Weigh In Wednesday - April 29, 2015

Hello everyone! Today is the four-month anniversary of my sleeve surgery. Prior to surgery, I was on a liquid food diet and had lost 20 pounds. I have now lost a total of 33 pounds post-surgery and 53 total overall and am really happy. I am really proud of my progress to date. Although I have had a few upsets, I have continually lost weight.

I started exercising by walking around my apartment complex twice, which was  exactly one mile. During my initial walks, I was out of breath and my feet hurt. I couldn't wait to get back inside my home. However, I continued to go out.  Eventually, I became bored with walking around my complex, so I started to walk up the street. Before I knew it, I was walking three miles, then four and five. Now I walk up to six miles! Yes, I'm exhausted and my feet still hurt when I am done, but I couldn't be more proud of my accomplishments. Prior to surgery, I would have never gone out walking , much less six miles of it.  Here is a link to today's walk which included my BFF Andi:  http://www.mapmywalk.com/workout/965073879

Yesterday, I saw one of my neighbors out walking. I was so happy for this neighbor because prior to that when I saw her, she was sitting down by the office chatting with the neighbors. I am proud that she is walking or following my example after seeing me go out.  

Today, I weighed myself, and I'm at 209.8 pounds. My family tells me that if I get down to 200 pounds, we will celebrate, so I chose my celebration of choice. I told my family I wanted to hike to Paradise Falls in Thousand Oaks, CA. This is a one-mile hike, and although it sounds simple, I hope it will have an incline and give us a good workout.  

As for my diet, I rarely have liquid meals anymore, but when I'm busy, I will have one to make sure I stay healthy. The drink I buy is from Costco and has 30 grams of protein. When I do eat, I forget that I'm post-surgery and tend to eat either too fast or too much, and 99% of the time, I throw up my food. This happened today. I had a hot dog, but I only ate half of it before some of it came back up.  

I sometimes cheat and have candy, because I often get a sour stomach. I have found that the Sees peppermint chocolates are the only thing that calms my stomach. Of course, I don't stop at just one candy, and the scale shows my cheating ways.  

I've gone down a couple pant sizes, and since I don't have any plans to return to my old weight, I've decided to either sell or give away the clothes that no longer fit me. When I weighed almost 300 pounds, I wore a size 26 pant. Now, I wear a size 18.  

Last week, I attended a support group sponsored by my doctor. I found this very comforting; it was good to hear other people’s stories. After the session, one of the people in the group found me on Facebook and we starting communicating. She is just starting on her weight-loss journey and has questions that I am more than happy to answer.  

I wish you and yours all the best. If you want to walk and need a partner or just want to discuss the strategies that are working for me, please look me up. I'm more than happy to share.  

Weigh In Wednesday - February 18, 2015

My last blog entry (two weeks ago) indicated that I was going to see my primary doctor for a follow-up after my emergency room visit.  I recounted what happened to him and he told me that I would just need to stay on liquids a bit longer.  If you recall, I mentioned that my post-surgery diet allowed me to have eggs and tuna at this point.  Therefore, I will continue to drink my protein drink and slowly eat very soft foods.  I was pleasantly surprised to not have to continue more tests and that it was all just a simple answer.

Also, because I was out sick for two weeks, I didn't exercise or walk at all during that time.  I have slowly gotten back into it, however, I'm trying to get back into the two-mile range again which is where I left off.  On Feb. 9^th, my goals were to walk the two miles and to reach the Camarillo post office.  I did both!  I have since completed the two miles on a regular basis.  Some days it is harder than on other days, but I still get it done.

My new friend, Dave, told me today that he wants to join me on my walks.  He says he can only go around twice which is fine with me.  I'm just glad he was the one who suggested this on his own after seeing me walk every day.

On the down side, I tried to eat some vermicelli noodles in tomato sauce (fideo) and again, as if I had not learned from my own words, I ate too fast and too much and it all came back out again.  I wish I had a magic tool to help me remember.  I know I'm supposed to be on liquids, but still . . . 

During the two weeks that I was sick, I had lost so much weight that now that I'm better, I am noticing a two- or three-pound gain up one day and down the next.  Today, however, I am down to 220.2; I, therefore, lost a whopping ONE pound!  Oh well, so long as I'm moving down, I'm happy.  

