Many of you have been asking questions about my journey. My goal is to answer as many of them as I can.
Have you been able to stop taking any medications?
I have officially gone from taking 17 medications daily plus ibuprofen multiple times a day to now taking 3 medications daily and the occasional OTC pain relief tablet as needed. That’s 14 prescriptions that I don’t have to fill every month, 14 fewer bottles of chemicals that I have to shuffle through each day and ingest into my body, 14 fewer things I have to spend my money on to survive, and 14 fewer bottles of crap to pack when I travel. FREEDOM!!
How much weight have you lost so far?
In 9 months, I have lost 100+ pounds. It’s happening so fast that it’s very hard for me to believe. I struggle daily with body dysmorphia. Just the other day as I was laying out my laundry, I was confused as to why my sister’s pants were left at my house. Oh… Wait, these are mine. Weird. I’m so used to bigger clothing that I didn’t even realize that the much smaller size pants in the laundry were actually my own. When I glance in the mirror, I still see a 300-pound person. When I look at side-by-side photos, I still see the same fat face and very fluffy, disgusting body. The compliments that people so generously give make me feel extremely uncomfortable because I just don’t feel like I’ve changed at all in the way that I look. This is something I’m still working on.
Do you feel any different?
YES! I feel so much better! I’m not tired all the time. I come home and don’t mind doing chores, where as before I would sit on the couch until it was time for bed. I’m enjoying moving my body again. I can tell my confidence is returning and overall my mood has improved. I’m no longer ashamed of who I am anymore. This has been a complete mental and physical change and the change was most definitely for the better.
Is there anything you can’t eat?
No. There are a few things that don’t sit well and make me feel a little nauseated. Rice and pasta are for sure on that list. Bread like items that are very dry sit heavy in my stomach and make me feel not so great either. One thing for sure that has changed is the way my body reacts to certain foods. Sweets and fatty or greasy foods cause lots of excess gas. I don’t eat salads much because I feel pretty full of air and water. Neither of those are proteins so I try to steer clear of anything with a lot of watery leafy greens.
Has your health improved?
It’s still early in my journey, however, the answer to this question is most definitely YES! I got my lab results in from my 3-month & 6-month post-op appointments. Everything looked great, even my iron which has been low since I was 11 years old is practically perfect. I don’t dread going to the doctor anymore. Before I knew I was facing a death sentence. I hated hearing what the doctor had to say. That’s not the case any longer. The best part is this – I’M NO LONGER PREDIABETIC!!
Do you regret having the surgery?
No way! Not even for a second. Given the chance to do it all over, I’d do it again in an instant. My only regret is that I didn’t do this years ago when I first wanted to. I look back and see all the I missed due to my health and my weight issues. I really wish I would have done this long ago.
There is no real “pain.” The first 24 hours after surgery was by far the worst of this entire process. Since that, if I am in pain, it’s not due to my surgery at all. It’s because I’m doing something that I shouldn’t be doing. There aren’t really any restrictions at this point other than the sheer amount of food I can eat at once. Just like I stated before, it’s actually very freeing. Before when I went to dinner with friends, I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to eat. I didn’t care about being with them, I cared about the food on the table. I cared about who was going to eat the last piece of bread. I cared about rather or not the waiter was going to refill my drink fast enough. I cared about when they would ask if I wanted dessert and what I was going to have.
Now when I go out, I look at the menu and decide what I want. From that point on it’s about the company I’m with. It’s no longer about the meal that’s in front of my face. I love being present in the moment now.
The surgery I chose to have is not reversible. They cut 80% of my stomach away and took it out. Imagine cutting a wig, that ish ain’t gonna grow back. Now, if I don’t keep up the smaller portions and keep my body moving, I can stretch my sleeve out a bit. I really hope that never happens because that’s how I ended up where I was to begin with. Giving up the freedom I had when it comes to food was the best thing I’ve done for myself so far.
Keep the questions coming. I’m happy to answer anything thrown at me. You can leave your comments down below or private message me on any of my social media platforms. Please keep in mind that these answers are MY answers. Not everyone shares the same journey so I encourage you to reach out to many people and do your own research if you are considering a surgery like this for yourself.
Until next time,
Project: Life 