Brandi .
Hello my name is Brandi. I am a single mom to 4 beautiful children. I have an 10 yo daughter, 9 yo son, and 3 year old twins. I have been over weight for as long as I can remember, at least since I was 8. I'm tired of living my life with yo-yo diets and being unhealthy and miserable. I want to be able to live a full wonderful life with my kids. My ultimate dream is to be able to play soccer with my kids and not just sit back and watch them on the sidelines. I have tried so many diets. Like most others I lose and then gain. I had lost 130 lbs from 2002-2004. Then I got pregnant with my twins. That all went right out the door. The sad part is I can't really even blame my pregnancy. I did gain some weight but the majority came after I gave birth. I just felt so tired from lack of sleep and didn't want to do anything. I was depressed and ate out of depression. So I know I can lose the weight I just have to find a way to keep it off. I really think WLS can give me that help! I have the mind set to do it. I just need the help. I am ready to be thinner and healthier. I'm ready to feel good about myself and improve my self esteem and not be so miserable all the dang time. I have several friends who have had the surgery in the last couple of years. They are all doing so well. Seeing them and having their support is what finally made me realize I was being scared for nothing and could do this.
I started my research of finding the right doctor and working with my insurance in June of 2006. I thought I got lucky and found the perfect doctor and perfect place right off the bat. Unfortunately I was wrong, well my insurance thought I was wrong. They were not in network for me. I do still recommend the Barix Clinic in Wylie, TX to anyone that can be covered by them. It was a great staff and I learned a lot of the process from them. They put me even more at ease about my decision.
As I was working with my insurance to find a doctor that is covered I found some things I would have to do to get approved. I need 6 months of a PCP supervised diet with all the documentation, a physical, psychiatric evaluation, and nutrition evaluation. My insurance wasn't much help in helping me find somebody. They only gave me 3 people; all in the same office. I called and spoke with a nurse. She asked me lots of questions and said she would call me back the next day. I still haven't heard back from them. Then a friend brought over a mailer she received. It was for North Hills Hospital. There was an article about their wonderful gastric bypass doctor. I immediately went to the Aetna website and he and the hospital were in network for me. WOOHOO! Praise the Lord! Not only were they in network they are less than 15 minutes from my house; much better than the hour and half drive to Wylie. Now I'm just waiting on Dr. Kim's seminar August 9th so I can get my paperwork and get that part going. The same day as the seminar will also mark my 2nd month visit with my PCP. She really great and really wants to help me with the process. I'm so lucky. She has already done this before as well so she knows what needs to be documented. I hear Aetna is a pretty hard insurance to get approved from so I'm asking for lots of prayers and well wishes that they won't give me a hard time. There is a long line of diabetes in my family all weight related and I don't want to be one of them. I want to once and for all conquer this weight battle and move on with my life! I will keep praying every day that God helps me in this quest and it will all come together.
7/19/2006
I went today for my psychiatric appt. Only when I got there I found out they don't do counseling only medication. So she changed my depression and anxiety medicine and referred me to another doctor for counseling. I have made that appt and will see her on August 2nd. I'm hoping all this will also help out with my depression and anxiety attacks. If all goes well I should be approved for the surgery some time in January. What a terrific way to start out 2007!
8/02/2006
I saw my new pyschiatrist. I LOVE her. She is great! In just one session she has already helped me over come so many things. I'm looking foward to many more meetings with her. I feel she is going to be able to help me overcome some things I need to work on before surgery, as well as being a great asset to my recovery from surgery. I see her again next Wednesday.
08/16/06
Dr. Kim's seminar was moved from the 9th to the 16th. I really enjoyed the seminar and got some great information from it. Dr. Kim seems like a great doctor. My biggest dissapointment with him is that he won't meet with you until you have insurance approval. I'm not a big fan of that and would like to get to know before surgery. I did get the packet and will start filling it out to return. I have an appointment with one of the 3 doctors that I had orginally called about in August. The nurse finally called me back and said my Appt was August 18th at 2:30pm. It was a little taken back by the fact I wasn't given a choice about the appt time or date, but I took the appt. I wasn't orginally going to go but I think I might at least see what they have to say. When GREAT thing I learned at Dr. Kim's seminar was I only need 3 months supervised diet with a dietician and my PCP. Too bad I didn't know that in June. I could be almost done. That's okay though. I can still be ready by December. One month earlier.
