DIABETES.
All you really need to know is that it is an equal opportunity disease that will ravage every organ in your body if it's allowed to function out of control.
Mine seems to be in good control thanks to my gastric bypass surgery and subsequent weight loss, but the damage it has done is still with me and I don't consider myself "cured". I'd rather visualize that it is lurking in the background hoping for a rematch.
Get checked. Get educated.
Get right with the Force!
Showing posts with label r-n-y weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label r-n-y weight loss. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
How I Spent My Vegas Vacation
If it's February, it's time for the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas by me and my buds.
This year we arrived on Thursday the 7th in the early afternoon and by late night I was writhing in pain on the carpeted floor at the Four Queens!
I passed out three times, but never hit the floor. Luckily some lovely security guards eased me on down. I was severely dehydrated and suffered tremendous leg cramps to prove the point.
I got carted off in an ambulance to a local teaching hospital, pumped full of fluids, tested every which way, repeatedly punctured like an old tire and subjected to the usual dehumanizing tricks of the medical professional parade. I got out Saturday afternoon and promptly hit the slots!
The fancy smancy name for fainting is syncope. That's sounds more like a rock group's name to me. Or perhaps I'm just confusing it with a syncopated rhythm.
The doctors decided that they'd blame it on my gastric bypass surgery. Firstly it's easier to dehydrate with the 'lil tum and in my case I also riled my vagus nerve and lemme tell you, mess with that puppy and you drop like a rock with no warning. None of that closing curtain or I think I'm woozy stuff...one minute you're up and the next you're out cold.
I thought it was extremely ironic that I go to Vegas and my VAGUS nerve is the star of the show! BTW, that's NOT a picture of me, but that's pretty much what I looked like by the time my vacation was over!
I brought home some sort of sneezing, snuffling, coughing my guts out by-product. Sort of my version of a diseased souvenir memento of my Vegas hospital adventure.
And to add insult to injury: can you believe they don't EVEN have slot machines or even Keno in the hospital! I could of spent a lot of time entertaining myself and they could of been raking it in. Although not having seen even one slender piece of paper with any billing details, I imagine they'll rack it up the old fashioned way.
vasovagal syncope
Monday, November 19, 2007
My Weight Loss Goal Is Written In Ink!
Today it’s official. I’ve reached my goal weight! In fact I’m one pound under goal. Dr. Wongsa didn’t think I’d make it. He wasn’t pleased with the quickness of my weight loss. I knew I could do it and part of me now wishes I could look him in the eye and say “so there!”.
More likely I’d look him in the eye and grasp his hand and say ‘thank you, thank you, for giving me back my life!”. Thank you God for helping me every step along the way. Thank you to my family for their love and support. Thank you to my good friends for their love and support and their encouragement and positive comments. Thank you me for being stubborn and determined and for finally taking control. I wish I could see John seeing me now. He always saw me as better than I was and I know he’d be so proud of me now and I’d be better able to accept it.
It hasn’t been easy and anyone that thinks that gastric bypass surgery is the easy way out is an ignorant fool. The whole ordeal from the time I observed my daughter’s fantastic weight loss progress, through the rigors of getting approval, to being wheeled into the operating room wondering if this was a good idea, to today when it’s official has been life altering. I’m not the same person now that I was in June of 2005 when I first saw Dr. Wongsa and begged for his help.
My whole life I heard about the thin person inside of fat people and now when I look in the mirror I see MY thin person and it’s surreal. When I’m walking by shop windows and I catch a glimpse of “her” I have to double take to grasp what I’m seeing. “She” looks a lot older than I remember her being. She has tons of loose skin, but I don’t see that as much as the marvel of where did it all go? It’s as if it melted off of me and now my body is like a candle and the loose skin is the wax that runs down when the candle is consumed. Wow, how’s that for imagery.
I guess I should get into the figures now. It’s taken me 1 year, 4 months and 27 days to lose 107 pounds. I know I was at least 7-10 pounds more than that at one time. In April of 1992 I was 27 pounds less than when I started this time and managed to gain it all back and then some which is why I decided going under the knife was the last resort I had. When I started my BMI was 41.7 (OBESE) and today it’s 24.0 and considered NORMAL. My diabetes is in remission and my A1C test is NORMAL. My sleep apnea is greatly improved. I'm not using the CPAP even though it probably wouldn't hurt to keep using it because I know I have episodes during the night, but not nearly as bad as they once were.
I’ve lost 4 inches in my bust (sob!), 7.5 in my waist, 8.5 in my hips, 5 in my thighs, 2 in my calves and 3 ¼ in my arms!
I’ve got photos, but I’m not comfortable displaying them. Most of them are for my eyes only or maybe mine and my daughters if they want to see them.
I feel good. I went to the Gulf Coast Blood Center today and gave ‘em a pint so I’m kinda tired tonight, but all in all it’s been a wonderful day and a good year. I’m pleased with my success and I’m dedicated to making sure I stay on this side of the diet teeter-totter.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Eating Out After RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery
My gosh it's not easy to eat out after the surgery. Now don't get me wrong, you can get the food and then get take home containers and even throw some of it away and walk away happy, but my query today is WHY can you get SUPERSIZED but you can't get SLENDERIZED meals everywhere?!
I've tried a couple of times to flash the little piece of paper I got from the surgeon saying how I can't eat a whole lot now and could I pretty please have a smaller portion even if I'm not under 12 and the request doesn't phase 'em. I was so happy when we went to Minute Maid and I discovered I could get a delicious BBQ meal deal from Lefty's. ONE meat portion with 2 sides and bread was $5.50, half the price of the much larger 2-meat $10.50 regular sized meal. Even at that I'd take a piece of foil and a plastic baggie to tote home most of the meat for a couple of other meals or give my "leftovers" to the nearest big guy with a hearty appetite.
When I made it a point to thank the man in charge for the ability to buy a smaller portioned meal he said that at first "they" were not crazy about the idea, but that he pointed out that all people had to do was buy one regular meal and then share it. We actually saw THREE adults share one regular meal one sunny afternoon at the ballpark.
My favorite Tex-Mex joint charges one dollar more for kids over 12 and adults for their "kid's meal" and they don't just have fried meat with fried potatoes like MOST of the kids meals you see. Subway is good now because they have a kid's meal with healthy choices and they aren't sticklers about age.
So mostly I just don't eat out much anymore. Or I'll get stuff to go so I can get it home and in the refrigerator quickly. I live in Texas and it gets mighty hot even in the winter especially in the closed up vehicles. Too hot for food to sit around without being kept cold.
