CVelez530
January 19, 2001
I have been researching Gastric Bypass surgery for a few months now , and I decided to make that change for the rest of my life. I know it seems that I am too young for some people to have made such a decision, but the truth is I have been struggling with my weight since I was 13 years old. I have done all of the diets, joined every gym and done all the starving I can possibly do. I am ready for the move that is permanent, and healthier for my quality of life. I hope all goes well with my surgery and will update every month until I have reached my goal.
February 18th, 2001
Well I am now 19 days away from my surgery. I went for all of my appointments this past week. I saw the Psychiatrist and she says that I am sane and competent to have this surgery. I think some of my friends and family is still out on that decision. Hahaha! I also had my blood work done. I hate needles :( On Tuesday I am going to see the nutritionist. So, once she is done it's smooth sailing from there and by the end of the week all of my paper work will be finalized and I will be able to relax a little bit more. Though I don't think I will be truly rested and relaxed until its all said and done, and I am waking up in a recovery room. Well that’s all for now I will give an update when I am 2 weeks away from surgery. Good luck to all of those having surgery tomorrow.
March 2, 2001
Ok I am officially one week away from surgery. Monday will be my actual last day of work. I have a lot of things to arrange before the surgery i.e.: house cleaning and getting ready for my mom and brother to arrive. I can’t stop thinking of what my life is now going to be like. I must admit I wonder how this is going to change who I am, not so much as personality but with my self. I think I am going to be so self conscience that people are looking at me as I gradually lose the weight, yet it is also something that I look forward too. I want people to notice me, but to what extent? I guess that something that I will deal with along the way. Till next time. God Bless all having surgery tomorrow.
March 13, 2001
I am now 4 DAYS POST-OP. I never thought the day would come. I am still in a bit of pain, but I need to share what I have been through. Keep in mind not everybody has the same issues as I had. I woke up from the surgery and immediately felt the difference in my body. I was happy to be alive but at the same time was terrified of what was about to happen. I was hooked up to a heart monitor, I.V., a catheter (I was not prepared for that), oxygen mask, and leg massagers (I thoroughly enjoyed that part). I was completely disoriented after the first 5 minutes of being awake. All I knew was I felt pain and I wanted something to help me out. My family was their and they said I was having conversations with them and the nurses, but to be honest I don’t remember a thing. I had my first walk that night at around 2AM. BOY was I not prepared for the pain I felt when I could actually feel my fat from my stomach hanging. I know that sounds gross but it was the first thing I noticed. I could now feel the actual weight I was carrying for years. My stomach muscles were obviously bruised and could no longer shadow what I was trying to play off as "Not so fat." Talk about being slapped with reality. Anyway, by the time my mother and brother came in from Florida on Saturday, I was up and talking to my family and friends. It was the whole walking part that was really hard for me and not sleeping in my own bed killed me. I slept in shifts, every two hours was a nap of about a half hour. By my third day in the hospital I was being given clear liquids. Two tablespoons of soup had me feeling like a stuffed turkey. I was so full I wanted to die. I was dehydrated and all I wanted was to gulp water. My mother lovingly rubbed ice in my mouth and helped me get through it. My brother however is a comedian and all he could do was make me laugh and cry from pain I had to kick him out of my room. Hahaha! Finally Monday at 5PM I was freed from the bed of hell. On my 6th day, I discovered through the process of trial and error that it is not wise to eat and drink at the same time. There are no words to describe the pain that I had to go through to figure this out. It's not that I didn't know this already, and I really didn't eat and drink at the same time. I was eating my applesauce when all of a sudden I needed a drink of water, so I picked up a cup and guzzled like I was dying of thirst. Needless to say........I WAS IN PURE HELL FOR THE REST OF THE DAY......So if I had written this yesterday......I would have said " I regret having gone through with this surgery!" but it was a rough patch. I was delirious from dehydration. All I could do was cry over a glass of water. I hated myself for what I was putting my mind and body through. I may say this a few more times down the road....every time I hit a tough spot, I'll sit and think....DAMMIT...you knew what the consequences and risks were. I am not weak, I am human...and pain is pain...I did this for life...not for a quick fix...As my mom always says “And this too shall pass." I am going get through the hard times because there are happier days to come. So be prepared for a fight!
