Vitamins - The Struggle

So I am now fully into the vitamin game. Its terrible. Get a load of what I have to take everyday:

Chewable Calcium Citrate 500mg (3 per day)
Chewable B-Complex (1 per day)
Chewable Multivitamin (2 per day)
Chewable Iron 30mg (1 per day)
Sublingual B-12 1000mcg (1 per day)
Liquid Vitamin D 5000iu (5 drops per day)

Did I mention the calcium is 3 times a day? And all vitamins should be taken with food? And I can't take the calcium at the same time I take the multivitamin and/or iron? And that I have regular medications in liquid form that I have to take in the morning too? Yeah.

And now the product review:

• Bariatric Advantage Chewable Calcium Citrate 500mg (wild cherry)

This.is.the.absolute.worst. It is sooooo chalky that when you crunch into it a puff of dust basically hits the back of your throat, causing you to gag. I would have gone with a chewy, Starburst-like version of calcium, but the dosages of those are really small and I would have to have like 6 of them a day to satisfy the requirement. The taste is ok though, considering.

• Solaray Chewable B-Complex (kiwi strawberry)

So I have been taking these a while, and they are tolerable. They are not quite as chalky as the ones listed above, and the taste is ok, but why do they have to be so huge? Imagine a TUMS times 3.

• Bariatric Advantage Chewable Multivitamin (mixed berry)

I've had these before when I had Lap Band surgery, so I knew which to go for. The taste of these is good, and they are thinner than the standard. Con: I have to take 2 per day. Lame. 

• Bariatric Advantage Chewable Iron 30mg (chocolate raspberry)

I'm pretty happy with these. Its like a tootsie roll. My only concern is if my sleeve is ready for this consistency. I plan to chew these really well. 

• Vitamin Shoppe Sublingual B-12 1000mcg (black cherry)

These don't really taste like anything, but at least it is not unpleasant. You just kind of pop it in and let it dissolve, like a lozenge. 

• Vitamin Shoppe Liquid Vitamin D 5000iu (vomit flavored)

Ok. So I made a mistake with these and tried to just take the drops directly on my tongue at first. Yeah, I'm an idiot. Anyway, this stuff is vile but when you mix it with a flavored drink you can't taste it. So it will be fine!

Thats the rundown. I also got some Healthwise hot protein drinks that were on sale, a hot chocolate and a vanilla cappuccino. Yummmms!

Wednesday Weigh In and Soft Foods!

Lets start with the weigh in. I'm skipping this week. That is to say, I DID weigh myself this morning, but I wasn't happy with it. So I'm not posting it. My blog, my rules. Hehe.

Anyway the big news of the day is that I attended my Soft Foods class this evening with Patrick the nutritionist at my surgeon's office.

Take Away Points:

• I need to be eating 5-6 small meals per day. Which means, eating breakfast. Uggggh
• At each meal, I'll be trying to eat 1/4 cup of protein. Aiming for 60-80g of protein/day
• NO DRINKING 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after meals (there are several reasons for this)
• Take small bites, no bigger than a thumbnail
• Take 20-30 minutes to eat a meal
• And I have a new list of vitamins to take!

Vitamins:

• Continue with B Complex (it has biotin that will help to limit hair loss)
• Vitamin B-12 300-500mcg (sublingual)
• Bariatric Multivitamin containing Iron (chewable)
• Calcium 1200-1500mg (chewable)
• Vitamin D- 3000iu daily (to be taken with the Calcium)

I was also told to separate the calcium dose from multivitamin with iron by at least 2 hours. Let me just tell you how much I am looking forward to more CHEWABLE deliciousness. NOT REALLY.

So I am probably going shopping for this stuff tomorrow at Vitamin Shoppe, because I have a 20% off total purchase coupon!

I am also happy to report that I made tuna salad tonight and it was just fine :)

Stay tuned for vitamin reviews!

Weigh in 9/16/14

I had my first follow up at my surgeon's office today. Weight: 225lb but I noticed they wrote 223lb to account for clothes. So yay!

Dr. Enochs says I am right on track and my incisions look good. He cleared me to start "mushies" which I think he meant purees... I meet with the nutritionist next week to discuss starting soft foods.

So today I had some cottage cheese and refried beans for lunch. When I got home I tried some really soft scrambled eggs but those didn't work so well. Lets just say I won't be trying them again for awhile!

Also tonight I went for a walk and felt really faint afterwards. So I ate some yogurt and felt better. Not sure if that was a blood sugar issue or what.

So thats the update for now! I am buying ingredients tonight to make some baked ricotta which I am totally stoked about!

Getting a little tired of these liquids...

So its Saturday and we went to a Greek Festival today. It was really the first time that I have been really desperate to EAT something (I didn't of course). There was so much amazing food around! I actually did try some mashed potatoes earlier in the day and that went fine (about 1/4 cup). And I bought some plain yogurt for later tonight or tomorrow. I am struggling to get down my second protein shake for the day and after that, if I have room, I might have a little yogurt. We'll see, I'm playing it by ear. I actually got a little sick this evening after dinner so I am going to be careful. Not sure what that was about.

