Chere D.
the beginning
Apr 24, 2011
1/6/05 - I have been considering WLS for about 2 ½ years and I recently made my decision to do it. I'm 32 years old mother of 2 boys and I've been married since '92. My husband and I took family pictures together at least once a year, every year from '92 until '97. We have gone on several cruises and when I look back over all the pictures, I have gotten bigger and bigger year after year. We haven't taken a family photo in 8 years. Since my oldest son was 2. I have a 5 year old and I do not have a single picture of both of us together and it's depressing. Any function we have at work I run from the camera. I do end up in a few of the pictures, like at Christmas parties when someone sneaks up on me and takes a picture and let me tell you...I really didn't realize how BIG I was unitl I looked at some pictures, all I could say was DAMN :-( I was going to have the RYN procedure at the Barix Clinic in Wylie TX. I was approved, had a date (December 21) and right before the “big date” I got sick (bronchitis). My PCP put me on Avelox antibiotics and 5 days later I went to Pre-Op (Barix). They still saw the bronchitis on the X-ray so my surgery was rescheduled for the first week of January. Well, darn insurance…my benefits were changing 1/1/05 and my company was adding a little twist to our benefits in 2005 concerning weight loss surgery. They were no longer going to approve or pay for WLS surgery OUT OF NETWORK. Now here I was at the end of December trying to find a network doctor and knowing that I was going to have to start from scratch…..consultation, approval, waiting….the hole nine yards! I still praise GOD that they are at least paying for in-network...some insurance companies have excluded weight loss surgery completely. (when one door closes another one opens)anyway, it just gave me time to do more research. That’s when I found out more about the lapband procedure. I ‘m going with the lapband procedure because technically I’m 100 pounds over weight (BMI 41.1) but I don’t want to be too thin especially too fast. My friend had Gastric Bypass and he has lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks. WHOO (go-boy)!!!! With the lapband band you lose the weight slower and after listening to the gastric bypass doctor at Barix at Pre-Op and then lapband doctor on 1/5 I think the lapband would be better for me. I want to get down to about 135-140 pounds; I think that weight would look good on me. I remember in high school weighing 140 as a senior (1990) and that was technically over weight, I dieted all through high school because I was always chunkier than everyone else. When I look back at my high school pictures I would kill to be that weight now. I’m 5’ 2” 226 pounds and my ideal weight is 118-132 but I do not want to be skinny just comfortable and healthy. I don’t want people to think I’m on crack. Gastric bypass would take the weight off so fast that I would probably have the sick look. I’m a black female and people of my race are stereotypical minded (I hope that is a correct way to use the word). If you drop a lot of weight fast, you must be on crack, have HIV or something. My husband is more concerned with me losing my butt. He keeps saying “baby, don’t lose all the butt, I want to be able to tell where your back stops and butt starts.” (LOL). I want to be about a size 10 but I think I would probably look ok in a size 8 but not any smaller. Anyway, who knows what GOD has in store for me. I went for my consultantion at Medical City (Las Colinas Tx) this week and I really like the doctor. He was straight forward and I like that! Well, now I’m waiting to get approved (again) from UHC and hopefully all will go well with that. I will update once I hear I’m approved. Remember GOD is GOOD!1/10/05 - Well today I called the Barix Clinic in Wylie to get them to release copies of my medical record to my new doctor. Since I went through Pre-op at the Barix clinic my new doctor wants all that information in my file at his office. Getting approved the first time was so easy, it took about 2-3 weeks and I wasn’t even thinking about it while I was waiting, then the letter showed up. This time I’m really excited and anxious to have the lapband and I keep having negative thoughts. Like UHC will deny me….. I know it’s nothing but the devil planting those seeds in my heads. I know that everything will workout and I must keep positive thoughts! For now, I’m just playing the waiting game.
2/5/05 - Ok, I can never get approved if UHC never receives my letter. I never received a call back from my doctor on Wednesday like they said so I grew impatience. I called the doctors office back on Friday 2/4 and I got a new assistance on the phone because the one I had been speaking to was out. I explained to her my dilemma, that UHC still hadn’t received my information and I was told by the other assistance it was faxed on 1/12. She said she would look into it and call me back if not the same day I would definitely get a call back on Monday. Well it wasn’t 30 minutes later I received a call back and she told me that she spoke with a supervisor at UHC and was told that if it was faxed on 1/12 it must have been routed to the wrong department or misplaced because they don’t have any record of it. The supervisor asked that it be re-fax directly to her and she would review it and have an answer no lately that Friday 2/11……………….Let me pray… Lord, I’m asking once again to allow this to come to pass. I pray that you will continue to watch over me and give me peace of mind while I wait this out.
