The clothes I am wearing now are a bit loose, and I told my husband not long ago that I would need to borrow his suspenders to hold my slacks up. I do not want to buy any new clothes until later this summer, so I make do with what I have and will soon have to find a seamstress to make some alterations.
Do I have any regrets having this surgery done? No. I am pleased with the way things have turned out. If you were to ask me early in April, my answer might have been different because I was getting nauseated and didn't know why. Now, I feel great.
The medications I was taking before surgery for diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol have all been cut in half. I do not take any other meds, except my daily vitamins and calcium. I can live with that, too.
I am eating solid foods, and for the most part, I digest them well, as long as I chew thoroughly and eat slowly. I know when my stomach is full and I just push the plate away, because if I were to continue eating I'd just throw up. It's not worth it.
I do have cravings for the foods that I cannot have, like bagels, bread and candy, but that has not been too bad. I getting used to it and I just don't dwell on it.
I would give anything to take a big gulp of ice cold water. I did that only one time and will never do it again - it felt like it was sitting in my chest.
So much of my diet is trial and error. What might agree with one person might not agree with the other.
I also discovered that I am now lactose intolerant. I became sick to my stomach after I would drink my protein shake and sometimes whatever I ate. But I do not drink milk much anyway, so that is not a great loss.
Now I am off the protein shake and I get my protein from other food sources, which has worked out well. I had to start narrowing down the things that would make me the most sick and stay away from those things.
I am on medications for the nausea, which helped.
As April progressed, I needed fewer of these medications and I now know what foods to stay away from. Certain smells - bacon, fish sticks and certain perfumes - will make me feel nauseated. Before surgery, that never seemed to be a problem.
Otherwise, I am doing OK, and I am right on target as far as my weight loss and health goes.
My goal for weight loss is at least 20 pounds a month, though I will be pleased with any amount of weight loss. Exercise is an important part of the program. During April, I had to put exercise on hold for a while because I was so nauseated.
My mind and body are now learning to adjust to the new me and there will be more adjustments forthcoming. I will take things one day at a time, and I can call my surgeon and primary care doctor if I need them. That is a comfort.
