RNY was the best thing I could have done for my life. I have had a great recovery!  No problems at all, except I cant eat steak my pouch doesnt tolerate Steak well at all, other than that No problems at all. I have followed my doctors orders every step of the way and it has been great. There are people who have tried to give me advice and not to follow what my doctor says but doc is the expert and I have followed his and my nutritionist advice. Please any one feel free to ask any informaiton you need prior to starting this process and I would love to tell you the secrets of my success and why my surgeon is one of the best in his field. Life is Beautiful. xoxoxox til next time. 

Well it's been 16 days since my surgery and I must say my days of having buyer's Remorse is now over! I am very happy I made the decision to have RNY done. Thanks to god no problems and the gas is gone, whew gas right after surgery is a monster. I have now lost 37 pounds and just the small amount of weight gone is great my clothes are already starting to feel better and my face is getting smaller I now have 3 chins instead of 4! My huband and I are now walking 2 miles a day and it feels great. I dont know if anyone else who has had WLS had this experience but prior to my surgery I couldn't even walk 15 steps without my back feeling like it was gonna give out on the rest of my body, but almost immediately after surgery I can walk without my back bothering me at all! I forgot to ask my surgeon at my 2 week follow-up why is that (maybe it's because the old stomache is in a different place IDK, but I will take it), so with that said I can walk with hubby and the dog and it feels good! 

And thanx to my OH family for all the well wishes and encouragement you are all marvelous!  smooches til next time. and pics are coming! I'm so lazy need to load them from my camera.  Dueces.  

P.S I am doing great with my vitamins and protien the best protien for me is EAS french vanilla and muscle milk, I tried Isopure and I couldn't do it but EAS works great!

Hello OH family, I'm back and ready to give an update on how my surgery went last week. Here we go on the morning of the surgery my husband and I had to wake up at 3:30 am to start getting ready to leave my doctor wanted me at the hospital by 6:00am surgery was scheduled for 7:30am, we had to get up so early because the hospital is about 1 hour and 15 minutes away. we were on our way out the door by 4:15am  I wanted to make sure we arrived on time, by this time is when I started feeling like OMG do I really want to go through with this, took some last before pics and we were on our way and I had to listen to my Kirk Franklin "Hello Fear" CD which is my absolute favorite and very appropriate for what I was feeling. We arrived at the hospital walked in it was empty of course 6 oclock in the morning, I was directed to go to the surgical center when I arrived it was empy except 1 person who looked like she was turning on lights in the back. Hubby and I sat down 10 minutes later the same lady I saw earlier came out and got us when I walked in the back OMG lights every where people setting up equipment people were moving fast paced all around me I was like dang just 5 minutes ago this place was like a grave yard. So at this point I was put in a prep room given my gowns and put on the bed. 1st the Anesthesiologist came in and hooked up my IV lines in my hand which by the way was a pleasent experience because he numbed the area first with a small injection that I hardley felt ( I'm use to this process being very uncomfortable), so my IV lines are in place, a lady comes in and takes some blood samples, then my blood pressure was taken everyone was surprised it was normal ( Hello Fear) then my doctor comes in ask how I'm feeling at this point I'm starting to get nervous and a little scard thoughts running through my head again is it too late to call this thing off, what am I doing, etc, etc. I start talking to my husband then another nurse comes in and says she is gonna give me a little medication that will make me feel like I'm floating and relax me a little and Heprin for blood clot prevention  , she gives me the meds via IV I say the lords prayer for comfort, then 2 other people come in and say they are gonna wheel me over to my surgery room, we got to the surgery room the doors were opened then, NITE, NITE!. Don't know nothing after that until 11:00am. 

RECOVERY ROOM!

I woke up around 11 am my nurse standing over top of me like you see in the movies saying well hello there. In the recovery I had the most excruciating pain I have ever had in my life the nasea was so over whelming my leg kept rocking back and forth to help me feel better, I had a wonderful nurse in recovery she was on top of everything and never left my side. The pain, the pain, the pain( fantasy Island) , the nurse told me she was giving me some medication to help with the nasea but it didnt help thenshe gave me another med it didn't help either, Ok at this point only thing I'm thinkin is OMG what have I done, praying for forgiveness and mercy because of  the pain. Well an hour of rocking my leg or comfort my room was ready and I was taken there my wonderful recovery nurse wheeled me up and told me she was turning me over to my charge nurse at this point I was still hurting and dozing in and out, I remember saying to the recovery nurse no don't leave me please (lol) she said I have to but your new nurse will take good care of you ( I will tell you later how that turned out to be a false statement). So im in my room my wonderful husband comes in with bags I wanted to laugh cause he looked like we were on vacation, my mind wanted to laugh but my body was saying ( got it...lol) So my new nurse was finally able to give me some pain drugs, she hit me in the IV and instant gratification!!!!!!! ( I was singing," somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly..... lol). So I'm finally starting to feel better and able to eat ice chips, and talk to my husband. I could tell a difference in my stomache you really can feel a change in your bodies organs, I describe it as feeling like you are pregnant in the last stages minus the babies weight. I dont know if any of you experienced this during your hospital stay but I did, (Potomac Sentara Hospital Woodbridge,Va.). The nurses were the worst!!!!! ,  I would push the red button for pain meds no one ever came or answered my button call I waited 45 minutes after pushing the button then had to send my husband out to search the halls for the first person we could get to help us, one time when I was able to walk I got up myself unplugged the IV machine and walked to find some one and guess what 4 nurses standing at the nurses station talking about their last summer vacation my nurse included meanwhile my call button noise is beeping like crazy in another area, I was furious. when she finally got to my room I let her have it and requested to speak to someone in patient relations and the nurse in charge ( got a bunch of excuses).  (this happend the entire 2 1/2  days I was there), I feel sorry for anyone who goes to that hospital and has no family members there to look after them my husband actually was my nurse.My advice no matter what hospital your are going to make sure someone can be there with you the entire hospital stay. I must say though my room was very nice and accomadated my husband with a pull out bed and shower. My doctor Denis Halmi did a great job he has a great weight loss program with people flying from all over the country to come and see him (Kudos Dr.Halmi), now his office staff is a whole nother paragraph (In efficient and always new staff must be a high turnover of staff, office manager Marla is a terrible example to the staff in leadership.) but Dr. Halmi and Dr. Nain make up for the staff and I work in the medical field and understood everything going on with my process and I kept up with my paperwork progress myself I always stayed 1 step ahead of them. 

