Stalled

I do believe I've hit a stall. I'm 202 lbs this morning and have been that for a few weeks now. I've upped the protein and have been going on the elliptical, but to no avail. I know it won't last forever, but it's certainly frustrating.

I'm feeling not to badly otherwise. Sometimes I wake in the morning with a pain in my little pouch - like it's very hungry and screaming for food. Morning pills and some water hold it off until breakfast, but when I get to breakfast I'm not that hungry and usually can't finish. So much for getting in the calories and protein.

That's something I'm still struggling with. Getting in the right amounts of what. The Unjury is helping a lot, but so far I only drink it in Crystal Light at snack time, and then only 10g at a time. My hair loss seems to be slowing, so hopefully that's helping. Approximately 10g at each "meal" so I'm totalling 50g or so. Better than nothing is what I say, and more than enough to keep the body going. Hopefully things will kick back in soon.

Thought I'd share info from two of the doctors:

Dr. Alvarez: http://www.endobariatric.com/ He can also be found on facebook if you search endobariatric.com. I believe his price is $5000 or $5500, however based on all the reviews I've read of different surgeons, he's the one who's the best. In hindsight I wish I had found his site before booking Dr. Almanza.

Dr. Almanza: http://www.marioalmanza.com/ I can't find him on facebook. His price is $4500 and while he's a good surgeon staff with good staff, he's had a few mishaps of late that would cause me to question going back there.

I just read of a fellow who had a Bypass, also know as a Roux-n-Y (staple stomach to small pouch, leave remaining stomach intact, reroute intestine.) Has a lot of complications including malabsorption and dumping syndrome. Not for me, but has worked for this fellow: http://www.edmontonsun.com/2011/10/05/a-cure-for-obesity

Congratulations to my cousin and his wife on the birth of their first child, a baby girl. Family is all doing well.

Down Down

Not down very much, not enough for my liking. Hit 205 on the 20th. I'll take it though as it all adds up.

Continue to struggle with protein.

Haven't got my butt moving any more than before.

SSDD :)

Better Late than Never

So I'm delinquent in my posting. What of it? At least I'm consistent! LOL

Things haven't been too bad. Finally settling down and FINALLY found some truly tastless proteins, and gaining a better understanding of what life will be like on the flip side.

Eating is going pretty good. I'm on full mushies and have already had some "normal" food - meatloaf, wonton soup, chili with potato, and Shreddies, to name a few. So far no problems with food sticking in my throat and everything goes down well. I notice I miss drinking with my meals. That 30 minute wait after eating is tough.

Protein can be found in a tasteless, unscented powder and it's wonderful! I wish I had known about these at the start. The first was suggested by a dietician from the Stollery Children's Hospital and it's called Beneprotein. It only has 6g of protein per scoop, but you can easily put 2 scoops in. It's used everywhere in the hospital. The second kind is called Unjury and it is medical quality protein that is also incredible. I put one of the packages in a smoothie and you couldn't detect anything different. One of these scoops is 20g protein so is very good.

I also happened upon Carnation Instant Breakfast. The chocolate is amazing AND it's 15g of protein!! Incredible. Speaking of breakfast, my bowl of Shreddies and milk = 11g.

Once you're able to start real food, that's when the worry about protein drops a bit, because you're getting a lot from your meals. I haven't been keeping track of what I'm eating though, so I can't conclusively say what I've been taking in for calories or protein. Hopefully it's not so little that my hair's all going to fall out!!

Weight is down to 211 from 235. Inches won't be announced for a couple more months.

We Now Pause ...

How are things going?

Infection in the wounds is almost all gone. It wasn't serious, but started just before the sutures came out. Should be finished the meds in the next couple days.

Protein, protein, protein. Here, once again, is my struggle. Those suckers taste like crap. Pure and simple. I'm trying to find something that is plain - no protein smell and no taste. I'm told there is such a thing out there, but no luck yet. I'm trying out GNC's "Natural" flavor that is supposed to taste like nothing, but it still tastes and smells like protein. Kind of like vanilla without the vanilla. Hard to describe. Just gross. So my search continues. I've ordered a couple of samples of Unjury and I'm hoping to be able to get some Nectar brand - it's supposed to taste great.

Have started mushies and really have to think about what I'm going to eat. I can't survive on eggs and chili - my current staples. Have to spend a bit more time making a menu or two so I can be prepared and have some variety. I'm excited about the mushies, except for the meat - blended/pureed chicken is pretty scary. Same with tuna. The tuna's got to be okay if I just must it up by hand a bit more. The chicken can be cut up very fine, I believe.

