Hey Look! I'm Back!

It has been exactly 3 months to the day since my last blog entry. Oops. Sorry. If anyone is even out there still, this one's for you! LOL Honestly, I haven't really logged in because I don't feel like I have much to say. I'm pretty adjusted to my new life, and I just don't know if I have any info worth sharing. Other than the product reccommendations I'll be providing at the end!


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!

Blah, Blah, Blogging... 6 weeks post-op

OK so here's the real deal... I haven't blogged in 2 weeks because I haven't lost a single, solitary pound... in fact, I've GAINED 3 pounds... and I've been too bummed/discouraged/embarrassed to tell you. But there! I did it! Now I have to be accountable for myself, because you all know my dirty little secret.
I lost 30 lbs in the first 30 days. And then it just stopped. I know it's partially because I can eat "real" food now... meat, cheese, etc... and I have yet to really exercise.
To lose my pre-op weight, I walked 1-4 miles a day. This week, I've walked about 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile 3 different times, and I've done 2 short workouts on the easy-rider thing. Not enough!!! I was supposed to get to buy a treadmill last month, but other expenses came up... such is life. I haven't been to the gym since well before surgery. And now that I'm back to work and it's hot out, I'm just so stinking tired... not a good enough excuse, but the truth nonetheless. By the time I get home from work, feed and water the dogs, water the plants, make and eat dinner, get everything ready for the following day... leaving the house is my last idea of fun. I usually get a second wind around 9...Then I'd have to change, drive to the gym, workout, drive back, shower, change again... I know, I sound royally lazy right now. Just being honest. Plus, I need to go to bed around 10. See how it just doesn't seem to fit in? Don't even suggest going in the morning before work... I know myself all too well for that delusion. If I had a treadmill in the next room, however, so what if it's 9 pm? Hop on for 30-60 minutes while I watch tv. Boom. Yeah, I totally need to win the lottery and create a home gym. Too bad I don't play the lottery.
Time for another secret: Truth is, yes, I'm still hungry all the time. Even though my stomach is only 2 oz and I'm supposed to eat only 1/4 cup of food 3-4 times a day, I feel like I can easily eat half a cup before I'm full. Is it my imagination? Probably. I mean they removed the art of the stomach which produces ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Only my brain and my tongue are hungry. Not my stomach.
I had acid reflux before surgery, and was warned that it could get worse. but, my surgeon repaired my small hiatal hernia, and he expected that would stop it. Hardly. I have a burning lump in my throat after every meal. Now I'm on some craptacular tasting liquid junk for ulcers... but it coats the stomach and we're trying it for my reflux. It's tid (that's 3 times a day for my non-medical friends). And that's on TOP of my bid (twice daily) Prilosec. And I still have zantac for break-through burning. And Tums in my purse at all times. GERD (Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease) is no joke, friends! One time, it was so terrible, I actually had to sleep sitting up.
My main lesson learned since surgery has been this week. Do not trust the Sbux baristas regarding sugar content! I was assured by several of them that the Vanilla Rooibos tea and the Chai tea are sugar-free. LIES! There is no sugar added, but upon reading the nutrition facts on their website, they are indeed chock full of sugar. And here I was, sipping away. Maybe THAT's why I'm not losing. * le sigh * I should sue. Kidding. Maybe.
Oh, and now the much-coveted seasonal pumpkin spice latte is available for the year. Which means the caramel brulee latte, et al aren't far behind. And I can't have coffee or sugar. GRRRR.
The diet Snapple is ok. I actually have to add a packet of Splenda to make it palatable.
Sugar free popsicles have saved my life! Yummy.