All I'm asking for is the other side of the coin. If you can feed the kids less and healthier why not throw the old folks a bone too!
As the population ages I'm betting you'll see some more concessions made to help folks with smaller appetites, but I want it NOW!
I've tried a couple of times to flash the little piece of paper I got from the surgeon saying how I can't eat a whole lot now and could I pretty please have a smaller portion even if I'm not under 12 and the request doesn't phase 'em. I was so happy when we went to Minute Maid and I discovered I could get a delicious BBQ meal deal from Lefty's. ONE meat portion with 2 sides and bread was $5.50, half the price of the much larger 2-meat $10.50 regular sized meal. Even at that I'd take a piece of foil and a plastic baggie to tote home most of the meat for a couple of other meals or give my "leftovers" to the nearest big guy with a hearty appetite.
When I made it a point to thank the man in charge for the ability to buy a smaller portioned meal he said that at first "they" were not crazy about the idea, but that he pointed out that all people had to do was buy one regular meal and then share it. We actually saw THREE adults share one regular meal one sunny afternoon at the ballpark.
My favorite Tex-Mex joint charges one dollar more for kids over 12 and adults for their "kid's meal" and they don't just have fried meat with fried potatoes like MOST of the kids meals you see. Subway is good now because they have a kid's meal with healthy choices and they aren't sticklers about age.
So mostly I just don't eat out much anymore. Or I'll get stuff to go so I can get it home and in the refrigerator quickly. I live in Texas and it gets mighty hot even in the winter especially in the closed up vehicles. Too hot for food to sit around without being kept cold.
All I'm asking for is the other side of the coin. If you can feed the kids less and healthier why not throw the old folks a bone too!
As the population ages I'm betting you'll see some more concessions made to help folks with smaller appetites, but I want it NOW!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Cure For Diabetes Type II Is Here & Drastic!
I read with great interest an article from Medical News Today on gastric bypass surgery as a treatment for diabetes type II.
In my own case and in the case of my daughter who had the RNY surgery 3 years before me, diabetes type II is gone. My recent A1C test was consider NORMAL and the one before that was better than its ever been. I've written before (see links to RNY) about how I didn't expect my diabetes to vanish when I consider the surgery. I was told due to my age and physical conditions and length of time I've had the disease, blah, blah, blah I couldn't expect what someone younger, blah, blah, blah would. I weighed all the pros and cons and went for it. I'd do it again tomorrow. Heck, I do it again TODAY.
Neither my diabetes doctor nor my cardiologist told me beforehand that the surgery was the cure. I don't know if they can't due to some kind of doctor rule or if they didn't know, but it's not just about how little a person can eat after the surgery, it's about tweaking the gut so sugar is handled differently and certain bad hormones are thwarted. Afterwards you just don't handle sugar and fat the same way you did before. I can honestly say now I don't "do" French fries and I don't miss them. They don't even taste the same. They taste like crap......if I'd ever knowingly eaten crap for comparison that is. They taste like crap PROBABLY tastes. French fries are just one of the examples of foods that are self limited and since they have no food value to begin with it's a win-win from day one.
The article has medco folks jumping up and down about how you can't call the surgery the cure and that doctors and hospitals will make bank on it. Well I've got a news flash for that. The cost of traditional treatments for diabetes type II will suck the last dollar you own out of your bank account. And the doctors that treat diabetes aren't exactly poorfolk! Diabetes type II is a cashcow!
"They" say it's too early to recommend the surgery as the primary treatment and I agree. They also say there have been complications of the surgery and that's true. You HAVE to go into it with your eyes open and weigh your individual options and concerns. You HAVE to go to a good surgeon who has experience with the procedure. You HAVE to be prepared to take your life by the tail, turn it upside down and shake it vigorously. You are never going to be the same afterward. Your life is going to be drastically and permanently altered.
I gladly traded my insulin needles and seven injections a day for tiny portions and self awareness of what exactly I'm putting into my little pouch of a stomach. I give up French fries happily and the bloated, gas producing, heartburn inducing side effects they caused BEFORE the surgery.
For my money, gastric bypass surgery is the CURE for diabetes type II. It's also helping my heart for me to be more active and lose weight. My ONLY regret is that I didn't do this years and years ago! The younger the better!
In my own case and in the case of my daughter who had the RNY surgery 3 years before me, diabetes type II is gone. My recent A1C test was consider NORMAL and the one before that was better than its ever been. I've written before (see links to RNY) about how I didn't expect my diabetes to vanish when I consider the surgery. I was told due to my age and physical conditions and length of time I've had the disease, blah, blah, blah I couldn't expect what someone younger, blah, blah, blah would. I weighed all the pros and cons and went for it. I'd do it again tomorrow. Heck, I do it again TODAY.
Neither my diabetes doctor nor my cardiologist told me beforehand that the surgery was the cure. I don't know if they can't due to some kind of doctor rule or if they didn't know, but it's not just about how little a person can eat after the surgery, it's about tweaking the gut so sugar is handled differently and certain bad hormones are thwarted. Afterwards you just don't handle sugar and fat the same way you did before. I can honestly say now I don't "do" French fries and I don't miss them. They don't even taste the same. They taste like crap......if I'd ever knowingly eaten crap for comparison that is. They taste like crap PROBABLY tastes. French fries are just one of the examples of foods that are self limited and since they have no food value to begin with it's a win-win from day one.
The article has medco folks jumping up and down about how you can't call the surgery the cure and that doctors and hospitals will make bank on it. Well I've got a news flash for that. The cost of traditional treatments for diabetes type II will suck the last dollar you own out of your bank account. And the doctors that treat diabetes aren't exactly poorfolk! Diabetes type II is a cashcow!
"They" say it's too early to recommend the surgery as the primary treatment and I agree. They also say there have been complications of the surgery and that's true. You HAVE to go into it with your eyes open and weigh your individual options and concerns. You HAVE to go to a good surgeon who has experience with the procedure. You HAVE to be prepared to take your life by the tail, turn it upside down and shake it vigorously. You are never going to be the same afterward. Your life is going to be drastically and permanently altered.
I gladly traded my insulin needles and seven injections a day for tiny portions and self awareness of what exactly I'm putting into my little pouch of a stomach. I give up French fries happily and the bloated, gas producing, heartburn inducing side effects they caused BEFORE the surgery.
For my money, gastric bypass surgery is the CURE for diabetes type II. It's also helping my heart for me to be more active and lose weight. My ONLY regret is that I didn't do this years and years ago! The younger the better!
