6 mo. post-op and Bariatric Betty's Birthday (+ pics)

Today is both my 6 month post-op appointment, and my 42nd birthday.  This is what I looked like at my birthday with my family at First Watch last year:

I had just started looking into bariatric surgery, was looking forward to my first information session and already knew that if I did it, this might be the very last birthday cake of my life.  Being diabetic at the time, I couldn't have much, but I did enjoy that carrot cake.   I was 243 pounds.

This year I celebrated my birthday with my family at an Indian's Game at Progressive Field this weekend.  My mom (the person laughing hysterically in the picture below) brought her "birthday hat" which I consented to wear for the picture.  That's my brother who was kind enough to acknowledge he was related to both of us.

When I was getting ready for the game I realized that I didn't have an Indian's shirt in my size any more.  I asked my son if I could try on one of his, a men's Medium, and it fit! Last year I would have worn a men's XL or XXL.   I had a lot of NSVs that day.  My favorite was realizing that when all the kids and I went to go to the batting cages, we could climb over empty seats and (wait for it) climb BETWEEN the bars of a railing instead of making people in the row stand up for us to get out.  I stood there looking at those bars for about 10 seconds before I suggested it.  I kept thinking "OK, those bars are about 16 inches apart.  You know you should be able to get through there now." before I really believed I could do it - and then I proved myself right! 


This morning as people wished me a happy 42nd birthday I realized that I am healthier, in better shape, and happier than I was at 22.  How wild is that?!?


Today at my 6 month post-op appointment I found out I have lost 67% of my excess weight - 60 pounds since surgery for a grand total of 89!  At 5'2" and 154 pounds the doctor was very impressed.  I told him that while I would be fine staying this weight, I'm going to keep working the program and just see where my body ends up.  My ego would like to lose 11 more pounds at least so that I could say "I lost 100 pounds!".  My brain has decided that my body fat measurement is a better indicator of success for me at this point than the scale.  My goal is to hit 25% body fat or less.  I'm at 30% right now, and weight loss has definitely slowed down.  I only lost 17 pounds over this past 3 months, but I also lost over 5% in body fat.   I'm hoping I can get the next 5% off by my surgiversary.  I also signed up to be an "angel" to new bariatric patients - being willing to talk with them over the phone about my experience, and visit them in the hospital.


I jogged 28 minutes today, even though I considered taking the day off from training with the combination of appointments and my birthday - but then I realized that keeping my momentum going meant more to me than sitting at home relaxing.  I hummed the olympic theme again to myself on my final lap, and my boys told me "Good Job, Mom!".  As a birthday favor, they didn't complain about training today ;) 


I made a new composite picture - unfortunately when my computer's hard drive died a couple months ago I lost my "doorway" preop picture (you can see it to the left of this post on the previous composite), but I found one from last Christmas that shows most of me.  This is my PreOp/ 1 month post/ 4 month post/ 6 month post-op composite picture. 

I couldn't have gotten this far without the support of my husband Albert, my family, my friends, my mentor JoJo, and my online and in-person support groups.  Thank you so much for helping me re-start my life.  I'm not done, and I'm sure I will have challenges and bumps in the road, but I can't believe how far I've come already.  In my wildest dreams I didn't imagine that this much would have changed in 6 months. 

Bariatric Betty has new pictures!

OK, this is a composite I made of pictures from me pre-op (20 pounds lost), 1 month post-op (total of 40 pounds lost), and 4 months post-op (total of 77 pounds lost).

Per my 11 year old son, looking over my shoulder "You look better!"  Thanks, honey. 

We started week 2 of Couch to 5K training today and it kicked things up a notch.  I was definitely sweating more than I was on the last two workouts.  We just increased the length of time we jog/ walk by 30 seconds each - but when you were only jogging 60 seconds at a time and that changes to 90 seconds, you notice! 

One of the surprise benefits of training with my boys is that we are getting positive feedback from community members observing us at the Rec Center.  Twice now people have asked if I'm their coach to which I've replied "I'm Coach Mom".  Then they've gone on to talk about how cool it is to see a family doing something like this together, how healthy it is, etc.  That's fun to hear, but it's even better for my sons to hear.  My younger son is the more reluctant participant of our group, but even he is finding it fun at times - he starts doing funny little sideways steps while jogging to make us laugh, or seeing how fast he can make his finger bounce against the railing while we're jogging (by applying just enough pressure he can make it vibrate/ skip so fast that it looks superhuman-fast).  Not to mention singing along to "We are the Champions" by Queen as we finished our last reps today. 

