26 Weeks Post-Op VSG Update - Losing

Today is 26 weeks post op. I weighed myself a couple times to make sure it was true, but i'm down 73.4 pounds! This week had a total loss of 5.2 pounds. This is the most I have lost in a week in a LONG LONG time. I haven't been doing anything differently, so I'm not sure what changed. I haven't been to the gym in over three weeks because of my gallbladder surgery. I have been eating chicken noodle soup everyday for lunch at work, so maybe that's what did it? I still have my Premier Protein shake every morning for breakfast. I drink it on my drive in to work but I never finish it so when I get to work, I will either drink the rest, or mix the rest with coffee. I've never liked coffee, but I have been enjoying coffee with my shake.

This weekend is Christmas, so I have Christmas Eve with my husbands aunt and cousin, then Christmas Day with his parents in the morning and his family friends in the afternoon. Then Monday-Wednesday, my brother in laws and their families are coming to town so we will have Christmas with them! Then I will be at work for one day, Thursday, then we are off Friday-Monday for New Years! 2017, here I come!

25 Weeks Post-OP - Surgery Recovery.. again

My surgery went well, I'm in recovery mode again, which feels pretty similar to VSG recovery except I took time off work this time. After VSG, I went to work the day after the hospital (I was in the hospital for 4 days), this time, I was in the hospital for like 6 hours total. I have three new incisions because they reused one of the previous incisions. The glue is taking a while to come off, and I have some gnarly bruises from where they tried to put the IV. This week (I believe) I am down 67.2 pounds, which is a 1.6 pound loss for the week. I wish it was more. I found myself craving chips so I caved and got a bag of original, lo-fat, baked lays. They're pretty delicious. Christmas is coming up and one of the parties we're going to is asking me to bake my brownies (they all LOVE them, but they're just funfetti)... this is going to be really tough. It was going to be hard because of the VSG restrictions, but being 6 months out at Christmas wont be too too bad, but now after gallbladder removal, I need to be careful with fat.  

24 Week post-Op - Another Surgery

Today I have just been hanging out at home since I had surgery yesterday. The pain from gas was a lot worse than with VSG. I got to the hospital at 11am, they took me into a prep room at 11:15am, then they said okay lets go right away, and I got pulled into surgery fast. I was struggling with anxiety while they were trying to get the IV in and my veins got really small so they couldn't get it in the first two tries. They finally got it in my bicep, weird spot. I went into surgery and was out and awake by 2:45pm. I went t my room and my mom and husband were there and I had to pee, eat and take my last pill before they cut me off meds. I went home at about 5:30pm. I got home and went straight to bed. I was in so much pain. 

This morning I got up and worked all day. I had a hard time sitting straight in my computer chair, but I was busy so it took my mind off it. I was in pain so I finally went back to bed to heal more at like 3pm. I skipped one round of meds because I was so busy working. When my husband got home (I can't stretch to reach the microwave right now), I was able to have some chicken noodle soup for dinner. 

I'm going to try an egg tomorrow. It's a struggle because all the foods online are foods I can't have with VSG like bread, rice and pasta. 

ER Gallbladder?!

So at the ER, they told me it was gallstones and to see my surgeon the following day. So the next say I called and couldn't get an appointment so I went in Thursday and Dr. felt around and said, "okay, lets get it out. I was confused. He said "what time works tomorrow". Um no time! My work Christmas party is the next day so I literally didn't want to. I asked if we can do it Wednesday December 7th but he said he'd feel better if we did it Monday the 5th. So it's scheduled. Monday. I need to shower with the same soap as for VSG. I'm going to work from home Tuesday, Wednesday and probably Thursday too so that's nice that that's an option. I am very nervous that I won't lost weight after the surgery...

5 Months Post Op - Gallstones

I'm a couple days late on this post but I'm 5 months post op. I am 66.2 pounds down. I actually was just in the ER yesterday because of really bad chest pains. I had lot of blood work, a few EKGs, a CAT scan and an ultrasound and good news is that it's not a blood clot but the bad news is that I have gallstones. I have an appointment tomorrow morning with my surgeon to make sure everything is okay and that I don't need surgery.

21 Week Post-Op VSG Update

This past week was a pretty boring week. Nothing much happened. I lost 2.8 pounds this week, which is the most I've lost in a week in a LONG time. I am down 62.8 total since surgery. I have been eating well. I also made a rule for myself that I will only go to the gym if I hit 600 calories for the day. I feel like I am not doing my body any good if I don't eat enough calories and then go to the gym. I got the newest PowerBeats wireless headphones for my birthday and I LOVE them. They are so nice to have especially since my iPhone 7 plus doesn't have a standard headphone jack.

20 Month Post-Op Update - CUBS, NEW NUT, BIRTHDAY, ELECTION

Today is 20 months post op and I hit 60 pounds down. Last week, Wednesday, November 2nd, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series! It was a crazy and exciting week to be a Chicagoan. Earlier, before the game started, I went to meet my new nutritionist/dietitian. She's super nice, but she doesn't meet with patients post-op. This particular group/team only sees people before surgery, and 30 and 60 days after. She had a lot of questions she needed to get answered later, like my questions about the patch vitamins. I asked her about carbs because my team doesn't allow pasta, rice or bread. The new one told me I can have whatever I want but in moderation. I didn't leave feeling super confident. The next day at work, we were allowed to be late because the Cubs game went late. People made treats and brought candy in (Baby Ruths). Someone made adorable cupcakes so I had one. I'm pretty sure I experienced dumping syndrome. I will leave the deets for another time...

