Diligence Update!!

Well diligence is paying off so far.  I have been tracking my food carefully and i am already back down to weighing 145.5 pounds.  It’s funny how easy it is to get out of the correct routine and into a bad habit.  I am doing good though….fighting against temptations to just have small nibbles on foods just because they are there.  That is another thing that I recently discovered I was doing and depending on the item that I am nibbling on I could be adding on to my fat intake very easily by doing that.  Trying to keep hydrated as well….I always have my drinks with me and some generic crystal lite to squirt into it too so it isn't just plain water.  I can’t stand drinking lukewarm plain water but if it has some flavor I have no problem at all.   Anyway….just wanted to give a quick update on how I was doing.  YAY for doing good!!  

Diligence!

I feel like I have been quite the slacker lately.  Indulging when I shouldn’t be and that is not good.  It’s not like I am over eating in regards to the amount of food...I am not stuffing myself or something.  But I am eating more fat content than I should be and that is bad.  Yesterday I was much better and today I plan on being as well.  I can tell it is just that I am buying things that I know are my weakness. It’s not like I have put on a lot of weight.  But to me putting on any weight is just a bad trend that I don’t want to start.  I want to be at 143 pounds.  That is where I ended and where I want to stay….but yesterday morning I was at an annoying 148 pounds.  5 pounds more!!   ugh.  Again, I know it isn’t a lot to most people...but to me that is a big deal and something to be slightly concerned about since it could lead to complacency and bad habits returning.  I have to be so aware of myself if I want to really maintain this weight and new body that I have been blessed with.  So I am going to be diligent.  Use my app on my phone like crazy….and just take care of things right.  I think my downfall was going camping.  I had to eat different stuff, more fattening stuff...and it just made me lazy.

Work is going well though which keeps me walking a lot and of course I have been going to the gym regularly.  James still seems QUITE happy with the new me and is always complimenting me and grabbing on me.  It feels great and I love all the attention from him.  Hoping that this new excitement never goes away….because it sure is fun!  One more procedure to go and then I am done….I wish it would hurry up!!

Recent Check Up

I just had another check up two days ago.  Dr. Dinick is really pleased with how my scars are looking.  I will be having another check up in 3 more months (November) and at that point he will schedule my final small procedure.  My right breast needs one more tweak done and then it is complete!  I can’t wait.  Thought it was complete the last time, but I was wrong.  That is ok.  Just really hoping that this last thing is really truly the last thing though because the last surgery cost us more again....and I really don’t want to keep adding more onto our credit card.  James hates debt.  

My healing process is going so well though.  I couldn’t be happier.  I still have some numbness on and around my scars, but that is a small price to pay for having all that extra skin removed.  Even if all the feeling never comes back around my scars I would still say it is worth it.  My nipples don’t have full feeling yet either, but I am hopeful that will change within the year mark of my surgery and you know what, even if it doesn’t....again....a small price to pay for everything to be put back together.  The only down side to the numbness I have is when that spot is itchy and I scratch it, it does no good!  I can’t feel myself scratching it!  ugh.  lol

I have been going to the gym regularly still.  Working on my stomach muscles is still not happening, it hurts too much with the tummy tuck so I imagine that will take more time in the healing process.  Maybe I will be able to do those kind of exercises once the year mark hits in February.  I can do 4 sit ups right now...4.....that is nothing compared to the 25 I used to do.  But I am gaining ground.  

The swelling in my stomach is going down as well.  This is another great healing sign.  I haven’t lost more weight but I am down another pant size (size 8!) which to me just shows that the swelling is steadily going down.  I can’t wait til a couple years has gone by and I can see the final product.  Things are so exciting.  Even with the swelling though I don’t mind how everything looks.  I have been brave and am wearing an actual bikini top now when I go out swimming and to the beach.  I was nervous at first but now I am comfortable with it.  Feels good to be wearing one....something that I never ever dreamed of being able to do.  

How is it that God has blessed me with this whole experience?  I feel so fortunate that I not only had the gastric bypass procedure but that I had it and had ZERO complications.  THEN....I had the reconstructive surgeries...and still no complications!  I am just so thankful...so very thankful.  I feel like I have a new life....I get to be healthy....run....walk up hills, play with the kids....feel sexy for my husband...and just feel like I look good in general.   I can’t express how wonderful it is to shop in the regular section...instead of the plus size one.  To not worry about where I park and if I can squeeze out of my car....to have the towel wrap around me all the way....paint my toes....and have James easily pick me up!  So much to appreciate....it is mind blowing.   

I will write again soon and update on what other things are happening....for now I guess the overall theme though is that I am doing great, sticking with the gym, eating right, and feeling wonderful.  God is good and life is great.   Amen!

