Jillc's Journey

Yes, @Munchkin, I've had soft/pureed food. Scrambled eggs with cheese and some meat in them, I also had the inside of a beef, bean and burrito taco (beans - not a great idea for me at the moment, much flatulence :)). Things are going down well, and even the gassiness wasn't painful. It is so strange not having the mesh loop from my VBG anymore. I'm repeating myself, I know. But it is SOOOO strange. :D
 
Hello all. Well, I am no longer in Palm Springs - and the weather was just getting nice again. Oh well. And it looks like the oil prices may have me laid off work for a bit. I don't mind that much because going to live on a rig in the middle of nowhere makes me a bit nervous right now.

So, I'm on mostly normal foods now. I'm at about 80% -- hoping to get to 100% soon. And weight loss wise, I've lost just over 37 pounds.

Have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow. I still suffer from nausea, and have been using Scolpomine patches and hoping to get a refill since I'm on my last one.
 
It's great to follow your progress and see you're doing so well! Makes me less nervous for mine in 3 weeks. Congrats on the 37 pounds! Hope Dr. G can help resolve the nausea.
 
I am sorry you are still suffering from nausea. I know it must feel like forever but, you are still pretty fresh off the table. I really hope you see some relief soon.
 
Thanks @newanatomy and @JackieOnLine - the nausea isn't 24/7 so I hope I didn't give that impression. The patch helps with it greatly. So I'm doing pretty well.

Weird side effect of the patches is blurred vision. Before I could read most things without my glasses. Now, not so much. I'm hoping that I won't need them for long.

Went to my doctor today (whom I need to give the boot too as he's near retirement and has family problems so he's phoning in his job) and found out that Scolpomine is available OTC in Canada. Which is good, but it's pricey. Two patches are $13. Admittedly, they each last for three days, but with my job up in the air I've become more miserly. :)
 
Hi all, it's been just over three months since I had my revision to the DS. Things are going well. My EWL seems to be on track. I'm down around 55 lbs now, which is over 30% EWL. About 35%. My initial first month's weight loss is responsible for the majority of that. At the moment I usually lose about 2ish lbs/week.

I think revision surgery is a different kettle of fish. Due to my VBG, my stomach really isn't all that different of a size from what it used to be. Also the way I eat could affect the amount of food I can digest. I stretched the pouch (of the VBG) slightly, but not majorly. From my research, many VBGers disrupt their staple lines, which I didn't. So the amounts I eat are only slightly smaller than they used to be. So I think I'm mainly relying on malabsorption.

The major benefit of the change to the sleeve is the lack of vomiting. :) It is so lovely not worrying about getting blockages in my VBG mesh. Also, trying not to masticate my food quite as much so I get full more easily. But, having chewed my food down to a pablum-like consistency for over 25 years is a very hard habit to break.

I hit a 4 week stall just over a month after surgery which was disheartening. Stalls are common with revisions. It's a major mind f*ck though. The body (at least my body) is used to strict diets. I did hCG for over a year on and off. I think it further compromised my metabolism. I experimented. I lowered my carbs and calories, that didn't work. So I decided to be counter-intuitive and do the opposite. The scale only started moving once I upped my calories and carbs. I think you have guidelines, but experimentation is key with the DS. YMMV should be a mantra. It seems, most of the time if I stay between 60-80 carbs that seems, at the moment be my sweet spot.

I have been mostly unemployed since surgery. The oil industry is going through a down-cycle. This happens every 5-8 years. Oil prices are low, so the oil companies scale back on their programs. I did get a couple of weeks' work in February. I did an experiment and decided not to take the scale with me. Nope. Not doing that again. Freaked the hell out of me.

For me, staying off the scale isn't conducive to my mental health. I think for many people, staying off the scale is a good idea. I tried it the first month. But when I was on hCG, I got used to getting on the scale every day. As long as you realize that there are things like water retention, menstrual cycle (which has gone so screwy for me - no period for 6 weeks and then three within another 6, and now nada again - either peri-menopause or estrogen dumping), the amount of liquid you get in, the amount of sleep you have, etc which affect your weight on a daily basis.

If I get on the scale one day and there's a big loss, I take it with a grain of salt. Usually I've gained most of it back the next day, but I have a net loss. As long as you don't freak out about the fluctuations, getting on the scale daily can work.

I document my daily weight in one app (Woman Log Pro) and my weekly weight loss on another (My Weight).

Anyhow, this is turning into a missive. But I thought I would do an update.
 
if weighing daily works for you, go for it.

glad to hear you are doing so well - that weight loss is enough to make your pants fall off, I should think. have you gotten any new clothes yet?

so, no more nausea at all? !!
 
Thanks @more2adore, although I spent my savings on my surgery, things aren't dire. I get unemployment insurance for a while longer and there's a possibility of more work from another company. So I'm not without hope. And I in no way regret spending those savings.

@JackieOnLine - I'm still wearing the same yoga pants I did when I had the surgery. They're definitely not as tight, and a bit longer in the leg. I've always carried my weight well, and although I am noticing some changes now, I'm just noticing. I never notice when I gain, so I guess it makes sense that I don't notice when I lose. :)

The nausea, thankfully (thanks for remembering) is under control now. I have occasional bouts of it but overall, it is good. I didn't realize I was having two different types of nausea until the first type dissipated - 1) Post-surgical nausea and 2) HUNGER :) I've discovered if I don't eat every four hours, the nausea comes to me. Still getting used to what hunger is with this configuration of my guts. Hunger now manifests itself as nausea. It used to be stomach acid and pangs.

It's all a big learning curve.
 
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