Ladybugz_247
~* Oct 24th 2005 *~
I am new to this site and I have many many questions about WLS. I don't know what else to say other than I am excited about getting this surgery (hopefully soon). I am 28 years old and I have 3 children a 12,11 & 3 year old. My Husband is supporting me in my decision to have the procedure. I look forward to making new friends that I can relate to :-) I have been overweight for a long time now. I was successful at losing 50 lbs 2 years ago and I felt great. I had another baby & gained it all back. I even added a few pounds through the year. My son is 1 year and 3 months now and since I have had him I have gained allot of weight. I am just so tired and and my health isn't the greatest anymore. I am pretty active so I don't know how I let myself go. I will join you all in your journey to weight loss and to see your progress, hopefully I can be on the losing side soon...
Ok so the request for wls was sent in to my Insurance Company on the 25th and by the 28th I had a letter saying I was approved and In that letter was a refferal to a surgeon in Corona. I am a little confused because the letter says that the services should be provided no later than Dec 10th 2005. So I am wondering if this is for the actual surgery or just the consultation. I will post as soon as I find out.
~*Nov 8th 2005*~
Well I found that Cigna had approved me for just the consultation with the surgeon. I had that today it went pretty good he said that I was a good candidate for the surgery and that I would be having the RNY Lap. The surgeon looks young, that made me pretty nervous. He hasn't done too many surgeries he said he's done about 1500. I did ask if he had anyone die and he said yes.. but the person was fine during the surgery this person went home and made it to his post op appointment. I guess this person didn't follow the instructions and ate solid foods too soon and ruptured his pouch. This person dies when they were trying to fix it. I guess it made me feel better knowing that the death wasn't because of an error the doctor did or anything like that. I over heard some of his patients talking and they were all happy with the surgeon. My Next step is seeing my PCP and then he will refer me to get all the check ups I need and then my PCP will submit the paperwork for Approval. I see my PCP on Nov 15th and I also have to attend 2 seminars before the surgery. I'll do these in Dec. Well that's about it for now. I am so excited and I cant wait to have the surgery so lets hope all this testing gets done soon
.
~*November 27th 2005*~
I have had my appointment with the Dr and I got my refferrals...by the 18th I had the Chest x-ray and the blood work. Tomorrow (Monday 11-28) I will be attending my 1st WLS seminar in Murrieta. Tuesday I have my Psych Evaluation, On Wednesday 11/30 I have my EKG appointment and then my Upper GI is scheduled for Thursday Dec 1st. I had a Diabetes scare a few month's ago and I had scheduled an appointment with a nutritionist..I was to start some classes to teach me healthier eating habits and stuff like that.. these classes start by the end of this week. My PCP told me that once my results from all my exams are in that he will send in the actual request for WLS.. and then the waiting game begins.. I am so excited and well I just hope it goes fast. Thanksgiving has just passed and I went to do some shopping over the weekend. I realized how ready I am for the surgery. I am tired of always feeling tired.. I see my reflection on the glass at the mall and every time I see myself I get this ugly feeling inside. It's not me.. how could that be me? anyway I just keep telling myself that my fat ass's days are numbered...lol the skinny me will soon dominate the fat one..(I Hope) I have also been thinking of what I will do if I am denied by my Insurance Company..I would be so sad :( I wouldn't know what to do. I almost forgot to mention that I was diagnosed with PCOS (lucky me) so that is another reason why I am in desperate need of the surgery.. this fat is breaking me down little by little and I am so tired of it.. I am also finding that my temper is getting out of control I get mad so easily and I am just turning into a miserable person..I really hope that everything works in my favor.. well I have to go so hopefully the next time I update it will be to let you all know that my Insurance approved me..(Keeping my fingers crossed)
~*December 14th 2005*~
Ok so today was one of the worst days ever! I attended a support group meeting last night in Corona. I finally met Mo she is so nice, at first I thought she was going to be one of those ladies with an "I know it all attitude" but she wasn't like that at all. The people there were all really nice and friendly. I drove home feeling confident and excited. Then I woke up this morning.. the phone was ringing and it was my husband.. instead of the typical Good Morning babe.. he says "That's it..it's over" so I asked him what the hell he was talking about lol The company he works for is closing down! he has been there for 12 years.. I was so in shock I felt like vomiting.. I wanted to cry so bad. My only concern was MY SURGERY... I called the Surgical center and they told me they had not received any of my lab results from my PCP, I was so mad because I was under the impression that they had already been sent. I get on the phone and call my PCP and tell the girl handling my chart to please fax everything over.. I am doing this all day from 9-3pm during this time I called every hour and I was told that she had already sent them everything.. and every hour that I checked nothing had been sent. WHY? what is so hard about sending a freakin fax? ugh.. to make matters worse the surgeon was going to be taking a couple of weeks off and he was only going to be in the office for 1 more day.. Mo (the medical coordinator) told me that if she recieved all my stuff by today that Dr Suh could review my chart and the request for surgery would be put in. My husband then called to tell me that the company he works for would pay our insurance for 1 year (I was so happy to hear that) but then Mo told me that Cigna denies their patients the majority of the time but that after the appeal they approve the surgery Oh and that they sometimes require a 6 month diet.. I only have 1 year so ugh I don't know I just feel so stressed. I got tired of dealing with the girl at the DR's office so I went and picked up my chart and faxed everything over to the surgical center myself. I also had my final exam for the class that I'm taking tonight.. ugh it was a long day.. I just had to share it with you guys.. I am starting to feel like this surgery was just too good to be true.. I really hope to hear some good news soon.
