Archive for the ‘Exercise’ Category

Better days

Posted: April 1, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Weight loss
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(WARNING: There is a photo of a surgical incision later in this post. It’s not the worst thing ever posted, but avert your gaze if you’re squeamish.)

The purpose of this is that so the incision picture doesn't gross people out. And, well, puppies!

The purpose of this is that so the incision picture doesn’t gross people out. And, well, puppies!

After last evening’s sobering post, I felt drained. It took a lot for me to just throw it out there. I’m not always the best at communicating how I really feel. I usually try to deflect things away from myself. It’s my way of dealing with things that make me uncomfortable.

I’ve been trying to change that behavior, because that just makes things worse. Avoidance is not always the best policy.

Anyway, I started taking a look at myself in a different light. Knowing that I really am an addict makes things a little different. I guess I’ve known that for some time, just never accepted it. Sort of like I’ve been a nerd for a long time and never really embraced that fact. The question is, how do I move forward?

Well, first off, I actually ate two servings of tomato soup today. No protein powder, just old fashioned Campbell’s tomato soup. It tasted awesome, and the best thing is that for the first time in three days, I took in more than 70-80 calories. Even though I wasn’t exactly hungry, I know I needed to eat and get something in me, otherwise the body would start to slow my already glacial metabolism. I also still have not seen an actual number on the home scale. This does not make me happy, but I’m still processing out fluids from surgery. It’s understandable, albeit frustrating. I can’t beat myself up over that anymore. Need to keep moving forward.

That’s always been a huge character flaw of mine. I don’t have a short memory. I tend to reminisce and analyze and wind up beating myself up for stupid stuff I did twenty years ago that I can do absolutely nothing about.

Enough.

photo-3So, I’m posting a pic of one of my five incisions. As you can see, it’s healing pretty nicely. I’m told the surgical glue does a good job. It’s basically a non-toxic form of SuperGlue. According to information I saw, it sets in 30-45 seconds (faster than suturing) and leaves an equivalent amount of scarring. I have two incisions about this size that are glued, one that was sutured and now is closed by Steri-Strip. The other two incisions are small, virtually unnoticed. Once the hair grows back, all of them will be hard to find.

Upcoming on the medical front is a visit to the foot doctor tomorrow morning. Supportive Partner Woman (Foot care master!) has off, so she’s going to go to the appointment with me. I have to explain to Stubby that he’s once again not allowed to bust a cap in Dr. Miller for saying I have unattractive feet. That is the truth, whether or not Stubby wants to believe it.

Thursday is support group. I know some folks are really hoping I will make it. It’s on my to-do list, although I will probably be unable to sample whatever samples they cook up in the test kitchen.

Next Monday I can start eating something resembling real food. This make me happy. I have some of my mom’s homemade vegetable soup that I’m thinking of running through the blender to make edible for my pouch. Probably wouldn’t be smart to throw crackers in the blender with the soup, though.

Finally, next Wednesday is my follow-up with Dr. McPhee. I’m hoping to get cleared to go back to the gym at that point. I really miss it. I really REALLY miss it. I’ll also be placed on vitamins at that point. These will be things I will have to take for the rest of my life. One of the ways bariatric surgery works (at least a bypass) is through malabsorption. This means that I can no longer receive all the nutrients I need via eating or drinking. It’s a small price to pay for being healthier and sans medication.

In short, I’m feeling a lot better than I was last night. This could be in part to the fact that the mail finally moved, so to speak. But no need for details.

Hope you all have a good night!

Taking steps

Posted: March 31, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Exercise, family, Physical activity, The Beetus, Walking
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Happy Easter to everyone!

Hope that your day is filled with family, friends and food. I’ll settle for the first two 🙂

8549862800_7ea4c5bc75_bI’ll even throw in a cute picture of baby bunnies and a chick. Literally.

So, yesterday was a good day. Still no progress on the pressing issue, but maybe if I stop obsessing about it things might just move along. My mom and sister stopped by. They were suitably impressed by how well my incisions are healing up. They think I look healthy.

I actually even managed my recommended fluid intake yesterday. I managed to down two liters of water. That was the first time since the procedure I accomplished it. It took all day, but that’s too be expected. Small sips on a regular basis. I also attempted pudding, and that went down well, and tasted pretty good to boot. Not only that, my sugars came in at 101 (even though I’m off the meds, I need to stick once a day to make sure things are staying where they are supposed to be). The coup de grace was that I managed to sleep flat in bed and scored over 7 hours of solid zzzzz.

