Tomorrow I'm heading off to Utica with Geoff for my first follow-up appointment. I'm hoping that he will tell me that I'm on track and everything is healing up just fine. I've been drinking 2000ml of water everyday since my scare last weekend. It's difficult to get the fluids in since I'm unable to sleep a full night yet. Apparently insomnia is one of the side effects after this type of surgery. It's frustrating since I know soon I will be going back to work and with the 2 hours of driving I must do everyday to get there, I know I will be exhausted. Of course I will be discussing this with Dr Fitzer when I see him tomorrow.
Return to Work
My insurance company at work has approved my time off until November 29th, which means I would have to return to work November 30th. I miss work, but I don't want to rush my return. I want to make sure that when I go back, that it's for good. The surgeon said that I would be off 6-8 weeks, so I'm really not sure what he will decide.
Hair Loss
I've also been a bit concerned about hair loss that might start in month 3 of my journey. It is a natural occurance with weight loss surgery that you lose hair. Apparently 1/3 of patients do lose their hair at about the 3rd month stage and until they reach their 6th month. We can lose up to half of our hair. The reason this happens is that we have only so much nutrients going through our blood stream and the scalp is not one of the body's concern. In an effort to eliminate extreme hair loss, it has been suggested that I massage the scalp from 10-15 minutes per day to get the blood stream moving and in the end the nutrients will move up to the scalp and attempt to keep the hair healthy. If it happens, I just have to remind myself that it will only last for a maximum of 3 months and then new hair will grow back. It will be like it never happened.
New Menu
I start my new stage in foods tomorrow (November 20, 2009) for weeks 4, 5 and 6. I will be including Egg Salad, hard boiled egg, flaky fish, pasta & cheese, soft vegetables & fruits. It will be very nice to add these to my menu.
Weight Loss
My weight is still hovering around the same place. I only weigh myself every Monday to document. Geoff also takes my measurements so that I can also include these in my diary. Some people are really concerned about losing 2 lbs per week. I'm trying to stick to the old saying 'The faster it comes off, the faster it will come back on....the slower it comes off, the easier it will be to keep it off'. I seem to be losing about 2 lbs per week which is 8 lbs per month. I can't remember the last time I was able to do that.
Ready to Share
I told you all at the beginning of my journey that I was not ready to share my weight. Geoff at some point had spilled out how much I was weighing at the time of the surgery, but it was an honest mistake. At my consulation back in August, Dr Fitzer's nurse weighed me. I weighed in at 280 lbs!! I was so depressed and couldn't believe that I allowed myself to get that far. I have a story on how I got there, OHIP needed it, my GP needed it, my surgeon needed it. It's a long story, and private, but with my story I was approved for this surgery. I'm not one of the normal people who can just diet & exercise to lose weight. Trust me, I've tried. So here is my progress so far:
August 6th, 2009
Weight 280 lbs
BMI 46.5
November 29th, 2009
Weight 250.5
BMI 41.7
For BMI information, please refer to the following site:
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