April 16, 2001
OK, I am now officially 23 pounds down...GONE.....FOREVER...I never thought I would say this but clothes are too BIG.......Oh my Gosh......Words cannot express how Happy I am right now. I am about 6 weeks post op this Friday and I haven't felt this good in a long time. Well I have to go but I wanted to share. Good luck to all having or considering surgery!
May 11, 2001
I am officially 9 weeks post-op, and I am still on a Liquid/pureed diet. I was starting to try meats and well, my body said "HELL NO!" I was suffering from dumping almost everyday for 11 days. I couldn't hold down a bite of meat or eggs for that matter. So my diet for nine weeks has been home made potato and broccoli soup that I puree and make myself, yogurt, cheese, and fat free sugar free frozen yogurt. I have actually become a soup chef in my home. I make a huge pot and it lasts me about 3 to 4 days. Crystal light has become my best friend. I drink pink lemonade like its going out of style; Raspberry Ice is also very refreshing. Anyway I am now officially down 37 pounds. I am happy to say I am down 2 dress sizes since this surgery. I was wearing a 26 and I am now down to a 22. Life is great I tell ya! The surgery alone isn't what's doing this either. I workout 3 days a week at Bally's for about 2 hours. I love it. I get so much energy from being there. Anyway, I just want people to know that it’s all for the best. Good luck to all having or considering surgery.
June 21, 2001
Hey Guys, Well I am 3 and a half months post-op and 75 pounds down. I am now a size 16 and an avid power walker on the treadmill. I even started jogging. Can you believe it, jogging! I just got home from my support group in the city and I am amazed by the progress everybody is making. I have been meeting with the same people for about 4 months now and every time I am excited by their progress. I have met a lot of really wonderful people and I recommend that anyone who has this surgery finds a way to a support meeting. You will be amazed at how many people are going through the same things as yourself. We are not alone out there. We all at one point or another have fears and questions and they can be answered. Anyway, I love my meetings and wanted to share with you all what I get from them. Good luck to all having or considering surgery.
July 20, 2001
Hey everybody, well I had my 4 month Post-Op appointment this past Tuesday and I am officially at 199lbs. You know what that means? I will never EVER be 200 pounds EVER again in my LIFE! I can not believe it, I am a size 16/18 in just 4 months of surgery. There are no words for the wave of emotions that have taken over my body, mind, and soul. I haven’t been this emotional since the surgery. I am thankful everyday for the gift that GOD has given me with this renewed life. I went to my WLS Support group yesterday and I realized something that I hadn't really thought about until now. I know this surgery is helping me in my health and physical aspects of life, but once you get over the initial "Honeymoon" syndrome of it you now have to see what started your issue with food. The original emotional reasons for your food support problem. I know for me food was my crutch, when I was happy I celebrated with food, when I was sad I mourned it with food. WHY? This is now a big part of my spiritual healing. I know it sounds cheesy, like I should be on Oprah, but really what started this for me and how did I get this far? As I find out within myself I will be more than happy to share it with you all. Good luck to all having or considering the surgery.
October 9th,
Hello everybody!!!!I am officially seven months post op today. It has been a shocking and life changing month. As you all know Life in NYC has been changed by horrific acts of terrorism. Oddly enough, my last update was two days before September 11th.In the past a crisis like this would have led me to an extensive eating binge, but I thank GOD I noticed it when I started and did something about it.
On September 11th I was at work in the city, when my friend came running up the stairs and said "Chas put the phone down, a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center." To my horror we looked out of our office window and saw Tower one in flames. At that moment I started dialing to see where my aunt and uncle were. They both Work in the World Financial Center. I made a call to my aunt and informed her of what was happening and there began the nightmare. As I hung up the phone I turned to look we saw the second plane strike Tower Two. I was shocked, and hysterical by than. People began running to phones and turning on TV's and that's when we all heard that our city was under a Terrorist Attack. Needless to say our offices closed and so began everyone’s journeys to try and get home to figure out what we should be doing. By then all transportation ie: bridges, tunnels, and buses were shut down, and everywhere we turned was a possible target. I am about 3 blocks from Grand Central Station, 8 blocks from The Empire State Building, 2 Blocks from Times Square and my sister in law was 2 blocks from The United Nations building. All I kept thinking is that I am surrounded by landmarks that are all possible targets.
