Hike #6

April 25th
Post op: 1 month
Lbs lost: 25

Dad joined me on this weeks adventure to Carkeek Park Trail. It was a warm day but the trail was nice and cool thanks to thick trees and a pretty little creek it followed. This is my first unpaved trail since surgery and at last I feel like I can call this a real hike! The majority of the trail is flat with a good hairpin slope at our chosen trail head. Our turn around point was the park itself which had a pretty beach area. We took a break there and I met Dad's challenge to prove that I could still skip a rock. Not wanting to make the same mistake as last week - I noted my water status and emphasized our need to return. As we made our way back we cracked jokes and pointed out neat features of the trail. We passed a few other hikers, families with their pets, and a couple out birding. I made it to the top of the winding hill and back to the car and felt great... I had energy and water to spare!

As expected my weight loss has plateaued for a couple weeks - I was warned in advance that this would happen so I know not to be discouraged by it. Besides... 25lbs in 1 month is still pretty amazing! I've noticed that I basically eat 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners - each being about 1/4-1/2 cup of food at a meal. I still need to focus on eating more slowly though and of course... getting enough fluids!

Hike #5

Sunday April 18th
Post-Op: 1 month
Lbs lost: 23lbs

This week friends Patty and Brian joined me on Centenial Trail in Snohomish. It was another gorgeous day with lots of families on the trail. It's a relatively flat paved trail where we saw a lot of bikers, runners, and rollerbladers. There is a narrow horse trail off to the side where we saw a couple on a pair of retired race horses.

We set our turn-around point at 2 miles to give us a 4 mile round trip. And of course my energy ran out around 3.5 miles... right around the same time I ran out of water. Thankfully I had a couple of extra bottles in the car!

Hike #4

Sunday April 11th

Days Post-Op: 18

Lbs Lost: 21

I chose a late Sunday morning for this week's hike so that my co-worker and good friend could join me. Sunday gave us surprisingly perfect weather for this week's adventure on the Burke-Gilman Trail. I know this still doesn't quite qualify as a "hike" but hey.. I'm still less than a month out from surgery here!

We met on the UW Bothell campus and conquered a quick flight of stairs before we wound our way through the wetlands. As we confidently passed a creepy underpass section of the trail we agreed that this would be a nice area to stash a body. Our similar quirky sense of humor followed us as we noted the woman walking the trail in heals, at the ridiculous abundance of bright green windbreakers, the standoff between a pair of geese and a great blue heron, and the suspicious geocachers pretending to be anything but. As we walked along the river we talked about work, friends, pets, family, where we grew up, college days, future hikes, and just how life changing our experiences have been so far.

We made our way down the trail between the highway and the river, past the poplar trees and the spruce saplings. We fought the urge to venture off the trail in search of the barbecue we smelled nearby! And finally we found ourselves at the logical turn-around point for us - Wilmot Gateway Park in Woodinville. We took a moment to note the well kept playground and the large field of pristine green grass that was probably too soggy for a picnic. On our return voyage we crossed paths once again with walkers, joggers, and cyclists who had also turned around at some point. We cooed over the cute dogs and double checked... yep.. she really is walking the trail in heals! Our round trip hike to Wilmot Gateway Park and back came to just over 3 miles and I proudly exceeded my original distance goal for the week.

Hike #5 will have a slightly more challenging goal with a little bit of a twist to it... so stay tuned!

When your body says "OMG!"

Sunday April 4th

Easter Sunday Menu:
Corned beef w/ cabbage
Baby red potatoes
Dinner rolls
Black cherry jell-o
Fruit tort dessert

MY Easter Sunday Menu:
Two spoonfuls of cottage cheese
One spoonful of sugar free jell-o
1/3 of a small baby red potato (pulverized with a fork)
And for dessert ... 1 teaspoon of the custard from the fruit tort

Over the next several hours my energy dissipated and I soon was feeling downright horrible. My head was spinning, I felt out of breath, I was sure I had a slight fever, and I wasn't sure which was going to come first.... getting sick or passing out.

Afraid of getting sick with a newly remodeled stomach I got on the phone with my doctor who reminded me of this not so pleasant phenomenon called dumping syndrome. No, it's not as gross as it sounds... not even close.

That 1 little harmless teaspoon of sugary custard I had eaten had been the evil culprit of all my misery. The custard had "dumped" all of its sugar into my body and made me feel awful. I was kindly reassured by my doc that I wasn't going to get sick or pass out and that I just needed to sit down, relax, and take small sips of water. With my anxiety cured I commandeered Dad's recliner and slowly began to feel better.

Today I am still exhausted by my Easter ordeal but I am thankful to have a new found fear of sugar and all of its evil schemes!

Hike #3

Saturday April 3rd

Days Post-Op: 10
Lbs Lost: 15

For this adventure I was joined by Mom and Dad as well as the family dogs Ricky and Lucy (yes really). This bright crisp Saturday morning presented a slightly more impressive "hike" than last week. Well, sort of.. it did include a brief section of real actual trail-like terrain and at 10 days post-op I'm pretty proud of that! At this point my energy comes and goes and the pain is more like the soreness you would get from having a really hard ab workout followed by a night at a good comedy club. Don't worry my dear fans.. my hikes will definitely become more impressive as the weeks go on.

The five of us walked along the residential sidewalks for about a 1/2 mile before coming to Stipek Park, a favorite excursion for our shorter and furrier family members. I skirted around the park to the grassy trail that would around the south side. My first accomplishment is that I avoided slipping on the wet and slightly muddy grass, and my second was my discovery of a little duck pond. On the west side of the park is a large field where my trail rejoined the main path and I was able to meet up with the family. After another brisk 1/2 mile walk and a few potty breaks (for the dogs) we found our way back home feeling more refreshed than fatigued. And the adventure continues!

Hike #2

Saturday March 27th

Hike #2

Days Post-Op: 3

Lbs lost: 0

It's bright and sunny out with a cool spring breeze... a perfect day for hike #2. It's my first hike after surgery so it was a bit slow going to say the least but still really nice to get some good fresh air and sunshine! This time Mom joined me on my adventure.

A suburban garden with brick lined paths was the chosen location for my first post-op hike. After a short trek to the south we crossed a path into a large garden/forest. There were birds of all kids and squirles everywhere mingling with the occasional dog from an off-leash area. Bright sun shined down through the huge cedar trees as Mom and I made our way around the winding path. We did our best to name the many plants and flowers that were just beginning to spring up. We backtracked and circled the gardens a few times. Being only 3 days post-op I was a bit sore and groggy and so of course I wasn't able to hike at an impressive speed or for any great length of time. By the time my body called it quits I was satisfied with my .26 miles recorded by my pedometer.

As Mom went out front to get the mail I headed up the back steps and into the house.

Surgery

Wednesday March 24th was my surgery day. I had a LapSleeve (or a vertical sleeve gastrectomy) where my surgeons resize my stomach to that of a small banana.

Everything went well and I was able to go home that afternoon. It's always good to be home - I have a great professional support team which includes my surgeons, office staff, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist - but of course nothing compares to being home with family! At two days post-op I feel more pressure than pain which reminds me to take really small sips of water. In time I'll be able to graduate from broth and jell-o to pudding and protein shakes and then eventually to real food again - just a lot less of it!