Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day!  (a day late)

My Thankful Post

I have so much to be thankful for.  In the past year, I survived a very serious bout of illness.  It could have gone either way, and I made it thru.  Have the scars to prove it, and , I suspect, a few wiring snafu's in the cranium, but, all in all,  I am most thankful for the outcome.  During this time, I think I learned (relearned) how much I value calm and peaceful times.  I've never been good at drama, wasn't one of 'those girls' and I dislike it even more now.  There isn't too much that can't be waited out, or given some time to work itself out.  If it's important, make it into a deal, but be damn sure it's important.  I've learned that admitting you need help isn't the worst thing in the world.  It's hard, but not impossible.  Offering to help someone is a cinch compared to asking for some.    I'm thankful for family and friends, who sat vigil in the ICU and hospital rooms, and didn't make fun of me when I (seriously) told them 'night nurses do bad things to you'.  They stayed when I needed them, and kept me sane.  I'm thankful I have a job that lets you bank sick time, so I had years of it saved.  I didn't go broke being out sick, and I was able to keep my house and health insurance intact.  I'm glad I had my job to go back to.  I'm grateful for the prayers of friends, and impressed by the prayers of strangers.  I met someone months later who said "Oh, you're K's friend, we prayed for you at our church, and wondered what happened when your name came off the list!"    I'm thankful that 3 months after returning to work, I was well enough to drive myself to Cambridge, MA to cheer on my best niece as she graduated from law school.  (yep, that school, but she gets embarassed when I boast).  and to drive back the same day....  what's a few hundred miles when you're feeling good!

   Due to the past few years weight loss, I was able to park and walk to the ceremony, manuever thru the crowds, cross a grassy area and walk back.  I wore a simple suit I bought in a department store, and didn't have to hunt for weeks for something that fit!  I've been able to travel more, to take that niece to New Orleans for a week, eat drink, and make merry, and keep up with her.  I'm thankful that I can actively participate in, and not be an observer, in my own life.    I'm thankful that I can plan to make changes, and work towards them.    I'm thankful that tomorrow, I'm going to fly in a glider plane.  I'll get to float thru the air, commune with nature, and not have to worry about the weight limit!  What are the things you are thankful for?

    

Weight Loss How'd ya do it?

                                                      DS DS DS DS DS DS DS DS DS DS

I've been asked how I lost my weight.  For the record, I've lost 263 pounds since November of 2006.  I had weight loss surgery.  Oh my!  I have always been very open and forthright about having surgery.  For my friends, they got to live the 2 1/2 years prior to surgery with me, where I was appealing the decisions of the insurance company not to pay, and finally taking them to court.  They (BC/BS) were willing to pay for a lap band or a gastric bypass.  I had decided I needed a Duodenal Switch, and found a surgeon that does all type of weight loss surgery.  When I saw him and reviewed my medical history, he also thought that the DS was the right one for me. 
     There are several types of weight loss surgery (WLS).  Lap bands cinch in the stomach, allowing only a very small amount of food to pass through.  (My surgeon said one good Italian sub, and I'd burst the band).  There a RNY, popularly known as the 'gastric bypass'.  It creates a pouch out of the stomach, and reroutes the intestines.  You still have to eat low fat, low sugar, small amounts....and there's something that happens frequently, known as dumping syndrome.  Not all folks experience this, it's like a shaking, nauseous, lay on the floor in a curled up ball for an hour sensation.  (Google it on you tube, it's scary).  The DS has the most surgical risks, it involves reshaping the stomach like a banana, but leaves the pyloric valve intact, so no vomiting/foaming.  It reroutes the intestines, so (here's the kicker) you only absorb 20% of the fat you eat, 50% of the protein and 80% of the carbs!  Great you say....  the down side is...  in order to make sure you are not vitamin deficient, you have to faithfully take supplements daily for the rest of your life.   You must eat twice the protein of a 'normal' adult, in order to get in the right amount.  Good thing, you get to eat full fat cheeses, and dairy products, like butter, milk, etc because you only absorb 20% of them.  Of course, this means you NEED to be on top of your fat soluable vitamins always...  Yin and Yang...  Up and Down...  Good and Bad...  I take Vitamin D and K, the fat soluable vitamins in amounts that scare most non-WLS doctors. I take multi's, calcium, iron, and probiotics.  I get bloods drawn every 6 months, and the vitamins get adjusted accordingly.  For me, this is easy peasy, compared to managing my diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac abnormalities, arthritis, etc etc etc.  Most of these have resolved completely, or improved since the weight loss.  
    Besides the scale, I also have non-scale celebrations.  Things that aren't directly connected to the numbers of pounds lost, just good things that are related.  I can walk further, almost keep up with a 5 year old, buy clothes in almost any store, fit (comfortably) in a plane or theatre seat, and so on. 
     I had always refused the let my fat get in the way of my life.  I completed an advanced degree, traveled, dated as much as I was asked, worked in a field I love, in a job I enjoy, and actively participated in my profession and family.  I just really hated being judged by my size and not my capabilities.  I thought I had to be better, or work harder just to even the playing field.  Now, I think I can relax a bit more, and not have to try so hard.
   So, there's my weight loss story.  If anyone is thinking of having WLS, my advice is Research all the types.  Pick the one you think you can live a long and healthy life with, then find the best surgeon for that type.  Don't pick a surgeon first, and then the type because Would a Ford dealer sell you a Volkswagon?  A surgeon is going to recommend the type of surgery he is familiar with, the kind he does well, and not recommend something he isn't versed in.  If possible, do what I did.  Find a surgeon who does ALL the types, and see what he recommends.  Research the long term success rates.  Make friends with people who have had your type of surgery, maybe at a support group.  They'll be a valuable resource for that first year!
    I hope this answered any questions.  I'm (REALLY) into talking about me, and will answer any questions honestly.  I will also refer you to experts if it's stuff I don't know!  What do you think about WLS?  Have you had it?  Was it successful for you?

