APRIL 24 - APRIL 30 2016 ( Lots of FIRSTS this week and HAIR LOSS, ......Oh My!!!!!)

APRIL 24 - APRIL 30 2016

This week has been so crazy good so far. Lots going on, sooooo much going on. First of all I fit into a size 20 pants, and a 1X shirt. Here I am in the dressing room trying these on. I can see all my flaws still, and I hate that we are our own worst critics. BUT, I was in a size 20, and even my inner self cant dispute how amazing this is for me. It has been over 2 decades since I could fit into a size 20. whoot whoot This is amazing.

Monday I went to the track again before Aqua fit, and I met a personal best and walked 15 laps around the track. Not only did I walk it, BUT in a first moment, I ran....like walked fast, JOGGED for a 1/4 of each last 6 laps....YEAH I DID IT. I totally ran. I was so PROUD of myself. I was happy that I could do it, amazed that I did do it, and proud that I didn't give up, cut it short, or stop or make excuses for it. That night I did pay for it with my pain from my accident and had an extreme migraine and lots of pain BUT I did it, I made it happen, and I am so proud of myself. Was the pain worth the feeling of pride I felt....hard to say, and I may have to rest that for a while and not do the running due to the pain, BUT I did do it and that felt amazing. When did I run last...high school in a track meet maybe....say what! so cool.

 

Another First:

I was able to bring my foot up to me in the air and tie my shoe. May not sound like a big deal, but for someone who finds shoes that I don't have to tie, crunch into crazy positions to tie my shoes, or sit and pull my own leg up to couch or bed to tie my shoe, or slide into a tied shoe, all because I could not reach, or huffed and puffed doing this task it was HUGE. I would always wear flip flops where I went, I would go to a friends house and strategically think of what shoes would be the easiest to take off on and, so to be able to reach my shoe without any issues was awesome. I don't even remember when this happened, but I realized it today so it was pretty special moment. I try to take a moment when I do something amazing and soak it in. I stop whatever I am doing and reflect on where I came from. When I realised that I could do my shoe up, I stopped, photo'ed it, and then just sat for a minute and thought of situations last year where I had troubles doing this, or situations where I couldn't do it. This helps me soak in the importance of these type of moments. I don't want them to pass without acknowledging how far I have come on this journey. I don't want to ever forget where I came from. I want to always stay humble, reflective but rejoice in how BIG a moment like this is.

ANOTHER First:
Today I reached my 100th Workout!
Since The end of Feb, I have worked out 100 times. WHAT?
I don't think I have worked out 100 times in the whole 5 years before this time.

 

ANOTHER First:

HAIR LOSS: WHAT THE F___!

I am so over this hair loss thing. I knew it was coming, as it is a side effect but come on. I did all the stuff I needed to do to try to prevent this, or slow it down. I guess on a positive if I had not done all the prep work it could be a lot worse...right? Lets go with that. Long before surgery I started taking BIOTIN which is suppose to help, and really started only washing a couple times a week. And tried not to brush my hair daily, but the reality is it is inevitable. They say people with thick long or curly hair will have it the worst...well, check, check, and check....all of the above for me. Yikes!
** Note for WLS patients, this seems to happen for most patients at the 2 month mark, and it really does at that point. At 8-9 weeks I started noticing in the shower that it just fell out in clumps, and when I ran the brush through it just fills my brush. Luckily I have a lot of hair and haven't got any balding spots yet...thank goodness. I am kinda annoyed that I have spent so long growing my hair for my wedding last year, but also just wanted to grow long curly hair and enjoy it as I am mature enough to deal with this crazy uncontrollable curly thick hair I have hated my whole life, but embraced it last year and was loving how it looked as I finally 30+ years out learned how to manage it. I know, its hair right?!!? The process is meant to last approx. 8 months of losing hair and then starts to slow down or stop, once you transition into more balanced diet.

Each clump of hair is from 1 time brushing my hair.
YIKEs right. This scares me.
Did it 2 days in a row so you could see. Visual is better than just saying I lose a lot of hair.

BUT I made a big choice/decision.
I have chosen to cut it all off, to lighten it up, to help keep as much of my hair as possible. So here is my new do...what do you think?

I also bought some Shampoo, and Conditioner that they say helps, but not holding my breath. But some say it works.

 

Here is some information I found that helps explain the Hair Loss:
Are you considering gastric sleeve surgery and feel fear of hair loss? We explain you here how to prevent it or how to reduce this side effect to the fullest.

Hair loss after gastric sleeve surgery is a very common concern for any patient who will undergo any bariatric procedure such as gastric sleeve or gastric bypass; however we believe that like many other circumstances surrounding weight loss surgery, they are more myths than realities which occur mainly due to lack of adequate information.
Hair loss after gastric sleeve surgery can happen in 50% to 70% of patients. However, this situation is something merely temporary if the patient follows the advice of the bariatric surgeon.
Speaking specifically of patients with gastric sleeve surgery, this situation arises in them less frequently because it is a pure restrictive procedure, in other words, the absorption of ingested nutrients

Although the post bariatric patient may show loss of hair, this situation usually occurs during the first 6 months after surgery, with an average start of 2 to 3 months after the procedure has been performed, time after which we begin to see a recovery of the amount of hair until you reach a point where the you will have the same quantity and quality of hair than before the procedure, provided when adequate nutrition is accompanied by intake of supplements and suggested vitamins.

The main reason for hair loss after bariatric surgery is the drastic change in the patient’s nutrition and eating habits, which is even more pronounced if the patient does not eat the right quantity of nutrients and micronutrients needed during his/her recovery phase.
Also, the drastic reduction in the amount of calories absorbed and ingested is a factor which can not be completely changed since the aim of this procedure is precisely to provide an efficient tool for the patient to reduce significantly the amount of calories he/she eats in its daily life.
These changes in diet and poor monitoring by the surgeon may cause you to suffer from some protein deficiency, iron and other minerals like zinc and vitamin B. In addition, weight loss causes hormonal changes that are beneficial for health, nevertheless they are still changes to your body and hair reflects these changes.
Hair may begin to show changes in its usual appearance, being shorter, thinner and weakened from its root. Leading to a loss that may be minimal or a little more noticeable. As we have stated previously, this is a temporary situation that after six months, when the body stabilizes hormonally speaking, it will be completely reversed if during that time the food has been consumed adequately and necessary supplements have been used.
Besides the temporary disturbance of balance in calorie intake of the patient after bariatric surgery, consider that the surgery itself represents a form of "aggression" to the body, which in simple terms also triggers a series of events (hormone release/changes) that can contribute to such hair loss. That lasts only a few days, if the patient's recovery is right, this factor disappears soon, however the answer to this hormonal change can vary considerably from one patient to another.
Another factor that must be considered as possible cause of hair loss after gastric sleeve surgery (or any bariatric procedure) is emotional stress. So far we have focused on the hormonal and physical changes in the body because of what could be classified as own physical stress related to the procedure, but the emotional stress also plays an important role so it is advisable to seek to keep stress levels as low possible.

 

 



Thanks mom for loving and supporting me whole heartedly.
Chris, thanks for telling me you love even the parts of me falling out (hair).

 

 

Starting Now:

 I am a few Months into this so I will be posting on the 15th of each month and not weekly as not much happens day to day anymore.

1st of month will be my Monthly update on Stats

15th of month will be my Monthly Blog update.

+you will still see other posts on recipes or fun facts throughout the month.

Stay Tunes ~ Nat :)

Mind/Body Under Construction