Another thing that I've noticed is that my skin has really improved since surgery. I don't know if its all the fluids or what. Not that I had skin issues before, but it just seems a lot more "even" now.

Thats really all I have to say for tonight! Hope everyone is having a good weekend :)

Weigh In 9/10/14 and Going Back to Work

First off, weigh in. I am exactly 1 week post op today. And the weight is... (drumroll) 229.2lb! So that is almost 20lb down from my highest weight (248lb) and about 5lb down from surgery date. So I am pretty stoked. I also feel like I already look less puffy even though my clothes fit the same of course.

Speaking of clothes, I am going to have to decide where to consign my plus size stuff eventually. I am thinking Clothes Mentor, as I love shopping there and they are opening a new one on Glenwood Ave here in Raleigh. I could basically just trade in stuff for new stuff! But that's a little ways off, just a thought. I actually was there today and picked up a few XL things for the future, totally cute!

I am returning to work tomorrow, and I have mixed feelings. Of course, it is necessary and I am looking forward to seeing my friends but I am really going to miss all the quality time I have been spending with my family and my kitties. I think they will miss me too! I don't think I will have any issue adhering to my post op diet, as I am fortunate enough to have a mini fridge in my office. The liquid diet will continue for the next week. I continue to not experience hunger, which is nice because I don't have the desire to eat things I'm not supposed to.

Lastly, a note on midi rings. I can't decide if I love them or am annoyed by them. I love the way they look but I got one today and it is kind of driving me crazy. I think I just have to get used to it. Beauty is pain.

Update and Shout Out

Well, I feel great. I still have one more day off from work which will use to continue to take it easy, but I am feeling almost completely back to normal. I am easily taking fluids, including low sugar juice, powerade zero, sugar free tea, low fat soups (no chunks) and protein shakes. I have already have 2 full protein shakes today, and have nearly met my protein minimum. I also took a B complex vitamin (blarrrrghhhh vomit) but it is what it is. I will be on the B complex only for a month before I start adding more vitamin supplements that I will need to take always.

I have also started to include vegetable based strained soups such as butternut squash, corn, and broccoli. These are the kind that come in cartons, I got mine at Earth Fare. I found that I was really tiring of "cream-based" soups such as cream of mushroom or chicken - also they are SO salty. And I was craving vegetables, like not to munch on but I just felt like I needed them. So I did add the low sodium veggie soups and also a product that I would have never in a million years tried before, green juice. This is the kind I have been getting:

I mix it about half and half with low sugar white grape juice, and let me tell you, its good stuff. And I feel so healthy drinking it. I have also been having 1 mug of coffee in the morning, which is 1/2 coffee and 1/2 milk. I am taking it easy on the coffee because it is so acidic. Luckily I am not feeling caffeine deprived so its not a big deal.

And now on to the shout out. Rex Surgery Center of Cary is where I had my surgery. And I cannot say enough, that I had the single best experience of any surgery/hospital experience I have ever had (and I have had several). From the initial IV to recovery to the overnight stay and the final bloodwork, the professional care I received was truly top notch. Mary Jane was my overnight nurse and she was pretty much an angel. All of my IV, finger sticks (I had a bit of a blood sugar issue overnight), and bloodwork were pretty much painless, so you know they were experts. The pain and nausea management was on point and perfectly tailored to my needs. I could not be happier with my experience there and would definitely recommend to anyone considering having a procedure there. There is so much more I could say, but I think you get the point! 

Lastly, a note on hunger. I have a full week of liquids left, and am a little freaked out that I may start struggling with hunger. However, I have not felt hungry yesterday or today, I think because I have started to take the fluids more easily including the protein shakes. Its interesting, that pre-op I was dying of hunger with 5 shakes/day and now I can barely imagine doing more than 2. I guess that makes sense, considering!

Product reviews!

As promised, I will now review some of the products that I purchased last week during my Walgreens haul. 

• Ology Gently Soothing Fragrance Free Facial Towelettes 

These are great. I used them today to remove some pretty heavy black eyeliner and mascara. They were soft and non-irritating, nice scent. They are pretty big, so I felt kind of wasteful using them for just eye makeup removal, but all in all a good product.

• Olay Body Lotion - Ultra Moisture

Okay, so I was really worried that this lotion was going to irritate my sensitive skin since I usually only but unscented grandma lotions (think Cetaphil). But I LOVE it. I use it all over after a shower and the scent is just enough and the texture is non-greasy. I can definitely see myself buying again.

• Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - Smooth Treatment 

This. Stuff. Is. The. Bomb!!! I've used it three times although I think it is only meant to be used maybe once a week as an intensive treatment. But it just makes my hair so silky and easy to work with, straight or curly. It also comes in a neat little squeeze bottle that is hard to describe but is mess-free and doesn't hold water in the cap like some other bottles, if that makes sense. 

