- Username: MsAlejandro
- Location: Orlando, FL, USA
- Member Since: 6/19/2008
- BMI: 32.1
- Post Op
- Surgery Type: VSG (05/03/12)
- Surgeon: Muhammad A. Jawad, M.D.
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7 People in progress, 1 Person achieved this |
140 People in progress, 309 People achieved this |
Surgeon TestimonialMuhammad A. Jawad, M.D.Unfortnately, Dr. Jawad was in surgery and therefore I did not get a chance to meet him. However, I did meet his staff and everyone from Roberto at the front desk with his phenomenal sense of humor to Sandra Denton what a hoot. Sandra Brown should have shared she had had the surgery too. She looks fantastic. rnrnDr. Jawad's group povided very detailed and meticulous information important to having the procedure. rnrnI felt extremely comfortable and at ease with everyone there. rnrnAlthough I was apprehensive about going through with this everyone I have spoken to that has had the procedure wished they would have done it sooner.rnrnI cannot wait to have all my paperwork submitted for approval.rn
MsAlejandro's JourneyClick Here To View
Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.My weight issues began right after I gave birth to my son in 1986. Before getting pregnant I was a very finicky eater. I prayed when I got on the scale it would stay within 125 and 129. The thought of the scale reaching 130 would create a heart attack!!!! How ironic I am almost 270 lbs. today, who would have thought. I always remember my mother telling me “Don’t ever go on a diet they will only making you gain weight” how right she was. I tried every single diet under the stars from hot dogs and ice cream, to lettuce and coffee. The funny one was 3 apples a day and 3 tablespoons of Peanut Butter – OMG that as so funny. I remember going on a 3 day diet and on the second day falling down the stairs of a NY subway station cuz I had passed out. ...
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“A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles”
Today 5 Months Out on October 11, 2012 9:10 am
Greetings My OH Family and Friends:
Today marks 5 months, 1 week, 1 day and God knows how many hours and I am down from a Size 22 to a beautifyl sized 14 and with wiggle room.
I stepped on the scale and could hug myself ... 186 !!!
What????? Loving myself and Loving the New Old Me...........thank you Dr. M. Jawad.... you are a miracle worker and a true testament to your profession.
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Surgery Date Came and Went on May 8, 2012 5:57 am
So here I am five days post op. Trying to get as much fluid as possible. The gas pain is the worst....... One thing for sure I was up super early this morning. The energy level is amazing. Had about 1/4 cup of hot tea, took forever. Then I decided to get some walking in so walked to the front of my apartment complex and back hoping I can let out some air. Gas pain is still there on the left side of my stomach or belly. Sitting here sipping on some more hot tea. Not sure what I am feeling today. I do know that I am so ready to get into my car and drive to the beach.... but I was told no driving for at least two weeks post op. Will begin counting down the days
Hope you guys are doing well. Chat soon.
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4 Days till relief............... on April 30, 2012 6:23 am
Good Morning My OH Family:
Well here I sit trying to type with my raw fingers..........you guessed it... I was asked to remove my overlays.....OMG. I did it myself so for those who understand OUCH!!!!!
I have been feeling so nervous, anxious, afraid.............. I have wanted this moment to come for so long that now its like wow the moment is so close to happening,. I have received so much your life is about to end on Thursday, and yet I feel it is a hope of my life beginning. Guess today its just about digging in deep and letting go of what others have to say right?????
Here is to the new more fabulous me.................  Not sure that will be possible LOL... Chat soon
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The Shoe Finally Fell.............. on April 24, 2012 8:31 am
I knew this was too good to be true. I sent the following email to my best friend in NYC....................My boss is in so I needed to let off some steam………………
I am soooooooooooooo pissed off……………. Okay so I am very upset, work with me Mira. The following will make you laugh until you cry sooo try to read through it without falling out of the chair…………..
I have been asking what my OOP is and they said about $1,200. When I last spoke to UHC I was told I would have no OOP. That pretty much everything is covered.
Today I get a call from Melva at ORMC (Orlando Regional Medical Center) informing me I had an OOP of $2,475.35 !!!!! Which is due before April 27th this freaking Friday…….I can pay ½ and then make payments. Really???? Thanks for the Heads Up United Health Care, Dr. Jawad, and Melva 
At first I was like Jeez this cannot be happening. I tell you Mira I have been having some crazy dreams of Mom stealing soap and latex gloves from the hospital and screaming that I owe her $750 when I owe her nothing – LOL
I have been afraid to apply to anything involving my credit because I was told I have No Credit !!!!!
I just applied for an Unsecured Loan through my bank, and stated the loan is for an OOP for Surgery. Please pray that they have some compassion for a fat short Puerto Rican …………. If they say No I am literally Up a Creak with No Paddles……………
I just needed to blow off some steam………..hey it is what it is………….Never a dull moment for Priscilla Alejandro...................... I wish I had known this back in February. This would have given me a few months to gather the monies, well at least 1/2 of it.
I may just be meant to be FAT ….. I definitely need angelic intervention.................. 
Gotta go make some calls..............
