C. Collins
10/28/02 - I am 29 years OLD (I sure feel older than I am!) I have 3 beautiful daughters and a very handsome step son. My story is the same as many of the others here. I have fought my weight all my life and it has won the battle. Im ready to take control again. I went to the OB/GYN (I hate those Drs. ANYWAY!) and the Nurse's eyes got big when I got on the scale and she started it out at 150 (arent they SO optimistic?!) I reached up and moved it over to 250 and told her I was in a hurry *LOL* So anyway, here I am at 252 and VERY depressed about it. This is the most I've ever weighed (and that includes being 9 months pregnant!) I remarried a year ago and have put on about 15 in that year. My husband has too, but he could afford to. He is much more of a homebody than I am and I contribute some of my weight gain due to our sedentary life style. With 4 kids, its hard to imagine being sedentary, but when it hurts to move, and you get out of breath just PUTTING ON your rollerblades, it happens. I called today (10/28/02) and talked to a very highly recommended surgeon in my area and got an appointment for Thursday for initial consult!! Thursday is our 1 yr anniversary. What a gift to give myself! =) I will update after the consult. Everyone cross fingers for me.
10/31/02 - I went to my initial consultation today and met Dr. Alexander. He is fantastic! He answered every question I could come up with. I weighed in at 248 which is a few pounds lighter than at my OB/GYN. I really dont think I've lost anything. I just think my OB/GYN's scales are heavy *LOL*. He wants to do open RNY with a modified incision of only 3-4 inches. This sounded great to me because having a 9-12 inch scar wasn't at the top of my "to do" list in life *LOL* He is sending off the insurance letter tomorrow, so it's a wait and see game for now.
11/05/02 - I called BCBS today to see if I could hurry along the process a little. They said they hadn't received the letter from my Dr. yet, so I read the letter to the woman and she said that there is no reason why I shouldn't be approved from what the letter says, but to resend the letter so they could get things started. I called my Dr.'s office and spoke to Ann the billing person and asked her to send the letter again. She said she would.
11/06/02 - I called Dr. Alexanders office today to see if they had faxed the letter. She checked and made sure that they had. I called BCBS again today and they said they were running a day behind on processing faxes and to call again tomorrow. I will!!! I also told the lady at Dr. Alexander's office that my husband got laid off yesterday (WOO HOO!!) Working in the IT field right now is scary, but he has 2 interviews before the end of the week. I called to ask if there was any way to expedite things because I only have insurance till the end of November. Of course I have the COBRA option, but it is SOOOO expensive! She tentatively set my surgery date for Nov 26!!! Of course we will have to have the approval letter from the insurance company by then, but BCBS says there shouldn't be any reason not to have it by then. I have BCBS of MA insurance (in Texas, makes sense to me!!! NOT!) Anyway, there is only 1 Dr. in my area that is a preferred provider so I am going to have to shell out about $3000 for this surgery. I don't know where I'm going to get it, but I will get it!! (Any donations are very welcome!!!!) LOL I am only a daily "call my insurance and bug the crap out of them" quest. They say I should know something by Friday. We will see!!!
11/07/02 - Well I called BCBS today AGAIN. I was told they couldn't give me any information, but my Dr. could call if he needed to. So, I called Dr. A.'s office to find out that BCBS had just called them and given them approval!!!!! So my date for surgery is still going to be 11/26/02. ONLY 19 DAYS! I'm so excited!! My husband thought I was a lunatic!! I was Doing the HAPPY DANCE!!! I go in for my EGD on the 19th and they are supposed to call me back to schedule the stress test. OH HAPPY DAY!!
11/11/02 - I went for my stress test this morning. Nothing fantastic. I had to do some computer monitored breathing exercises then ride on a stationary bike unti I reached 80% of my maximum heart rate or fainted (whichever came first!! LOL) I made it through the entire test, but my legs were killing me. I was huffing and puffing and decided right then and there that quitting smoking was no longer an option, but a necessity. My Dr. requires that I quit for 10 days before and 10 days after surgery. I figure if I can quit for 20 days, I should be able to quit forever. I had him call in a prescription for Nicoderm patches. They are normally over $50 a box, but with my insurance I an get them for $35. This isn't a tremendous savings, but its less than I spend on cigarettes!!