08/18/2006
Today I went for my appt with Dr. Rivas office. He works in the Southwestern Medical Clinic. He was wonderful. I'm not so sure about all of the rest of the staff. First of all it would have been nice of the person scheduling my visit to tell me it was going to be a 2hr visit. I went in thinking It would be be an hour or less. It wasn't until the MA told me I would be meeting with the Doctor, the dietician, the insurance personnal, and the nurse that I realized it would be much longer than that. . She said it would take at least an hour probably a little more. Well it was a little more it was 2 hrs. It caused me to miss a Girl Scout recruitment I had scheduled for tonight. Oh well. I did get a lot of great information again. I learn a little more with each doctor and each seminar I attend. I'm not sure I will everf know all there is to know about this surgery. After a great visit with Dr. Rivas I was very excited to meet with the rest of the staff and get everything rolling. Well my ball came to a sudden stop when I met the insurance person. She had no clue what her job was or what she was supposed to be doing. I had to give her a cheat sheet with information info I got from North Hills. She told me the nurse would be doing my pre-determination; however, when the nurse came in she said ummm no the insurance will handle that. I'm not feeling very confident about this clinic doing my surgery. I guess I will see what happens. I'm still going to submit my paperwork to Dr. Kim's office as well and see which one I like better in the end. Maybe it was just a bad day for the Southwestern clinic. I will give them another chance. I just wish now I could figure out if I need 6months or 3 months of supervised diet. That would be so nice to know. I will leave it in God's hands and he will see that I get my answers soon enough. I meet with a dietician on Sept 5th, unless she can squeeze me in sooner. I'll write then and let you know how it's going.
10/10/2006-Well I have had two appts with my dietician since the last time I posted. Both went well. I've lost 8lbs by her scale. Although according to my PCP's scale I've gained about 15lbs since the start of seeing doctors. That is very discouraging since the whole point of this process is to lose not gain. I know I can do it. I'm just under a lot of stress right now and I'm a major stress eater. I know excuses excuses we all have them. I just need to tell myself I can do this and I know I can. I just need to get it done! Only one more appt with the dietician and then I can submit all my paper work. I'll let you know how it goes.
12/2006- I had my last appt with both my pcp and dietician this month. I has to miss last month because my son had a 4-wheeler accident. We were in the hospital for 5 days. That was not fun. He knocked out 3 permanent teeth and tore 1/2 his lip off which thankfully the drs were able to fix. So we are happy about that. Not so happy about the $6000 it's going to cost me to get his teeth fixed though. Now I just need to get all my paperwork together and send it in for approval. I will get on that after the 1st of the year.
02/2007- I finally found out exactly what papers I had to submit and have submitted them all. I have explained to the insurance coordinator for Dr. Kim that time is of the essence because my insurance could possibly be changing April 1st. I won't know until close to that date. Keeping my fingers crossed everything goes okay.
I mailed everything in and the insurance coordinator called me a couple of days later saying she did get it all and had some questions. I answered all her questions and asked how long the approval took. She said 1-2 weeks. Possibly up to 4. She realized there could be a problem with the insurance change so she was pushing the best she could. After the first week of not hearing anything I freaked out and emailed her. I asked her how often they got denials and what was the appeal process if so and how often they got approved from an appeal. She emailed me back telling me not to panic. Since I had everything I was supposed to it should get approved. She has only had 2 patients be declined and that was because they didn't have a hight enough BMI for 5 years. Whew that's a relief. She said I have scheduled you for surgery on March 27th pending your approval. YEAH! I have a date!
2/25/2007- Cathy the insurance coordinator for Dr, Kim called and said I am approved!!! WOOHOO! Yeehaw! I'm so excited. All those panic attacks were for nothing! I have pre op on March 8th and my surgery is still scheduled for March 27th. Because my BMI is so high she said I needed to see Dr. Kim right away so he could determine if I needed to start my liquid diet sooner than 2 weeks prior.
