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Surgeon TestimonialGary J. Anthone M.D.So far, he's a likable guy. Very humorous, and I hear from a lot of people he goes the extra mile to make you feel comfortable and is very personable. Member Interests
- Humor - Clean humor only!
- Travel - I would like to visit all 7 continents! Two down...
- Walking - The prettier the scenery, the better
- Music - Singing, playing piano
- Language - I love to learn languages! Never met one I didn't like, except one *rolls eyes*
- Christianity - Jewish Messianic wasn't on the list
- Gardening - Tropical house plants
- BMI over 50 - Says it all already, huh?
Latest Surgery Support Comments
 Comment by AA on 9/19/07 5:41 pm
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Wishing you all the
best as you begin
your life changing
journey~~Kim
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I have two days
left! WOW! Where
did the time go?
Click here for the surgery support page
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Had the procedure done in record time. Now, on to the weight loss!
Shameful! on August 23, 2008 12:01 am
It's pretty shameful how long it's been since I posted. I really can't say too much about that. The same excuse applies, you lose weight, you get busy. I had my doubts this would apply to me, but it did!
What can I say? Went shopping for what may be the last time at Catherines today. I was looking for the smallest sizes on the rack. That's never happened before. I used to grab the biggest.
I probably will still be needing my bras there until I have a reduction. I am finding out I have a tiny frame, but still need a 40 DDD bra at the very least. The straps don't even go up far enough for my shoulders. I have the same problem with shirts, too. I end up showing much too much cleavage because the necklines are too big for me.
I never had that problem when I was heavier. HAHAHAHAHA! :)
I can wear a 14/16 shirt now. That's never happened before, either. The other day this guy in traffic kept trying to talk to me wanting to know if I had a man and if he could call me.
That's never happened before, either. It's not like I live in a big city like Atlanta where that happens not out of the ordinary. This is Omaha, and that sort of thing, well...
I am very happy with the way things are. I was in the hospital last month because for a week I would have this horrible reaction to food. First they thought it may be a bowel obstruction. Then they thought it could be impacted bowel. Finally my doc thought it could be a problem with my ovaries.
Yeah, they help digest my food really well!
Well, we traced it to an ulcer... maybe. The pain was unbelieavable. I passed out on my sister's bed after calling her and telling her to come get me and take me to the emergency room (for the second time in a week).
I had an endoscopy done 2 weeks after that. They had put me on Prilosec and the pain stopped, so I was happy. Endoscopy showed nothing but a nice pink stomach. I have the pics to prove it.
The funny thing is, they couldn't stick me properly, so I got to do the procedure without anasthesia. This is not something I would recommend to anyone if you have a choice. :)
Anyway, no holes in my stomach, but now, magically after a week after getting checked out it is happening again. I left work early yesterday because I was in pain. I couldn't even sit 23 minutes more through my shift. Almost passed out driving home, but I have to say even though all that it is worth it.
Even as I threw up last night with my dear sis rubbing my back, all I could say was that it was worth it. I know these problems won't last forever, and that I have had enough good from the surgery that if I stopped right this second and didn't lose anything else, it would still be worth it.
I made up in my mind at the beginning that it was going to work no matter what, and that determination has kept me going through the hard times and the pain. I know I will need to have a colonoscopy next to see if there is an ulcer in my intestine. I will have to prepare myself for that. For now, I am laying off stimulating foods and taking it easy in the eating department.
Prayers are always welcome. New pictures should be posted since I just passed my 11 month! One hundred twenty pounds of me is gone! That's a Brittany Spears off my back! I have a Nicole Richie to go. ;)
To everyone thinking of this process, keep your head up! God will take you through it. Ask Him for help.
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February Post on February 26, 2008 9:14 am
Wow, another month and time flew by.
What can I say? I stopped excersizing. I was burning 1000 calories a day and was SO SORE. I am not losing as fast, but it is steady.
Trying to stay away from the juice. I am always busy and running around now.
I am shrinking past the clothes that were given to me, and they are starting to be too big. I have been so blessed that the only thing I have had to buy are new underwear and bras. Everything else people are giving me.
