Three Months Since My Surgery

And time for the monthly update...and a "monthly" update


I'll start with basic vital statistics.  Since surgery I am down 42 pounds, and 69 pounds total.  Again, it's not lightning-fast, but WAY better than before the surgery.  The hair loss is still a nuisance, but I am hopeful that it doesn't become more than that.

I'll be honest here, August just sucked for weight loss.  I hit my first real plateau since my surgery.  My scale shows not only my weight, but also my body fat and water percentages.  I could see my body fat creeping down and my water creeping up, and my weight not moving much at all.  Weight loss patients experience the occasional plateau, so I tried not to stress about it too much.

Finally my weight began to move again in the right direction...after I received a visit from The Cramp Fairy.  Lady hormones, cycles and birth control are issues discussed in the last big half-day class before surgery.  We learn that, even if a woman thinks she has gone through menopause, once weight loss surgery happens and she begins to lose weight and body fat, hormones can run amok and, as a result, irregular or nonexistent menstrual cycles can come back, and with a vengeance.  For this reason, we are told to begin using an extra birth control method if we don't wish to become pregnant.

This concludes the educational portion of this blog post.

I'm 48 years old.  I've been experiencing night sweats off and on since I was 30.  My cycles started becoming really irregular/skipping when I was about 40.  I don't plan on having any human children and would be more than glad to donate my uterus for scientific research.  Every time I get a period, I pray that it will be my last one.  So naturally I was not thrilled when The Cramp Fairy arrived.  But her arrival did explain my rising water levels and at least part of my plateau.    

Aside from The Cramp Fairy's visit, some cool things have happened.  My shape is changing.  I found my waist yesterday!  My ankles aren't bothering me nearly as much now.  My clothes continue to get bigger, so much so that I started digging through my closet to see what I have in smaller sizes that I can work with.  I found some pants that fit better, which is good, but they lack pockets, which is sad.  (I believe everything should have pockets, including nightgowns and pajamas.)  I'll wear the pocketless pants and find someplace else to carry my phone.

Probably in my bra.  There is a little more room in there now as well!