Living with Diabetes and Lapband

Day Ten after Surgery

Yesterday I was just flat out tired.  I've always found that drug induced sleep doesn't do me a lot of good, and I think that was what was going on.  I also think I've been doing too much.

Sent my personal trainer home when she got here and only did 7 1/2 minutes on the treadill. 

However, I did get my hair cut -- and cut he did -- he took two inches of hair off.  Still very long -- there is a photo on Facebook, though not a very good one.  He knew about the surgery as my agility instructor and her husband had been to him.

By the way, if you have long hair, or want long hair, he's in McKinney, Texas, Jim Butchee at Salons at the Ritz.  He is listed as Long Hair Studio.  He also does photography.  I had short hair all my life, at one point when I was losing weight I decided I wanted long hair, looked in the phonebook and found him.  He teaches you how to cope with your long hair and what to do with it.  However, he is not Burger King.  The only time he's really taken my suggestion was when a principal was torturing me and he layed my hair so it would be as curly as possible.  She hated my hair, told me so, and that's how I got back at her.

I do like it better less curly. 

Weight is staying the same, TDD is staying around 30. 

News : The News Source for Northwest Arkansas : NWAOnline.net

I'm sorry but he shouldn't have been driving.

Quoted from http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/05/30/news/053109arvancrash.txt:

News : The News Source for Northwest Arkansas : NWAOnline.net

Heath T. Bakken, 28, had been diabetic since he was 12 and until recently was housebound in a wheelchair, according to his father, retired police detective Paul Bakken of Des Moines, Iowa. His son wore leg braces and special shoes due to an earlier injury, Paul Bakken said.

New Glucose-regulating Protein Linked With Diabetes

I always knew there was a reason they could cure mice but not humans.

Quoted from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528142831.htm:

New Glucose-regulating Protein Linked With Diabetes

"Much has been learned from mouse models about glucose metabolism that is relevant to human diabetes, but what happens on a cellular level is now found to be different between the two species,"

Day Nine after Surgery

Noticed yesterday morning that voice in my head that said I was hungry was quiet -- and that was really affecting my attitude.  Am very up as a result.

However, I did let it come back later in the day by not drinking enough but made it up for it.   Did go to my Mexican restaurant and had them give me chicken and tortilla broth.  Needed the flavor and made the hunger go away.

Also found that Special K Protein Shakes are not as filling as Slimfast. 

Tried working out with the personal trainer but she pushed too hard last night.  We did do 1/2 hour and ended up doing 25 minutes total on the treadmill.

At the same weight today, that's okay, I do want weight loss to slow down as I want to avoid the plastic surgeon, so I am at 11 pounds since the surgery and 25 pounds total.

TDD at 30 now.

Day Eight after Surgery

Can't sleep.

I have lost another pound -- so I am 25 pounds less than my heaviest -- 47 pounds from my goal weight and by the way, that goal weight will still mean I am morbidly obese.  My goal weight is the weight I was when I was very successful at dog agility.   Once I hit that weight, I will reevaluate. 

The reason I can't sleep is that the dermabound is peeling off and it is making all my skin itch.  I've never itched so much, and it isn't just the wounds where I am itching.

I actually went to bed at a good time last night, but woke up and can't go back to sleep.

By the way, I'm still diabetic.  Had another blood sugar excusion, done on purpose -- wanted to see if I could walk off my dinner and I coudn't.  The nice thing, is that the two excusions I have had been very easy to correct without the rollar coaster.

I want to explain the snarky, "I'm still diabetic".  My mother and other people around me who just read the popular press have been convinced for years if I did obesity surgery I would be cured of all my chronic ailments.  Well I knew I wouldn't, and it's a little fun to be snarky and say "yes, I'm still diabetic".  By the way, I still have GERD, I still have sleep apnea, and I still have arthitis.

Besides if I wasn't diabetic any more it would be mean I've wasted the last few years of my life trying for tight control and that I should have done this surgery years ago.  It's really just been the last two where I couldn't lose weight.  I was even able to lose weight on Symlin.  Just not this fast.  And not for long.

I don't look like I've lost this much weight yet -- my torso is still swollen from the surgery.  I can wear the next size down upper body clothing, but not the lower body.  I'm wearing my biggest skirts and am still a bit uncomfortable, but it will come.  My digestive track is still offended by the surgery.  I'm having bowel movements and each one is a bit more solid than the last.  In fact, each day is slowly better than the day before.