I called my mother we prayed and cried. After a long conversation I said good bye and told mom I LOVED HER and ran to get my sister in law. Some how or another we needed to get home. Well when i stepped outside of our office buidling it looked like the entire city was out in the streets. People openly crying and talking on cell phones, and scrambling to find a way home. When I arrived to my sister in laws job we cried and hugged and as we witnessed the Towers begin to fall. Dear, God this can't be happening.After about an hour of trying to figure out what to do, we decided we were going to walk home. From 42nd street Manhattan we walked to The Bronx. As soon as we exited the building all we had to do was follow the people. EVERYBODY was walking to get home. It looked like France during WWII. People just walking, running, crying and holding each other, trying to find some sort of reason for why this wass happening. After about 4 hours of walking with pure ADRENALINE, we made it home. My legs never felt it,let me tell you I haven’t smoked so many cigarettes in my life as I did in that one day. I was a wreck, after a few hours I finally found out that my uncle made it out of Tower Two ALIVE. Thanks to GOD, although what he saw, there are no words for. Anyway, to top it all off, I started to go back to my habit of comfort food eating. All the stress was killing me and my best way of dealing was through eating. It’s amazing to know that this experience brought me back to what I did before. I haven’t gone to food in so long that it was scary, and as soon as I noticed what I was doing, I stopped, even though everything in my body is telling me "Hey live it up, ya never know whets going to happen. Enjoy life." I am going to enjoy life, just not at the cost of over eating and unhealthy choices. I want to live life happy and FREE. Free to decide on whatever I do, whether it's eating or living in a country that’s the epidemy of FREEDOM and choices. I love my life and who I am and I love my country, May GOD Bless us all and all those suffering because of these horrible acts. Take care and I will write soon.
March 13th, 2002
Hey everybody! I am ONE YEAR POST-OP!!!!Woohoo, and to celebrate my new B-Day I went out on the town for an evening of ROLLERSKATING. Yes, you are reading correctly. I and 5 of my friends went Roller-skating from 11PM-4AM. It was AWESOME.I haven’t really roller-skated in like 15 years, so it was amazing that I even remembered how to do it, and NOT FALL. I have a lot less padding now and so that could have left some nasty bruises. Hehe! Anyway, I am happier now than I have ever been in my life. I went to the Gap the other day and found a skirt I fell in love with, and guess what size I bought? A size 8, that's right baby an 8. I almost fell on the floor and at that point I don’t care that it cost 48 dollars, it was a size 8, OK. So now that I have shared my anniversary happiness with you all I hope and pray that if you consider the surgery or are having the surgery that all goes well. Take care for now!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, it was almost two years ago since I made the decision to have WLS, and now I am about to go under the knife one last time. I have finally decided to have plastic surgery for the removal of my excess skin. It has been a thorn in my side for some time, and I have been trying to ignore it, but to no avail. I really don't enjoy hospitals, but I need to do this. The skin is just downright disgusting me to the point of depression. Here I am 135 pounds lighter than ever and I can't stand to look at my body in a mirror. It's outrageous. The flab of skin hanging from my stomach and my breast sagging as low as my grannies at age 27, it's almost enough to drive me mad. I mean I got healthier which I thank GOD for, but now I suffer from other pains, the weight hanging from my stomach pulls me down and hurts my back. When I lay down I can literally feel it flapping over. Its crazy doesn’t mean to gross anybody out, but this is just another reality to massive weight loss. So, my appointment with the surgeon is actually this evening at 6PM. I feel like a kid, I am so nervous at the prospect of changing again. I have so many questions for my doctor. It's like starting all over again. Anyway, I needed to share that with you all. So many of you have been reading my story since the beginning and I just want to keep it going. Good luck to all of those considering or having WLS.
