Cathy's Weight Loss Surgery Journey

I made it to the top!

2008-09-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it to the top of Mt. Lassen finally! As noted in my previous blog post, I had to postpone my trip due to fires in nearby national parks. Smoke had blown in to Lassen Volcanic National Park and made air quality and climbing conditions quite poor. If you would like to read my blog entry about this climb and see photos of my journey please check out the blog posting on my other blog.

Just to fill you in on my progress so far, I'm down a grand total of 111 lbs from my highest weight and 67 lbs since surgery on October 31, 2007. I am pleased with my weightloss so far considering that I have a hard time finding time to exercise regularly. I'm sure I would be losing quite a bit more and much more quickly. However, I can only do so much and I only sleep 4-5 hours a night already. I do look for opportunities to exercise whenever I can - like climbing a mountain.

Climbing Mt. Lassen Postponed...

2008-07-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I was supposed to climb Mt. Lassen this past weekend, but it didn't happen. My Mom sent me some photos she took of the mountain last Thursday. When I saw them, my decision to postpone was really the only way I could go. On Thursday the mountain was wreathed in smoke from a fire in the neighboring Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The photo to the right is a picture of Mt. Lassen on a clear day. The other photos are the ones taken by my Mom.

The Sacramento Valley was inundated by smoke a couple of weeks ago and I suffered from headaches even being in an air conditioned building all day. Walking outside made breathing difficult. The idea of walking up a steep slope covered in thick smoke was just a no-go idea from the start.

My sister-in-law, Marty, was going to do this hike with me and she agreed that this was not a good idea based on my Mom's photos. We have not given up on doing this hike, however. We are going to reschedule it for sometime in August or early September. I am determined to make this hike this year, but I'm not willing to jeopardize my health or that of anyone that goes with me. We'll reschedule when the fires are out.

On a positive note, I went to Toastmasters last Friday and took on my first "official" role as a Timekeeper. I'm told I did a good job. I got my first item checked off and am scheduled to give my Ice Breaker speech on August 1st. I'm more than a bit nervous, but am looking forward to getting past it and possibly getting the first assignment towards my Competent Communicator out of the way.

Summer Exercise Can Be Tough!

2008-07-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

All winter I told myself that as soon as the weather got better (warmer & no rain) I would get out and walk more. Then, summer finally gets here and what do I say? "As soon as it gets cooler I'll walk more." HA! I know it's not true! To combat my own tendencies to procrastinate and stay inside with the air conditioning on I have enlisted a couple of walking buddies.

My sister-in-law, Marty, walks with me on Wednesday evenings. We find somewhere either close to home or go to my walking group's events and do a 5K walk. I can do 10K walks, but cannot move afterwards and have trouble concentrating the next day at work because I'm so tired. Marty is fun to walk with and we talk and talk the whole time we are walking. Now mind you, this is not just strolling along! Marty is determined to get me up to a 20-minute-mile! I'm trying...

At work I have enlisted my coworker, Amy, to help me walk the three days each week that we are both in the office. We started last week and continued today. Today was a real challenge! The forecast for today is 105 degrees (F) and by 8:00 a.m. it was already in the high 80s and very humid. We did our walk, but were very sweaty when we got back to the office. And here we thought going out in the morning would be cooler. It was, but the term "cooler" is relative in this case.

Northern CA in the summer is always HOT. 100+ degree temperatures are not unusual. Add to that, we have had wildfires burning all over CA. Sacramento, where I live, is in a particularly difficult part of the Great Central Valley. We get Delta Breezes blowing in from the San Francisco Bay Area, which normally cool us down in the summer, but also blow smoke from wildfires to the South and West of us right into the bowl that is the Central Valley. As a result, our air quality - normally pretty bad during the summer - is horrid right now. At one point the Northern end of the Central Valley was surrounded on three sides by wildfires and there were 1,800+ wildfires burning throughout the state. Needless to say, the air quality in Sacramento right now is downright chunky (see photo - this is our air!) which makes getting out to exercise difficult at best. Alternatives include (in no particular order):

Staying home and putting in an exercise video - at least I'm inside with the AC!
Joining a gym and going there to exercise in their AC
Gritting your teeth (and your lungs) and going out to exercise anyway (within reason of course!)
Blowing off exercise and doing school work - I have too much class-related reading to do anyway and another paper due!
Blowing off exercise and doing work work - There is always more to do than hours in the day!
Blowing off exercise and curling up with a bowl of popcorn to get caught up on my Tivo list

Hmmm! Which one will I choose...?

More Before & After Pics

2008-07-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was asked for some full length shots too! The first one was taken in January 2007 and the second and third shots were taken in June 2008.

Before & After Photos

2008-07-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

I stepped on the scale today and discovered I was down 105 lbs from my highest weight and 61 lbs since my surgery on October 31, 2007. Here are some before & after photos - The first one was taken in September 2006 and the second one was taken in June 2008:

Quite a difference, huh?

