Eric R.
2 Months
Jul 11, 2008
What a roller coaster.
Here's an interesting thought I never thought I'd have: What if you lose 50 lbs in a month. Your back no longer hurts, you feel more alive than you have in forever, and everyone is proud of you. Except your surgeon.
What if you were honest with your surgeon and told him you had had a bad week that including some cheating? His response: I'm the only person he's ever had that's cheated in the first month (at least that had admitted it).
What if 2 months out you are approaching 80 lbs post surgery loss and are dreading your surgeon appointment because you know you've not lost enough?
While I feel my surgeon is awesome. I've had some decent sized hurdles. I was out of work for almost 8 weeks, Chicken, turkey and almost all fish make me throw up and have the foamies to the point I can't eat them, and my gout still hasn't went away ( not to mention my feet are seriously pissed off that I'm trying to stand on them for hours and hours at a time while still being on the wrong side of 450.
Now, with that being said.. HOLY CRAP I'VE LOST ALMOST 80 FREAKING POUNDS!!! Who gives a crap about the rest of that stuff. :)
Here's an interesting thought I never thought I'd have: What if you lose 50 lbs in a month. Your back no longer hurts, you feel more alive than you have in forever, and everyone is proud of you. Except your surgeon.
What if you were honest with your surgeon and told him you had had a bad week that including some cheating? His response: I'm the only person he's ever had that's cheated in the first month (at least that had admitted it).
What if 2 months out you are approaching 80 lbs post surgery loss and are dreading your surgeon appointment because you know you've not lost enough?
While I feel my surgeon is awesome. I've had some decent sized hurdles. I was out of work for almost 8 weeks, Chicken, turkey and almost all fish make me throw up and have the foamies to the point I can't eat them, and my gout still hasn't went away ( not to mention my feet are seriously pissed off that I'm trying to stand on them for hours and hours at a time while still being on the wrong side of 450.
Now, with that being said.. HOLY CRAP I'VE LOST ALMOST 80 FREAKING POUNDS!!! Who gives a crap about the rest of that stuff. :)
Gout? That sucks.
May 23, 2008
So I finally got tired of my ankle and went to the Dr. over it. It just so happened on the day I went to the Dr., my other ankle started hurting. The doctor took some blood and low and behold, I have gout. Good times I guess. Besides medicines, the best treatment for it is weight loss, so I guess it picked a bad time in my life to decide to show itself.
On the diet front, things are going okay. fluids are almost there and protein is there. I've had a stall for the last 5 days or so, and it seems to have been related to the 5 calorie minute maid lemonade drinking I've been doing. So I've switched back to water as of yesterday afternoon to see if I can break the stall.
On the diet front, things are going okay. fluids are almost there and protein is there. I've had a stall for the last 5 days or so, and it seems to have been related to the 5 calorie minute maid lemonade drinking I've been doing. So I've switched back to water as of yesterday afternoon to see if I can break the stall.
Cheating....
May 17, 2008
As I sit here laughing at the fact that I'm going to cheat for dinner, I find some irony in it? I bet you're wondering what I'm going to cheat with aren't you? Candy? Pizza?... Try pureed chicken :)
I start pureed on monday, but for my protein intake, I want to at least try it watered down and soggy. As I sit here today thinking about 3 weeks ago, cheating would have consisted of McDonalds or Chinese. It's a big step, but one that I didn't even realize I was making. There's an icecream cake in the house from somewhere, and I could care less. What a weird and rewarding experience this has been.
I start pureed on monday, but for my protein intake, I want to at least try it watered down and soggy. As I sit here today thinking about 3 weeks ago, cheating would have consisted of McDonalds or Chinese. It's a big step, but one that I didn't even realize I was making. There's an icecream cake in the house from somewhere, and I could care less. What a weird and rewarding experience this has been.
10 days out.
May 16, 2008
I had the drain out yesterday. I expected much worse. For those of you that have one and are awaiting it to come out, look forward to that moment. My side is already feeling better from it.
How's 29 pounds in 10 days sound? I agree. I'm pumped. Now to see if I can stay off the scale. I'm addicted.