Monday, August 13, 2007
I Just LOVE The Ticker Factory!
Hope you noticed I changed my weight loss ticker..... like most gals I get bored with the same old-same old so I have to rearrange the "furniture" from time to time.
I just LOVE the ticker factory too. It's not just for weight loss either...... you can track a multitude of things...... such as:
Weight GAIN (what!? heretics!)
Exercise & Fitness
Body Mass Index
Debt Reduction (Don needs THAT one!)
Savings
Fundraising
Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Events
Vacation/Travel
Scrapbooking (not sure WHY, but go for it if you do!)
Then you get into the GOOD stuff like....
Trying To Conceive (I was lucky. John dropped his pants and we got a baby! Got off the pill and BLAM - baby due in 9 months! First two times I thought I was catching it off a toilet seat!)
Pregnancy (Handy for those days when one thinks human gestation is 13 months long!)
Cycle Planner (I guess that's also for those that don't want the conception route!)
Pregnancy Milestones (Handy for recording 'puking over' now I 'get up 12 times a night'!)
Baby and Child Age (duh...they need a chart for that?)
Anyway I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, type A, OCD'r from way back and I live to list! Boundaries are good. Order is necessary. Planning is cool! Charts rule!
However maps are another animal entirely! But we'll get into my directionally challenged disorder another time. Like when I finally get a GPS..... Or my "rules are meant for everyone but moi" and I guess jail is the only cure for THAT according to some people.....
I just LOVE the ticker factory too. It's not just for weight loss either...... you can track a multitude of things...... such as:
Weight GAIN (what!? heretics!)
Exercise & Fitness
Body Mass Index
Debt Reduction (Don needs THAT one!)
Savings
Fundraising
Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Events
Vacation/Travel
Scrapbooking (not sure WHY, but go for it if you do!)
Then you get into the GOOD stuff like....
Trying To Conceive (I was lucky. John dropped his pants and we got a baby! Got off the pill and BLAM - baby due in 9 months! First two times I thought I was catching it off a toilet seat!)
Pregnancy (Handy for those days when one thinks human gestation is 13 months long!)
Cycle Planner (I guess that's also for those that don't want the conception route!)
Pregnancy Milestones (Handy for recording 'puking over' now I 'get up 12 times a night'!)
Baby and Child Age (duh...they need a chart for that?)
Anyway I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, type A, OCD'r from way back and I live to list! Boundaries are good. Order is necessary. Planning is cool! Charts rule!
However maps are another animal entirely! But we'll get into my directionally challenged disorder another time. Like when I finally get a GPS..... Or my "rules are meant for everyone but moi" and I guess jail is the only cure for THAT according to some people.....
Friday, August 10, 2007
Awesome Weight Loss Photos!
It's a fact of weight loss life that you're gonna have some hanging skin issues. Mine isn't as bad as I though it would be, but it's not something I'd want to parade around for the world to see. I've been watching Big Medicine and have seen some incredible pictures of people with tremendous weight loss and the resulting skin hangs leave me speechless. There is no way any amount of toning, firming exercise can even make a dent........it's surgery or live with it!
Here's a link to a man who had the guts to photographically record his progress and the resulting skin hangs AND his surgery and subsequent hubba-hubba new look. He lost 186 kilograms which is 409.2 POUNDS! That's four of some people! Amazing!
There is truly hope where there is life!
Here's a link to a man who had the guts to photographically record his progress and the resulting skin hangs AND his surgery and subsequent hubba-hubba new look. He lost 186 kilograms which is 409.2 POUNDS! That's four of some people! Amazing!
There is truly hope where there is life!
Monday, July 02, 2007
There's Now 100 Pounds Less Of Me To Love!
Today it's official, I've lost 100 pounds!
I wish I had a picture of what 100 pounds looks like!
This is the best I could come up with....just visualize 100 of these globs!
I know what 100 pounds less FEELS like!
It feels like I won the lotto!
It feels like I can cross my legs and tuck in my shirts!
It feels like I can do anything! I am superwoman!
It feels like I still have 13 pounds more to go...
I can actually look in a mirror now and recognize HER as me. I can go into a dressing room and not come back out in tears. No salespeorson asks "Did that fit?". I can wear a belt! I can get on the scales at the doctor without cringing! I can sit in plane, train and automobile seats and fasten seat belts without extenders! I can tie my shoes....hell! I can SEE my shoes!
There's down sides too, of course, and I probably need a whole post covering those, but not today.......today is a day to celebrate!
It's taken 8 months on the 6th of July to lose 100 pounds. There's no doubt in my mind that I'd do it again tomorrow if need be. This is what Roux-En-Y surgery looks like on the drawing board...
And this is what it looks like in real life! That's me on the left and my inspiration on the right. My daughter Elaine is my inspiration and my coach....she had the surgery 3 years ago and she's doing a wonderful job of keeping the weight off!
To be continued....as soon as I reach GOAL!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
My WLS Surgeon Is Retiring! Yikes!
I was so lucky to have found one of the best, but alas he has taken down his shingle and no longer doing ANY surgery. I was stunned when I heard that news. I'm not sure why he closing his practice, but I heard he had some hand surgery back in January and I'm thinking maybe it didn't go as well as he'd like, but that's just conjecture on my part certainly not confirmable information.
The part where I might need him for further procedures is not my concern. I'm thrilled with my total lack of complications of any sort and convinced that he helped me to save my life.
The sad part is that when someone asks me who did it and how to reach them I can't refer! It's my limited experience that the visible success of this life altering surgery makes some morbidly obese people want to copy the results.
My daughter's success opened my eyes to the possibilities and hers was the first surgeon I asked about my desired to go under the knife. I never talked to him in person or had any testing done for him....I was "interviewed" by his nurse and the word came down that he'd only do the Lapband on me given my medical history, etc. I was going with that plan until my cardiologist discouraged me from the Lapband procedure and then recommended Dr. Wongsa.
My daughter's surgeon was Carlos A. Ferrari M.D. and I've heard that another good one is Dr. Matthew St. Laurent. (It probably doesn't hurt a bit to note that he's a hottie! Check out his photo!) I can't stress the importance of having a surgeon that knows what he's doing! There are horror stories of surgery complications and even though every surgery has risk, it's smart to investigate before you leap right up on the table!
6 months out of surgery and I'd do it again today. THAT'S how good I feel. God bless my surgeon and all who helped make my story a successful one.
