Surgiversary!

So today is my Surgiversary! It has been a whole year!  HOLY COW!  And what a year and journey it has been.  It is special anniversaries like this that it is time to once again do progress pictures!

So without further ado ...

Phoenix Journey begins - January 2011

Day before Surgery - September 5, 2012

 

Moot 9 - October 13, 2012

5 Month Progress Pictures - February 6, 2013

 One Year Surgiversary Progress Pictures - September 6, 2013

Vitamin Check in!

So it has been two weeks since I got the results of my blood tests and upped my iron.  I didn't get the "prescription" iron till this last week, but I quadrupled my regular dose in the mean time.  There has already been a HUGE difference in my fatigue level.  Little things still exhaust me, but not the point of needing to take a three hour nap after.  I am able to get through most of my day with a dopio espresso to help with the energy level and taking breaks.  So all in all that is a win.

I am happy to say that I  have taken this seriously and have not missed any days on vitamins since the results came in.  I haven't been perfect, I have missed a few multi's here and there and taking my thyroid has been a crap shoot, but it is a positive change in the right direction. 

What I think is bothersome and needs to be looked at is the fact that I even let it get to this point.  I KNEW what I had to do, since long before I even had the surgery.  It was very very clear from the beginning, from even the orientation class. 

I knew it, I nodded, I bought the damn things, why did it take having plummeting lab results for me to get my ass in gear and take it seriously?  I mean, if you look back at past posts and check-ins, taking my vitamins regularly was ... well a regular issue.  So, why did it take something near catastrophic for this to wake me up?

The honest answer is that I think that is just how I am built.  It took some near catastrophic issues with my health  and horrible experiences at Harry Potter Land for me to decide to do something about my weight and health to begin with, so really why would this be any different?  There seems to be something about me that says that I have to learn from experience, rather than learning from others experiences or advice. 

And it's not just with my health that I seem to have to wait till things are crumbling before I get a clue.  It is that way in my life for work, care of the house, etc.  I will KNOW that I need to deal with issues or work on something specific, but its not till the last minute, till I am in crisis mode that I get around to it.

I am sure if I was still seeing my counselor, that this "revelation" would feed several sessions worth to reflect on.  *laughs*

I have spent two weeks beating myself up about the fact that I am a moron and let my levels slip this badly.  It is now time to get over it and move on.  So I learned my lesson.  The important thing is that I REALLY truly learn from this and not slip again in a month, two months or in two years.  As long as I get my levels back up, it doesn't do any permanent damage and I REALLY learn from this, then I need to let it go and move on.

More lab results

I got a call today from the clinic to say that they had gotten a chance to review all of my blood work and that there was more bad news than just my iron.

F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!

So I have to start taking Vitamin A - 25000 unit 3 Xs a week and Zinc - 50 mg 3 Xs a week.  I am not quite clear how bad those were after looking at my labs, or what those low vitamin levels mean.  I will need to do some more research on that.

I also want to have someone at the support forum look at my lab results, as I have a sneaky suspicion that my Vitamin D is low too. 

Weigh In

So I haven't been great about journaling, but since I was told my labs sucked the big hairy one, I have been better about vitamins and protein.  Obviously my body is happy as it pulled me out of my latest stall and had a decent loss this week.

One would think I would know better by now ... one would be wrong.

So ... weigh in, check in!


Today's official weight:
Weight: 208.4
BMI: 34.1

Total Loss  107 pounds!

I a now officially in the first category of obese!  While not something most people would celebrate, I am celebrating since I was in the third category when I started.   So ... YAYAY!!  I am only obese!!  Woohooo!!!!

Goal for this week - same as before ... freaking journal!

Unintended and unexpected consequences

One of the many issues that happen for gastric bypass patients is malabsorption of nutrients.  This is by design. The whole point of the surgery actually is for malabsorption of calories and fat of the food that we eat.  Well that and making the actual stomach into a small pouch so you feel full with less than 1/2 cup of food.   The side effect to this is that not only are you not absorbing the calories and fat from the small amount of food that is being eaten, but you are also not absorbing as much of the vital nutrients that you need for your body's health.

Since we know we are not going to be able to get all our nutrients from food after bypass, we are required to take multi-vitamins and minerals for the rest of our lives to try and replace what we are not absorbing.  We also get blood work done every few months to make sure that we are doing ok, getting what we need, and are not falling into any danger zones with nutrients. This is just something you know and you sign up for when you have RNY surgery.

So I have not been feeling very well for about a month.  Not like I have been feeling "sick" or anything, just really REALLY tired.  I have felt like I was going through a chronic fatigue episode, one that just was really bad and I was going to have to fight through till it was over.  Well on the 2nd I had my year blood test (ok so it was my 9 month blood test which ended being the year blood test because I kept rescheduling it), and this past Friday the 9th, I got called from the doctor saying my iron was low and I needed to go on prescription supplements.  No big deal, right?  Just adjust the vitamins and supplements and go ...

Well in looking at the results from my blood work, I am not just a little low in my iron, I am DANGEROUSLY low.  And a few other areas are borderline!


Iron  Normal Range = 30 - 180 mcg/dL  My numbers: 31
Iron Saturation  Normal Range = 15-50 %  My Numbers: 7%
Ferritin  Normal Range = 6 - 170 ng/mL  My Numbers: 5

So what does that mean?  Well it obviously means that I have to get my iron up.  My protein levels are also borderline, so that needs to be taken care of ASAP.  It means that I have to make sure I am compliant with vitamins and minerals, no more screwing around and being lazy!

It also means that the consequences of the severe fatigue are going to be around for awhile.  And it is going to be extremely difficult to push through.  I am going to have to work really hard to keep upright, to do my job, to keep the house from falling apart and to keep sane.

Mini Quiche Recipe

Mini Quiche Recipe

5 eggs
1 cup shredded cheese (I've been using Swiss)
6 slices bacon (I've been using Morningstar Farms breakfast strips, which is not really bacon)
sprinkle of black pepper
sprinkle of garlic powder
sprinkle of oregano

Beat the eggs in a bowl.  Cook the bacon and crumble it up, then add that, the shredded cheese, and the pepper, garlic powder and oregano to the eggs and stir it well.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and fill the muffin tin with the egg mixture.  I made six muffin-sized quiches with this recipe.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
You can refrigerate leftovers and reheat them in the microwave in just a few seconds.

Disclaimer - I did not make this recipe up.  I found it posted on a Bypass forum and am posting so that I can remember it.  I will be making it tomorrow, so review to follow.

Weigh-In

Today's official weight:
Weight: 211.5
BMI: 34.6

Total Loss  103.9 pounds!