Gardening as Exercise

2008-06-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

Don't let anyone tell you that gardening is not exercise! Well, at least not the way I've been doing it for the past year! Two years ago I bought a beautifully remodeled house with a big backyard and a smallish front yard that nobody had touched in the 50+ years of the house's existance. I knew then that it was going to be a lot of work! Through two lively dogs into the mix and the work is even bigger!

Yesterday morning I got a call from my sister-in-law asking if I wanted some shrubs and plants that she was ripping out of her backyard so she and her husband could build a deck. I said "Sure!" and ran over to get them - not quite sure where I would put them yet. Well, it turns out that these are all sun-loving plants, which is good because I have very little shade over most of my property (I'm working on that - I have seven baby trees in my backyard right now).

I ended up planting all of the bushes and lamb's ear plants that she gave me in the frontyard next to my driveway. That was a lot of work because I was basically turning a lawn area into a planting bed. Boy am I sore and tired tonight! I worked for about six hours both yesterday and again today on building this bed and putting in the plants. Now I just hope they all survive the transplant process...

I agree that walking around dead-heading plants is not exercise, but when you are digging and controlling equipment that tends to fight what you are asking it to do, I have to beg to differ. My heart gets pumping and I sweat up a storm. Afterwords I am sore and exausted. Nobody can tell me that some gardening chores don't fall under the catagory of exercise!

Do Something Nice for Yourself...

2008-06-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the nail salon and had my nails and eyebrows done. I do this once every two weeks because I think it is important to a) look nice and b) to treat myself to a relaxing bit of "me-time." I work a lot. I go to school a lot. I take care of my husband, dogs and home. I think it's important to take care of myself with a treat every now and then.

When trying to deal with weightloss, treats need to come in a form other than food. If you don't allow yourself the odd reward now and again, you will start justifying food treats (Just one won't hurt... or two; I haven't had any of this in such a long time...) and that will be your downfall - trust me, I know!

Getting your nails done (manicure or pedicure), getting your hair done or getting a massage, buying a book or video or going to the movies (skip the snack bar though...) are small prices to pay for some relaxation and still sticking to your goals. If you are trying to lose weight, you are doing that for yourself (or should be) and for your health. Treat yourself from time-to-time and you will be that much closer to your goals.

2008-06-23T00:10:00.000-07:00

I'm about to take off and go do my volunteer work for this weekend. Yep, on a Sunday! What is this activity that is open on Sundays? I'm donating plateletts at the local blood bank - Blood Source. It takes about 2.5 hours every 2-4 weeks and, while I'm doing it, I get to sit and watch a movie of my own choice.

Now I'm not mentioning this to toot my own horn. I've been doing this off and on for years and this is the first time I've mentioned it in my blog. I was mourning my lack of time the other day to spend more time volunteering. My wonderful husband, Mark, said "What about your blood donations? Doesn't that count?" I started thinking about it, and I think he's right. Not only that, but doing this leaves me feeling good because I know that I'm helping three people with cancer or blood illnesses.

The point is that you do not have to spend many hours each week at a volunteer activity. A few hours of your time just sitting in a chair somewhere can help any number of people and leave you feeling good. If you are reading this in the Sacramento, CA area then please consider donating blood to Blood Source. If you live else where, check with your state or county government for volunteer opportunities in your community.

Image Credit: Retrieved on June 22, 2008 from http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/volunteer/FAQ/FAQ.htm using Google Images.

Sharing My Passion About My WLS!

2008-06-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

I created this presentation (PPSX, 3MB) at my first year residency for my doctoral program at University of Phoenix, Online. It's a large file, so I recommend you save it to your own computer before opening and viewing. This mostly consists of progress shots along the way. These are the most recent progress shots I have. My camera is not currently working and I haven't figured out why...yet. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not have PowerPoint on your computer, you will need to download a PowerPoint Viewer. Enjoy!

Personal Goal - Climb Mt. Lassen in 2008...

2008-06-21T22:40:00.001-07:00

Well, this goal is on track to be completed. Monday I made a hotel reservation in Redding for a weekend in July. My sister-in-law and I are going to go up on Friday afternoon and will make the climb on Saturday. Before you go imagining me scaling some sort of rock face, hold your horses! Lassen Peak has a hiking trail from the parking lot at 8500 feet up to the peak at 10,457 feet. The trail is 2.5 miles each way and is strenuous, but there will be no scaling or rappelling involved. The question I get most often when I tell people about this goal is "Why?" Well, when I was about 11 or 12 years old my Mom took us to hike up the mountain. She chivvied us up the mountain 10 feet at a time. When we thought we could not go any further she would say "Come on, you can get to that tree over there." We would get to the tree and then she would say "You can get to that big rock over there, can't you?" Sure enough, we got to the top. I never forgot that hike and recently I have felt the urge to do it again. Two years ago I decided that when I dropped under 300 lbs I would go do that climb again. Well, I got under 300 lbs last fall and then had Gastric Bypass Surgery and now I am well under 300 lbs and still progressing downward. Now it's time to fulfill my pledge to myself. Stay tuned for a progress report... By the way, my weight today was 232 lbs. I'm down nearly 70 lbs since surgery back in October. I NEVER would have been able to do this without WLS!

Checking in...

