Christina C.

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January 21, 2006

Hello all. Can you believe that I have only 5 more days to go until the big day! I have been rather calm recently about the surgery but today for some reason I was having a rough time. Even though I kept getting a pain in my chest which should have reassured me that this surgery was very, very good, but I kept thinking with my luck I won't make to the surgery. After Derek got home I had a rest and felt much better. I think I did too much with the 4 loads of never ending laundry, trying to get the kids room somewhat in order and my room and all the other stuff that needs to be done.

My mother took me out for my "last supper" at the Keg tonight and it was superb. I had my usual Sirloin Oscar with the garlic mashed potatoes. Oh was it yummy! Derek and I are going out tomorrow night for a bite so that will be nice to have some time to ourselves.

I'm working Monday and Tuesday and then I'm done work for a month. On Wednesday I can only have liquids all day and I have to take some laxitives to prepare my bowels for surgery, yippie! After midnight I'm done with solids and liquids. Thursday morning I have to take a shower and scrub my belly region with a special sponge (antiseptic surgical scrub brush sponge) for I think 5 minutes and then we have to be at admitting at 9:00 am and then the real fun begins. So thats about it for now. I will be updating one last time before my surgery so stay tuned!

January 15, 2006

Today was Griffin's birthday. I can't believe he is 3 years old now. Time sure flies. We all enjoyed ourselves and the next B-day is for Zach which we will have at McDonalds. He's very excited. I've added another top ten and a picture. Chao!

Top Ten Things I’m looking forward to after Some Weight Loss:


1. Trying on clothes in a regular store and knowing I don’t have to spend a fortune unless I want to.
2. Chasing after my son Griffin when he takes off down the street. He is notorious for doing this in the summer. Derek is usually the one that does the chasing or my friend and neighbour Donna, God Bless her.
3. Going for walks with the kids.
4. Playing in the backyard with the kids.
5. Looking in the mirror and feeling happy about what is looking back at me.
6. Intimacy with Derek. I always feel ugly even though Derek thinks I’m just beautiful.
7. Feeling better, I hope.
8. Hopefully not taking as much medication or none.
9. Confidence.
10. Living Life instead of just existing.

January 9, 2006

I had my pre-testing done today. Wow they sure do check you out. I had a lot of blood drawn, a chest x-ray, a gallbladder ultrasound since I still had one. I had to pratice breathing into a little contraption that I took home and return with it the day of the surgery. I had an EKG and a doctor came in, sorry can't remember her name, she checked me all out and told me about my heart murmur. I had the dietician come in and go over a lot of things but since I had done so much research for this surgery it wasn't as overwelhming as I thought it would be. I had to answer lots of questions over and over again and last but not least I had to pee in a cup. Then it was back home.

I was so tired when I got back home I took a nap. When I got up there was a message for me from Barb at Barix. Apparentely I have a bladder infection and as Barb said " I need to get it taken care of right away " to make a long story short Barb is faxing the results with treatment recomendations to my doctor and I have an appointment tomorrow morning to find out what I have to take to get rid of this infection. The weird thing is I had no idea I had an infection. Barb said that wasn't uncommon. I have had some slight burning, and I did notice a odour to my urine yesterday that wasn't normal but I haven't had a bladder infection since I was 6 years old so I was clueless. Hopefully I'll get this cleared up by the 26th. I don't want any delays or changes to this surgery date. Everything is set at work and Derek has taken time off work and I just want to get it over with. Oh and before I forget Dr. Schram is going to fix my Hiatul Hernia when he does the surgery, so there is a greater chance it might end up being an "OPEN" procedure which I'm afraid of. Well I need to sleep. Bye

January 02, 2006 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well another year has arrived without much hesitation. I've been thinking of all the things that will be different for me this year and there are so many that my head spins. Of course I'm still nervous about the surgery and complications but I have to take the chance.
I want my time left on this earth precious with my children, my husband and all my family. I feel that if something happened to me years from now and it was a complication or direct effect of the surgery it would be worth it. To be content, comfortable, healthy and happy in my own skin is something I deserve and my family deserves. When I'm gone they can look back and think of all the wonderful memories they had with me. If something awful happens right after the surgery I've come to grips with that too. I have to take the risk of this surgery for the sake of everything I hold close to my heart!

