My weight loss is now officially at 87 pounds. I am six months post op. My scar from my pann is healing nicely. I put vitamin E cream on it each day and that has helped. My stamina is amazing. I am just amazed with what I can accomplish each day. I practically bound out of bed each morning ready to face the day.
Before the holidays, I met up with a relative who I hadn’t seen since I was about 10 weeks post op. He was excited to see how I changed. During our visit, he commented that I looked like I did in high school. While I was embarrassed at the time he said it, I was excited and happy to hear it. Later in the evening after our visit, I actually saw someone I went to high school with. She and I noticed each other in the grocery store. It took me a bit to realize that I knew her. However, she looked at me and stared at me. Then it hit me, SHE recognized me because I didn’t look all that different since high school. It was a nice feeling.
The holidays – So I bet everyone wants to know what we did and how we did. With New Year’s literally hours away, I can say we made it without throwing up and without dumping. We enjoyed a Christmas dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and other yummy things. I enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake (that I ate over a span of two days) as my Christmas dessert. I enjoyed cookies and goodies that came into work. For New Year’s we are attending a big party in Southern California and don’t anticipate any problems. However, the strangest thing to face is not having that resolution to “loose weight”.
In the last month, Mom and I had our first post op Fobi Pouch trip to Disneyland. It was amazing. We were able to walk through the park without having to stop for a break. We enjoyed chicken skewers for dinner. The most fun came when we rode the rides. The seatbelts and safety bars didn’t mush against our body and hurt. It was easier to get in and out of the rides. We also went to Magic Mountain recently and like I have said before the park is literally on a mountain. We were able to walk around without any problems and the rides were even more exciting.
Bread – Many Fobi patients have trouble with bread because it can bunch up in the pouch and take up space. Remember that space in your tiny pouch is valuable. I have found that if I toast bread it is easier to eat. I also stick to eating the crust. (I hated the crust in my overweight days.) I also eat bread in moderation and most times I avoid it.
Pasta – I have had two throwing up events as a result of pasta. I ate too much too fast. Remember to chew, chew, and chew some more. The smaller it is the easier it is to get through the pouch.
Rice – I began eating rice at a very young age. Rice was common place in my diet as a child and as an adult. However, I have found that rice does not work well with my Fobi Pouch. It has been the biggest adjustment that I have had to make. I now eat potatoes. I will try rice again later down the road and see if I have better luck with it then.
Steak – The flavor in beef is wonderful to me now. I don’t think I really appreciated it when I was overweight. The most important thing to remember with steak is to chew, chew, chew, chew, chew. Take your time and enjoy the flavor and the steak. Remember, if you feel that you can’t swallow it after you chew it to death and the flavor is gone, take a napkin and spit it out in the napkin. No one will ever know.
Soda/Pop – As a drinker of a minimum of 4 cans of soda a day, I freaked out when I heard that many people can’t drink it after the Fobi surgery. Two days before the surgery, I stopped drinking soda. I knew I was addicted to the caffeine. I figured since I normally get headaches when I don’t drink sodas for a few days, I would stop before the surgery and the pain killers I would get after surgery would help with the headaches. In the days after my surgery, I craved a Coke. I think I asked for one about every two hours. However, once I was at home the craving went away. In the last two weeks, I have added a tiny bit of soda to my weekly intake of food and water. There is no nutritional value to it but I treat it like a special reward for myself. I do belch like crazy for about an hour after drinking it and I may end up taking out of my rewards because of the belching.
One of my favorite lunch time meals is a chicken salad from Carl’s Jr. and a plain baked potato.
Remember, just because you have trouble with a certain food today, doesn’t mean you’ll have a problem two months from now. Keep testing yourself and see if you can eat it.
Throwing up: This is something that scares people about the surgery. It certainly scared me when I heard that it was a side effect of the surgery. However, I now accepted it as part of my life. Please understand that I don’t just spontaneously throw up. I throw up when I do something that causes me to get too full and I have to relieve the pressure that comes from eating too much. Most times I find that if I am eating something that I have anticipated just a bit much, I usually eat too much too fast. The pressure is very strong. I feel like I need to belch but can’t. The anticipated belch sounds more like I am straining my vocal cords. Also, when I feel like belching the sensation to throw up occurs. After the surgery, throwing up is nothing like it was before the surgery. Most times it is just a frothy saliva mixture. Remember, this is a common side effect of the surgery. Read Dr. Fobi’s information on throwing up and if it becomes a problem, don’t try to be your own doctor, get help from your PCP or Dr. Fobi’s office. Both my mother and I feel hungry as soon as the throwing up episodes pass. This is a good sign to both of us that everything is OK and back to normal.
Dumping: Like throwing up, this a side effect to the Fobi surgery. Also, like throwing up, this is something that you can help control. Dumping can wear you out. The most severe episode I have had made me feel very sleepy once it past. My most severe episode happened in early December. I was watching television and wanted something sweet. I had purchased a package of Nerds candy. I had only planned to have a tiny bit to take care of my craving. However, I got wrapped up in what I was watching on television. I was distracted by the television and began to eat the candy just like I did in the old days. At a commercial break, I got up to do something and realized that the empty box had fallen off my lap. I just sat there and thought “What did I do? What was I thinking? Oh, yeah, I was watching television and zoned out and wasn’t thinking.” I knew that the dumping was coming but I wasn’t expecting it an hour later. I was lying in bed and I began to sweat and my heart was racing. I didn’t feel comfortable laying down or sitting up. Nothing was going to help. I also had mild ringing in my ears. I just continued to lie in bed and let it pass. About an hour later it did pass. I was so sleepy afterwards I just remember reaching over and pulling the covers over me and I was asleep. Most cases of dumping don’t last this long, but they can take their toll when they are over. Your first case of dumping will probably catch you off guard but you just need to give yourself a mental checklist when you feel “strange”. My first case of dumping came from a baked potato with butter during my first six weeks post op.
