Weight
April 21/08  -  319 Lbs
May 5/08     -  300 Lbs (Pre-op visit)
May 6/08     -  Surgery
May 8/08     -  305 Lbs
May 9/08     -  298 Lbs
May 16/08   -  281 Lbs
May 31/08   -  276 Lbs
June 7/08   -  265 Lbs
Total Lost   -  59 Lbs

Measurments

Area              May 5/08       June 7/08      Inches Lost
Forearm         12.5"               11.5"                   1"
Bicep               16"                  15.25"                .75"
Calf                  19"                  17.75"               1.25"
Thigh               27.5"               24.5"                   3"
Neck                16"                  14.75"               1.25"
Bust                 58"                   55.25"               2.75"
Waist               58"                   54.75"               3.25"
Hips                 58"                   55"                      3"

Well, it has been awhile since I posted, so I thought I would do a quick Reader's Digest update. 
I was switched on May 6th, with no complications or anything spectacular to report. 
May 7th saw me to be a VERY grumpy patient because the morphine was making me nauseaus. Later that night, my nurse finally called Dr. L and recommended a different anti-nausea drug, which worked like a charm and cemented the pump to my right hand. :)
I had a bit of a hard time on the 8th because my IV was giving me problems and was being finicky, but I got through it with the help of a random nurse who came in because she saw I was upset. She told me that it DOES get better. Dr. L did the DS on her 2 years ago and she had lost over 200 lbs. Hearing that kicked me in the ass and made me quit feeling sorry for myself and get on with my recovery. 
May 9th, found me sitting on the edge of my bed bawling because the scale I had just stepped on said 298 lbs. I would NEVER see the dreaded "300" again. I
I was sent home on May 10th - well, back to the Drury Inn and was SO happy to leave the hospital, even though the drains sucked a bit coming out, all pain that was coming from them  went as soon as they were out. I feel like a million bucks! Ok...maybe like 50 thousand. lol
I recovered uneventfully at the Drury, making my hubby take me out on daily excursions, which included Walmart and a scooter story, which had me laughing like a wild woman 2 days out of the hospital (now THAT hurt), Meijers, Kmart and Target. 
On the 16th, Dr. L took out my staples and I was already 44 lbs down, including the 19 lbs I lost in the 2 weeks before surgery. 
After my appointment that day, I jumped in the car with my hubby and little boy and we began our 14 hour trip home. I had zero pain in the car and we would have made it home, but 2 hours from home we met a massive moose standing on the side of the road. I told my hubby that after everything I had just come through, I wasn't going to die that night. So we stayed the night in Terrace Bay and finished our journey bright and early the next day. 
It was SO GOOD TO BE HOME!!!!
I went back to work that Tuesday, on my 2 week post-op mark and had absolutely no problems with anything. I do have a laid back desk job, which allowed me to get up and walk around as I needed to. But life was back to fairly normal and I felt great! 
So, it's going on 5 weeks and I am down 59 lbs in total, including the 19 lbs I lost in the 2 weeks before surgery. I feel awesome, although I still get tired quickly, but I recover quickly after a quick nap if I really need it! 
Anyway, that's about all to report I think. Oh, I have no problems with any food, although milk does give me a rumbly tummy if I don't remember to take lactose pills, but other than that, I've had no problems! 
See ya later!
Rox :0)

I finally, after 2 LONG WEEKS, received a call from Julie at Dr. L's office and was told that my surgery date will be May 6th.  MAY 6TH!!!!!!
Ya! Like a month and a little bit!! I got off of the phone with her and cried at my desk for a few minutes, laughing hysterically all the while...as usual. 
I have booked my holidays (2 weeks) and have made the reservations at the Drury Inn. I have also made a packing list and have informed my son's daycare and school that he won't be there during that time. 
I wish I could send my son to stay with family during the surgery and post op time I'll be in Michigan, but my husband and I have no family here who would be able to take him for such a long time. There is no way my hubby will let me go alone, or with anyone else other than him and I have no brothers or sisters to help out. So, it should be interesting. But he's a little trooper and I have been very honest with him about the surgery. He's determined to take care of me, the little bugger. lol
Anyway, will post soon! 
Rox :0)

