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Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by Jenshubbyswife on 4/18/06 11:01 pm
    Welcome to Obesityhelp. Im sure you will love it here. There is an ocean of info here. Not to mention all of the people who understand what you are/will/have gone through. Congrats on your weight loss journey.
Click here for the surgery support page
My name is Norma. I am a retired Cumberland County School Secretary married to a retired Army E-8 who still works as a surveyor for a company called Stantec Consulting out of Raleigh, NC. I have two married children and 4 grandchildren. I am 56 years old and have a BMI of over 50. My goal is to return to good health and get off of the 14 or so medications I now take. I would also like to be more mobile and I think that will come with being more healthy. After 40 years or so of being overweight I have thought long and hard about Bariatric surgery and believe it is the right choice for me. I did not make this decision lightly. Much research went into it. I am ready for the commitment it will take.
njkbutton's Blog
njkbutton's Blog


Next surgery update
on April 16, 2009 5:49 am
Still waiting on all things to fall in place so I can get my next surgery done. Tri-Care denied the panniculectomy but approved the hernia repair. I am not going to be opened up twice so have had another consult. This time up at the Naval Base in Portsmouth, VA. My bariatric surgeon at Ft. Bragg was kind enough to put in the referral for me. The work done there is not cost free but it certainly is a lot cheaper than full fee civilian. This would mean a abdomnioplasty and a masteopecty at the same time in addition to the hernia repair if needed. The docs there are not entirely sure I really have a hernia. It may be just a tissue mass. I need a CAT to determine that for sure. There lies the catch. Need to get some one here to do the CAT as we ran out of time when we were in VA. The contrast stuff has to be drunk four hours before the CAT is done. We had to get back so my husband could go to work the next day. So...I tried to get Womack to do it. No go. They said have your Primary Care Giver do it who is a civilian. He said no but I pleaded and he is taking a look at the order I had for up in VA today and reconsidering. So...maybe I will get it done here after all. I hate to think of having to drive all the way to VA and spend a day up there for that test. It is 5 hours up and 5 back and I have to stay up there for the four hour wait after you drink the contrast fluid so it will be a very long day in addition to the added expense and bother. After the CAT all that remains is paying for the procedures and going on the waiting list. They are not sure just how long I will have to wait to have the surgeries. So...that is where I stand at this point.
     On a personal note I am feeling better than I have in over twenty years. Life is good. And...we have all of our family close by for a change. Our son-in-law is stationed at Bragg so we have the daughter and four grands here once again. Then their is the new grandson by our son and his wife. He is just 7 months old and oh so much fun. We haven't had a baby in the family for over 10 years so this is really a novelty for all. The other grand children are having such a good time with him as well. So this grandma is one happy camper these days and.....she can get down on the floor to play and get back up by herself. Couldn't have done that two years ago before bariatric surgery. God is so good. I have lost 156 lbs. now and am just 6 lbs. shy of my goal weight. I posted a new photo. What a change from the one taken in Alaska.
    Hope all of you are having a great journey.
                  Norma Jean
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March 23, 2009 update
on March 23, 2009 3:50 am
Can't believe it has been this long since I visited this site and bothered to write an update. This journey has been unbelievable. I am down 150 lbs. and pretty stable. Steady losses the entire time. Have been lucky and have not had a gain ever during my journey. I am ready for surgery to get rid of this sagging skin. Have already processed the paper work once to my insurance and been denied so it is in the appeal process. So...awaiting a second result. Hoping it will go through this time. I have had some other things done to improve my looks since surgery. Had an eye lid lift done so I can now see better and had 6 old crowns on teeth replaced that I had had for over 33 years. My dentist was just amazed that I had had them that long and all was well under their. The teeth were healthy so on with the new crowns and a new look. I bleached all the other teeth and had brighter crowns put on so my smile is nicer now. Still have a terrible over bite but can solve everything. Even with insurance the crowns and bleaching cost is three thousand dollars. I have no idea how people with no insurance make it.
So...at this point I have gone from a size 34 to a 14/16. God is so good. We have a new grandbaby. His name is Elijah James and he is 6 months old already. He is so yummy. I just can't get enough of him. And...if I want to get down on the floor and play...I can get up all by myself. Couldn't have done that two years ago before surgery.
Hope all of you out there are doing as well.
Love and Blessings to all.
Norma Jean
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July 20, 2007 Update
on July 20, 2007 4:34 am
This past weekend we went to Topsail Beach for the annual Button Reunion and I actually had enough nerve to don a bathing suit and join the rest down at the water. Life is good. 
I went for my post 6 month check up recently and had lost 83 lbs. since I started this journey. Can't wait to drop another 83 and get to goal however the body is already droopy so I do dread the surgery ahead of me to perk it up again. 
Really looking forward to next month as my daughter and grands are going to take a hop from Alaska and come and visit me. I am so homesick for them. 
Guess that is it for now except I feel great. I am on the slow track but as long as it keeps coming off I am happy.
Blessings to all,
Norma
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Update Friday June 15th, 2007
on June 14, 2007 5:01 pm
I can't believe how late in June it is already. We have been so busy. With all these trips to NY the time has just flown by and here I am 5 months out already. Took off 10 lbs. this past month. I am moving slowly but steadily. Since I started this journey I have lost 80 lbs. and gone from a size 32 to a 22. Not bad for an old Grandma. My daughter is doing even better. She is in size 14 now. Wish I could see her.
For all of you not in NC we are into our beautiful summer weather. Lots of sunshine and late afternoon showers. Typical of this time of year. 
For those who have kept the prayers coming, don't stop now, my heart has been heavy with all the deaths in the family. Thanks for the blessings.
Norma 
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Adding Health Plex to the Mix
on May 21, 2007 9:58 pm

