ONEDERLAND



Not past this sort of attitude - but on my way...

 My body is in onederland.

That is fat speak for making it out of the 200 pound range into the 199 and lower range! 

It is the promised land for many of us.  And a place I have not seen since the early 1990's.  Now let's see if I can make it to a weight I have not seen since the 1980's...

3 MONTHS POST OP WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY

I finally hit the 3 months mark this week.  I don't know why it feels like such a milestone, but it does.  I guess it is the point where most post-op's feel more settled in, get the labs done and the mystery of how the body is handling things is illuminated.

I feel settled in some ways, but my bowels are still a daily question.  I have been trying to decide if I am lactose intolerant and can't determine an answer.  I have yet to determine the issues behind the days I am in the bathroom repeatedly vs. the more normal days.

I managed to eat two bites of beef stew meat* but then last night some roasted chicken upset my stomach.  I can only eat a couple of bites of egg and many foods still set off my gag reflex.  One day I can eat smoked salmon with a little cream cheese and the next day I can't.  I did have a couple of salads this week - it was so great to have that fresh, clean crunch again.  The salads may have been behind the gastric distress - but they were worth it! So each day is still an adventure.

The small amounts I can eat also pose issues.  I made a batch of "protein pancakes" on Sunday.  The entire  batch is a serving - 6 little pancakes.  I could eat 2.  So the breakfast I had hoped would be 19 grams of protein was only 6.

I finally got my special order potassium supplement from the pharmacy and started it on Friday.  It is just awful stuff.  "Fruit flavored" stuff to mix into water or whatever and it is sour and gross.  I experimented with adding it to different things this weekend with little success.  It is going to be a hard thing to take every single day...

But I am focused on the pleasures.  My grapefruit, more salads, a little pile of sunflower seeds I munch at my desk.  Not to mention that I am down 78 pounds.  My closet is pretty empty and I can't even believe the stuff in there fits me - it all looks so small!



* I make all kinds of things for my husband's dinner, including beef which is not yet advised post-op.  I tasted a couple of bites for tenderness...

A COMPLIMENT?

I went to a meeting last night for the new business I am starting.  I saved a seat for my friend and was keeping an eye out for her arrival.

I missed seeing her come in the door but saw her approach from the other direction.  Apparently she didn't recognise me when she came in.  I asked her if I really looked so different - she gave me an "are you kidding me?" look.

It is hard to see it in ourselves.  I certainly see it in my clothes,  most of which are hanging off me or new.  I feel it when I am putting lotion on after a shower; seems like every week I feel new bones emerging.  I even noticed that my behind hurt after a long drive - that big ole' cushion is missing!

But to look so different that someone who has known me for 10 years had trouble picking me out in a crowd?  Wow.

AN OLD LOVE IS BACK IN THE DIET

One of the many things I did to prepare for my weight loss surgery was to get off the prescription drugs I had been taking for atypical migraine and for high blood pressure.  Those medications restricted me from eating grapefruit - which I have always adored.  So for about 13 years I have not had grapefruit - until today. 

I was in the produce section of the store and saw these little cartons of red grapefruit (unsweetened) and it suddenly came to me that I could eat it again!  I bought one little container to see how I tolerated it, and it was heaven.  I thought about it all day and stopped on the way home and bought a big container - equivalent to 10 grapefruits. 

I just had some more for dessert!

LABS ARE BACK!

I got my labs back already and all but one thing is in the normal range. My potassium is very low and he doc has prescribed an additional supplement for me.

So what does it mean to have a potassium deficiency or Hypokalemia?  I looked it up:

 A medical condition in which our body fails to retain the amount of potassium required for its day-to-day functioning is called potassium deficiency or hypokalemia. This deficiency of potassium in body can be fatal considering it has a crucial role to play in various body functions - all of which are bound to be affected by the lack of this mineral in the body.

Fortunately my levels, while low, have not persisted long enough for me to have most of the possible symptoms or side-effects, which include:

• Myalgia (muscle pain), muscular weakness and cramps.
• Cardiac arrhythmia i.e. abnormal rate of muscle contractions in the heart.
• Unexplained fatigue and weakness
• Hyponatremia, which may or may not be accompanied by anxiety.
• Impairs nerve transmission and deteriorated nervous system, which, in turn, results in confusion and delirium.
• Skin related problems such as blistering, skin eruptions, dryness of skin, acne, etc.
• Temporary memory loss or other problems like weak memory, difficulty in concentration, etc.
• Sleeplessness and irritability
• Intestinal or lung paralysis
• Heart related problems, such as heart deterioration.
• Increase the risk of high blood pressure
• Ringing noise in the ear at times

I have had very dry skin since the surgery, other than that, some sleepless nights and irritability but nothing I haven't experienced before!  No unusual muscle pain but I do think I have been slow to recover from my new work-outs. I am off BP meds but my blood pressure is down to the high/normal range.  So this should protect my heart health, too.

