I'm almost 4.5 mos post-op, and I've lost a total of 110 pounds! I've gone from a size 3X/26 to a size L/14. At times, I feel more confident and amazing than I've ever felt before! At other times, I still feel like a 300-lb blob. I was warned about this by many WLSers, but you just can't comprehend it til it happens to you. It's absurd.
My acid reflux, which at my last post was the worst it's ever been, is now SO much improved. Instead of taking Prilosec twice a day, I now take it once a day. And I haven't needeed Zantac in ages. Nor that horrid liquid stuff he prescribed.
It's funny, the little things you count as milestones... I've read this in other blogs, too: the ability to comfortably and easily cross your legs and sit like a lady! Couldn't do that before... now I feel proud and ladylike every time! LOL I'm actually even sitting indian-style in my office chair right now, LOL. And when we went to Disneyland a month and a half ago for our anniversary, we shared seats on the rides for the first time ever! No single-seaters this time! That was really cool.
A couple of cool "wow" moments this week: A) I went into a longtime favorite store for plus-sized ladies. Their smallest size was too big for me! That was a crazy-good, yet weird, feeling! B) My cousin, who is 4 years younger than me, gave me a bag of her clothes. Her entire life, I have been handing clothes down to her as I outgrew them. So for her to hand them down to me, was insane & cool!
Being somewhat of a trend-follower (within reason), and being a total brand wh*re, I've ALWAYS wanted a pair of Ugg boots. Problem being, they wouldn't go over my fat calves. Last month, I decided to go try some on... and they fit!!!!! I was so ecstatic... and I'm now the proud owner of some beautiful, tan, expensive Uggs. I think I deserved it :)
I've still never vomited since surgery, which is so weird to me. MANY times, after over-eating or eating poorly, I've needed and wanted to. Everyone I know does it non-stop... especially in the beginning. Not that I want to throw up all the time, LOL. But a few times, I've really, really wished I could, to feel better. But nothing! Tis a mystery to me.
Did I mention that my husband is having the surgery, also?! I am SO excited for him! I'm proud that he's taking charge of his health. And at 5 years younger than me, he should respond & recover really well! I'm absolutely thrilled, because he was on his way to serious health problems at such a young age. His is in exactly one month. :)
I am now a full-fledged coffee ADDICT! I used to drink about 4 liters of diet Pepsi per day... yes really. Obviously, that's out of the question now. My doctor says not to have ANY carbonation for a full year, and even then, only small quantities. The carbonation will stretch out your pouch. I have plenty of friends who got back on diet soda right away following surgery, but the truth is, I've had teeny sips a few times, and found the taste absolutely appaling now. Very weird, but I'm kinda greatful for it. If it's not good for me anyway, at least I won't be craving it if it doesn't taste good anymore! I've never been a fan of coffee itself... I like it milked up, sugared up, and flavored up, but not plain. I still won't drink it hot or plain. It's yucky. I was always a fan of Starbucks' sugary, flavorful crap, because I didn't know any better. But Dutch Bros. Coffee is the bee's knees! Not only does it taste better, but it's cheaper! And the staff is always SO nice and cool and down to earth. No snobby, fake, ex-pep squd baristas here. Just run-of-the-mill college-age kids. One has dredlocks, one is like a tatted-up model, but they're ALL "real"! They remember your name, your drink, and your past conversations! OK I'm obsessed with DB, lol. The important part is that unlike sbux, they can and will make 99% of the stuff sugar free, rather than "sorry, it's a pre-made mix!". OK, so my surgeon doesn't allow coffee... but what I found out is that he doesn't think ANYONE should be drinking coffee, period... surgery or not. So his coffee rule is his personal belief, not just realted to patients. I did LOTS & LOTS of research, and haven't found any other docs who ban it. Apparently all WLSers turn their eating vice into a coffee vice ;p
I think that'll about wrap it up for now, with the exception of my list of products you MUST own after surgery!
As for vitamins... my surgeon's office reccommends Flintstone's chewables. 2 per day for life. I find them so repulsively disgusting, I wasn't taking them regularly. I tried 3 different brands. Then I discovered gummy vitamins, and they saved my life!!! Vitafusion gummy vitamins are DELICIOUS! They totally taste just like yummy, yummy candy. And the Target store brand, Up & Up, is just as good! Woo-hoo! I've got the Adult's Gummy Multivitamin, the Vitamin D (which I've been low on even before surgery, so I have to take), and the Power C (just vitamin C for the cold season). Sublingual Vitamin B12 is also ordered, but every brand I've tried was the same-- little cherry-flavored dots that taste just fine.
If you love you some Chair Tea lattes, only to find that the coffee joints can't make it sugar free, than you'll DIE for this! Sbux uses it's own brand of chai, but this is the exact brand DB uses, only Sugar Free!!! I did myself a happy jig right in the middle of Smart & Final groceries when I discovered this & all it's yummy goodness. Tastes exactly the same as the original version, IMO. Yay! $6 at Smart & Final; $3 at Winco.
If your doc orders you to take calcium + D, and I suspect he will, this has been awesome for me. It's Costco's version of Viactiv. Tastes like cheap fuidge, LOL. By that I mean it's not like you're gonna trick yourself into thinking it's grandma's Christmas fudge, but it will satisfy chocolate cravings and it compares in texture to a Tootsie Roll. And if you're a Costco member, it's super duper cheap. Like $5 a bag.
Sugar free popsicles. Seriously, these were basically the only form of liquid (or anything else, for that matter) that I was able to ingest for the first couple of weeks, due to the lumps in my throat and stomach cramps. (Which is why I went to the ER 2 weeks out... because my kidneys were so dehydrated they were trying to shut down... but I went over all of this in a previous blog). However, if it weren't for these, I'd have been in even worse shape. Obviously, don't rely on these for all of your liquid intake, but they sure do help! I found these at Walgreens, and they tasted better and are far cheaper than any others!
Other neccessities:
A) Miralax. Let me spare you the detals, and just say that it is occasionally needed, and it dissolves instantly in any beverage, hot or cold, it's also flavorless and odorless. Must. Have. On. Hand. And on a similar note: Milk of Magnesia tastes like chalk, mint, and poo mixed together. No joke. I gag on it every time. It tastes like the very thing you're trying to expel from your body. If possible, steer clear.
B) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. For the occasional times you splurge on some popcorn that is 99% fat-free, whole grain, & tastes remarkably like styrofoam, this will save your tastebuds, yo.
C) A big ol' box of Splenda packets. Or whichever sugar-free sweetener you decide to use. I keep a baggie of them in my purse, and one in my desk at work.
D) Vitamin Water Zero is good. Diet Snapple is ok-- I was never a fan of tea, but before I started coffee, I had to make due with tea. I like the Peach, and the Raspberry was ok, but the Lemon was grody. Either way, they all needed a full packet of artificial sweetener to be palatable )to me).
E) Muscle Milk is lactose free, and the best tasting ready-to-drink protein that I've encountered, period. And the diet ones have very little sugar.
That'll be it for now...
I'll try to blog more frequently again... 'til next time!
