You know you're a WLS patient when...

One way you can tell there is someone living in your home that is a weight-loss surgery patient... Their fridge is full of half eaten items, protein shakes, jello, yogurts, soups, and sugar free drinks. They also have their own cabinet for other special stuff, little silverware, and little bowls.

Day 13 in with Louise!

I am getting so tired of this liquid diet. I am having a hard time with head hunger and cravings. I decided to treat myself to egg drop soup yesterday.... yummm! 

Weight: I am down 12.6 since surgery and 23.6 since 2 week liquid diet. 

My energy level has been good the past couple of days. I have been slowly getting things done around the house. I am feeling better up moving around. It doesn't take much to tire me out though and then a little nap will bring me back. 

10 Things I Will Not Miss about Being Heavy

10 Things I will not miss about being heavy:

1. Finding something to wear in the morning. Everything fits tight and does not lay well. I will love to pick things out and they just feel more comfortable.

2. Chairs! Need I say more? Especially, chairs with arms :)

3. Seats placed next to each other such as for events, on a bus, plane or a booth at a restaurant. I always felt like I was taking to much space and irritating others.

4. Feeling less then in social or work situations. I have been by passed for jobs in the past due to my weight. People treat you differently after you lose weight. They are more confident in your abilities and request you to have more responsibilities. Like your a better employee because you are now taking care of yourself.

5. Walking down a hall and having people turn sideways when they pass you.

6. Being the biggest one in a room.

7. No longer sitting on the sidelines and watching everyone else have fun because I am to big to do the activity.

8. Dancing! Without getting a stress fracture, hurt legs, or sick.

9. Living Life! Being afraid of doing something because I do not have energy or breath to do it. I get out of breath easily when I ride my bike but I love it. I can not wait to ride long rides again. Having the opportunity to para sail, river raft, hike and camp overnight somewhere remote. Water activities without being embarrassed to be in a bathing suit.

10. Having more energy!

Times of Change: Top 10 Lifestyle Changes for Success.

There is something calming about listening to the rain at 5 am. It has been pouring very heavy all night. I am so thankful for this opportunity to finally get healthy. It is the one thing in my life I felt I could never do. I am experienced enough to know there will come a time when I will feel overconfident. I will feel like I will never gain the weight back again and I got this! The reality is my health will always have to be my number one priority. I can and will go back to old habits if I am not careful. I am confident this will be the last time I will ever weigh this amount, but realistic enough to know I can not expect perfection. I will have bad days and will remind myself that it is easier to fix 1 or 2 days of cheats then to wrap my head around fixing 80 pounds of cheats. I place to much emphasis on what others think of me and what their opinions are about my diet. People are looking at me because they are learning and if I am confident in myself they will be too. We will be learning together. Some guidelines I have set for myself in the future for my health.

1. Exercise 1 hour a day- 5 days a week. Make it part of my daily life activities.
2. Breads, pastas, and cereals are gateway foods for me. I loveeeee them, but they make me want to eat all day. I will eat them sparingly and on occasions when nothing else is available only.
3. Sugar free products: I will utilize real sugars unless Stevia is available. I will use splenda or aspertame rarely, if at all.
4. Soda's are no longer in my life at all!
5. Smoking: Theoretically I do not wish to be considered a smoker; however, on occasion I may wish to smoke. I will use my ECig with zero nicotine if needed at other times.
6. Corn and Rice: I am going to stay on the low glycemic side if possible. These make my blood sugars rise and alternatives such a brown rice or whole wheat will be used instead.
7. Vitamins: it is a way of living for me now just like drinking water. My long term health depends on me keeping to a healthy regiment. I take vitamins or later I will have to take RX medication and have health problems.
8. Water: it is very easy for me to become dehydrated. It will be no less then 64 oz a day.
9. Fast food and eating out: This is one of the main reasons I am sitting in this body today. I have to take the time for me and my family to prepare nutritious meals. Unless it is an event or I am out of town, I am no longer eating out on my own. I will take the time to prepare meals throughout the day.
10. Protein: Protein will always be the first thing I eat and be a staple at every meal. It is essential to my new lifestyle change to remain healthy in the future.

Day 11 in my sleeve: Not missing any of the fun!