2/27/2007- Saw Dr. Kim today. He said he think I will do well but need to start my liquid diet now. So I will be on full liquids a whole month before surgery! YIKES! So not looking forward to that. Went out and had a BIG lunch today!
03/08/2007- Pre op went fine today. Met some other girls that are having the surgery within a few days of mine. We will all be in the hopsital around the same time. It's really nice knowing there will be someone else for me to talk to while I'm there. I'm doing okay on the liquid diet. Not as well as I should be doing but okay. 2 week prior is the most important part.
03/26/2007- Tomorrow is the big day. I'm scared to death. I have not done well on the liquid diet but still hoping for the best. I have all my kids where they are staying and ready to be taken care of for a week while I recoop. It will almost be like a vacation with no kids for a few days! See you all on the skinny side soon!
05/21/2007-Hello Everyone! Well it's been awhile but I've been overwhelmingly busy and soooo TIRED!!!! I can't believe how little energy I've had since the surgery. Over all I am doing very well. I made it out of the hospital finally. Got home and tried eating but it was miserable. It took me about 2 weeks before any food was really okay. I did the pureed liquid stuff for 4 weeks. That was not good. I'm not much of a pureed kind of girl. I obviously have a love for food. I got where I was somehow. This is such a fablous tool to help you eat less and better. What this tool does not do is take away your love for food. I still find myself trying things I probably shouldn't be eating. The good news is generally those items make me sick and then I don't want them again. The first 5 weeks after surgery were miserable. I questioned every day why in the world I would make this stupid decision. It really was bad. Starting week 6 things started looking up. I'm not able to eat a lot more foods including salad which I was missing terribly. I can't eat chicken or eggs without being sick. So I just stay away from them. I can eat a little bit of bread but not tortillas. That's a good thing though because I really don't need them. I have also unfortunately discovered I can eat sugar. I was really hoping to be one of those people who becomes ill with sugar. So far hasn't happened. Not to say that I've had a lot of sugar to test the limits but a little is okay. Now it's just having the will power to say no to any sugar. That's a lot harder. The great news is with the tool I can't eat near as much! ;) I have joined weight watchers along with my new tool to help my success on this journey. I figured I have the tool to help me not eat as much and I can use weight watchers to help me learn what to eat to be healthier. I don't own a scale at home so the weight watcher meetings also help let me know how I did for the week. Okay so drum roll please I weighed in Saturday which made 7 weeks and 4 days and I have lost a total of 50 lbs!!!! I am so excited. I feel really good about my weight loss. I think I could be doing even better if I could just get my liquid in and my protein. Those are both a real challenge. Especially the liquid. I LOVE water but since surgery I have not been able to drink just plain water. I have to have something mixed with it. Plain water just sits on my stomach like a rock. This is really really had because I do not like Crystal Light or most other mix ins. I drink a lot of tea but dang there is times I just want some water! The protein has been easier but I really need to get to the vitamin shop again. I found some stuff at the Vitamin Shop called Nu Weigh. It's a liquid protein shot with 42 grams of protein. I mix 1/2 of the shot with a bottle of water and drink up. Not bad. I usually try to have a protein shake for breakfast too. It's about 35 grams of protein. I take a scoop of vanilla protein powder, yogurt (orange or strawberry), 1/2 banana, 8 ozs of milk and some ice. Blend it all together. YUMMY! It takes me almost 2 hrs to drink it but it's lot of protein and very filling. I am really slacking on the exercise but I'm going to get busy on that. I'm now I will have lots of skin but I'm hoping with the exercise it will get a little better. I just wish I had more energy. I feel so much better if I wasn't so tired. Speaking of tired I'm thinking I need a nap! I'll update again soon.
