ObesityHelp.com: Making the Journey Together
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Mine (28)
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Goals

Ride all the rides at an amusement park

Category: Hobbies & Interest   
0 People
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this

Wear a bathing suit again!

Category: Emotional Wellbeing   
17 People
 in progress, 
3 People
 achieved this

Lose 100 pounds by my 1 yr anniversary

Category: Health   
4 People
 in progress, 
2 People
 achieved this

Socialize more

Category: Other   
1 Person
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this

see my bones (I miss them!)

Category: Other   
0 People
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this
Surgeon Testimonial

Wade Barker, M.D.
Dr. Barkers staff was super nice and his office is set up to accomodate larger people which was nice. Dr. Barker is very quiet but willing to answer all of your questions but he doesn't tell you more than you need to know.

My suggestion to future patients of his would be to go into his office prepared with a list of all the questions you have for him to answer. Also call your insurance provider ahead of time and get a list from them of everything they will require the surgeon to send them to be considered for surgery. Gather all this information ahead of time so when you meet with Dr. Barkers insurance staff they will be able to submit the letter the following day.

So far I have been happy with Dr. Barker and his staff. The only thing I think they need help with is providing more information about what to expect post op, what weight to expect to achieve and help with food ideas for each phase of the post op.
Member Interests
  • Dogs - I have a 2 yr old Teacup Yorkie named Coco
  • Board Games & Puzzles - I love games ALL GAMES! I also love to do puzzles.
  • Camping - We have a travel trailer and I hope to feel better next year to use it more
  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - I have had 4 surgeries, cysts range from gumball size to football. NO FUN!!!

Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by Debbie W. on 10/15/06 7:04 pm
    Donna, My thoughts and prayers will be with you tomorrow. May your surgery go smoothly and your recovery be complication free! debbie
  • Comment by Sweet_Tee on 10/13/06 6:43 am
    Donna, my re-birth sister, We are starting our new lives together on Monday the 16th. I just wanted to wish you a smooth, uncomplicated, surgery, and a speedy recovery. May your surgery be the beginning of a fantastic new life, filled with everything you dream for yourself. Sweet T
  • Comment by Cyndi M. on 10/11/06 5:55 pm
    ~~~~~~CONGRATULATION S ON YOUR UPCOMING SURGERY~~~~~~ (Everything in our lives happens for a purpose and that purpose is to prepare us) May God give you courage, strength and guidance throughout your new journey. You are about to embark on the most amazing transformation of you mind, body and soul. Your big day is almost here, this is the day, your new life will begin, I cant promise it will be easy, cant say it will be hard, I can say that with all the complications and everything I had to go through, It was well worth it. I have never felt better in yearsss, I’m off all medications, have sooooo much more energy. So if you hit a bump in the road, hang in there and remember it will alll be worth it in the long run. Sending Prayers your way that the Lord will guide your surgeon’s hands. May the guardian angels wrap their loving arms of protection around you during your surgery and recovery. Remember your not alone in this journey, many of us have been down this road, we are here to offer love and support. Looking forward to hearing from you on the loosing side. Huggs and Prayers Link to my profile 8-19-04 surgery date weight 297.5 height 5f 2 -115.5 weight losss http://www.obesityhe lp.com/morbidobesity /members/profile.php ?N=M1087435160
Click here for the surgery support page

I went for my 1 year appt. with my surgeon and he was more than pleased with my success.  That took a few pictures and asked me if I would be interested in doing a commercial or magazine ad.  He said he hasnt had many patients do so well in 1 year and that he was shocked I lost 145 pounds at that point and didnt have all the saggy skin.  On my appt. date I had lost 145 pounds and weighed exactly 145 pounds.  So I was very pleased.   

As of today I am down to 142 pounds and really just trying to maintain my weight.  I had to go get new jeans this weekend and they were a size 4 which still just shocks me.  In high school I wore size 7s and so this is so new to me.  Never been this small before.  I ran into a friend from high school and she was shocked at how great I look.  I have had younger men hit on me.. hell just having men hit on me is very new too.  Very weird!!!