11/13/02 - I started wearing the Nicoderm patches yesterday. You aren't supposed to smoke at all, but I can't help it!! I am proud of the fact that I have only smoked 6 cigarettes since yesterday (it's almost 9pm now) My husband says he is going to stop in the morning. He has a prescription for the patches too. I told him that, just like everything else in our lives, there isn't anything that we can't do if we do it together. This is going to be tough, but the surgery is a GREAT incentive to give it all I've got.
11/18/02 - I'm a bad person :( I have been chatting instead of updating! I went and had most of my pre-op testing done today. I had my physical done by Dr, Beaudoing (don't ask me how to pronounce it!!) He also did a pulmonary test where I had to breathe in a tube, an EKG, and then they sent me to the lab for bloodwork. It's nice that Dr. A, Dr. B, and the lab are all on the same street! Tomorrow I go to the hospital for an EGD at 5 am. This sounds like fun!!
11/19/02 - I stayed up all night last night because I was affraid we would oversleep and not get the hospital by 5 am. My husband is still unemployed (so am I!!) so he drove me to the hospital. The EGD experience isn't great. If you have never had one, be prepared. On a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being no pain and 10 being really hard labor, Id give the EGD a 3. Only because I was still semi-awake during the first 5-10 seconds. They give you an IV to knock you out and then put this tube down your throat. I gagged a little and then I don't remember anything till I woke up. I was burping a lot afterward. The nurse said that was normal. The whole procedure from getting signed in to going home took about 2 and a half hours. The actual EGD took about 5 minutes after they had all the monitors and IV hooked up. In exactly one week I will be on the other side and I'm so excited!!! I'm officially a non-smoker! 6 days smoke free!!!
11/21/02 - OMG 4 days and a wake up. I am getting so nervous. I keep doubting my decision and since I haven't told anyone about my WLS there really isn't anyone I can turn to for reassurance. My husband just say "whatever makes you happy". What a man!! *LOL*
11/26/02- Surgery day- woke up at 4 am so we could be at the hospital by 5:30. I'm not a morning person!! My husband was cracking me up in the room where we waited for the anesthesiologist, Dr Q. Dr. Q. is great he called me at home the night before surgery. I thought that was pretty cool. He put some stuff in my IV. I commented to my husband that it was cold and that he better kiss me before I fell asleep. That was the last thing I remeber until after surgery. I woke up in my hospital room. I have no recollection of the recovery room at all. I was very groggy and mostly slept. I had to get up a few times to go to walk. Its kinda like trying to get to your car after being totally drunk. You don't move very fast or very far!!
11/27/02- PCA is a fantastic thing!! I was in some major pain and kept having to cough. That hurt a lot. I had a g-tube in place and found it uncomfotable. The incision looks good, about 3" long closed with sutures. My husband was tired and cranky, but who could blame him. He is a worry wart. My tailbone and butt were urting from the bed so I decided to sit in the chair. It was a little better but still not great.
11/28/02 - Thankgiving day - I got a few ice chips yesterday but today I got some juice. I didn't want it. I just wanted water. I was SO thirsty. I didn't hit the button on the PCA as much today. They took it out around 1pm and I got liquid Lortab once for pain after that. I walked the halls quite a bit. My oxygen saturation level was low so the nurse kept coming to check it. Breathing is hard when your stomache is sore. I've been getting breathing treatments every 4 hours since surgery. They seem to help quite a bit. I was released at 5 pm. And I was SO happy to get to go home. My furniture is so much more comfortable than that crap at the hopital. I slept on the couch with lots of pillows. Sleeping for more than about 2 hours at a time is unheard of.
11/29/02 - GAS!! lots of gas!!! my stomach sounds like it is posessed by Chubacca! My husband bought me some Gas-X and I think I'll live. Still taking liquid Lortab about every 4-6 hours
11/30/02 - The pain gets better everyday. I'm still not running any marath9ons, but I don't feel like total crap either. The liquid diet SUCKS. I hate broth, I hate Jello. I'm living on juice and sugar free popsicles. Im not hungry AT ALL. Food is the last thing I want.
