* * *
Liver news: the gastroenterologist called this morning to tell me that… they still don’t know what’s going on. My bilirubin has gone down a tad (it’s currently at 3.7; normal is .1 – 1.2), but it’s still elevated. It’s possible that there’s a stone trapped in a bile duct, and ordinarily they’d send a scope down there to check it out, but with my rearranged insides, they can’t do that.
So he’s ordering an MRCP to get a clearer look at what’s going on. If that comes back with everything looking normal, then there’s a liver biopsy in my future.
As always, I’ll let y’all know more when I know more. Man, I’m ready to get this done and over with. This has dragged on for far too long as far as I’m concerned!
* * *
We had
this for dinner last night, and it was FABULOUS. I think I want to have it again next week!
* * *
If someone was considering WLS, what would you tell them as far as pros/cons?
You mention going to restaurants, how much of the meal can you eat?
Are there still foods you have to avoid?
Any regrets, things you miss from pre-surgery days??
You look fabulous, btw. But you need to start getting some clothes that show off your new figure. You don’t need to hide behind baggy t-shirts anymore!
I would tell them that they need to do some extensive research and make sure they know all the potential risks. I’d recommend they spend time on the ObesityHelp.com boards to see what people who are just out of surgery have to say, as long as the long-timers. The pros are pretty obvious – rapid weight loss being foremost among them, as well as a lot of the aches and pains from being overweight going away (I’ve had no pain in my right knee for months). The list of cons can be extensive, from dumping on foods you wouldn’t expect to dump on (I can’t eat rice) to eating too fast and spending half an hour standing over the toilet waiting for food that’s stuck to come back up or go through, to the more serious ones – it’s not at all common, but some people have such an issue with malabsorption that they end up needing a feeding tube. Some people die from complications from the surgery. Spend time on the
complications board and
regrets board at ObesityHelp and know what the risks are.
I can eat more than you’d expect, but a lot less than I could before. It depends on the kind of food, but when we went to Applebee’s a few weeks ago I picked at a side salad and had the insides of a chicken fajita rollup. I also tend to drink with my meals when we go out to eat (which is a no-no, because it washes the food right out of my pouch, letting me eat more), which is probably why I end up eating more when we go out to eat!
There are still foods I have to avoid – as I mentioned, I cannot eat rice. If I eat a single bite of it, it makes me gassy and cranky (well, the GAS makes me cranky). If I eat several bites of it, it makes me nauseous and I end up dumping. I can’t really eat too much bread. The whole wheat bread we have at home always goes right through me, though lately I’ve been eating half a weight watchers bagel from time to time and that seems to sit with me pretty well. Any kind of raw vegetable goes right through me, which doesn’t mean I don’t eat salads any more – but it does mean that I generally try to only eat salad when I know I’m going to be near a toilet for the hour and a half afterward. Why do I eat salad when I know I’m not absorbing ANY of it? Because it’s so damn good, and it only makes me go to the bathroom, doesn’t make me feel icky or pukey.
Pretty much, I need to avoid processed carbs. I can have a single bite of almost anything, but anything beyond that could make me gassy and bloated and sick. Oh! And I can’t eat sugar-free stuff that has been sweetened with anything ending in -itol. The sugar alcohol makes me feel horrible, and it kind of annoys me that all sugar-free ice cream has malitol, sorbitol, or one of the -itols in it. I miss ice cream!
So far, not any big regrets. Like I mentioned in yesterday’s entry, sometimes I wish I could sit down and pound down half a box of Little Debbie snack cakes, but that’s a regret I can live with!
I’m currently wearing size XL t-shirts. They’re a little baggy, but right now my stomach pokes out further than my boobs do, so I’m avoiding anything too fitted.
* * *
I have a simple question.. how do you pronounce “Mireya”. I’ve never heard that name before.
“Muh-ray-uh.” Back when Mireya was born, I actually thought my brother made up the name (of course, I also thought my brother made up the word “fart” when I was a kid, so apparently I think he’s a real trend-setter. How cool was it when I went to school and everyone was using that word!), but he informed me at some point in the last year that he saw the name in the closing credits of a movie and told himself that if he ever had a daughter, that would be her name. A quick look on Google shows that it appears to be a mostly Spanish – perhaps Cuban – name.
I actually saw someone with “Mireya” on their license plate, which made me email Tracy and ask him where he came up with the name in the first place.
* * *
Did Spud cut her hair off?
How old is the baby now?
Do you pronounce your niece’s name Mariah?
Ok this is just a statement. DANG when did your nephew get so big? I still say he and the Spud could be brother and sister! 🙂
The spud didn’t cut her hair off – it’s still past her shoulders, but she almost always wears it up. She had a trim a few weeks ago in preparation for her Senior pictures, and had it washed and styled, so I’m anxious to see how the pictures came out.
The baby is 16 months now, I believe. He was born in April.
See above about how to pronounce Mireya. Liz does pronounce it “Mariah” though!
Brian really shot up over the last year, didn’t he? He’s going to be a tall one! And when he and the spud were little, people assumed they were siblings ALL the time. They still do, I think. Like
Catie said on one of my Flickr pictures, the Bitchypoo genes are strong – Brian, Jeffrey, and the spud all look like siblings.