To all my friends on here... please dont think I am ignoring you or neglecting you but my candle business is booming right now and keeps me more than too busy.  But it will slow down soon and I promise to get to all of your emails as soon as I can.

If you are interested in candles or know anyone who is check out my website:
www.makingscents4u.com

If you arent on my friends list add me...  I am always willing to help you out.  
LilSisInTx's Blog



My Journey
on November 28, 2006 10:37 pm
August 8, 2007 (almost 10 months post op)
Only 10 days until my 10 month post op and it feels like just yesterday.  What an amazing journey this has been.  Been through so many ups and downs but I still say I'd do all over again in a heartbeat.   Last month was tough, we were traveling a lot for vacation and illnesses in the family and a death, so I didn't have as much control over my food choices and didn't lose much weight.  Plus I was only 10 pounds from goal so I knew it was going to slow down drastically.  But I am back on track now that I am home and as of this morning I am only 2 pounds from my goal weight although I want to lose 3 pounds to be at 149... and possibly more depending on how I look.  I am 100% happy at the size I am now, more interested in firming up whats there and as I get more muscle and less flab I may be glad I lost a little more up front.  So may change my goal to 140 and then hit it hard to firm it up.  Either way I'm HAPPY!!!    Tonite we went shopping for jeans and I fit into a size 6!!!  I didn't even wear a 6 when I got married.  Last time I wore a 6 was in high school.  I am the same weight as my 22 year old daughter and wearing smaller sizes than her, it's just amazing.   Now my main concern is keeping it off and staying focused.  My life has seen so many changes and its amazing the things I notice now that I never noticed before.  I am reaching all of my goals and loving them all.

Goals I recently reached and enjoyed:  Going to Universal Studios in FL and riding EVERY ride and having so much room in the seat.   Wearing a 2 piece swimsuit in public at the resort and not being the fattest one there!!  Walking the theme parks for 3 days in row and not thinking I was going to die.  Getting into a size 6 jeans.  These are just a few I can think of off the top of my head but I reach goals all the time and love it.

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April 15, 2007 (6 months post op)

Tomorrow will be my 6 month post op anniv. and I couldn't be happier with my success.  As of today I have lost 102 pounds!!!  I am still in shock because I look back at my personal goals and have passed them all.  I never dreamed I would have lost 100 pounds this soon.

This past month has been so hard on me.  I had surgery on March 16th to have 2 tumors removed and my right ovary removed which they supposedly removed last April.  This was my 5th surgery like this so I wasn't concerned as I always bounce back from surgery pretty easily.  Well when I woke up from surgery I knew something was wrong and was crying and in so much pain non stop and running a fever.  Despite running a fever they still sent me home 3 days later feeling like death.  I never got out of bed and was so sick for 2 weeks.  The dr. called in some antibiotics and said I must have a urinary tract infection but I knew it was more.  This went on and on and no help from him.  His nurse acted like I was a big baby and to take time to get well.  Then I woke up with bloody diarreah and it was really bad.  They again acted like it was "blood in my bowels" and so I called the drs office and said I was coming in and he was going to see me or I was going to cause a scene!  Went in and sure enough I was right... they sent me for a CT scan and I had a large hematoma.  They put me in the hospital instantly because it was infected.  I ended up having 3 different infections.  Had to have 2 blood transfusions because of all the blood I had lost.  Had to get tons of potassium, magnesium and iron.  Lots of antibiotics.  Then had a procedure where they placed two drains in my stomach to try and drain the blood.  Blood likes to clot so its hard to drain from a small tube so its a slow go.  I ended up in the hospital 11 days and came home with 2 drains that they are guessing will be in for 6 - 8 weeks until the hematoma is completely gone.  I am still on the antibiotics and they hope the infection will be gone in the next week.  I am starting to feel a little better each day, but still very weak.  I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemy and I was thinking about plastic surgery once I lost all my weight but I swore if I made it through this I would never have surgery again unless I was about to die!

I still wonder if the complications from my surgery are not related to the WLS.  I know many people who have had surgeries and had problems.  I may be wrong but like I said, Ive had this exact surgery 5 times and NEVER had a problem before.