Yesterday, Sunday 11/6, was my 25th birthday. My husband surprised me and took me to a casino, dinner and bars. We went to the Casino and didn't do as well as planned. Then we went to McCormick and Schmick's where the hubby surprised me with his cousin joining us!  I had a lobster mashed potatoes, it was alright, not the best though. Then we all went to a few bars an basically drank my weight in Jeremiah Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade. Good think we got a hotel! The next morning, we woke up and went to breakfast, I had eggs and a quarter of a bagel with cream cheese. I know, bad. Later that night, we went to dinner with my parents and in-laws for my birthday. We went to Outback Steakhouse. I had mushroom chicken and mashed potatoes. I took most of it home. I had the mashed potatoes and a couple bites of chicken for lunch at work today and will have some more chicken at home for dinner.

Tomorrow is Election Day. So either world will be shitty, or more shitty.

Overall, 60 pounds lost. I'm okay with it, I ate like crap. Maybe this will teach me to not eat like this anymore. But I really want a bagel. I feel like I'm always hungry, which is a problem because I can't eat all day at my desk because my stomach makes the more horrible noises.

4 MONTH POST-OP UPDATE

Today is my 4 month surgiversary. I am officially down 57.2lbs. In the last month I lost 10.6lbs. My measurements will be on my YouTube channel. This was a rather hard month for losing weight. I was out of town in Nashville, I was in DC, and I have been sick for about two weeks. I haven’t been to the gym I over 2 weeks so I’m feeling kind of crappy. My birthday is soon so that’s cool. The Cubs are in the World Series so there have been a lot of treats brought into work and a bit of wine too. Then Halloween is Monday too, so there’s candy all over my house. I haven’t had any! I went to a Hocus Pocus party and my friend made smores books. They are graham crackers with fluff in the middle on a stick and melt chocolate over it so it’s like a chocolate square popsicle. I had a bite but it was very sweet. Overall, I’m not thrilled about only 10.6lbs this month. I am seeing a new nutritionist at a totally different office soon so hopefully she will help me lose more faster!

16 Week Post-Op VSG Update - NASHVILLE BABY

This is my 16 week post op update. I was in Nashville this past weekend. I ate a bunch of crap I shouldn’t have. On Thursday, we went to Rippy’s and I had a grilled chicken wrap and a few curly fries (to DIE for curly fries). Friday at Puckett’s, I had some eggs with cheese, ham, insides of fried chicken for breakfast. For lunch at a Blues bar in Printer’s Alley, we had fried pickles. I don’t remember what was for dinner. Saturday, we went to Another Broken Egg for breakfast and I had some country potatoes with an egg, feta, mushroom, and bacon scrambler (prob a million calories). For dinner we went to Margaritaville and I had a few of my husband’s nachos and then ¼ of a chicken and cheese quesadilla. Oh, and every evening I drank my body weight in vodka lemonades. Typing it out, doesn't sound too horrible, but it was pretty bad. I felt full every day and tried to keep doing because it was so good. 

Overall,I gained a pound this weekend. I’m not okay with it. I also anticipate not losing much this week because I will be laying on the couch after work because I’m sick. I might have strep, but I don’t think so. So total, i'm down 54.2 pounds. 

3 Months Post-Op Update - gained again

It's three months today and I gained. I am not down 46.6 pounds from pre-op. I'm down 7" for the past month and only 8.6 pounds in a month. I know it's because I have been going to the gym and not eating enough calories. I'm only getting in about 400 calories. I need help with food ideas that are low carb, low fat, high protein that has calories. 

I went to my general doctor today to talk about my anxiety meds. He put me on celexa from sertraline and Valium instead of xanax for panic attacks.

Here's a picture from day of surgery and today- three months post-op.  

 

13 Weeks Po-Op VSG - Gained 3lbs

Today is 13 weeks post op. I haven’t been doing very well because I have been gaining instead of losing. Earlier in the week, I was down 49.8 since surgery. Now I’m down 46.8 since surgery. That’s three pounds gained. I haven’t been doing anything differently. I haven’t been eating any better or worse, I haven’t been going to the gym any less. In fact, I went two times more. I am going to yoga this week to try to get back into it. I wish it wasn’t so expensive though! I started my Instagram for this journey, so you should follow me: jen.vsg. 

Tomorrow is 3 months post op. Gaining 3 pounds is not the way I want to go into my third month. I impulsively bought an apple watch, so there's that. I was supposed to have my 3 month post op surgeon appointment tomorrow but the nutritionists is going to be out of town so it was moved to October 6th. I am getting bloodwork done tomorrow though, not sure for what because the surgeon hasn't ordered anything because I haven't seen him in a while. 