Since they pushed through the new level so well today I took them out to one of their favorite places - it has go karts, bumper cars, bumper boats, inflatables, and more.  They had a blast (and I got to take a break and read a little) so it was a win-win for everybody.  This is a picture from the first day we started training.  I look forward to comparing that to a picture of us when we finish our first 5K!

Bariatric Betty Apologizes and has big news!

First, as all of my readers have no doubt noticed, I have monetized my blog with AdSense.  This is an experiment that may not continue.  I was very upset to see ads for some oral substance that is being advertised as a substitute for gastric bypass on my page.  I have gone into my ad settings to block pharmaceuticals/ medicine ads (as well as some other objectionable things) and hope that I can get it blocked on my page.  I do not want my blog to serve to advertise any FDA approved medicines, let alone NON-FDA approved ones.  Meanwhile, if you see something objectionable popping up on my blog's ads, please let me know so I can continue to tweak the controls.  I was hoping for ads for things like workout equipment, clothing, etc.  I apologize for this sorting-things-out period.  If it proves too difficult to restrict the types of ads on here, I will drop the AdSense stuff altogether.

Now, on to other news.  DRUM ROLL PLEASE......

Bariatric Betty is no longer obese!  I have hit a new goal; having a BMI below 30 - and now fall into the "overweight" category instead of "obese" (or previously "morbidly obese").  I have lost 77 pounds total (47 since surgery) and I am hoping to lose another 20 - 30 pounds.  Right now I have lost what my surgeon determined to be 52% of my excess body weight since the day of surgery.  I will NOT be going down to 123 pounds (ideal weight based on those same calculations) - neither my surgeon or I think that would be reasonable to aim for.  My goal is to get to between 140 - 150 pounds and stay there.  That will put me into a BMI between 25 and 26, which is still officially overweight.  Given the muscle gain I anticipate, my extra skin, and my build, I think that is actually a healthy weight and is one that my doctors think would be great as well. 

This brings up another tool I have started to use.  A body fat loss monitor.  As I become more muscular I wanted to have additional things (other than a scale) to give me empirical measurements to measure my progress.  I have been using a tape measure to track changes in my size, but wanted something else.  So I got a monitor that had good reviews and have begun measuring myself.  Right now I am on the "normal setting" instead of "athlete" (although that will be changing) and my body fat percentage is 36.2%.  For my age and sex they suggest normal is 24-33.9.  So my next goal will be to reduce my body fat percentage to 33.9 or less!

One of the ways I am working to achieve this is by starting Couch to 5K training (see www.couch25k.com  ).  I was very nervous about this - never having been able to run before.  I have bad knees that have "popped out" several times in my teens resulting in knee braces and long periods on crutches.  However, my leg muscles are super strong after all the walking I've been doing, so when I heard about other non-runner WLS patients trying this program I thought I would give it a shot.  My job as a monitor at my son's elementary school was great exercise, adding 5000 steps a day to my totals on average.  Now I am unemployed over the summer and needed to find a replacement for all that 2 hours of walking M-F.  Also, I wanted my kids to be more active and thought "How cool would it be to be able to jog a 5K race as a family?"  So last Friday my boys and I started the 3 times a week training.  So far it has consisted of 5 minutes of brisk walking followed by alternating 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for the next 20 minutes.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not hard for me.  I don't even start to sweat for the first 10 minutes of jog/ walk alternating.  Of course, I'm not jogging FAST - that hurts my knees.  My jog is probably about 4 mph (hmmm, I should check that on a treadmill) with my feet staying close to the ground to minimize impact. 

The first day was difficult emotionally because my 9 year old son was throwing a tantrum almost the entire time.  He doesn't enjoy most changes to his routine.  Add hot weather and flying bugs buzzing around his head (a major fear of his) and he was in tears for about half the training, but he also found out that I meant business - we ARE going to do this.  A little carrot-and-stick later, yesterday we did the 2nd training day (inside on a track at our rec center - a/c and no bugs!) and he came through like a champ.  My 11 year old son is totally on board and enjoying himself.  The program is 9 weeks long (although it will take us 10 weeks because of a upcoming vacation to Colonial Williamsburg) and then we should be able to jog a 5K!  I'm aiming for a Komen Race for the Cure in September in Cleveland, but might do something else if I can find one sooner. 

