Clothing Exchange, Anyone?!

May 10, 2012

The next SPS Support Group Meeting will be a "field trip" to Value Village to see if we can find some deals on clothing that fits or will inspire us to lose to the next size.  If there is any interest in a clothing swap, I will put together a day & location that should make it a good fit for most folks.

Please weigh in on this - then I will send out a special event - CLOTHING SWAP!

I may also still have Chike Samples - they are going fast - so consider coming to a support group meeting!!!

Brenda : )~
0 comments

Sun, Fun and Voltaren...

May 10, 2012

Hey folks!  Yup, I am hurting, but working through it.  I had some questions about how to treat pain after WLS, as NSAIDs are NOT acceptable for daily (note: DAILY) use.  One of the NSAIDs I use is a topical, called Voltaren.  It is argued that it still makes it into the bloodstream, but since it is not ingested, I am hopeful it will not cause issues with my stomach.  As for being hard on the liver - I get yearly blood tests to make sure the Voltaren isn't building up in my system.  Being topical, I slather it where it hurts instead of ingesting it & hoping it will work through my digestive system & into my blood.  Sadly, it can be purchased over the counter in Canada -- I have an Enhanced License, so I can drive over the Border whenever -- but not all drug plans here in the US support the use of Voltaren.  I am currently arguing with my new drug plan, I have been using Voltaren for arthritis for over 2 1/2 years, and now they want to make me take something else???  Sadly, I wrote them, "I can have more expensive treatment, but find the topical NSAID Voltaren is not only cheaper, it is better for my body as a post bariatric patient.."  I am still awaiting their decision.

Having said all that about Voltaren, realize I am a LAY person, and am only giving my opinion, here.  I have also been told by my medical practitioners that "occasional" use of Ibuprofen or Tylenol is all right.  With any pain reliever, ask your doctor or Nurse Practitioner for their advice. 

The sun is finally showing it's lovely face in the Pacific Northwest!  We may actually see record highs of 77 this weekend - I snort here, as 77 isn't very hot to me.  Trust me, after a day or two of 90+ degrees, folks run & buy air conditioners here, only to find the heat goes away FAST.  I have only been here 6 years, but I have figured out that the Pacific Northwest sees Summer for about three weeks - in August!  Okay, so I am maybe exaggerating, but really, in the six years I have yet to see the temperature reach 90 or higher for more than two weeks.  This is why I usually take February off to visit Maui, I cannot waste the two weeks of great weather at home!  Vitamin D is something I now take religiously!  I gave up sunshine moving here, don't get me wrong, I happily take the Vitamin D supplements so I can enjoy where I live.  Mood and so much more are connected to Vitamin D, so you will usually find me working in my yard this time of the year!

My shoulder is not getting any better, and I have sent an email to my doctor to "go ahead and refer me" to an orthopedic specialist.  If I can be pain free, why am I trying to just grit my teeth & smile through this pain?  Folks, it is great to have a high pain tolerance, but it is stupid to let pain interrupt your life!  Here's to hoping I am just an injection away from pain relief!

My bills keep coming in from my panniculectomy... I have to contact my insurance, as I should be at or near the cap, so they may have to just cover additional bills (ha ha!).  Since I last posted, I have received the bill for the hospital room - gulp!  I swear the food wasn't $6K good, I should have ordered MORE!  I totally understand that hospitals bill a lot more than they receive back from insurance, but come on, I got so many charges that NOTHING was included???  As of today, I just received another bill for $44.66 - bringing my total out of pocket to: $575.45.  I still have at least one bill outstanding, or so says this latest bill, "Office visit... $156.00... Amount pending insurance..." But, the funny thing is, I was told my follow up visits were INCLUDED, huh?  Sigh.  I am not complaining yet, ha ha, I just wonder how close to $600 are they going to get, before my insurance says they will pick up the rest.  I pay my deductible every six months, so I only pay up to $1200 a year.  Before anyone gets mad at me, I am VERY aware that $600 for a panniculectomy is a bargain, I am just interested in how many of these additional charges can they justify.  I just got a bill from someone other than my surgeon and anesthesiologist  for the two procedures I received, so I have to call and ask who is this person and why am I being billed for them separately.

