Laura C.

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Okay here is my 6 month out status.

Weight

250-150 100pounds lost 

BMI

40.4-24.2 morbidly obese- normal

Measurements

Neck: 15.5 - 13 = -2.5

Shoulders: 46-40.5 = -5.5

Chest: 41.5-34 = -7.5

Bust: 47-37 = -10

Midriff: 41.5-29 = -12.5

Waist: 50.5-31.75 = -18.75

Hips: 48.5-36.5 = 12

Thigh: 27.75-20.5 = -7.25

Calf: 15.5-13.75 = 1.75

Ankle: 9.75-8.5 = -1.25

Bicep: 14.5-9.75 = -4.75

Forearm: 10.25-8.75 = -1.5

Wrist 7-6 = -1

 

For a total of 83.75 inches lost.....

Hi There.... So it was 4 weeks yesterday since my surgery. I had measured myself on July 8th, 2 days before my surgery, so I did it again today. here are the results.... There is no weight in there because I have not been on a scale since July 27th. But tada....

Okay so that title may be a little harsh, but it is a little bit of my thought process. I am already sick of this full liquid diet. My aunt was making steak and cheeses and I was in my room and could smell them. OMG I wanted to go downstairs and take a bite or something. I know it is purely my old habits coming back into play, but when I think that I have two more weeks until I can eat anything solid, I wonder if I had made the right decision.

 I know this too shall pass, but does anyone have any ideas of how to make it pass faster???? I can't go back to work to pass the time so I just dunno.... someone anyone advice please????

I just found another reason to love Barix. I am sitting here watching my shows I missed while at Barix and my phone rang. It was Cathy from Barix. She was calling to check up on me and my pain levels and all that fun stuff. AMAZING!!!!! How many places do that???? Definitely reinforced the fact that I made a great decision to have my surgery done there!!!

Why am I reading about all these people's pain and wondering why I don't have any?? I think I should feel blessed that I don't have any pain, but I have to wonder if I am odd somehow. Why is there no pain? 

No pain in the incision sites, no pain where the drain was, no pain in my muscles underneath the skin. The only time I feel pain is if I forget and I swallow too much liquid at once. HMMMM  Is it because I am a lightweight and not huge to begin with? Is is because I have so many tatoos that my pain threshold is very high? Or am I just that dang lucky to have had such a WONDERFUL surgeon that I don't feel pain??

Any answers??? 

Well I am home! Made it through surgery A-ok.

My day went something like this...I got out of bed at 2 am for the 2 hour ride to Barix. I got there at 545 and had o pee in a cup. Pretty tough when you have been up since 2 and had nothing to drink since midnight.

So they took me back to preop, where I changed into a gown and got hoked up to all kinds of stuff.  Dr. Boe came over to see me and let me know what was going to happen. They gave me some stuff in a shot in my bely which to me hurt like HE double hockey sticks. I guess I am the only one...

So the anesthesiologist came over and introduced himself. Right after that they wheeled me into the OR while putting the sleepy stuff in my IV. That is just about the last thing I remember. 

Next thing I remember was asking for my glasses and being told my grandparents would be allowed in soon. My grandparents came in and I  got my cell phone off gramma. Apparently I was awake enough to send a text message and make a phone call or two. I am sure I sounded great!!! My grandparents left shortly after that and I went back to sleep. Kept getting woken up to breathe and walk and stuff.  Something was going on with my heart rate. Every time someone was i the room it was fine..the minute they left my room and I started dozing my HR would fall below 50. I was never tested for sleep apnea, but the internist who came in to check on my said he figured that's what was going on. And that's what Dr. Boe said also.

So later on that evening I got a nice surprise. A whole bunch of my OH friends who were at the support group meeting downstairs came up to see me. It was amazing to see all of them :) Everyone who already had the surgery looks great and everyone else are going to do fabulous when their time comes!!!!