The good thing is I still lost weight this past month but I am so swollen from the hematoma that I am unable to get back in the jeans I was wearing.  Plus having 2 drains come out the front of my stomach makes it hard to wear jeans.  So I can't wait to have this all behind me so I can see what its like to weigh 100 pounds less than I did before!!
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March 11, 2007 (5 months post op)


This weekend will be my 5 month post op anniv, but I will be in the hospital so I wanted to get on here and try and do an update in case it's a while before I feel like getting online again.

As of today I have lost 90 pounds since my surgery date and 100 pounds since my highest weight 3 yrs ago.  I have dropped from a size 30/32 to a size 14 and yesterday I fit into a size 12 jeans although I will wait to wear them because I still hate tight jeans.  

So far I have exceeded all my goals and couldnt be happier with my successes.  Even with the hard times, feeling like crap, missing food, etc. Id do it all over in a heartbeat!!!

Since January I have been sick with a large tumor in my lower abdomen and it is now larger than a grapefruit and they did some bloodwork for cancer markers that came back positive and very high so I have been super stressed out about that.  I have had many tumors before but they always said they were ovarian tumors and last year they finally got my last ovary out and expected this to stop.  So now they are all lost as to what is causing the tumors.   This will be my 6th abdominal surgery in 4 years and my 3rd surgery in less than a year.  Last years tumor was the size of a football by the time they got it out so I hope they get this one out before it gets that big.

Of course I pray its not cancer and the worst part right now has been I am unable to exercise do to the pain I am in.  Also have been very fatigued which is common with these.  So I pray we get this behind us so I can get back on track.

Luckily my weight is still coming off, I've lost 90 of the 120 I want to lose, so I am 75% of the way there.  I haven't been a size 12 since before my daughter was born 22 years ago.

Even with the new health problems life is so much better than it's been for me in years.  Also since I hit the 4 month marker most foods seem to go down fine and its so much easier coming up with things to eat.  

I wouldnt change this for the world... Id do it again in heartbeat...  I thank God every day for the best 5 months ever!!

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January 27, 2007 (3 months post op)


This week was my 3 month post-op appointment with my surgeon, he had set a goal of losing 50 pounds by this date, and I was so happy to have lost 72 pounds!!!  Was rather funny, I thought he would be so excited that I lost 22 extra pounds but instead when he found out I am not doing ANY protein sups. he said if I would have done the sups all along I would have lost even more!  Geeez!   I am eating lots of protein so I didnt know I still needed 2 sups a day, but he contridicts what the nurtritionist is telling us at our support meetings.  Will be interesting because next weekend he will be at the meetings too and they will have to either agree or have quite a few mad patients.

It has been an amazing journey so far.  I am so happy with the successes I have had and hope they can continue!  Hitting the 3 month post op mark has also been great in other ways.  It seems like I can add new foods to my diet without any problems and without getting sick.  

I had my 1st salad last week and I loved it.  I am a big salad eater so I was really missing this!!  I had a grilled chicken salad which I split with my daughter and we still didn't eat the entire thing.  My newest favorite snack is beef jerkey, high in protein and low fat.  It gives me a boost when I am finished with my work out and between meals.  My other favorite food is turkey or ham rolls.  I roll fat free cream cheese inside of a slice of turkey and  these make great meals or snacks.  I am eating a lot more protein but still feeling tired as I have added a daily workout to my routine.  I am doing a 45 minute workout at Curves and love this and hope it will keep me from having too much extra skin hanging in the end.

As of today I have gone down 6 sizes in jeans, 8 sizes in tops, 4 sizes in bra, 4 sizes in panties, 1 1/2 sizes in shoes, 3 sizes in wedding ring, had to get new eye glasses so they wouldnt fall off my face.  It's amazing what losing 72 pounds does for you.  I no longer wear PLUS sizes!! YEAH!!   And I even bought my shirts in the Jrs. Dept this week!   

I am so much happier each day!!!!
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January 4, 2007 (11 weeks post-op)

Today I broke the 60 pound barrier that I had been stuck at for a week!  The weight loss does slow down in the 3rd month just like my Dr. said it would, but I am still very pleased to lose 10 pounds a month.  At this rate I am still way ahead of the game plan that I made for myself as well as my Dr. made for me.  He wanted me to lose 50 pounds by my 3 month visit on the 23rd of this month, I have lost 62 pounds as of today, so I am ahead of his goal and have 3 more weeks to go.  