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My Story I am a NeuYorican from Brooklyn New York, living in Orlando, Florida. My family is back up north still in Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey. My reason for remaining here is because as much as my family loves me, I always have to get the digs from my brother and father.
You see as I child I was not fat. My mother suffered with being pleasantly plump her entire life. She made it a point for her four children not to have the same problem with weight that she had growing up and as an adult. Most of my weight gain was after I had my son twenty two years ago. Gaining 73 lbs I never made it to 200 I was actually 3 pounds shy of that benchmark. After giving birth I went down to 160 lbs. and to think I thought I was obese, can you imagine? After the death of my husband I lost a few pounds but nothing terribly drastic, I swung between a 14 and a 16. A few years later I remarried, and 3 years after that my husband decided he did not want to have the responsibility of a wife or a son, whateva!!!
I believed it was because I had ballooned up to 221 lbs. For the next three months after he left, I cried every waking and sleeping moment, literally. I lost a total of 52 lbs. within 3 months of not eating, but crying (smile - I think it's funny now, my mother still thinks its funny) But not eating really works. I moved to Orlando, Florida shortly thereafter, and the sedentary lifestyle of Florida as opposed to New York, allowed me to put on at least 40 of the 52 pounds I had lost.
In 2005 I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Another cookie and you will be signing your death certificate was what the Endocrinologist told me. She put me on medication and told me to stay away from all white flour. NO CARBS? ! However, I noticed 1 week later that I had so much energy that I started working out. In 1 month I had gone down from 234 lbs to 204 lbs!!! OMG! Another month went by and now I was down to 193 lbs I was looking and feeling fine as wine. I had my eye on someone I new from 30 years back and I thought this was it. I continued to lose weight for the next few months getting down to 180 lbs. I made trips to my friends town on a regular, and to be honest with you, I thought he felt the same way I did. But sad to say, I was too fat for his liking. He liked modelesque girls. You know the kind that have legs up to their necks and are a size 2?!?!....Whateva. That broke my heart. I cried for what seemed ever, this time to the tune of ending up in the emergency room with what I thought was a heart attack. It was now March 2007 and 6 months had gone with the return of 40 lbs - 
The more depressed I became the less I thought of what to eat. Meanwhile I was unhappy at work, unhappy with myself, unhappy overall I was just a mess. On a scheduled visit to a GYN appointment. The nurse took my blood pressure. She asked if I had a headache, yes I said for the past few weeks. She said your pressure is 170 over 110!!!!! You need to go see a doctor. She referred me to who is now my PCP. After a few visits with her she suggested I think about WLS!!!!!.....Weight Loss Surgery!!! What! Me???? A few days after that conversation I was standing in my boss’s office with another co-worker and she asked him if he had lost weight. “No he told her, I think it is the combination of this shirt and pants.” “Yes that could be true; then again it could also be because you are standing next to Priscilla me.” I had never cried so much!!! I had never been outwardly told that I was FAT. That was when I decided it was time to make a few changes, not only begin the journey to a better quality of life, but also a change from that windbag I was working for.
I attended a seminar in Celebration, only to find out my insurance did not cover the doctor. I attempted to attend one of Dr. Jawad’s seminar but there was always something that prevented me from attending.
I finally met someone who had gone to Dr. Jawad, and she raved about him, his staff, and his bedside manner. Also the fact she had undergone the procedure and had lost nearly 85 lbs. in less than 6 months!!! The same question I ask anyone that has undergone the procedure, was what I asked her, if you had to do it again, would you?
I finally made the trek to Dr. Jawad’s office in Ocala, on September 9th. Walked out so confident of what I wanted to do. I had my labs done on September 12th, Gallbladder Ultrasound on September 17th, Psychiatric Evaluation on September 17th and I received a phone call from the pre-determination coordinator on September 30th telling me I still needed the notes from the PCP and I was not cleared from the Psych Evaluation. Everything looked good but they never provided me with the clearance. I felt so deflated and sad. As if my world had stopped spinning. Could this be true that it was not going to happen?. As fast as I got the call, I typed up two letters and faxed them over faster than quick. Asking the doctors and their nurses to provide Dr. J's office with what they needed to move ahead. I have not heard from Dr,. J's office, but I hope and pray this will be taken care of soon.
As I sit and wait I now am carrying 246.5 lbs. on a 5' 3.5" frame, my knees hurt, my back hurts, every joint in my body aches. As I look back I can remember every single diet that I have been on, every gym I have had a membership to; every exercise equipment I have owned, and here I sit waiting anxiously for my life to begin; just a glimpse of hope from someone informing me of my surgery date.
Oh by the way, my mom, well she too has had a weight problem. But she continues to be a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and hopes to one day achieve her goal weight and become an Instructor.my brother is a lean 5’9” 165 lbs. Adonis, my twin sisters are two beautiful 5’3” and weighing no more than 130 - 140lbs. My dad is pretty lean as well. My son is 6’1” and weighs over 275 lbs. But he is young and since moving back to New York City is slimming down.
I will keep you posted as I get closer and closer to the beginning of my life. Hope you will be there to stand by me as I begin my journey and become part of the "Losers Circle".
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