Challenges Well After Gastric Bypass Surgery

I have seriously neglected this blog, but I'm still living life after having gastric bypass surgery. And frankly, while I am still glad I had the surgery, I still have to deal with lots of challenges. But I am making it and still feel so much better than before the surgery. Last July was two years from my surgery. Time has helped me deal with the cravings I had for a long time after the surgery. I know some patients after gastric bypass that have been able to take up eating the same things they did before the surgery, but I can't. Oh sure, some things, I can eat again. I can eat cheeseburgers if they are made with a better quality meat. But I still can't eat sugar. I recently spent time in the waiting room of a hospital in Ohio and was tickled to find a small coffee stand and, as I have found myself extremely addicted, I ordered a sugar free hazelnut latte. I was about 4 generous sips in before I realized the barista had made me a regular hot chocolate. I was so sick that I eventually had to return to the hotel and sleep it off. I was hot and cold and clammy and nauseous. I was drained. I hadn't had to deal with that kind of feeling in a long time.

And every now and then, without rhyme or reason, something will just not sit well. Last week, I ate a "healthy" frozen dinner due to time. Whole grain pastas, balsamic cream sauce, vegetables. Sounds like a stomach friendly meal. I eat pastas, but I cannot eat spaghetti, angel hair, or vermicelli. Normally, however, rotini, bow tie, penne...these are fine, Normally. The frozen dinner had penne, but for the first time in ages, I was up until 3 am vomiting.

Also, late 2009, I had to have an urgent surgery to correct a complication that sometimes happens. When a person gains a lot of weight, it pushes the organs out and when the person loses a lot of weight, the organs don't always go back where they are supposed to, and it can cause a blockage which keeps food from didesting. I had this problem in two places. An outpatient, laproscopic surgery resolved this.

I think my biggest challenge and fear is falling back into old habits. Over the Christmas holiday, I gained 4 pounds. FOUR! But I made an effort to straighten up and get back on track. The four pounds is gone. And I'm working on a few more. At my lowest weight, I got down to 164, but I do not hope to get back down to that weight. Personally, I don't feel that is reasonable for me to think I can maintain that, but between 170 and 175 is my goal. So this year, I'm going to post more about things I learn regarding nutrition and food. It's not just about weight. It's about clean eating and health. More fresh foods, less processed. More cooking at home, less eating out. I do actually like cooking so my roommate and I spent a couple of days going through healthy cookbooks and choosing recipes we want to try. The main game plan is to actually have a menu for the week so we don't get discouraged and end up grabbing burgers in the way home from work.

I will keep this blog posted with my progress.