December 28, 2005

I got a date!!!!! I know the Barix clinic was getting sick of my calls but that's just too bad. Last week I called on Monday was supposed to hear back. Didn't. I called on Thursday and left a message with the scheduling department and I also called that Friday and left a message with the scheduling department. I wasn't nasty at all if your wondering. I can be persistant but always take others peoples feelings into consideration (to a point of course). All these phone calls and still no return call! So tuesday, (day after boxing day) I figured I would hear something after all my messages but no. I called again in the afternoon and that evening I had a call (forgot her name) she apologized, said I would for sure be hearing something on Wed. but of course I wasn't optomistic, but I did get a call and my faith has been restored in the Barix clinic staff. I totally understand family emergencies, sickness and staff shortage but I swear they must just have one girl working the by-pass phone calls. Poor girl!
My pre-testing is Jan 9th and a great lady I know from a gastric bypass on line group has offered to be my angel. Thanks Joyce!!!! I'm off to bed but I think I'll probably have a hard time sleeping tonight.

Top Ten Things I Won’t Miss About Being Fat:

1. My hypertension which causes me to feel an almost constant pressure in my head. The med that I have to take for my hypertension which makes me feel dizzy and tired.
2. My Premature Ventricular Contractions. They don’t hurt but would you want to actually feel your heart pounding and having extra beats?
3. My Hiatul Hernia. Which is caused by my stomach acids weakening the lining in my stomach which then pushes my stomach up into my chest cavity which then causes pain, a constant uncomfortable feeling. It’s very hard to bend over and hurts to carry heavy things. Forget about eating late at night unless you want to sleep upright.
4. My Gastrointestinal Esophageal Reflux Disease. Having stomach acid come up in your throat and mouth and nausea sucks. And of course there is another pill for that.
5. Aching lower back and knees. When your 4 feet 11 inches and over 200 pounds a body tends to get tired of carrying that around.
6. Diet after diet after diet. Oh yes I have tried to lose weight, all my life. But as anyone knows that has dieted and then stopped you always gain the weight back and then some. Having the surgery will give me a permanent diet because if you don’t stick to what is on the menu a person will get what is called “Dumping Syndrome”. What is that you ask well let me tell ya. Dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting and exhaustion, it has been compared to a really bad flu that lasts approx. 45 minutes. Just from what I’ve heard about it I don’t want to encounter it. If you happen to have a high sugar, and/or high fat food your body will not like it because of the new pouch that works differently than the old stomach did.
7. Spending a lot of money on plus size clothing, I mean a lot.
8. Having to take a nap because I’m so exhausted from the weight on my body, and because I’m in pain and I don’t know what else to do with myself and I’m acting like a bitch, (phew that was a mouthful).
9. Having to stay home instead of going for a walk with Derek and the kids because I just can’t do the walking. It hurts and I can’t breath.
10. Feeling like a failure as a wife and mother.


This is part of a petition that was written to send to the Ontario Government to continue funding for the surgery. It is a little lengthy but it has some great points:

To: Ontario Provincial Government
In Canada, the Ontario provincial government is seriously considering cutting OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) funding for a life-saving medical procedure: bariatric surgery for the morbidly obese. I am petitioning the government and asking for public support on this pressing health care issue.

Recent research on the etiology of morbid obesity (defined as being 100 lbs. or more overweight) has highlighted the need to view this condition as a disease process. For instance, obese individuals have been shown to have abnormally insensitive insulin and leptin receptors, in addition to anomalous ghrelin and peptide YY3-36 levels. In fact, research conducted by Dr. Robert Dent at the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario has identified up to 11 genes implicated in the development of morbid obesity. It is the common opinion of the majority of bariatric physicians that the problem of serious, lifelong obesity is not simply the result of sloth and gluttony.

That being said, however, it is not necessarily relevant whether or not one chooses to accept the wealth of empirical support for the disease model of morbid obesity. The Canadian health care system does not differentiate between self-inflicted physical pathology and pathologies brought on through no fault of the patient. We still treat smokers who develop lung cancer, and we still treat drunk drivers and skydivers who injure themselves through their own actions. The fact that morbid obesity appears to be biologically-determined, then, simply makes the notion of funding cuts to obesity
surgery that much more tragic and discriminatory.

Morbidly obese individuals cannot simply go on another diet and lose their excess weight. They have already tried that. In fact, many of them have already lost (and regained) more than they weigh. To quote a popular statistic, 96 to 99% of dieters will regain their weight (and then some) after traditional diets. And virtually all bariatric surgeons nevertheless require that patients have a documented history of failed dieting attempts. It is also especially noteworthy that the National Institutes of Health in the United States has stated that surgery is the ONLY effective, long-term treatment for morbid obesity.