Oh, my dad bought me shoes :)
I went through my closet and culled my old wardrobe. One bag to toss, two to give away. I had no idea there were so many clothes in there!
Today I weigh in at 267. I have been around there for maybe a week? It would be nice to get below the eighth ton mark :)
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Where did the time go? on January 2, 2008 9:14 pm
Wow! Only one entry for December! People are right, your life does get busy. You just have more energy to go do something and then you go do it. Before you know it, you are coming home way after your bed time!
I started weight training. My appetite went through the roof. I am not going to give up, though. I am going to try to make good food choices and plan better. I just flit from machine to machine, and do maybe 20 minutes twice a week. It seems to have made a difference. I like the shapes it makes where there used to be just piles of flesh.
Today I got a big blessing. I was over my friend's house, and I offered to help her fold her clothes. Well, she picked up some pants, looked at them, and said, "hey, try these on!"
You all that have been there know what went through my mind. YOU ARE DAFT, WOMAN! My thunder thighs will never fit in those! Well, they did.
I was speechless. Then she gave me a shirt. Then another pair of pants and more shirts.
I have SOOO many clothes now that actually fit me. She made me throw away the pants that I was wearing. Earlier that day one of my co-workers pointed at me and laughed and said, "Those are too big for you!" It was pretty funny. I wasn't walking on the floor, I was walking on my pants. They were a *little* too big. I finally admit it.
I probably won't lose very much this month since I started weight training. It's ok, though. I feel great, and everyone tells me how small my butt is getting :)
I took my 3 month pictures. They turned out a little dark, so I have to lighten them up before I post them.
I can go on and on about the differences that I feel when I compare now to before the surgery. I was able to sit in a folding chair and fit. I can wear knee high stockings now. I can walk on the tread mill and not constantly hit the sides with my hips. I can sit in a chair and have space left over. I can put my arms down all the way to my sides. When I walk, my love handles no longer hit my back side.
I think I will go buy new clothes soon. :)
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Entering Twoterville on December 5, 2007 8:13 pm
*throws confetti in the air*
WOOHOO!!! It has finally happened. I am under 300 lbs. It didn't happen on my birthday, but I was ok with that. I got to have a few bites of birthday cake, and some grapes, and a few other factors let me weigh in 3 lbs from my goal.
I was proud of myself for not starving myself and not enjoying myself to just make a number. This is a journey for the rest of my life, and I don't want to start acting crazy just to make a goal.
So, it is today. Just in time, too! I went to the doc's today to get my blood drawn. I felt so good about being 10 lbs less when I saw her.
I have people coming up to me and hugging me and telling me that I look good, that they are proud of me, that they can see me melting away and that my pants definitely look baggy :)
How did I get so many great people around me? I tell each one of them thank you and that their encouragement means a lot, because it really does.
The other day I caught sight of myself in the bathroom mirror, and I was like, WOW. Even *I* can see a difference! I only have about 25% of my excess gone, too. What is it going to be like with more?
Stay tuned to find out!
About the working out...
I am a nut. I work out once or twice a day, except weekends. I monitor my heart rate and it is a good thing. Today when I worked out, it seemed like I had to try twice as hard to get my heartrate up! I mean, usually by 5 minutes, I am in the zone. After 10, I was BARELY in the zone!
It's gotten easier to maintain my heartrate at the top of my workout zone, but today I had to really ramp it up to even get close to the top range. I do a certain percentage with my low range (10 bpm from the lowest number in my range) and a certain percentage with the high (10 bpm from the highest number of 85% of my range), then I work out at the very highest number for maybe 5 minutes. I mix it up so my body doesn't know what is coming next.
To get my heart rate up, I lift my knees higher when marching at a slower pace. Sometimes I keep my upper body still and move only from my hips down. That gets my rate up, too. I spend 45 to 50 minutes at a time on the treadmill, so I have to be creative. I so enjoy it! I am happy I found something I like, and don't want to add stuff that will make me lose interest. I hope I can continue with only the treadmill for a long time and still get results. If I can't, then...
Oh, something silly :) I clasp my hands together a lot now. I can actually feel less padding in them! It's strange. I hold my hands together and squeeze :) Today at the doc's office I actually was able to use the regular cuff instead of the thigh one on my arm.