2/8/05 - GOD IS SOOOOOO GOOD. THANK YOU JESUS, I'M APPROVED!
2/25/05
My husband and I just came back from seeing Joel Osteen at the AA Center. He was great and sold out. He had arranged for the American Airline Center to have free parking and his tickets were only $10. I had a good time. On the way home I realized that Monday is just a few days aways and I am ready. I really need to buckle down and get my head on straight. I know that half the battle is changing the way my mind thinks about food. Most of the time I eat as a comfort not because I'm hungry. I will really start praying that GOD gives me the strength to stay away from the unhealthy food. I need to ask myself when I'm faced with food choice "is this healthy?"
3/3/05
Ok, right now I'm wondering what have I done. I will be honest the 5 incisions are not hurting at all but this gas and left shoulder pain is killing me.
3/18/05
First of all, I want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior..Jesus. Just because I’m nothing without you…Thank U.
3/29/05
Ok, yesterday was my one month band-anniversary. I had a doctor’s appointment today and he said it was time for a fill. Yippee! I have been hungry and he told me that after the fill I would notice the difference in the amount I eat. I hope I have restriction after the first fill. I have read where some don’t feel restriction until the 2nd or 3rd fill. Oh well, we will see. I don’t like the scale at the doctors’ office. According to their scale I have lost 11 pounds since surgery. Their scale had 212 today and the scale at the hospital the day of surgery was 223. But if you go by my consultation weight on January 7th, I was 226. So since January I’ve lost 14 pounds but since surgery 11 pounds. I still don’t have a scale at home but I weigh on the scale at the gym at work.
This weekend I did buy a new pair of jeans because the 18 are not appealing anymore. I bought one pair of 16 at Wal-mart and they fit comfortably. Ok now, all of my spring pants from last year are a 16 and before surgery they were too little. Now some fitting nicely and some are a little snug. See, two years ago when I did the Atkins diet I lost about 25 pound and went from a 20 to a 16 and I was on cloud 9. I never broke the 200 mark so I got disappointed and started back eating carbs like crazy and gain all the weight back and then some. I haven’t been in anything smaller than a 16 since I had my oldest son in 1995. I think once I get in a 14 I will feel a since of pride! I really want to loose this stomach. That is my most problem area. It has gone down some and I’m looking forward to more weight falling off!
I will update again after the fill.
4/19/05
Time for an update. Let me start by giving praise! Thank you Jesus for.....JUST BEING WHO YOU ARE! First things first, I’m calling the doctor tomorrow. Today makes 2 weeks sent my first fill and I did lose a little weight the first week but that‘s because I was on the post-fill diet (3 days liquids, 3 days soft, 7th day back to regular foods.) Last week I was on regular food and I can tolerate everything. I have been working out 5 days a week. I do 30 min on the elliptical machine and after that 15 min lifting light weights (5 lbs) for arms on Monday and Wednesday, 15 min legs stuff on Tuesday and Thursday and Friday all cardio! So maybe I’m gaining muscle....I don’t know. I will call the doctor tomorrow because it’s not just the scale not moving that is bothering me it’s the fact that I can EAT A LOT. I have no restriction and that is one important thing that I need to make this work. So, it doesn’t hurt to call and see what the doctor will have to say. Until next time….MOVE SCALE!
7/7/05
Well today I weighed and I finally got under two hundred pounds (198). I’m so excited about that. I really want to work on my stomach. It has gone down a lot but if I can lose that my blouse size will go down significantly. I think I will try to get another fill in the next few weeks and that should help me with the challenge. My son will start little league football practice on 7/11 so while he’s practicing I will be walking around the park. It’s been so hot here so I must admit I having not been walking or working out like I should. My weight loss he been slow but that’s in part to me not eating like I’m supposed to. I have started to work on that too. Well until next time remember GOD is still in control!
3/31/06
Oh my has it been that long since I've updated. I've been doing great with the lapband. It's been over a year and I can say that having the lapband was the best decision I ever made. I still struggle with the working out part. I hate working out but I really want to be fit. I currectly weight 170 and I loving it. I want to be down to about 150 by July 4th so I joined 24 hour fitness so I can really get moving. God Bless until next time!
4/15/08
well well well i can't believe it's been years since I've been on OH. I've been doing good with my lapband until this week. I had a bad stomach flu and i was vomoting a lot and i think i have something suck or my band has slipped. I'm calling the doctor on Monday. I'm not in any pain but everything i eat seems to get suck. I can tell that my food is not going down like it has been. I haven't had a fill since the first year i've got the band and i have good restriction but this is the first time i have had a problem. I will update once i find out what has happen.