As some if you know, pre-surgery, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea.  This is a bad situation for a person like me who drives a lot.  I can fall asleep at the wheel.  The good news is that with the weight loss to date, I was able to put away the C-PAP machine as I am now getting a full night’s rest without it.  

Pants size . . .  I am now down to a size 18 pants.  I recently went through my closet and posted for sale all the big sizes.  I had gone all the way up to a size 24!!!  

Men . . .  On the up side, I've been getting the attention of men that almost never happened before . . .  The other day at the bank, a man did a double take and took the time to say hello.  I can only say it felt good.  Big cheesy smile.  If you are my Facebook friend, you also know that Dave has asked me out for lunch or dinner.  Of course, he has to wait until I can eat a regular meal.  In the meantime, he will join me on my walks.  

Weigh In Wednesday - February 4, 2015

In this day and age, there is a You Tube video for everything.  Here is one from the Sleeve Surgery I had:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMlxhICaG0s

It's been two weeks since I last posted.  The reason is that I picked up a cold, and to top that off, I also went to Urgent Care twice and to the Emergency Room once.  At the latter, I was diagnosed with ileus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileus.  Basically, it was the reason I lost all desire to eat.  My intestines had fallen asleep!  The doctor gave me an injection, and I also got a prescription filled for the same drug.  Unfortunately, the drug caused me to become really dizzy, and the room was spinning in different directions.  I stopped taking the medication and felt better.  I can eat, but I am limited to mostly smoothies.  If I try to eat, it comes right back.  Tomorrow, I have an appointment with my primary care physician and, lucky me, will have to review all the details again for him.  

On an up note, being unable to eat, I also lost a few pounds.  Today, I weighed myself and I'm at 221.2.  This means that since I started seeing Dr. Sanchez, I am down by 38.8 pounds.  Since I lost 20 pounds before surgery, I have really lost 18 pounds post-surgery. 

I weighed 298 lbs in this pic.
Taken 06/06/2012.  

I also wanted to post some full body pics, so if I get a chance, I'll do that so you can compare.  I'll start with a pic from when I weighed 298, then a pic after the lap band, and, of course, a pic now.  

. 

When I hiked up to
Tarantula Hill in Thousand Oaks.
09/09/2012.  

This was taken today
02/05/2015.

Finally, my walking has gone from one mile to two miles.  It was zero for the two weeks of illness and is back to 1.5 miles today.  I'm happy to report that I had no cough during my walk, but I was winded and had to stop a couple of times.  The good part is that I chose the beach for today's walk, and it was as beautiful as ever!  

Here's the walk data from my walk today:  http://www.mapmywalk.com/workout/865405311

Have a great week everyone!

QUOTE:  Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you...

I also found another video of the largest woman in the world.  This one however is much longer in length, but in my opinion worth watching.  This will surely open your eyes to the world of obesity.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik-RYOy7nME

Weigh In Wednesday - Jan. 21, 2015

Walking and more walking.   If there’s one thing I’m committed to, it’s walking for at least 30 minutes per day.  I try to change my route to break the boredom.  Sometimes, my feet hurt, and at other times, at the end of my walk, my back hurts.  Otherwise, I really enjoy the fresh air and the wonderful feeling afterwards.  I also use the MapMyWalk APP, and it works wonders.  It counts my steps, tells me my time and speed, and shows a picture of my route.  This allows me to share this information on my Facebook page for weight loss, as well as with another group that I joined at the beginning of the year.  

January 12 – Today, I am two weeks post-surgery.  As such, I was allowed to add tuna, egg, cottage cheese, canned fruit, and mashed or blended vegetables to my menu.  I was really happy as I was not only craving certain foods but I also felt the desire  to chew.  I chose tuna today.  I am allowed 1/3 – 1/4 of a cup.  I prepared it with olive oil mayo from Whole Foods.  It contains only 35 calories per serving, and it tastes fantastic.  I also added pickles and onions (chopped super fine).

The tuna was fantastic, however, after eating two small spoonsful, I went running to the bathroom.  Sadly, I had to throw up.  I soon realized that I was supposed to eat my food slowly . . .  no, very slowly, over 30 minutes!  This issue of eating too fast has arisen on other days since this because I just don't seem to get it.  Throwing up is, however, a horrific experience and not something I like doing.  I therefore try to remember.  

