Poverty Cycle

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I wanted to do something to show how much life has changed for me.

A few years ago I borrowed my mate Gavin’s mountain bike. I cycled down the road about 3 k total. When I got home I could hardly move, definitely nearly died  walking up the 3 stairs into the house.

Now I regularly ride 25km or so (2-3 times a week), and whilst at Radio Rhema I saw an ad for this poverty cycle.

I thought I would give it a go. Now, I intend to cycle the full 50km, so I thought I better see if I can do it, so I have done one 48km and one 44 km ride since then as well as my normal. This weekend I am going to ride the poverty cycle route (mostly because I want to know where I am going) and then the weekend after I am going to do the whole shebang!

If you want to support  me, and do something to help TEAR fund do something about poverty, then click the link below and sponsor me. You can either pay per KM, or just donate. I dont get the money, it goes straight to tear fund via the interwebz.

http://www.povertycycle.org.nz/myride/AKL052

Send me messages of support or even turn up and watch on the day..

2 years ago…

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2 years ago I waddled into the Manukau Surgery Centre to meet Kate, the nurse in charge of bariatric (weightloss) surgery. I was about 190KG, having lost about 20kg. I was approved at this time to have the surgery on June 30 2009. I had to lose about another 10kg.

I could hardly walk, I had sleep apnea, hypertension, diabetes, and was in constant fear of bruising or scratching my legs and getting cellulitis.

I got the surgery, had some complications, and today, 18 months or so later, I am going back for my final post surgery check up.

The difference today is instead of having sleep apnea, hypertension, diabetes, and being in constant fear of bruising or scratching my legs and getting cellulitis, I am healthy, and fit. Instead of being hardly able to walk, permanently out of breath and having a resting heart rate of 80-90, today I am going to cycle to the clinic (about 10km 1 way), and I have a resting heart rate of 50bpm. Today I am about 110kg. I can run, jump, swim, cycle, and THEN do the housework 😛

Sure, i still have a few issues, my knees are a bit dodgy, and so is my back, but they no longer “bother me”.

The biggest issue for people having this surgery is the mental one. I’ll write another post on it in a day or so. I’ll also let you know what Kate says today 😛

Amazing the changes

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So far today i have cycled 10k with my 3yr old on the back of my bike, hung 2 loads of laundry, fixed the fence, fixed the garden retaining wall, cleaned the yard, changed the dog water, cleaned my tool bench, fixed a PC. And I’m not at all tired… this time last year I’d have been dead by now.

AMAZING.

Anyone who says the government shouldn’t pay for surgery for people like me is an idiot.

Its been awhile

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Bit of an update:

Been doing a bit of cycling on my mountain bike, and i’m up to 10km rides. Tomorrow I am aiming for 15km.. so we’ll see how we get on.

So.. what happens..

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Turns out, that losing weight is great. Problem is, I lost alot of muscle mass off my shoulders.
Went for a run with the dog. Dog freaked out, I feel over, dog went backwards at 3000 miles an hour, with his lead tied around my hand.

Now I have a “sub luxed” shoulder – a dislocated shoulder thats not completely out of joint. The doc and the physio cant really understand it. Xrays and ultrasounds show nothing except inflammation.
So, today its off to the doc to get a referral to the specialist. I am in a lot of pain, because from the surgery I cant stomach any “decent” pain killers. Its making me tetchy and grumpy, and making it hard to think straight (yes yes ha ha.. I know thats not all that much of a change :P)

Updated…

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Well, I hit 122 KG today, (269lb for you americans, or 19 stone for the Poms..wow, just realise I have gone for 33 stone to 19 stone)

Its really quite amazing, I am now lighter than I have been since I was 20.At high school (13-17), I was between 90 and 110 KG, so its entirely possible I will get to be slimmer than I was at high school.

I still have issues though, my tummy burns sometimes since I stopped taking omprezole, I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to eat a steak or  a roast meal, but I cant.

Oh well.. life’s tough eh?

Edit:

According to my diet plugin:

Weekly loss: 14 lbs. – Daily deficit: 7000 calories.
You will reach your goal of 220 lbs on 2010-04-16. (75 days early!)

been a bit concerned…

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because I havent lost weight for a bit. But then, the realisation that since I had the stents out means I have been eating more, and I have been more active, going to the pool and walking the dog etc, means i have been putting on muscle and kinda cancelling out the weight loss. This means I had bette measure myself, so here goes:

Neck:         46                       =>               45

Wrist:         18.5                   =>               19.5

Bicep:         40                   =>                39.5

Stomach:    133                    =>              138

Chest:         135                    =>             138

I’m guessing that either last time, or this time my measurements werent very accurate. I’ll get the wife to measure me and  get a more accurate gauge.

food update

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Well, things are progressing in the food stakes. I need to be really careful I am not eating bad food though. I am sitting here eating a slice of burgen toast with about a tablespoon of baked beans on it. Its taken me all week to eat a tin of baked beans and its still 1/3 full 😛

Last night I had a little lasagne for dinner, it was very tasty and beats my usual poached egg and chicken 😛 I am going to start integrating some salad into my meals now, the problem is, the meals are so small, the salad is also going to be tiny, but I need to, so that my stomach can handle lots of different types of food.

My biggest issue is eating slowly.. really… must… concentrate. Eating too fast causes me massive discomfort… heartburn, indigestion, and a really really full feeling… not like the old “i’m too full” discomfort… but real pain.

Well,2 days later…

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I cant begin to tell you how much better i feel. No vomiting.. I ate a little bit of sausage last night..