January 28th, 2003
Ok, Ok, I am exactly two years from the month I started this page and well, what can I say, Life is Good. My new pic is up; this was taken on New Year's Eve, of me and my wonderful other half. He really is my soul mate, Anyway, enough about him. I am still sitting anxiously awaiting my letter from the insurance company regarding my plastic surgery. I am praying for a YES, like it's nobody's business. I am a wreck everyday hoping I get a call from the doctor's office. I swear I am torturing myself, but the thought of me possibly in a BIKINI this summer is just too much to handle. You know what I mean. Anyway, I had to share that with you all, as soon as I hear from the Dr. I will be right on this page SHOUTING depending on the news, either good things or profanity. Hahahaha! Well I have to get back to work. Take care and Good luck to all those having or considering surgery.
January 31, 2003
THEY SAIDYES,YES,YES,YES,YES,YES,YES,YES,YES,YES!!!!!!!!
MORE INFO TO COME, SURGERY MAY BE IN LESS THAN A MONTH.
February 18th, 2003
Plastic Surgery is on Friday March 28th at 12 Noon. Wish me luck!
April 15th, 2003
Ok everybody, my tummy tuck was moved up to March 13th. I am now 5 weeks post-op and well I fell a HELL OF A LOT BETTER than I did from the day of surgery. I would have to say the first 3 weeks post-op have been harder than my entire first year post-op of a Gastric bypass.I never knew something could hurt so MUCH and I could be pulled so TIGHT. I was like Quasimoto for 3 weeks. I couldn't really walk, I could barely sleep, or eat. I am still really uncomfortable.I am back at work however and moving around more has helped me walk straiter. Sitting at my desk for 8 hours takes a toll, when I get home I spread out on my bed. While this may seem like I am totally complaining, well I am, there are some positive things. I am now down to a size 6 and that's because I am still swollen. I won't know my real size for another 2 months. It takes about 3 months for the swelling to go down. I had tubes in my thighs for almost three weeks so they are still bruised and swollen.I tell you what, I din't anticipate this much pain, but I asked for it and I am sure in a couple of months it will all be a memory. My friend Michelle says it gets better, so she is my guardian angel of advice. If she was still in pain I would be totally FREAKED OUT and want to kill. Anyway, that's all folks. good luck to all having or considering WLS.
November 18th, 2003
Wow, its hard to believe that it's been about 8 months since my last update. First of all I finally recovered from my tummy tuck, although I can honestly say it took about a month after the tubes were taken out to feel normal. I spent my summer in a splendid little tankini size 6 for life. I went to Miami in August with my husband, we visited my family and decided we wanted to move to Miami. My family lives in Orlando, so it's still close enough to be near them. Anyway, so Ocotber 31st was the Big date. We were going to pack everything up, I was going nuts looking for a place in Miami and all of a suden I am starting to get sick. I mean like everyday nausea and all of a sudden I am sleepy AS HELL. One day my husband and his mom both look at me in the kitchen and almost simultaneously said, YOUR PREGNANT. I just looked at them like they were STUPID. I was like now way, I am getting period any day now. My chest hurts and I'm craving sweets. Well wouldn't you know I go to the doctor September 30th to put everybody's little imaginations at ease and I got the SHOCK of my life.I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!! My little souvenir from Miami......Hahahahahaha!Actually it's more like Sept. 11th conception. Ironic out of death comes life.First of all I was giddy with laughter, because he knew before I did. I just really thought I was PMSing, ya know. NOT! So I am now 12 and a half weeks pregnant. I have truly come full circle in this weight loss circle of life. I have over the past three years been through it all. I was Overweight, lost the weight, still felt fat cause of excess skin, had that removed, and now I am PREGNANT. I am telling you, if I thought of food all the time before I am constantly having to snack or eat really well. If not, this kid makes me so sick I feel like I could pass out. So, how does this affect me and my still ever adjusting weight losing body, well I have successfully gained 7 pounds since the beginning of the pregnacy and I double up on my vitamins because I was found to be Anemic and in order to avoid having to be transfused during labor I had to double up on my iron pills. So I take about 6 vitamins a day. Other than that I am going through normal morning sickness just like everybody else, I am tired come 6pm, and by 9 I am in a coma.Something I never thought possible considering I used to be a night owl, pregnancy changes everything. I am totally excited and I hoping to give more updates go through this wonderful miracle of life. So until than, Good Luck to all of those who are considering or having the surgery. It's a beautiful gift to give to yourself.