It behooves the Ontario government not only to continue to fund obesity surgery, but to increase the amount of health care dollars devoted to it. Doing so would actually save the government money in the long run. Morbidly obese individuals can be expected to drain the health care system much more than the initial cost of obesity surgery. The resultant health problems such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, and diabetes (just a few of the many) have been shown in the scientific literature to be ameliorated and even eliminated with surgical treatment. Clearly, it makes financial sense to alleviate and/or prevent these chronic, comorbid conditions.

The Ontario government is encouraged not only look at the immediate picture, but look at the issues logically and in the longer term. It is my sincere hope that it takes these issues to heart and makes compassionate and logical decisions regarding funding for obesity surgery.

December 14, 2005

Well I had my consultation and everything went well. I'm a great canidate for the surgery. Quite healthy for a bariactric patient he said, ha!. If he considers me healthly I wouldn't want to know what sick is!! He was quite surprised that I already had my OHIP approval even though I hadn't seem a bariactric surgeon, he said that people usually have to see the surgeon first then forward the info to OHIP and wait for approval. So I thought that was something good. I kept asking silly questions about how I was considered a "light-weight" and basically maybe I wasn't worthy of the surgery. He reassured me I was quite worthy and a great patient since I'm young and "healthy". I guess I should be expecting a call very soon, like maybe even tomorrow regarding a surgery date. Apparently I can have the surgery as early as January. Oh my goodness! That just scares the shit right out of me thinking about it. I want the end result but I'm terrified of the surgery. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has felt that way. I'm going to get Derek to post some pictures of me soon. Bye!

December 13, 2005

Well I'm having major worries about the surgery. Lately all I can think about is death or major complications that change my life forever. I just keep thinking if something bad happens to me my boys will grow up without their mom and wonder why I was willing to risk my life and their well-being for WLS. I keep asking myself if it worth the risk to feel better and maybe even look better. I have a lot to think about.

My consultation with Dr. S has been changed. I'm actually going tomorrow (Dec. 14) instead of December 27th. Of course I changed the date. You know me, so very impatient with everything in my life.

I started my new job yesterday and it was okay. Very boring. Not what I'm used to at the detox. Phones are ringing, door is buzzing, people in crisis every moment at the detox and at Problem Gambling it is very quiet and relaxed. Weird! Wherever I go now my thoughts go to the surgery. Hopefully after my appointment with the surgeon tomorrow I'll feel a little more settled. Bye for now.

December 7, 2005

Wow it has centainley been awhile! A lot has happened in my life lately. I lost someone very dear to me just a couple of weeks ago and it has been rough letting her go, for me and my family. I applied for a new job within the hospital (wherre I currently work) and got it. I start that on the 12th and I received my letter from OHIP stating I have been APPROVED FOR OUT OF COUNTRY WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY!!!!!!!!

The letter arrived last Friday while I was at work. Derek couldn't stand the suspense and opened it and then called me at work. I was in total shock. I had almost convinced myself that it was not going to happen. So now I go for my consultation with Dr. Sharam (sp?) on December 27th and then go from there. I cant really put into words how I feel about this but I am excited. I will try my best to post more often!

November 16, 2005

Yes it has been a while since I logged in. I'm really down in the dumps and everything related to weight loss surgery is just really upsetting right now. Still no answers. I called Ottawa on monday and they had no info so I explained my situation to the lady I spoke with and she said I had to contact Kingston, so I did and the person I spoke with there said she would look into it and call me back. I haven't heard anything yet and today is Wed. if I don't have a phone call by Fri. I'm calling again. Bye!

November 8, 2005

Still no news. I called OHIP's office in Ottawa today to find out if they have received my appeal papers but the lady I needed to speak with wasn't available so I left a message. Honestly I don't expect her to return my call. I'm postive this women is extremely busy and I'm just one of hundreds of phone calls she receives in a week regarding WLS.

WLS has been on my mind so much today. I think maybe in part because I'm sick with the flu and feeling a bit miserable so I'm getting caught up in the unknown of this surgery and my future. I just want to know what is going on and it is driving me crazy not knowing!!! Okay I got that off my chest but somehow I don't feel better, must be the flu. Maybe later on this week I'll have some news, bad or good. TTFN.