Lisa's Story - Page 76 - ThinnerTimes

LisaBoston · 09-17-2007, 08:01 PM

Feels like my body is taking over....

This past week I feel like a starving person and can eat as much as I want. I guess I haven't pushed it to the point of throwing up, but I feel like I am hungry all the time and want to eat all day. VERY VERY SCARY!!!!! I am thinking of food all the time again. Yesterday I set out to have a 3 meal day, but couldn't do it without 2 snacks in between. I made good food choices (one was granola bar - good kind, but carbs none the less). I go up and down 2 pounds on the scale. I drank so much liquid yesterday to try and curb the appetite, that I had to get up 2 times in the night to pee.

I hope this is just a phase. I even went on 2 walks and 1 bike ride to just get away from home and food. Today I taught all day, had good breakfast and lunch and then supper and don't plan on snacks....kept so busy and that helped.

Oh, please let this just be a phase.........

Oh, and all my blood work came back and all was really good, including the b-12. Hole in my gut is just under 1 inch long now, right at the incision line. Its closing up VERY very slowly on its own. No sign of infection right now, but I am not holding my breath until its totally closed. Some days when I sit a lot, I get tightening in the belly and some swelling, but for the most part, things are semi-normal..maybe one day I will be used to the new feeling in my gut.

Arms still hurt especially in the evening, but not waking me up at night this week.

Wonder if my body is asking for more food and rewarding me with less pain arms...hmmm.

Gosh.....its sure a head game....even the night before last I made filet mignon, shrimp, sweet potato and salad...I ate 4oz of meat, 3 shrimp, few bites of sweet potato and a few bites of salad...I felt like I could have ate more, but stopped when I thought I should...makes me feel like my pouch is the size of a football again...I know its not, but its shocking me to know that I can hold this much food. Its like a switch was turned on at 6 months where I could eat more and now it feels a lot the same, only bigger!

I guess this post is not really a complaint, but another new change for me to learn from. How are others feeling at this 18+ month stage?

chilmoe · 09-17-2007, 10:01 PM

as you know i am not at that 18+ month stage, a year out now (wow), but since just after my gallbladder surgery, now that i can eat without pain - oh boy can i eat - my 1/4 cup portions have gone out the window - i am a dumper though, carbs get me - so thankful for that, so i have to choose protein, but cannot believe how much i can eat, or how often i want to eat, scarry, so scarry, control mechanisms have to kick in or i know i will be in trouble.

just wanted to say, i understand what you are saying, sometimes i think the bottom has fallen out of my pouch.

love ya girl.

LisaBoston · 09-18-2007, 07:08 PM

Luv ya too girl and I am so, so proud that you can finally eat again!

medhatlady · 09-26-2007, 12:10 PM

Lisa I was thinking of you this morning and wondering how your insision is healing? Are you still free from infection?? I hope all is going great on your journey.

LisaBoston · 09-26-2007, 02:00 PM

I still have an open wound. Its less than an inch wide now, still deep and still draining some. So its taking its darn time, but apparently this is the best route to go...to let it heal on its own, vs. stitch it up. Hopefully in 4 more weeks or so it should be healed. The key thing is that I am feeling great for the most part. Its a little sore in that area at the end of the day from sitting, walking and such - but no big deal really. The worst part is not having baths or swimming. Infection free at this time.

Eating is going good. Blood work all came back great - so thats the most important things.

Still learning to live in this body - its all very new to me!

62 days to go for you...countdown is on!!!

sdgrrl · 09-26-2007, 06:03 PM

Lisa,
I'm so glad that horrid scary part of your life is drawing to a close, as it were, and you aren't having further problems with infection. What effect has this had on your incisional scar from the TT? Has it healed in such a way that the scar will fade in time and not be noticeable when you wear a bikini? Or is it kind of keloiding and laying down collagen fibers as fast as it can?

You have such patience and grace, Lisa. Had I gone through what you've been through, I think I would be a raging, raving screaming mimi. Yet, you seem to be accepting of your body's treason, taking things as they come, not letting a near death experience sway you from the high road. Kudos to you, my Dear, you're made of sterner stuff than I!

LisaBoston · 09-26-2007, 08:19 PM

Hey Donna. Thanks for the encouraging words. The scar - well 95% of it is great. The place where its open - well its hard to say how it will heal over time, but its not as nice as the rest of it, but it may be ok in time. I can wear a 2 piece suit and nobody can see it...I did this summer and was fine, even with the bigger hole there! I have no issues wearing tight jeans now or anything else for that matter. Life is SO MUCH better now than it was and soon, not having a hole in my gutt will make it that much better.

Love the new Avitar too Donna!

medhatlady · 09-26-2007, 08:23 PM

Lisa I was just reading your pre surgery weight and goal weight. I was curious how tall are you. Dr. Nohr didnt give me a goal weight, which I gather to be normal as he really didnt give me many details unless I specifically asked.....Anyhow....thanks for all your insites I really appreciate it

LisaBoston · 09-26-2007, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by medhatlady

Lisa I was just reading your pre surgery weight and goal weight. I was curious how tall are you. Dr. Nohr didnt give me a goal weight, which I gather to be normal as he really didnt give me many details unless I specifically asked.....Anyhow....thanks for all your insites I really appreciate it

Nope, Nohr didn't give me a goal weight...so I asked him. His response is the first 100 pounds is on me, the rest is up to you. He says patients can expect 75% of extra body weight lost, everyone is different. He did want to know how much I weighed when I was 18 years old and said to expect to be around that weight..that was 180 - So along with my own doctor we set the goal weight to 180, which is just into the overweight category. I am 5'9 and then some....so I use 5'9 1/2 when calculating my BMI.

Both my doctor and Nohr said they would be happy to have me under 200 pounds. When I saw Nohr for my panni, I was 172 and have lost 20 pounds since that surgery and my own doctor doesn't want me going under 150 !!!

So far, I have been able to stay between 148-156 lbs.

Really, set a goal that you believe you can achieve and when you get there you can always set your goal lower. For me 160 is now my MAX....any higher than that, then I need to look at what I am doing for food and exercise.

I use this for calculating BMI (its exactly what Nohr had my BMI at too...higher than I originally thought I was!)

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

rivercanyon · 09-26-2007, 10:28 PM

Lisa glad to hear that things are finally looking up on the healing end. So relieved for you that the worst of it seems to be over. I think about you guys often and want the best for all of you.

I visited with Bonnie the other day on the phone. It was such a fun visit. I feel so lucky to have made the new friends that I have made. I will have a great support when my day finally gets here.

Sounds like school and activities are in full swing at your house too. September always seems to do that. It always seems to start with a bang and goes right through the winter as busy as can be.