Update on Changes

You know that feeling I described in my beginning blogs?  The one where I feel something's going on, there's something that's going to happen, but I just can't put my finger on it....  I decided to do a pre-emptive strike, and make some changes myself, in areas I COULD control, and see what would happen.  I've been dressing better, using makeup, making an attempt (although feeble) to cook more and eat more at home, etc....   changing things I can control.  I also mentioned trying to date.  I am completely out of touch with this skill (if you can call it that) and realize I need more help.  I've tried to start conversations in bookstores, on lines in the grocery, etc, but I feel so stilted and awkward.  I filled out a profile on a online matchmaking site, but never went as far as actually paying the fee.  I now get PLENTY of emails from the site, trying to convince me to join, and giving me glimpses of men that 'may' match, but you don't get any contact info or mail until you pay.  So, after several weeks of going back and forth with "Is this how I want to meet someone?" and the more powerful "Who have you met on your own lately????", I've decided this is the weekend!  I'm going to go to one of the biggies, like eharmony or match.com, fill out the profile, post a current picture, and see what happens.  This could get very interesting or really creepy!
   Has anyone started dating after a LONG hiatus?  What were the results?  Has anyone used an online site?  Which one?  Share a story!

Should Food Make You This Happy?

     Today was a furlough day from work, one of those 'unpaid holidays' forced upon workers as a cost savings measure.  I have one a month, and I'm trying to be positive about it.  Two days ago, I was shopping with a friend, and we ran into a local food market, and as I passed the fish counter, I saw a sign!  Nope, not a gift from God, a regular sign, saying "Russian King Crab Legs  $6.99".  If you're a crab lover, you know that's about the average price for snow, not King crab, so I grabbed two pounds....  for today. 

     I stayed up late last night, playing on the computer, and watching TV, and slept in late today.  I woke up, stayed in my pajams, and watched a movie.  Read a book I've been working on.  THEN I made lunch.  I steamed the legs in some Chardonney, with lemon slices and garlic, and ate them drizzled with garlic butter.  Yummy!!!!  Then, I got concerned.  I mean, I've lost a ton of weight....  am I supposed to let food make me this happy?  Is that a warning sign of an eating problem?  Have I learned nothing about myself in the past few years?  wow....  then I went back into the kitchen and finished the legs.  Yep, I decided food is allowed to make you happy.  It can't be the sole source of the happiness in your life, but it's perfectly OK for it to be a contributing factor.  I was also happy about my pajama day, and reading books, and napping.  I wasn't happy about the loss of a days pay, but thats out of my control.  I can control the other things, and I made it an MC day.  It's almost bedtime, and I'm still in my pajama's.  I read the rest of my book, watched a few TV shows, emptied the dishwasher.... and thats about it.  I don't get a lot of 'do-nothing' days, and today made me happy. 
     I do worry about regaining weight.  I can't imagine going back to being 430 pounds....  I just can't.  It would be too hard, now that I there's so much more I can do physically being smaller.  I just can't ever let that concern suck the joy out of simple pleasures, like crab legs on a day off. 
    What simple things make you happy, and do you worry about them?