2008-06-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm just checking back in for the first time in a few months. I have hit the 100 lbs down mark from my highest weight (not my surgery weight)! I want to post a new photo here, but my camera is not working and I'm not sure why. I will post a new photo as soon as I can. Life has been pretty busy lately. I started a doctoral program in January and things have been full steam ahead ever sense. It seems like I am always studying something. Sadly, many of my other activities (like my walking club and gardening) have gone by the wayside. I did get to travel to Phoenix, AZ for school in May and have taken a relaxing trip to Santa Cruz (also in May). I actually bought a bathing suit for the first time in about 10 years. My Mom and I went and laid out on the beach and I got an honest-to-goodness sunburn! That wasn't a surprise though. I was WHITE! My husband and dogs are all doing well. I need to build a kennel for the dogs because they are pretty distructive to my back yard. We have a side yard that will over them plenty of room to romp and play during the day and then they will be inside with us when we are home. That way I can plant flowers, trees and shrubs and not have to worry about the dogs eating them.

Before & After Shots!

2008-02-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I keep getting asked for them, so here they are... my before and after shots. Please keep in mind that I still have about 100lbs to go to reach my goal. But still, I think it's pretty good progress so far...

Things have been busy...

2008-02-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

I thought I would be posting to this blog more often when I started it. Life has been incredibly busy. I am trying to participate in my walking group more often and am planning to do a 10k walk with my dog Shasta this weekend. I might even take Roobee on her first 10k. She handled a long walk we took the other day pretty well. I started a doctoral degree program in January through the University of Phoenix, Online. My first class was a one-week orientation. My second class was an introduction to the doctoral program and to give us a taste of what doctoral writing will be like. In order to continue in the program, I had to pass the class with 85% or better. I am confident that I have done that. My next class is eight weeks long and the first two weeks are called "reading weeks". I have already started the reading even though my next class does not start for two more weeks because I have NINE books to read - COMPLETELY - before I get to week three where I will have to write summaries and participate in discussions based on what these books have to say. It is a bit daunting to say the least. I was offered a new job yesterday. I will still be working for Sutter Health, but will transfer to the Information Systems unit of the system Human Resources Department (HRIS) to work as an Analyst on their SharePoint® intranet/employee portal project. I have been working with these tools as part of my current job, but now I will be working on this as all of my job and I will be working on it system-wide. I am very excited about moving forward with this. Today's Weight: 252 lbs Highest Weight: 335 lbs (April 2006) Weight Before Surgery: 291 lbs (October 31, 2007) Weight-Loss Since Surgery: -39 lbs Total Weight-Loss So Far: -83 lbs

Approaching two months out...

2007-12-21T22:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! The last three weeks have been pretty busy for me. I've been back at work for the past three weeks and have been going all out that whole time. I'm down 27lbs since Halloween when I had my surgery and 72lbs over all! I have also dropped two clothing sizes! I wore a pair of size 20 jeans to work today. They were a bit tight, but they looked good and I could breathe. Mark and I joined a Board Game Meet-Up group here in Sacramento that meets every Tuesday evening at a restaurant called Crepeville and we all spend the evening playing different games. So far I have played Robo Rally, Quirkle, Lunch Money, Coloretto, Guillotine, Fluxx and Uno in just three weeks! Tomorrow Mark and I are going to a Saturday meet-up at the Arden-Demmick Library. We are really looking forward to it! Our puppy, Roobee, (the baby, not the older pup, Shasta) is doing better. She is starting to grow quickly and put on weight. She is still smaller than her litter-mates, but seems to be healthy and happy and she and Shasta are getting along pretty well. Roobee picks play-fights with Shasta and Shasta is learning to be gentle with Roobee and will squat down to Roobee's level in order to play instead of looming over her. They are fun to watch! I wish everyone a happy and safe time between now and the New Year!

Back to work tomorrow...

2007-11-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my first day back to work since I had my WLS. I feel good and am ready to go back. I hit the ground running with a 7:30 a.m. conference call that I have to take minutes for. Then I am meeting with Erin, the temp that has been filling in for me for the past month, so she can fill me in on everything. My boss is out of the office tomorrow at a class all day so, hopefully, that will give me time to catch up and get my feet back under me without any major crises popping up.

I saw my surgeon today and asked about the plateau that I have hit already (haven't lost anything in nearly two weeks!) and he said it was normal to hit these from time to time and not to worry. He was very impressed with all of the walking that I have been doing and was WOW'd about the 10k walk I did just over a week ago. And here I thought I wasn't doing enough! I will just keep on keepin' on... The photo is me and Shasta on a 5k walk along the American River in Gold River, CA four months before my surgery.

Our new puppy is doing well. She is still small and boney, but holding her own. She eats, expells waste and sleeps. Shasta, our older dog (she's 1.5 years old), is jealous of any time that I spend with Roobee and, because my hip has hurt since my 10k, I haven't been able to take her for a walk all week. I'm going to try to do that tomorrow. I think it just depends on how my day goes... she does need some one-on-one time with me away from Roobee until Roobee gets a bit bigger and can play with Shasta instead of being run over by Shasta.