January 13 – This morning, I had one scrambled egg.  The instructions were to make it soft, so I added a little bit of milk to the mixture.  It took me 45 minutes to eat the meal, but it was incident free.

January 14 – Today, I visited my rheumatoid arthritis doctor (Dr. Mory).  When she asked about my surgery, I offered to show her my surgery marks/scabs.  She looked at the one that once held the drain and was slightly concerned as puss was still coming out of the wound.  She versed me on what to look for and when to go back to the doctor should any of those things show up.  I am happy to report that, as of today, the wound is closing up and there's just a pencil-sized hole left.  

I also asked Dr. Mory about my RA.  Every time I go see her, which is every three months, she doesn't see any RA swelling or hot spots in the areas that should have these.  Like a dummy, I asked her if I still had the RA.  She smiled and answered, “Yes, this is a lifelong event.”  I will always have it!  However, she did tell me that the meds (Enbrel and Methotrextate) will keep my illness at bay.

Dr. Mory is a fantastic doctor.  I have been seeing her for several years now.  She has a big heart and has helped me out of some serious predicaments, including some severe knee pain—and all this when other doctors refused to do anything about them.  

I continue to conduct my mystery shopping assignments, which include lots of restaurants and burger places.  The only difference is that I don't eat any of the food I order; I bring it home and hand it over to my twin sons, who are more than happy to have it.  :)  

When I reached my lowest from the Lap Band surgery, I was 229 pounds.  Today, I weighed myself, and I am at 229.2 pounds.  I'm happy with the results and look forward to reaching my goal of 150 soon.  Also, because my iPhone got wet, this last picture from yesterday is what I can post until I get it fixed. Next week, I reach the one-month anniversary of my surgery.  Along with the blog, I will also post a full body picture.  Oh dear!  ;)

Yesterday, my BFF, Andi Flores, stopped by with a gift for me.  Inside the bag, was a Veggetti, a beautiful card, and a diary in which to write down my thoughts.  The diary was titled "We were born to succeed, not to fail."  The gift was totally unexpected but welcomed, none the less.  Andi has been a constant in my life throughout the years.  She was present at my daughter's wedding, and when I couldn't bring myself to say a few words, Andi stepped up to the plate and did it for me.  Andi was also around at my lowest time, the passing of my son-in-law.  Andi is a part-time photographer, and she offered to take pictures at the Celebration of Life.  She did this without being asked, and I'll always remember her generosity and the time she sacrificed.  Andi, I love you girl!  

Weigh In Wednesday - Jan. 14, 2015

 January 8: Today I went to see my weight-loss surgeon, Dr. Sanchez. It was my post-op appointment to see how I was doing and to remove the drain. Boy, was I super-happy to have that thing off! Dr. Sanchez told me that having it removed would also remove the pain. I instantly felt better, but upon arriving home, I still took more pain meds just to deal with the residual effects of it all.

Another thing I found was that I was supposed to have a bowel movement by this time. Therefore, the doctor suggested I take some stool softener pills, drink more water, and walk around a lot more. I didn’t do the walking because I was so darn cold. Although water is my drink of choice—after coffee, of course—I had a hard time drinking it. I couldn’t drink coffee, according to the rules, and the water that I normally gulp down had to be drunk in a small capful. Boy, was that frustrating, and I just didn’t do it. I’m doing much better with water consumption today.

I mentioned the drain leaking in an earlier post. This of course will go away with its removal and healing.

Finally, I have this small bump on my left wrist or just above my wrist. I asked the RN if it was a bruised vein from the nurses’ trying to find a vein. She confirmed that, calling it a hematoma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematoma).

The doctor told me that my weight loss is good for post-surgery, but that it would have been more had I taken more water. My follow-up appointment is in 30 days, with his nurse practitioner. I see the doctor and NP every other visit.