One other thing I accomplished was to take a walk last evening. I was bored and thought maybe I’ll walk to the end of the block. When I got there, I decided to keep on going and got in a half mile. It wasn’t very fast, but it was the most I’ve walked since the middle of last week. It felt pretty good, actually. I still need to be careful due to the reduced amount of intake, but I’m going to try to do it again. I chose to take the uphill portion first, rather than later in the walk, just to make sure I’d be OK. And yes, I tool my phone with me.

That’s always a good habit to get into. I always have my phone with me while I’m walking. Not only does it provide music, it’s a good thing for security. If you fall or are otherwise injured, you can contact someone readily, or if you see suspicious activity. It’s also useful if you go walking in natural areas and see something photo-worthy.

At any rate, I’m going to go and get started on today’s fluids. I hope that you all have a happy Easter, or if you don’t celebrate Easter, a happy Sunday. And I’ll leave you with one of my all-time favorites:

Song of the Day: Gimme Some Lovin’ – The Blues Brothers

Wow… I got nothing

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, Weight loss
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First of all, thank you thank you THANK YOU… 221 page views yesterday. That set a new record for us here at MOASTBFFG and I’m very honored and humbled that so many took time to visit.

So, the first night at home.

As you can see by the time I’m posting this (4:15 AM), it’s pretty early in the AM. The good news is that I turned in around 9:30 and turned the light off at 10:00. That means pretty near six hours of sleep, which totally beats anything I had in the hospital. It’s not as much as I hoped, but that’s OK… it’s not like I have to go to work today or anything. I found that I couldn’t really get comfortable flat on my back, so I had to prop myself up with pillows. My back doesn’t mind it too much, which is a good thing, I guess.

The other issue I had was with hiccups. I kept getting them yesterday. It wasn’t exactly fun, but what can you do? They seem to have subsided. I have to think that maybe I was trying to drink (eat) too fast. That’s really going to be the biggest adjustment for me. I used to scarf down a meal in no time flat and that’s just not going to work anymore. My new stomach is the approximate size of a shot glass (or my thumb) and won’t stretch nearly as much as the old one did.

far_side002I do have a lot of worries, though. My biggest is whether or not I will experience “buyer’s remorse” that I took such a radical step. I’m reading on the online forums that some folks experience it. I’m sure there will be times when I regret that I went this route. I think it’s natural… it’s a major lifestyle change that I’ve made. Giving up a life that totally celebrated food and was all about the next meal was not easy. I hope that this will not change my joy of cooking, because I can’t necessarily partake. As I said to Supportive Partner Woman (Eater of a very paleo plate!), I’ll probably never be able to have jambalaya again, unless I figure out an alternative to rice. Same way with a Chipotle burrito bowl. At least with that I can opt to have more beans and veggies. But that’s far in the future.

Speaking of SPW (eater of tasty meat!), she’s considering a move to the paleo diet. Apparently, it’s based on lots of natural foods, low grains, high protein, and unprocessed stuff. Looking over it, a lot will actually apply to me when I can transition to solid foods. It’s an interesting concept… eat like the cavemen. It might actually work for me, as I’ll have to eliminate a lot of grains from my diet, but the downside is the lack of dairy. Considering that Greek yogurt pretty much became a staple for me, well, I guess we will see.

The other bad thing is that the walking in slipper sock, coupled with the extremely dry air of the hospital, did a number on my feet. Much cracking was observed, and that has me concerned. I see the foot doctor next week, though, so perhaps this will work out. In the meantime, SPW will continue to attack the feet with the ammonium lactate cream and hopefully that will cause the cracks to start to heal. I probably should’ve just sucked it up and put on sneakers to walk, but I wasn’t sure about how much I could bend. We will get the feet happy again.

At any rate, I’ll keep you updated as we break new ground in the recovery. That should be interesting.

Lessons from the hospital

Posted: March 28, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Walking, Weight loss
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So, after a couple days in the bastion of healing, I’ve come up with a couple of hard, incontrovertible truths.

1) Sleep is important to healing.
2) It’s damn near impossible to sleep in a hospital, unless they have you under anesthesia.

I learned this when they get me up every four hours to go for a walk. This is to prevent blood clots, or so they say. It is a good idea, since blood clots are bad… Very bad. However, while you’re sleeping, they have these things on your legs that inflate and deflate to do exactly the same thing.., prevent blood clots.

So after you do your mandatory constitutional, you lay back down in bed and by the time you finally drift off again, one of the vampire crew shows up to collect blood, waking you up again. It’s about that time when you give up, opt to sit in your chair and blog.

Speaking of walking, Supportive Partner Woman (great motivator!) and I calculated my laps from yesterday and realized that I walked almost 2.5 miles. In slipper socks. No wonder my feet are hurting a bit. But in the good news department, I get discharged today.

