Gastric Bypass Surgery follow up - 10 months post surgery

August 10, 2008 - weight was 332 lbs.

August 11, 2008 - THE GREAT DAY!!  Finally, I got my gastric bypass surgery!

June 26, 2009 - 10 1/2 months after surgery.  How am I doing?  What is my progress?

Let me start by telling you about my day yesterday, Thursday, June 25, 2009.  It was a long day at work and I was looking forward to getting home and working on some personal projects.  My son picked me up at work because my car sucks.  The alternator went out last weekend and I can't afford to get it fixed yet.  Anyhow, my son picked me up at work, we stopped to pick up a quick bite to eat, and about 3 miles or so from home, while we were waiting at a stop light, we heard a "PING!"...the front tire on the car went flat.  We creeped across the intersection and into a parking lot where my son removed the spare from the trunk, which was also flat. He walked the tire across a busy thoroughfare to an NTW, where he found that the tire was bad and wouldn't hold air.  When he came back to the car, with flat spare in tow, we set out to walk home.  It was just after 5pm and the heat index was about 110 degrees.  I was wearing jeans, a decent work top, and heels.  I was miserable. By the time we got about 1/2 way home, I felt like throwing up.  It was NOT a good experience at all.  When we finally got home, mostly UPHILL, over an hour later, my son said I was more than just red; that I looked almost purple!

I relate this story because, 10 months ago, there would have been NO WAY that I would have ever even attempted a walk like that in the heat (or in any other weather!).  I weighed in last week at 204 lbs, which I've been stuck at for about a month or so now.  I feel better than I have felt in probably 20 years and for me to attempt a walk like that, much less actually complete it, is a HUGE BIG DEAL of an accomplishment for me.

I am finding that I can eat more at one setting now, but I am also finding myself eating more often too.  I went back to some of my notes from the pre-surgery classes and am focusing on some self control techniques.  I am hoping to stop this recession back into old habits before it becomes a problem for me again.  Yesterday, I was actually eat two crispy (and greasy) tacos from Burger King.  Yea, I know...what the dickens was I doing in a Burger King drive thru anyhow?  I know.

I remember last summer at this time, I was miserable because of the heat and humidity.  I couldn't get out much because I couldn't breathe when I did go out. It was awful.  But this summer, I've been to the pool a couple of times and we still go walking down by the creek every weekend.  I think that's what saved by butt yesterday when we had to walk home.  I really am beginning to feel like a normal person again.  I mean, after all, if I can survive a bout in that kind of heat, uphill, and live to tell about it...I'm succeeding at something!

I will update again in a few weeks about the loose skin.