January 9: 1,250 steps is what it took for me to walk around my apartment complex. All I can say is, That was exhausting! The following link will lead you to my other walking events: http://www.mapmywalk.com/my_home/#user_dashboard

Regarding my weight loss, I discovered I was reading my scale incorrectly. Normally, a person gets on the scale and reads it. This scale, however, has options for other family members to record their weight. Therefore, I have to wait until the blue light shows up and then take a picture. Because of this, my previous weight measurements were wrong. However, the picture is correct.

Have a great week!  

Weigh In Wednesday - Jan. 7, 2015

I would like to start this post by thanking some very important people in my life.  Without stating their last names, I am sure they will know to whom I am referring.  These are the people who wrote to me with offers of help after my surgery.  Although I did not take them up on it, I still consider their thoughtfulness a blessing.  

- Without a doubt, my children have been the most helpful.  Thank you, Lupe and Daniel!  Rebekah had to return home, so she wasn’t available to do much.  

- Andi (Andrea).  Your honest and heartfelt offers were truly a blessing.  I was able to feel your honesty in each of them.  

- Stefanie, my Bella.  You are not only my sushi lunch friend; you also called and sent texts to check up on me.  

- Angelica.  Amongst all the things that keep her busy and with tax season coming up, she still found time to say hey.  

- Naomi.  Thank you for your text.  The fact that you sent a text and offered to help was great just the same!  

- Mario, “my brother from another mother.”  Thank you for checking up on me.  

- Maribel.  Thank you for the FB private message.  I appreciated your encouragement.  

- Lucy, my rediscovered friend.  Thank you for the text message and for checking up on me.  

- Constantino.  Thank you for the FB message.  

- Lupe, my old neighborhood friend.  Thank you for the FB message.  

- Thomas, from the old Ventura Group.  Thank you for the FB message and the encouragement.  

- Mickie.  Your prayers and hello were much appreciated.  

- Maria (Lupe).  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  

- Cande.  You called when I was post-surgery for two hours.  That was okay.  Even though I couldn’t answer your call, I appreciated the thought and the voicemail message.  

- Silencio, my new FB friend.  Thank you for the prayers and encouragement.  Si, Se Puede!  

- Aldo.  Thank you for thinking of me on my surgery date.  Your FB message was cool!  

- Leonard.  Thank you for the jokes and the text checking up on me.  I really appreciated it!  

- Eliseo.  Gracias por la llamada para saber como estaba.  

- Dan & Elisa.  Thanks for the home visit and the offer to pay for my mani/pedi.  

- Wowi (my momma).  Gracias por la vista y por el dinero que me diste para Navidad! 

- Ana.   Thank you for the private FB message checking up on me.  

POST-OPERATIVE PAIN  

 Surgery was on the 29^th, and I came home on the 30^th.  I didn’t realize it, but I was still flying high on the pain meds that were given to me, and I felt like Superwoman.  By Friday the 2^nd, I had scheduled a shoe shop  in Newbury Park.  I was aware of the meds, so being as my son Daniel had the day off, I had him drive me around.  It wasn’t easy, but we did it.  

On Saturday the 3^rd, I went to Ventura to have my roots colored and hair curled.  Who does that?  I still had my post surgery drain on and had to hide it from the students.  It was all worth it, however, because the ladies did a fantastic job on my hair.  

On Sunday the 4^th, I had four restaurant shop assignments (two breakfasts and two dinners) and two grocery store assignments.  By this time, I was feeling invincible and drove myself.  Of course, I was off the liquid pain meds by then, so I was not a risk to other drivers.  

Monday the 5^th had me back in the doctor’s office visiting his RN.  My drain incision had been leaking all this time.  By email, she had been informing me what to do and how to care for it; however, by the time Monday rolled around, I had to see her.  Also, by that time, I was in severe pain again.  There must be a reason why they tell you to sit and relax.  Well, I found out the hard way.  After I saw the RN and, yes, conducted one more shopping assignmnet on my calendar, I went home, took some pain medicine, and fell asleep!  

It is now Wednesday the 7^th. My boys have come to visit, which is very nice, but I am feeling a bit of cabin fever.  Therefore, I took a load of wash and said hello to a couple of the seniors sitting around my apartment complex.  I haven’t told any of the “regulars” that I talk to about my surgery, so, of course, they wonder and ask how I’m doing.  I just tell them I’m tired, which is true, of course.  