Are you having a hard time with your sweet tooth?  I just made a Chike & Frozen Strawberry meal that left me feeling much better about my need to feed the sweet tooth.  Two scoops of Chike (iLikeChike.com) is 28 grams of protein, 190 calories, followed by 8 ounces of water and a cup of frozen (unsweetened) strawberries (46 calories), blended into a frozen sorbet-like meal.  Trust me, I have moments of weakness, so I have to make due with healthy choices.  I have dropped a hand full of dark chocolate chips into my frozen delights, as it gets rid of a urge without causing me to go overboard.  NOTE: when I say hand full, I mean 20 chips, not a HEAPING, hold my hand against my belly kind of hand full!  With all things, moderation. 

Enjoy the sun, consider washing your vehicle, gardening, or just read a book or magazine outside!  If you are not outdoors for at least an hour a day, you are missing out!!!  Besides, if you have lost a lot of weight & have batwings, a little sun on your skin makes it look better - I promise!  I am trying to get rid of my Western Washington Glow -- in other words, my pasty, pale, vampire looking skin.  Get your vitamin D the old fashion way -- but remember your sun screen!!!

Just remember, that you took a long time to gain all that weight, it will take at least that long to lose it, so be patient!  Enjoy life and Stay Positive!!!

Brenda : )~


16 comments

Alive & Staying Positive...

May 09, 2012

I am lacking in words of wisdom today, but I did want to pop on to say, "I am still alive, I swear!"  The possible hernia/seroma is actually a weird seroma just under the skin, so it was scarier looking than anything else.  I was given instruction on how to deal with that particular seroma (this is the one on my left - I am almost healed with the one on the right), and given a 25 gauge needle to deal with it, ha ha.  Maybe I should consider medical school?!  I saw my primary doc just yesterday, and made her laugh that I was given instructions on how to deal with my minor medical whoopsies.  I am just a capable lay person, but if I can skip a trip to the doctor's office, I am all over learning how.

Why did I go see my primary doc yesterday?  I have had shoulder pain that has left my thumb numb for over a week, which is a good reason to see your doctor for!  I have a swollen bursa - commonly known as "bursitis," and I got to feel my doc's shoulder -- we have the exact same malady.  She told me I will most likely have to see an orthopedic surgeon to get an injection, which may relieve the issue, or as in her case - schedule surgery.  NO!  She admitted she is putting off her surgery for the same reason I was whining: two months of no exercise, and light duty during that time.  Of course I go big when I have issues, she said had it been my upper bursa, she could deal with it.  Oh, sorry, a bursa is a sack of fluid that cushions bone - ligament - tendons, usually in your shoulder, hip, elbow, knee, or sometimes your foot.  So if the sack becomes inflamed (in my case you hear popping & crunching when I rotate my arm), it is then bursitis.  Time, ice, anti informatory, pretty much the first line of treatment.

On the positive side of my doctor visit, she was wowed by how good I look, and I showed off my scar - which made her audibly say "WOW!"  Hey man, I believe in checking out my doctors, I actually value me above many folks around me.  Other than a couple of minor issues, I am doing VERY well after my panniculectomy.  Most of my issues are emotional, in my opinion.  I like to go further faster than I probably should.  At least she now knows who to send her other patients to, my surgeon is an ARTIST!

My period came early, and my lack of exercise made the scale say mean things to me, namely: Eat less or work out more, dumb dumb.  Yup, I get it, I know by next week, I will be back to a better number.  Having a migraine today, I have been pretty much in the dark and quiet.  I popped on my phone, saw some messages, and had to send out another swimsuit to an OH Member.  This is why I decided I should maybe share that I am still alive, doing well, and keeping a positive outlook on life.  Yup, I could be doing better physically, but I am doing better emotionally, and that is a big deal to me.  We all have moments where we are in the dumps, but if you keep looking forward, you will overcome those moments.  As I say often -- Stay Positive!

Brenda : )~

9 comments

South Puget Sound Support Group Meeting, 5/7 in Tukwila, WA

May 07, 2012

Thursday, May 17, meet SPS at the front entrance of Value Village in Tukwila at 6pm for some shopping then a light meal at Zoupa. Get some exercise, "new to you" clothes, grub (soup and salad bar at Zoupa), and best of all - SUPPORT!

Value Village:
16700 Southcenter Parkway, Tukwila, WA, 98188 -- easily found off 5 or 405 -- it used to be the Toys R Us.  Zoupa is just around the block - across from Southcenter Mall.