Celebrating Jennifer's Birthday at the Jack Ass with great friends! Tisha Frasier Peterson and Lisa Watts also had sleeve surgeries. Tisha and I did it 8/7/14, she is down aprox 14 and I am down 10.6. Lisa is down almost 60 since 4/17/14.

Day in the life of my sleeve: No reason to miss out on the Cardinals Game fun and besides I am the cheapest date out there (notice my applesauce and water).

 — with at Tailgaters Sports Bar & Il Primo Pizza Prescott Valley.

Day 9 in my sleeve, by Laura

Wow! What a feeling a bathroom break after 8 days of not going can make! Milk of Magnesium will be my friend from now on :) It is also not bad on the scale. I was down 2.2 this morning, making a total of 9.6 since surgery and 21 since starting the liquid diet. The return of my restless leg syndrome has struck the last couple of nights. I haven't had it since surgery. The good news is I slept for the first time since surgery laying just on my pillows in bed and not propped up. My energy level is good, but it does not take much to tire me out. I am good for a short outing and then I am ready for a nap. I am getting bored of the full liquid diet. I have a doctor's apt next week. Hopefully, he will allow me to eat real food for a changed (if I chew it really well into a puree).

Brittni, Beckham and I went for a 1 mile walk today on the trail. It was beautiful and we saw tons of monarch butterflies! Afterwards we went shopping at Ross. Needless to say, I took a nap when I got home and a pain pill but it was totally worth it. i had a great day! Today I am one week post op and down 9.6 pounds!

8/13/14 Day 7 with Louise!

Day 7 in my sleeve. I woke up this morning to another 2.2 loss making my total since surgery 6.4. I have also been experiencing no pain when getting out of bed. I tried no medication today and did well until the afternoon. Over all I am finding it easier to get around, but I do get tired easily. I am also finding it easier to eat and I am feeling hunger. I have to be mindful to slow down when I eat and to take small bites. I get a since of pressure in my chest when my sleeve has had enough. I also am working on the 30, 20, 30 rule (do not drink 30 minutes prior to a meal, take 20 min to eat, and wait to drink for 30 minutes). This is a hard one, but very important.

Today Brit, Beckham, and I went to a local second hand toy shop to look around. It was just enough time to get out of the house and then I was ready for a nap. Brit and Beckham stayed with me last night because Alan was working out of town it has been nice getting to spend so much time with them. He is getting so big and I just love watching him grow.

Real Italian Ice is magical!

We run out of options on a full liquid diet. While out shopping for soups, yogurt and pudding we came across these.... Can I tell you how excited I was? Very! They have a hint of flavor, smooth delivery, and are just divine! I do not know what it is. I am so happy over these and pudding right now :) (I am going to have to explore the sugar free option I just learned about on the support group).

Thelma and Louise Stuffy's!

To celebrate our new sleeves I made Tisha Frasier Peterson and I matching ones named, Thelma and Louise! I also made a rice heating pack for Tish.

8/12/14 Day 6, in the life of a sleeve

Day 6 in my sleeve: Best news of the day.... got out of bed 2x in a row without pain! I guess it helps if you are doing the "log roll" the right way. I also use a pillow to hold my stomach and it helps.
I have had no nausea since I stopped the morphine. I have taken one nausea pill since being home. I do take about 2-3 pain pills a day still.
I was able to get all my meals, water, and protein shakes in yesterday. Still have never felt "full" I just eat the allowed 2 oz and drink protein shakes. I can tell when I am full cuz I start burping. Water is still heavy on my stomach and makes me burp, but the crystal light in the water does help. I just realized I am not supposed to be eating "sugarfree" things any more (did you hear the heavens open up and sing!).
Brittni, B, and I ventured in the car to turn in paperwork at the office and stopped by sonic for the 1/2 price slushy deal for the family. I ended up with water because the lady said all the all the ice in the slushy's are full of sugar, even if you add SF syrup (I didn't want to push it this early).
We went for a walk yesterday down to the stop sign. Today I am going to try to go all the way around the block.

Weight: I gained 4 pounds the first 2 days after surgery (expected) making my total loss since surgery 4.2.

Please say a little prayer for my friend Tisha Frasier Peterson, who had surgery at the same time as me. She is having to check in with the doctor today because things don't feel right.