Instagram: jen.vsg

Hey everyone, I finally got a VSG instagram! It's jen.vsg

12 Weeks Post-Op - Birthday Cake

It looks like I'm in a stall. It was a rough week last week and I gained a pound and lost a couple. I am down 47.2 pounds since surgery. I didn’t go to the gym at all this past week and lost pounds. When I go to the gym, it seems like I’m not losing anything. It doesn’t make sense. I threw my husband a birthday party this past Saturday for his 30^th birthday. I made so much food. Meatballs, cheese ball, chicken, and a bunch of more stuff. I also ordered this amazing cake. It was too expensive not to taste. So I did. I ate cheese and crackers like it was going out of style. I was convinced that I gained 2 pounds from eating cake and crackers. I also had a bite of a Panera turkey sandwich at work – yes, with bread. I feel guilty, but when I see the scale go down, I feel better and I justify the fact that I ate like shit. I feel like I’m repetitive, but this is my journey.    

11 Weeks Post-Op - Gained a pound, lost confidence

Today is 11 weeks post op. I gained a pound this week. I'm not happy at all. I'm quite pissed actually. I had someone tell me I look good and like I'm losing weight for the first time since surgery. That's pretty good since I'm down 43 pounds. I don't know, I guess I thought I'd lose faster by taking all my vitamins like a good girl, eating perfectly on track, getting all my protein in and going to the gym. I guess I was wrong. 

10 Weeks Post-Op VSG - Labor Day Weekend

Today is Labor Day. It's also 10 weeks since surgery. I'm down 43.4 pounds. I spent the weekend at my in-laws lake house in Lake Geneva, WI and basically ate like shit. I made a chocolate eclair cake for a work party Friday and for the lake over the weekend. I had a bite of it Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning my mother in law made these baked ham and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian bread so I baster insides of one and a small bite of bread because that's where all the flavor is. We went to dinner Saturday night and I had a few bites of grilled hot dog, few bites of grilled chicken, caprese salad, Caesar salad and mushrooms. Then Sunday morning my mother in law made cinnamon roll French toast casserole. Delish. I also had a small bite. We spent the day at the beach and I got so burnt. Then my husband I met up with some friends at a hot air balloon fest. We had some chicken fingers there. Then came home and had skinny pop. I literally ate like shit ALL WEEKEND. I came home and dreaded weighing. I lost 2.6 pounds Friday-Monday. I don't understand how that can be. But I'll take it. 

 

Two Month Post-Op VSG

I'm two days late only two month post op update. So I'll do my two month and two day update. I did my measurements and have lost some decent inches. I am down 39.6 pounds - so close to 40. I feel like I've been losing b wet slowly. I went to torrid in a size 22 and bought size 18 purple skinny jeans - who am I? So weird, I haven't been an 18 in so long. I hope I keep losing at this pace. According to my app, happy scale, I will hit my goal of 145lbs in 7 months. Hopefully shortly after that I can try to get pregnant! That's the goal for all of this. 

8 Weeks Post-Op - It Doesn't Fit

Today is week 8 and I'm down 37.8 pounds. I'm pretty frustrated that my clothes still fit the same. I started out as a size 22 and I am still a 22. I start a new job tomorrow and tried on a size 20 and they fit the same way as before - which is barely. I went out to dinner for my anniversary and it's a place that I used to love and clean my plate every course. An entree comes with soup, salad, veggie, meat, and side. I had a couple sips of the cream of broccoli, a few bites of salad, a piece of the chicken picante, and picked at the mashed potatoes. I brought the rest home which I've been eating every day, every meal since. 

Overall, 37.8 pounds is good, but I wish I saw it. And I wish my clothes fit. 

7 Weeks Post-Op - Wedding, Drinking

This weekend I went to a wedding and dranik for the first time since surgery. When I woke up, I took my regular meds and was so sick I was throwing up. We had to drive an hour and a half to the hotel so I ate a peach and threw three dresses in the car. When we got to the hotel I tried on my three dresses and two of them were too SMALL. I just wore them last year… and then lost almost 40 pounds. I was pissed. I ended up wearing a purple dress. It wasa cute, me and my husband matched. I will insert a picture. We had a friend take the picture and when I looked back at it, I was shocked at how decent I looked! During cocktail hour, I had a glass of wine (watered down with ice) – but I only had half of it. Then for dinner it was a buffet so I had salad, the insides of a twice baked potato and one bite of my husbands prime rib. During the rest of dinner and dancing, I had a vodka lemonade. I thought it was going to hit me fast but it didn’t hit me at all. We danced a bit then they made brick oven pizza, and I had a little bite of my husband’s. After the reception, we went back to the hotel and hung out in the bar. I had water. We also got cheese curds because Milwaukee. The day after we drove home and I weighed myself. I lost .8 pounds for a total of 36 pounds.

 

 

 

 

6 Week Post-Op FOOD HAUL

I realized that at my 6 week post-op, I'm allowed to have fresh fruits and veggies! I went to the gym (ugh, felt like crap but did it anyways) and after I went to the grocery story. I got some reduced fat cheese-itz, apples, peaches (not shown), peanuts, cherry tomatoes, lettuce to make lettuce wraps, and lite mayo for said lettuce wraps. What are other yummy snacks that I can have??

