall out.

Well, the good news is that not only am I still exercising on the elliptical machine everyday, I am finally below 300 pounds! Now, to map out how much weight I've actually lost this far, let's take a look at where I've come from:

Weight at my first appointment with the surgeon: 342
Presurgical appointment weight: 327
Post surgical weight (full of fluids): 335
Current weight: 295

Just so I can really see it, that means I've lost 47 pounds since I started the journey, or 32 pounds from presurgical weight, or 40 pounds since my release from the hospital! Yea ME!

I also want to add a new picture to the blog tonight. This was taken this past weekend while we were out of town...Me, finally out of the 300's!




I think it will be interesting as I continue to lose weight to look back on this picture and think "...and I thought that was a good picture of me...look at me now!" Hang in there pardners! We're in for a long ride. See ya in two shakes of a lamb's tail. ~Boss Lady

Dr. Appointments, Errands, and Exercise

Monday started out as a really great day. My sister stayed with me and helped me get to my Dr. appointments. I started out on the elliptical machine. I was able to go 15 minutes! Our first stop was to my surgeon's office to check my incisions. All are OK and off we go to find a plus-sized resale shop. Found it, but it's closed. Guess what's next door, a Great Harvest Bread Company. My sister decides she needs to go in there and get some bread. I decided to go to and buy something for the kids. Boy, did that take resolve!!! We ended up at Pappadeaux for lunch. Lunch consisted of a part of a cup of lobster bisque. One word for that: YUM! After the quick lunch we headed to the Hematologist's office. My iron is still low but better than before I had my surgery. I had to have another iron infusion. The nurse who tried to do my IV missed the vein the first time. She had to look for another vein and still didn't do a great job. Boy, that infusion hurt. I have a huge bruise the size of an old silver dollar to show for it. Gonna have to ask for a different nurse next time. That lady wasn't very good at sticks!

Tuesday started out as a fair day. The weather was yucky and I was feeling a little nauseated. I still hopped on the elliptical. Twenty minutes on the elliptical today! I felt a little better when I was done. Our only real stop today was going to be going to the salon. The roots were getting a little long and I needed to feel like a new woman. We needed to go see Big Daddy at the store so we stopped real quick at Lowe's and picked up some stuff. The next stop was to the bookstore for some books and then the salon. Mom enjoyed her chicken salad sandwich while I experienced a transformation. The last stop for the day was at World Market. We decided to pick up my younger child and head home. Forgetting that I needed to sign paperwork for the taxes, I received a call from Big Daddy to meet him at the tax preparer's office. By this time I'm so tired I could cry. However, it still had to be done. Over an hour later I'm finally on my way home. Needless to say, it was an early evening.

Today was the first day I could roll over in the bed with very minimal pain. I had managed to sleep all night and felt pretty good this morning! The scale this morning read 305! Guess I'm doing something right! Back on the elliptical. Today I decided to up the ante...25 minutes! I breezed right through it! Our only plan for today was to go to lunch with my sister downtown. We met her near her building and walked to Landry's. It was a nice walk...and more exercise! Today was a beautiful day. We dined on the Riverwalk and watched the tourists go by. Because my mom has never experienced the madness that surrounds "Fiesta" in San Antonio, I decided we needed to make a stop at the Official Fiesta store. For those who are unfamiliar with Fiesta it is similar to Mardi Gras but is more family friendly. We purchased a few items and I then directed her to my favorite place to get a pinata and some tissue paper flowers to update my Fiesta wreath. It was a great outing today. I needed a nap when we got home. Thankfully I was able to catch a short but energizing nap.

Tomorrow my mom will return home. "Nanny McPhee" has decided her work here is done. Big Daddy is off from work tomorrow he has the privilege of driving the Boss Lady to her first post-op appointment with the surgeon. He says the only other errand we have to run tomorrow is to pick up some hunting gear for him. I'm anxiously awaiting the release from the doc so I can start driving my new car again. I am also ready to go back to work on Friday. It should be a relatively slow day in the office and will allow me the opportunity to catch up on my paperwork.

Guess I need to turn in for the evening. Hope y'all are having a great day! See ya on the flip side--The Boss Lady.

The Skinny Since Post-Op

I'm feeling MUCH better. I've been up and around since right after my surgery...they had me up and walking 4 hrs after surgery. Yesterday was a better day than the day before...I finally got to eat something other than broth and jello. I had an egg...and I don't really like eggs that much, but at least it was something different. I took out my pain ball this morning...the Marcaine was almost out & I'm tired of carrying it around. The scale says I'm down to 313...that's 14 lbs since before I went into the hospital, 22 lbs after surgery (and all of the fluids) and 29 lbs since I began this journey! Guess I'm doing well. Also, I just seem to be moving better and I haven't even taken my lortab yet this morning! I got on the elliptical day before yesterday and walked for 3 minutes. Today I will walk on it for more than 5 minutes, in addition to the other walking I will do.

I just don't see the loss when I look in the mirror. Perhaps in another week!

The Big Day!

I came home from the hospital yesterday. One thing I can say about the surgery is...thank God for the meds!