8/11/14 Day 5 in the life of sleeve

Day in the life of my sleeve: Day 5
Getting around slowly, but feeling pretty good. The only problem I am having is getting out of bed. It hurts on the bottom left side of my stomach and feels like it is pulling. Needless to say I am not the biggest fan of going to bed right now. 
I am still working on drinking 2 protein shakes a day and getting in 64 oz of water. My entire life evolves around simple things like eating, drinking, sleeping, and walking. 
I am also doing some sewing projects for fun. Brittni and B are coming over to keep me company today :0) I plan on going to a walking today and bringing paperwork by the office this afternoon.



In the weight loss community they tell you welcome to the loser's bench after surgery. I did not find a bench but a comfortable seat by a lake saved just forTisha Frasier Peterson and I. Lisa Watts will be bringing the protein shake to share and a bench for anyone who wants to join us.

My incisions about day 5. I have 5 incision sites (one below bra is kind of hidden in the picture). The one with the bruise is where they did most of the work removing stomach and fixing the hernia. It has internal and external stitching. 

8/10/14 Post by Laura

Got up out of bed for the first time on my own today. You would not believe how many muscles in your stomach it takes just to sit up. Brit and I are going to walk down to the stop sign today, I am going to water the garden, and fiddle around the house. It is weird but the gas is kicking in more today then ever. They say the best thing to do for gas is to walk. Doctor wants me to get in 64 oz of water and at least 2 protein shakes. I probably drank 20 oz yesterday and 3/4ths of a shake. Today needs to be better! I do not want to get dehydrated!

8/7/14 Recovery and leaving the hospital

The doctor reported both Tisha and I did well in surgery. We both had hernia's removed as well as the vertical gastric sleeve. Tisha was amazing after surgery. She was up walking in no time and visiting me in my room and tried to get me up to walk. We were blessed with an angel that night, Tessa who stayed with us and took care of us. Well they took care of me anyway :) I do not do so well with pain pills and the morphine knocked my butt and made me so sick to my stomach. Tisha said after surgery she woke up in more pain then she had ever felt in her life. She and Tessa were worried about how I would do, so they hit the morphine button every 6 minutes for me and told my daughter to do the same (even when I was sleeping). My daughter went to ask the CNA how I was going to get enough pain meds while she was gone at lunch if she wasn't there to push the button every 6 minutes. His eyes got really big and he explained the patient is on a continuous stream of morphine and that is just for extra if needed. They like the patient to be the one to do it. Needless to say she felt very bad. By the second day the doctor took the morphine away and I was doing much better by that evening. 

My Daughter and I before being wheeled in for surgery 

This was not too long after surgery and I was still pretty out of it, as you can see. Beckham reached to lay with me in bed and snuggled his head on my cheek. He is such a sweet boy!

They almost did not let me leave the hospital due to ongoing nausea. Finally they told me it was my decision and I was happy to be out the door. 

8/9/14 Fist day home update

Came home late yesterday. Everyday is a little bit better but this is not for the weary. I did not have the same experience Lisa Watts and Tisha Frasier Peterson did due to the morphine. I had a hard time staying a wake and I had bad nausea, this caused me not to walk as much as they did. They almost did not allow me to come home yesterday, but they ended up letting me decide. I am happy to be home and adjusting to the soreness. 

This is breakfast. Our stomach only holds the amount of the little green cup, so the rest of the protein shake goes in the blue thing to stay cold. Water feels very heavy so the doctor said to add flavoring and it will go down better because the stomach thinks it is food. The medications are for pain and nausea. I also will be taking vitamins. So happy to be home! When I wake up for a brief moment I forget it happened and then thank god the hard part is over. It is all down hill from here.

Lunch of champions! Cream of Potato soup (blended well) in the green 2oz container. B-12 & Calcium Citrate w/apple sauce is the pink stuff. Sipping on G2 and protein shake all day. Doc wants me to get 2 in a day, but my sleeve is proving to be kind of choosey because it only likes things ice cold or warm. I am sleeping most of the time ( cuz of the nausea and pain meds) so this makes it hard to get the protein and water in too. I got this! I is a work in progress.

8/8/14 Home Sweet Home

8/8/14
Tisha's Update on FB:
I'm home....not comfortable yet...but there's no place like home! My fingers are crossed that Laura Hs be able to go home soon too! Lots of love lady...and thank you for taking this journey with me!