Yay!!! (Insert happy dance)

Things are actually feeling pretty good. I still ache, but I’ve not taken any painkillers since yesterday. I’ve also started expelling the surgical gas. I know… No one wants to hear about farting, but it is an unfortunate byproduct of laparoscopic surgery. The other side effect showed up when they weighed me last night. I’m 11 pounds heavier than when I checked in on Tuesday morning. That too is cycling out, but it will take a few days to unload all that retained fluid. Plus, they have me on a pretty constant IV of Ringer’s lactate. That stuff should be familiar to anyone who watched the 70’s TV show Emergency! Seems it’s used to help pump up blood volume. I think it’s also used to keep me chained to an IV pole.

I am ready to go home and get on with the process of healing. Dr. McPhee seems to think ill be able to be off all of my diabetes medications. This makes me very happy. No more insulin? That would be spectacular. Not to mention save a lot of cash. I’d even willingly sacrifice the full vial in the fridge. I’m pretty happy about the prospect of no longer being a human pincushion.

In the other cool news, we got to see a helicopter land and drop off a patient yesterday afternoon. It was pretty cool to watch. I’ll include a picture from my window. Hopefully the victim is OK. I did not find any details in the media, but it was kind of cool to watch.

At any rate, back to being bored for the last few hours of my confinement. More later!

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Maybe it’s not all that bad…

Posted: March 21, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, diabetes, Exercise, liquid diet, Novo Nordisk, Walking, Weight loss
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but maybe I’m deluded.

See, the liquid diet goes on. There are plusses… such as I lost another 3.5 pounds since Friday. I’m also sure it was more, as on Friday I was wearing workout clothes. In addition, since I started the liquid diet, I haven’t had to take any of my heavy duty insulin. I’ve been doing one injection a day of Levemir and it’s controlling things pretty well. So, yay on that front.

I had an appointment this morning with Rachel (awesomest primary care provider in the county!) and she was pretty pleased. It was odd, though… I didn’t step on the scale with that sense of dread that I normally have.

In other news, the blood pressure was 128/82. Still a smidge high, but part of that could be white coat syndrome. My resting pulse was 68, which is far better than what it used to be. I can only imagine how it will be when I’m thinner and working out again. Plus, once I’m a little smaller, I can start swimming again.

Look out world, Brian is getting healthy!

The real downside is that I’m cold all the time. Like the body doesn’t have quite fuel to keep it as warm as it used to be. I might need to invest in some long sleeve shirts at some point.

So, I’ve been having Unjury Chicken Soup protein powder for my lunch/dinner. It’s really not too bad, taste-wise. I’m not a huge fan of the sodium content, but the protein is more important, IMHO. I’ve also seen that some people recommend mixing plain protein powder with tomato soup while on the liquid diet. It also just dawns on me that I could mix the plain powder with salt-free chicken broth and get the whole enchilada… taste, low salt, AND protein. Woot!

In the good news department, I was able to toghten another notch in my belt and close my coat for the first time in, well, forever. I love my coat. See, Supportive Partner Woman (awesomest sports editor ever!) and I went to Cabela’s about 7 years ago and found a whole rack of mice winter coats on clearance. I bought this navy blue coat, with a hood for around $35 and it’s kept me warm ever since. I just haven’t been able to close it, because I was too fat. Lo and behold, when I went to zip it up yesterday, it was missing the zipper pull, which does not make me happy, but I’ll need a new coat by next winter anyway. A smaller one. Maybe Cabela’s will have another clearance sale… that would be cool. I’ve lucked out at their store from time to time. I once got a pair of $58 gloves for $7.50. Thinsulate and Goretex and big enough to fit my hands.

At any rate, that’s all I have at this juncture. Hope that you all have a great day. I’m getting a haircut after work… that’s much needed, believe you me.

 

Full liquid glory

Posted: March 19, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Food porn, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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Day One of the liquid diet has commenced. I was told many things about it, but somehow, they didn’t do it justice.

It sucks.

Profusely.

The lovely liquids... vanilla cream protein shake, beef broth and plain yogurt. Yum!

The lovely liquids… vanilla cream protein shake, beef broth and plain yogurt. Yum!

So far, since midnight, I’ve had 16 ounces of protein shake (probably the highlight), ½ cup of Jell-o, ½ cup of sugar-free pudding, 6 ounces of beef broth, and 5.5 ounces of plain Greek yogurt with some banana cream protein powder added to make it somewhat palatable. Oh, and unlimited water. I’m also having some orange PowerAde as I write this. That’s pretty good stuff.