And for the record: the only thing I miss is pizza. And I hear I'll be able to eat that again someday, just not as much as I used to! That's a good thing 'cause I could really pack it away!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Roger, McAfee, WL and me
ROGER
Did it come as a surprise to anyone that Roger wasn't coming back to Houston this year? The Astros didn't perform up to his expectations....end of story. He'd rather go with a contender and everyone knows the Yankees have won the World Series for the past 20 years, give or take a decade or so. No bigee, we can do it without him, or not. It's not the end of the world either way. Roger was fun to watch and probably the only player I'll ever see who has the fans convinced they are seeing his last game every time he pitches. Damn I saw TWO of his last games just last year! I was glad to see the tease act come to a end too. As with all hookers, the big boy had to either put up or shut up sooner or later. Good luck to him.
McAfee Security
I hate McAfee. I thought I hated Norton, but not the with unrelenting passion that I hate McAfee! Why are you even running it if you hate it you ask? Well, because I just bought myself a new computer and it was included for THREE years. I figure after putzing around with it for a couple of weeks now trying to get it to work like *I* want it and not like *it* wants to that in 3 years I'll be an even worse basket case than I am now! Hasta la vista, Mac! I'm going back to my tried and true that does what I want when I want. You can't even easily turn off Mc when you need to during an installation...it's a big deal to do anything and then it constantly nags you.
There's probably ways around all that. I probably haven't read enough or asked enough sources for help. God knows I haven't contacted the tech folks there and I won't. I'm not a total boob when it comes to these things and if I can't make it work, then I don't want it around. I've got a perfectly good AG program just languishing on my hard drive and it's fixing to get called into service. McAfee is not for me!
WLS Update
As of today I've lost 92 pounds. My surgery was 6 months ago. I've got 21 pounds more to go. I don't ever remember being this weight. The size 14 pants I'm wearing are getting loose. I still don't care for most tops that are "rated" for my size....I prefer the more comfortable looser styles if for no other reason than it hides the loose skin on my belly. A topic which I won't go into if I can help it. (Good Lord, I just used "loose" three times in one paragraph! That's a first for me too!)
So, bottom line.
We LOST Roger.
I'm LOSING McAfee.
And I've LOST a lot of weight in 11 months.
All's well in my world, I hope the same for you in yours!
Did it come as a surprise to anyone that Roger wasn't coming back to Houston this year? The Astros didn't perform up to his expectations....end of story. He'd rather go with a contender and everyone knows the Yankees have won the World Series for the past 20 years, give or take a decade or so. No bigee, we can do it without him, or not. It's not the end of the world either way. Roger was fun to watch and probably the only player I'll ever see who has the fans convinced they are seeing his last game every time he pitches. Damn I saw TWO of his last games just last year! I was glad to see the tease act come to a end too. As with all hookers, the big boy had to either put up or shut up sooner or later. Good luck to him.
McAfee Security
I hate McAfee. I thought I hated Norton, but not the with unrelenting passion that I hate McAfee! Why are you even running it if you hate it you ask? Well, because I just bought myself a new computer and it was included for THREE years. I figure after putzing around with it for a couple of weeks now trying to get it to work like *I* want it and not like *it* wants to that in 3 years I'll be an even worse basket case than I am now! Hasta la vista, Mac! I'm going back to my tried and true that does what I want when I want. You can't even easily turn off Mc when you need to during an installation...it's a big deal to do anything and then it constantly nags you.
There's probably ways around all that. I probably haven't read enough or asked enough sources for help. God knows I haven't contacted the tech folks there and I won't. I'm not a total boob when it comes to these things and if I can't make it work, then I don't want it around. I've got a perfectly good AG program just languishing on my hard drive and it's fixing to get called into service. McAfee is not for me!
WLS Update
As of today I've lost 92 pounds. My surgery was 6 months ago. I've got 21 pounds more to go. I don't ever remember being this weight. The size 14 pants I'm wearing are getting loose. I still don't care for most tops that are "rated" for my size....I prefer the more comfortable looser styles if for no other reason than it hides the loose skin on my belly. A topic which I won't go into if I can help it. (Good Lord, I just used "loose" three times in one paragraph! That's a first for me too!)
So, bottom line.
We LOST Roger.
I'm LOSING McAfee.
And I've LOST a lot of weight in 11 months.
All's well in my world, I hope the same for you in yours!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Memo: What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like
Actually they look like quite a lot from what I'm eating right now!
This link to Diet Blog was passed on by The Morbid Me blog.
This is a sticky note to myself so when I need a refresher I can go and look at what I should be eating in the next 6 months or so....
Which is not to say that YOU can't go and check it out too!
This link to Diet Blog was passed on by The Morbid Me blog.
This is a sticky note to myself so when I need a refresher I can go and look at what I should be eating in the next 6 months or so....
Which is not to say that YOU can't go and check it out too!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
My Thoughts On Unsolicited Comments
Over at LivingAfterWLS there's a post about Unsoliticted comments: Where do they lurk in your life? and it got me to thinking about things people say to kids and the way it can shape their lives.
I've always been "sensitive" to what others say and it hurts a lot to hear what they say to kids that are "different". I'm not sure now or back then who decides what makes someone "different", but boy howdy if you fit into that flexible category you better be tough to survive. I wasn't tough, but I developed many coping skills that serve me well to this day. I wish I could go back knowing what I know now and tell them all off, or at the very least, could have learned to "consider the source" and let it slide right off my hide. The older I get the more I'm convinced that we are the sum of what life deals us. Had I been one of the "beautiful people" maybe I wouldn't of followed the course that was charted just for me. Maybe I wouldn't of taught my girls to try to consider other people's feelings and look for the good in everyone because there is good to be found even if you have to dig deep to discover it.
I was a fat kid, then a fat teen, then a fat young adult who blossomed into a fat wife and mom. As a kid my worst word wounds were from a skinny little piece of crap and his buds who taunted me with "Sixteen Tons" all during the 7th grade. They were like a swarm of bees, waiting for me to venture out into the sunlight and then swarming around me chanting that taunt. I hated them. I still do. I always will. I wasn't all that fond of Tennessee Ernie Ford either!
One of the coping skills I learned was to denigrate myself with humor before someone else could slam dunk me with their hateful or thoughtless comments. I went on to use humor both as a release for my own tensions and a kind of glue that bound others to me. You know the drill ... "all fat people are jolly" .... well some of us are or so you'd think. Looking back it was a good thing that I had to develop others ways to fit in to the small group that made up my world in elementary, junior and senior high schools. I made life long friendships and for a variety of reasons having those friends probably saved my life and my sanity.
