Finally, a loser!

So, I made it!  Today is day number six after surgery and I am starting to feel more like myself.  The first few days home were difficult, as far as pain and discomfort.  However, not as difficult as when I had a c-section when Samuel was born. 

I am on phase three of the eating plan (I will post the stages later), which means that I ate about a table spoon and a half of grits for breakfast.  At lunch, I had a tablespoon or so of a mashed up sweet potato.  After being on liquids for so long, I was surprised how enjoyable those little "treats" were. 

As of today, I have lost a total of 20.8 pounds.  The bulk of that was before surgery while on the liquid diet, but I am happy about the loss, nonetheless. 

I am still really sore at times, especially at night, but have lowered my pain medication dosage and frequency.  I see Dr. Ross on Wednesday at 1 o'clock and have my post-op class then as well.  I will update you more then.  It's great to be a loser! :)

Here Goes.....

It's just before 5 am and I am about to head to the hospital.  Last night I was pretty anxious and didn't sleep well.  I am assured that having the surgery is the right thing for me, but the actually surgery itself (needles, cuts, etc.) makes me a bit nervous. 

It's funny how 2 years ago when the idea of this came up and then 6+ months ago when I started preparing for today, it seemed like it was such a long way off. 

All of my babies are sleeping soundly in their beds, the house is clean, my bags are backed, and my sweet husband is ready to wait by my side. My friend is bringing dinner for my family tonight.  I guess I'm ready, set, go....

Bowl Prep for Gastric Bypass Surgery

I am getting ready to start this in the morning.  Finally the day before surgery!
The last two weeks have really gone by quickly.  

The day before surgery- Clear liquids only. 

• Strained fruit juices without pulp (i.e., Apple, White Grape, Lemonade).
• Water
• Clear Broth or Bouillon (Chicken or Beef)
• All of the Following: 
• Kool-Aid (or other fruit flavored drinks, No Red or Blue)
• Jell-O (plain without added fruits or toppings, No Red or Blue)
• Ice Popsicles

1:00 pm-  Take 2 Dulcolax Tablets

4:00 pm-  Mix Miralax (238 grams) with 64 oz of any clear flavored
                Gatoraide and drink all of it.

8:00 pm- Take 2 Dulcolax tablets

You may continue CLEAR LIQUIDS until bedtime.

Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before sugery.



(Disclaimer: Everything on this site is for informational purposes only.  Don't do anything discussed on this site at home, unless you talk to your own doctor and he/she prescribes this for you.)

"Feed Me, Feed Me All Your Trash!"

Do any of you remember that commercial (for trash bags, I think) that came on in the early 90's?  The trash bag or can would sing, "Feed me, feed me all your trash!"   I have looked everywhere to find a clip of it and can't.

Anyway, today is my fourth day on the pre-op liquid diet and has been the best day so far.  The first day I felt hungry sometimes but it was always time to have another shake when I felt that way.  The second and third day were AWFUL!  Y'all, I was so hungry!  My little boy came up to me after he had been eating a birthday cake Oreo.  He smelled like birthday cake and I wanted to eat his sweet little face! :)  My husband asked me how I was doing and I sang him the song from the commercial.  "Feed me, feed me all your trash!"  We shared a laugh and he encouraged me.  So thankful for a man like that! :)

I learned on that third day to always have a glass of water near by.  Continuously drinking water between shakes or soups really helps.

Today, I think my body has adjusted and maybe my stomach has shrunk?   I have felt a lot more satisfied and a lot less grouchy. :)

My sisters, who are also overweight, and I have always made jokes about skinny people being mean.  Oh, don't pretend! You know there is a reason people say, "fat and happy," and "skinny bi**h."  I am sure my sisters would have said, "Give her a cheeseburger!" if they would have been here.  In the short term, a cheeseburger would have rocked my world!  However, in the process, over the past 6+ months, I have learned that there are more important things than being fed.  Like, living!  So, I am sticking to the plan.

Today I weighed in at 245.4, a 10.6 pound loss!  Boom!

What does 126 lbs even look like?!?

To tell a woman who has been over weight her entire life that she needs to weigh 126 pounds is a little mind boggling.  I don't even know what that looks like.  I think I weighed more than that when I was 12!  So, I did a little research and I found a great site to see the bodies of REAL women.  It's called My Body Gallery.  You can put in your goal (or real) weight, height and body type and find out what you really can look like (or already look like). 

Here is an example of what I might look like at 126 pounds:

This woman has the same shape and height as I do, but weighs 130.

Hard to believe!

This lady is the same size, shape & weight of me now:

Wow, I have a long way to go! :) 

Pre-Bariatric Sugery Liquid Diet

Today I started the liquid diet, which marks exactly 2 weeks before surgery.  This liquid diet consists of the powders (seen above) being mixed with water or milk.  I am not going to say they taste wonderful, they don't.  However, they really aren't bad. 

The Plan:  Drink four to five meal replacements per day, as recommended.  The meal replacements are nutritionally complete for the length of time for which you will be drinking them.  For most people, five shakes a day means you will be drinking one every three hours.

Powders may be blended with ice and you may add non calorie flavoring if you choose.   For the Bariatric Advantage products, one serving is two scoops of powder mixed with 8-10 oz of water.

• You should also have:  64 oz of water or other clear, calorie-free, non-carbonated,  caffeine-free fluids. 
• You may also have: Sugar free gelatin, reduced sodium broth or bouillon (limit 4 per day), and sugar free chewing gum.
• You should avoid: Caffeine, carbonation, sugar, fat, solid foods

Today, I haven't been too hungry.  When I notice that I feel hungry it is always time for another shake.  The Jello, for me, helps you feel like you have a little something "solid."   The sugar free Jello cups I have are 5 calories each.  So, just be careful to stay within your calorie limits for the day.  The caloric intake recommended for me, by my doctor, is 900 calories a day.

Who is Susan?

Susan has been overweight since about 12 years old. Yo-yo-ing up and down her entire adult life.  She has bounced between 185 pounds and  256 pounds. Her goal weight is 126 pounds.

At age 22, she was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a disease that has touched generations of her family.  Over the years, the weight started causing her kidneys to hyper-filtrate and in 2010 her kidney specialist recommended her for gastric bypass surgery, saying, "if you don't get this weight off and keep it off, you will be on dialysis within 10 years."  Because Susan's father died from complications after a kidney transplant when she was almost 20 years old, this was scary news.

Susan is a 33 year old mother of four children and loves Jesus and her family. She studied Interior Design in college and has a small business where she redesigns furniture and upcycles home furnishings. She serves as a volunteer for a human rights NGO and enjoys creating and using her hands. She and her family live in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Susan started this blog as a journal of her journey with hopes that it will provide insight to others facing gastric bypass while allowing those that love and support her to keep abreast of the changes and process.

Thank you for visiting "Susan Lives!"