I feel like I've lost this much weight though, especially since the last 11 pounds have happened in a  week.  Imagine having carried a 25 pound pack and suddenly not having to carry it, wouldn't you feel instantly better?  It's just the itching right now, and it will be over in a day or two.

I'm on full liquids right now, so that means I'm still doing jello, stock, Crystal Light, and sugar free popsicyles.  I've subtracted two protein bullets, so I am still doing one, and have added 3 Slim Fasts a day.  I'm hoping to go to my favorite Mexican restaurant soon, get a chicken and torilla soup from them without the chicken and tortilla -- put it in my magic bullet and pulerize it and drink that.  The broth alone was great last Monday, and I figure go one step smoother with whats left will be really nice.

The best news, is that I haven't been physically hunger since the surgery.  A bit head hungry, lots of head hungry because of habit. 

TDD is a tad higher because of the carbs in Slim Fast.  It's at 30 right now (TDD is number of insulin units a day).  And I've lost 11 pounds since the surgery.

Day 7 after Surgery

My weight has stabilized.  For two mornings, I've been close to the same weight.  I know why -- I'm not sleeping enough which tends to put me in starvation mode.  Plus I probably AM in starvation mode.  I've been at under 1000 calories for a week!

Will have three Slim Fasts a day for the next week, then I get to add mushies.  Can't wait!

Still walking -- did 30 minutes straight last night.

TDD yesterday was around 19.  I have to figure bolus rates again, plus I am trying to be disciplined about using Symlin.

By the way, today is our last full day of school - man, I could use another week.  Still not caught up from being out.

Today will also be another long day, I'm going to be teaching the trainers for middle school girl's camp.

Post Surgery Appointment

Just got back from my post-op appointment.  I have lost 12 pounds since I was in that office last and 8 pounds since the surgery.

He cleared me for full liquids so I'm having a Slim Fast for dinner a bit later.

He also said I could do a baked potato for our school lunch on Wednesday (boy, howdy food!) If I made it really really mushy.

Said I was healing well.

Getting there!

My First Meal

I had a Slim Fast -- trying to follow bandster rules -- stop drinking 15 minutes before the meal, and waiting at least an hour afterward.  Also tried to drink it slow.

I'm FULL.  Of course, I also did Symlin with it, which also delays stomach emptying.  

But I'm FULL, almost uncomfortably.

Walked thirty minutes straight afterwards.

Doing really, really well.

Day 6 after Surgery

Survive the day from hell -- okay it wasn't that bad, but came back to an email inbox full of requests.  Also was a bit dumb, because I got excited because the wireless was up.  Walked the front of the building and answered a Dean question.  (Dean is the Associate Principal of Instruction - title used to be Dean, and I like it).

Had to do some work in the library -- so ended up walking the buiding at lunch.

Had a middle school meeting after school.  Unfortunately I was the second lead on that project, so had to be up and participating.

Fire alarm went off at 6:30, and a really nice lady took my stuff down for me.

Got home at almost 7:00 - fed dogs, chilled for a few minutes and walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes.

Then couldn't get the brain to shut down.  Finally took a sleeping pill and Tylenol which might have been a little too much but sleep until almost time to wake up (okay, woke up a couple of times but rolled over and went back to sleep).  Was constipated with nothing in me, which like the anaesthologist said on surgery day, is no fun when you are on a clear diet.

See surgeon today and is last day of clear liquids.

Blood sugar was a bit rocky yesterday -- but I am clearly still diabetic -- see those entries and yes, I need to figure out why contribute screws up my date and time stamps.

Priority today: grading!

Screwed that one up

My blood sugar hit 261 and I'm starting to feel like my mouth and throat might be infected.  Happens every time my blood sugar gets too hit.

And it was my fault.

I had a basal program called "surgery' that was 50% of my surgery.  Well, I've been running on that for three days, so I figured the best thing to do was to change my normal basal program to 50% and make the surgery on, 50% less than that, as I am often turning my temp basal to 50% reduction.

Well, that would have been a good idea if I had switched my running basal program to normal.  But no, left it on surgery and was a tad high anything.

Outsmarted myself again.

And yes, I'm still diabetic.

And was doing so poorly, I posted this on the wrong blog!