Along the way I also developed passive-aggressive tendencies and that's not a good thing. When I do draw a line in the sand to take a stand I tend to go overboard and be aggressive instead of firm and in control of my emotions. OR I drop someone like a hot potato and avoid them like the plague. (Also I can and do combine cliches often in the same sentence! It's both a gift and a curse!) I would rather not face confrontations if I can avoid it. I'd prefer to just never have to deal with that person again.
Even as a long married adult with children of my own I was taunted about my weight. While walking through my own neighborhood, in an effort to exercise, the adolescent son of an acquaintance hollered some unkind words about my need to lose weight to my retreating back as I went by. The first coping skill I ever learned was to NEVER turn around, just keep your back to them and continue walking as if you didn't hear a thing. Never let them see you cry! Never let them think it hurt! Never bleed in public! It made me so angry and upset that I went on a diet then and there and lost quite a bit of weight, but alas it didn't STAY off hence the eventual need for the RNY WLS to amend my pig-out ways.
Words can and do pierce the psyche, and they hurt every bit as much as the sticks and stones, but when you get to a good spot to look back on the past you realize that you are just as good as anyone else and maybe better than one or two. You survived it, you didn't quit, you're the gol-durn Energizer Bunny!
The Cure For Diabetes Type II Is Here!
RNY Post-Op Progress Report
The New Me Emerges - Amazing R-N-Y Progress
T.G.I. Friday's Just The Right Size Surprise!
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow! RNY Progress
I've always been "sensitive" to what others say and it hurts a lot to hear what they say to kids that are "different". I'm not sure now or back then who decides what makes someone "different", but boy howdy if you fit into that flexible category you better be tough to survive. I wasn't tough, but I developed many coping skills that serve me well to this day. I wish I could go back knowing what I know now and tell them all off, or at the very least, could have learned to "consider the source" and let it slide right off my hide. The older I get the more I'm convinced that we are the sum of what life deals us. Had I been one of the "beautiful people" maybe I wouldn't of followed the course that was charted just for me. Maybe I wouldn't of taught my girls to try to consider other people's feelings and look for the good in everyone because there is good to be found even if you have to dig deep to discover it.
I was a fat kid, then a fat teen, then a fat young adult who blossomed into a fat wife and mom. As a kid my worst word wounds were from a skinny little piece of crap and his buds who taunted me with "Sixteen Tons" all during the 7th grade. They were like a swarm of bees, waiting for me to venture out into the sunlight and then swarming around me chanting that taunt. I hated them. I still do. I always will. I wasn't all that fond of Tennessee Ernie Ford either!
One of the coping skills I learned was to denigrate myself with humor before someone else could slam dunk me with their hateful or thoughtless comments. I went on to use humor both as a release for my own tensions and a kind of glue that bound others to me. You know the drill ... "all fat people are jolly" .... well some of us are or so you'd think. Looking back it was a good thing that I had to develop others ways to fit in to the small group that made up my world in elementary, junior and senior high schools. I made life long friendships and for a variety of reasons having those friends probably saved my life and my sanity.
Along the way I also developed passive-aggressive tendencies and that's not a good thing. When I do draw a line in the sand to take a stand I tend to go overboard and be aggressive instead of firm and in control of my emotions. OR I drop someone like a hot potato and avoid them like the plague. (Also I can and do combine cliches often in the same sentence! It's both a gift and a curse!) I would rather not face confrontations if I can avoid it. I'd prefer to just never have to deal with that person again.
Even as a long married adult with children of my own I was taunted about my weight. While walking through my own neighborhood, in an effort to exercise, the adolescent son of an acquaintance hollered some unkind words about my need to lose weight to my retreating back as I went by. The first coping skill I ever learned was to NEVER turn around, just keep your back to them and continue walking as if you didn't hear a thing. Never let them see you cry! Never let them think it hurt! Never bleed in public! It made me so angry and upset that I went on a diet then and there and lost quite a bit of weight, but alas it didn't STAY off hence the eventual need for the RNY WLS to amend my pig-out ways.
Words can and do pierce the psyche, and they hurt every bit as much as the sticks and stones, but when you get to a good spot to look back on the past you realize that you are just as good as anyone else and maybe better than one or two. You survived it, you didn't quit, you're the gol-durn Energizer Bunny!
The Cure For Diabetes Type II Is Here!
RNY Post-Op Progress Report
The New Me Emerges - Amazing R-N-Y Progress
T.G.I. Friday's Just The Right Size Surprise!
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow! RNY Progress
Monday, March 12, 2007
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow! RNY Progress
Good Lord, I'm going to be a thin bald woman at the rate I'm going! I always said I'd be the thinnest patient at M D Anderson, which wasn't very funny considering the people, God love them, that have cancer and lose weight because of it. So now I'm thinking maybe God is punishing me for popping off by taking my hair out in clumps!!
Oh, wait a minute. Deep breath. Calm down. Get a grip.
Phew, now then, okay it's not all THAT bad, but it's scary stuff to wash your hair and have TONS of it on your hands and in the tub and clinging to your newly Shar Pai'd skin! I've read up on it and found a couple of sources that say not to worry, this too shall pass. But hell's bells it's the "passing" part that's got me freaked! I know it's not permanent hair loss. I know there is nothing I can do to prevent it. I know I'm NOT eating enough protein, but even if I was it's a fact of RNY afterlife. I'm also not drinking enough water, but that's another story for another day.
Here's a couple of cool links on the subject of hair today gone tomorrow via RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery. Enjoy!
And here's a couple of cuties that looks a lot like my upper arms, my butt and my gut now! But, you know what, I don't care about that or the recently departed hair follicles because I'm losing weight! Yea me! 52 pounds since the surgery (95 days ago!) and 81 total since June of 2006.
Which is not to say it's all a bed of roses, there are plenty of down-sides, but I'm looking at the big picture. I went into this surgery looking at the big picture. It's not easy. It's not for everyone, but it was for me. And it's exceeding my expectations!
Rather than post the links to my previous RNY stuff you can use the labels to find them if you're so inclined. Oh, and one of the links above on hair loss needs a plug right about now...... it's The Morbid Me and it's wonderful! Yea him!
Oh, wait a minute. Deep breath. Calm down. Get a grip.
Phew, now then, okay it's not all THAT bad, but it's scary stuff to wash your hair and have TONS of it on your hands and in the tub and clinging to your newly Shar Pai'd skin! I've read up on it and found a couple of sources that say not to worry, this too shall pass. But hell's bells it's the "passing" part that's got me freaked! I know it's not permanent hair loss. I know there is nothing I can do to prevent it. I know I'm NOT eating enough protein, but even if I was it's a fact of RNY afterlife. I'm also not drinking enough water, but that's another story for another day.