Progressing

Things are coming along really well.   Since my last procedure my chest is healing up really nice and looking even better.  I am still going to the gym and I am trying to take it easy but its hard.  Sometimes I do too much...and hurt myself...but I am learning my lessons for sure.  I can always tell when I hurt myself because its almost like I feel a slight tear in my chest.  Nothing does tear of course...but that is just what the pain feels like.   So I am currently avoiding doing stomach exercises and chest ones for now.   I don't know how much longer I will need to... but I will figure it out.  

Adjusting to life as a skinny person is still odd.  I feel like I have ZERO idea how to speak to the male population without coming off like I am hitting on them.  I am learning that even friendly chatting can be taken as flirting.  And sometimes I don’t have to do anything...they just notice me and immediately  give me a “look”, or say something that implies something else.  It is strange and I am adapting.  I don’t want to give people the wrong idea of course.  

But it is natural I think as well for me to like and even appreciate some of the attention.  Trying to not let it go to my head of course.  People compliment me or say how pretty I look and I just try to remind myself that although it is great to look nice, it is not the most important thing and that what really matters is showing God’s love to others.  I have been trying to read my Bible at work....and discuss church more in front of people...in the hopes to have those kinds of conversations come up.  Then I can say what a huge blessing from God this surgery has been...and give him the glory.  

I have an appointment coming up in August.  I may or may not need one more small procedure on my right breast but that should be it.  I thought I was done....but Dr. Dinick really seems to want to do a couple more fixes.  They are ones that I agree with too...so it’s all good.  I want things looking the best they can as well.  :)   I will write another update later.   Bye for now.  :)

In the Gym!

Gym done.  Glad to be able to go and exercise even if I can't do everything yet.  Working back up to it slowly and happy to see that I am healing up quickly from this latest procedure.  I have lost all the extra weight from swelling and am back down to 143 pounds.  YAY!  I have been using the app My Fitness Pal and it has really been helpful in tracking my fat intake and protein.  I can even add in my exercise.  I did forget to make my one week check up appointment though and so now I have to call and set it up but my one week check up will be turning into a two week check up.  Oh well....I am confident that all is well and that my doc will be quite pleased.

The Day After..........

Well....I didn't sleep that great.  Around 4am I woke up from the pain.  I must have been trying to move in my sleep and once I did that the pain woke me up.  From that point on I started waking up every hour until I finally just woke up and stayed up at 8:30am.  At least this time it is just my chest hurting.  Could be worse.  But I can't do a lot of things right now that require arm strength or chest muscles.  Can't even push the front door closed all the way.

 I know I am not back to square one, but maybe I'm at square 5?  lol  Either way when I go back to work on Thursday I will be pretty useless when it comes to picking up heavy objects.  So glad I got all the cleaning around here done yesterday morning.  On the plus side....my breasts look great, even with my new incision.  I am so happy with the results....they look natural and shaped just right.  I couldn't be more pleased.

No big hugs though for a bit.  I will have to be sure that I don't let anyone catch me off guard and squeeze me too tight.   Hurts to lift my arms, bend over, squeeze things, push things, I never knew until I started this whole process how much you rely on your chest muscles to do things.  It's kinda crazy really.

Scar Revision Surgery

Well my surgery went well.  It was supposed to be 2 hours long but it turned into 4 hours and 20 minutes or so because I guess during surgery Dr. Dinick decided that he wanted to make a new “pocket” for one of my implants to sit in and so that ended up taking a bit longer.  I have two totally new scars now, but that is ok.  I am starting to like my scars...kinda like they are reminders of where my body has been....and how hard I have worked to get it to this point.  I don’t mind having a lifetime memory of that to keep me in check.   

After getting home I realized even more that I do not do well when on heavy meds.  I felt so light headed and just plain out-of-whack.  At one point while checking out how things looked in the mirror I almost passed out from the bathroom being too hot.  James was there with me though and held me until the feeling passed.  I made myself not faint...which I felt was a pretty big deal.  I don’t plan on taking any of my pain meds because I feel like it is important for me to feel what hurts and what doesn’t so I don’t over do anything.  I like to be as aware of my body as I can be when it comes to this stuff...I don’t want any injuries to happen simply because I thought I could lift or push something that I should not have.  

The scar looks pretty gnarly right now...but they all did at first and it will get better.  My breasts both look so much better now.  I can tell that the implants are actually fully behind the breast muscle which is exactly where they should be.  My boobs look just right...exactly how I wanted them.  Wish I could post a picture of them but oh well.  I am wearing my surgery bra for now...a wire bra would not be very comfortable considering the new scars are right on that area where the wire would be.  

I was scheduled to work tomorrow night at Kroger but thankfully a friend switched days with me and so I don’t have to go in to work now until Thursday night.  YAY!  More time to heal that means....exactly what I wanted.  Anyway...I will write more again in a day or two.   Keeping you all updated as usual.