We've also been going to the pool and local waterpark a lot.  That brought up a need - a swimsuit that fit!  I tried ordering a size 16 petite that I hoped would work, but my bottom half is so much smaller that the suit was flopping around and providing WAY to much of a view of my nether-regions.  I ended up spending over an hour trying on various Land's End tankini combinations and found that my correct size was an 18 top with a size 10 bottom.  Yeah, it's kind of obnoxious.  I know most women are not perfectly proportional, but for the guys out there, imagine if one of your legs was only 1/2 - 2/3 the size of the other and then trying to find jeans that fit.  This was something I didn't deal with as much when I was larger - my waist was much bigger and I looked more proportional (although obese and unhealthy).  But this is how I was created, so as long as I don't get plastic surgery I have left the land of one piece swimsuits for good.  :( 

This is a good time to remind myself that losing weight doesn't bring the body you want - it brings the body you have been given.  It's up to you to make peace with that body and accept it.  I will embrace any body that allows me to live longer and be healthy & active with my family. 

Bariatric Betty starts her new job, looks at her progress 8 weeks out

So I started my job as a monitor at the elementary school yesterday, and it's a lot of fun!  I work with Kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 3rd graders.  I knew several kids already from my neighborhood, and from volunteering with 2nd graders for math last year.  The first time I monitored recess I had four little Kindergarten girls taking turns holding my hands and "showing me" all over the playground.  The third grade recess is more along the lines of girl drama, i.e. "She used to be my friend, but now she says she's her best friend, not mine!"  The boys seem to be more rough and tumble at both ages, but then they're back to being friends again. 

I was hoping to have 2nd graders so I could see what happens during my son's recess, but at least I'll get to see him all next year.

My big concern was how my body would handle standing and walking around for 2 1/2 hours non-stop.  It used to be that just an hour or more of that used to cause me to sweat like I was working out.  I've lost almost 60 pounds, so I hoped I would be fine.  I'm happy to say it's literally "no sweat". :)   Not that I don't enjoy sitting down when I'm done - that feels lovely.  But, it doesn't feel like I'm exhausted. 

Yesterday I brought a Quest protein bar which I ate halfway through working, but had a headache by the time I got home.  This time, I ate 1/2 of a Quest bar right before arriving, and then an hour later drank 24 ounces of Crystal Light and had a lunch of lentils and greek yogurt when I got back home - no headache!  The monitor that I'm replacing brought in donuts today to share for her last day, and I watched everyone else eat them without any cravings - Yay!  I love the honeymoon period.  Gotta train that brain. 

I have worn a pedometer both days, and found that I take 4000-5000 steps while working.  Needless to say, I no longer have problems getting in more than 10,000 steps a day! 

So I'm now 8 weeks post-op and really excited with how things are going.  I have lost 58 pounds so far (30 pre-op and 28 post) and my BMI has gone from 42.3 to 32.7!  My next big achievement is a while off - when I lose another 22 pounds I will no longer be considered obese.  Now that my weight loss is slowing a bit, I anticipate that will probably take a couple of months. So, I'm going to be looking forward to celebrating other benchmarks;  going down another size, being able to workout on a day I also work without burning out, feeling more comfortable eating in front of others... 

My son's first communion is 4/21 and we're going to go to brunch at First Watch afterwords.  For those of you who haven't been - First Watch only serves breakfast/ brunch/ lunch.  They have a lot of egg dishes, which is what I'll be sticking to.

My last entry I talked about ordering a dress a size smaller than I currently was for my friend's wedding reception.  The dress came in, and so I tried it on to see how far off I was.  Unfortunately, I got a reminder that just because I'm losing weight does not mean I can wear any style/ cut.  Being unusually top-heavy means I will not be wearing that dress - I would have to lose 4 inches in my bust.  In losing 60 pounds I have lost 3 1/2 inches in my bust - and I'm not planning on losing 60 more.  However, I did find another dress on sale from Lands End that I got at the bargain price of $6.99 that DOES fit and I will probably wear it to the reception, so things all worked out in the end!

Bariatric Betty wrestles with Head Hunger and takes a leap of faith

Head Hunger - the feeling you have when your brain is telling you that you are hungry, but you are not.  You might be thirsty, you might have just seen or smelled something that awakened a craving, or you might have just stumbled upon a trigger that used to cause you to eat (emotional stress, a time of day, a social situation..) 

Real hunger isn't something that my stomach can feel yet - it will probably be 12-18 months post-op before I feel that again.  That's part of why this is called the "honeymoon" period. 