Here's a couple of cool links on the subject of hair today gone tomorrow via RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery. Enjoy!
And here's a couple of cuties that looks a lot like my upper arms, my butt and my gut now! But, you know what, I don't care about that or the recently departed hair follicles because I'm losing weight! Yea me! 52 pounds since the surgery (95 days ago!) and 81 total since June of 2006.
Which is not to say it's all a bed of roses, there are plenty of down-sides, but I'm looking at the big picture. I went into this surgery looking at the big picture. It's not easy. It's not for everyone, but it was for me. And it's exceeding my expectations!
Rather than post the links to my previous RNY stuff you can use the labels to find them if you're so inclined. Oh, and one of the links above on hair loss needs a plug right about now...... it's The Morbid Me and it's wonderful! Yea him!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
T.G.I. Friday's Just The Right Size Surprise!
T.G.I. Friday is not one of my usual haunts when it comes to eating out, but I might just have to add it to my itinerary!
T.G.I. Friday's® Restaurants Take Leadership Role with Portion Control
Friday's® Becomes First Casual Dining Chain to Offer Smaller Portions At Lower Prices All Day, Every Day with Right Portion, Right Price Menu Offerings
March 06, 2007, Carrollton, Texas /PRNewswire/ — In an unprecedented move in the casual dining industry, T.G.I. Friday's® restaurants today became the first restaurant chain in the category to offer a variety of smaller portion entrees at lower prices all day, every day with its Right Portion, Right Price menu.
"This is a category issue stemming from consumer demand. The category needs to listen," said Richard Snead, president and chief executive officer of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, parent of T.G.I. Friday's restaurants. "We are listening."
"Cutting back on portion sizes is one of the best strategies for helping individuals lose or maintain their weight," said Julie Upton, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "This is especially true when eating out. Serving smaller restaurant portions is a great strategy for helping people lose or maintain their weight and most consumers won't even notice that they're being served less, and they'll really appreciate the potential health payoffs."
"This is a significant part of Friday's overall goal of personalizing and customizing the guest experience," said Snead. "No matter what your lifestyle choice, you don't have to sacrifice taste. Smaller portions at smaller prices meet all lifestyle choices."
Friday's announced six new entrées for the new Right Portion, Right Price ($6.99 – $8.99) menu: Asian-Glazed Chicken with Field Greens, Cedar-Seared Salmon on Field Greens, Cedar-Seared Salmon with Pasta, Bistro Sirloin Salad, Jack Daniel's® Chicken Alfredo and Dragonfire Chicken. In addition, you can choose from four classics -- Bruschetta Chicken Parmesan, Cajun Shrimp & Chicken Pasta, Half-Rack Baby Back Ribs and Shrimp Key West. Two of the offerings, Dragonfire Chicken and Shrimp Key West are also included in the "Better For You" section and contain 500 calories or less and 10 grams or less of fat per serving.
The Right Portion, Right Price menu will be featured at 582 US T.G.I. Friday's restaurants locations. To locate a Friday's close to you, visit www.fridays.com.
--->> Now I'll admit that even at reduced portions it'll still be way too much for me to eat right now, but hey, it's a start in the right direction for everyone wanting to stop the dadgum supersize-my-ass craze!
T.G.I. Friday's® Restaurants Take Leadership Role with Portion Control
Friday's® Becomes First Casual Dining Chain to Offer Smaller Portions At Lower Prices All Day, Every Day with Right Portion, Right Price Menu Offerings
March 06, 2007, Carrollton, Texas /PRNewswire/ — In an unprecedented move in the casual dining industry, T.G.I. Friday's® restaurants today became the first restaurant chain in the category to offer a variety of smaller portion entrees at lower prices all day, every day with its Right Portion, Right Price menu.
"This is a category issue stemming from consumer demand. The category needs to listen," said Richard Snead, president and chief executive officer of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, parent of T.G.I. Friday's restaurants. "We are listening."
"Cutting back on portion sizes is one of the best strategies for helping individuals lose or maintain their weight," said Julie Upton, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "This is especially true when eating out. Serving smaller restaurant portions is a great strategy for helping people lose or maintain their weight and most consumers won't even notice that they're being served less, and they'll really appreciate the potential health payoffs."
"This is a significant part of Friday's overall goal of personalizing and customizing the guest experience," said Snead. "No matter what your lifestyle choice, you don't have to sacrifice taste. Smaller portions at smaller prices meet all lifestyle choices."
Friday's announced six new entrées for the new Right Portion, Right Price ($6.99 – $8.99) menu: Asian-Glazed Chicken with Field Greens, Cedar-Seared Salmon on Field Greens, Cedar-Seared Salmon with Pasta, Bistro Sirloin Salad, Jack Daniel's® Chicken Alfredo and Dragonfire Chicken. In addition, you can choose from four classics -- Bruschetta Chicken Parmesan, Cajun Shrimp & Chicken Pasta, Half-Rack Baby Back Ribs and Shrimp Key West. Two of the offerings, Dragonfire Chicken and Shrimp Key West are also included in the "Better For You" section and contain 500 calories or less and 10 grams or less of fat per serving.
The Right Portion, Right Price menu will be featured at 582 US T.G.I. Friday's restaurants locations. To locate a Friday's close to you, visit www.fridays.com.
--->> Now I'll admit that even at reduced portions it'll still be way too much for me to eat right now, but hey, it's a start in the right direction for everyone wanting to stop the dadgum supersize-my-ass craze!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The New Me Emerges - Amazing R-N-Y Progress
I'm plugging along, trying to "eat right" and throwing clothes I've undergrown out of my closets every week. Yea, me! I missed a couple of outfits because I didn't realize I could of worn them before they got too big on me. It's like living a dream. That dream you have when the weight just goes away without any effort on your part. You wish it away. You see yourself all lean and mean and it just happens! The weight is just melting off of me. I'm like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz only in a good way. I've lost 62 pounds - 33 since the surgery. I'm over the halfway point.
My doctor fussed at me big time because I didn't lie to him when he asked me if I was eating carbs and fats. I've cheated a bit and because of that I haven't lost as much as fast as he expected. I'd be contrite if it wasn't for the fact that I am losing and I'm doing the best I can. I've still got a lot more to lose and that's the part he's concerned with. He doesn't want me to get down another 30 or so pounds and think that's good enough. He wants me at goal. He's seen patients that have regained and therefore failed in his opinion. What he doesn't realize is I want me at goal too, but I don't like my mouth smelling and tasting like a rectum from eating just meat. (Don't ask HOW I know what a rectum tastes like! It's creative license big time!).