• Bombshell Intense Eye Liner - Covergirl

So the jury is still out on this one. For what it is, I think it is a good product. But being completely clueless about how to apply this stuff, I am still kind of "eh" on it. I tried it today and went out in public like a crazy person. It is REALLY black and makes a completely opaque line but goes on easily and comes off easily too, with a makeup wipe. It might be good for nighttime ONLY, when applied with a bunch of other makeup to make it look like it fits in. haha

That's it for the product reviews. Hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for my next haul :) 

Update and scars

So today is what, day 5 post op? And I'm feeling great! No more gas pain, just a TEENY bit of belly pain, and yeah. Thats about it! I'm walking about a mile a day now (broken up into parts) without pain. I'm still on liquid diet, which consists of strained soups, most liquids, SF jello and popsicles, and protein shakes. I only intake a few ounces in a sitting, but in a day I am getting over 60 grams of protein, which is my goal. I will be on this diet until about next Wednesday, when I can start pureed foods. I am really looking forward to that!

Lets talk scars. I have 5, and I am very, very pleased with their location and size. The biggest is located inside my belly button. The rest are barely a couple centimeters in length. The only one that causes me any issue is one that is located just south of where my bra sits so I have been unable to wear a bra since surgery. (Wheee!) Today, I was able to tolerate a sports bra so I could go walk around the mall (rainy day). All the incisions are covered with some kind of "glue" that is supposed to hold for about 2 weeks. I am showering backwards to preserve that glue stuff as long as I can to help the healing process.

Lets see what else... oh I have a big shout out for the Rex Surgery Center of Cary team, but I will save that for another post. Hope everyone is well :)

Some pics

Pre-op waiting for the surgeon...

Post op with my friend. Feeling good! Haha 

First sip of water the day after surgery! Boy that felt good!

Post op pedicure

Coming to you live from the pedicure chair! I was desperately in need...

Anyway feeling much better today. Still a little gas pain and general incision pain around my belly button but all in all I can't complain. Also:

So I'm really stoked about that! 

I'm getting down more fluids now including cream of chicken soup (strained) and more jello. I also started drinking oh yeah! Shakes again today... I would love if I could get 2 of those down today for 64g of protein. But we'll see...

I'm walking about 6 times a day which I think is helping a lot. I'm also trying to get  down to 2 naps per day. I think I'm sleepy because I haven't been taking my thyroid meds but I'll start back tomorrow probably. 

Day 2 post op

Good afternoon,

Well it's been about the same old thing, gas pain and trying to get rid of gas pain. But my nausea is gone (yay!) 

I am having some trouble getting all of my protein in because I keep on sleeping but that's going to get better because I stopped taking pain meds. I can tolerate a little pain... Would rather not be comatose. 

Diet wise I have just been sipping on clear liquids, just had a little veggie boullion and jello. I'm supposed to get up to 1 cup of fluid per hour with 1/4 being protein. Working hard on that! 

Still not feeling up to visitors but I appreciate everyone's well wishes 🐭

Update

Hi everyone... Just a quick update. I am still in a significant amount of pain. Nausea comes and goes. I am most comfortable laying down. Most of my pain is in the diaphragm area where they fixed the hernia and removed a good bit of scar tissue from the lap band-  according to dr. Enoch's. A lot of my pain/discomfort I think is related to trapped gas that they put in during the surgery. I am struggling to get in all my protein/liquids today because I have slept a lot. But all in all I am still completely stoked out of my mind that I am finally "sleeved"! Tomorrow will be better 😜

Day before surgery

So here we are, one day pre-op and I am feeling mostly good! I'm on clear liquids all day today, and then nothing after 12am. I've been drinking mostly New Whey protein shots, seen here:

I really like these because they don't have the nasty aftertaste that some clear liquid proteins have (i.e. Isopuke). I mix them with ice water to taste, and it is really not that bad after the first sip. I have also prepared some SF protein jello for later, using Unjury unflavored protein powder. We'll see how that turns out...

The majorly annoying thing is that I can't have anything blue, red, or purple so that limits me to basically green or orange flavored things. I guess they don't want you to dye your stomach or something? I do have some clear-ish Isopukes (green tea, coconut, etc) but I am kind of scared of those right now so I'm only going to drink them if I absolutely have to!

I've also started packing for the hospital and a couple of days post op since I will be staying with my parents. On my packing list (non-clothing items):

• Benefiber
• Dixie cups, for sipping when I can start fluids
• Gas X strips
• Chewable B Complex Vitamin - Solaray brand
• Milk of Magnesia - recommended by my surgeon
• Stuffed animal :)
• Shaker cups
• Refillable water bottles (no straws)
• Gin Gins ginger hard candies (for nausea)
• Pre-measured baggies of Bariatric Advantage protein powder (banana and chocolate)
• Click Decaf Mocha protein powder (for a coffee fix)
• Unjury chicken soup powder - good stuff!
• Pre-made chicken broth
• New Whey protein shots
• Sugar free drink mix and jello
• Unscented potty wipes (someone told me I would need these, ew)
• Phone
• Charger
• Lip balm
• My regular medications, in liquid form
• Mortar and pestle, for the one medication I couldn't get in liquid form (womp womp)
• Toiletries
• Pillow to hold on my belly for the ride home

I think thats it. Until I realize I have forgotten something. Clothing wise I am just bringing lounge clothes and some pajamas that aren't tight on my belly.