Today's Weight: 274 lbs Highest Weight: 335 lbs (April 2006) Weight Before Surgery: 291 lbs (October 31, 2007) Weight-Loss Since Surgery: -17 lbs Total Weight-Loss So Far: -61 lbs

The last week has been busy!

2007-11-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

The last week has been a busy one! Last Wednesday I was not feeling well (just kind of "blah") so I slept quite a bit until I had to get up and go to the dentist. All was well at the dentist and I was starting to feel better so I made arrangements to get my hair cut and go pick up Shasta on Thursday.

Thursday morning I went to a new (new to me anyway) hair salon called Cecil's Hair Salon. The owner, Cecil, cut my hair short and was kind enough to cut my hair in a ponytail so that I could donate it to Locks of Love that makes wigs for pediatric cancer patients. He cut off 12 inches! Now I just have to learn to style it. Cecil did a good job styling it, but it's always different when someone else is doing the styling for you.

Last Monday (November 12th) our truck blew a head gasket while I was taking Mark to work. Well, I managed to get him to work and get the truck to a garage near home. Well, we had to rent a minivan for a week because the garage needed to keep the truck. Well, Friday I got it back. It cost us $2348.50 + the cost of the minivan. OUCH!!!

Saturday was our day to run errands and do chores. It just seemed like the whole day was busy. Sunday is football-day in the Ford households. Our boys are just entranced by the glowing box that shows other boys bashing themselves into one another. Now my sister-in-law Marty and I are not much interested in this particular pass-time so we packed up Shasta and ourselves and drove out to the small town of Zamora, CA.

Zamora is located on I-5 and is a small farming community that has a gas station/mini-mart, a post-office, fire station and about a dozen houses. Marty and I went out there to do a 10 kilometer walk that had been planned out by a group I am a member of called the Sacramento Walking Sticks. We walked through fallow farm land and beautiful big orchards. It was a lovely walk and gave Marty and I some quality time together. Shasta always seems to enjoy these walks and she did great. By the time we finished I was exhausted, but very proud that I was able to finish this walk in less time (2.5 hours) than the previous 10k walk that Marty and I did (4 hours). We then went out to my brother's hunting club and kennel so that Marty could see it and where my family lives. When we got home I went and took a nap. When I got up I was so stiff and sore and Shasta was ready for another walk! Needless to say, a second walk didn't happen.

Monday morning I met my Mom in Woodland, CA and we got a pedicure done. I'd never had a pedicure before and enjoyed it very much. I also enjoyed spending the time with my Mom. She moved away this year to Lassen County and I don't see her as often as I would like. After the pedicure we went to breakfast and then shopping for some new clothes for me when I return to work next week. We found several outfits and she gave me a couple of zip-lock bags full of belts that I could use with outfits now that I'm starting to slim down some. Overall it was a very fun day.

Yesterday we had another problem with the truck on the way home from taking Mark to work. Thankfully it was related to the problem that was "fixed" last week so it didn't end up costing us anything except 2.5 hours of my day. The rest of my day was spent getting ready to bring home a new addition to our family.

That's right, Mark and I adopted a new baby! Her name is Rootbeer Float - Roobee for short. Roobee is a 10 week old English Pointer. She is adorable, but is the runt of her litter and has a minor birth defect (an underbite). Because of this birth defect Roobee cannot be bred or sold, so my brother and sister-in-law asked us if we wanted her. I fell in love with her right away and took her. She is about 1/2 the size of her litter-mates and very thin even though David and Beth says she eats a lot. When we put her in her kennel last night at bed time she cried and cried and cried. I was worried about Mark being able to get to sleep, so I got up and slept in the recliner with Roobee curled up on my chest. Once she got settled, she slept through the night, which is more than I can say for myself. I ate Nachos for dinner last night and spent much of the night running back and forth to the bathroom (dumping syndrom) with a sleeping puppy on my chest! I won't do that again!!!

Today I am staying home and doing some chores. Roobee and Shasta are both napping right now. I'm going to start some laundry and then take Shasta for a walk. I want to spend some time with her so that she doesn't think she's fallen to second fiddle behind Roobee. So far Shasta has been fascinated with Roobee. She is constantly sniffing her and wants to play with her but is just too rough. We let Roobee down on the floor this morning and Shasta kept knocking her over and stepping on her just in an effort to play. Roobee looked so distressed that I ran over to rescue her.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Mark and I are going to my Aunt Janice's house to celebrate. Friday Mark and I are going to a movie and I'm not sure what the weekend will hold. I'm going back to work next Wednesday. This last month has gone by so quickly. I count myself lucky that I haven't had any complications or many incidences of dumping syndrom. My pain has been minimal and the weight is coming off. Even though the scale seems to be going down slowly, the inches are coming off rapidly. When I went shopping with my Mom the other day I found out that in less than a month I have dropped one clothing size. That feels good!

Today's Weight: 274 lbs

Highest Weight: 335 lbs (April 2006)

Weight Before Surgery: 291 lbs (October 31, 2007)

Weight-Loss Since Surgery: -17 lbs

Total Weight-Loss So Far: -61 lbs

Eating after surgery...