I had a tiny coffee for breakfast.. I’m currently eating half a weatbix and half a pot of yoghurt. I was able to drink well over a litre of water last night too… its amazing.

Turns out the stents are huge and also my stomach had collapsed somewhat so it was only a few mils is size.. now we’re back to the full 100ml and zooming. Today i think I try baked beans for lunch!!!!

STENTS OUT!!!

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and it feels good.. I finally saw one and they are HUGE.. no wonder i was having isssues… I’ll let you know how I get on without em

gotta hate tummy bugs

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First Alex got a tummy bug that made her vomit and poo, then I got it. Now my stomach and chest are sooooo sore from vomiting and coughing, and my back is sore from sleeping in a chair.. its crippling. Ah well, at least its only 4 more days till stents out, then maybe I can return to a real bed. I’m hoping and praying.

Current weight: 137.9KG

phew.. rough few days

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Went and did some work at a customers on monday, and yesterday I went to see the bariatric dietician (who said I was doing fine) and then went to Dad’s office to get some prayer (http://edc.org.nz).

I have been vomiting like nothing on earth. My daughter is now too so I am wondering if there isnt some bug.. but man, my stomach is so tender its not funny. I am so sick of it.

stent removal!

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Well, on the 9th o go into hospital to have the stents removed. At the moment they are blocking the entry to my stomach. They are stopping the valve that prevents reflux and they hurt and make me vomit from time to time, so hopefully some or all of this will stop when they’re gone, and I will be able to sleep on a bed again.

crusin’ along

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Well I visited the bariatric nurse Kate, yesterday, and she was very helpful.

I’ve really got to try and drink more water, but I find it really hard. I made it to 1.2L yesterday, which is pretty good for me. I took my nightly meds last night and the stupid pill got stuck on the metal stents in my stomach, which made me “upchucktheboogie”. Not great, but it felt good afterwards cuz that pill was driving me mad. Such a tiny one too.

Gotta concentrate on protein now, and small amounts eaten slowly. I think I have been trying to eat too much, and then eating it too fast. So today I concentrate on that.

My next mission is to figure out what I am going to do for money. I want to be in ministry, but I just dont know. I need to make some money somehow, especially from home here because its been 10 months with no real income, and things are getting desperate. If anyone has any ideas, drop me a line at geoff (at) gummer (dot) co (dot) nz.

kinda breakthrough

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well… i ate some chicken and some mash potato… about 4 teaspoons full, but still, it was GREAT to be able to chew (30x :P) on something after nearly 7 weeks of not chewing at all.

Got a call from Kate, the Nurse who started me on this process and she gave me some good advice. It was really reassurring because I feel a lot unprepared and underdone. I also keep getting alot of advice from people who have never had the surgery… honestly people, thanks, but no thanks. Firstly its different for each person, and secondly, unless you’ve been there, you have NO IDEA.

Anyway, tonite I am having some chicken with my poached egg. YAY!

A new week

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Well, I am still shattered. I’ve been out and about a bit but I cant stand for more than 10 mins without coming over all exhausted.

Some things I have noticed:

1. When I cough it now makes me sneeze.

2. When I lie down flat its like my stomach has no “lid” on it and stuff just comes back up.

3. It takes me 2 hours to drink a 200ml meal replacement.

4. I still havent slept properly since June 30th.

Well, Friday!

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I feel a bit better today… and I weigh 146KG. Havent been this weight since the 90’s.

I got some meal replacements and stuff, and hopefully it will help get me some energy.

I am currently so weak I cant walk up 5 stairs holding a bag. Big let down after the 25 lengths/30 mins water jogging I was doing before. Anyway, onwards and upwards I guess. All I need now is to be able to sleep for the first time since this process began. I havent had more than 2-3 hours straight since then.

Note From Amber – the cuter half :)

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Hi Everyone – just to update you Geoff has had a complication – there was a small leak in his stomach so gas was escaping into his abdominal cavity and causing him alot of pain.  He went to the doctors first thing due to pain low in his abdomen and his shoulder on July 6th and they sent him straight to the hospital and that is where he has been ever since.  Luckily he has avoided having to undergo surgery again and they have put a stint (sp?) in his stomach and he hasn’t been allowed to have anything to eat or drink.   Yesterday they allowed a couple sips an  hour and today he is allowed a verrrrrrrrrrrrry small glass to drink as well as a few sips and hopefully tomorrow he will get to try some pureed fruit.  So hopefully he will be home in a couple days and can update you all himself 🙂  He was looking much better today then he has since he went back into hospital.

rough day

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Today hasnt been so good. I’m not getting much sleep… sorta 3 hours at a time. Today I had a shower and felt all faint, went and laid down and snoozed and felt better.

managed to get down some yoghurt, and if i lie on my back on the couch I feel alot better.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

First full day at home

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Well, I didnt sleep very well last night at all… went to sleep really quick at about 10:30pm, then woke up at about 12, and couldnt really get back to sleep. My mind was just racing and I couldnt get comfortable, there is only one position to lie in, flat on your back. Got up at like, 3am and came out and watched tv.

I weighed myself and according to my dodgy scales I’ve lost about another 2KG, which puts me at 177.9.  This is the lightest I have been since my nanna died 2 years ago.

I’ll do some measurements tomorrow, I just had a shower and measured myself and I was bigger.. obviously the water retention.

Anyway, I feel ok, I dont seem to need painkillers, and I dont feel hungry, although I do still crave something tasty to eat. Like a steak 😛

Keep listening, and I will keep posting