No one knows what that feels like unless you have been there. I had a terrific day.
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End of November on November 25, 2007 8:48 pm
Well, Thrush is still around. I actually think that was a sugar pill instead of Diflucan. It made the Thrush all happy and now it is worse. I ordered a bottle of Gensen Violet and will paint my own mouth. Hopefully it will be here by Wednesday.
I get purple mouth for my birthday. Yay!
Scale is still 304. This is actually good. Thanksgiving I gained 1.4 lbs, and today it is officially gone. I still have maybe a week to lose 5 lbs.
It snowed so I didn't want to walk outside. I took the opportunity to get aquainted with our weight room at work. I fell in love with the treadmill in there. It has a little bar you hold and it will tell you your heart rate. NOW I walk two miles a day, and stay in my target heart rate zone for at least 40 minutes.
I know I should add weight training, but right now I am enjoying the treadmill, and don't want to push myself into something that I don't enjoy as much. I know that will cause me to end my love affair with my new found boyfriend (the treadmill).
Ok, this is an overshare alert. :) I can actually hold my stomach in my two hands. I mean, laying on my back, it fits in my two hands with some spilling out. Before, there was no way. If I had maybe 4 hands, I could have done it :) I am still way way heavier than I should be, but things are looking better.
I re-read part of my blog, and it is amazing that almost exactly one month ago I was so discouraged. What a difference time makes! I haven't lost a lot, but I was thinking, if I lose about 4 lbs a week, or even every other week, I should be happy. The scale is going in the right direction, and come Spring, I am going to start biking. I looked up how many calories it uses, and I am SO THERE!
Everyone is calling me Skinny now, and I so want to correct them by saying, I am still over 300 lbs! But, I don't. I am trying to get better about saying thank you. It is all a form of encouragement.
The so so funny thing is, now I am no longer lying on my driver's liscence! :)
I am starting to cook more, and it is even a little fun when I can think up something strange and put it together and it tastes great!
Tonight I put orange zest in a pot of water with some dried cherries. Cut up 3 cloves of garlic, and put some celery seed in it. A little sliver of onion, some cumin and a TON of baby carrots.
Then, I dumped some chicken in, and let it boil to make broth. Oh, I also put in some honey. It was SOO GOOD. It smelled like I had added a bunch of pepper, and I hadn't added any! So, I figured it was telling me that it wanted some. I put in salt and pepper, and that was a good call. I also added some chicken bullion to intensify the chicken flavor since the chicken was frozen when I put it in, and the marrow wasn't leeching out as it should. I know, Bad Rhonda.
The house still smells like it, though. Next time I do it, I will fish out the dried cherries after I am finished because they don't look too attractive after everything is said and done.
Ok, off to bed with me!
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The Gift of Thrush on November 21, 2007 5:43 am
No, I am not high, and you read right.
I know, all this time I have been complaining about the Thrush that won't leave, and as of right now I am on my third medication.
I took Nystantin twice, I mean two rounds of it, had my mouth painted like an infant would, and now am on Diflucan. It is getting better, but it isn't all the way gone yet. I guess I taste too good :)
I was telling a friend yesterday that the Thrush may have kept me more honest than I would have been without it. I mean, at work you know you pass people's desk and they have candy or mints in little bowls, and you take one and don't even think about it much. Well, because I didn't want anything with sugar sitting on my tongue, I would avoid.
I avoided most everything I came around that would do that. I even stopped drinking the Fit for Life drinks, because even though it had 0 calories and 0 sugar, it had something in it that made the Thrush happy. I could tell a difference in less than an hour.
So, maybe it was a gift, meant to help me change my behavior, and now that I have realized it, it can finally DIE!
It would be nice to have it gone by my birthday. It would also be nice to be under 300 by my birthday. This morning I stepped on the scale, and 304 popped up again. I am pleased with that, seeing that I lost 3 lbs two days ago :)
So, I have about 10 days to lose 5 lbs. Can she do it? Well, I walked a blister on my foot yesterday, so it will be a challenge, but I am going to give it my best shot!
Wish me luck!
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A WOW moment on November 18, 2007 6:36 pm
Ok, this is a wow moment if there ever was one.