I arrived at the hospital on Monday around noon. We waited almost 20 minutes for someone to help us "go to the right area." While we were waiting I received a call from the surgical area wondering where we were. They proceeded to call to the area where I was and hurry the lady so we could go upstairs. I was in the room with an IV started by 12:45pm. Around 3pm they took me back to the operating room. The last thing I remember is telling everyone goodbye. My surgery lasted 2 1/2 hours...an hour longer than he expected it to last.



I awoke in recovery around 6:30pm. I asked why I had been down there so long and was told it was because they were waiting for my room. Eventually they moved me upstairs to a private room where I met my family again. My family said the surgery had taken longer than they had expected because my liver was fatty and it had made it difficult to do the surgery. The doctor had also told them that because I had lost the weight it still gave them enough room to maneuver and do the surgery laproscopically. Thankfully I came through the surgery without any difficulty.

Later that evening I was up and walking around the room...not a lot, just to the bathroom and back to the bed. I received some pain medication and oxygen to help make things easier and awoke feeling better around 2am. Up to the bathroom and back to bed for a few more hours until I was asked to get up around 4am. At 4am I was up and on the scale for my first weigh in. To my horror the scale read 335 lbs! What!?!? I know I didn't weigh that much when I came in here! The nurses told me, "Don't worry, everyone shows some sort of gain because of the IV fluids they get." Yeah, right! Well, I took it and decided that was the most I would ever weigh again. From now on it's all downhill. They told me I needed to pick a route...hall A,B, or C. I picked all three and began my first steps toward starting over.

I walked the halls several times that day. I enjoyed a breakfast of chicken broth, sugar free jello and a bottle of water. I also began sipping water every 15 minutes or so, lining up the little cups like shot glasses..filling them with imaginary tequila. Lunch brought the same meal but included beef broth this time instead of chicken broth. Dinner was the same course as breakfast. Yum. Actually, it wasn't that bad. More walking that evening and I was finally able to get my first shower. Oh, what a glorious feeling that was! Eventually I fell into the bed for a good night's sleep.




I woke a few times in the night to receive some more pain meds and help in replacing the oxygen. I woke up on my own around 4:30am and decided to go ahead and get up to walk. I began walking around the floor again. This time I was able to walk much easier and faster. I can tell now that I am making some progress.

Today is the day I will go home! Yippee! It is Wednesday and I have survived more than 24 hours with my RNY gastric bypass. I actually looked forward to stepping on the scales today. It showed a minimal loss but that's OK. The doctor stopped by around 6:30am and said I could leave just as soon as he could get some papers faxed over to the hospital.

Because no one stayed with me at the hospital that night, I called my mom and husband to see who could pick me up. The hospital staff estimated I'd be leaving around 9am. We sat there until 11am before we were allowed to leave the hospital. Finally, home-bound at last!

Come Monday...It Will Be All Right

In less than 24 hours from now I will eat my last oversized meal. Well, maybe not. I feel like I have eaten many "last meals" over the course of the last few days. I don't think I've done very well in controlling my portions like I should, either. I *can* say, however, that I am getting tired of food. I don't know that I've ever admitted that before. Nothing really sounds good to me...even ice cream. Now that's a shocking statement! I am *so* ready to begin my new life and new relationship with food and exercise.

Now, let me back up a little bit and fill you in on the pre-op appointment and lab work.

Tuesday was a *very* busy day. Although I only live 35 minutes from the hospital where I will have my laproscopic RNY surgery, it took me more than an hour to get there for my labwork. This hospital has recently completed renovations and added a new wing. They have moved the Labor & Delivery department to the new wing. This has left large private rooms available for recovering gastric bypass patients. After I completed my blood work and other labs I had the chance to tour a room. These rooms are very nice! I am equally excited that I will have a private room and not be subjected to an additional fee from the insurance as private rooms are all that are offered at this particular hospital for gastric surgery.

A word about the staff I encountered at the hospital. Gloria, the preadmission tech was fantastic! She went out of her way to help me feel welcome and comfortable with the procedures for the day. Next, I met George, the vampire. He was very nice and had a great personality. George teased with me as he took the many vials of blood necessary to complete my labs. Next I met with Patty who very gently explained the processes which would occur come Monday. Brenda, the respiratory therapist was the sweetest lady. She was the lightest touch when inserting the needle in to draw blood gasses. I've always heard this was a very painful process (not in this experience). Brenda talked to me the entire time and told me that she had been an RT at the hospital since it opened. My last lab of the day was a chest x-ray. Unfortunately for me, the hospital is changing to a new paperless system and they had difficulty with the equipment. This change caused me to endure 4 or more x-rays in the attempt to have one scan correctly into the computer.

My next stop was later in the afternoon. It was my final visit with Dr. Duperier before my surgery. Because Patty had asked for the labs to be completed quickly, Dr. D had all of the results when I arrived. He said everything looked great except for my anemia. He said my iron was low and he felt I needed an iron infusion. I'm not really sure what that means but I understand that I should feel *much* better after the infusion. I decided to be generous and not throw the surgery scheduler under the bus at this juncture. I'll have time for that later, when I am less emotional about the whole situation I have been through with her. Right now, I just need to worry about me.

As the old Jimmy Buffett song goes, "Come Monday, it'll be all right..." I'm looking forward to Monday and the many changes and challenges I am about to face.