His bedside manner leaves a LOT to be desired. If his plan was to jump start a positive reaction out of me he went about it the wrong way. I've been nagged and criticized and berated by the best of them my entire life for all the good it did them. The way to reach me is to explain WHY and then back off and let me digest the information and decide for myself what plan of action I need.
The surgery has given me the tool I wanted to change my life. The loss of even 25 pounds gave me relief from 7 shots for diabetes a day plus a buttload of medications that are now languishing in their pill bottles. My confidence grows every day as my butt shrinks.
I realize that I won't lose even as much as I'm doing now every week. It'll start to wane and his point is valid - that I should take this opportunity to change my unwise eating ways. I HAVE changed most of them - I haven't eaten a piece of evil fruit in 6 months. I nibbled at some bread and didn't like the way it laid in my walnut [the place formerly known as my stomach!]. I'm not eating anything fried and the fat I am eating is in a few walnuts [the real ones!], pretzel sticks, cheese and peanut butter. I've eaten some of the fudge that I made for Christmas and some chocolate chip cookies. I ate some unfrosted chocolate cake the other night while playing poker. NONE of it has made me "dump" or any of the other vile side effects of the surgery I've read about. (Oh, dear, that's not good...that's the part where it IS up to me to control myself better).
However I flatly refuse to feel guilty about anything I'm eating or not eating now. I'm making a concentrated effort to keep from overeating as much because I don't want my walnut to become the size of a plum and because it's decidedly uncomfortable to stretch it too much. It's far better to stay within the 1/2 to 1 ounce range and it just blows me away to know that satisfies my hunger and burning my own fat is enough fuel to keep me going all day, every day. For the most part, just allowing myself my tiny transgressions gives me a feeling of being in control and yet learning what isn't nearly as great as I imagine it used to be - if that makes any sense at all.
I'm not kidding, this is the best surgery for fatties in the world! I want to go up to strangers in the street and say "HEY" look what's available for us! But I'll never do that because the surgery is not for everyone and it's NOT easy. People that have had it don't consciously play down the uncomfortable parts, they just don't notice them once they get on the scales or look in the mirror or watch the growing pile of cast off clothing. There are uncomfortable parts, but nothing has been as bad as not losing the weight, dying before my time and adding complications to my list of ailments.
I feel so damned good I went out and got blond highlights! I'm wearing makeup more often and walking faster. I can get up out of a chair without walking the first few seconds like Tim Conway's Old Man on the Carol Burnett Show. I have hope again. I have energy. It just doesn't get any better than hopeful, blond energy - trust me on that one!
R-N-Y Post Surgical Report
The Cure For Diabetes Type II Is Here!
My doctor fussed at me big time because I didn't lie to him when he asked me if I was eating carbs and fats. I've cheated a bit and because of that I haven't lost as much as fast as he expected. I'd be contrite if it wasn't for the fact that I am losing and I'm doing the best I can. I've still got a lot more to lose and that's the part he's concerned with. He doesn't want me to get down another 30 or so pounds and think that's good enough. He wants me at goal. He's seen patients that have regained and therefore failed in his opinion. What he doesn't realize is I want me at goal too, but I don't like my mouth smelling and tasting like a rectum from eating just meat. (Don't ask HOW I know what a rectum tastes like! It's creative license big time!).
His bedside manner leaves a LOT to be desired. If his plan was to jump start a positive reaction out of me he went about it the wrong way. I've been nagged and criticized and berated by the best of them my entire life for all the good it did them. The way to reach me is to explain WHY and then back off and let me digest the information and decide for myself what plan of action I need.
The surgery has given me the tool I wanted to change my life. The loss of even 25 pounds gave me relief from 7 shots for diabetes a day plus a buttload of medications that are now languishing in their pill bottles. My confidence grows every day as my butt shrinks.
I realize that I won't lose even as much as I'm doing now every week. It'll start to wane and his point is valid - that I should take this opportunity to change my unwise eating ways. I HAVE changed most of them - I haven't eaten a piece of evil fruit in 6 months. I nibbled at some bread and didn't like the way it laid in my walnut [the place formerly known as my stomach!]. I'm not eating anything fried and the fat I am eating is in a few walnuts [the real ones!], pretzel sticks, cheese and peanut butter. I've eaten some of the fudge that I made for Christmas and some chocolate chip cookies. I ate some unfrosted chocolate cake the other night while playing poker. NONE of it has made me "dump" or any of the other vile side effects of the surgery I've read about. (Oh, dear, that's not good...that's the part where it IS up to me to control myself better).
However I flatly refuse to feel guilty about anything I'm eating or not eating now. I'm making a concentrated effort to keep from overeating as much because I don't want my walnut to become the size of a plum and because it's decidedly uncomfortable to stretch it too much. It's far better to stay within the 1/2 to 1 ounce range and it just blows me away to know that satisfies my hunger and burning my own fat is enough fuel to keep me going all day, every day. For the most part, just allowing myself my tiny transgressions gives me a feeling of being in control and yet learning what isn't nearly as great as I imagine it used to be - if that makes any sense at all.
I'm not kidding, this is the best surgery for fatties in the world! I want to go up to strangers in the street and say "HEY" look what's available for us! But I'll never do that because the surgery is not for everyone and it's NOT easy. People that have had it don't consciously play down the uncomfortable parts, they just don't notice them once they get on the scales or look in the mirror or watch the growing pile of cast off clothing. There are uncomfortable parts, but nothing has been as bad as not losing the weight, dying before my time and adding complications to my list of ailments.
I feel so damned good I went out and got blond highlights! I'm wearing makeup more often and walking faster. I can get up out of a chair without walking the first few seconds like Tim Conway's Old Man on the Carol Burnett Show. I have hope again. I have energy. It just doesn't get any better than hopeful, blond energy - trust me on that one!
R-N-Y Post Surgical Report
The Cure For Diabetes Type II Is Here!
Monday, November 20, 2006
RNY Post-Op Progress Report
It’s been 2 weeks today since my Roux-en-y surgery and I’m still amazed by it all. I take one tablespoon of Tylenol with Codeine at night and that’s it. I still have some harsh gas pains from time to time that strike with no warning and take my breath away with their severity, but by and large I’m pain free.