So by next day after my surgery I was feeling better and needed pain meds every 2 hours but over all I was once again happy with my decision to have WLS, and was able to get up  and take some nice walks with my husband and start a full liquid diet (popscicles, water, broth), I wasnt to hungary but tried to eat something I did manage to eat a good amount of broth and it went down with no problems and no tummy aches. After 2 1/2 days of that crappy hospital stay I had had enuff and was ready to go home.

So I get home very sore and moving like Iron Man, but just wanted to get in my bed and go to sleep. Oh No that did not work I have had to sleep on the couch sitting straight up for the past 5 days, the bed was not my friend and still isn't. My pain meds were needed every 4-5 hours now its gotten better maybe every 6-8 hours. so for the next 2 days I was ok  everything was going great with my husband giving me the Lovenox injections for blood clot prevention. Then sunday evening I broke down sad and told my husband i wonder if I made the right decision, having this surgery I have butchered my organs, and just sad ( well OH Fam my girlfirend who had lapband and Lipo told me to be ready for feeling like this but I insisted It woud'nt happend to me) My husband soothed me over a little he couldn't message me or rub my feet due to those activities can create blood clot, so I layed on him and he told me how even more beautiful and healthy I am going to beok I felt better . My girlfriend called me and made me feel better also, because she had the same feelings after her surgery's. 

So here I am day 5 days after surgery still sore and taking pain meds, I am walking like crazy and taking all my vitamins as I am suppose to, I have lost 5 lbs since having the surgery,  19 lbs total including pre-op diet!. Now here is the only thing i'm having a problem with, I cannot get in the protien drinks, I sip on it a little but it seems to make my stomache make crazy noises and fuss at me so I cant get the protien in, any suggestions please let me know. Also the gas pain for the most part I have been able to tolerate when I feel it I just get up and walk, everyone was right walking brings the gas right out and relieves the discomfort, now one day I did have a pain that felt like it was directly behind my belly button that lasted for like 10 minutes and it brought me to my knees I sure hope to never get that feeling EVER again!

Well thanx for reading this entry and going thru my hospital experience with me, I can't wait to add more. and I will post the hospital pics very soon !!! xoxoxoxo 

                 

 Day 9 of my liquid diet I have lost a total of 14.8 pounds very proud of myself I must say, to anyone who has to go through this same process hang in there after the third day it gets way easier your taste buds adjust to the diet products, I'm now on day 9 and its smooth sailing now. I had to do Opti Fast products and they really werent that bad, I had chocolate, strawberry and French vanilla shakes to drink they werent bad at all, peanut butter/ chocolate bars & tomoatoe and chicken soup I didn't care for the chicken soup I mostly ate the tomatoe, of course it wasn't the junk we are use to eating but it wasn't all that bad, I was allowed 3 Jello's and sugar free popscicles each day also. WARNING WARNING WARNING wait until you are at home to eat the soup though it gives you Bubble Guts like you wouldn't believe and it has no mercy on you it creeps up like a chinese ninja at night!  so beware you must  be near a toilet you can occupy for 35-45 minutes!!!  Well everyone just a little FYI, Keep me in your prayers it's a powerful thing xoxoxox to you all!!! 

Yesterday I had my final appointment prior to surgery it went well hubby went with me and asked doctor some final questions he had, and met with my nutrionist I took all my recommended viatmins I had purchased to my nutrionist so she could look at them and give me approval along with the protien I had chosen everything was correct and now I am ready to get this party started on wendsday!

OH family please keep me in your prayers for a successful suregery and speedy recovery! Til next time .......