My typical meals include the following (one at a time, of course, and all low-fat): 2 bites of cheddar cheese wrapped in thin roast beef; 2 bites of mozzerella cheese wrapped in thin turkey; a couple of bites of plain baked chicken, sometimes dipped in hummus; a couple of bites of yogurt or cottage cheese; chili beans (turkey or beef) with cheese. I got super tired of eggs and protein shakes when they were all I could have, so I haven't had either in several weeks. I bought some frozen salmon yesterday, which I can't wait to cook up! Hmmm, I nned to find some sugar-free teriyaki sauce... surely it exists out there somewhere? Come payday, I have to go to the Whole Foods market... probably a better chance of finding it there than Winco (idk if winco is a local thing... for you out-of-state-and-country-ers, it's like the Wal-Mart of grocery stores, lol... cheap kinda dirty people running around, gotta bag your own crap...) I've found Fresh & Easy to be a great resource, and it's super-close to home.
The surgeon thinks I'll be losing about 15 lbs/month now. That means that by the end of October, I should be about 100 pounds lower than I started! I'm excited at the prospect of getting a cute Halloween costume ffrom a store, rather than putting together my own due to the very limited and very expensive "plus-size" selection. My 2 best girlfriends and I are going to have some kind of theme this year... we have a few ideas... I'm also anxious to see how my weight loss improves my Disneyland experience in October! I should be able to share a 2-seater with my husband, instead of us each taking a different car. I can't wait to see how much energy I'll have by then! Right now, I still get slightly fatigued at times... my body is adjusted to a serious change. But doc said I'll be jumping around with energy by then! And then Christmas will be right around the corner... our first Christmas in our house! I won't be too self-conscious to take the pic I want to take for our Christmas cards... myself, the hubs, and the dogs on the front porch of our very own home :) I hope I'll be able to have a few sips of Soy eggnog by then! *drool*
OK, time for the "deep" junk...
This is where I REALLY need input from my fellow WLSers... VSG or otherwise. While 90% of comments are positive, and it feels great to be told I look amazing, there are a couple of things that really irk my turtle. The first one is frustrating: everyone who says "hey skinny!", etc. I'm certainly NOT skinny. I fully understand that these people are trying to compliment me and acknowledge my progress, however, while I may have lost 70 pounds, I am FAR from skinny. In fact I have to lose another 100 lbs just to not be considered obese. Idk why, but it gets my blood boiling. The second one is really hurtful. A handful of times, I've been told the following: "I heard about your surgery! When do you expect to start seeing results?" Again, I know they're not trying to be mean, but really? It makes me think, "I'm SO freaking fat that you can't notice that I've lost SEVENTY pounds?!" This from people who see me anywhere from weekly to monthly. Hello, notice I have 2 chins now instead of 5? LOL My general reply is a quiet and nervous, "Um, I've lost 70 so far... 40 before surgery and 30 after"... and then the kicker is their response. It's never apologetic, it's always, "oh really?!" like that don't believe me. It probably happens about once a week or so. Last week, it happened twice in one day at work, and I burst into tears as soon as she left the room. Now THAT was discouraging.
On a brighter note, I've gone down the following clothing sizes: Tops from 26/28 to 18/20; pants from 24 to 20; MEN, STOP READING HERE! Skip to the next paragraph! LOL and bra from 44DDD to 40DD. You know what's annoying? Adjusting my belt every time I move. If I sit, I have to loosen it, and if I stand, I have to tighten it. If I'm walking, I have to tighten it even more. I'm CONSTANTLY playing with my belt. Real cute.
My incisions look fantastic! I've seen pix of some other peoples' battle scars, and I'm SO pleased with my surgeon. The biggest scar, where my stomach was actually pulled out, is INSIDE my belly button, and under 1/2 an inch long. I have a friend whose is above her belly button, and over an inch long. Yikes! My other 4 are all under 1/4 inch. The surgeon said he specifically cuts on the existing strecth marks so that eventually, there won't be any visible scars (because they'll blend in with the existing scarring).
OK, my fingers are getting tired, and you probably gave up on reading half an hour ago! If you're still here, congratulations! Sound off below :)

