It's been awhile - over a year. And in that 15 or so months so much has happened. I got a new job, I left Texas, and I returned to my hometown. I also made a huge life decision once I got home. A week and a half ago I had bariatric surgery. When I made the decision I told some friends and they were all shocked. They insisted I couldn't qualify for the surgery, I couldn't meet the criteria. While flattering, I had to explain that I had struggled with my weigh since I was a teenager with varying degrees of success and more often than not, failure. My body liked to hold on to the fat. I also dressed well and was able to camouflage a bit. However there were silent issues related to being overweight - like high blood pressure. I was obviously not one of those people who could be fit and fat. Losing weight is hard. I am envious and in awe of those people who can lose weight on their own through good old fashioned diet and exercise.
Starting my new job, I was looking over the health benefits and discovered that for qualifying individuals insurance would cover bariatric surgery. I had already given this some thought and had done some research when I was in Texas. This was not a fly by night decision. After much consideration I decided on the sleeve gastrectomy. I also decided to have the operation at Brigham & Women's in Boston. I worked in one of the best medical cities in the country, why not put it to good use? So why the sleeve? Well, the idea of the lap band didn't sit well with me. While I was fine with the doctor going in and removing a large portion of my stomach, I was less enamored with a foreign object taking up residence in my abdomen. I had similar issues with the gastric bypass. There was rerouting and what not there. The sleeve seemed much more straightforward. In removing that much of my stomach they would also be removing the part of the stomach that releases the hormone that alerts you to hunger. Bonus! Since I felt like I was always hungry, this seemed to be a good option.
I did all my pre-op - doctor's appointments, nutrition appointments, a psych eval, a lot of reading. All of which I passed. Insurance gave the go ahead and on June 26, I had the operation. I've never had surgery - not like this in any event. You can't really compare having part of your stomach removed with having LASIK or having your wisdom teeth out. I was nervous, but they put me under anesthesia and the next thing I knew I was in my room on the 15th floor with six small incisions on abdomen. I spent the next two days sleeping, a lot. I also attempted some water and some crystal light. I was sore, but not in a lot of pain after that first day. The worst was the nausea, which didn't really go away until halfway through the day after the surgery. By Friday, I was ready to fly the coop. I wanted out. I dutifully drank my two protein drinks, kept them down, and was discharged late in the day.
I spent the next few days resting. I watched a few Top Chef marathons until the urge to actually eat again kicked in and I realized I was torturing myself. So I switched to Wimbledon and Mad Men (almost done with season 1). The hard part now is the diet. I call this part a diet because it is short term. Protein drinks and sugar free liquids (crystal light, G2, water...). That's all. The first week was fine. I had no desire to eat, so having Mom and Rich stop to get food on the way home from the hospital was nothing to me because I had zero appetite and zero interest in eating. Around the one week mark, I got really tired of the protein drinks. I keep going though. I see my doctor on Tuesday and I am hoping at that point he gives me the all clear for the soft food stage of the diet. It will be easier watching other people eat if I have my own food to eat as opposed to only being allowed protein drinks. I know why I'm on them - my stomach and digestive tract are still healing. I get that and I don't want to do anything to hinder that recovery. I just want to eat real food. There are a lot of things I'm able to eat on that stage so I won't feel deprived when others around me are eating. Keep your fingers crossed that Doc gives me the okay on Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to mashed potatoes.
So now that I'm eleven days out how am I doing? Well, I feel great. I've been up and moving well since the one week mark. I can tell in my face that I've lost weight. When I start getting dressed for work next week, I should be able to tell in my clothes as well. This is my new journey - one with a smaller stomach and a new eating lifestyle ahead of me. I'm excited as to where this will take me.
Stats
Pre-Surgery Weight: 270
Current Weight: 252.6
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