I'm still not getting all my protein and water in, but it is getting better every day. Weird to have to tell a 500 pound guy to consume more, but that's all I hear. :)
How's 29 pounds in 10 days sound? I agree. I'm pumped. Now to see if I can stay off the scale. I'm addicted.
I'm still not getting all my protein and water in, but it is getting better every day. Weird to have to tell a 500 pound guy to consume more, but that's all I hear. :)
Full disclosure- med prices
May 10, 2008
Okay. for those of you preop here's something to consider and it needs to probably be weighed into your planning. I don't have the money for it as I had to leave my job to do this, but it's so worth it to me. (I'm guessing it's offset by the eating out that's gone.
Depending on your surgeon/insurance:
Arixtra blood thinner- Retail- $629.53 After insurance- $168.00
Prevacid Retail- $173.99 After insurance- $119.35
Ursodiol Retail $141.99 After insurance- $73.65
Vitamin Regiment- ~75.00 a month not including protein powder
Depending on your surgeon/insurance:
Arixtra blood thinner- Retail- $629.53 After insurance- $168.00
Prevacid Retail- $173.99 After insurance- $119.35
Ursodiol Retail $141.99 After insurance- $73.65
Vitamin Regiment- ~75.00 a month not including protein powder
It's a new day and.. WHAT THE???
May 10, 2008
Okay, the ankle is on the mend, and the JP drain sucks, but that's to be expected. I can't wait till Thursday. Most of the sorenes is gone today, but the JP hurts both on the surface and all the way down. of course I guess that's to be expected and I'll take that any day of the week. Now on to the good stuff.
I feel good today. I've felt really "clean running" ever since the two day fast, and I can remember this feeling from the low carb diet a few years ago. I was bored and decided to go have a heart to heart with the scale. Well, the scale said I've unofficially lost 18 lbs. I'm not sure I believe it, but everyone is already seeing differences in my face arms and stomach. I'll have my official weigh in on thursday, so I think I'll wait to weigh again then and try to see if I can be manly enough not to flat out burst into tears.
For the first time, I'm going to get in trouble for not eating and drinking enough and I've began living in the twilight zone. I wake up in the middle of the night and take a drink from a toddler sippe cup and am so full.. In comparison, this would have been a baconator and large fry or drink or a trip to a Japanese steakhouse. Oh.. and talking about those foods that would have made my start figuring out when I could go? not so much. it's not that I don't want them, I no longer feel the NEED to get them.. and I really don't miss the chewing and eating. I know the food addiction is long from being gone, but it just got a loooot easier to deal with.
I feel good today. I've felt really "clean running" ever since the two day fast, and I can remember this feeling from the low carb diet a few years ago. I was bored and decided to go have a heart to heart with the scale. Well, the scale said I've unofficially lost 18 lbs. I'm not sure I believe it, but everyone is already seeing differences in my face arms and stomach. I'll have my official weigh in on thursday, so I think I'll wait to weigh again then and try to see if I can be manly enough not to flat out burst into tears.
For the first time, I'm going to get in trouble for not eating and drinking enough and I've began living in the twilight zone. I wake up in the middle of the night and take a drink from a toddler sippe cup and am so full.. In comparison, this would have been a baconator and large fry or drink or a trip to a Japanese steakhouse. Oh.. and talking about those foods that would have made my start figuring out when I could go? not so much. it's not that I don't want them, I no longer feel the NEED to get them.. and I really don't miss the chewing and eating. I know the food addiction is long from being gone, but it just got a loooot easier to deal with.
so I lied...
May 09, 2008
It seems everyone is totally different. Were it not from my ankle, I could have flown up and down the halls, while other people struggled barely walking.. Flash forward to friday.. My stomach is SO sore.. and today is the 3 and 1/2 hour drive home. man oh man that's the longest trip to nashville I've ever taken.
On another note, if you can get the water sipping down now, go for it. I'm struggling so hard with this. For those of you that don't know.. you stomach is OMG I'M busting at 3-4 cola cap lids full of water. It seems once I get full, it takes forever to get unfull, so I get behind on the water. it'd a weeeird experience.