One month post-op {part 2 of 2!}

Anyway, after my bout in the ER, I called my boss to let her know I'd be taking a 3rd week off. (My surgeon approved me for 6 weeks off; I told my boss I anticipated only needing 3, and she was pushing me to come back after 2). After telling her I'd been so dehydrated that my kidneys were shutting down, she actually said to me, "You know you're supposed to drink water, right?" This wasn't shocking (remember, she told me NO, I could not take leave for surgery, because she had no one to cover for me), but it was still infuriating.
A few times throughout week 2, I had little bites of food here and there, and I would chew them up and spit them out. I never swallowed any, but I was desperate for the chewing sensation and the tastes. I've heard about 50% of WLS patients say they absolutely did that and it's ok; the other 50% said it was so terrible and dangerous. It is what it is, I suppose. I survived.
Week 3: eggs, cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt, & peanut butter
The third week was a lot easier than the first two. I finally got to try some "semi-solids"; my first food in 15 days! I was running around town, doing errands, visiting with friends, and taking it easy. My mandatory daily naps were no longer mandatory nor daily. I was feeling a lot better. My husband and I even made a day trip to the coast to escape the 110 degree weather and enjoy some nice, clean air with a high of 60. It was fabulous, except for the wonderful smells of all the seafood restaurants we normally eat at when we're there ;)
I got to start "semi-solids" as defined above. The yogurt did NOT agree with my sleeve. About 3 bites and I got the most awful cramping. About half an hour later, it went through me, and continued to do so for the next hour. I ended up taking 1 immodium and 1 pepto to stop it (it happened while we were at the beach, of course). I did well with everything else. I could eat about a third of a scrambled egg per meal and there was still cramping when I ate or drank. For some reason, hard-boiled egg didn't sit well. I did ok with peanut butter, too. Half a tablespoon full filled me up. Sugar-free frozen yogurt didn't and still doesn't like me.
Week four: seafood and nuts
The nuts caused me to be nauseous. I tried almonds, pistachios, cashews, macadamia nuts, and peanuts. However, grilled salmon really hit the spot. I would have a teeny bite about 4 times a day and be stuffed full. But it was nutritious and delicious! I had a couple of small bites of rice (which isn't recommended because it expands and isn't protein-rich, but if that's the worst I cheated, I'm not too concerned. I know people who've done a lot worse). The rice caused a lot of nausea and pain as well.
At the beginning of week four, I went back to work. After having 3 weeks off, I was utterly exhausted every day. I had a really hard time staying awake throughout the day (it's a good thing I work alone), and I spent each day's 60-min. lunch break sleeping on the exam table! Still, when I got home each evening, I would lock myself in the bedroom with my chihuahua, away from my husband's giant, annoying basset hound puppy, and watch some TV and fall asleep while it was still light out. My husband was actually out of town that whole week at his family's cabin. I missed him, but it was nice to have the house and entire bed to myself after those very exhausting first days back. I also had my first post-op exam that week. The surgeon was thrilled with how my incisions looked (so am I!) The cramping when drinking was going away slowly.
Week 5: Chicken & turkey
I had little bites of grilled or baked chicken all week. I also had hummus with pita, which was delicious. Again, bread isn't recommended, but it's not exactly contraband, either. At the end of week 4, I wanted pizza so bad I was about to pull my hair out. After conferring with a VSG friend, I ordered a thin-crust (which is a first for me) personal pizza with chicken, olives, and mushrooms. I already knew that I'd do ok with the chicken, cheese, and bread. I was really concerned about the tomato sauce, that it might be too acidic. But I went with the least greasy pizza company in town (which happens to be my favorite anyway!) The 'personal' slices there are about 3 bites. With some prayer, down the hatch it went! It was the most amazing thing I've ever tasted in my life! It took about 15 minutes to eat the entire slice. A couple of hours later, feeling great, I had a second slice. I was thrilled to be getting down some protein and nutrients! And of course that teeny pizza lasted me 2 whole days! I definitely don't see it as a "cheat", but as a "splurge". It will be a very rare treat. I did it to celebrate my sleeve's one-month surgiversary. I would never have done so until week 4, because your pouch is at risk for leaking for the first 3 weeks. So by the end of week 4, I knew my sutures were nice and healed inside.
Tomorrow I will try beef for the first time! The following week, I get to add pork. And then I'm done! I'm at free will to eat from any of the aforementioned protein-rich foods!
The tally to date is: 40 lbs lost pre-op plus 30 lbs lost post-op = 70 lbs gone forever!! Good riddance! 30 lbs in 30 days... wow! The compliments feel great! Now that I'm eating real food again, it's high time to get my butt in gear and start working out again! The doc says that after the first month, the weight loss slows down drastically, and then picks up speed again a couple of months later.
TTFN!

Progress Pix

The first one is a few weeks before I started my diet. The second one is 3 weeks after surgery.