2007-11-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

Eating after surgery has been an adventure. My post-op instructions were as follows concerning eating:

7 days clear liquids
7 days full liquids and purees
7 days soft foods

The clear liquids stage was the hardest because all of my research and education about WLS has said that you need to eat 50-80 grams of protein each day in order to facilitate healing and reduce muscle and hair loss. Sugar-free Jell-O only has 1 gram of protein per cup. Beef broth only has 2-4 grams per cup and it took me 2 – 3 hours to drink a cup of broth (2-3 small sips every 15 minutes). Obviously, during this seven-day period I was not meeting the minimum daily quota.

On full liquids I could consume protein shakes (34 grams of protein/shake), cream soups and pureed meat and veggies. I tried some cream of mushroom soup (1 gram of protein) and added some vanilla protein powder to the soup. That made the soup 18 grams of protein. Unfortunately, I could not stand to finish the vanilla cream of mushroom soup. It was just too sweet. Since then I have bought a flavorless protein powder for use in foods like this.

Last Wednesday (admittedly a bit early in the plan) I tried a soft-scrambled egg for breakfast. I took very small bites and chewed each bite to its component atoms before swallowing. It went down and stayed down well. My new stomach pouch (about the size of a shot-glass) is now able to tell me when I’m hungry, but not when I’m full. So knowing when I’m full is a bit tricky. Sometimes when I eat too much or too fast I get queasy. I have been using this to help me gage when I’m full.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) I am supposed to start on soft foods. I will be able to have chicken, tuna, Turkey (Thanksgiving is next week!), soft cheeses, cottage cheese, and eggs/egg salad. I tried some cottage cheese (14 g of protein per ½ cup) for lunch today. I also ordered a small chicken breast at Pancake Palace for dinner. I was able to eat about ½ of the breast and brought the rest home to make chicken salad for lunch tomorrow. So far, so good!

I seem to have hit a bit of a barrier in my weight loss. One of the things that I have been told with every diet I have been on is that when you have a big weight loss your body thinks it’s starving to death so it tries to hold on as much as it can. I think that’s what is going on with me right now. My cycle has been messed up since my surgery, so I am getting my period about every two weeks along with water weight, etc. I’m sure that this combination is what is keeping my weight right around 277 lbs. I’m sure I will break through this plateau soon. I know I’m getting plenty of exercise! Over the last few days I have started walking two miles each day. It feels good to be active and stretch my legs. I am hoping to build this up to 5-6 miles per day by the time I return to work on November 28th.

Today's Weight: 276 lbs Highest Weight: 335 lbs (April 2006) Weight Before Surgery: 291 lbs (October 31, 2007) Weight-Loss Since Surgery: -15 lbs Total Weight-Loss So Far: -59 lbs

The Weekend...

2007-11-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a rainy one, which was good because we really needed the rain. On Saturday Mark and I went to see "American Gangster". That was my first time going to the movie theatre since surgery. I just bought a bottle of water and enjoyed the smell of popcorn and the movie. After that it was just a pretty laid back day. We enjoyed listening to the windchimes play and the patter of the rain outside.

Sunday was sunny but brisk and a bit breezy. I decided to go for a walk. I did the same route I took to Pancake Palace the other day, only this time I didn't stop at the Palace for a break. I just touted up the whole route and it comes to 2.06 miles round trip. Not to shabby, huh?

I'm still able to eat soft-scrambled eggs and this evening (Sunday) I even made myself some Tuna-fish salad. The food still tastes like it did before surgery. I had been told that my taste for foods might change after surgery. So far it hasn't. I'm not worried about it, just making note of it.

Mark let me start driving again this weekend. He was worried that I might have a dizzy spell or something and wanted to make sure I could drive with no problems. It's an understandable precaution. I did just fine and don't think I will have any problems driving on my own this week.

The scale hasn't moved in a couple of days. I'm not too concerned about it. My cycle has been a bit messed up for the past several months, so I may be putting on some water weight or things might just be rearranging themselves. I'm sure it's just a brief stall and things will start moving again in the next day or two.

Today's Weight: 277 lbs

Highest Weight: 335 lbs (April 2006)

Weight Before Surgery: 291 lbs (October 31, 2007)

Weight-Loss Since Surgery: -14 lbs

Total Weight-Loss So Far: -58 lbs

Making Progress...

2007-11-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Friday was a GLORIOUS DAY! The weather was cool but pleasant and I felt full of energy. I was also feeling a touch of "cabin fever" and really had to get out of the house. I had suggested that I take Mark to work so I could keep the truck (we only have one vehicle) and run a couple of errands. Well...he was a little hinky about that suggestion. Even though Dr. Patching said I would be able to drive seven days after surgery, Mark asked that I wait just a bit longer. I asked him when he thought it would be ok for me to start driving again and he said Monday. He is just worried that I might have a complecation or something behind the wheel. I felt that his concern was genuine so I agreed. I may see if he will let me drive while he is along for the ride today though...