For the 60+ BMI guys, if you want to PM the more personal questions you've been looking for the answers for, I can answer then now, and there's some stuff I didn't expect and stuff that wasn't as bad as I thought.
On another note, if you can get the water sipping down now, go for it. I'm struggling so hard with this. For those of you that don't know.. you stomach is OMG I'M busting at 3-4 cola cap lids full of water. It seems once I get full, it takes forever to get unfull, so I get behind on the water. it'd a weeeird experience.
For the 60+ BMI guys, if you want to PM the more personal questions you've been looking for the answers for, I can answer then now, and there's some stuff I didn't expect and stuff that wasn't as bad as I thought.
done.
May 08, 2008
Wow.. Had I known how easy this was going to be, I wouldn't have stressed. Dr. Houston was able to do it lap, and I have a drain. I've two issues currently... 1, I've sprained by ankle sometime while I was here, and that is making the waling a painful experience. So far, the nurses have sad I have done wonderful and should be going home early in the am.. I'll post more from home.
Thank you ALL for your prayers.
Thank you ALL for your prayers.
24 hours.
May 04, 2008
24 hours from now, the surgeon will be knee deep in me and my new life begins. Two days of pure liquids down, 10 more or so to go!
5 days
May 02, 2008
You would think after 29 years of eating everything I wanted, I could stop and say "Self, put the fork down". My surgeon required a 48 hour liquid diet beforehand and overall weight loss beforehand.
I'm not sure how many " last time I'm having xxxxxx" in the last two weeks, but it's a LOT more than I'm comfortable admitting.
I had decided that with my size, 10 days of the post op diet of clear liquids would do me some good. I managed to change this slightly to 1 meat a day and liquids the rest of the time for the first two days and somehow it all fell apart the last two days. I'm back on track as of today and hope I can keep it together for the next few days. I hope this gets easier after the RNY... Which leads into my next thought..
Someone my size should be scared to death about dying and the procedure and what could go "wrong".. It's natural to try to keep ourselves out of danger, and let's be honest, there's danger. I think for myself my biggest fear is me.
How in the world do I think that the guy I shower with every morning is going to be ANY different post surgery than pre surgery? I was on phenteramine for about a year and during that year my thought process was normal.. I didn't wake up and the first thing in my head was "Woohoo, what's for breakfast!?" and the second being "What's for lunch!?" For the first time in my life I forgot to eat or plan things around eating..
Now, I'm having WLS and putting food back on the front burner.. Counting calories protien, water, timing my meals. I think that I can do it and stick with it, but I really wished I could edit that and say I KNOW
As I sit here and I think about it.. I guess my issue is that I trust the surgerons and their staff because they've been able to do it correctly time and time again, but somewhere along the line with trying myself, I've fell short by about 630,000 calories over the course of my life.
I'm not sure how many " last time I'm having xxxxxx" in the last two weeks, but it's a LOT more than I'm comfortable admitting.
I had decided that with my size, 10 days of the post op diet of clear liquids would do me some good. I managed to change this slightly to 1 meat a day and liquids the rest of the time for the first two days and somehow it all fell apart the last two days. I'm back on track as of today and hope I can keep it together for the next few days. I hope this gets easier after the RNY... Which leads into my next thought..
Someone my size should be scared to death about dying and the procedure and what could go "wrong".. It's natural to try to keep ourselves out of danger, and let's be honest, there's danger. I think for myself my biggest fear is me.
How in the world do I think that the guy I shower with every morning is going to be ANY different post surgery than pre surgery? I was on phenteramine for about a year and during that year my thought process was normal.. I didn't wake up and the first thing in my head was "Woohoo, what's for breakfast!?" and the second being "What's for lunch!?" For the first time in my life I forgot to eat or plan things around eating..
Now, I'm having WLS and putting food back on the front burner.. Counting calories protien, water, timing my meals. I think that I can do it and stick with it, but I really wished I could edit that and say I KNOW
As I sit here and I think about it.. I guess my issue is that I trust the surgerons and their staff because they've been able to do it correctly time and time again, but somewhere along the line with trying myself, I've fell short by about 630,000 calories over the course of my life.
