The 6-Month Update

What 6 months looks like.

When I converted Misdirected from a focus on gaming to a focus on getting through bariatric surgery, I had one big concern: was there going to be enough to write about? When talking about gaming there is always something new and interesting to chat about. Bariatric surgery? I wasn't so sure. I had visions of blog articles that ran like: "Day 152. Still fat."

I made the conversion on March 2 of this year. We have managed 6 months of blog articles on the subject, and I don't feel like we have ever had to come up with an article that looked like the one I feared. It turns out that there are so many changes tied up in preparation for and life after bariatric surgery that talking about them may represent an ever-flowing well of topics. One of my favorite bloggers had her surgery back in 2006 and is still blogging about life after surgery today, so the potential is obviously there.

In six months, we have covered pre- and post- surgical care, diet changes (and failures), elation after success and depression after failure. We've praised doctors and criticized "support" sites.  We have chatted about changes in the sex life, in family relationships, in daily living. And, hopefully, this has all been of some benefit to those of you out there: either because you are interested in us, or because you are interested in the bariatric surgery process in general.

So, what is coming down the road for Misdirected? Do we have another 6 months worth of life left in us?

The answer is an emphatic "Yes!". We have got some pretty major milestones coming:

• This month will be Lor's 3-month follow-up exam, where she gets her A1C numbers confirming that she is "officially" in remission from Diabetes. Since this was her #1 motivation for surgery, this is kind of a big deal.
• October is Halloween. I made an informal commitment last Halloween that I would wear a costume if I "ever" lost 50 pounds. (At the time, we had not even considered bariatric surgery.) I hit that particular milestone back on July 24, at my pre-surgery weigh-in. Given that Halloween is Lor's favorite holiday, you better believe that she is holding me to that commitment. Costume shopping starts Real Soon Now.
• November and December represent both validation and challenges for us: the holidays mean our big family gatherings. On the one hand, we will get to bask in the glow of our family members not recognizing us. On the other hand, get-togethers mean food, and lots of it - including many of our previously favorite foods that we are now restricted from. How will we deal with the temptation of constantly available temptation?
• Lor is within 20 pounds of her goal weight. I still have more than 40 pounds to go. What happens once we "arrive"?

So, yeah, we still have some topics to cover.

Also, the questions keep coming about writing a book about the bariatric surgery process. The short answer is: Yes. Yes, I will be starting work on converting our experiences to book form. However, I am currently in the middle of writing my fiction project for Fiction Vortex, which remains my #1 priority. And, also, I owe myself another book I have been thinking about for years, about living with adult-onset Epilepsy. I have been experiencing Epilepsy for over a decade now, bariatric surgery for less than a year. I think I owe myself the book with "seniority" first. I will keep everyone posted as these projects start taking shape .

Half a year in and 74 pounds down! Just imagine where we will be at our one-year anniversary!

Looking Ahead,

- Hawkwind

Independence Day

Photo Credit: vpickering via Compfight cc

Happy Independence Day to all my U.S. readers!

We are today at the 240th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The whole "anniversary" concept has me thinking this morning, about the timeline we have been experiencing as we move up to (and in Lor's case through) bariatric surgery and the lifestyle changes that go along with it. I am left to kind of scratch my head and wonder: where are my anniversaries going to be?

Will I celebrate next January 11, the anniversary of the day where I stepped on a scale and saw 302 pounds displayed? The actual "moment of clarity" where I realized that I was no longer in control of my own weight and my own life, and needed to do something about it?

Or maybe, instead, I should note February 28 - the day of Lor's first Bariatrics appointment. Though my own appointment with the bariatrics team at  ABQ Health Partners was not to arrive until March 3rd, the day that Lor went in to meet with her surgeon and decided to move forward with surgery is the day that this process really got started - where we made the team commitment that, whether or not we were both approved for surgery, we would both go through the lifestyle changes together.

Another possible "independence day" anniversary would be June 1 - the day Lor started her liquid diet phase. Her preparation for surgery had a very profound impact on my own diet and lifestyle as well. It represented, for both of us, the day our old lives ended and our new relationships with food began. 

Or, I could just go with the old standard, and choose my upcoming surgery date as my "new me" anniversary date. On the 25th of July, for every year from here forward, I can look back at the hideous self-portraits I keep on my phone and be reminded of what I do not ever want to return to. 3 weeks from today (not that I am counting) I pass the Rubicon - the point past which there is no return.

So many transition points to reflect on and the year is only half over. I am also looking forward to dates like:

• My first sub 250-pound weigh-in.
• The first day I can fit into a 38-inch waistline.
• The day I can bench press 145 pounds again.
• My first Christmas with both sides of the family after our surgeries.

And so on. Man, I could be giving myself anniversary presents for all of next year.

Enjoy your holiday!

Looking Forward To Personal Fireworks,

- Hawkwind