I know I haven't posted in a while, but things are quite different from the last post. 

My diet has changed so much!  I can eat anything now,  but that doesn't mean I should (or that I do).  Its really nice to be able to eat dense protein, although it does go down a little harder.  A typical day for me looks like this:

B: Coffee w/ protein powder mixed in   L: Chili and cheese, or deli meat  D: A salad with chicken on top ( I eat about 1/2 of the chicken breast, and maybe 6 bites of salad)  Snack: High protein cinnamon cereal (Archer Farms, its delicious!), maybe some unsweetened applesauce, or yogurt. 

Chili is for sure my favorite meal.  I have always loved it, and I am so happy to be able to have it.  My first salad was a big deal, too.  Mmm... veggies.  That is the hardest part for me, because I am struggling to get in all of the water and protein, I don't really have room for veggies, which I love!   Some nights, I'll have lima beans for dinner (they are high-protein, and I love them so much!).  Last night, I had fajitas from On the Border, and there were some grilled zucchini, and it was amazing!    I am trying to stay low-carb, but its not my top priority.  It pretty much happens without trying.  I love this, because we save money on grocery shopping, and when we do go out to eat, I get about 4 meals out of my dinner!  Ka-ching!  lol.

What I lack in food, I take in with vitamins.  Holy crap!  This is what I take very day:

2 chewable flintstones, 2 hair and nails vitamins, 1 cinnamon complex, 1 or 2 chewable enzyme pills, 1 colace, 1 metamucil capsule, 1 sublingual B-12, I prilosec OTC, and I usually end up using one or two chewable rolaids per day.

I am noticing that my hair is falling out more than usual, which is scary.  Luckily my luxurious locks are thick, and hopefully no one will ever notice. 

I am "chronically dehydrated", according to the doctor.  I get woozy if I change elevation too fast, and thats a bitch when I am at work and have to reach into the RX bins. I just can't get all of the water in.  64oz is a lot when you can only drink 2oz at a time!  If the water is too cold, I get nauseous.  I don't drink enough while I am at work, and honestly, thats the problem.  We are just too busy for me to be in tune with my body. Argh. 

On the positive side, I am 2 pants sizes smaller, 4 shirt sizes smalller, and I am 45+ pounds lighter!  I can't wait to hit the 50 mark - which could hopefully be next week. 

This has been quite the journey so far, and while life is much more challenging now, I am so glad I got Sleeved!

[another copy-and-paste post from my personal blog]

So, a week ago today (right now, actually) I had surgery.  You all already know about the hospital stay, but it didn't get all too easy once I got home.  I am still really sore, but I am trying to stay off of the Lortab  because I need to be able to fully function.  I have to take it at night, otherwise I can't sleep on my side.  I have pretty much lived on the futon, and I am thankful that we moved it into the living room.  It hurts to move, especially to go from a seated to a standing position. Anything that stretches those ab muscles is hurty. 

I was back at work yesterday, and it went pretty ok.  Even though it was a monday, it wasn't too crazy.  I feel that I was able to keep up ok, and the girls were nice enough to let me process rxs all day so that I didn't really have to move.  Bob [pharmacist] was really helpful anytime bending/lifting was required, which I appreciate.  I started to feel funny at about 3 (my shift was 1030-4), so I pulled the chair up to the computer, and that helped.  Unfortunately, I left one of my bottles of pills at work, but thank god for Jackie [friend and coworker], because she brought them to me as soon as she left work.  I get to pay her back by working for her on wed. for just a few hours.  Nothing I can't handle, and I really need the money anyways. 

I am at my first day of school right now, and it is going ok.  My tummy is really rumbly and gooshy right now, and that sucks.  My professors have been kind about this whole situation, except for one who is a complete dick, but his class is easy as hell anyways, so I don't have to worry too much.  I have a test on thursday, and I have to give huge thanks to Jess, she has helped me so much with studying and homework.  She is my angel.

The positives of work and school are that they make me thirsty, so I have been able to get the water in, which has been quite the challenge.  However, it seems to hurt a little more when I drink too much or too fast, its like I can't drink as much as I could while I was at home.  ???

My leg has been going numb ever since I got home from the hospital.  If I am not walking, after about 5-10 minutes, it goes numb.  I haven't figured that one out yet.

I am not hungry, and last night, I actually forgot to eat.  I am on a 500 calorie a day diet, and yet I'm not hungry.  Its so weird!  But I love it. 
I also love the fact that I got on my scale today for the first time since surgery, and it was 12lbs lower than the last time!  12!!!! In about 9 days!!!!  Holy smokes!  I am so excited.  I wonder how fast it'll go down once I start exercising again (which will hopefully be thursday)

Thats pretty much the update.  Thanks to everyone for their support, whether it be in the form of a direct action, or just a warm thought.  You guys are the world to me.

[note: I posted this on my non - OH blog, and just copied and pasted it, so as you read, keep in mind that I wrote it for non VSG people]

Yay!  I'm home! 