Contact me if you have questions - I drive from along Highway 5 - Federal Way - Kent - Des Moines -- if anyone wants to hop a ride with me.

Brenda : )~

0 comments

Not wanting to sound like a pain...

May 03, 2012

Hey Folks!

Many of you already know I have a "Pay it Forward" deal with swimwear -- if you do not know, I have an album with swimwear available for the cost of shipping.  PLEASE, please private message me if you want a suit!  I have had to go through & take all the "DIBS!" notices down, as folks contact me, I contact them back, then crickets.  I am happy to share that close to 20 suits have already found new homes!!!  No excuses, if I can swim in public (on the beach even) at 474 pounds, SO CAN YOU!

So, if you would like one of the donated suits, please private message me.  If you have a suit to donate - please private message me. I will NOT consider comments on photos only - private message is necessary -- sorry for the confusion, just got 2 more comments, without a private message.

Sizes currently available from 12 up to 4X -- Mens Trunks - two of them - one in size Medium, the other 5X

Thanks!!!
Stay Positive!!!
6 comments

Mahalo!

May 03, 2012

For those of you who need a pep talk, I highly recommend making as many friends on Obesity Help as possible!!!  I have been in a funk, mainly because I have not followed my own advice (support, talking about feelings, understanding surgery & the time it takes to recuperate, what else am I forgetting???)  We all have moments where we feel like things aren't going our way (no guaranty in life), and we aren't in control of our (you fill in the blank), but how we raise above this, well that shows how well we are liked -- by others as well as by ourselves.

Mahalo is a great word, I love it, and laugh every time I hear the clerks at Walmart in Kahalui say it over the intercom -- MAHALO!  It means thanks.  I spent almost two hours writing folks who had written me over the last two weeks -- if I missed anyone, please tap me on the shoulder, YOU do matter to me!!!  In my "poor me" moment that has lasted (cringe) close to two weeks, I realized two things: I am not a good victim, and I have LOTS of folks who see me as their friend.  Friends are what Mahalo means most to me.

Mahalo is appreciating others, making sure they know you appreciate them, even if you work at Walmart.  When you are having a "poor me" moment, maybe ask yourself, "what have I done for others?"  Then, you can see all the things others do for you.  This is why I try to write each and every person who comes into contact with me on OH, because I appreciate that they took the time to support me.  Okay, another Hawaiian word from this Haole (pronounced "How-Lee" it is sometimes considered a slur, but I wear it with pride, as I am not a Native to Hawaii): Ohana.  Ohana is family, not just the ones who are blood related, the ones whom you call "Auntie/Uncle" who are there for you because they want to be.  Yup, I have had some wonderful Ohana in my short time on this planet, and I hope I can be a "good Auntie" to others.

When you feel like you need support, sometimes you need to open your mouth.  Sleepless nights will go away when you feel the energy from others who care about you.  Oh, so do not worry about me, I am happily thinking of other subjects I want to share -- is talking about my sex drive a little too personal???  I'll save that one for another time!

Much Mahalo to my Obesity Help Ohana!!!  If you need support, I swear I am HAPPY to give it!!!
Stay Positive!!!
Brenda : )~
8 comments

Eeyore and My Inner Dialogue...Another Month Without Swimming

May 03, 2012

Sigh... Another sigh, as I collect my thoughts.  It has taken me over a week to write this, but I am in a funk.  Funny, if someone would have told me I would be so goal oriented to stay physically active, that having to stay inactive for two months would put me into a depression, I would have just chuckled - well, snorted, I snort sometimes when I laugh - and said, "No way!"  I am here to tell you that you can in fact become, how do I put it without using the word obsessed, hyper-focused and NEED exercise emotionally.

On Leap Day I was lucky to get a panniculectomy.  Not a tummy tuck - abdomnoplasty, it is the removal of the fleshy fat apron that hung down over my thighs.  I knew when I did all my research on this surgery that I would be out of commission for up to two months.  The key here is the phrase "up to".  I am one of those "extra credit seeking" folks whom the "rules" do not apply.  I go in for child delivery, am told I am not in labor, "you are in too good of spirits," only to give birth in about two hours, and get discharged later that day.  Yup, I may be what my ex husband said, "the complete opposite of a hypochondriac."  I looked it up, hyperchondria isn't the opposite, so I do not have the correct word to describe me.  If it doesn't hurt more than two days, I must not be sick/hurt, and actually fine... Famous last words.