WEIGH IN WEDNESDAY

I have decided to post a scale picture of what I weigh each Wednesday.  Pre-surgery, I was 260 lbs.  In order to get approval for surgery, I needed to lose 10 lbs., being at 250 lbs. or less.  The liquid diet allowed me to lose more weight, and I was at 239.6 lbs. on the day of my surgery.  Today, I am 227.8 lbs., a whopping 32 lbs. total or 11.8 lbs. post-surgery!  I thank you in advance for your congratulations!  

Last but not least, I would like to thank the following people who wrote on my hospital posts by either liking them or by making a comment: 

Karen A; Juanita F; Leonard A; Timothy B; Cecilia A; Paula S; Carrie B; Linda R; Ruben C; Juanita C; Aldo C; Jeannette C; Jose C; Minna C; Lupe A; Angie C; Sally B; Adele S; Rita G; Ingrid W; Exie D; Betty E; Ojay F; Andrea F; Leticia F; Diana R; Dianne C; Veronica F; Melba F; Constantino G; Dagoberto F; Maryzol G; Sanjuana G; Carmen G; Ramiro G; Tom H; Maria R; Janice H; Maria I; Arlene J; AlexSandra E; Juanita L; Bertha L; Judy M; Vilma L; Luz L; Patty M; Malu M; Patsy M; Maribel M; Stella M; Mickie M; Mario M; Kennia M; David M; Nancy M; Joe M; Kay H; Grace R; Janine M; Cindy Ojeda; Jesus O; Thomas O; Lonny P; Mary O; Jen P; Linda H; Silencio P; Katrina P; Carmen R; Jorge R; Ana S; Karen R; Patricia R; Susie R; Mary Ellen R; Estella T; JoAnn Foster; Berdy S; Lisa W; Maria Lupe V; Joann T; Rosie T; Rami M; Dora V; Lucy V; Michelle W; Beth W; Jeff W; Kathy W; Connie C; Jay and Gina Z.  

Sleeve Surgery - Mission Accomplished!

My last post was nine months ago when I mentioned that I visited Dr. Sanchez for possible sleeve surgery. What happened between then and now goes as follows:

-         I weighed 260 pounds on this visit (this was up from 229). 

-         I visited the psychiatrist for surgery clearance (Dr. Bale).

-         I visited the weight doctor for medical clearance (Dr. Rory). 

-         I visited the nutritionist (two different ones, Ann and Barbara) for eating advice and counseling. 

After all of this, I still gained weight. It got so bad that the nurse practitioner at Dr. Sanchez's office told me that if I didn't start to take this seriously, she would postpone my surgery. And sure enough she did! It had been scheduled for August 25. I went to my next appointment, this time with Dr. Sanchez, and he told me that if I could lose 10 pounds in two weeks, he would reinstate the surgery for a new date. I told him to give me three weeks. When I returned, I had lost only nine pounds. His nurse told me to go back home and try again. When I returned a week later, I had the 10 pounds off and the surgery was scheduled.

**Here's my weight on 12/17/2014**

Next, the doctor's RN sent me the surgery paperwork, which included more blood work and an EKG. She also put me on an all-liquid diet for the two weeks prior to surgery. Because of the liquid diet, I lost a further 20 pounds. You would have thought I could cancel the surgery and just continue with the liquids, but I know—and as you have read—I am not capable of eating correctly on my own. 

**Here's my weight on 1/2/2015 **

The surgery was scheduled for 7:00 a.m., but I wasn't wheeled in until 9:30 a.m. When I came out, I was in a fog from all the meds. I stayed a night, and the next afternoon, I went home. Besides my children who stopped in for a brief moment, I had no visitors, which was a little sad for me. I did, however, get several messages with offers of help. During my hospital time, the nurses kept coming in for the mandatory blood pressure checks. At one point, my pressure had gone alarmingly low, and they came in every 30 minutes until I wasn't a risk anymore. The hospital was extremely cold, and I kept covering myself completely and asked for several blankets. Even the staff complained about the temperature.

Here's a pic of the drain.
The color has become a light orange as expected.  

Today, I am six days post-surgery. I still have the drain on my body, and that will be removed on the eighth when I visit Dr. Sanchez again. Today I weighed myself again, and I am down to 236.2.