6 Week Post-Op - acne?!

Today is 6 weeks post op! I am officially down 33.6 pounds. I will do measurements at my 2 month mark. This week I have been going hard at the gym and decided to go golfing Sunday. Bad idea. I was fine for the first hole then by the third hole I was throwing up. I'm not sure why. I also didn't realize that the constant bending over would take a toll on me. I took it easy Sunday. On Saturday I went to my friends house and hung out with her and her baby. I am way too anxious to have a baby. I want one so bad. I know I have to wait. 

In other news, I have been getting pretty bad acne lately. It could be because I started birth control again but I've never had this problem when I took this birth control last time. I was thinking it could be from sweat, but I'm not sure. At this point, I'll take acne instead of the 33.6 pounds I lost. 

Here is my video.

https://youtu.be/Cx4mXXEMlNo

Time For A Change

So I spontaneously decided to dye my hair. New me - starting with surgery and now red hair! 

 
 

Going To A Bar

On Friday, my husband and I went to his best friends bar's closing day. I'm so used to drinking there but I wasn't able to. This is a bar we would go to for most of our relationship. We would take the train 45 minutes from our house. I only really drank at this one bar and at weddings and some holidays (Christmas parties, New Years, wine on thanksgiving). I'm going to a wedding in two weeks and I'm thinking I will probably have a glass of wine. 

I don't NEED to drink, but I am more fun and I have more fun when I'm drinking. At weddings I only dance when I'm drinking because I don't care what people think. I'm also not telling anyone really about my surgery so if I'm not drinking they will just assume I'm pregnant. 

I know I'm not supposed to but we'll see. I think I know what I'm going to do..

5 Weeks Post-Op - Mall

Today is 5 weeks since surgery. I have lost 27.8 pounds. I went to the gym everyday since Thursday (when I was cleared to go) except Sunday. I have been consistently been doing 2-2.5 miles on a combination of treadmill, elliptical and/or bike. I used to be able to go 5 miles in an hour. Friday we went to a friends bar. On Sunday I went to the mall with my mom and I didn't get tired at all walking. I was able to wear pants that I currently have that are a size smaller. I was a 22 at the time of surgery and these pants were a 20. I went to Old Navy and tried on slacks in an 18 and wasn't able to get them up at all. I also tried on18 jeggings and the band wasn't tight at all. I guess I will hold off on buying new clothes for a while. 

One Month Post-Op Appointment

I had my one month post-op appointment with the nutritionist and surgeon yesterday, 7/28. I met with the nutritionist first and she said that I can move on to soft foods. I thought I was already on soft foods but I guess I was only on purees. I can have saltines with cheese, so that’s exciting that I can have something crunchy now! Anything I eat has to pass the “fork test” which means if a fork can break it, mush it, or pull it apart, I can eat it. I’m pretty much clear to eat most things except rice, pasta, bread, dense meat, and of course no deep fried, fatty foods. I was told about the 20/20/20 rule which means every bite needs to be 20 chews, wait 20 seconds between bites and then a meal should take 20 minutes. I am also taking calcium pills now too. I need to get 1000-1200mg every day so I can take 2 Viactiv per day. They actually taste pretty good, almost like tootsie rolls. She said I was doing very well. I am officially down 25 pounds according to their scale. According to mine at home I am 23.5 pounds down. I’ll take the extra weight loss. 

 

I also met with the surgeon and he looked at my scars and said they look great! The glue all came off and they are almost all the way healed. He cleared me to go back to the gym and any type of exercise. I can also golf again! 

 

After the appointment and after work I went to the gym by me and signed up again and did 2 miles on the elliptical in 26 minutes. I used to do 5 miles in an hour or less. I’m not super thrilled that I couldn’t get past 2 miles without feeling like death. I keep telling myself that I just had major surgery and will take time to get back into it. 

 

I also went to the grocery store and I got some essentials. I got Viactiv, Weight Watcher’s string cheese, chicken salad, ham salad (I didn’t like it), saltines, bananas, and some more stuff that I’m forgetting. For lunch at work I have been bringing some deli turkey slices and some 1/3 fat cream cheese rolled up. It’s super good. I was also cleared to have cheerios and milk. 

 

Overall, I’m happy with -25 pounds in a month. I go back on my 3 month surgiversary.  

 

My First NSV - My Wedding Rings Fit

Today I noticed that I got my first NSV (non scale victory). I used to not be able to get my wedding rings off most of the time. If I was lucky, I had to take them of one by one and by the time I got them off, my finger was bright red and stung like crazy. I just realized today that I can take them off with ease and all at once! Here is a picture of before surgery and one day shy of 1 month post-op.  I think I see a difference!

 

Puppy's Cone of Shame

My puppy had to go to the vet this week because he has been chewing his feet like crazy. He chewed them so much that his feet were bleeding and he ripped out all of the hair. They gave him antibiotics, anti-inflammatory meds and a spray for his feet. I know I'm not supposed to be lifting more than 5-10 pounds by my puppy needed help getting in my car. He's 44.8 pounds. For a reference, here's a picture. He doesn't look like it, but he's heavy! 