My husband, son and I drove the 13 hour road trip to Rochester,  Michigan for my consult with Dr. L on Monday March 17th! Happy St. Patty's Day to meeee!!!
We arrived about a 1/2 hour early and had to wait for nearly an hour, but that was ok with me! 
Julie seemed a bit overworked, but was a sweet person. I was taken into a room, with my son joined to my hip, as he has marked himself as my "protector". She took my blood pressure, which was a little high (nerves I suppose) and temperature. Then she took my picture (ugh) and sent us back out into the waiting room for a bit more. 
Soon after that, Dr. L came out and said he would be with us in a few minutes and we were shown into his office. 
He came in and it was so cool to finally shake his hand and meet this man I've heard so much about! 
He took his time to answer any questions my hubby and I had and then explained the surgery. After about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour of talking, I went into another room to have a quick physical examination done. 
Once that was over, he told me that May seemed like a feasible time to have the surgery and told me that I needed to lose 15 to 20 lbs before the surgery (yikes). 
2 days after getting home, I confirmed with my PCP here in Thunder Bay that he would do my post op care and he set about ordering the tests etc. I have yet to hear back about an actual date for the surgery or for any dates for the gallbladder ultrasound or bone density test, but hopefully that will come today or tomorrow! 
Rox :)

Man oh man, I am horrible at keeping these things up to date!!!
So, here is the Reader's Digest version of what has happened since the last post....
I can't remember the exact date, but I went back to the Surgeon. I presented my case and he decided that the DS is the same as a procedure he used to do in the 1970's (no, I'm not kidding) called the jejunoileal bypass.  It wasn't a good procedure and caused horrible complications for it's patients.  I was basically told that if I decided to have the gastric bypass, to come back and see him, but he would under no circumstances sign the papers to have "THAT" kind of surgery done. Then he proceeded to tell me to have a nice day and left the room. 
I was devestated but wasn't going to take no for an answer. Being so smart, S-M-R-T, I had booked an appt with my family doctor for a couple of days after the surgeon. 
I went in and pleaded my case. I cried, I laughed, I yelled, but I got my point across. This was the last hope for having a normal life and being a good ACTIVE mother for my little boy. 
He agreed to sign. 
I picked up my signed papers on Thursday February 21 and purolated them the same day. OHIP received my package on the 22nd at 11:21am (yes, I remember odd numbers). Monday morning, February 25th, I received a call from OHIP telling me that because I put an "Anticipated surgery date" in, OHIP would NOT cover anything that happened before I received the approval. I told the woman that I completely understood and I hadn't booked anything. The date is just when my dr and I had hoped to have the surgery done by. The approval letter was done up later that day and faxed to my family doctor and purolated to me on the 26th.  For some reason...after 10 years of checking my mail EVERYDAY, I didn't on the 27th and didn't receive the purolator notice until the 28th. 
I picked up the letter and couldn't open it until I got home. My DH kept telling me that he would open it for me and I would get mad and tell him that I wanted to. He would say "then open it!" I would say "I don't want to!"
It took me about 15 minutes to work up the nerve, but I did and I didn't get any further than the "approved" part when I broke down into hysterical laughter and tears. 
I have my consult booked with Dr. L for March 17th and I'm crazy excited. I'm nervous and scared, but I know this is the right choice for me. 
All the support I have gotten on this board has been a life saver. It makes me feel like I'm not really in a little secluded town in Northwestern Ontario because I can turn on my computer and I have all of this wisdom and all of these friends that know so damn much!! lol
My DH, son and I are leaving for the consult on Saturday morning...we're going to make it a mini-vacation, stopping in Frankenmuth for our son to see the sights and then head to Rochester for Sunday evening. The drive from TBay to Dr. L is about 13 hours, so we thought it would be best to break up the drive a bit. Good thing about it is we were able to take our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS out of storage early - hopefully there is a warm day and we can open up the sun roof! Michigan here I come!!!!!
Rox :)