* * *
By the way..how is your SIL doing that had WLS?
She’s doing well. She’s a year and a few months out from surgery, and she looks fabulous! She had some complications, but I’m positive she’d say she’d do it all over again.
* * *
Is there really such a small amount of meat in a lobster, that you are able to eat two of them at a time? I was just kind of surprised when I read that, because I would expect after your surgery that you wouldn’t be able to eat two of anything.
There’s a very small amount of meat in a lobster, but I also didn’t eat both lobsters in the space of 10 minutes or anything, either. I think it took about an hour from cracking open the first lobster to finishing the second, because my parents eat at a freakin’ glacial pace and I was trying not to finish eating before they did.
* * *
That “Shut it down” story has me cracking up! I am at work, so this is a much needed guffaw moment! and I think it is so cool that you just had to re-read I know this much is true! When is Wally Lamb coming out with a new novel???? it better be tomorrow!
Wally Lamb, that bastard, doesn’t appear to have any books coming out soon. He’s one of those writers who takes FOREVER to get a book written, apparently. I say we go hold him hostage and make him write us up a novel. We could cut off his feet so he can’t escape!
* * *
Robyn, have you read Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides ?
I haven’t read it yet, but it IS on the bookcase, so I’ll be getting to it one of these years.
* * *
Am I the only person who thinks it’s extremely funny that that everyone’s favorite bean company is B&M?
No, I think that’s HILARIOUS, actually.
* * *
I really like the furniture you like, but I LOVE the fiesta ware dishes best. I collect fiesta ware myself.
My mother actually started giving me Fiesta Ware dishes, ended up giving me a set of four, and then… stopped giving them to me. We can’t really use them to have anyone over for dinner (unless it’s just one person, since there are three of us), so I guess I need to start buying sets of my own! I’ve been thinking about adding the blue dishes to the set of yellow ones we have so far.
Another reason we haven’t been using the Fiesta Ware is because the spud was going through a stage where every week she was dropping one or more dishes on the floor – the stone floor – where they would shatter. So we’ve been buying the cheap, lightweight stuff for the time being.
* * *
What kind of camera did you end up getting?
I ended up getting another Sony Cybershot DSC-P200 like the one I had (only in gray instead of red). I couldn’t find a comparable camera in the stores for less than $400, so Fred went on eBay and got me one that was new in the box. I still love the DSC-P200!
* * *
Robyn, I was in Madison this past week! I ate at Rosie’s, and the flour tortillas were the best I’ve ever had. I have to say, though, I do NOT understand why they serve that nastay butter with the fajitas. The server looked at me like I was crazy when I asked what it was. Is that an Alabama thing?
I don’t generally eat fajitas, so I’m not sure what the deal with the nasty butter was. Maybe Fred knows!
* * *
My right shoulder is higher than my left. I personally think it’s because I carried a heavy book bag on my right shoulder for years and years due to school. Is it the shoulder that you carry things on?
Actually, it is! I always carry my purse on my right shoulder, and that’s the higher one!
* * *
Why did your parents decide to spell your name Robyn? Are you going to watch Boston Rob & Ambuh on their new reality show (they’re going to Vegas to become pro gamblers, I think)? How do you handle the moving transition for all your cats? Do some of them cope better than others? Fred has always looked really familiar to me– not in the crazy stalker way, but in a hey, you look like that famous guy sort of way. Please ease my mind and tell me what actor he looks like.
I’m not sure why they decided to spell my name with a “y” – I think they might have seen it in a baby book and decided it looked pretty.
I think I’ve had enough of Rob and Ambuh, but the fact that there’s gambling involved might interest Fred. He’s no fan of Rob, though, so probably not.
When we moved from the other house to this one, we brought the cats over, put them all in the bathroom, and closed the door so they couldn’t escape. They were all pretty freaked out, but Fancypants was freaked out the most, as you can see in
this entry. When we move to the new house, we’re going to do the same thing (put them all in the bathroom and shut the door), but Mister Boogers, Sugarbutt, and Tom have never been through a house move, so I’m not sure how they’re going to react. I suspect Mister Boogers and Tom will hide for a while, then come out to sniff around, but probably Sugarbutt will hide for a couple of days. Cats are resilient, though. They’ll adapt.
I don’t know which actor Fred looks like. Anyone got an opinion on that?
* * *
Speaking of selling the one you’re in now, have you ever seen the show Sell This House?
I haven’t seen Sell This House, but we did watch another show where people were looking to buy a new house, and some professional came and found them some houses to look at. That was a pretty good show – I bet we’d like Sell This House, too!
* * *
Great house, are you thinking about other animals besides cats? What about those minihorses, or cute little goats.
We’re planning on chickens (for eggs at first, but probably we’ll get some to raise and eat later on) (DON’T START WITH ME, yes I have no problem killing a chicken for food. At least in theory. Heh.) and eventually some goats for the back pasture. We did talk about getting a horse, but neither of us love horses enough for that.
* * *
Why doesn’t Fred go with you when you go to Maine?