So the routine went something like this... up every two hours breathing and walking... all night. A little pain in the butt with the catheter, but I survived.

I didn't use my PCA pump until about 930 or so, the gas was just so bad I had noooo choice.  

The next morning they pulled out the cath and let me go potty all by myself!!! Thy told me if I didn't go in 8 hours I would be getting the foley back in so believe me, we went!!!

I got up at 4 to breathe and walk and I didn't lay back down until after my shower and my first pee at about 2 pm. I only laid down for about 2 hours then back up and walking again. I was walking all the time!  Fially laid down and slept at about midnight.

Dr. Boe came in first thing this morning and said I looked great and I was doing great. He gave me some discharge instructions and wished me luck. Told me he would see me in two weeks for my follow up. Shortly after that, My IV and my alternate IV site were removed along with my drain. That had to be the weirdest feeling everrrrr. 

So here I am at home and feeling wonderful. I have almost no pain. Working on my liquids and I did some chicken noodle soup, blended and strained. Getting ready for a nice interruption free night of sleep!!! 

Is it just me or do things not go right in others peoples worlds too? I have been out of work the last three days. Had a bit of a summer cold so I took advantage of it and painted my room and stuff. Anyway, work calls me today to find out if I am going to be in tomorrow or not and to tell me since it is 3 days I called off I need a doctors note. So I call my doctor because normally they are in until 5 on Wednesdays just to find out they closed the office at 2. Go figure. So now I have to hope I can get in touch with someone in the am or I don't think work is gonna let me go back tomorrow.

And of course on top of this, I called Barix and left ANOTHER message for Peggy and got no call back. This is two messages in 4 days.I am going to try again tomorrow and if I don't hear back I may see about taking my approval elsewhere. I don't even mind if they call and say we aren't ready to schedule you yet, just call me and tell me SOMETHING. It is just plain rude and bad customer service to not return phone calls. 

I realize they are busy there, but SOMEONE anyone could call me and say SOMETHING. I would rather hear it will be another two week until we can schedule then to hear nothing at all.

And yes I am like this with everyone, not just Barix. I don't appreciate the people I am relying on for information and guidance, no giving me any....egads.   

So after fighting with the insurance company for two weeks, they FINALLY faxed over the stupid paper I need. All it was, was two numbers an a signature on a letterhead. Oh so difficult.

So my file is finally going back to Dr. Boe for final review, so I have probably another week and a half to two week wait for a date.

I am just so aggravated because if the insurance company had just done this two weeks ago I could have been getting my date this week. ARRGGGHHHH

I was so ahead of the game by having my 6 month diet out of the way prior to even going for my initial consult. All I had to do was my psych and I got that done pretty quick. So now because of stupid people at the insurance company, my wait is even longer.....

 

Guess who got their phone call today saying they are approved for surgery???? That's right folks... me me me!!! 

I was at work and I cried when I heard the voicemail. Cried I tell ya. 

Now my next obstacle is getting an approval letter. Insurance company says they don't send them, Barix says they need one.... hmmmmmm 

heavy enough to have that surgery."

If I hear this one more time I am going to KILL someone. How many times do I need to explain to people that just because I don't LOOK heavy enough doesn't mean I am not? And how many times do I have to explain to people that obesity runs in my family and if I don't take care of this now at a nice young age I am going to wind up 50years old and weighing 350 instead of 250?

Why can't people just accept that I need to do this for me for about a billion different reasons? I think one of the things that bothered me the most was that a fellow fat person said to me today that it would be like them going to have it done and they definitely didn't need it. I looked at her and wanted to open my mouth and say something mean, but I bit my tongue. 

I get the same ole, well have you tried losing the weight with a diet? I looked at someone and said, "NO, I haven't I just want to go for this surgery because it look easy and fun." The girl looked at me like I had 15 heads, I guess she didn't catch the sarcasm just oozing off the statement.

Anyway, that's enough of my ranting for now.