From Becky - Update

Hello everyone.

I started my soft food diet one week ago. I have gained 2.5 pounds this past week. I meet with the nutritionist on Thursday so obviously I have some questions. I am following their set diet. The good news is I lost an additional 9 inches this past week so I'm happy about that. I met with my doctor last Thursday and he told me I was doing great and was ahead of the game with my weight loss. When they did the surgery my liver was enlarged so they did a liver biopsy. From a rating of 1 to 8 with 1 being the best and 8 being the worst I am a 5. Alcoholics get sclerosis of the liver and so can diabetics. I am very close to having this but the doctor feels confident that they caught it in time. He is sending me to a liver specialist. I will feel more comfortable when the liver specialist tells me he is confident he caught it in time. This surgery literally saved my life. Most times you do not know you have a problem with your liver until it is too late. I would not have had a liver biopsy if I did not have this surgery. All and all I am very upbeat and feel great. I am back to work this week full swing. Next week I will venture out of town again for business. Total weight loss to date 60 pounds. Total inches lost to date 33.5

Talk to you soon.

From Becky - 2nd update for the week.

If you read my previous note I was a little frustrated that I had not lost any weight for the past 5 days. I went to Cleveland Clinic this morning for the diabetic study that I participate in. They spent several hours drawing blood and shooting glucose into my veins. The good news is I was told that I no longer need to be on insulin. I also went from 4 diabetic pills per day to 1 and in two weeks they may take me off that last pill. So to recap. 3 weeks after the surgery I got off all 4 high blood pressure pills. 4 weeks after the surgery I got off my insulin and 3 of my 4 diabetic pills. AND the kicker was I lost an additional 3 pounds. MY HOME SCALES STOPPED WORKING! So I was losing weight and didn't know it.

Talk to you soon.

From Becky -- Update

Hello Everyone.

Well I have lost another few pounds which brings me up to 57 pounds that I have lost which is good. However, I lost those few pounds at the beginning of the week. I am eating approximately 400 calories per day. I have to eat 60 grams of protein per day. I have not lost an ounce in the past 5 days and I have lost no inches this past week. Everyone tells me not to worry about it and to not weigh everyday. I start soft foods tomorrow which I can't wait. I can now have eggs, lean ground beef, chicken and fish. Obviously in very small quantities. In two weeks I will be on regular food. I tend to wonder when I start eating my regular food and my calorie intake will probably go to about 800 what that will do to me. I meet with the nutritionist next Tuesday so I am sure I will have a lot of questions. I also meet with my doctor this Thursday so I will send another update out then.

Everyone take care.

From Becky - Update

I have been extremely tired for the past week. More so than when I came home from the hospital. I had to go to the hospital today for a diabetic study that I am involved with and I mentioned to the nurse how tired I was. When they took my blood pressure it was extremely low. I have been on high blood pressure medication since I was 25 years old which (I'm telling my age) has been for 25 years. I was taking 4 pills per day: 2 in the morning and 2 at night. When I left the hospital the doctor reduced the dosage to 2 pills per day. Today I was told to completely stop taking the medication. I go back to the doctor in one week so we will see how my blood pressure is doing after a week of not taking the medication. Hopefully, this will be my first step to getting healthy and will be able to maintain my blood pressure with no medication.

From Becky - Update

Hello Everyone,

It's been a slow week with days of no weight loss and fluctuation in weight. I did lose a couple of pounds and I have now lost 53 pounds in total. I have lost total 24.5 inches so far so I'm well on my well. On Tuesday I graduated to baby food which was wonderful. My diet consists of baby food, cottage cheese, applesauce, milk, sugar free pudding, yogurt and jello. I'm eating every 2 hours and my calorie intake is about 400 calories. It takes me 15 minutes every morning to consume my pills and vitamins. I'm exercising about 30 minutes every day but I'm still extremely tired. Hope this note finds everyone doing well.

From Becky

I did not have a doctor's appointment this week. When I called to confirm they told me I did not need to visit this week. All in all things are going well. I graduated to Baby Food on Tuesday and it was devine. It's like starting all over again like a baby. I have to go through the same trials of trying different foods and consistency until finally I graduate to toddler food and real food.
4 more weeks and I will be on the real food. I stopped weighing every day due to getting depressed watching the scales go up and down. I will weigh one time per week on Sunday's. I can tell you that since the surgery on Jan 15 I have lost 20 pounds. Not bad for a little over 2 weeks. With the weight I had to lose before the surgery it puts me at about 52 pounds down. I am already seeing a difference with my diabetes, however, I am called an unreliable diabetic. My sugar glucose will spike for no apparent reason but since the surgery it has consistently come down. My sugar glucose readings are around 120 which is very good. My normal glucose readings were in the high 200's and low 300's. The day of the surgery I spiked at 247 and they had to give me a fast acting insulin to get it down. I am riding my exercise bike daily and am feeling better every day.
Talk to you soon.

Thanks everyone.

Update from Becky

I am still on the liquid diet for 4 more days and then I move to Puree. Yeah! My weight keeps fluctuating but right now I'm down 48.5 pounds. I have lost 1.5 inches. My stomach is still swollen but that will improve in the next few weeks. I go to the doctor on Tuesday for a checkup. I'm hoping to get my driving privileges back. I am on much medication and vitamins but I am off the pain medicine. I've received many calls from all of you checking on me. I do appreciate hearing from you. My next update will be on Tues and then again on Sunday. Thanks again for your cards and flowers. Thanks to my son Tony for flying in to be with me and supporting me throughout this process.