Saturday I was at services. At least once a month we take the Torah out and parade it around. We as a congregation line up around the walls so we can touch it with our prayer books or our Bibles. Well, I was lined up and when the rabbi came past he stopped and he said,
"Wow! I like your hair! You look great! Really nice!"
Well, it was a little embarrassing, because he doesn't really talk when he's doing that. Someone is carrying the Torah, and he's walking in front of them. Someone else is usually walking along with them. If he says anything, it is to people that may quietly say something to him while he's walking. He usually replies quietly back.
This time I think he said it loud enough for the whole church to hear! I just said thank you and slipped over to the piano where I could sit behind it all safe :)
I also know it wasn't just my hair :)
Uploaded Pics (two months) on November 16, 2007 9:07 pm
Hello! I had some co-workers take some pics of me. Not quite two months, but I won't change the way I look too much in a few days. I have been walking a mile every day, and my legs are about to walk off my body in protest.
I didn't really notice the difference until I saw these pics side by side. It's cool!
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It's ME! on November 12, 2007 7:58 pm
Well, it's been a week and it's only Monday :)
When I was attending service Saturday, a friend of mine that hadn't seen me since the week of my surgery came walking in. I waited for him to come over, but he went and sat down. I figured he was getting situated, so I just busied myself with other things.
All the sudden I hear, "RHONDA!!!!" from across the sanctuary. He came over and we said hi. Later that evening we went to a restaurant and he said that he honestly didn't recognize me.
Now, 50 lbs can make a difference, but I didn't think it was that much! I was telling one of my other friends, and she nodded and said she could see that happening.
Everyone is telling me I look so good, which I do not tire of hearing :)
Yes, I think the DS is starting to warm to me :)
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Juice is Evil... EVIL on November 8, 2007 8:29 pm
Well, it's been a while since I updated. I know I should have done a one month, but I wasn't a happy DSer. It always made me laugh when I was reading other people's blogs and they said it's been a while. I was reading the whole thing at once. There was no time separation for me :)
Well, the beautiful thing is, I lost a bunch at first. I lost FAST. The horrible ugly thing is, I stopped. I stopped losing like 2 weeks after my DS. I stayed the same for A WHOLE MONTH.
I tell you, what other option do you have? Start chopping off body parts? When you have done EVERYTHING, and that isn't even working, it does stuff to your head. I was so sad.
Dr. Anthone and I spoke plainly. He told me that at 6 weeks out (which was last week) I should have been at about 15% of my excess lost. I was at 17%, which meant at week TWO I was at that amount. Most likely my body was catching up to my quick loss. Also, technically, I was still ahead of the curve!
We didn't know really what it was. I have been trying to watch my carbs, watch my calories, it was maddening. Then, I spoke to my dear angel, Monica, and she said she stopped losing when she started drinking juice.
JUICE! Yeah, it has a lot of carbs, but when I drank it, I just balanced out other things and ate less carbs with that. Who knew?
So, no more juice for Rhonda. Maybe special occasions like when I fly (always have to get a cranberry apple juice), or when I get to a goal weight, but as of right now, it is banished from the house.
I have learned to tolerate my protein shakes with no flavorings except Splenda. The funny thing is, the day after my doc appointment last week, I started losing again. Oh, that funny scale! *feigns laughter*
I get a different reading every time I step on it. Twice in a row I have gotten 307 the first time when I stepped on it in the morning, so I am going with that weight, which means I lost about what, 7 lbs since last week? BONUS!
Yes, I still weigh every day. Not so much to see myself lose, but to make sure I don't gain. That whole month really played a trick on my mind!
So, I am happier now. This morning while laying in my bed, I felt inside of my incision go *POP*. I was so scared. I spoke to a friend that had a lot of abdominal surgeries, and she said it was ok, that it will heal. It is just slightly achey, and that is only occasionally. I will still chat with Anthone about it, though to make sure.
THRUSH IS STILL HERE. I have been bad about taking my stuff, but no more. It will take a week to get rid of it if I keep on top of it, and that is what I am gonna do. It's already tons better, so maybe less than a week.
