Day 22 (256 lbs. minus approx 42 lbs)

So I had another bad morning, but luckily I had another followup at the MGH Weight Center. The nutritionist gave me some good adivice; I have to remember that it has only been 3 weeks since my surgery and it's going to take time to learn to eat again. I have always been a fast eater and that does not work post surgery. So now that I've had two bad experiences, hopefully I can be a more mindful eater. She also informed me that this is certainly a behavior related problem, for if it was stricture caused by surgery, I'd have trouble getting water down.

Another issue I have been having is nose bleeds. It's very possible that my sleep apnea pressure setting is too high right now (since I have lost some weight). This could be causing my nasal passages to become overly dry. I need to followup with the Sleep Dr. about that.

It was interesting to go to my nutritional group today and hear some of the problems other folks are having...some very similar to mine, some do not line up with mine at all. But for me, I have to learn to tell the difference between fake hungry in my head, and real hunger from my body. I now realize that I had no idea when I was truly hungry or full before this surgery.

Day 20 Bad Night

So last night I had the pleasure of going out on the town with a few old friends. We had a very nice time. The only problem was dinner. Even though I understand that my stomach isn't ready for all things yummy again, I still forget because I feel so normal. I ordered some things I should not have, and, to keep the graphic level to a minimum, it did not stay with me long.

It was the first time that I had such a severe problem since my little incident with the swallow test back in the hospital. After Gastric Bypass Surgery (Laporascopically that is), you have to do a swallow test in front of an x-ray machine. That involves drinking a cup of iodine, followed by a cup of barium. I had only been out of surgery about 24 hours and I just couldn't handle the gross-ness of these two liquids. The radiology people tell me that happens all the time.

But last night was just me getting ahead of myself. I need to be patient and just give myself time. Perhaps this bad experience will help me remember that.

The other issue I'm facing is fatigue. Even though I feel good, I am certainly not getting enough calories. While we were out and about around 10:00 pm, it felt to me like 3:00 a.m. This will certainly improve over time, but I need to remember that when making plans.

Day 18

So Happy New Year everyone. It's interesting to start a new year where I actually believe that I'll be lighter and healthier this year. This has been a fairly smooth couple of days. There is no huge weight loss to report, but I was weighing close to 260 yesterday. I think I weighted a bit more this morning, but that is why the MGH Weight Center people tell us to stay off the scale. There is a lot of fluid fluctuations going on so there will be some ups and downs on the scale.

Last night we hosted a small NYE party at our house with Cheryl's brother, Jeremy and his wife Meredith. Although there were lots of snacks I felt like digging in on, I pretty much settled for some Decaf Diet Tea and a few small Buffalo Tenders. Everything went down smooth. However, I think I have pulled an abdominal muscle. We don't really have an ideal spot in our living room for games; and I think I hurt myself reaching for an Apples to Apples card. At first, the pain was alarming because I feared I gave myself a hernia. I soon realized that the pain wasn't that severe and I only felt it if I turned a certain way. Hernias are not as common with a laparoscopic procedure as with an open one, but they can still happen.

Today I had a CIB to start the day and actually had a few bites of chicken, broccoli and sweet potato fries for lunch. I stopped after a toddler serving, but it is still progress. I am posting some updated "doorway" shots...Cheryl and I are not experts at the time lapse photos and the perspective is all wrong. I don't see much of a difference in size....do you?
Joe had a roux-en-y gastric bypass on 12/15/2008 at Mass General Hospital in Boston. This blog follows his experience.