Anyway, I was still feeling the "cabin fever" and decided that I really needed to get out of the house. I decided to walk over to our favorite diner, Pancake Palace, and have some breakfast. The walk to Pancake Palace and back home is probably about a mile. Now, I was walking almost five miles 3-4 times each week before surgery, so naturally I am eager to build back up to that as quickly as I can. I also figured that the weight will fall off faster with exercise than is does without exercise. Mark and I visit "The Palace" 2-3 times each week for breakfast or dinner. The food is good and the people are great. They know that I have had this surgery and are very supportive and eager to see me do well.

Now, I'm supposed to be on full liquids this week, but I've been feeling pretty good so I decided to push it just a bit by ordering one soft-scrambled egg. Let me tell you, it tasted SOOOO GOOD! I added a little bit of salt and took very small bites, chewed each bite down to its component atoms, and then swallowed. I also set my timer for 10 minutes and read a book between bites in order to take my mind off the food sitting right there. I was able to eat about 1/2 of what they brought me (which looked more like two scrambled eggs). Everything went down well and seemed to stay down well.

Once I got home I felt like I had had a workout. I was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. I sat down to rest and ended up taking a two-hour nap. When I got up I felt energized and ready to go again. It was a good feeling.

Today's Weight: 277 lbs Highest Weight: 335 lbs (April 2006) Weight Before Surgery: 291 lbs (October 31, 2007) Weight-Loss Since Surgery: -14 lbs Total Weight-Loss So Far: -58 lbs

Feeling Restless...

2007-11-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

Today I am feeling 150% better than I was yesterday before I had my JP drain out. I have not had to take the pain medication today and I had the urge to get up and move about much more today than I have since I came home. I even went for two walks today around the block. It felt good to stretch my legs. When I got home I felt like I had had a workout, but did not feel the need to lay down and rest. I was even up to playing tennis and bowling on our Wii this evening.

Breakfast today was a protein shake flavored with Raspberry Ice Crystal Light. I know, whoo-hoo, that sounds exciting! Hey! After a week of clear liquids, a protein shake is a treat!!! Besides, in the protein shake I can also mix in my medication and daily vitamins. Lunch/dinner was cream of mushroom soup. After I heated up the soup I put it in the blender to puree the mushrooms. I also added some vanilla protein powder because cream of mushroom soup only has 1 gram of protein/can. Well, it added 17 more grams of protein to the mix, but it also added a sweet vanilla flavor. I was able to drink about 1/2 of it, but after that it was just too much. This weekend I plan to buy some un-flavored protein for stuff like this. Can you imagine adding vanilla protein powder to beef broth?!?! EWWWW!!!

Mark and I are both missing our puppy. We took her out to my brother's house the Sunday before my surgery. She is only 1.5 years old and still very exuberant and enthusiastic. She tends to jump on people in her enthusiasm. We were afraid that she would catch on my JP Drain and yank it out by accident. Plus, she's very active and would not have had any fun hanging out with me while I recover. We are both hoping to be able to bring her home in another week or so. I want to make sure I can keep up with her again.

Today's Weight: 280 lbs

Highest Weight: 335 lbs (April 2006)

Weight Before Surgery: 291 lbs (October 31, 2007)

Weight-Loss Since Surgery: -11 lbs

Total Weight-Loss So Far: -55 lbs

Today started out rocky... + What's a JP Drain?

2007-11-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days the area around where my Jackson-Pratt Drain exited my abdomen has been growing more irritated. Yesterday it became downright painful! When you are in the hospital they ask you to rate your pain level on a scale of 1-10. One equals no pain and ten equals the worst pain you can imagine. Let me tell you, the pain last night reached a NINE! My heart was racing and my breathing increased too. Granted the pain only lasted about 30 seconds once I stopped moving, but it is something that I will never forget.

Now, you may be asking what is a Jackson-Pratt Drain? Well, according to HealthTouch Online:

"A Jackson Pratt Drain or "JP" is also called a bulb drain. A drain is a thin rubber tube put into your skin to drain fluid from around an incision (cut) or wound. A Jackson Pratt drain has a soft, squeeze bulb at the end of the plastic tubing. This kind of a drain may be in your incision from 24 hours to several weeks. The drain is taken out when the incision stops draining."

JP Drains are put in during surgery and left in for seven or more days following surgery. In the case of bariatric patients, the purpose is primarily to watch the drainage from the area around the new stomach to see if any gastric fluids are leaking into the abdominal cavity. I was told that if the fluid in the bulb turned green or brown I needed to call the physician IMMEDIATELY. In my case this never happened.

Today I had my first post-op appointment with Dr. Patching and he removed my JP Drain. Thank goodness! The minute that tube left my body every part of me started feeling better. I could not believe how much better I felt. By the time I got home I was a bit tired so I laid down for a bit and was able to lay on my right side for the first time since surgery. There was no pain or ache and I had a very restful nap.

The day started out very rocky and ended up pretty good. I'm looking forward to being able to get more exercise and possibly bringing my dog home in the next few days. Things are moving forward nicely!