I guess my daughter is very lucky that she was not a klutzy child or ill often, as I have an attitude of indestructibility about me, and figure she must, also.  My incision had been healing quite well from said panniculectomy, but I did notice a "thick" spot that started to harden along the right side of the center of my now gone belly button.  Telling myself that it must just be part of the healing process, I let it go for about a week, maybe less.  By the Friday I headed to the Oregon Coast, I started noticing it getting warm -- to those of you without much medical knowledge - THIS IS A RED FLAG.  In caps, even.  Yup, warm to the touch is a sign of infection, and I waited maybe an hour too long to have it checked, and the seroma broke a "seam".  For those of you asking, "What's a seroma?"  It is a fluid pocket that the body for whatever reason cannot absorb, so it swells, and finds a weak spot to, well, flow out of.  The pressure continues to build until, pop!  Open  wounds take a LONG time to heal, so I was told another two to four weeks without exercise, sigh.

Here is the insult my body is adding to injury -- bad choice of phrase???  I seem to have developed what I am self diagnosing (calling doctor Brenda...) as a split in the incision under the skin - or what most likely will be ruled, a surgical hernia.  I could be wrong, so if anyone wants to start a betting pool, I see the doc tomorrow at 2 pm.  The skin feels as though there is nothing really behind it in an oval that is larger than a jelly bean, tender, and now I am obsessing about it.  Note to self, no strenuous activity, lest my guts fall out when I rip open like a bag of rice... Overly dramatic for effect, I assure you, but when I overstate my general mood, it makes me chuckle inside, making it all better.  It is May for all of you who do not have a calendar, so my surgery was over two months ago.  My healing isn't complete, and I have had a couple little set backs, sigh.

Let me bring it on home now -- long stories seem to get out of hand with me, when I should learn to just be succinct -- surgery takes as long as it takes to recover from, and I am not indestructible, nor do I have super human abilities to heal quicker than the average person.  Man, I feel like I just stood up at my first AA meeting, and now I am waiting for all those eyes on me.  The root of my depression is lack of exercise.  I said it!  I cannot exercise as I am still healing, and this sucks.  My brain keeps swirling around the same thought regarding my swimming goal for the year: "I am on mile 118, how will I finish the remaining 482?!"  The answer is this: I will get it done, or I will not, but healing is more important than a number I chose before this speed bump happened.

If you haven't figured this out, I have to talk myself off "the ledge" fairly often.  The inner dialog I have could drive a sane person, well, insane.  Hmmm, what does this speak of me?!  Calling doctor Brenda... Living in the Pacific Northwest has physical ramifications -- lack of sunshine makes it difficult to get enough Vitamin D, which in turn has an effect on mood -- are you following along with me?  If the environment adds to the possibility of seasonal mood disorder, then Vitamin D is essential to keep one plugging along happily.  Being bummed that I cannot continue at full speed exercising the rest of my weight off, add to this crappy weather, you get an unhappy camper -- me.  Usually, I take off in February to get my sun on Maui, but this year, due to surgery, I had to take a pass.  Sigh.  I am carrying around too many things that fester into a negative area -- so with that, I decided to open up & share my mood -- I feel like Eeyore.

To be sure, I am taking my Vitamin D along with all my other supplements.  Two of my friends just got their D checked, abysmal numbers!  Doctor Brenda told them, but they thought they were indestructible, like me, ha ha.  After I see the doctor tomorrow, I will be able to stop imagining my guts falling out, and hopefully be told the hole I have looks pretty, and is closer to being healed.  Keeping my weight down is driving me wonky, so I need to give myself a little slack.  Exercise is the key component to this losing weight thing, and I will not be laying around forever.

So, do you have your checklist?  Surgery takes a long time to heal from; exercise does effect you emotionally as well as physically; take Vitamin D, it will make you happier and healthier!  With that said, I will endeavor to be a happier camper!

Stay positive!  (groan!!!)
Brenda : )~
9 comments

About Me
38.8
BMI
RNY
Surgery
11/16/2010
Surgery Date
Mar 16, 2010
Member Since

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