Almost 1 year follow-up

When I saw Dr. Mansfield in June, he wanted to see me again in 6 months, which would have been December, but December is too busy so I scheduled the appointment for January.  That means it is just shy of one year since my total gastrectomy on February 21, 2017. 

As I said in an earlier post, I was a little concerned that I would get yelled out for losing too much weight as he had stressed needing to have the weight stabilize when I saw him in June and it didn't start to until November and then I started losing again (although at a slower rate) in December.

But that wasn't the case at all.  The nurse actually commented about how much I had lost since my June appointment, but that I looked really good and that it appeared to be a healthy weight loss.  Dr. Manfield's assistant reviewed all of the blood work and everything basically looked good.  The only one that was a little low was the prealbumin protein (I think) which is better than it was in June, but still a little low, but not of major concern.  B-12 levels and everything else were good.  The only other thing she mentioned was so insignificant that she wasn't going to mention it, but of course, she mentioned it telling us she wasn't going to mention it and that was hydration.

When the assistant looked at my incision, I made some comment about how pleased I am with how the scar looks and she agreed and said it was one of the best she has seen.  I don't think I can take credit for that, but I like it.

When Dr, Mansfield came in, he didn't even look at the lab results like he normally does.  He too was happy with where I am weight wise and said that as long as it has slowed down and I don't lose it too fast, if I lose another 15 pounds or so (over several months), that would be OK.  It was nice to hear that we are on the same page which I didn't necessarily feel in June.  I'm not looking to lose another 15 pounds, I'm very happy with where I currently am. but if it happens, it would be OK.

The report was good enough that he doesn't want to see me for another year.  So I'm good with that!

New Clothes for Christmas

Men's, size Small

I've lost enough weight that I definitely need more new clothes. I thought about asking for some for Christmas, but didn't really know sizes and it's also hard to tell other people what to buy for you unless you have something specific. I decided that I would be safe with asking for sports apparel for KU, Pitt State or Royals. That's the type of thing that I'm not as particular on the specifics and having some new t-shirts and sweatshirts that fit well would be nice. I went to Kansas Sampler, our local team sports apparel store, and tried on some random tops to be able to specify sizes. I knew there was still a chance something wouldn't fit and would have to be returned, but at least that would give a closer starting point.

Men's, size Medium

I decided I needed a size small in men's t-shirts, a size medium in men's sweatshirts, and a size large in any ladies cut shirts.  There were a couple of items that I really liked so I asked for them specifically, but mainly I was open to anything.  Most of what I have is men's/unisex large or extra-large, so everything would be significantly smaller than what I have.

Men's, size Medium

I ended up getting five shirts total.  A nice variety of clothing and sizes, but everything fit.  The size differences are crazy, but that's how it is.  It's fun to have new clothes that I look good in.

Ladies cut, size Large

 Everyone comments on how skinny I am.  I tell them it's all relative.  I have always hidden my weight well.  I didn't look like I weighed 243 pounds before the surgery and I don't look like I weigh 165 pounds now.  I get told "well, you're tall", but size 14 jeans has nothing to do with height and isn't normally concerned skinny.  But anyway, I'm happy with where I am.  I feel good about what I weigh and how I look.  I am slightly concerned about how to tell my body to stop losing weight.  I started to stabilize around 170 pounds, but then I started losing again in December.  I think it may be because of eating too much junk food.  Most people gain weight in December from eating cookies, candy and party mix, but I think I lost weight because of it.  I didn't eat a lot, but ate more of that kind of stuff than usual and as a result probably didn't have as much good, healthy snacks with protein.  I'm hoping that with the holidays behind us, I'll do better.

Ladies cut, size Large

As I type this, I'm actually on an airplane headed down to MD Anderson for a follow-up appointment tomorrow.  I have a feeling Dr. Mansfield won't be happy with my continued weight loss, we'll see.