When the doctor took my staples out (it was no biggie after all!), he lifted the No Lift, No Bend rule slightly. I can lift if it’s not more than 25 pounds and I’m not sure I could lift more than 25 pounds right now anyway! I can bend down to pick up the millions of every day items that women/moms have been picking up since the days of keeping the bones off their cave dwelling dirt floor! I had one of those old-people-picker-uppers and was using it regularly. I was quite the sight in my front yard wearing my gown and robe and using my rigid claw looking device to snag the newspaper. It worked great for the daileys, but was a tad trickier for the overgrown Sunday advertisement fest. For that I’d snag some of the plastic bag and pull it upright and then bend down ever so slightly and carry it in by the plastic bag. The main thing I have to watch out for is using my abs for the next 4 weeks. Heck my abs are the most unused muscles in my entire body anyway so that should be a piece of cake!
I’ve been allowed to drive for a whole week now and I went to the grocery store by myself Saturday. I’d forgotten that Saturday is the LAST day in the world anyone wants to go to the grocery store that doesn’t HAVE to! All those working people HAVE to shop then, I do not. I was a little tired by the time I got home and parked my buns in a chair for awhile to the utter consternation of my dog Cody who wanted to poop, eat and play in that order. I’ve washed a load or two of clothes and changed the sheets on my bed. I take out the trash with the help of my handy dandy rolling device. I’m doing whatever I need to and asking for help on the stuff that I don’t need to be doing.
I’ve been going through drawers and closets pulling out clothes that are already too big for me. A friend of my daughter’s came over Saturday and hauled off several plastic bags crammed full of stuff. She was delighted but not nearly as much as I was for getting more room in my closets and drawers. I was stunned at the sheer volume of clothes I own! I rarely wear anything out or ruin it but one gets tired of wearing the same old same old so I’d go shopping and drag home new. Like most women I also have 2 or 3 sizes because one always thinks they’ll be back in a smaller size just as soon as they trim down. Well dip me in flour and fry me in Crisco, I’m going to be able to wear those smaller sizes soon! Who would of thunk it!
When I run out of smaller stuff around here my kids suggested I go to the brand new Goodwill thrift store less than a mile away from my casa. I’m going to try and limit my clothes volume until I reach goal. Again thank God for not having to work because I can go around looking like Farmer Ted and be perfectly happy.
My official weight loss at the doctor’s was 10 pounds in 10 days for a total loss of 32 pounds in 4 months. Today on my scales I show 6 more pounds are gone. My scales never agree with any of the others, but it gives me hope that the fat is being burned in the great inferno called my body every day! Yea, me!
Next question to tackle is what exactly do I eat now. That’s a tough one to answer because it depends and it varies. Yesterday I had about ½ cup of chicken broth for breakfast, ½ of a very thin leftover half a pan seared pork chop for lunch with some asparagus, and a newly pan seared pork chop half with some more asparagus for dinner. When I got hungry around 9 or so I cut up some cucumbers and ate them with a little salt. They were yummy! I’m not supposed to eat snacks, but I couldn’t resist and I figured that cucumbers were the least evil thing I could snack on around here. The problem is that like the pork chops, one can’t just go to the store and buy 2 chops or a couple of slices of chicken. I’ve still got 4-5 pork chops in the package and they’ll go bad at my current rate of consuming ½ per meal. So I’m going to Sam’s Club and buy one of those devices that seals food in plastic to cut down on freezer burn and pop those puppies into my freezer. What I wish is that the grocery stores and such would delegate a section to those with a lesser need! I’d like to see lots of items for singles in addition to the giant family sizes! Just think, they could charge us more for smaller packaging! Now I know I could go to the butcher section and buy just one of something, but if you’ve ever looked at the selections they are HUGE too. I’m still working all this out, I’ll get back to you if I ever figure it out….
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Cure For Diabetes Type II Is Here!
….and I’ve gone and gotten it! It’s simply the Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery. I’m not talking total cure, because once diagnosed one will always have the damn disease, but cure as in remission is very, very doable as I’m seeing with my own eyes.
I underwent the Roux-en-y surgery Monday,
I’ve been told that I can look forward to saying goodbye to my CPAP unit for sleep apnea and my blood pressure medicine as well as my lipids medicine. I’m already off all my shots for diabetes and that was SEVEN a day for the past year and a half! In the past 4 months I’ve lost 31 pounds….9 of them since the surgery. I had to lose weight before I could even have the surgery as a testament to my resolve. For sure, one does not even consider doing such a drastic step if one isn’t totally committed to the belief that total change is in order. I’ve been going to a support group for Losers and I feel like I should have to stand up and say “Hi, my name is Edie and I’m a foodaholic!” BTW they call themselves ‘losers’ with pride because they are losing the weight and taking control of their lives, some for the first time in their lives like me.
My surgeon was Dr. Voravit Wongsa and he’s damned good. I’ve heard that he is rated one of the top 12 in the
After I got home, as luck would have it, I developed a mild cold and pretty much kept saying ‘just shoot me’ to everyone within hearing range. I also had LOTS of bowel movements, each one more gross than the last. NOW I know why those that know me well have been known to say I’m full of shit! I’m not sure if it was the cold causing that grief or not, but as fast as it descended upon me it up and left. I discovered the joys of Tylenol with codeine about that time and that calmed my gut down and saw to it that I got some quality zzzz’s. I’ve had surprisingly little pain during this time. I’ve gotten some weird pain that I’d call “stitches” in my side, but absolutely no pain from the 6 little stapled holes that just sit there and grin back at me with their grills. They’ll lose their grills tomorrow when he takes them all out. I’m not looking forward to that, but I plan on doping up on the Tylenol with codeine before I go!
I told as few people as feasible that I was going “under the knife”. My mind was made up and I didn’t want to hear any horror stories. My job was to go in as calm as possible with a good positive outlook for my recovery. I did my job well and I’m still doing it. There are downsides to this surgery, but I truly believe that this was my last chance at a healthy and prolonged life. My mom died at 64 and my dad at 61. My husband died at 56. I want my kids to have to plunge a wooden stake in my heart to get rid of me! I want to sit on the porch at an old folk’s home and rock, fart and ogle the old men!
I’m sure I’ll have more to say on this subject as time goes by, but this blog is not going to turn into my R-N-Y Saga. If it was I’d rename the whole thing Me and My Walnut or something. So now you all know why I’ve been so quiet and this blog has been so inactive lately. I’m baaaaack now! If you've read all this, bless your heart and thank you too!
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