3-Month Surgiversary - long post (pictures coming soon)
I'm stuck at home - iced in by the "Stormzilla" that's sweeping the entire country this week. As a result, I'm catching up on several of the OH forums that I don't visit as frequently as I do the "Men's Forum"... While responding to a question, I suddenly realized that today is my 3-month surgiversary. Three months ago, my life changed completely, and for the better. I'm so very thankful that I was able to have this procedure, and so very grateful for the chance to re-make my life into a healthier, happier version of what was already a pretty darn good life!
Before I go any farther, I want to publicly thank Dr. Nick Nicholson (my surgeon), Brittany Burns (his PA), Dr. Woo (the anesthesiologist), and all the members of Dr Nick's staff for their excellent, compassionate care before, during, and after the surgery. With their help, the insurance approval process was straightforward and all of the pre-surgery steps were completed without a hitch. Dr. Woo made me completely comfortable the night before the surgery, and took excellent care of me during the procedure. Dr. Nick's surgical skills enabled him to complete the RNY surgery laparascopically, despite some complications encountered during the process. Brittany has patiently answered all my questions, provided encouragement when I needed it, and just in general has provided excellent follow-up care. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Next, to all the nurses, techs, and other folks at Forest Park Medical Center, a heartfelt thanks for the excellent care you provided during my stay. Without exception, you were professional, kind, considerate, and extremely encouraging while I was there. You made what could have been a thoroughly unpleasant hospital stay into an overall positive experience. I could not have asked for any better care. Thank you all.
So here's some random thoughts and observations about the journey thus far.
Complications, side-effects, etc.:
I've had no adverse effects. Zero. Nada. No strictures, no vomiting, no "foamies" - nothing. Unless you count "super sense of smell, that is... LOL I've been careful about eating new foods only at home, and in small quantities until I know how they settle, but thus far nothing has really upset my pouch. Some things I thought sounded really good turned out to be pretty "blah", and some things I thought would be a bit yucky turned out to be pretty good.
NSVs:
I am constantly amazed at all the "little things" that happen as a result of the weight loss. It started with the simple surprise of actually being able to see my feet while walking. A small thing, but it was my first NSV (non-scale victory) and thus has a special place in my heart... The other day I was able to tie my shoes while sitting with my feet flat on the floor. It was after my workout at the gym, and I barely noticed at the time, but realized later. First time I'd been able to do that in many years. Then came the day I went upstairs for something, and noticed I was not completely out of breath when I got there. Not long ago, I was carrying two 40-lb bags of salt from the garage out to the water softener in the well house, and griping to myself about how heavy they were, when it occurred to me that 80 lbs was exactly how much weight I had lost at that time. I used to carry that 80 lbs with me everywhere I went. No wonder I was exhausted all the time...
Clothes:
I've dropped my pants size by 10 inches, from a 52 (loose fit, with elastic waist band) to a 42 (regular fit, regular men's size). My shirt size has gone from a "stretched out" 5XL to a 3XL that fits well. My belly is 10 inches smaller than before, which helps with that. Last time I bought clothes, I was actually excited, because I got to choose the shirts I wanted, instead of having to settle for one or two that were available in my size. I've hated shopping for clothes for years, but now I actually look forward to it!
Exercise:
I used to dread going to the grocery store with my wife on weekends. By the time we made it halfway through WalMart, I would be very tired, and my back would hurt like crazy. Not to mention my knees and feet swelled up and hurt for a day afterward. I tried to go walking, but at 411 lbs, I couldn't walk very fast, or very far without hurting. Now I'm at the gym about 5 times a week, doing 35 minutes on the treadmill, followed by about 55 minutes of weightlifting, and then 30 minutes of water aerobics / swimming.
As for the treadmill, when I first started out I had to limit my walking speed to 3.0 mph in order to keep my heart rate within the "safe zone"... Now I'm up to 3.6 mph without having to slow down for the "uphill" intervals, and keeping my heart rate right in the middle of the "aerobic zone".
On days when I can't get to the gym, I'm now using a Nordic Trac cross-country ski machine at home. A 30-minute workout at 4.5 mph (average) is really tough! I'm amazed at how wiped out I am after a workout, considering that I do a lot more at the gym. Usually, when I'm done with my workout at the gym, I'm pretty wiped out. But 30 minutes later (that's how long it takes me to get home) I'm ready for pretty much anything. But after the Nordic Trac workout, I'm pretty much a couch potato for a couple of hours...
Overall, my energy level has gone from about a "1" to about an "8" and I find it really hard to sit still for more than an hour or so. Drives me crazy in some of the longer meetings at work!
Co-morbidities: For the first time in my life, I'm actually looking forward to going in for my annual physical. My PCP wasn't very supportive of WLS initially, but came around to the idea after we talked about it for a while. I can't wait for him to see the remarkable changes my body has gone through. Not that I don't still have a long way to go, weight wise, but from a "health" standpoint, the changes are nothing short of amazing!