So this week has been enlightening in several ways.  First - head hunger.  I have experienced this numerous times before this week and dealt with it OK; drinking more fluids, sucking on a cashew, distracting myself.  This week I experienced a stronger feeling, about 1 1/2 hours after dinner.  I felt hungry.  Not thirsty, but like I didn't have enough to eat.  So, given that I had eaten 1/3 cup of cooked lentils with a couple tablespoons of greek yogurt for dinner, I thought "OK, I'll get a little more lentils.".  Note - not craving something "bad" - head hunger can be sneaky!  I got another 1/4 cup of lentils and started chewing slowly.  After two bites, the "Uh oh" feeling hit, and I went and threw them up.  Yuck.  I cuddled up with blanket I thought about the other head hunger episodes I've experienced and realized that evening time is a trigger for me.  A couple hours after dinner (about the time the kids start saying "can I have a snack") my head is trying to get me into my old habit of having a snack.  I can distract myself, drink more fluids, etc, but it is still trying to fight me.  Weird talking about your brain as if it's another person.  Anyway, I decided the best thing I can do is put it out there.  My kids (and sweet hubby) are never happy to listen to me get sick - so when I said "Hey guys, I just realized I should NEVER eat after dinner.  It will only make me sick.  Drinking and sugar free popsicles are OK, but no food" they listened and I knew I would be held accountable.  Hah!  Take that sneaky head hunger!

I made need an intervention in the future about my consumption of sugar-free popsicles, but for now I will let it slide.

So, a couple of fun things this week.  I have been struggling with what I will wear to my son's first communion and my best friend's wedding reception.  All of my dresses in my closet are too large.  I went online and found an adorable cotton & silk dress that I thought would work for both, and I was going to order my current size, when I realized that the next size down would be $15 cheaper.  We will discuss my rage issues regarding the overpricing of plus-sized clothing another day.  ;)  Hmmmm.  Given that I'm losing about 2 pounds a week right now and my friend's reception is about 45 days away... I ordered the smaller size.  So, that's my little leap of faith - that I will fit into smaller dress size in 45 days.  At my heaviest I was a size 22 dress, now I'm down to feeling like a 18 is roomy.  And a 16 is on it's way to my house! 

My other fun thing happened yesterday - after getting my hair done my curiosity got the better of me as I passed by a Talbot's outlet store.  Oooooo, nice clothes...  Talbot's is a store I haven't set foot in for over a decade.  Too expensive, and my body wasn't Talbot's size.  But the big posters in the window saying "Additional 75% off already reduced prices" lured me in and boy was I in for a surprise!  First of all - Talbot's has plus sizes!  I don't know when that started - I don't remember seeing plus sizes in other stores in the past - it might be just because it's an outlet store.  But for all of you who might wear plus sizes now - check out Talbot's!   Second of all - I don't NEED to wear the plus sizes!   I fit very nicely into several pairs of shorts and pants (size 14) and actually narrowed down my choices based on what looked BEST.  Huh, enough things that fit that I could say "I prefer the way this one looks to that one."  Best of all - sale prices!  I got a wonderful plum corduroy blazer, two pairs of shorts, and four blouses for under $40.  SWEET. 

My last thought - Passover.  For those of you who don't know me personally, my religous background is confusing and I have not ever formally been a part of any religion or congregation.  However, my faith is very strong and I have found a lot of comfort praying Hebrew prayers and celebrating the high holy days for the last decade.  Someday I might make the step to conversion, but right now I have quite enough converting going on in my body and mind (thank you very much).  My family is very supportive - my husband was raised Catholic but fits more into a Zen-buddist Catholic mindset than anything, and since I didn't have a strong religious background to raise our children in, they have been raised in a similar open-minded, inclusive Catholicism.  So this is the first Passover in quite some time that I'm not participating in a Seder (either my own mini-one or one thrown by friends) and while I'm not having anything leavened/ hametz that is more part of my medical journey than spiritual one.  It feels strange.  And my kids miss the matzah!  One step at a time.  But my prayers are just as strong (or stronger) and I know they are heard.