07/27/2007- It's been a couple of months since I've updated. I really did swear I was not going to be that way. I read so many profiles on here and when I was preparing for my journey and enjoyed the ones that were kept recent and updated. I was hoping I could be inspiration to others and others were to me. I will do my best to be better! As of today I am 4 months post op. As of today I have lost 77 lbs. YEAH! I am very happy with progress. I wanted to do be down 100 for my drs visit on August 15th but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I was losing very rapidly at first but have slowed down dramtically. I know this is my fault. I'm not drinking my protein, taking my vits or exercising like I should be. It's a lot harder than I expected it to be. I got spoiled by eating and doing whatever I wanted in the first few months. I could do whatever and still drop. Eventually that luxary comes to a screeching halt and you have to remember this is just a tool and you have to treat it like a tool. This tool will help you not eat as much but will not stop you from eating bad things. You can eat as little as you want but if you are eating the bad stuff it doesn't matter. Sure a little is better than a lot but any is not good. I put myself through this surgery for a reason and I need to show my body that I made a decision to be a healthier person. I need to give my body healthy fuel. It is hard when most of the "healthy" stuff makes me sick and the junk stuff I can keep down but I just need to keep trying and stick to the protein rich items. The more weight I lose the more I realize I will need some platics when all is said and down. I have major bat wings on my arms. They are really ugly!!! I just bought a work out video for my upper body I'm hoping will help some. I know it won't cure it but will hopefully make it better. I am planning on taking updated pics on Sunday and measurements. Will post them when I do. I wish everyone the best where ever you are in your journey. May God Bless you and take care of you along the way!
10/30/2007- Okay well turns out I still suck at updating this thing. But here I try yet again to stay on top of it. As of two days ago I was 7 months post op. It's been a LONG 7 months I'm here to tell you! But a GREAT 7 months. As of the 28th I've lost 113lbs!!!!!! I can't believe I am even saying that. It's so unrealistic! It's such a wonderful blessing. I have 72 more lbs to go to be at goal. 23 more lbs to go to be in the 100's. What a glorious day that will be! Because of this tool that has been gifted to me I know will make it there. I also know I will be around for my kids for many more years because of this tool. That is the best feeling God could have granted me right now. I have gone from a tight size 28 to a 16 and even one or two 14's. Depends on who makes the clothes. From a 4x shirt to an XL or 14/16. Again depends on who makes it. If I never lost another pound I could be happy with who I am right now. I however have a goal and will get there. I have been to 2 OH conferences in the past few months. They were fantastic. Inspirational!!!! I HIGHLY encourage anyone that has theh means to attend to do so. The spokes person Jackie G. is pheonominal! I was able to celebrate my century club loss at the San Antionio conference. Jackie made me feel like a super star! Oh wait I didn't need her to do that, I AM A SUPER STAR! This surgery has given me back my life. A life I'm LOVING! I have enough self esteem and self worth now to feel like going out with my friends and hanging out. I feel good about myself and it shows. I'm not wearing sweats and baggy tees all the time. I actually wear skirts and tight shirts and HEELS! Dear God I wear heels! I have become a shopaholic. I can admit that out loud. Yes I LOVE TO SHOP NOW! I could shop every day if I had the money. I love to try on new clothes from stores that aren't the fat stores and lord almighty they FIT! I don't have to walk out of the dressing room in shame, mad and angry. Heck no I'm walking out with a smile on my face asking ummm excuse me I need this in a SMALLER size please!! Of course saying that loud enough everyone around can hear. I walked in the bathroom at work the other day and for the first time though. WOW my face looks slim. I LOVE IT! I love finding bones I didn't know I had. My collar bone that you an actually see without me standing a certain way. It's there. It's always there. I will say it again the first couple of months of this new tool were hard and man oh man I didn't know if I was going to make it and swore I would never do it again. Oh hell no I would do this again in a heartbeat and endure even worse in the beginning if I had to. This tool is the most amazing gift you can give yourself. If you are on the bench and can't decide throw both legs over and do it baby. You won't regret it!!! I'm not going to lie and say it's all fun and games because honestly it's not. It's a hard hard road. This surgery does great things for your tummy but it really really jacks with your mind. I've had a lot of emotional issues since this surgery and they arent fun, but it is something you can deal with. You just have to learn how. Don't be afraid to say I hurt and I don't understand why. Don't be afraid to say I'm mad and I don't know why or I'm crying and don't know why. I learned from a very smart woman on this board that all of these things are common after surgery because of the amount of fat we are losing so quickly. So you are not going nuts! It's your body messing with your mind. Take it easy and seek some help and understanding. The message groups on OH have so much love and support to offer. Please check them out. You will never meet a more wonderful group of people. At least I know the Texas Board is that way. I have made the most amazing friends on the Texas Board. I consider these people family now and would go to the ends of the earth and back for them. I love them and cherish the time and support they give me. Everyone needs that don't be afraid to send a shout out for some love and support. I promise their is plenty to give out! Okay I've rambled enough for this time. Going to update my pics. Lots of love and prayers on your journey wherever you are.
