**willow**
I WOULD **LOVE** TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO READS MY PROFILE! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK AND IF THERE IS ANY THING YOU REALLY LIKE, OR WOULD LIKE TO SEE. I APPRECIATE SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
If you have any questions, please email me!
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****** Please read******
The diet and nutrition and exercise info I have posted is from my own personal research and it is how I manage my own health. You should determine your own diet, exercise and health maintenance decisions based on your own doctors, dieticians or health care providers recommendations and your own judgment. What works for me may not be the best plan for you and your own medical history and conditions. I only accept responsibility for my own health and no one else’s.
My info was sent by my Dr. on 8/1/2002 to my insurance, I called today and BCBS has not received it yet, but hopefully will by the end of the week.
About me
I started my wls journey at 41 years old. I had fought with my weight ever since puberty. As a teenager I was called Fats by my loving family at 125 # and (almost) 5' tall. I have now dieted my self up to > 260 pounds. I am a registered nurse. I work in postpartum and NICU. My hobbies include reading, gardening, cooking, telling jokes, photography, scuba diving, and collecting blue willow china. I am married and have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. I love cooking and baking, here is a picture of the cakes I made for my daughters wedding.
A picture of me and my husband in March 2002, about a month before I started researching WLS
My husband and I met when I was 13 & he was 15, on vacation in Florida. I knew he was one of the sweetest people I had ever met, and his sister tells me the day he met me - he came home and said he had met the girl he was going to marry. The only problem, I lived in Indiana and he was near Chicago about 185 miles away. We wrote letters, he spent thousands on phone bills, and we visited after he got his drivers license. Married June 10, 1978 at the ages of 17 and 19. I never dated much other than Mike and he is still my sweetheart. He has stood by me thru thick and thin. I have not always appreciated him as much as I should, but I do know I am a lucky woman to have someone who is as caring as him.
August 1976 - me and my Sweetheart for life
My family called me "fats" at a great big 115 pounds. And I wish I were so fat now. Gee - I wonder where I learned to have a poor self esteem and not ever feel like I was "good enough"?
My Wedding Day June 10, 1978
My hope in having WLS was that I could get off my blood pressure meds, to be healthier, decrease pain in my back and Achilles, and lower my cholesterol and heart attack risk. On the lighter side, I wanted to be able to do things I was not comfortable or able to do, such as horseback riding, going on the Batman ride at Great America, and to have more energy to run after my grandbabies. I know it sounds fluffy but I also I wanted to be able to buy prettier clothes that on the regular size racks. I also wanted to never again hear how I have such a pretty face (with the implicit "too bad you are a fat ass").
My Doctors
both encouraged me to think about gastric bypass surgery and are VERY supportive .
Previous diets ~ AKA: ask me to detail my failures
Weight watchers -12 #
Slim fast - Numerous times lose some weight , gain back more
Fit for life? (weight loss program @ GSH) - 20 #
Diet program at Sherman Hospital - 20 #
Fen - Phen - 18#
Diet pills (I don't remember what From OB - after birth of 1st child) lost a few #
OTC diet pills i.e. dexatrim, herbal weight loss, chromium picolate(?spelling) etc
Cabbage soup diet - few pounds until I was sick of smelling like cabbage gas
Other various diets with a little loss and a lot of gain afterwards
hypnosis - no noticeable effect at all
joined Chicago health club... twice.
Medications taken pre-op / dosage/ reason
1. Allopurinol 300 mg Q day Elevated Uric acid in urine causing numerous episodes of Kidney stones
2. Celebrex 200 mg BID NSAID for arthritis pain and Achilles tendonitis
3. Wellbutrin 150 mg Q day Depression
4. Baby ASA 85 mg Q day Recommended by Dr. for heart attack prevention due to Hypertension and other risk factors
5. 400 mg Vit. E, and Centrum
6. Ziac 5mg Q Day Hypertension
meds post op
1. Vitamins, Iron, Calcium
I did restart the Wellbutrin a couple years out.
Other concerns - progression from pre op / to post op almost 1 year later / 2 years post op
1. Knee pain / now rare / occasional
2. severe nearly crippling R Achilles pain/ 80% improved/ rare to have any pain here
3. hypertension / gone, no meds bp running 105/70 / excellent
4. irregular / heavy periods / regular, still heavy-damn that per menopause / no more periods
5. back pain, sciatica with hip and leg pain / gone / still gone
6. wheezing ? asthmatic episode lasting several months last winter requiring intervention with steroids (Medrol dosepack) and Maxair inhaler. / absolutely no more wheezing / perfect
7. Wheezing and/or shortness of breath with exertion such as climbing stairs / I run them now, several flights without stopping / even better
8. Loud snoring reported by husband raising question of sleep apnea, I wake with headaches frequently /no more snoring!!! or headaches in the morning / same
9. Family history of heart attacks, father died in 30's from heart attack / -115 # my risk factors are now minimal / -135 # I am even better
10. My cholesterol is 240+ ? / my cholesterol is 123 /cholesterol 135, excellent
11. ? GERD - sometimes I have a lot of coughing if I lie down after eating / not any more / no problem
12. History of numerous kidney stones / this one is staying with me/ none in the past year
13. Occasional migraine type headaches / 1 in the past year/ none
14. I am not yet diabetic, but it runs in the family / risk factors greatly reduced / with continued weight loss and exercise I am less likely than ever
15. carpal tunnel syndrome bilaterally / gone / still gone
16. father died in his 30's from a heart attack-from high cholesterol, and it is supposedly a hereditary condition. he was "big" / this history is still there, I am no longer "big" myself, and my risk factors are so greatly reduced / I am still low risk with my reduced weight, cholesterol and blood pressure
RNY Gastric Bypass, 9/25/2002 weight at 260# at 4'11" my BMI was in the super morbid obese range
by Dr. Eric Schlessinger at the Bariatric treatment center in Belvedere IL.
But, This is just part of my story and it is starting in the middle. There is so much more. My gastric bypass was a new beginning, and the start of quite a journey. Everything that happened before is also an important part of who I am. as well as the changes I have made, challenges I have faced, and the things I have learned as I travel down this path of life. I will share as much of my story as I can.
About Me
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