I have to do this for three weeks?

WTF was I thinking?

It also dawned on me that 7 days from now, I’ll be post surgical and my life will have changed forever. I should be out of recovery and in my room with the PCA morphine drip going strong. Also, hopefully the catheter will be out. Yes, I know it was a fear of mine that will apparently come to fruition. They place it when surgery will be over an hour, which a bypass will be. I’m not going to lie… I’m still pretty freaked out about it.But I know I’m making the right move.

So, went with Supportive Partner Woman (most supportive!) to what we were calling, “The Last Supper.” Since we were close to Red Robin and we were both approaching stupid hungry, we opted for a burger and fries. I was a kind of good boy… I ordered mine wrapped in lettuce. It really hit the spot, though, and was sobering, as I have no idea if I’ll ever have fries again. I realize that the grilled fish at Red Lobster had the most votes, but we weren’t close to a Red Lobster. Maybe I’ll make that my first post-surgical meal out.

So, to sum up, it’s not been a particularly auspicious beginning to liquids. I can only hope it gets better.

I’m also going to attempt a visit to the Rec tonight before work and see how it goes. Figure I’ll stroll for a while and hopefully not feel too bad that I’m not totally killing it. It will seem really weird that I’m trying NOT to break a sweat. Go figure.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Song of the Day: Carry On – fun.

Currently reading: Red Storm Rising – Tom Clancy

If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results. ~ Jack Dixon

Another step forward

Posted: March 18, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise
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Had my last workout session with the boys this morning. Also had the blood work done. See, not only did I have the preop tests from Dr. McPhee, but I also had the full battery of tests from Rachel. The crazy thing is that I have results already. They stuck me at 7:30 and I had results by the time I got home.

When I went in for the bone infection, my A1C was 14.3. Today, it's 6.3. Still in the diabetic range, but greatly improved.

When I went in for the bone infection, my A1C was 14.3. Today, it’s 6.3. Still in the diabetic range, but greatly improved.

In the good news, my hemoglobin A1C level dropped again. It’s half of what it was at one point, which means that my diabetes is under much better control. My cholesterol levels have improved, as well. My HDLs are still low, but getting closer to where they need to be. Other than that. I’m pretty much disgustingly normal.

So, the workout session went well. I did intervals on the elliptical for 25 minutes, then hit the weights. I worked up a pretty good sweat and got to play medicine ball catch. It’s very cathartic, getting to slam a ten pound ball into the floor. As Ryan says, “Gee… hope they aren’t doing surgery down there.” From this point on until I get back to regular food, I’m not allowed to lift weights. I could still do one more cardio session at the Rec, but starting tomorrow, it’s slower walking on the treadmill. I should be able to do about 30 minutes at 2.5 mph and hardly break a sweat, so that will be fine.

Apparently, one of the post surgical instructions is to WALK. It helps keep blood clots from forming. This actually is something I look forward to. I’m hoping that it’s not too cold to walk outside during my recovery, but if it is, I can always go to the gym. I’m also looking forward to losing enough weight to fit comfortable into my swimsuit. I really want to swim again, and hopefully, the time that I need to avoid immersion will allow me to lose a few inches.

That’s about it for now. I am going to ask you for suggestions for my last meal before the liquid diet. See the poll below:

 

Song of the Day: Go Your Own Way (live) – Lindsey Buckingham

It feels good to be working out again

Posted: March 14, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Physical activity, Walking, Weight loss
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It does feel good to be working out again. Funny how I’ve become such a fan of the gym that I hardly went to the first five years I was a member. I never actually tried to quit the gym, unless I was moving to another gym. I’m always reminded of the clip from Friends when Chandler was quitting the gym. Classic stuff.

I had the pre-op nutrition class today. Filled with a lot of interesting information, primarily what can be expected before during and after my operation. The before is the fun part. I get a week of full liquids. That means, starting next Tuesday, no real food for me for three weeks.

Let’s recap…

Brian with no soda, caffeine, or real food = grumpier than usual Brian. Be warned.

There’s a whole bunch of paperwork to be done, not to mention the pre-op bathing ritual. Apparently, I need to shower the night before and morning of using a special soap called Hibicleans. This is part of an infection-reduction initiative. I also can’t shave that morning, and no manscaping four days prior to the surgery. Apparently, they no longer shave whatever area is being operated on. Good and bad… the good is that it won’t itch nearly as much as it grows back, but the bad part is that it will be a cast-iron bitch to remove the heart monitor leads.