4 Weeks Post-Op - What I Eat In A Day

Today I am four weeks post op! I finally kicked that stupid stall I've been in for the pat 6 days and had a 2.4 pound loss this week for a total of 22.4 pounds since surgery. I haven't really noticed any clothes fitting better or looser. On Saturday I had friends over and we ordered pizza so I had the toppings off a small square of plain cheese pizza. It was so good and went down smoothly. I wish it made me sick so I didn't want it. What hasn't been making me sick is watermelon. That stuff has been going down amazingly. Everyday for breakfast I have a premier protein shake, then for a snack I have a weight watchers string cheese. For lunch I have cottage cheese and a sugar free pudding cup. Then I have watermelon for dinner when I get home at 5:30pm. For dinner I usually have mashed potatoes with cheese or soup. At work someone got tacos so I had a bite of the inside of a pulled chicken taco and I didn't like it. I know I haven't been eating enough calories (200-400 per day) so I will be talking to the nutritionist about that. I go back for my 1 month post op visit with the nutritionist and surgeon on Thursday. 

The glue on my incisions are almost all gone! Only 1 and a half still have glue left. I have been laying on my stomach for like half an hour at a time at night, so sleeping has been more enjoyable. I mostly sleep on my side still with a pillow across my tummy for protection in case puppy decides to jump on me. 

I have lost 22.4 pounds since day of surgery and 21.3 inches total. 

First Support Group

Today was the support group. I’m so glad I went, I almost didn’t go because I was nervous. There were about 40 people there. 30 post-op, 5 pre-op, and 5 supporters. Online it said that 9:30-10:30am was an informational session for pre-op  and then 10:30-12pm was the support group. I got there at about 9:40am and watched the rest of the informational session presentation then the group started early at about 10. For the first hour we went around the room and introduced ourselves, where we are at in the journey, if post-op, how it’s going and then why we had the surgery we did. There were people who had bypass, Roux-EN-Y, and the sleeve. It took a long time because we took time to clap at least twice per person. I wish there were fewer people there so people could have their questions answered. It looked like I was the youngest one there besides two daughters who were there for support for their moms. Pretty much everyone had the surgery with the same doctors as I did, so that was interesting. Everyone was from everywhere. After the year long introductions, a psychologist from the area came to speak and answer questions. He asked a couple questions to get an idea about what he is going to talk about. I raised my hand to ask him to talk about deciphering between head hunger and actual hunger. He talked a lot about body image issues and about self love. Then he also talked about boundaries. How to set boundaries with family and friends. I don’t have a lot of people that know about my surgery so I was very interested to see what he was going to say about that but he didn’t really talk too much about it. We ran out of time. He did give some good advice about how to tell family why you aren’t taking leftovers, or eating dessert. He said to tell them that you are really watching what you’re eating. You are in charge of what you put in your mouth. I think I might start seeing him on a one on one basis. I've been thinking about seeing a therapist for a while and I think now is a good time to start going.

One person in the group brought her protein shake and she was able to find a new flavor, Caramel! She got it at Walmart so after the meeting I went to Walmart and got the caramel and the new bananas and cream. If I like It I’m getting more!

Overall, I’d definitely go back to another meeting next month.

After I got home, my husband and I took the dog out for a long walk. It was really refreshing to be able to walk as a family. He comes home very late so we don’t get to do that often. By the time he gets home, I’m already in my pajamas and tired. And lets face it, when the bra comes off after work, it’s not going back on until the next morning. AMIRITE?!

2 Weeks Post-Op - Pain, Poop, Free Protein?!

Today is my two weeks post op. I weighed myself this morning and am down 17.2 pounds since my heighest recorded weight (two weeks before surgery). I also am down 9.5". I measure my neck, waist, hips, biceps, forearm, wrist, thigh, calf, and ankle (right side only). I didn't count the left side in my 9.5", by I probably should. I was in a lot of pain in my biggest incision today because my puppy jumped on me this morning and then I sneezed for the first time since surgery this afternoon. Then I was laughing with people at work so it hurt more. I also had my first poop yesterday! It was pretty exciting, and quite painful. That's all about that. 

About a month or so ago, I signed up for free protein from some site. Then I forgot about it. Today, I got a huge package in the pain that I couldn't lift but it said InsireNutrition. When my husband came home from work he brought it in the house and we opened it to find FOUR full  size (18 bottles) cases of Premier Protein (two vanilla and two strawberry). Of course yesterday we went to Costco and got a case of Vanilla Premier Protein. In the box was also some Optisource vitamins. Pretty cool! The I read the slip and it says congratulations, this is the first of your monthly subscription. I didn't pay for it, I think it goes through insurance. 

 

10 DAYS POST-OP - Mushy foods

Yesterday, Thursday July 7^th I went to my 10 day post-op appointment. I got to the office and had to wait about 20 minutes. Usually I wouldn’t be pissed but I was on an hour break from work. The appointment was 4 minutes long. He basically looked at my incisions and said they look good. He also told me to pub some nail polish remover on my tummy where there are sticky remains from the monitors from the hospital. I was also approved to eat mushy foods so I went to the store right after to get the essentials. I got some potatoes to mash, normal yogurt (not Greek), cottage cheese, shredded cheese and some laughing cow cheese triangles. For dinner I made mashed potatoes and put them in little ½ cup containers to bring to work. It’s perfect. I was able to eat almost the entire ½ cup. I melted some shredded cheese on it (yes, allowed). To work on Friday I brought ½ cup of mashed potatoes and ½ cup of cottage cheese (low-fat, small curd). I was able to eat it all throughout the day. 