Bariatric Betty firsts at 6 weeks out

So this has been a relatively quiet week, but I wanted to share a couple of firsts that happened this week.  First of all, I have made it to transitional foods.  I can enjoy small amounts of iceberg lettuce now, so salad has come back into my life (YAY!), and I also found that I can tolerate a hard taco shell.  Better than regular taco shells, I found these mini ones by Taco Bell that come 24 to a box (instead of 12 or 18).  They're tiny, and when I filled 2 of them with some beans, cheddar cheese, a little lettuce, salsa and bit of greek yogurt - DELICIOUS.  As long as I chew them to death ;)

I also am off physical restrictions - so I can now lift more than 10 pounds and I can do any cardio exercise that I want.  So far I've gotten back on the elliptical for the first time in addition to walking, and I'm hoping to swim later today!  Still can't do any weight training because I don't consume enough calories to build muscle.  But not having to worry about how much groceries or laundry weighs is liberating.  And the elliptical felt really good.

I also wore my first size 14 pants this week (followed by my second, third and fourth - thank you budget bin!) and that was wonderful.  I realized I haven't been this weight for about 13 years.  That's a really weird thought.  I haven't seen my weight go down by much this week, but I couldn't fit into these jeans 2 weeks ago, so it's ALL good. 

Here's a funny thing I experienced for the first time.  I was wearing one of my size 14s and walking my dog, and felt this funny pressure on my front in two spots.  Not discomfort, but pressure.  My pants weren't sagging (which happened ALL the time when I was a larger size) off my backside, and I realized that SOMETHING was holding them up.  Not my stomach.  Usually when I had pants that didn't sag, it was because they were cinched so tight around my waist (in the belly button region) that it would start to hurt after an hour.  But that wasn't happening.  My stomach felt comfortable, and the waistband was below the belly button region, anyway.  There was a gentle pressure on each side... the jeans were being held up by something firm... HUH - Hipbones!  I do not mean that my hipbones are protuding, even lying down on my back I have to press into a 1" good cushion of padding to FIND my hipbones.  But, what it means is that the hipbones WITH the padding are now supporting the weight of my pants and holding them up!  OK - for my friends/ readers who have never been obese you are probably going "Ummmm, yeah?" but you need to understand that this is a brand new thing.  I'm an apple shape, and have no easily definable waist for the most part.  Even now as my stomach is decreasing in size, the apron of skin that is growing from shedding the fat is taking it's place as a new type of spare tire.  But it's more movable and compressable, so my jeans have found something new to hang onto - hips.  Huh.  Cool.  And much more comfortable. 

I also enjoyed celebrating my son's 9th birthday last week.  It was great, and since I'm allergic to chocolate I had no tempation with his choice of desserts for the parties (chocolate chip cookies and brownies).  Most fun of all, I got lots of compliments from my friends who saw me.  Talk about getting a swelled head!  I'm looking forward to baking things that are a greater challenge for me to resist and then celebrating my restraint in a couple of months.

Bariatric Betty; an ice cube with NSVs

NSVs?  That's short-hand for Non-scale victories.  Something that shows you are doing well on your weight loss other than watching the number on the scales go down.  They are important, because sometimes the number on the scale stops changing, sometimes for weeks at a time, and you need to have something telling you that what you are doing is working. 

My first NSV is that I have become a human ice cube.  Morbidly obese people who lose a lot of weight (through bariatric surgery or otherwise) tend to become cold.  Permanently.  That's OK, really, because as a morbidly obese person, we used to be permanently hot.  And sweaty.  At least when you are cold you can bundle up.  When you're hot, there are only so many layers you can take off and still be legal in public, and even less layers you can take off and feel comfortable about how you're dressed - so you just end up sweating a lot, which is embarassing.  So it's day 16 and three days ago I started to realized not only am I not feeling hot anymore, I'm cold.  Especially after walking my dog outside (well bundled up) in 35 - 40 degree weather.  I have to come home, take a hot shower, get dressed warmly and then bundle up with blankets to get warmer.  Woo-hoo!  I feel like I've crossed a border into a different country.  After surgery I was still at least constantly warm, and was wondering when I would get my chill on - and it finally happened!

Second NSV:  my raincoat.  I have a beautiful magenta trenchcoat and it has been raining a lot this week.  We haven't had a lot of snow this winter, and now the rain is setting in.  The neat thing was that I hadn't worn my raincoat for a couple months, and when I put it on I realized how loose it was!   Loose like, after I buttoned it I realized I had about 6 extra inches of fabric that I used to fill.  Even greater comparison - last spring it was TIGHT. 

Third NSV:  my (perceived) mood.  My husband is thrilled, because he says I'm in such a great mood every time he comes home now.  He said it's wonderful, that he can't believe how even-keeled I am.  I laughed the first time he said it, because it's not how I've been feeling.  I explained that I'm still feeling emotional and easily irritated, but I've been trying to make sure I don't bite anyone's head off because they won't stop making that knocking sound, etc.  So I guess my NSV is that I'm better at controlling my reactions, and my husband appreciates it.