Here it is May 22nd and over a month since I last entered any information. I have finally joined Health Plex and am trying to get there several times a week. This past week I had numerous other appointments to deal with. It is that time of year for me to do the annual stuff again. Yuck. 
Then there is the family personal stuff we have been dealing with. My husbands mother passed in March and we went to NY to have her memorial service on the 23rd of April. His father was able to travel from Ohio and be there. The 22nd he celebrated his 90th birthday so we had a party on Sunday and a memorial service on Monday. How sad. It was not three weeks before my husbands father passed so now we are headed back to NY to have as memorial service for him. He was so heart broken about Mom he just did not have any will left. We were very fortunate to have the two of them for so long. Mom was 86 and Dad 90. You can't ask the Lord for more. Still it is a lot to take in such a short time. I am sad. I can't imagine how my husband must be feeling. He is such a quiet man about such things. If you read this pray for safe travel and peace of mind and heart. Norma

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My Story

It has been quite awhile since I have updated my file. A lot has happened in the past months. I have finally completed all of the tests required and gotten a CPAP. Daily that is getting better. I am manageing about 6 hours a night now and have had it only a week. My husband and I met with Dr. Hiles this past week and set Jan 9th for my surgery. He was wonderful about waiting until after the holidays so I could visit family in Ohio who are in their 80's and 90's. I already had my plane ticket. What a nice Doc. The more I talk to him the better I feel about this whole process. In the meantime I have started Atkins. Can't say I am enjoying it. Never have been a meat person and can't tollerate red meat. Haven't had any for over three years now because of reflux so my options are limited but I am making do. I am sure I will figure out more variety as I go along. I do enjoy the salad everyday. The thing I miss most is fruit. I compensate with sugarfree jello but it is just not the same.

I went to Alaska to visit my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in August and September and had a wonderful time. My son-in-law has since gone on to Baghdad. We are lucky to be near Bragg as he can call us through post free of charge so we hear from him every two weeks or so and can know he is safe and well. I managed the trip better than I expected. All that walking before I left paid off.

That is if for now. Wish me well on the 9th. For now it is off to see the famiy. Stay on the Atkins through the holidays and get off all I can so Dr. Hiles will have the best to work with I can give him. I am as excited as I can be to be on the road to good health. I hope in another year to be free of the 11 different pills I take on a daily basis now. Wouldn't that be a blessing.

Good Luck to all of you who are taking on this journey with me.

November 30th 2006

I went for my monthly weigh-in with Jasmine at the Bariatric Clinic at Womack and I lost another 7lbs. so I am pleased with that. That puts me at 23.4 since I started this journey. Maybe I can manage another 10-15 before surgery. I am feeling pretty good these days except for my left foot. I got a cortisone shot in it on Tues. which seems to have helped some. Did a lot of walking today and am paying for it tonight but I really want to get back to the walking so I will be ready for surgery. I think I pushed too hard today and tomorrow I will back off just a bit. Too anxious I guess. I am seriously thinking of adding Health Plex to my exercise regimine. I asked Dr. Charya for a script and am going to investigate what they have to offer.  If anyone out there reads this and is a memeber and would like to share with me please do. Tomorrow is December 1st. We are fast approaching the holidays. I have one more weigh-in before I fly off to Ohio. I will try to keep up with another note before I leave. Just in case I don't have time

Merry Christmas to all.

God Bless,

Norma