SEE YOU ALL ON THE LOOSERS BENCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Hello all,  just wanted to keep everybody up on my liquid diet process and help the next person who may be ready to go through this process. I'm on day 6 and I must say I have stared to get use to the diet plan I have currently lost 13 lbs in 6 days , I am Exstatic about that and wondering and hoping this is an indication of how well my body will do with weight loss after my surgery next week, I sure hope so! Its not easy to keep up with though I have to constantly tell myself girl you can do this think about the rewards and better health, it really is a psychological thing because I am really not all that hungary but my mind is telling me Girl go and get us a steak n cheese its not gonna hurt anything!  Any way you definatly have to be strong psychologicaly. til nex time  peace!

I was very excited OH fam this morning I got on the scale and lost another 3 pounds  since startingt my liquid diet, over a 3 day time period I have lost 9 lbs. 291 day 1,  283 day 3, ! I must admitt though,  I stopped at 7-Eleven with my husband and couldn't resist buying a piece of pizza!    hold on, hold on, OH Fam don't get your panties in a bunch I only ate the tip of the pizza very small piece and gave the rest to my husband, hubby was a little disappointed in me eating the small piece but i must admit, IT WAS DAM GOOD YALL!!   I have gotten cheating out of my system, I'm surprised in myself so far I have done very well!

 2nd Day of my liquid Diet and I am struggling, I have only been drinking the opti fast shakes I can't get up the nerve to eat the soup so for 2 days I been living off Jello & optifast shakes my stomache feels like its eating on itself  I did eat 1 peanut and 1 BBQ chip dont know why I did that just tortured myself more! Dang 12 more days of this, and its not that im hungary the optifast curves my appetitie its all in my mind! Prayer prayer prayer!!!  

Well Today I started my liquid diet (optifast) and I am struggling, we had a meeting at lunch today at work and everybody was eating, I thought I was gonna jump up and scream my skinny little coworker was sitting beside me eating a subway sandwich I was ready to knock her upside the head and take that sandwich! UGH how am I gonna get through 13 more days of this! prayer prayer prayer!!!! ! last night was my birthday and I went to Cheesecake factory and ate like it was the last supper, drank like it was gonna turn me into gold the more I drank. Whew this is hard. but I'm a BIG Girl (literally) and Big girls dont cry! I got this OH Fam.

Ok OH family so this past tuesday the 22nd I had my upper GI, stomache sonogram and final lab work done, I am so mad at my OH family cause I dont remember seeing any post from anyone, about the Dang stomache sonogram, that was worst than the Upper GI. The Tech pushed on my stomache and ribs so hard I thought everything I ate the night before was gonna come out the back door! (sorry folk but want to give you all the facts... lol), when I moaned and told her it hurt, I must have been speaking a foreign language to her because she continued like I said not a thing! Any who I made it through but my ribs are still a little tender. Now the Upper GI, was not too bad but bad, the Technician was very nice and the doctor also and it went by pretty fast and no constipation as I was told I may have.  So there you have it another hurdle jumped.

Today 3/25/11 I had my final appointment with my primary care doctor who by the end of the appointment made me feel like by having the Bypass done I am walking through the valley of death, he constantly throughout the whole appointment kept asking me would I rethink about having bypass and the band instead, I already to this man 3x I have made up my mind and the band is not gonna give me the results I need to be back in a healthy state, and I know too many people who have had the band and they weigh more now than before they had the band done. needless to say my appointment came to an end and on my way out the door my doctor says make sure you pray for the doctors performing the surgery, the nurses, and the anesthesiologist before you go in, (I planned on doing this anyway as I do daily, I love my heavenly father and am truly blessed to be a child of god), but it was the way he said it!  After I left his office I felt like I needed to go and have a drink, he scared the hell out of me. well now I got myself together and cant wait to move forward as I know my god holds me in his hands! 

So as of today I have 19 Days left til my Surgery!     

My Surgeons office called me today to inform me my actual surgery date is going to be 4/13/2011, 2 weeks later than the date my insurance company gave me  the surgeon's office said the first date I got was a dummy date they had to give to the insurance company for the approval. Well none the less my BIG day is April 13, 2011.

Went to the cardiologist office today (at my own request, not a requirement of Aetna), I jus want to make sure my heart is prepared for the procedure. I have an appointment to go back and have a stress test done, then I will be all set for the big day!

Well OH Fam I completed my final nutrition class and I must say it was very informative. Future advice to all hoping to have WLS please make sure the surgeon you select has pre-op nutrition classes and education classes its a BIG help I learned alot to help me be successful before and after surgery!  with that said my paperwork will be submitted for approval 2/1/11 and I should have a decision in less than a week, pray for me!

Whats  up OH family jus a update on my progression to a healthier me. Last week I went for my endoscopy procedure I was scared as hell to get sedated but it turned out ok for me. The day after the whites of my eyes were blood shot red as a result of a bad gag reflex I had during the procedure. But overall it went well.

since starting this WLS process I've found out I have Severe sleep apnea, High blood pressure, and a ulcer in my small intestint, Whew thats alot of stuff, dang I'm so glad I decided to take this journey, had I not , I was fading slowly. So I thank god for putting this in my heart. Next week I have my final nutrtion class then my paperwork can be submitted to Aetna for approval and I can get a surgery date, I will keep you all posted on my progression.