My biggest challenge this week has probably been the idea of being with people other than my family.  I went to my son's school for the first time in a couple months yesterday and really had to take a moment before I went in to prepare myself.  I expected people would notice a difference in how I looked, and they did.  I got several complements, which was nice.  But I was preparing myself for the potential negatives: the reaction that some people have when they hear someone had bariatric surgery.  The "Oh, you cheated" look or comments.  I do not have a problem with confrontation, and I anticipate that I will be educating a LOT of people over the next years about how hard it is, not just committing yourself to the surgery but the how you have to live for the rest of your life after the surgery.  My goal is to do this nicely (i.e. without telling people they are ignorant and cruel for making negative comments) and without going on for a half an hour ;)  But now that I'm starting to see people other than my neighbors and immediate family I know that it will happen.  Luckily, it didn't happen yesterday :)   I also had a very strong reaction because my husband's extended family wanted to invite us over for lunch this weekend.  Lunch?  As in eating?  I can't DO that.  I don't eat real food yet.  And even if I brought my own food, I don't know how I would react to the smell of everyone else's cooked food (let us not forget my sudden nausea at the smell of edamame cooking with soy sauce, ewwww).  And then the definite possibility of getting the "foamies" (a pre-curser to vomitting that happens to WLS patients when their pouch decided not to respond positively to whatever they're trying to consume and they start to salivate quickly).  I don't want them to see that.  I'm not ready for people to watch me eat (other than my immediate family, that is).  Getting a sense of the anxiety that started to build up?  I'm sure I sounded like a babbling fool as I tried to deal with an invite politely over the phone, and eventually said "I don't know if that would work, maybe we could stop by after lunch".    Yeah, that's it.  Now if I could get rid of all the stuff before that, it sounds perfectly fine, right?

So I go in to my surgeon's office for my 3 week post-op appointment next week, and I'm excited.  I think I'm doing pretty well sticking to the plan, and my weight loss is now about 15 pounds since surgery, about 45 pounds since the beginning.  I'm hoping I can get permission/ blessings to start using my elliptical a little, and maybe do some lightweight free-weight training for my upper body.  I still get some pulling from my stitches, but it's a lot better and less frequent now.  I'm not supposed to be doing real exercising until 6 weeks post-op, but I feel like I'm wasting an opportunity, and I'm watching my arms starting to shrink and droop skin and I know that toning would help.  This next week I will also be switching to more puree/ less protein shake supplements.  The rule is that if I can get down 50 grams of protein or more from my purees I should stop drinking the shakes.  I'm planning on making that happen by adding unflavored whey protein to some of the purees to boost the protein levels.  I will also be beginning the rule that will apply for the rest of my life:  no drinking with meals.  I will not be drinking liquid 15 minutes before and 60 minutes after meals so that when my 1/4-to-1/2 cup of meals are in my stomach they are not washed through, thus making me hungry again sooner.  Other than helping us feel "full" it also gives our body the chance to start to absorb the nutrients better.  Since we can only sip (not gulp) liquids now, we need to consciously try to sip frequently in all of our allowed time slots to prevent dehydration.  Whew - big week ahead! 

Pre-admission day

So yesterday I spent 8 hours at hospital C.  The first 1 1/2 hours were waiting for my pre-admission testing orders to show up :(  They had a packet from the Center for Bariatric Surgery (CBS) for me, but for some reason I wasn't yet registered in the computer, showing up with a surgery date, or with orders for my tests.  That was a little nerve wracking, but I figured it would get worked out, and it did.  Better now than on the day of my surgery!

I had 7 tubes of blood drawn, an EKG, a health history, a pulmonary functioning test, and an exam and medicine review by one of the center doctors who handles in-patients.  Then we had 1 1/2 hours of group classes with the nutritionist and the nurse.  The rest of the time was spent waiting for our turns with the various techs, nurses, and doctors.  We also had a taste-test for protein products that we could purchase at the CBS or elsewhere.   Not anything I'll ever crave, but several were tolerable. 