Because mostly what I do in Maine is go out to eat and shop a lot, and that’s not his sort of thing. He’s going with me next summer (hopefully), though, so I’ll get to show him all the sights there are to see in Maine!
* * *
I’m seriously considering WLS, although it would be totally out of pocket, since my insurance will not pay for ANY weight loss surgery, regardless of reason. Anyway, I’m most concerned about the vomiting. I absolutely hate, hate, hate throwing up. Is vomiting something that can be avoided if you do the right thing, or does everyone vomit at least sometimes after WLS?
I think that 90% of the vomiting I’ve done since surgery could have been prevented by eating slower and chewing more carefully. Also, vomiting after surgery is a lot different than it is before surgery. The food doesn’t go into your stomach and mix with stomach acids, then come up all liquidy, the way it does before surgery. It comes up pretty much like it went down, and it’s not pleasant. The vomiting I’ve done when I’ve dumped has been less vomiting than standing over a toilet gagging up foam. It’s like my body demands that I still go through the motions of vomiting, even though there’s nothing to vomit up. It’s not pleasant, but the vomiting (gagging) part isn’t as bad as actual vomiting is.
* * *
I can’t believe the Spud’s a senior in high school! Has she started thinking about post-high school plans? Does she want to fly the coop, or stay closer to home after graduation?
She’s planning, at this point – though I suppose things could change – to go to a local community college to get her core courses out of the way. After that two years, we’re not sure. She’s said since she was little that she wanted to be a teacher, but now she’s not sure. If she does decide to go into teaching, there’s a college with a teaching curriculum near where we’ll be living, but if she decides on something else, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I just hope she works hard and has a good college experience. I’ve informed her in no uncertain terms that she’s getting a 4-year degree, even if it’s just in Liberal Arts, because a college degree is better than no college degree, earning-wise.
* * *
I was suprised when you said the Spud’s superintendant said there was no way arrangements could be made. Unless the house isn’t in Madison Co.? That may be the problem.
Yeah, it’s in another county, actually. But we’re okay with not being able to move right away, anyway – that gives us a good bit of time to work on the house and get it looking the way we want.
* * *
As someone that is starting on the journey to having gastric bypass I have a couple of questions.I am struggling with do it/don’t do it.The fear of dying or having complications.I have two small kids and they need me.I know that I haven’t been able to lose the weight myself and with 150lbs to lose..my health is only getting worse.I already have high cholestrol/trygycerides,high blood pressure,edema,pre-diabetes,pain in my legs/back/ankles,and take several medicines.I am only 27.
Most people that have had WLS are telling me do it..they wish they would have years ago.I have my first appointment with the surgeon on the 29th.I have my paperwork all done and my doctor is 100% behind me.I hope insurance approves me because she (doctor) thinks it could really change my life.
What made you decide to have WLS?
What made you decide to do gastric bypass instead of LapBand?
I think Carol had a pretty good response to this:
Shannon, I just had to reply to your post… sorry if I am hijacking your comments here Robyn. I had GBS almost four years ago. I had every complication they warn you about.. literally. I wont go into all of it on here, but lets just say, if they warn you about it.. I have had it. I would still do it all over again (with the complications if I had to) and recommend it when I speak to people. I do tell everyone to make sure they know the risks, are comfortable with that decision and stand by it for themselves. Don’t do it for someone else, do it for you. My surgeon was on top of everything and when a complication came up, he dealt with it promptly and I came through it ok.
As far as what made me, personally, decide to have WLS, I’d have to say that the fact that I’d spent the past several years trying desperately to lose weight, but bouncing up and down and up and down, that made me face the truth that I just wasn’t going to be able to do it without surgery.
And if my insurance had covered LapBand surgery, I would have had that done. I have no regrets about having RNY, but I think I would have worried less beforehand if I were going to have LapBand surgery.
* * *
What about decent internet access at the new place? Sometimes folks “out in the country” have few if any choices!
We’ll have high-speed internet. That was one of the first things Fred asked – and if high-speed internet hadn’t been available in the new house, we wouldn’t have even considered it. Gotta have priorities, ya know!
* * *
Thanks for the link to the Gmap Pedometer–it is awesome! I used it this morning for my walk. I have a question, though. How accurate do you think it is? I was wearing a pedometer, and when I compared the two, I got wildly different readings. The distance and calories burned on Gmap was much higher.
I don’t know, actually. I assumed it would be pretty accurate, because when I used it to measure my walking distance at 2 miles, I double-checked it with the odometer in the car, and they matched up. I’m not sure how much I’d trust the calories-burned on Gmaps, though – I think they should just stick to measuring distances and leave calories burned to the professionals. 🙂
* * *
It took a month, but the squirrel finally figured out how to get into the squirrel feeder.
“What?”
Sugarbutt checks out the hummingbird flitting around the feeder.
* * *
Previously
2005: You know who really just completely repulses me?
2004: The only way it’d be better is if we could call and vote on who’s the most annoying.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: Wouldn’t it have been ironic if I’d made assurances to the spud that we would probably all live for a long, long time, then promptly tripped over the cat, fallen down the stairs, broken my neck, and died?
2000: Man, I’m so unmotivated today (nothing new there). ]]>