 

I also started wearing pants finally. I’ve just been wearing dresses. The location the pants hit on my stomach is right by incisions. Now that they’re less sore, I have been wearing loose pants. 

 

Also, I lost 16.2 pounds.

1 Week Post-Op - Food, Puppy

Today is the 4th of July and one week since my surgery. I have lost 10.6 pounds since day of surgery. According to my paperwork, I'm supposed to be on the soft food diet. But it also says don't move on to the next stage until doctor tells you. My one week post-op appointment is Thursday. I sort of cheated though, I had a tiny bit of a Laughing Cow triangle. My meals the past three days were:

Saturday:
Half of a Cookies and Cream Quest protein shake (couldn't finish the whole thing. made it with almond milk)
A small bite of sugar free strawberry jello (didn't sit well)
Half a sugar free chocolate pudding snack pack
4oz Peach Crystal Light

Sunday:
Bananas and Cream Quest protein shake (made it with water)
Sugar free popsicle

Monday:
Half a sugar free chocolate pudding snack pack
4oz Peach Crystal Light
Sugar Free popsicle
Tiny piece of laughing cow cheese triangle
*Going to try 1cup of cream of cheese soup

I'm not getting enough water or protein in. It's so hard at this point because I'm always full and my only food options are low-cal. This week I'm excited to get approval to have mashed potatoes and cottage cheese! I also hope to get approval to drive again. It hurts to wear a seat-belt and go over the bumps in the road.

My incisions are healing well. I'm not sure what it's supposed to look like, but it's not oozing or red or anything. I'm having a hard time wearing pants so I have been wearing dresses to work but I'm running out of dresses.

I'm excited to have my puppy back home! He has been staying with my mother-in-law, she loves having him and he loves being there. But I still miss my little baby boy! He's coming home tomorrow. I'm nervous because he's still a puppy and still jumps. If he jumps, his paws are right at my incision height, so hopefully he will be good.  Here's a picture of my handsome baby dog, Charley!

5 Days Post-Op

I went to work 9-2 today. It really wasn't bad at all. I realized that it hurts to wear pants so I had to wear a dress yesterday. I wore a maxi skirt that had a loose flap that felt nice against my stomach. My husband is still driving me to work until doctor gives me the okay to drive. While I was getting ready this morning I weighed myself and lost 5.8 pounds since day of surgery. 

I made a Cookies & Cream Quest shake with almond milk. It tastes pretty good. I made it for dinner last night but only had 4oz, then I had the rest 4oz today. I'm having a hard time getting all my liquid in. I tried isopure lemonade and something about it isn't the greatest. I also had a tablespoon of sugar free strawberry jello. It didn't feel great going down. I will try sugar free pudding and a sugar free Popsicle later. My coworker brought in lemon bars and I wasn't even a little tempted of had FOMO. 

4 Days Post-Op - Going Home!

4 Days Post-Op has been the best. I was woken up at 5am to get blood drawn. Besides that, there were no more needles at all today. IV and Drain came out the day before, so I was unattached to the hospital the days before I was released. I kept trying to go back to sleep because I wanted time to pass by faster but I kept having nurses and techs and nutritionists and physical therapists and hematologists and respiratory come in.  At about 9am, my surgeon came in and discharged me! The I had to wait about 3 hours for them to get all their ducks in a row before I could call Brian to come pick me up. I left at noon. 

When I got home, the first thing I wanted to do was brush my hair. I brushed out the 4 day old knot and took the best shower. Nothing stung or burned or anything. 

Originally, the plan was to come home Wednesday and go to work on Friday for the grand opening of my office. Since I didn't get discharged until noon Friday, after I took a shower at home, I had my husband drive me to work 2-5. It wasn't too bad! I will probably work tomorrow 9-1 then start full time Tuesday after the 4th of July. 

We were also going to go to my in-laws lake house like we always do for the fourth (and other holidays) but since I want to chill, I decided not to go. 

All in all, looks good, feels good.

End of Day 3

It's the end of day 3 and I really feel great. I don't have any pain. Since the drain amd IV have been out, I've been great. Oxygen is in the 93-97% range. It's about 11:30pm and I just got my last (second for the day) dose of meds. I'm on all oral meds do no need for the IV. Tomorrow my new life officially starts. Scary, but really exciting. I'm most nervous about going upstairs and then back down. I practiced a few stairs today and did fine. I can sleep downstairs, but the showers are both upstairs. I'm really nervous for my puppy to come back home from my In-laws house. He is still a puppy so it's hard to keep him off of me. He sleeps on my feet then stands on our stomachs to wake us up in the morning. 

Well, going to bed, hope my hospital room neighbor goes to sleep soon. She's shouting. 

Good thoughts for tomorrow. Good thoughts.

Day 2/3 Post-Op

Day 3, I'm still in the hospital. Yesterday my oxygen level was in the 60-70s so they had me in an emergency cat scan. Thank goodness it came back negative for blood clots. They think I have pneumonia. They took the drain out, so now I feel great. But the surgeon might keep me ANOTHER night to monitor The antibiotics and the blood thinners. I had a blood thinner shot in my stomach, so I thought that'll do, guess not. I'm not attached to anything except the heart monitors, so I'd love to home. Yesterday I asked for lemonade and the nurse said I can't have lemonade so brought me Apple juice. Then later another nurse said I can't have apple juice and need to have lemonade. What the hell?