62 pounds lighter is amazing!  I am down 6 sizes in my tops and 5 sizes in my jeans.  I am a big time bargain shopper and I have always hit the clearance racks, now I buy clothes that wont fit me and just keep waiting to get into them.  I bought 3 shirts in November for $2.90 each on clearance and they all fit me this week... I got a pair of jeans at Macy's today for $11.99 but they are 2 sizes too small right now, but it wont be long!!  I just refuse to pay full price for clothes I can't wear for very long.

Each day I feel my confidence growing and my old self emerging from this shell it has been locked inside of.  This isn't an easy journey, but one I am glad to be taking.  I thank God every day for helping me through this and I know in a year I will thank him even more and be so happy to have the hardest part behind me.  I know this weight loss battle is a life long battle... but I finally know its a battle I will win!!

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December 8, 2006 (7 1/2 weeks post-op)

Yeah for me!!!  Today I finally went past the 50 pound weight loss mark!!!  I was so excited.  I still dont see the loss in the mirror but everyone else seems to see it.  So today I compared my old photos to ones taken today and was shocked.  I rewarded myself with a new pair of jeans (size 20 - down from size 30) and a new sweater and jacket.  Decided I cant keep wearing all baggy clothes.  But hate to buy something that wont fit for long.  Oh well.. I deserved it!  Funny thing is I used to reward myself with food!  No more!

Goodbye 50 pounds... only 80 more to go!!  I feel great today!!  We went to the mall and did Christmas shopping and I walked all day.  3 months ago there was no way I could have done that.  The 50 pounds off has made me feel so much better.
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November 28, 2006 (6 weeks post-op)

I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since my surgery.  Everyone around me says "wow you have lost so much weight in such a short time" but it seems like it's been longer than 6 weeks for me.

I have had some great days and some bad days but through it all I wouldn't change my mind on having the surgery.  On the bad days I remind myself it will get easier and in 1 year I will be so happy and look back on this and probably forget most of the bad days.

I had so much energy the 1st three weeks but that has passed and now I am so tired!  I have a hard time getting in my proteins and I feel nausea all the time and nothing taste good so it's even hard to get my vitamins down and not throw them up.  But I know this too shall pass.

As of today I have lost 46 pounds which is just amazing.  I have gone from a size 28 top to a size 18 and from a size 30 jeans to a size 22.  It still shocks me.  I am very pleased with the progress and each day I look at myself I don't see the loss that other people see but then I put on my old clothes and they fall off and I know it's true.

My personal 1st goal was to lose 50 pounds by the time I go home for Christmas since that will be the 1st time my famly sees me.  My husbands family doesn't even know I had surgery yet so they will be the most shocked.  I am well ahead of my goal.  My doctors goal was to lose 50 pounds by my 3 month visit in January so that goal will be passed too!

I also decided that for every 40 pounds I lose I will have a day of pampering myself.  That was nice!  I had a hour massage and an hour pedicure and then a 45 minute reflexology foot massage.  I can't wait to lose 40 more pounds to do that again!

I have gone 6 weeks without any medications for my arthritis which is so amazing.  I've only been in bad pain 3 times to far, but the weight loss has helped my arthritis so much!

I thought I would be on here more often than I am but aside from being so tired lately this is a busy time of year for us because we own a candle business and this is our busy time for selling candles and I am the candle maker!

