8/30/2005 - It's been a whole year!
I started this journey a year ago. So much has gone on. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Sure the weightloss has been slow, but I do have my life back and my health is getting there. I have had 6 fills and am currently at 2.3. I figure my body needs time to adjust so, no matter how slow it is, it's all good!

October 6, 2005-- went to see surgeon today. After about two weeks of fighting with myself and wanting to give up, calling myself a failure, I went in. Seems I lost .2 cc's, and was down to a fill level of 2.1. Bummer. I had been at 2.3. I really wanted him to take me up to 2.7, but we settled on 2.5. I then went to one of our soup stores and picked up two varieties. It only took a few bites and I was full. It felt really good. Hopefully if not at my sweet spot, I'm really really close.

8/28/2008

Sorry it's been a long time since I've updated things. Down to 218 and I'm just too cute! Spent yesterday at the first day at Harley Fest and made lots of passes. Clothes are now 14/16-18/20. Active in BIW support group. Hobby is beaded jewelry and starting to get into craft shows and consignment.

Kidney Stone

April 2005

I was at Kathy's working on making an outfit for the upcoming season. We got through part of the day, when I started getting sick. I had to use the bathroom a lot, and after going, I started uncontrollable vomiting. There was intense pain in my back. About 2 in the afternoon, I asked Kathy to take me to the hospital. I reached my primary who indicated he thought it was a kidney stone and yes, get to the hospital right away. The ER doc kept trying to tell me I just had a bladder infection, but the urologist confirmed it was a kidney stone, most possibly due to some dehydration. He put me in the hospital over night. Funny thing was, I had my last "attack" just before they took me to my room. Dr. Chiang came the following morning and asked if I wanted a fill. Who would refuse?

NSV's (non-scale victories)

NSV's: I guess I should be jumping up and down all excited... my seasonal depression has hit, but yesterday was a biggie in NSV's at work.

I had purchased a 22/24 t-shirt from Fashion Bug Thursday night... 60% off, so only $3 something. I thought I'd try it on, and it fit... a bit snug for my taste, but it fit, so I wore it to work.

My immediate co-workers commented that I now have a figure showing... I stated, I've always had an hour-glass figure... but they persisted, "you always wear big clothes.. we couldn't see it." Well, ended up they had me blushing.

I had decided to check out what was for lunch in the cafeteria, but since the fish smell hit me getting off the elevator, I turned around. Someone I don't even know, commented, you've lost a lot of weight! There were a lot of other encouraging comments yesterday too.

Today, I picked up a t-shirt from Wally World, 26/28... IT's TOO BIG! Man that feels good! I wanted one a little too big, to maybe do some quilt designing on.

I had a breakfast wrap and could only eat 1/4 of it. Someone commented about portion sizes in Milwaukee... we used to be big-time factory town, so needed to feed those hearty appetites. Now, we aren't, but portion sizes haven't gone down, they've gone up... so realistically speaking about 4 meals out of each restaurant meal. I haven't flashed my ID card yet, because of the inappropriate items on the kiddie menu. Even the senior menus suck--meat and potatoes and gravy and bread... those open-faced sandwiches.

It's been rough, emotionally. The scale hasn't been moving for the past couple of weeks, and after my fill had the gall to go up. I am doing my darnedest to maintaining bandster portions, exercise, etc. Took exercise off last night and tonight, chief complaint is the sciatica... it almost has me feeling like it's on a nerve, or else some level of anxiety.

Made "Mom's Pot Roast" from the cookbook... who'd ever heard of coffee being put it, but I did it, can't be any crazier than making the coffee for the Black Magic Cake that the family so loves. The roast was quite good... attempted to get stuck a couple of times, but no negatives.

Beginning to question, is it all worth it one moment, then the next, everything's peachy. I am too greatly focused on the scale. Need to eliminate that part. But will I? Wait and see.

2/16/2005
NSV: I needed to adjust the seat in my car. I could barely reach the pedal. I've had the car not quite a year, and this is the first seat adjustment I've made. Kinda cool! I'm now down to 262 this morning.

3/20/2005

3 month bandiversary! Yippee. I had my 3rd fill on Thursday of a whopping .1 increase to 1.8 cc's, but it seems to be the turning point on my journey. Since Thursday I have been going down, a pound a day, now to 256, 39 pounds from starting in September and 19 pounds since surgery. Though the nurse on Thursday was a dimwit. She kept insisting that the expected weight loss is 1-2 pounds per month. I wanted to kick her. She was also insisting that bypass patients are expected 1-2 pounds per week and ONLY if they exercise. She tried to convince the doc that there was no need for a fill, but he did it anyway. I'm so glad for him. Now, I saw the same nurse at my 10 post-op visit who had commented on my iron level, but never said anything about an iron supplement, now 3 months later, she suggests an iron supplement and that the clinic has now decided that with folks under 80 need the supplement. I have been very fatigued the last few weeks, and it won't be a bad idea, but need to talk to my primary.