Pre-diabetes - Gone. Will confirm when I visit my PCP next week, but I've been off the meds since surgery, and even in the hospital my tests were extremely good. Cutting out simple carbs from the diet did wonders, and I think exercise did the rest.
Asthma - Exercise and allergies used to trigger attacks, but I've had no symptoms since surgery. None. Not even when the cedar pollen was at all-time high levels in Dallas, which has been awful for me in the past.
High blood pressure - Used to be 145/95 (or even higher at times), with a resting pulse rate of 88. Now it's down to 126/76, with a resting pulse rate between 66 and 72.
Edema - My legs used to swell so badly that my PCP had me wearing compression socks that came up to my knees. Now it happens only very rarely, and I'm back to wearing regular socks 80-90% of the time.
Weight: I didn't realize until halfway through the morning that today is my 3-month surgiversary, and I didn't weigh myself before eating breakfast and getting dressed. But as of yesterday, I've lost 92 pounds. That's 45% of the way to my goal in three months. I've got 8 more pounds before I'm a century club member. That's exciting and motivational, but for me, dropping below 300 lbs will be an even bigger psychological lift. I haven't been below 300 in about 30 years. I'm still trying to decide what an appropriate reward might be. Maybe a nice vacation trip with my wife. She's always wanted to go with me to the Big Bend area, but I've hesitated because of all the hiking you have to do to really see it. Now I have no worries about that, and it could be a lot of fun. And the timing (early spring) would be great as well. But there are other alternatives as well, and we haven't made up our minds...
So that's my update... I'll post some new pictures a bit later. (And, yes, I'll wear the pink shirt, since the verdict appeared to be unanimous! LOL)
Before I go any farther, I want to publicly thank Dr. Nick Nicholson (my surgeon), Brittany Burns (his PA), Dr. Woo (the anesthesiologist), and all the members of Dr Nick's staff for their excellent, compassionate care before, during, and after the surgery. With their help, the insurance approval process was straightforward and all of the pre-surgery steps were completed without a hitch. Dr. Woo made me completely comfortable the night before the surgery, and took excellent care of me during the procedure. Dr. Nick's surgical skills enabled him to complete the RNY surgery laparascopically, despite some complications encountered during the process. Brittany has patiently answered all my questions, provided encouragement when I needed it, and just in general has provided excellent follow-up care. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Next, to all the nurses, techs, and other folks at Forest Park Medical Center, a heartfelt thanks for the excellent care you provided during my stay. Without exception, you were professional, kind, considerate, and extremely encouraging while I was there. You made what could have been a thoroughly unpleasant hospital stay into an overall positive experience. I could not have asked for any better care. Thank you all.
So here's some random thoughts and observations about the journey thus far.
Complications, side-effects, etc.:
I've had no adverse effects. Zero. Nada. No strictures, no vomiting, no "foamies" - nothing. Unless you count "super sense of smell, that is... LOL I've been careful about eating new foods only at home, and in small quantities until I know how they settle, but thus far nothing has really upset my pouch. Some things I thought sounded really good turned out to be pretty "blah", and some things I thought would be a bit yucky turned out to be pretty good.
NSVs:
I am constantly amazed at all the "little things" that happen as a result of the weight loss. It started with the simple surprise of actually being able to see my feet while walking. A small thing, but it was my first NSV (non-scale victory) and thus has a special place in my heart... The other day I was able to tie my shoes while sitting with my feet flat on the floor. It was after my workout at the gym, and I barely noticed at the time, but realized later. First time I'd been able to do that in many years. Then came the day I went upstairs for something, and noticed I was not completely out of breath when I got there. Not long ago, I was carrying two 40-lb bags of salt from the garage out to the water softener in the well house, and griping to myself about how heavy they were, when it occurred to me that 80 lbs was exactly how much weight I had lost at that time. I used to carry that 80 lbs with me everywhere I went. No wonder I was exhausted all the time...
Clothes:
I've dropped my pants size by 10 inches, from a 52 (loose fit, with elastic waist band) to a 42 (regular fit, regular men's size). My shirt size has gone from a "stretched out" 5XL to a 3XL that fits well. My belly is 10 inches smaller than before, which helps with that. Last time I bought clothes, I was actually excited, because I got to choose the shirts I wanted, instead of having to settle for one or two that were available in my size. I've hated shopping for clothes for years, but now I actually look forward to it!
Exercise:
I used to dread going to the grocery store with my wife on weekends. By the time we made it halfway through WalMart, I would be very tired, and my back would hurt like crazy. Not to mention my knees and feet swelled up and hurt for a day afterward. I tried to go walking, but at 411 lbs, I couldn't walk very fast, or very far without hurting. Now I'm at the gym about 5 times a week, doing 35 minutes on the treadmill, followed by about 55 minutes of weightlifting, and then 30 minutes of water aerobics / swimming.