Speaking of hearts, I have to go get a pre-op EKG. It won’t be the first one I’ve ever had, but they really aren’t that much fun. Primarily due to the leads getting stuck on your hairs. Last time I was in, I yanked one off and it looked like it was wearing a toupee. Not a lot of fun. I also have to get the requisite blood work done. I guess I know what I’ll be doing Monday morning.

Immediately before surgery, you get to put on a lovely gown, meet the anesthesiologist, and your surgeon comes and autographs where he’s going to do the deed. They give you an IV and it’s off to the cold table. I will also apparently leave the hospital weighing more than what I started at They give you an IV and it’s off to the cold table. I will also apparently leave the hospital weighing more than what I started at, due to the fluids they pump in to keep things clean. They also inflate the abdominal cavity with CO2 to make sure there’s room to work. That gas apparently works its way out of the body eventually. I’m hoping it doesn’t exit through the normal route, because I don’t need to be sitting in the room cheesing like a defective rocket.

The rooms are apparently nice. They are singles on the seventh floor and there is room for a family member or loved one to stay the night. I will be in for two nights, if all goes according to plan.

The surgery itself is pretty involved. One of these days I’ll have to post a diagram. Basically, they create a stomach pouch, take part of the small intestine, and create a “Y” which allows for most of the food taken in to bypass the biggest piece of the stomach. The malabsorption creates a bypass and you lose weight. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the short of it.

28998_10200855151807645_1127838705_nSo, had a good run at the gym. While I forgot to take an actual picture of yesterday’s results, when I uploaded it to the website, I did manage to capture a screenshot. Improvements are good.

Tomorrow will be busy. Preop physical with Dr. McPhee, EKG and a workout session. That’s all before bedtime. Yikes! My last session with Ryan and Cory will probably be on Monday, since liquids start on Tuesday. They don’t let you work out if you’re on liquids, although you can do some relaxed walking. No strenuous cardio, which I guess I understand. Not a lot of calories going in the tank. I’ll let you know how things go tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Back in the saddle again

Posted: March 12, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Exercise, The Beetus, The Rec, Walking, Wayne, Weight loss
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Today's summary

Today’s summary

After doing a night on third shift, my first stop was the Rec. Did a smidge over 30 minutes of cardio, which is 10 more minute than I did yesterday. Maybe tomorrow will be 10 more minutes. We shall see. Wasn’t my best distance or time, but I still need to take care of Wayne while getting my work in. If I don’t, then bad things happen and I get even fatter. I don’t want to be that guy.

The hardest part of the shift change is going to be establishing a time when I should go to the gym. Ideally I should go before my shift, get the endorphins going and that will make surviving third shift that much easier. The downside is sleep, or lack thereof. I often joke about plenty of time to sleep when you’re dead, but I’ve grown to appreciate some quality shuteye.

I also thought I forgot my insulin kit last night. As much as I am looking forward to never needing to use it again, it still keeps my going for right now. Turns out I left it in the gym bag. Another stellar recall achievement by me!

At any rate, I need to grab some of that shuteye I was talking about.

Free at last, free at last

Posted: March 11, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Physical activity, Stubby the Wonder Toe, Supportive Partner Woman, Wayne, Weight loss
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Had a foot doctor appointment this morning to see how Wayne is doing. In a word, he’s pleased.

About time that phalangeal bastard behaves himself. Just sayin’

Prescribed care is to continue with the betadyne for a few more days, then I’m good to go. Most importantly for me, this means I can get back to a somewhat normal workout.

See, I’m released from the Boot of Shame. Woohoo!

In other news, we had the family combined birthday thing yesterday. My mom, sister, aunt and uncle all went to the Lobster of Redness. Sadly, Supportive Partner Woman (possessor of a norovirus!) was unable to attend due to illness. My aunt and uncle extended their invitation for Easter dinner and I had to tell them that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to travel too much, being all of 5 days post surgery at that point. My mother seemingly forgot I told her I had a date set. That didn’t go over particularly well, but what can you do? We did manage to talk about it afterward and while her and my sister might not agree with my choice, they’ve both pledged their support, which really means a lot. Granted, if my mother decides to come and stay with me while I’m recouping, it will be like the genesis of Stubby, Part Deux. We’ll just burn that bridge when we get there.

The bad part is that the week away from regular workouts has probably not helped my weight loss efforts. I’m thinking of trying a pre-liquid sort of liquid diet. Two meals including fruit, yogurt and/or protein shakes, and a sensible dinner. I’m also going to hope I don’t get hit with what SPW got hit with.

I’ll continue to keep you posted as I transition to third shift. I’m also assuming that you can expect some rather doped up posts while I’m in the hospital. They supposedly have wifi, so that’s a plus. I have the iPad ready to go.

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