Oh! The funny thing is, when I was on my month-long stall, I could occasionally feel myself getting smaller. I mean, my legs were smaller, my belly. Other people could see it more than I could, but I could feel that there was less of me. What logic is there in that? You stop losing, then you shrink. Crazy!
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Archive
My Story
Hello everyone!
Finally, my name in lights! Well, large print at least. My story? It is still evolving.
Basically, I am 37 and SO ready for a change... THE change. About 4 years ago, I went to Australia to meet one of my internet friends. He had graduated high school the previous year, and invited me, and I said no. The second invitation I couldn't think of a reason not to go, so I did.
I stayed with his family, and we ran around all of Brisbane. When I got home, I noticed I had actually lost weight. Something clicked in my head that I could really do this. Of course I had been through the previous trials of lose-gain-lose, but this somehow was different.
When I got home, I researched Atkins. I decided to give that my all. I was pretty successful with it, and lost a lot quickly. I decided to add in going to the gym for better results. I did that for a few months.
I was too heavy for regular scales, so I had to weigh in at the mall. I kept all my little slips of paper. At my high, I was 370. I lost about 30 lbs and was very happy with that. While working out at the gym, I hurt my knee, and stopped. Unfortunately, I had stopped Atkins, too. I bought a house, and life got busy with renovations and such.
That was my most successful attempt at losing weight. A lot of it still hasn't come back. I have tried lots of programs, but nothing really seemed to work. Then, my company aquired another company and I lost my job.
I knew God had a hand in this, I just couldn't see how it was moving for my benefit. I had been at my company for 8 years, and now had to look for work. I thought I would find something right away, but I ended up being out for 10 months.
While I was out of work, my mother (an APRN) decided to attend a conference in Baltimore. It was the AHWOHN conference for nurses. She invited me along since I had nothing else to do. I went. She spent the extra money to have me go to all her classes with her, and she SNEAKILY signed up for a bariatric conference. She's not slick! I knew her plans. I was resistant to having bariatric surgery. To me it was the cheaters way out. The easy way, and I was SO SURE I could do it on my own (because I had been doing such a wonderful job at it already).
Well, I went to that conference. I realize that it was mostly the unknown of it that I didn't consider it for me. Exposing me to bariatric surgery in a technical way really was the best move. I learned about the different surgeries, and saw picture after picture of success stories. I couldn't believe it. This looked like it could actually work.
I still was not 100% convinced. Then, at the end of the presentation, a final picture was shown. It was a picture of a very overweight woman standing in an open door, with the light behind her. The person giving the presentation announced that that had been her, and she had had the surgery.
I was stunned. SHE LOOKED FANTASTIC. In my heart, I said to myself, ok! I am a believer. I was still worried, though. I said to myself, If I can get the same person that did her, I would trust them to do me. I felt like that was completely out of possibilities. Here we were, in Baltimore. This woman was from California, and had had her surgery there and it had been some time ago. I lived in Omaha. Still, when your heart speaks, sometimes it is hard to make it quiet.
My mother went up to speak with the lady, and I stayed behind in my chair looking at the papers of the presentation. I didn't really think it could happen to me. It suddenly became a dream to me. My mother came back after talking with the woman, and said that Dr Anthone had done her when he lived in California! SMALL WORLD. My mother had worked with him a number of years at her hospital, and had spoke to me a few times about if I wanted it done, he was a great one to do it.
So, I had no more reservations. I knew this was something I had to research. I could actually get the doctor I selected (no one knew that except me and God), and he was very good. His practice has been mainly bariatric for 10 years.
When I got home, I looked into my previous job's insurance. Since I was still on severance pay, I was under their insurance. They didn't cover it, not even weight loss classes! So, my next move was to find an employer that actually did cover the procedure. When I found one, I applied for a job. They called me back, and now I have a job there! It's the best choice I could have made. They cover more than any other employer I have ever had. Finally! I could see the hand of God.
I had two things on my list for this year, refinance my house and get this surgery! When I got the job, I refinanced my house. When that was done, I started the procedure to get approved for WLS.
That's where I am right now. I know there are lots of hoops I may have to jump through, but I am in this. No turning back. It's going to happen, and I won't regret any of it.
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