8/9/14
Laura's Update on FB:
I want to say thank you all for your love, prayers, thoughts, and support. I am blessed to have you all! I also would like to thank my friend, Tisha Frasier Peterson for doing this with me. I could not have had a better side kick and friend. I love you and thank you! If you can I highly recommend doing this with a friend. It makes the process soooooo much better. We were also blessed to have such a great guinea pig, Lisa Watts to be our mentor and support. Thank you all!

8/7/14- Live Like Someone Left the Gate Open!

Off to start the first day of the rest of my life. Can't wait to be sitting 6 months from now. I have to admit I am scared now and keep having to remind myself why I am doing this. No worries though, I got this!

Flowers and card from my family on the day of surgery. This is my reason for having surgery. I want to be here for them as long as I can. 

Courage 8/5/14

Laura's Update on this day: 

Busy day today to get ready for surgery: Resubmit FMLA paperwork, clean house, pedicure scheduled with Brittni Jeanne Hughes, getting my nails done with Tascha Roby Scott, and hair done with Brittni and Joy. It is a tough life, but hey it must be done! 1 day and 23 hours to go!

Public Service Announcement: Please be aware that at any given moment I can either break down in tears, become sarcastic, angry, or I will tell you how much you have meant to me in my life. I also cannot remember anything, just ask Brittni  I would like to say I am sorry now for anything I may say which is not in my normal character. 

I honestly appreciate and am humbled by all the support I have received throughout this entire ordeal. Thank you all so much!

Tisha's Update on this day:

Warning: I am sooo a girl right now... if you say or do something nice...I'm likely to cry....let's just not make a big deal about it! ‪#‎surgerynerves‬ ‪#‎thxtribe

Kicking butt on the liquid diet 7/28/14

I am kicking this liquid diet's butt! Day 5, down 10.6. Making my "iced latte" this morning to start my day off right  My work bag is packed with 2 protein shakes, homemade white grape cherry juice Popsicle's, chicken broth, and sf Jello to make it through the day. Goal is to get in 64 oz of water and find sometime for a walk. This is my last week of work before going on medical leave. It is going to be tough, but Tisha Frasier Peterson are so close to the finish line of this Pre-Op crap it is exciting!

Scale Victory for Tisha 7/28/14!!

Tisha has been working very hard to lose weight for a while. During our liquid diet she hit a mile stone and made it to Twoonderland!! 

Tisha's NSV 7/31/14- Button up jeans!

NSV for Tisha! She has not worn button up pants or jeans in years!! You go girl!

Getting healthy for surgery and before picture 8/3/14

One of the things we tried to do was to go for bike rides or walks prior to surgery to prepare the lungs. 

Alan and I on our 6 mile ride

Before, guess everyone has to start somewhere. 

We always sign the book "Skyler and 

While stopping to breath a monarch butterfly came up and sat with me for a while. I have been noticing butterflies daily as I get closer to surgery. I think it is a sing from my Mom. A friend told me it means I am doing the right thing and they are with me. 

Counting the days!

Liquid Diet Hell 7/24/14-8/6/14 and one night of fun

We officially started our liquid diet on July 24th. This what our choices were for 2 weeks: 4 protein shakes from the following choices, SF Jello, SF Popsicle, and broth. At the end of the diet Tisha lost 17 pounds and I lost 11 pounds. This diet proved to be very difficult with the stress of getting things prepared at home and work to be off for 4-6 after surgery. 

After tons of conversation about having a cheat day. We decided to have one cheat meal instead. We got our friends together, ate, drank, smoked and had a great time. Tisha really wanted to have steak with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. I really wanted to have spaghetti and garlic bread. We both wanted a few cigarettes and wine! It was a fabulous evening and well worth it!

Jennifter, Julee, Tisha, and Tessa: We had so much fun!

Tessa taught us all how to 2 step :)

We always said we would be thin when pigs fly. We talked about putting some wings on this baby! Pigs will be flying baby!

Divine steak dinner and wine!

Yeeee Ha!

My head was much hungrier then my stomach. I could only eat one piece of bread and a little spaghetti. 

The horses were awesom

The view was amazing!