 One of the great fears of making this great change to my physiology has been that I would loose not only weight but my health. I am thrilled that all the other areas tested were in normal ranges and that an additional supplement will help with this issue.

MEDICAL STUFF



13 of these!

 My company switched back to Kaiser insurance and I signed up for a new doctor.  I couldn't believe my luck that among the 5 or 6 doctors taking new patients there was Dr. Vij - who specializes in obesity and nutrition!  I had my first appointment with him to see if he would do my periodic labs (every 3 months the first year for post -op weight loss surgery patients who have done the malabsorptive component.) I am 3 months post-op as of Wednesday!

He was great.  Understanding, knowledgeable and helpful.  He understood about the labs and was just wondering why I had gone to Mexico for Bariatric Surgery when Kaiser does it.  What?  I had been told for years by 2 different doctors that Kaiser didn't do weight loss surgery only "patient education" and liquid diet plans that aren't covered by any plans.  He was amazed and looked to see who my previous docs were - wonder if he will say something to them?

Anyway, had my blood drawn this morning - 13 vials of it. I had a student doing the draw.  He got quite a work out!  Results soon - looking forward to seeing if I am holding my own, nutrition wise.

YUMMM!

Just had this soup for lunch and I am thinking I might run out to the store to get more...so good.  It is two servings which I ate about an hour apart - so I got a whopping 18 grams of protein from this meal.  I especially liked the crunch of water chestnuts.  The mushrooms are a bit few and far between but there are some nice big carrots and other tasty veggies and chunks of chicken. The broth is super delicious...okay - going back to the store for more!

HURTS SO GOOD



None of these beautiful butts are mine!!

 I went to my new gym -  Club One Pleasanton - this morning to try the  Barre class.  I have spent the rest of the day sore and hobbling a bit...not a class for the arthritic knees.  But I did it.  I adjusted as best I could and made it through the entire class. 



No wonder I am sore...



The instructor, one of the owners of the gym, complimented me on the flexibility portions and I explained about the cranky old knees.  She said it varies each time and so there isn't always so much balancing on one leg, so I will be back. 

I am also looking forward to meeting the trainer, Jesse, who everyone raves about. He works kind of regular business hours so I am not sure when I am going to be able to catch up with him...



Oh my - I just lifted my arms up and they are so sore!  Going back tomorrow...

FOOD NOW

I was on You Tube looking at some videos a friend directed me to - nothing to do with weight loss or surgery - but I saw there were also some videos done by weight loss surgery post-op people so I clicked over.  Guess those Internet cookies do hook people in...

Anyway.  there was a young woman talking about her experience 12 weeks out from surgery. She sounded very sad and I can relate.  While it is exciting to lose weight at such a fast pace, to hear the compliments from others - having your world turned upside down is difficult.  For many people, food is a pleasure.  Planning meals, cooking and eating is a big part of our lives. Those of us who indulge in too much food have a set of problems that people who can enjoy without going overboard don't have.

One of the little talked about effects of weight loss surgery is that you not only lose your appetite, you lose your enjoyment.  Things taste different, things you liked to eat not only don't taste the same they make you feel bad when you eat them.  And I am not talking about indulgences - I mean things like eggs or yogurt or chicken.

The young woman in the video was sad about this, worried that it wouldn't change back and she wouldn't achieve her dream of becoming a chef because of it. I worry , too.  I struggle to get the 800 calories a day I am supposed to be eating.  Most days I don't.  It is hard to eat when you feel bad and nothing tastes right. 

I went to the movies the other night and took a chance on a small bag of popcorn. I felt pleasure in food for the first time in 10 weeks.  It tasted good.  I nibbled slowly and made it through almost half the bag in the 3 hours I sat there.  I am not "supposed to" be eating carbs - but  it was worth bending the rules to know I could feel that pleasure again. Then yesterday I was cutting up a pineapple and I ate 3 chunks of it - oh, my.  It was so good. 

So the old pleasure is there to be had - right now not in the protein foods I need to be focused on, but it's there waiting for me to be healed and healthy again.