Casey A.

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It's been 2 months since surgery and I feel pretty good. I've lost 65 pounds from my heaviest weight and 41 pounds since surgery. I feel like I'm a slow loser but truth be told I've not exercised much. I have my treadmill set up in my room and I keep saying I'm gonna start using it, but I haven't yet. I'm back to working full time now so I do alot of walking at work but other than that I don't really walk at home. Constipation has been a very bad issue for me. I started taking Miralax every morning today so hopefully that will work. I've stop tracking everything too, food wise. I have been really good at taking my vitamins though.  

I feel truly blessed. I really didn't have any complications other than they had a hard time getting IV access on me in the hospital but they just put in a central line in my right neck while I was in surgery and I just had them use that while I was there. Pain was pretty intense in recovery but with the morphine, it was all better soon after. I've had almost no pain in the past 3 days or so. My incisions are healing well. I have one that is draining quite a bit but I had a huge bruise just under that one, so Dr. McCollough said that's normal, it's fluid from that bruise. The bruise is going away so the drainage should slow then stop soon. I'm having no difficulty at all getting my fluids in but my diet is horrible. I'm suppose to be on full liquids now until tomorrow but I've eaten meatloaf, a chichen tender, chili. I can only eat very small amounts but I chew like crazy and everything goes down ok. I'm getting my protein in so that is good, but I really need to follow my diet. Dr. said I can pretty much have anything I want, he just wants me to blend it first. 

Getting down to the nitty gritty now. Today I'm going to pack my hospital bag. Tomorrow will be laundry day, including my bath robe and bed blankets. Went and got my soap for my pre-op shower. I also went and got a battery for my scale, cause it kept saying ERR when I turned it on. Well it wasn't the battery, it pooped out on me. So as of the last time I checked I had lost 9.8 pounds just on this liquid diet. Hopefully I can weigh myself at the hospital before surgery wednesday. As far as the diet goes it's actually been kind of a breeze, and I don't say that lightly. Day 1 was REALLY hard, but I couldn't drink anything until 11 am(pre-op testing day). Day 2 was much better, and now as I'm just starting Day 6 I find it to be ALOT easier than I thought it would be. I do still feel hunger some time and I joke with the kids that I'm going to eat, But I don't. I'm doing this for me, so I'm the one that has to stay determined and focused.My daughter is doing all the cooking this week and probably next week, and some of the smells coming from kitchen are divine, but I'm determined and accountable to myself. Plus, Grandmas watching me now:)

Yesterday morning I went and got all my pre-op testing done at the hospital (EKG, chest x-ray, and blood work). So I'm registered and ready to go for next wednesday. Today is Day 2 of my pre-op liquid diet. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. The strained low fat soups help ALOT!!!! I am hungry some of the time but mostly I want to eat something because I'm bored or feel like I should be eating. I read on my forum pages that some people get really weak during this phase and O.M.G. thats soooooo true. Me and Anna went to Meijer to get some more soup and jello and I felt like I could sleep for a year. So, only 5 and a half more days......

I'm  completely floored that I only have 5 more days till I have to start my pre-op liquid diet. I have my grocery list made to get all that I will need. I'm getting really anxious now and more and more excited every day. I got my surgery date 5 days before the very untimely death of my grandma with whom I was very close to. Her death really devastated me. I have fallen off the wagon as far as my diet goes and I have not been to the gym in forever. But I have only 5 days now and I am trying to reel it back in. I go this weekend to get my treadmill out of storage. So now I'm just doing little things here and there to get ready for my healing time. I think I'm most anxious right now (except for the weight loss) is to be able to finally go back to work and have some money.

It feels forever since I started this journey and now I finally have my surgery date and I just want to crawl into the fetal position and cry. My surgery, as of now, will take place on 9/27/17. I am grateful that I FINALLY got a date but this has been the most long drawn out experience of my life. I was really hoping that once I got the approval from insurance that the hard part was over and it would be really quick that I would be able to have my surgery. Well that's not the case and now I have to wait 6 very long weeks. I know that 6 weeks is nothing compared to the last 5 years but I am sooooooo tired of waiting. I've found my self sitting with a calendar counting up the weeks after surgery and the holidays thinking "okay I should lose around 24 pounds by this date and 36 pounds by this date". I need to change my thinking from 6 long weeks to wait to 6 short weeks to get ready....and that is what I'm going to do...

Well it's finally happened. I finally got a job and my insurance is going to change, but I may have my surgery before it does, I'll have to wait and see. However, with this new job, there have been alot of changes going on at my house. I'm not following my dietician's advice very well, trying to really, but it's hard trying to do those and get a new routine down for me and the kids. I work afternoon shift (3-1130) and it sucks not being home with the kids in the evenings. I'm having to make dinner at like 1 in the afternoon. Also, I had to call and cancel the appointment I would of had with my primary care doctor for clearance to have my surgery because I had to go into work for an Inservice meeting plus I have a past due balance with him that he is requiring I pay before he'll see me again and I  won't have that money until early next month. I meet with the dietician again next week and that will be my 4th, only 2 more after that. Another worry to add to all the mix is that I haven't said anything to my new employer about me having this surgery and I'm not sure if I'll even be able to have the time off to get the surgery without losing my job. But I've decided not to go down without a fight and will keep plugging away at all the things I have to do before I'll get approved with my insurance company now, so I'll have to wait and see. I may have to wait until next year to have this surgery, which will really break my heart, but come hell or high water I will have this gastric bypass.

Well, my name is Casey, I am 40 years old (still feels weird to say that, just turned 40 on June 23rd) and am still in the process of getting all my pre-op testing done to submit to insurance for approval. This friday will be my 3rd meeting with the Dietician (need 6 total) and I scheduled my psych eval for that same day. I've already done my medical tests (upper GI, gallbladder ultrasound, chest xray, and EKG), still need to get the blood work done and get the medical clearance from my medical doctor, appointments made for both. I'm hoping for an October 2012 surgery date, but won't know until we get the approval from the Insurance company. I am SO excited but nervous, that's normal I would think. I have been battling obesity since puberty, LONG TIME. You name it I've tried it, everything from weight watchers to adkins and even HCG. I've lost alot of weight but am so tired of having to think about my weight all the time. I have 2 beautiul and wonderful children, my daughter is 18 and is worried about the surgery, not only for the risk I'm taking but she is also worried about me getting skinny and she not, I've told her that this is a tool for both of us, she will be my coach and will be with me every step of the way and hopefully next summer we'll be skinny together. She is only slightly over weight and I finally chose to do this surgery for her, so I know what to do to help her. I have thought about this surgery ALOT over that last 10 years and have always managed to talk myself out of scheduling any appointments, I'm determined now. Then there's my son, he is 11 and loves me unconditionally, but I don't think he realizes what risk I'm taking and that's ok with me, he just knows that mommy's having surgery to lose weight and be healthy. I'm doing this surgery for both my children, so that I can teach my daughter healthier ways of eating and to have more energy for my son. I am single, divorced twice, but I feel that after my surgery and recovering that maybe my confidence will come back and maybe I'll be ready to start dating again, but that's not something I'm worried about right now. I am a Nurse, LPN, but currently in pursuit of my BSN, and am currently unemployed and actively seeking employment, my only concery is if I find another job now and my insurance changes is that going to affect me having this surgery or not? Well, any way, I am SUPER EXCITED, but nervous.