As for the treadmill, when I first started out I had to limit my walking speed to 3.0 mph in order to keep my heart rate within the "safe zone"... Now I'm up to 3.6 mph without having to slow down for the "uphill" intervals, and keeping my heart rate right in the middle of the "aerobic zone".
On days when I can't get to the gym, I'm now using a Nordic Trac cross-country ski machine at home. A 30-minute workout at 4.5 mph (average) is really tough! I'm amazed at how wiped out I am after a workout, considering that I do a lot more at the gym. Usually, when I'm done with my workout at the gym, I'm pretty wiped out. But 30 minutes later (that's how long it takes me to get home) I'm ready for pretty much anything. But after the Nordic Trac workout, I'm pretty much a couch potato for a couple of hours...
Overall, my energy level has gone from about a "1" to about an "8" and I find it really hard to sit still for more than an hour or so. Drives me crazy in some of the longer meetings at work!
Co-morbidities: For the first time in my life, I'm actually looking forward to going in for my annual physical. My PCP wasn't very supportive of WLS initially, but came around to the idea after we talked about it for a while. I can't wait for him to see the remarkable changes my body has gone through. Not that I don't still have a long way to go, weight wise, but from a "health" standpoint, the changes are nothing short of amazing!
Pre-diabetes - Gone. Will confirm when I visit my PCP next week, but I've been off the meds since surgery, and even in the hospital my tests were extremely good. Cutting out simple carbs from the diet did wonders, and I think exercise did the rest.
Asthma - Exercise and allergies used to trigger attacks, but I've had no symptoms since surgery. None. Not even when the cedar pollen was at all-time high levels in Dallas, which has been awful for me in the past.
High blood pressure - Used to be 145/95 (or even higher at times), with a resting pulse rate of 88. Now it's down to 126/76, with a resting pulse rate between 66 and 72.
Edema - My legs used to swell so badly that my PCP had me wearing compression socks that came up to my knees. Now it happens only very rarely, and I'm back to wearing regular socks 80-90% of the time.
Weight: I didn't realize until halfway through the morning that today is my 3-month surgiversary, and I didn't weigh myself before eating breakfast and getting dressed. But as of yesterday, I've lost 92 pounds. That's 45% of the way to my goal in three months. I've got 8 more pounds before I'm a century club member. That's exciting and motivational, but for me, dropping below 300 lbs will be an even bigger psychological lift. I haven't been below 300 in about 30 years. I'm still trying to decide what an appropriate reward might be. Maybe a nice vacation trip with my wife. She's always wanted to go with me to the Big Bend area, but I've hesitated because of all the hiking you have to do to really see it. Now I have no worries about that, and it could be a lot of fun. And the timing (early spring) would be great as well. But there are other alternatives as well, and we haven't made up our minds...
So that's my update... I'll post some new pictures a bit later. (And, yes, I'll wear the pink shirt, since the verdict appeared to be unanimous! LOL)
What an awesome journey you have had so far. Just thing of all of the people starting their journey who will be inspired by your successes. You have embracd a new life and are victorious everyday.
Great Job.
Great Job.
Paul C.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
Great post, Jim! Congrats on all the success. As you know I'm just 10 days behind you, and seeing all the goals you've reached over the last few months, and the successes you've had have kept me inspired!
Here's to another great 3 months!
Chad
Here's to another great 3 months!
Chad
HW: 316 / SW: 294 / CW: 197.5 / GW: 195
First 5K: 29:50 mins. on 3/12/11 (4 month surgiversary)
First 5K: 29:50 mins. on 3/12/11 (4 month surgiversary)
You're doing great!! I remember everytime I would get on the scale...Just shaking my head in disbelief. Always thinking "this weightloss stuff will happen to all those other guys...I'll drop 50 pounds then level off"...WRONG!! What you put into it is what you'll get out of it. Like I have said before...It's like an amusement park ride. You never know what is waiting around the next bend. Enjoy the ride...
CONGRATULATIONS Jim! You have done and continue to do so well! You and your post are an inspiration to us all! Keep up the great work and great progress. And do reward both yourself and your wife with a great trip. You deserve it! Again, CONGRATULATIONS! Mike
Eating junk food and CRAP is not a reward...it's a punishment...
it's a DEATH sentence...Reward yourself with Good Health!
Highest Weight: 287 Lbs-January 2010; Reached Goal 195 Lbs - Dec 2010
Total Lost: 92 Lbs; Completed FULL MARATHON (26.2 Miles) 10-16-2011
it's a DEATH sentence...Reward yourself with Good Health!
Highest Weight: 287 Lbs-January 2010; Reached Goal 195 Lbs - Dec 2010
Total Lost: 92 Lbs; Completed FULL MARATHON (26.2 Miles) 10-16-2011
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