I was very lucky - all of my tests came back fine.  I was the last one of my group of 7 other bariatric patients to have the pulmonary testing, and she said "Ah, my first normal all day!"  Others came back with other problems - one has to have three iron treatments by IV in the next week to treat her PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN severe anemia - Yikes.  At least know she knows part of the reason she's been so tired - it's not just the weight.  Some have to get clearance for things like their blood pressure from their primary care doctors, and everyone other than me has to give themselves blood-thinning injections before surgery, because of risks for clots.  At least one person had to go on a two week Opti-Fast diet before surgery, to lose some weight and shrink her liver.  The nurses and doctor all kept saying "Oh, you're the easy one!" when it was my turn.  I almost felt guilty, because everyone else was having so many issues come up. 

It quickly became apparent that my health was not the only difference.  As a group of 7 women about to have surgery for morbid obesity, we were all ready to spill our guts, share, and bond in our little conference room.  Over and over questions came up that I have read about on the Facebook groups I'm a member of, or in the local support group that I started attending as a pre-op.  Sometimes I volunteered what I knew, other times I said "I think that's something we should ask the nurse/ doctor/ nutritionist". 

I can not tell you how much more prepared I felt than most of the women in the room.  Emotionally, mentally, physically.  I heard comments like "You know, they make low-carb ice cream with protein in it now" and winced.  I tried to explain that while we might have an occasional bite of a treat after we're in maintenance, they really want us to stay away from liquid calories as much as possible.  That anything we eat (after the first 6 weeks, of course) should stay in our pouch as a solid so that we feel satiety.  Went right over their heads; "Well we're not talking about a big bowl of ice cream, just a little one".  Or the woman who wanted the dietician to say it was OK to put Cool Whip on her cappucino protein shake during the liquid phase.  She kept asking in different ways, and the dietician kept saying "Cool Whip doesn't give you anything.  You can add skim milk..." and finally I just said "I think what she is saying is NO."  The inquiring patient was disappointed, because she said she wanted to "pretend it was like regular cappucino".  Ummm.  Missing the point. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel better than ANY of those women.  I just feel that I have already asked those kinds of questions, heard the sad answers and started to wrap my head around them.  I feel like I got a head start because of my virtual online and local in person support group.  I know I will come up with crazy ideas, too.  But that's why I'm so glad to have connected with so many vets already - including self-declared "food nazis".

13 days until surgery, and I've got a lot of organizing, planning and shopping to do.  Plus, some local moms are taking me out to dinner and a movie tomorrow before I'm laid up :)  I'm very blessed to be in my situation, and grateful (SO GRATEFUL) for all of the support I've received already.   

Bariatric Betty's pride goes before a fall...

So, today I reached my 90th day of supervised dieting.  Hurray!  I've lost almost 20 pounds and I'm very proud of myself.  I emailed my patient care coordinator at Hospital C to make sure she had received the records she needed from my primary care doctor from 2008 and 2009.  She wrote back and said she received a packet, but it only had records from 1998-2004.  This was a big problem, because I need multiple years of weight history showing my morbid obesity for insurance pre-approval of partial payment of my bariatric surgery. 

So I got ticked that my past doctor's office could have screwed up my request so badly.  I wrote out specifically what I needed on the record release request.  I calmed down enough to call them and explained that there seemed to have been a mistake.  The woman at first agreed and then pulled my file.  Turns out there was no mistake, except my own.

I remembered going through a phase where I declined to get weighed because I was so embarassed with my weight.  Apparently, that phase was from 2004-2009, because all of of my visits during then don't have weight recorded.  So now because I was too embarrassed back then I might not have enough documentation to be approved my my insurance company.  I have data from my doctors from 2011, late 2010, and then 2004 and earlier. 

This afternoon I was able to get a copy of my record sent electronically from my old weight watcher's location in Central Ohio.  That gave me a starting weight in 1/2008 and an ending weight in 11/2008.  During that entire 10 months I lost just over 20 pounds.  Versus the last 90 days when I've lost just under 20.  I hope my earnest trying helps.  But now I'm really worried that since we don't have data from 2009, I may have shot myself in my foot.  What if my reluctance to face my weight in 2009 results in my not being approved for surgery?

There's nothing to do about it, but pray and wait.  My P.A. that is coordinating my multidisciplenary diet will be writing up his summary and putting together the packet next week.  Then the hospital will submit and we will wait.  And pray.  And try to remember that things will happen the way they should, even if I don't get approved. 

So here's my advice of the day.  Don't decline to be weighed, or have tests done.  Because you can't predit what will be needed in the future.  I never thought I would be looking at having this surgery, and now look what happened.  Pass it on. 

Bariatric Betty is happy to still be diabetic, but faces a sad reality.