I came home yesterday, and boy am I glad.  Sure, there are no nurses here, and I have to share the bed with Jess, and we have to lock the cats in the den so they don't jump on me - but the positives are great.  No painful IV, no constantly being woken up by nurses or lab techs or social workers or anyone.  There are so many people in the hospital that need to get at you - its crazy!

So, here is the story of my surgery:

Went in at about 8:15, got pre-registered, and was taken to a room to get ready.  Put on the gown and slippers, and the nurses came in to poke at me.  One needed blood, took it from the top of my hand, even though I told her to take it from my arm (the one spot that I always have it taken from).  My hand hurt like a bitch!  Another nurse was trying to look for a place to start an IV, but decided to just let someone from anestesia (I know thats spelled wrong - so what?) do it - thank god!  Another nurse gave me a shot of blood thinner in the side, which didnt hurt at the time, but afterwards felt like a bee-sting.  Then, they put these crazy swimmie type things on my legs.  They were supposed to massage my legs by inflating and deflating with air to mimic walking even though I was laying down - to prevent blood clots. 

A few minutes after the nurses all left, a lady came in and moved me to the pre-surgery waiting area.  It was fun to be transported while laying down - I wish thats how I always traveled!  Got to the pre-op area, and Uta, a woman from anestesia came to start my IV.  First she gave me a numbing shot in my arm - HURT LIKE HELL, but the IV didn't hurt going in.  Well, after it got in and they hooked stuff up to it, it felt like someone was stabbing me with a burning fork, and I couldn't move my hand at all.  Uta "backed it out", and said that that would help.  Well, my arm still hurt and got really red, and one of the nurses though I might be reacting to some of the medicine (just what I want to hear before surgery - that I am having a reaction), but didn't do anything about it when I told her that I had never had an IV before - I think she just assumed my arm was just pissed at me.

So, I'm waiting and waiting... the surgeon comes to talk to me, the anestesiologist comes to talk to me, gives me a sedative.  Finally its time to go.  My mom kisses me on the cheek and heads to the waiting room.  I'm wheeled to the OR, and have to shimmy my big ass onto a tiny table (seriously... this surgery is not for skinnys, they could make it a little bigger).  Then, I'm out and being cut open.  Next  thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room.  There is a tube down one of my nostrils - the first thing I did was pull it out - pleasant!  Im moaning and groaning from the pain.  I waited there for a while, and then was moved to my actual room. 

My room was nice - it was private, which was exciting for me (my mom's room was not, so I assumed I would be sharing one as well).  They had the pain pump hooked up, but I didn't use it very much.  Every time I used it, I had a reaction to the morphine.  They had to take me off of it early because it made me so nauseated.  So I was in pain!  The whole time I was in the hospital, I had to walk every 4 hours no matter what, everytime I drank too fast I felt like I was going to puke, and I couldn't sleep very well because I had to keep my arm propped up so that it wouldn't hurt.

Finally, the surgeon said I could go home!  However, my potassium level was too low, so before I could go, I'd have to drink this godawful stuff that tasted like saltwater with a tiny hint of orange flavor - it made me gag, and it took me forever to drink. But I finally got it down, and they let me go. 

I came home, and went to sleep until about 7:30.  Jess went and got my prescriptions, and when I woke up, it took me about 2 hours to take all my meds, and drink 6 ounces of a nutritional supplement. 

This is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I will have to get up so early from now on, just to take all my pills and have breakfast.  I am really trying to adjust to this new way of life - its been such a blur for the past couple of weeks. 

However, I am really excited to start this journey, and I think that now that I am home, I will be off to a great start!

And its only been 3 days on the liquids!  I am so excited!!!!
I have been exercising like crazy. 
I am sure I will be able to lose at least 10 by surgery date. 

So, I've started the liquid diet today, and it is actually much easier than I thought.  Since I am only doing it for one week, I didn't get that many different varieties of food.   It is ok though, everything that I have had so far has exceeded my expectations.  I just had a strawberry wafer bar for lunch, and I would recommend it to anyone who is going through MMPC's program. 

I cannot believe that it is a week until my surgery!  I am so excited!!!  I have started taking pictures, I am going to take a picture every week.  My starting weight was 340.  It is poopy - my scale doesnt even work for me yet - the limit is 330 lbs!  At least I'll know when I've lost 10 lbs.   I am going off of the last time I was at the dr, which was friday 10/3, and it was 340. 

On a not so positive note, I am getting really anxious and nervous about the surgery, and I am not really able to sleep anymore.  I have been taking Benadryl at night to help me get to sleep.  A friend of mine recommended Tazo Calm tea, and I had that last night, and it seemed to help.  I have just never been in the hospital before, and I am really scared.  I have never been under general an. before, and that scares me too.  Not enough to make me not have surgery, believe me, nothing can stop that!   I know that I will be fine, I just am crazy and a worry-wort.