I'm eating too fast. I'm finished in under 15 minutes but I have food left, however I'm too full to eat it. So, slow down and pay attention to fork-full size. Then my tummy won't hurt and I'll get more into me.

Exercise has only begun with walking the girls at our favourite spot. It isn't a very long trek, but I guess it's nothing. I'm going to try going on the elliptical. I know my instructions say not for 6 weeks, however other instructions say after 2 weeks. This was major abdominal surgery but it was through laparoscopy so the trauma to the body and the healing time is significantly less. Something's gotta give.

Waiting for Darrin to get home in only a few more sleeps. It will be really nice to see him. Joni misses him most.

Tuesday 01

Tuesday already. I'm counting sleeps until Darrin's home. August 31st in the morning I think.

The little pouch appears to be happy. I'm on blended/puree/full liquids so I'm given a lot but can only eat about 1/2 of what is recommended before I'm full.

This morning I had 1/2 a hard boiled egg with cheese and a few mashed potatoes. Snack was a fruit juice popsicle and some chocolate mousse. Lunch was mashed potatoes with some pureed chili - it was incredible. I ate a little too fast though so my stomach wasn't happy.

I had an appointment and took my ice water bottle in with me. Have managed to get in 600 mL of G2 and about the same in water. Pretty good, says I.

I'm still a little tired, not sure if it's from the surgery or body healing or in my head, but the need for naps is there. Likely a little of each.

Supper was supposed to be pork, but i'm going to blend some chicken and have it with ... can you guess? Mashed potatoes, of course!! LOL Some cheese on top for extra protein and we'll be good to go.

One word of advice - don't use chicken broth as a liquid to blend your chicken. It makes a disgusting wad. A little mayo or salad dressing works wonders.

Off to the Lake

Well, today's going to my first outing. Everyone is having steak and potatoes and such, and I'm bringing up my little supper package. Smoothie, a tiny piece of ham and cheese.

I got bit in the ass and not in a fun way. Kiershyn also got bit on the hand. 'Nuff said or I'll just get upset again.

I had a little piece of potato at supper that I smashed down to nothingness; it tasted soooo good!

Fed and watered the girls when we got home, then I drove Kier to the LRT station. I ended up in bed around 10:30. Very much past my bedtime.

Had a pretty good day today. I was up early and feel pretty swell.

My little pouch felt really empty today. Had 1/8 cup of cream of wheat and about 3 tbsp of apple sauce. It was good but I really think I'm missing the protein. I had made the smoothies yesterday but when I tried to have it for breakfast, it was disgusting and ended up down the sink.

I was at the doctor's office as soon as he opened. Got my stitches out; they could've come out a couple days ago. They're a little red so he gave me a prescription that is milder than the one I received in Mexico.

Upon returning home, I harnessed up the little dogs and headed to Karen's. I had to drop off a disk of photos for her. When I got there she wasn't home, so back we trotted to home again. :)

Lunch was some tomato soup - probably 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup. I also had some jello and a snifter of white grape juice.

Snack was missed both morning and afternoon.

Supper consisted of a greek yogurt and an attempt at some marble cheese. Between the two I would get 15g of protein. The problem being I could only eat 1/2 of each. Well a little protein is better than nothing.

Snack this evening is a kid's size, 100% fruit, no sugar added, popsicle.

I have had to change my sleeping position or I have atrocious heartburn; learning to sleep more sitting up against the pillows than laying almost flat is a big adjustment, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I would post a list of things to be prepared for when you go to Dr. Almanza. Please bear in mind that the surgery and everything went very well.

1) If you are bringing a guest, check them into the Ticuan in Tijuana. They will be much more comfortable there.

2) Be prepared for waits. We had to wait to be picked up and dropped off, and then we had to wait outside the clinic while the driver went in for a bite to eat.

3) Be prepared by having the Recovery House, Clinic, Louise and the Hospital phone numbers. When we waited for 50 minutes outside the hotel, we didn't have all the numbers and couldn't get hold of Louise so it didn't go very well.

4) If your guest chooses to stay with you, he/she should be prepared to get their own meals. Maria is an incredible cook, however there wasn't any consistency. On the last day, Darrin got a Mexican breakfast that he says was very good. But anything I've heard about guests being taken care of didn't happen for Darrin and another girl. Your guest should also be prepared to sleep on a couch/chair/loveseat for the three nights.

5) Request your test results and blood tests for $20 each. This is in addition to your barium swallow x-ray. It too is $20. I was only informed of the swallow and so didn't request the others.

6) One thing I would have changed was I should have called Louise right away instead of hoping it would get better. At least she could have been a go-between.

Time for sleep.