It is so hard to believe four years has come and gone since I underwent Laproscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery. After my emergency surgery in the wee hours of July 2, 2011 (also my beautiful granddaughters 1st birthday), I realized the reason I ulcerated and tore a hole through my stomach (pouch) was most likely from the abuse I had been throwing at it; aspirin (sometimes by the handfuls) and ibuprofen. It started out as a few ibuprofen here and there (before I had had my partial hysterectomy) ‘once a month’, then when I ran low on my migraine meds would hit the Excedrin Migraine. It ended uplike a runaway locomotive and I think I am probably on the Christmas Card List for The Novartis Company.

So, those who follow my blog, are cruisin’ by, or have just started reading it because you are contemplating bariatric surgery; what do you never, ever take? NSAIDS!!!!! I will say this on every, or nearly every blog post I make! It is *that* important!

When I went in to my appointment; post surgery but several days before today, I weighed 132 lbs. Because my bariatric surgeon is connected to all the other Doctor’s I see, they have been able to chart my weight every time I go into an appointment with any of my  other Doctor’s. What Jimi, Dr. Lucktong’s Nurse Practitioner (who is not just my health care provider now, after all these years, she is a caring friend) told me with a stern but caring tone was I had two precipitous weight losses. One was last year and another this year. We got it turned around last year, but alas, here I am again. What concerned her even more, was that I let months and months of stomach pain go without coming in. She pointed out two appointments that had been cancelled. I explained I did not have the money for my co-pay so had to cancel those appointments. However, I did not know at the new complex they are in, they will bill you for your co-pay. If I had only known that! Oh, if I had! I would have caught the ulcer so much sooner and the treatment would have likely been much ‘kinder’.

Never, in all of my life, in a million years did I think I would be sitting in an office with a dietician giving me tips on how to INCREASE my caloric intake. Kay, my dietician, gave me all sorts of advice so I could…. no, could it be? Gain weight. But it is wrong, all wrong…. it feels so wrong….. it can’t be…. wrong… wrong…. wrong…..wrong……cannot compute, cannot compute.
FAST FORWARD: 8/15/11
Morning weigh in 124 lbs. Height 5 ft 8 in
BMI (with excess skin)  18.9

In all fairness, I am trying! I really am! I am not, NOT trying to lose more weight. I have not been the same since my surgery and I am not quite sure what to do. I do have one more follow up with my surgeon (who did the repair) and I reckon if I keep losing I should call my bariatric sugeon. I will say this much: All my life I have wanted to be ‘movie star thin’. At 5 ft 8 in, with nearly10 lbs of that being excess skin, well….. here I am and it is not all it is cracked up to be!
I am a big fan of of the iodine pills I have been taking! I highly recommend to people trying to lose weight. My bariatric providers told me to STOP!  S-T-O-P!!!! So, in the Kelli Glover world that translates to every-other day. Look, it cured my goiter. The enlargement of the thyroid is virtually GONE. They think the excessive iodine might be speeding up my metabolism to the point that it is making me lose. So now, I am going to every 3 days as I don’t have much, if any wiggle room.

As for those reading the BLOG……
I want to OPEN THIS UP!!!!!
Questions?  Ask me… please; send them and I will answer.

If you are thinking about this journey, if you have just had surgery or are years out. We are all in the same boat; conquering the disease of obesity!

I decided I wanted to add recipes as much as possible. I am going to start with the most ‘GO TO’ recipe I had. When you are off of liquids/total soft foods, people often talk about “Wendy’s Chili”. When I had to return to work at the Bank, I made a vat of this and got little rubbermaid containers and measured out 1/2 cups and froze them. Family and I had dinner and I had tons for lunches, etc.  Add a bit of shredded of cheese (lots of protein packed in a bit of cheese) and it is tasty, good on the pouch, etc etc.

Chili
Gastric Bypass Friendly

1 Medium Onion, Chopped
2 Bell Peppers, Chopped (can use red, yellow, etc for variety)
1 1lb. pkg ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cans chili beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans rotel tomato’s, mild
1 large can diced tomato’s
1 Pkg Carroll Shelby’s Chili (use 1/2 the package per vat,freeze                                   the rest for next vat)

Pour a small amount of Olive Oil into pot add vegies and when soft add meat, brown and crumble. Add 1/2 spice package (freeze the rest for next time) OR if you like really spicy chili, you can use whole package and add tomato sauce. Add rest of tomato’s, stir and simmer for at least 1/2 hour. You can add masa pkg from kit if you want to.