First Fill/Adjustment

2/1
FIRST FILL!
It went all too quickly! Dr. Chiang said he doesn't follow the "rules" on fills but tries to hit the sweet spot right away. Well, I closed off at 2 cc's so still got a 1.5 cc fill. I've really not been hungry all day, but managed to get lunch in about an hour and a half late. If I'm drinking I don't get hungry. NSV for today. I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee and the clerk kept asking me if I was sure I didn't want a donut. I think like tree times. He didn't know what to do with me upon each of my refusals.

National Body Challenge

1/25/2005
Oops! I've not been keeping up with my journal. It's now 5 weeks since surgery and 1 week before I go for my first fill. I am tolerating just about everything that will go in my mouth, and I'm not thrilled. I've had no negative effects whatsoever. There can be a little discomfort around the port if I sit or lay wrong. I'm also noticing it after exercise, especially on the treadmill, it's just a bit irritating, not really bad. Sometimes a little heat seems to help.

I saw the dietician on 1/19 and she indicates that I am right on track. I was given the ok for baked chips and said "why would I want to do that? I gave those up to have the surgery." I really want to stay away from as much junk as possible. I know that if I bought a bag of chips, I would eat them until they are gone. I'm not saying I won't indulge when out at a social event, but I can maintain better control in that type of situation.

Weight loss is slow (12 pounds since surgery), and my rational mind knows that right now the focus is healing, not weight loss. However, I have not been down to the 260s in well over 10 years. I'm having a ball with the NSV's. They are what encourage me. Yesterday I went down a flight of stairs like a "normal" person, not sideways and one step at a time. Sunday's was fitting into a booth at a restaurant without being squished, Saturday's was being able to zip my coat (couldn't zip it when I bought it). It's incredible that these little things do make all the difference in the world, and don't seem to be encouraged by the "normal" diet industry. It would be a great thing to encourage especially in groups like Weight Watchers. My sister has joined WW again, and I encouraged her to look at those little victories to keep her going.

My energy level is increasing. If I'm standing and waiting for things at work, I'm moving! Sometimes I do things that make me get up an walk just a little bit more, like print labels one at a time.

On January 15 I joined the National Body Challenge through the Discovery Channel. This included a 2 month membership to Bally's and I've been going. I do need to check into the one closer to me so that I can go more often. A little video exercise at home seems to be helping too, though my endurance is pretty minimal at this point.

I met with a co-worker yesterday who had the bypass two weeks before me and has really been having a rough time. Her weight loss is fantastic, but at what cost? Her health is declining. Hopefully things will improve for her and she will regain her health and not regret having had the surgery. I've invited her to the Milwaukee WLS support group on Saturday.

Got word on the Chicago Bandster Bash, and am almost convinced that I want to go. It's also the weekend of the International Quilt Show, and in adjoining locations. What could be better? The only thing preventing me at this time is the $$.

Post op visit

12/31/2004
Yesterday I saw the doc 10 days post-op visit. According to them, I am right on track, and seem to be healing well. The bandages came off, but the stitches are the disolving kind. As far as work. It was a rough week. I made a home visit to a client on Wednesday, a little too soon, and was getting some jabbing pains on my left side. It didn't let up the rest of the day. Every night I came home and collapsed.

Today was a beautiful day. It's 8 pounds since surgery. It got up into the 50's when you think same time last week it was below zero. I picked up postage for the newsletter that I have to put out, and then did a little shopping. I went to the Reiman Publications Country Store in Greendale, came up with 2 pairs of pants, 1 sweatshirt, 2 light 'n tasty magazines, a flannel comforter, and 3 light n tasty annual recipe books. It was wonderful! Then found a great flannel at the fabric store and got 4 yards of it. It will make a wonderful nightgown, but after I've outgrown my other two.

1 week later back to work

12/27/2004
One week after surgery, and first day back to work. It's late morning, and I'm getting tuckered out. Not much pain, except when I turn wrong. A little too warm though. I might just leave a little early.

I actually did go home for 1/2 the day, but managed to make it through the rest of the week. Since the new year was upon us, I requested to use 2 days vacation time to help me recover. That really did the trick.