I will try and get on here again to talk about the bad sides of the surgery that I have experienced so maybe it will be helpful to others.  I wish I had known more about the foods you can't eat and foods you can eat.  It's so hard figuring out what your body will like and not like.  Plus the foaming from certain foods is the worst but throwing up isn't half as bad as I expected, it actually feels good to just get it out of there when you are in so much pain.
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Tuesday, October 31, 2006 (2 wks post-op)

Today is 2 weeks since my surgery and I have lost 26 pounds.  My dr. appt last week went great and I felt wonderful but the last 5 days have been tough and I haven't lost a pound in 5 days!!!  I do ok with liquids but the pureed foods are killing me.  I feel like I am not eating ANYTHING so why am I not losing weight?  But my doctor said it's because I lost 26 pounds so quick that my body is trying to catch back up.  He suggested I only weight once a week or even every 10 days but that seems impossible.  I will just keep trying and keep walking and hopefully the weight will move again.  I almost dread moving to solids when the pureed foods hurt this much going down.
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Friday, October 13, 2006
(pre-op)

Well I can't believe it is only 3 days until my surgery!!  Today was a busy day because my daughter flew in from Amarillo for the weekend so we picked her up at the airport and then went to dinner (broth for me!!) and then we had to set up for a craft show we are doing this weekend.  

I am so glad I have this big show over the weekend to keep me busy and keep my mind off the surgery.  We sell candles and we do shows every weekend from October 1st to December 1st.  

This is day 5 of my liquid diet and I have done really well.  I have never been hungry and can already tell my stomach is shrinking.  Luckily I have been on some allergy meds that make me so thirsty so I have been chugging the water all week.  I weighed today because I noticed my wedding ring was sliding around and I have lost 8 pounds so that keeps me motivated.

My daughter said she can already tell a difference in my mood and attitude.  I have noticed it myself because in my mind my new life started on Monday when I started the liquid diet.  Instead of dreading a week of liquids I thought of it as a kick start to this awesome weight loss that will change every part of my life.

I am definitely nervous and a little scared but I am more excited than anything.  I log in here every night and look at before and after pics for inspiration.  The part I am scared about is the same as any surgery I have had, just worrying you will be ok especially when you have kids.  I guess that's just the mom in me.  But like I told my daughter, if something bad happens to me, just remember that this is the happiest I have been in over 15 years!!!

I've noticed so many new things in the past few weeks.  I think I even notice that I ate more than I realized I did and that I ate when I was bored a lot of the time.  I also ate when I was sad, but also when I was happy!  haha Go figure!  Today when we were out running errands I noticed there are tons of fast food places on every corner.  I wasn't hungry at all but they all sounded good.  I am a sucker for fast food.  I also noticed that 50% of the commercials are about food.  So I get up and do something during commercials, luckily I only watch TV on Thursday nights and late at night when I cant sleep and they don't seem to show food commercials then.

63 hours and counting!  I can't wait!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My Story

 weight3.png picture by LilSisInTx

2nd chance

I have been thinking about weight loss surgery for two years but in the past 4 years I have had 5 surgeries and continuous cysts that have prevented me from having the surgery. Finally this year in May I had my final abdominal surgery and they finally were able to get my left ovary out which had wrapped itself around my colon. They then re-built my colon and removed the 10 cysts I had ranging in size from a quarter to a football.

In September I started looking really hard into the surgery and within 6 weeks here I am only 6 days away from my surgery date. Luckily for me since I go to the doctors all the time for other health issues I had copies of all of my medical history for the past 5 years so it was easy for my doctors to get everything they needed to my insurance for approval. I was approved in 9 days.

I am so scared but I am also so anxious at the same time. Its like a roller coaster ride. Part of me dreads the thought of the hard times ahead but most of me is so excited I can't even sleep at night for thinking about it non stop. I think about how many things are going to change in my life and I hope the pain in my feet is one of those things to change. Right now in the morning I can barely walk to the restroom, some times I have to crawl to use the restroom. I have a high tolerence for pain but this pain has gotten so bad in the past year. I have no doubt the weight is making the arthritis worse.

For the past 21 years I have put my family ahead of myself and never really thought anything about it. I feel like this surgery is the 1st step to putting myself 1st for once. I made a promise to myself that this year is the year I turn my life around and I start putting myself first every now and then. I have a wonderful daughter who is 21 and in Pharmacy School so I know she is grown and its ok to put myself ahead of her now and take care of me. I also hope by losing this weight I will feel better and look better. One day I will be standing next to my daughter at her wedding and will be proud of my weight loss. Also one day I will have lots of energy to play with my grandkids. This is going to change my life forever.

beautiful

 

 

 


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