2/8/2008 - First of all Happy LATE New Year eveyone! It's been awhile but I have lots of updates. Life has just been crazy busy and has caused me to become one of those people who don't post as often as they said they would. First of all I have made it under 200lbs! I'm so excited. I can't remember the last time I weighed under 200. I'm currently weighing in at 194. So exciting. I am wearing mostly 14s and 16s but can also fit in some 12s and even a size 10 skirt! I'm wearing X large and LARGE shirts. WOW what a change from tight 28's and 3x to 4x shirts. This surgery has truly changed my life. I was diagnsed iwth Cancer in October of this year. Started out as Cervical cancer but then found out it had moved to my ovary and bladder. I would never have known this as their were no symptoms if I wouldn't have lost the weight. I wouldn't go see my gynecologist for my yearly exam because I felt fat and didn't want him to see me that way. It wasn't until I lost 100 lbs that I felt comfortable going to see him. So I went and he found it. I had surgery in December to remove my gall bladder as it started giving me problems, dramatic weight loss will do that!, they removed my ovary, scrapped my bladder and scrapped my cervix. I started chemo pills a week later. The chemo pill suck and have made me very sick but I'm doing what I have to do for me and my kids. I found out a couple of weeks ago the cancer is in my utereus now. After I'm done with my chemo I will be having a hysteroctemy to have that taken care of and then more Chemo. I know 140 lbs heavier I couldn't have handled all of this. I am physically able to take care of my body and my kids now. This tool is GREAT! I found through all of this that the TMB is best family a girl could ask for. I have had more love and suppport from my TMB family then anywhere else in my life. I don't know what I would do without them. There is a huge Dallas dinner next weekend and I can't wait to go see all my family and spend some great quality time with them. I love you all!
6/30/2008- Life goes on and my journey still continues. As of this morning I have lost 165lbs! I weigh 170. It's amazing! I can't wait to see that 6 on the scale. WOW! My goal weight of 150 is looking closer and closer. I might actually make it. I am now wearing 12's with no problems some 10's and even 8's depending on who makes them of course. I can wear medium shirts and some smalls. Although I will admit I like the comfort of my Large t-shirts. But it feels just amazing to say that I feel COMFORTABLE in a LARGE. As in they are big and baggy. WOW! I can shop anywhere I want now. I don't have to look for the plus size section or worry they won't have a size to fit me. As a matter of fact I'm still having issues grabbing 14's thinking that's what I need and actually needing a smaller size. It's great! The cancer is still on going. I did months of chemo with no luck. Started radiation last week. It really kicked my butt. I was sick for 5 days with not being able to keep food down. What an eye opener to see how much we really need our vitamins and nutrients. You simply can NOT deprieve your body of what it really needs no matter what. I was having bad black out dizzy spells. It was miserable. Feeling better today though and ready to tackle my last session of radiation on wed. Praying this time is not quite as bad. I want to say again how important it is to find a good support system. It means all the difference in the world. Without the Texas Message Board I wouldn't be where I am now. Through their prayers and love I have the strength to do what I need to do every day to keep on keeping on! I will conquer the cancer because I HAVE to. I have already conqured the Obestiy and will keep conquering with the TMB love and support.