12/5/02 - 9 days post op. I had my first check up today. 16 pounds lost. I'm more excited by the fact that my rings are really lose and my jeans are sagging in the butt! We went to Target day before yesterday for about an hour. I was TIRED by the time we left adn I took a 3 hour nap when I got home. It's going to be hard to get Christmas shopping done like that! I have my G-tube in place. Every sureon is different. My Dr leaves the tube in place so that the old stomach will graft itself to the lining of the abdominal wall. I don;t know what other Dr's do about this, but I know that it's not a real common thing. Well the G-tube was pulling at the skin so the nurse cut the stitch so that is wouldnt pull anymore. That hurt like hell but it felt much better after she did it. The nurse told me that I could start eating soft foods like scrambled eggs and refried beans. We stopped by Taco Bueno on the way home because I've always been a Bueno junky. I ate almost an entire bowl of pintos and cheese. BAD IDEA!!! I was so full that I was sick all night. I don;t throw up. I'd rather die. And after the beans, I was pretty much hoping for death!!!
12/6/02 - I am sooooo tired. I woke up this morning and had a protein shake. About 3 hours later I ate a scrambled egg. It tasted SO good. I took a nap and woke up and ate some sf banana pudding. It got stuck! I was sitting there burping up banana pudding for about 2 hours. Not fun. I think I just needed to wait longer on the eggs to pass throgh the stomach.
1/5/02 - It has been a great month since I updated. I have learned a lot about what I can and can't eat. I don't have any trouble with sugar (but I don't push my luck either). I do have issues with foods that are very fatty (like chili). Splenda is my savior!!LOL Head hunger really hasn't been a problem because I don't deny myself anything, I just modify it. Sweet craving are usually satisfied by sugar free ice cream, and giving up carbs hasn't been nearly as tough as I thought it would be. I still sleep a lot, and drinking water is still a chore. Getting on the scales makes all the work seem worthwhile. I weigh 212 today which is a total loss of 36 pounds in 5 weeks and 5 days (40# if you use my OB/GYNs beginning weight!). Not too shabby!!!
2/01/2003 - I suck at updating! I broke the 200 mark!! Im now at 199.5! I was stuck at 212 for longer than I care to talk about. I NEVER want to weigh 212 again! So I've only lost 12.5 lbs this last month, but oh well! At least it is still coming off. Total loss so far is 48.5 lbs (52.5 by OB/GYN) I just cleaned out my closet because nothing fits anymore. I refuse to wear saggy butted pants! lol So for my 50# reward to myself I'm going to go buy some clothes that fit!
2/10/2003 - I went shopping and bought a pair of size 10 black pants!! They are tight in the waist but they look good from behind! GO ME!!!!!
3/11/03 - A friend of mine had surgery this morning with my Dr. I was sitting there with her when he came in. He looked at me and looked suprised. He complemented me on my loss and asked why he hadnt seen me in his office. I explained that we no longer have insurance. He about flipped his lid! He said he didn't ask if I had insurance and he wanted me in his office ASAP and told me I didn't have to pay for the visit! What a man!
3/15/03 - I have got to stop shopping! I have bought more clothes in the last month than I have bought in the year before surgery! LOL Man, I didn't realize all the "extra" costs of having this surgery!!!! Well, I'm off to the mall!
3/21/03 - My scales say I have lost 65 lbs. I can't BELIEVE that. I feel so great! I finally told my mother about my surgery about 6 weeks ago. She was upset because she thought that I needed her to be there. She wasn't upset about the surgery though... big suprise! Chris and I told his mom about the surgery tonight. She was shocked. She knew a lady who had WLS and gained everything back and then some. She just told me to be careful and take care of myself. My mother-in-law is a wonderful woman. I hope when the reality sinks in, she will be ok with my decision.
3/27/03 - 4 months post op. I had an appt w/ Dr. A today. He was very happy with my progress. I now weigh 185. That's a total loss of 67 lbs. I thought the weight would come off a little faster, but I could have NEVER lost that much in 4 months without surgery!