One Month Post-Op {part one of two!}

Ok, ok... It's well past time to make a blog entry. I haven done so since before my surgery. I have a bunch of excuses for you, though! For the first 3 weeks, as I was off work recovering, I was just exhausted and frustrated and didn't have anything positive to say. LOL. And our activity on the computer at work is now monitored. I uses to do 99% of my blogging during down-time at work. But my boss doesn't know what kind of surgery I had, so I haven't wanted to use the office computer for it. I'm currently blogging from my iphoe for the first time ever. So far, it's not as cumbersome as I had anticipated. We'll see. So let's see if I can recall all of the thoughts i've wanted to share over the past month. The surgery went smoothly. I started to freak out as they wheels me to the OR, so I prayed the whole way. That calmed me a lot. My husband, parents, mother-in-law, and best friend (who is about 7 years post-gastric bypass) were all there the whole time. The anesthesiologist came to give me a shot to calm my nerves, but upon seeing that I'm allergic to Valium, she wouldn't give it to me. The blood thinner shot really burned, though. Once I was in the OR, my first thought was that it looked just like on tv, lol. Some more praying and it was time to begin. Staring up at the big round light, they administered the anesthesia and immediately I told them my vision was blurry, but they couldn't understand me. So I repeated, with very slurred speech, "I have double vision". And then I woke up! I remember drifting in and out of conciousness after they woke me up. I think I asked, "are we done?" about 3 different times. I kept falling asleep. The patient on the other side of the curtain in recovery kept having their vitals monitor go off, so that woke me up repeatedly, but I'd immediately fall back asleep every time. Eventually my family got to come in, one by one. I asked my mom what had I done?! She said she didn't know and laughed. She dissent want me to do it in the first place. I wasn't in pain, just felt weird. The hospital stay went pretty well. I walks 12 laps of the medsurg floor my first day! All of the nurses were stunned. I basically only used my morphine pump once per hour (it allows you to use it every 12 minutes). I'd wake up, push it, an fall back to sleep right away. But in the middle of the night, I was so itchy I couldn't sleep, and my whole body was about to get raw and bloody from the scratching. Four doses of intravenous Benadryl didnt help a bit. Apparently I'm allergic to morphine. The wonderful nurse gave me a sponge bath with ice cold washcloths to ease the itching. So I was left with only vicoden for the pain, which made me so instantly nauseas, they had to immediately follow every dose with IV anti nausea meds. Truth be told, I was in more pain from the hospital bed than the procedure (except while coughing, in which case it hurt a lot). After the X-ray, for which you swallow some vile chalky poison-tasting sludge, (they watch you swallow to make sure you're not leaking), I got discharged. I checked in at 6 am Tuesday and left at 7 pm Wednesday. The first couple of days home, all I did was sleep. Several times, I wondered what I had just done to my body, why I had done it, and whether I was dying. My body was just absolutely exhausted. But still, I had more back pain from laying around than I dd abdominal pain. By the 4th day, I was running short errands with my husband. The first two weeks were brutal. I was allowed water and protein shakes ONLY. Other surgeons allow broth and jello... Not mine! I got the strict one. Which was probably a good thing- better too attract than too lenient! But it was really, really rough. I was supposed to get 80 oz of fluid in my one ounce stomach every day! For about 3 weeks, every single sip I took, wether cold, warm, or room temp, BURNED in my stomach. Within a minute of swallowing, I had these really intense stomach cramps for just a few seconds. Every time! TMI disclaimer! If you're squeamish or dislike talk of bodily functions, skip the next paragraph!!!For the first 6 days, I had constant liquid bowelmovements. My dr said this wasn't normal, but that he wasn't concerned unless it lasted more than a week. Whaddaya know, it stopped right before the one-week mark! Unfortunately, that's the same time the urinary problems began. Intense, 24/7 burning, urgency, and even passing blood. Tests showed zero infection, but signs of kidney distress. Essentially, due to my difficulty drinking and constant diarrhea, I was so dehydrated my kidneys were shutting down. So I spent the night in the ER getting IV fluids and antibiotics. They also removed the surgical tape over my incisions, as I was having a serious allergic reaction to the tape and it was so itchy I couldn't bear it. After that, I forced myselfTo have better water intake. In order to preserve your sanity and interest, I'm going to pause here and create a "part 2" to this entry, so you can break up your reading if you wish :). Go grab your sugar free vitamin water and get cozy for round 2!

One week post-op quick update!

I really have sooooo much blog-material in my head, but I just can't bring myself to sit here and write yet. So what I'm going to do is paste all of my Facebook status updates pertaining to surgery. I'm a fb nut and fooling around on my phone was all I felt up to. So here's the general gist of my first week.


Reporting to hospital at 6 am tomorrow for 8 am surgery.
7/19 11:19 am

Here I go...
7/20 5:44 am

She's out of surgery and in recovery. Everything went well.
(posted on my page by my husband)
7/20 11:04 am

So that's how you find out you're allergic to morphine.
7/21 10:40 am

Headed home
7/21 7:14 pm

Feel like crap. Drinking water or protein hurts sooo bad. Wish I could have the pain meds from the hospital rather than the useless liquid vicodin.
7/22 9:35 am

This must be what dying feels like
7/22 9:52 am

I think they yanked out my insides, put them in a blender, and shoved em back in.
To those of you who visited in the hospital, the happy me is gone. That was the morphine.
7/22 1:33 pm

I hate being emo but the scent of a fresh bag of chips ahoy cookies just made me start sobbing. Ive woken up from 4 dreams where I was eating food. You wouldn't think my smelling his cookies would make me cry, seeing as a teeny tiny sip of water feels like I swallowed a spewing volcano.
7/22 4:47 pm

EW! is the dr trying to make me gag?! Just attempted to take my normal meds crushed in water as directed. I screamed and spit it out
7/22 9:50 pm

bored. stir crazy already
7/24 7:59

You know how skinny I'd be if you had to pedal to keep the iPhone going?
7/25 9:40 am

I haven't had food of any kind since a week ago today :(
Spoke with my surgeon this morning. I now get a third item allowed on my diet: pedialyte. Oh joy.
7/25 11:40 am

The commercial for "right size smoothies" claims that eating under 1,000 calories a day will "actually make you gain weight, not lose it". Really? Cuz I lost 40 lbs in 3 mos by eating 800 cals a day before surgery :p
7/26 10:11 pm


I promise I'll blog this week. And I no longer think I'm dying or that I made the biggest mistake of my life. The first few days home, without pain meds, were rough. But I'm drinking better and improving daily :)

Surgery in 2 days!

I'm so anxious! My refrigerator and pantry are equipped for the next couple of weeks: