Katieinct
And the craziness begins again
Apr 03, 2014
So can I say here we go again? First I would like to say a huge apology for leaving without saying goodbye to some of my friends on OH, they know who they are.
I was at a very bad point and I just stopped coming on here. My plans for getting the lap band surgery totally went down the drain. I can say now that it was fate and boy what a ride it was afterwards. First I was having pain in my left leg (my bad one) and with all the running around I was doing at the time I just wrote it off as over doing it. But it got so bad I could not stand it anymore so one day before work I went to the emergency room. After nine hours of sitting there in a spare room with nothing to eat or drink and only having x-rays done a doctor came in and said you have cellulitis and gave me antibiotics and some pain killers and told me to follow up with an ortho. He was not very nice I must add. So I took the medicine and went to work. I tried to keep it elevated while I worked but by the time I got home it was swollen and I was in a lot of pain. Then I decided to follow up with an ortho that I found close to where I worked and that ortho looked at the same x-ray that was taken at the hospital and said "Who told you that you have cellulitis?" and I told him the doctor at the emergency room. Then he just shook his head and said "you don't have cellulitis you have a serious infection in the hardware in your ankle". Then he basically told me to go back to my original ortho that put the hardware in that he did not have enough experience to do it and I would be better off.
I went back to my original ortho and he confirmed that the hardware in my ankle was infected which was really unusual but he would take the screws out and clean it out really well and it should be okay. So off to surgery I went. It all went well but it did not work and the infection spread to the rod in my femur. So off to surgery I went yet again so they could remove the rod and clean out my bones. It was kind of scary at the time because they had broke me knee originally to put the rod in but thankfully my ortho did not break it this time. It was touch and go about the infection going away and that was scary because if it didn't work I could have lost my leg. Everything did work out but it was a long road. My work was not happy, what was supposed to be a short ordeal turned into a very long one. This all happened between October 8th of 2008 and March 2009 when I finally returned to work. Needless to say, my hopes of weight loss surgery was totally lost.
Now fast forward to today. I worked until by doctors insisted that I no longer could. I was quite depressed at first. Financially I was wrecked but thankfully things are looking up right now. No one realizes that if you have a very bad accident like I did, there are a lot of complications that happen as you get older caused by arthritis. My back is deteriorating and so is my leg. The pain is horrible every day and I am taking as much pain medication as I can without starting narcotics which is not a good idea for daily pain management. Also my blood pressure is on the high side which is probably because I am over weight. My problem is I am stuck in a catch 22, I need to exercise to lose weight but I can't because of the pain. The pain would probably improve if I lost weight but again, I can't lose weight because I can't exercise due to the pain ugh! 
It's so frustrating and I know I am not the only one stuck in this situation. Walking has gotten beyond difficult because my back has gotten worse over the years so I've been using my wheelchair more and more which I really don't like to do.
I decided that since I was forced into early retirement and can no longer work, I would work on my health. So far I had all my dental work done and got new glasses. I am continuously on a diet all the time and it's frustrating to not lose any weight. I have stopped gaining for at least two years but I am still very over weight so I need to do something before it's too late. My father passed away at fifty nine years old and I am turning fifty two this year. He had high blood pressure and now so do I. My mother passed away at sixty three years old and she was a diabetic. Both my parents were over weight so things are getting to the point for me that I need to do something quickly to get this weight off if I have any hopes to live to a decent age.
My thoughts are that it was fate that I did not get the lap band surgery. I have since changed my mind and want the gastric bypass surgery because I love salad and people I knew that had the lap band surgery told me that you cannot eat salad with the lap band. Oh no, not for me. After going through a lot of oral surgery (five months worth), I found that I totally missed salad way to much to give it up for life. I love raw veggies and that is what helps to keep me from gaining weight right now. A close friend of mine is having the gastric sleeve done and I am following her journey and I hope all goes well for her. But I decided that the gastric bypass is the best for me. Of course I will be discussing that with my doctor in order to make the final decision.
I am just starting the process all over again. I know it's a long road but I am ready once again to take the reigns and do battle. I submitted my insurance information to the surgeon I am hoping to have do the surgery. I have Husky D if anyone is curious. My friend has the same insurance so I know the doctor accepts it. I am just waiting to hear how it goes and how much it will cost out of my pocket. This year is the final year that I am able to receive a tax check so I figured it is now or never. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well this time. 
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to catch up because I've been away a long time. It sure feels good to be back!! 