03/31/30 - My friend is getting married on April 5th. I had to go buy a dress to wear to the wedding. I had a great time shopping (as I always do now!) It's hard to believe that I only have 40 lbs to reach my goal of 145. Dr. A said it was possible that I might level out at around 155 - 160 because of my frame. I'm a big girl (just not as big as I was!) Before surgery I would always say things like "if I could lose 30 lbs." or "I would be happy if I could just lose 40 lbs." Now that I have lost those amounts, I realize that I am greedy. I WANT to weigh 150. So "if I could lose 30 lbs" here I am again. lol The difference is that now I KNOW I can do it. I am wearing size 10 pants and L-XL tops. I am buying shorts that I would have never bought before. You know the ones... short enough to see the tops of your thighs. I have gone from a 38DD bra to a 36D. I am very please that my breasts haven't disappeared. I have noticed a lot of hair loss in the last week. It worries me a little, but luckily my hair is very thick and hopefully the hair loss will stop before its noticeable. I still don't have trouble eating anything except cheese and fried food.
My relationship is fantastic. I felt the need to add this becuase so many people have problems post-op. My husband has never been the type to give compliments. I "assumed" that this was mostly because I was so overweight. Now that I've lost some weight, I have realized that that is just the way he is. It's a little disappointing because he isn't the type to rave about how "great" I look or anything. But there are ways to tell that he is pleased with the results. He has always been attracted to bigger women and my biggest fear before WLS was that he wouldn't find me as attractive after I lost weight. Sometimes, when he is short on compliments, that fear pops back into my head. But, I never doubt that he loves me. I have just got to come to terms with the fact that he is never going to "oooo" and "ahhhh" over me. lol To be honest, my ex husband used to oo and ahh and it got on my nerves. But a little more enthusiasm would be nice! I went up to his office a few days ago, and he introduced me to everyone. I really felt like he was proud of the way I looked. That was really great.
I'm not working right now, so the only people that have seen me are people who see me all the time, and as you know, the weight loss isn't as apparent to those you see all the time. Well, the other day I ran into a lady I used to work with. It took her a good 15 seconds to recognize me and then her jaw just hung open. It was priceless!!
05/08/03 - Officially down to 173 for a total loss of 79#. I'm not complaining at all!! Im wearing a size 8-10 bottoms and large shirts. I haven't weighed under 175 since I was 16!! This feels better than chocolate EVER tasted!! So now I have 13-18# to reach my goal of 155-160. There is no doubt in my mind that I'll get there eventually, but the weight is coming off a lot slower now so I'm guessing the last few pounds will take a few months.... unless I lose a bunch and get under goal.. THAT would be COOL!!
5/31/03 - 6 moths post op -85#'s Life is great!! I told my sisters about my surgery last weekend. I think my middle sister is intersted in more info. Im really glad. She is such a beautiful person. I went to Express yesterday and tried on a skirt in a size 6.. and it FIT! Who wouldve ever thought? I had to buy new shoes too. HAD... lol I'm still having isues with self-image. I still see a fat person when I look at myself. Only the size on the tags of my clothes has changed! We went to 6 Flags today and it was great. I made my husband find women that were the same size as me. Everytime he would point one out I would go "No Way!" The harnesses on all the rides actually hit my thighs instead of my stomach. It was a great day.
08/15/03 - ok Im not great at this updating thing! My life has been so crazy. I am officially below my goal =) I am wearing size 4-6 pants and medium tops. Now for the drama..... I have had a great marriage. But recently I have wanted to be seen more out in public because I am happier with my looks. My husband has never liked going out, but he has been humoring me. Problem is, he is incredibly jealous now. I cant help that other men look at me. He says I was just as beautiful before WLS as I am now and has been very reluctant to comment on my physical appearance. I think he felt safe with me being heavy and is now affraid that I'll go looking for something better. I suggest that all couples start going to counseling as soon as the decision to have WLS is made. There are a lot of changes and awakenings that need to be faced and headed off as soon as they appear. I always though I had a very stable marriage, but I am now having doubts. There is a reason why the divorce rate among post-ops is so high. Head it off before it becomes a problem.