Today's Weight: 282 lbs

Today's Protein: 34 grams

Today's Calories: 314

Today + More Back-Story

2007-11-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning feeling a bit rocky. The pain was the worst (4 on a scale of 1-10) since the hospital and I felt a bit dizzy and light-headed. I think I also felt the closest to hungry since the morning of my surgery. I'm not sure why the pain was worse today, but thank goodness for liquid Vicodin! Anyway, back to the story of my journey... When I first went into Dr. Patching's office I was thinking of doing the Gastric Band procedure. For those who have not seen the commercials on TV yet, the idea behind the operation is to create a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach with a controlled and adjustable stoma, without stapling, thus limiting food intake (ILOST, n.d.). Because all of the nerves that tell you when you are full or hungry are at the top of your stomach near your esophagus, the gastric band keeps food from passing quickly to the bottom of your stomach and you feel full faster. The band can be adjusted, looser or tighter, by your surgeon through a port that is anchored just below the skin (see the top image) by injecting or removing saline. This procedure is most often done laproscopically and there is no cutting or stapeling on the stomach itself. This procedure is considered less invasive and requires less recovery time. It is also less effective and a slower method of weight-loss surgery (WLS) than other choices. While patients who chose this option should consider it permanent, it is also easily reversable as the band can be removed.

As I said, when I first went to Dr. Patching's orientation I was considering the lap-band rather than the full gastric bypass. Once I did some research on my own however, I changed my mind and opted for the Roux-en-Y (more on this shortly) gastirc bypass. The reason for this is that I read a number of accounts of people having the lap-band procedure done and then later had a revision (i.e. a 2nd surgery) to a full gastric bypass because their weight-loss had stalled. Also, according to the statistics, this option had lower expectations of loss of excess weight than the full gastric bypass. I figured that I only wanted to do surgery once so why not go "whole hog" the first time.

Dr. Patching only gives two options for gastric bypass - the lap-band and Roux-en-Y (pronounced Roo and why). According to my own research, the R-n-Y is currently considered the "Gold Standard" for gastric bypass. According to WebMD:

"Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size, which reduces the amount of food you eat and thus the calories consumed. Bypassing part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed. This leads to weight loss."

Also, the part of the intestine that is bypassed is the part that normally absorbs fat, sugar and many vitamins. This means that after surgery the body does not tolerate consumption of fat and sugar. Those that try will usually experience Dumping Syndrome. Dumping Syndrome also occurs when someone tries to eat too much or too fast. The Mayo Clinic describes Dumping Syndrome this way:

"Dumping syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that develops most often in people who have had surgery to remove all or part of their stomach, or in whom much of their stomach has been surgically bypassed to help lose weight. Also called rapid gastric emptying, dumping syndrome occurs when the undigested contents of your stomach are transported or "dumped" into your small intestine too rapidly. Common symptoms include abdominal cramps and nausea.

Most people with dumping syndrome experience signs and symptoms soon after eating. In other people, they may occur later — one to three hours after eating — and they can range from mild or moderate to severe and debilitating."

As you can see from the illustration above, the bypassed stomach and intestine are not removed. They continue receiving blood flow and are re-attached lower down on the small intestine. Because of this, the larger stomach continues making gastric digestive acids and enzymes and they join the process a bit later than is normal. Because all of the organs are still present this procedure can be reversed if it is deemed medically necessary - though it is difficult to do.

Another once common procedure is called the Duodenal Switch. According to the Duodenal Switch Information Zone:

The DS combines restrictive and malabsorptive elements to achieve and maintain the best reported long-term percentage of excess weight loss among modern weight-loss surgery procedures.

The Restrictive Component: The DS procedure includes a partial gastrectomy, which reduces the stomach along the greater curvature, effectively restricting its capacity while maintaining its normal functionality. Unlike the R-n-Y, which employs a gastric “pouch” and bypass the pyloric valve, the DS procedure keeps the pyloric valve intact. This eliminates the possibility of dumping syndrome, marginal ulcers, stoma closures and blockages, all of which can occur after other gastric bypass procedures.

In addition, unlike the unmodified BPD and RNY procedures, the DS procedure keeps a portion of the duodenum in the food stream. The preservation of the pylorus/duodenum pathway means that food is digested normally (to an optimally absorbable consistency) in the stomach before being excreted by the pylorus into the small intestine. As a result, the DS procedure enables more-normal absorption of many nutrients (including protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12) than is seen after other gastric bypass procedures."

My uncle had this procedure and has lost an amazing amount of weight. Dr. Patching does not do this procedure, however because it has some side effects. Also, if you look at the illustration above part of the stomach is actually removed from the body. While parts can be modified, this procedure cannot be reversed.

Today's Weight: 283 lbs

Today's Protein Intake: 35 g

Today's Caloric Intake: 190 calories

Supplemental - 7:15 p.m. PST: I just wanted to add that today has been the roughest day since I came home. I have not been able to get the pain around the place where my Jackson-Pratt Drain is coming out of my abdomen to diminish even though the liquid Vicodin took care of the rest of the pain. I am puzzled as to why this one area of pain will not diminish with the pain medication.