End of rant. I want to go home. 

 

Day 1 Post-Op

1 day post op started out pretty horribly - not gonna lie. I was in a lot of pain. They have my dilaudid but it just made me nautious. Being nautious hurt because my stomach is stapled. I was pretty okay when my mom was here about 11am-12:30pm. After that I was just going through sleep, drugs, pee, walk, repeat.

As the night does on I feel like I'm doing well,  until it's time to get up to use the bathroom. It hurts to twist out of bed. 

I think I'm supposed to leave tomorrow, not sure how that will work. I just want the drain out.  Sorry if this was scattered, I'm drugged and sleepy.

 

Morning of Surgery

It's really hard to grasp the idea of what today will bring. Last time I had surgery, I was a mess the morning of. Like an absolute mess. Right now I'm kind of calm. It feels like any other day. I'm sure that will change in an hour when I leave my house to go to the hospital....

Night Before Surgery

The clear liquid diet is horrible. Today I was limited to clear liquids only. So last night I went to have a nice big Italian dinner with the husband. Then I made some jello. This morning I had jello for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. I went to the grocery store and got home chicken broth. So gross. I tried the lemonade isopure drink and it's not as good as it was when I tried a sip. I went to GNC the other day and got some quest protein powders. Then I went to get a nutri ninja mixer. I haven't tried any, but can't be too bad right?

How am I feeling? I'm so nervous. I can't even imagine that in less than 12 hours I'm going to be about to be in the OR. It such a surreal feeling that it's about to happen. My life is going to change forever. I also keep running through my head why I'm doing this. I want to be happy, healthy, and to be able to be there for my children. I want to be able to have children - then be there for them. And to live to see their children. 

I will write back as soon as I'm up! Thanks for sticking through :) I hope I can help anyone else going through this. 

What I Won’t Miss About Being Fat

• Seatbelt extenders (although I have never needed one, if I had one more sip of anything, it wouldn’t have fit)
• Not being able to cross my legs
• Being the fat friend
• Lane Bryant. Torrid. And the rest of them
• Sweating
• Weighing more than my husband
• Worrying about plastic chairs
• Holding my breath when bending over
• Being told I have a pretty face
• Rolls.
• Chins.
• Chub rub.
• Having a high heart rate whenever I need to step on the scale
• Having to go to the back of the store for plus size
• Spending way too much on clothes because of extra fabric
• People assuming I have diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol (which I don’t)
• Having to straddle the toilet when closing a bathroom stall door
• Having to adjust my shirt when I stand up
• Having to take angled pictures
• Having to find a 38H bra
• Stretchy jeans
• Purple stretch marks
• Some doctors using the wrist cuff instead of the arm cuff for blood pressure
• Back fat
• Awkward tan lines from rolls
• The feeling that no one wants to sit by you
• Buying longer shirts so they cover my belly and FUPA
• My boobs. I will not miss them being this size.

Pre-Op Appointment

Today I went to my pre-op appointment with my surgeon and nutritionist. They gave me a lot of paperwork about what my food life will be like after surgery.

The first appointment with was with the nutritionist. We went over the 5-10-15 rule which means when reading a nutrition label, look for foods with less than 5g fat, 10g carbs, and 15g or more protein. She also showed me a few samples of the protein shakes and which ones are good and which don't meet the 5-10-15 rule. I learned that in the hospital (2 days ish) I will be on clear liquids, then for up to 10 days at home I will be on all liquid (Sugar free jello, popsicles, water, shakes, broths, etc.). Then after that, I will be on purees/mushys. I was also given a sample of a premier shake and it came with a coupon! ... except the coupon expired a month ago...

Then I went to see my surgeon. He went over my labs and said everything looked good! He was very fast to leave though. Here are a few questions I had and his answers:

Nail polish?
I can wear it on all but 1 finger..

Catheter?
They'll probably use one during surgery but they'll put it in after I'm out and take it out before I wake up

Leak Test?
They will do a leak test during surgery

Can I take my regular meds the morning of surgery and after?
Yes. I can take all my regular meds.

My YouTube Channel...

I have debated making this channel but I gave in. Here is my first video....

Who is Jen VSG

I am 24 years old living with my new husband (Married on April 23, 2016) in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. I am an insurance agent and recently graduated with my Bachelor's in Psychology, Sociology, Criminology. I am still in school finishing classes, but I was able to walk at graduation with a couple classes left. We also have an adorable little puppy, Charley. We rescued him on June 27 2015. That is the same day as my scheduled surgery. My husband proposed on Valentine's day 2015.

2015/2016 was absolutely crazy and it's abut to get crazier.

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and Prothrombin Genetic Mutation (very prone to blood clots). This surgery is going to help me lose weight so I can be a mom. I believe that people are all on this earth with a purpose - some to be a doctor, some to be a lawyer, some to be plumbers. I am on this earth to be a mommy.

