Hi my name is Heidi - I am a 45 year old mother of three and this is my WLS journey. "I can't change the way my life has been... but I am changing the way it will be!"
Heaviest Weight: 366 Weight at first consult: 362.5
Weight at Surgery: 312.8
Current Weight: 246.6 Goal Weight: 150
So much is going on in my personal life right now (my in-laws are divorcing and my FIL is moving onto my property) Talk about stressed.... Well this introduces a new thing - Head Hunger with a vengence. I never realized until now how much I stress ate - the other day I opened the fridge at least 10 times..... didn't get anything - but I opened it looking. It was a real eye opener. I need to find a better way to manage my stress levels, Anyway - my weight is inching down. Wish it were falling off - but i am NOT going to complain. It didn't get here over night! Anyway - I'll post a little later - it's getting late here - Goodnight!
I hit my 100 pounds lost today. I am sooooooo very excited that I could just scream! I have finally gotten vitamins that don't make me feel sick. And I am trying new foods all of the time. Sometimes a good outcome - other times..... not so good. But I keep on pluggin along. I feel so much better about mtself. My doctor has changed my depession meds (the Effexor XR wasn't working anymore) to Cymbalta and it seems to be working we,, for me. I got contacts yesterday - that'll hopefully help in the self-esteem area too. Well - I'd better get back to work - I just wanted to give a quick update!
Just when I thought I was feeling better - I started running another fever. I went in "out patient" for blood work-up and another CT scan. First the outpatient facility used sugar filled Tang for their dye contrast. I told them I was an RNY patient - but they didn't get the fact that I couldn't have all the sugar. I was soo sick - they could barely pull the blood needed and perform the CT scan. That was Friday, the 16th. I was admitted back in the hospital for IV antibiotics again on Saturday. "Should only take a day or two....." Well.... after having 350 mls of fluid drained from under my diaphram..... a drain catheter and bag added in a pocket of infection to hang on my side for a while..... and IV antibiotics, vitamins and fluids..... and a total of 6 days in the hospital I got to come home. My temp is finally down to normal. The hospital really surprised me. You have to make sure you watch what is given you..... Even my last day there i was given a HUGE chunk of apple pie - not sugarfree - mind you and the whole week's eating experience was like that. So make sure you are well educated as to what you can and cannot have and don't be afraid to ask and refuse to eat what you cannot have. My DH brought my protein from home - and smuggled me in some homemade sugarfree applesauce. I made due with some of the other things on my plate.
Anyway - I at least got to go home. I still have my drain and hopefully that'll come out Wednesday. My PIC line will be in for a couple of weeks - and I'll continue IV antibiotics the rest of this week. Then I'll keep the PIC line in for another couple of weeks just in case we need to restart IV antibiotics. This Tuesday I start working from home. Maybe my life will start into a normal routine. I'll catch up to you later.
I am finally able to walk without feeling my tummy was totally on fire. I moved from sleeping in the bed to sleeping in the recliner and it has made all of the diffrence in the world. But now that I am walking - i may have pushed a little too much - as i am exhausted today - but i'm just gonna kindof take it easy. Anyway - the pounds are dropping off - I am finally in the pureed stage and doing ok. and I am happy that i had the RNY. I'll check back in soon with an update.
Well - I've been out since May 1. This is gonna be a wild ride.
I came out of surgery with a horrific backache (probably from an old injury). After the back eased up I started to get up and with the pain management was able to walk laps around the floor at the hospital. The surgery went "better than expected" as stated by the surgeon. So I got to come home on the 3rd. Sunday was a pretty good day - I was getting around pretty well - not using much pain managment and then came Monday. Whew - bad day. First I stupidly ate some tomato soup. ( I don't know what I was thinking - way too much sugar) but I only ate 3 spoons and started feeling funny, I had my DH check the label and thank goodness - he did. I got cold sweats - and vowed off of tomato soup forever - at least the prepackaged kind. Monday night I had a few spoons of sugar-free jello and realized I ate too fast. But what's done is done. I thought I was ok - for about 10 minutes. Then I had 5 hours of waves of nausea, cramping, burning and I could feel the food as it worked though my system. Even with the Hydrocodone for pain. Word for the wise. Don't get too comfortable too soon - pay attention to details of what you were told...... That caused me to only want water for the next 24 hours. I was scared to put anything else on my tummy. Here's where I started running a 101.2 - 101.8 temp. The doctor's asked me to call if it climbed over 101 - so I did and went into the office. DH took me for test at the hospital - CT scan - blood work - and it was decided that I might have a small infection building. I was put on antibiotics. I am still running a low grade 99 temp at night - but feel better.
