wls – Fervently Falling Together

Enjoy your stay in “Onederland” :)

Wow, what a journey this has been! This last Wednesday (June 9, 2021) was 11 weeks post-op. It was a good week for me and I am excited to share my successes!

In the weight loss community, there is a term “onederland” that means you are finally under 200 pounds (one hundred something pounds). This is a goal for many of us trying to get healthier and change our lives. For me personally, I think it has been 20 years since I weighed under 200 pounds! This is a huge milestone that is definitely a cause for celebration!

Wow. Just wow. I know that weight is still far too high for my 5’2.5″ frame, but at my highest weight I was approaching 300 pounds (263 to be exact). So, seeing that number brings a sense of pride, accomplishment, and feeling that I am finally taking care of my health and life.

I had my first set of post-op labs drawn this week to check my vitamin levels, iron, and many other things following my restrictive gastric sleeve surgery. All of my labs were PERFECT! Clearly I am getting enough nutrition through my food and my thyroid supplement is working as intended!

There are some other exciting things going on in my personal life, but that is not weight loss related…buuuttt, I might discuss it here soon 😉

6 weeks post-op

(Above photo credit: Anastasia Purl) Two days ago, I hit my 6 week mark after my surgery! I am feeling pretty good and as of today, I am officially on a REGULAR diet!! The volumes I can handle are still pretty small, but I can have whatever I want now (within reason, obviously). I am establishing a new relationship with food. The sweet cravings, unfortunately, are still there. But, I am doing my best to not sabotage myself. Allowing myself some grace to navigate this next chapter of my life 🙂

This week I have been discovering and enjoying new flavors (and revisiting some old standbys). I have been enjoying vegetarian meatballs, eggs, mushrooms and green bell peppers. I even tried some black bean spaghetti!

My incisions are healing beautifully! I know that they will fade some more. Pretty happy with how they look!

I am getting very close to “onderland,” meaning I am almost under 200 pounds for the first time in MANY years. I have lost 20 pounds since surgery, and 28 pounds since I started my pre-op diet! Wow!

4 weeks post-op

Well, it has been a minute since I posted. I figured 4 weeks since surgery was a good time to post an update! My incisions are healing well. No drainage, redness, or other signs of problems.

On my diet, I am currently in the pureed phase. The good news about that is I can actually have things like scrambled eggs in addition to beans (black, pinto, etc.) as long as they are fully cooked. All of my vegetables must be cooked well, since my stomach is still healing.

I tried the other day to eat a tiny bit of bread, and I was so full that I was in pain! I guess my stomach is not ready for that! My biggest challenge continues to be getting in enough protein. It is a struggle! Most days I am still relying on protein shakes to get my 60 grams of protein in. Light string cheese and light Babybel cheese continue to be many of my meals. I am adding protein powder to pureed fruit and vegetables. I learned that adding a full scoop of protein powder to only 4 ounces of pureed fruits or vegetables are NOT a good idea! YUCK!

The chewable multivitamins do not taste very good. I have to break them in half and be sure I have eaten first, otherwise I get nauseated. That will likely be a struggle for a little while. It will be great when I can swallow them whole again!

2 weeks post-op (4/7/21)

Well, it has been 2 weeks since surgery. Ups and downs as I had expected.

The good: The steri-strips (little white bandages over my punctures) are now off. My pain is pretty much gone. AND, I am seeing good progress on the scale. I have also found an unflavored protein powder that does not leave an aftertaste or change the flavor of my soup! Yes!

The bad: my hunger has returned somewhat, and my sugar cravings a bit as well. All of the Easter candy…Reece’s peanut butter cups and eggs, Dove chocolate eggs, caramel-filled chocolate bunnies… are all calling my name! I am SO SICK of full liquids! Yogurt, soup with added protein powder, and protein shakes. Hoping on Friday that my surgeon will let me advance to pureed foods. Never thought I would be so excited to eat eggs (actual ones, not the chocolate or peanut butter kind).

The ugly: I have to take actigall (a medication to prevent gallstones) twice daily for 6 months. The powder tastes terrible! Right now, I have to open the capsules and put it in food or liquids… the aftertaste is awful! Also, as my wounds heal, my skin (the punctures and the healthy skin surrounding them as well) is so itchy!! I was a bit surprised by the severity of it. The punctures are also larger and darker in color than I had expected. I know that itchy incisions= healing. I also know that my new battle wounds will fade with time. These are just the things that are bothering me right now.

(photo credit: Anastasia Purl)

Post-op days 3, 4, and 5

On post-op day #3 (Saturday, 3/27/21) my vision had almost cleared up completely. In fact, by bedtime, it was 100% back to normal! That blurriness had me a bit worried, so I was glad to be on the mend! However, I was feeling a bit tired and “off” when I woke up. Still no hunger pangs. Pain continued to be the worst on my right side, especially the right upper quadrant (RUQ). I took oxycodone two times during the day. Another thing that happened on Saturday was I tried some soup with added protein powder (per dietician recommendations). Unflavored does NOT mean it has no taste! I added half of the recommended serving size to some soup and it was so AWFUL! Definitely will be on the lookout for a better unflavored protein powder!

Post-op day #4, Sunday (see above pic): Still in some pain, was able to wait until 5:30 PM to take oxycodone, but needed it again at bedtime. Consumed protein water (had to dilute it because it was WAY TOO SWEET), protein shakes, yogurt, and adding crystal light mix to my water to ensure I was drinking enough fluids. Weighed in at 223.6 pounds, stomach still gurgling a lot after eating and drinking, laughing was painful, felt very bloated. Took senna (a laxative) syrup because I had small, hard, marble-sized (sorry, TMI) stool at 10:00 PM. Constipation is a real issue with high protein diets. I am doing my best to get a minimum of 60 grams of protein per day. Guess it is my own fault for not taking preventative measures up until this point.

Post-op day #5, Monday: Decided to be safe and take senna syrup again, which resulted in a similar “result” as the day before, just more of it (sorry, TMI again). Started getting hiccups frequently, which really hurt if I was not bracing my abdomen at the time. On the plus side liquid Tylenol was controlling my pain. My stomach was still gurgling loudly and frequently, worst after I ate or drank anything. I felt really run down and tired, even after 9 hours of sleep. That evening I had (sorry, TMI again) an urgent need to go #2… afterwards, I felt much better and it definitely helped my bloating!