Today I went for my 3 month check-up with my primary care doctor.  She hadn't seen me since I started the medically supervised diet (this is day 67 of 90).  She was thrilled with how I'm doing.  She agreed that I was right to lower my nighttime (long-acting) insulin when my morning numbers hit the 70's.  According to her scale I was 17 pounds lighter than 3 months ago!  I love her scale.  But, it lies.  I weighed myself three times at home before the 9:30 appointment this morning.  Once before I ate of drank anything and I was still in my pajamas.  Once after I drank 12 oz. of water and 12 oz. of diet coke (I will miss you, caffeine) and scrambled egg beaters with whole wheat bread.  And a third time after I was fully dressed.  Either her scale is off or I lost three pounds during the 1/2 hour drive to her office.  My scale is weighs me 1.5 pounds lighter than the one at the bariatric surgeon's office.  I'm not normally one to weigh myself numerous times in a day - just was wondering how much my weight fluctuated between eating / dressing/ etc. 

Anyway, she was really proud of me, and said she couldn't imagine how the insurance company would turn me down as a surgical candidate.  From her lips to God's ears!  I stayed and waited to hear my Hemaglobin A1C number... 6.4!  That is wonderful in many ways - first, it's the lowest it's ever been since I've been a diabetic.  Second,  while it shows my diabetes is marvelously controlled, it also shows I am still definitely considered a diabetic.  If it was under 6, my insulin would have been reduced (possibly discontinued) and then the question of my qualifying with the insurance company would have come into play.  Since I now have  a BMI under 40, I need to have at least one co-morbidity to qualify.  Diabetes is my only one.  Now I'm breathing easier, because my last set of labs before sumbission for approval from the insurance company show I'm still diabetic as well as compliant.  Yay!!!

Last night I got to go to my second local support group meeting.  It was just as fascinating as the first time.  Bunches of new people to meet, each with their own story.  Two women had lap-bands and one just a revision to the vertical gastric sleeve 6 weeks ago.  The other had hers a year ago and hasn't lost much weight or noticed it helping. Everyone was very encouraging and positive with her, suggesting that she talk to her new doctor about running some tests to see if the band is functioning.  One woman was a "lightweight" (BMI under 40) like me 15 months ago but has lost 90 pounds!  Another accidentally got pregnant just two months after her surgery.  Whoa.  Not recommended, but she and the baby are both fine.  She lost all the weight (including not gaining any during the pregnancy) she wanted to, and shared some great recipes with us.  She also recommended a latte machine at Bed Bath & Beyond for $30 - she said it reheats and reblends the latte during the day, and has a great recipie book with it that included a mocha latter with egg whites (it heats it enough that there's no samonela risk).  If I liked chocolate or coffee I would have been all over that.   Another woman who had just had plastic surgery to remove excess skin (and looked FABULOUS) and shared this recipe:
Kate'a Frozen Protein Treat
2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup greek yogurt
3 scoops unflavored whey protein powder
6 packets of splenda (or other sweetner)
1 1/2 cups of frozed strawberries

Blend and then pour in a sealable container and freeze.  She eats it as a high protein snack and said it's super.  THAT one I'm trying for sure.

On the topic of recipes, I came to a realization.  I may not be able to handle baking next year.  This may sound funny, but it's a huge tradition in my family.  We decorate our christmas trees with gingerbread, have a new year's eve cookie party for our kids and their friends, and after 3 years of practice I've finally gotten down the art of slovenian potica (a nut roll) making.  I'm very good at controlling my consumption of baked goods - it's before the baking that I am tempted.  Licking fingers and taste testing can sabotage a diet.  I've found a good way to handle it is to have other members of the family join me in the baking and to chew gum while I do it.  That works well for this year, but next year chewing gum will be a no-no (too much air being swallowed and the possibility of gum blocking my stoma) so I'm considering things like wearing a mouth guard, sucking on sugar free mints, etc.  Several of the members of the support group last night said that they can bake for their families without temptation now, so that gives me hope.  However, I have realized that if I find myself tempted, it would be better to give up this part of my identity than foil my brain re-training next year.  So I'll try; with company, mints, and mouthguards.  But if I taste one thing, that's it.  No more baking.  It's not worth ruining my tool.  And my friends and family would rather I was around than a plate of cookies.

For now I'm hopeful.  Hopeful I will qualify for surgery.  Hopeful I will make healthy choices and succeed.  Hopeful that I'm setting up good habits and supports that will help me in my new life.  And just having had Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that I not only have such a supportive family but that I found a way to work through all of this by blogging.  My thanks to you for reading.