No one I work with knows about my surgery. It is amazing how many people focus on food. While they haven’t come out and addressed it with me, I have heard whispering. They think I have an eating disorder because I have lost weight since I have started working for the company. They haven’t started following me to the bathroom, yet. My co-workers always want to know “what’s for lunch”. They also come by my desk and see me eating something and I’ll have a few bites and put it aside. This bothers them. When we go out to lunch as a group, they all watch me. This is such an unusual experience for me. When I was overweight, co-workers would look at what I ate, too. It just goes to show you how much food can affect one’s life.
One of the most interesting things that has happened is when my mother and I are in a crowd of people or at a mall. We become separate and I have look around to find her. My brain is still looking for that overweight woman. However, when I see her my eyes have to tell my brain that she isn’t overweight any more. It is something that I have to learn. I try to remember what she is wearing and that makes it easier. I have also found that I am so used to going to mall or department stores and heading to the women’s plus sizes that I don’t know where to go and look for misses’ size products.
As an overweight person, I found myself putting on my “cloak of invisibility” when I went out in public. I wanted to be sure that I blended in with my surroundings. There is nothing worse than having your overweight body out in public because you are allowing yourself the chance to be made fun of.
However, with this surgery, I find the most interesting things come up from people. Many are worried about the scars and how it will effect their bodies. Aren’t the scars a small sacrifice for the end result? Now, I had scars on my body prior to the Fobi surgery so having a few additional scars were no biggie for me. But this made me think, as overweight people we want to hide from the world. If one has the surgery and is able to loose weight, they have the chance to become “accepted” in society. With this acceptance, comes the ability to blend in with the rest of the world. Our overweight bodies are “hidden” from the world and we don’t run the risk of being made fun of. The scars are hidden from everyone except those who see you naked. I understand the apprehension to show your naked body with scars to someone. However, how often were you showing your naked body when you were overweight. As a single woman looking to find Mr. Right, I find myself wondering how I will handle explaining myself when someone sees me naked for the first time. In a time when plastic surgery is 100% acceptable in our culture, why can’t I just say I had plastic surgery and get on with life. In summary, don’t worry about the scars. Just think about the wonderful life you are going to lead after the surgery.
As an overweight woman, I would walk through the mall and see women who had beautiful figures and were able to hold their heads up with pride. I used to always say “bitch” when I saw them. Admit it, you have all seen someone that you looked at and thought “my life would be perfect if I looked like them.” Now at six-months post op I find myself going out in public and find something different has happened. First of all, I am now the “bitch” that I would dream of being. I also find that my eye is drawn to overweight people. I see these people and know EXACTLY what they are going through. I feel for them. It isn’t pitty, but empathy. Something deep down hurts for them. Yes, there are plenty of people out there who are completely satisfied with being overweight and feel that they are the healthy ones in life. They are entitled to their beliefs. However, having lived my life as an overweight person and now regaining the energy and excitement about life that I had in high school, I personally enjoy the new me. When I see morbidly obese people, I want to walk up to them and tell them there is help out there and when they are ready to consider the surgery. Unfortunately, so many people out there see the Fobi surgery as self mutilation. My answer to that is “Wasn’t I mutilating my body by being overweight?”
For those considering the surgery, I urge you to look at what is important to you. Do you enjoy being overweight? Do you enjoy the health problems? Are you worried that you might not live to see a child grow older? Do you spend time closing out your friends and family because you are embarrassed of your weight? My mother and I were able to answer all those questions and more. We came to the conclusion that the surgery was right for us. The scars didn’t matter. It also didn’t matter that we may or may not be able to drink a soda again or have a piece of candy. What was important is that we would be able to enjoy that life that we had lived in our thin days and that we’d have a life to live.
Dr. Fobi gives you rules to following in the first six weeks of surgery. While every person is different and complications from the surgery are different for each person, it is important to follow Dr. Fobi’s rules. Remember, your new body and new pouch have to last you for your lifetime. We both followed the rules and we healed quickly and found that doctor visits went quickly and were stress free because we did follow the rules. We both know the pureed diet is not what you’d call a wonderful diet. But remember you just had major surgery and your body is filled with stitches that need to heal. The pureed diet isn’t punishment for having the surgery. It is there to help you heal quickly and without complications. Experiment with the pureed diet, you may find something you never would eat is now one of your favorite things to eat. I can’t tell you how many “horror” stories we have heard in the waiting room of Dr. Fobi’s office. I have heard of women who eat pizza three days post op or the woman who ate a corn dog the night she got home from the hospital. Think of what she could have done to herself with the corn dog. Say she didn’t chew enough and the hot dog got stuck. She would have been back in the hospital having to have it removed. Even worse, she could have popped a suture and began to bleed internally.