VSG Pillow, Erin Condren stickers

How cute is this pillow? I ordered this on Etsy from Plusheez. I don't think it will come in time for surgery, but it's still cute.

I also ordered a LOT of planner stickers for my new 2016/17 Erin Condren Life Planner that should be coming soon. If you want to see all of them, I will probably make a YouTube video with them soon. This is one of my favorites from PaperPusherShop.

I will be measuring myself and weighing myself every week for the first few months so this will be super helpful. I also ordered a water bottle with my monogram on it and a time tracker to make sure I am drinking all 64oz. every day post op.

Now What?

I was approved, I got my labs... now what? Wait more? I was going to drive myself crazy reading blogs and forums about the surgery and what to expect. Everyone has different experiences so I really have to take it with a grain of salt. I ordered some weight loss tracking stickers from Etsy for my Erin Condren planner as well as a water bottle with time trackers on it so I know how much I have been drinking. I also got a blender bottle for my protein shakes, which I know I will have to learn to love because that's all I can have for the first few weeks.

I have my appointment with the surgeon and nutritionist on June 21 so I will update again then.

The thing I am most worried about is having to go to work the first. I will be in the hospital Monday June 27- Wed 29th. Then work Friday July 1. Then to the lake house for the 4th of July weekend. I don't know how this will all work, but I hope it work out alright.

 

Labs, ABG

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

I had my appointment to get my labs done. I needed blood work (17 damn vials) and an EKG. Apparently I also needed an ABG which I quickly learned to be an arterial blood gas test. I was freaked out because it didn't sound painless. The tech doing my blood work and EKG said it was no biggie. Turns out. BIGGIE. I waited and waited and waited and they finally called me in to get the ABG. While I was waiting I made the mistake of googling what it was, the only results said it was extremely painful. 

I sat down in the chair and this little tiny Asian lady said to take off my Fitbit and relax. She played around with my wrist a little bit and then poked me a little. Then pushed. She was DIGGING and I mean DIGGING in my wrist for my artery. After a few minutes of the most pain I have ever felt, she said, "I've almost got it". I"m sorry, what? She hasn't even started yet. She had to try twice and was not able to find my artery to draw blood. So all that digging for nothing. She pulled the needle around one more time and this time I completely blacked out. I woke up and she said she has never not gotten it before. Fantastic. She said that if they really need it, I'll have to come back. HELL NO.

Waiting - Tentative Date - Approval

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

I called the surgery coordinator at Barrington Surgeries and the receptionist said that she isn't in. This went on for a few days. I called to make sure that she sent in the paperwork to insurance to make sure I was approved but the coordinator was the only one who can answer. She finally called me back on Friday to tell me she is still waiting for the paperwork from the psych. I asked if I could schedule a tentative surgery date because I wanted to schedule it asap because I start work July 1. She said that Dr. Wool was out of town June 13-17 and his assistant was out of town June 20-24 so the first day I can have it is Monday June 27. I preferred to have it earlier but there was no way.

I called insurance Monday the 6th to see if they received the paperwork. They haven't. I called Tuesday and Wednesday as well - they still haven't. I decided to call the coordinator. Receptionist said she wasn't in... as usual. It seems like she's never in. Receptionist said she would call me back the next day but she didn't, so I called again. Receptionist said that the coordinator was only in Tuesdays and Thursdays. FINALLY the coordinator called me back and said that she sent in all the paperwork to insurance a week prior. I told her that I've been calling every day and they haven't received it. She called them and it turns out that they never got the fax. RAGE. She sent it all again and everything was good. I was a week behind, but whatever. I gave insurance a few days then I called to check in again.

I was finally approved on Monday June 13. I know most people have to wait a very long time, but I'm very impatient.

Psychological Evaluation

May 31, 2016

The Psych evaluation was no big deal at all. He asked me a few normal questions and then I had to answer about 200 questions on paper marking Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. These questions were very repetitive. The questions ranged from self esteem, to friendships, to work, to totally random questions like, "I have never seen a car in 20 years".... like what?

After I finished, the psychologist went over my answers and asked if I had any questions. The only question I had was if I was approved.

He read it and told me that I am very organized and have some self-body image issues. DUH. He said ultimately, I am a good fit for the surgery, and he is 98% sure I am approved... He will send the paperwork to the coordinator at Barrington Surgeries.

First Consultation

May 26, 2016

After a lot of thinking and contemplating, I decided I was 100% ready to take the plunge. I made an appointment with Dr. Wool at Barrington Surgeries. When I got there, I stepped on the scale and the number I saw made me 110% sure I was ready. After talking with Dr. Wool, we decided that the Vertical Sleeve Gastroctemy was the route I was going to take.

Earlier that day, I called my insurance (BCBS IL) to make sure that they were going to cover most of the procedure and if I had to go to a Blue Distinction hospital (they are, and I don't). Most imsurance companies require a 3/6 month supervised diet prior to approving surgery, or a certain number of psychological consultations, but mine doesn't. All they required was that I have a psychological evaluation once.

After the appointment with Dr. Wool, I immediately called the recommended psychologist to schedule the evaluation. Since I called on Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, I was assuming I would have to wait until Tuesday to get a call back. He called me back that day and I was scheduled for the Psych Eval Tuesday at 6pm.