Now, do not get me wrong... the pain that I have felt since having this surgery on October 31st has been no higher than a 5 (on a scale of 1-10). I had been expecting much worse pain than I have experienced. Going into surgery last Wednesday I was told by the pre-op nurses to ask for pain meds as soon as I started feeling pain because pain reduces the effectiveness of the immune system. Also, post-op my own Mom reminded me that it is easier to get rid of pain when it first starts coming back then to have to start back over again once it has reached its appex. While I am mindful of wanting to avoid becoming addicted to this particular pain releaver, I am not big on suffering for suffering's sake.

Here is hoping that tomorrow is a bit of a better day. I have my first post-op date with my surgeon tomorrow. Hopefully he will remove my Jackson-Pratt drain and close of the opening that is giving me grief and then that will be taken care of. Even better... my sister-in-law Marty is going to take me. I always enjoy spending time with her and plan to take her to lunch at our favorite local diner - Pancake Palace. I also start on full liquids tomorrow. That includes cream-of-wheat! Maybe I will order some of that for lunch tomorrow...

The Beginning of the Story

2007-11-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

Hi! I am a morbidly obese 36 year old woman from Northern California and I had Gastric Bypass Surgery on October 31, 2007. I had been working towards this point since December, 2006 first by convincing my husband that it was a good idea for me and then jumping through my PCP's, Surgeon's and Insurance Company's hoops.

In January I went in for my annual exam with my primary care physician and asked her for a referral to Dr. Patching. She actually thought it was a great idea and we discussed the changes that I would need to make in my life. She then wrote the referral. Of course my insurance had to approve the referral first so it was a bit of a waiting game.

Once approval came in for the referral I had to go to an orientation in Dr. Patching's office where he did a presentation before a group of us to tell us exactly what the procedure entails and what the risks are. I will go into the risks in a later post... After that appointment I had a 1-on-1 meeting where he reiterated the risks and requirements and told me that he wanted me to try to lose 30 lbs before he would operate. When I arrived at his office I weighed 321 lbs. My highest weight was 335 in April of 2006.

Between my first and second meetings with Dr. Patching (approximately 6-8 weeks) I managed to lose 18 lbs. I also got my psychological evaluation out of the way and thought I had completed my nutritional consultation. Dr. Patching decided I was a good candidate for moving forward and asked his assistant to get insurance approval and set a surgery date. I was on Cloud Nine!!! My surgery was scheduled for May 30, 2007 and I began making arrangements and completing pre-op tests. Then, on May 17th I got a call from Dr. Patching's office telling me that the insurance had denied my request for surgery. I was devastated.

Because the company that I work for is self insured, I went to the medical director that oversees the insurance program and asked for her help. She was able to get me a list of the insurance company's requirements and there were several that Dr. Patching did not have on his list of pre-op requirements. They were also not happy with the letter provided by my nutritionist and I was able to find out what they needed and get it for them. One of the requirements was six months of physician-supervised weight-loss efforts. I had tried Weight Watchers in the past, but had not kept any of that documentation so I needed to start from square one. Dr. Patching agreed to supervise this effort and so we moved forward.

In mid-September we reached the six month mark and insurance approval came in early October. Dr. Patching felt that we would probably be scheduled in early- to mid-November. Imagine my surprise when his assistant called me and said October 31st would be my surgery date! I began, once again, jumping through all of the pre-op testing and making arrangements at work for taking time off.

I decided to be very open about my surgery. I shared it with friends, family and co-workers. In many cases this involved explaining what the surgery entails and the types of lifestyle changes I would have to do. Many thought it was a great idea. Others thought that if I could lose the weight in preparation for the surgery, why didn't I just keep going without the surgery. I really did like having to explain this because it made me really think through this decision and evaluate my willingness to make the necessary changes. I came to realize that this surgery wasn't a "magic bullet" for my obesity. Yes, the weight would melt off, but keeping it off and living healthier would be a challenge.

My other big challenge was getting my husband to understand why I wanted to do this. He is obese as well and the thought of having my innards (or his) rearranged in a manner other than how Mother Nature arranged them to begin with just rubbed him the wrong way. I understood his concerns and worked to educate him on the procedure. By the time my surgery date rolled around Mark was more comfortable with the surgery and understood why I wanted to do it, but he still didn't like the idea of a surgery that was not fixing a medical problem like a hernia or bad appendix. Still, he supported me and I love him for it!

Now I am five days post-op and actually feeling pretty good. My friend Susan suggested I keep a journal about the experience and said that she would be interested in reading it later. I thought it was a good idea too and so I've started this blog. I know that there are others out there that keep a blog on their weight-loss surgery experiences. From what I have been told, however, and what I have experienced everyone is just a bit different. Going forward I will talk about the Roux -n- Y procedure, and my post-op experiences. This is mostly meant as a journal for me but if it helps someone make a decision about changing their life and dealing with their obesity in a positive manner then so much the better.

Highest Weight (4/2006): 335

Weight when WLS Journey Began (1/2007): 321

Weight on Surgery Day (10/31/2007): 291

Today's Weight (11/05/2007): 284

Total Protein Intake Today: 43 Grams

Caloric Intake Today: 390