The only Complaint that I now have is this horrible burning in my stomach when I walk - between my belly button and my left side. Sometimes - I can walk a hundred or so feet - sommetimes I can't walk 5 feet. The nurses will call me back today to tell me if they want me to do anything else. It's funny that everything I eat/drink tastes extremely sweet.... So I am pushing to get my protein in - but I am getting there.
OK... There it is the good bad and ugly. I'll let you know and I'll be back soon.
Wow... Where in the world to start. I have been overweight my entire life. I was told that I would never have children... (although I am the Mom of 3 wonderful boys (1 stepson and 2 births - God is amazing!). I have always been reminded all of my life that I was fat... My brother tormented me and my Mom acted ashamed of me.... Not always but when someone noticed my weight - she was embarassed. I could tell you volumes... but we won't go there...
Through the years I - like most of you guys ... have tried everything that I could afford and then some. I have tried prescription drugs.... counting calories.... carbs.... fat grams... I have done the excercise... starving myself....and I just can't stand the circle I've been in. Lose 50 lbs - gain 70 back. lose 30 lbs gain back 40. I am divorced (first husband was an insensitive jerk), and I lost a large amount of weight after that. I guess that would be the divorce diet ... lol (don't recommend that to anybody). I have since remarried and have found my true soul mate. We've been married for 13 1/2 years now. He is a gem and sees me for me. I considered surgery after my last major attempt at dieting when lost nearly 75 lbs and gained ALL of it back and more - a lot more... and I just gave up. I found my weight starting to be a problem with my getting around and doing the things I love most. I can't walk nature trails (problems with my back, hip and knees hurting), I''m too big to ride theme park rides, or get on waterpark slides (not that sporting a bathing suit is at the top of my "favortite things to do list") LOL.
Quite a few years ago, I talked to my husband about surgery. He thought that I was fine the way I was. But that was quite a number of pounds ago - before it started to impact my life. But I never really quit thinking about it. Besides.... I couldn't afford it......
Last year in the span of about three weeks - I had 2 small children blatenly say " Man you're fat!"... and " You're a really fat lady". I know children are brutely honest - so I just looked at them and said... "Yes... I am" of course the folks they were with were mortified... but not as much as I was.... Then the company I work for asked me to go out of town. The last time I went - (about 65 lbs ago) I could barely fit into the commuter jet seats - so I knew this time I was going to need two. I about died to ask my boss for the additional seat - and the airport personnel can be such idiots when trying to explain that the two seats are for yourself and there is no other passenger.... Well that was the last straw - I had to make a change....
Back in September - I joined a local chapter of Sweet Adelines Internaltional (a Ladies Barbershop Harmony group) and started talking with one of the members who had told me that she had lost 140 pounds. That got me thinking - so I asked her how. When she told me weight loss surgery - I thought - maybe it's time to check it out again.
So here I am... on the way to a NEW LIFE! I talked to my PCP that recommended 2 different surgeons in my insurance plan - I went to both seminars - talked to people that have had both as surgeons and made my choice.
I went to my first consult last week and have an appointment to for my psych eval on 1/31. ( I already had a physical with blood work and an EKG - so I was a little ahead of the game)
As of January 1st - I gave up sodas (so much for my Mountain Dew addiction) and I gave up Caffeine altogether... (that was fun...LOL) so I am on my way. I just started the Atkins diet early so that I can lose some weight and help ensure a lower surgery risk and a better chance of my RNY being laproscopic. I have started walking ( be it only about 15 minutes to 20 per day - but ya got to start somewhere).
You know.... I just want to be around to see my kids grow up ...... and enjoy them...
TWYL -
Heidi
Height: 5ft 5in
Heaviest Weight 366 ( Last December)
Current weight 362.5