~*December 20th, 2005*~
Ok 1 week has passed and I was told that the surgeon has cleared me for surgery.... so, Mo will be requesting authorization for my WLS tomorrow. I am so scared that I will be denied. I am kinda expecting it, I was told that Cigna requires a 6 month supervised diet almost always, so I have an appointment with my DR tomorrow to start that. I'm wondering if he will be able to use my October and November weigh In's as part of the diet.. I had been on a diet for my cholesterol so maybe he can say I started the diet in October.. this would give me a 3 month advantage...lol I am just wanting to speed this process up.. we I guess all I do now is wait and pray...
~*Jan 3rd 2006*~
Well I was denied.. Mo called to tell me on Dec 21st. It was a Wednesday, I just got the message too late so I called her Thursday and she told me that they wanted a 6 month supervised diet. Mo told me that she had been told by another Cigna patient that WLS would not be covered anymore in 2006. I could do the diet but what for? I have decided to go South of the Border..lol hey why not, it's cheaper and I have been doing my research. I have 2 surgeons in mind. I am just waiting to hear from the 2nd surgeon to see how much he's gonna charge. Going back to Cigna, I received a letter today and ir says that they need more information from the surgeon before making a decision they want that info within 5 business days. The information they need is the consult report from the surgeon and the nutritional consult. The bottom of the letter says that if they don't receive this information within 5 days (the deadline) my request could end up being denied. So you think that means? was it denied or wasn't it? ay yu yuy it is so frustrating. If I could get the surgery covered it would be much better than having to pay. My husband was telling me today to get the surgery financed... he is willing to pay. This puts me at ease ..just knowing that I'm getting the surgery either way. So I am gonna call the surgical center tomorrow to find out about that missing info..I was out of it today ( I had a tubal ligation) No more babies for me! ..lol I felt kinda sad but.. well it was both my and my husbands decision. I wanted to update my profile with the latest info.. Oh and what do you think of my Profile? Thank you so much Carole! I love it is exactly what I wanted. I am so glad that you were the one to do it..(well worth the wait) well peeps I gotta go take a Darvocet and go nite nite..lol this is my wls journal and I am sitting here wondering if someone is actually reading this..lol your eyes are scrolling through this very line and I'm probably sitting down at my couch watching T.V not even imagining that some one is actually reading this lol anyway it's always nice to have this so my family can read it and know what my true feelings about WLS are and how bad I really want it. -Wendy-
~*Jan 4th 2006*~
Well I had a chance to call Mo at the surgical center and she kinda had an attitude..
what did I do? anyway I guess she must have been stressing or something anyway she explained to me that they had sent the information over to my medical group. Mo told me to call them and find out why they didn't send in the consult report. Then she told me that cigna wasn't paying for the surgery anymore (this is what someone else told her) so she told me to call Cigna to make sure it was still a covered benefit. I called my medical group and they told me that my request for WLS was never denied that they had put it on hold until I could come up with the information that they needed. I got angry and called Mo to see who (according to her) had denied my request.. still having and attitude she told me that cigna always denied ALWAYS.. that pissed me off. I was mad because you don't shatter someones hopes just because "someone" assumed that all cigna patients were the same. What kind of shit is that? anyway I didn't snap because I still need her help so I calmed down and called Cigna myself. I asked if the Weight Watcher diet I had done could be used as part of the 6 month diet and she said yes..then I asked where I could go for the remaining 4 months that I needed and she gave me the exact name of the dietician that I had seen for the last month, I was seeing this because of a diabetes scare that I had. I called the dietician and she told me that she would let the insurance company know that I started the diet in December. So it looks like this might work out, I probably could get the surgery in a few months (if all goes well) Their is still hope. So my friends I will keep you posted and let you all know what happends.. even if I get denied I'm still getting the surgery in Puerto Vallarta or Ensenada (self Pay) so we'll see what happends. If you are just starting this journey please make sure you are on top of your sh*t and get everyones names down.. if you are with cigna do a supervised diet before you submit your request. Cigna is affiliated with Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. They could use that as part of the 6 month requirement either that or have your PCP refer you to one so you can have all the documentation down..
~*January 7th 2006*~
Well I just had a really bad fight with my husband.. it turns out he is getting cold feet about the surgery...(he isn't even the one having it) someone has been putting things in his head.. it pisses me off he was so supportive and he just flat out said no!. Why? I was so heartbroken with all that insurance crap and I was keeping myself going on the fact that he told me we would pay if we had to. I don't know why he is doing this. Well I do know why, his dad is pretty sick and he has no Insurance.. I am sure he and his brothers will end up paying for his hospital fee's and stuff.. this isn't fair! ugh I feel like crying.. I have since turned my attention over to the Lap Band.. I figure (it's cheaper) and he might be ok with that since it's not as permanent as the RNY. If something should go wrong I could always have it removed.. so anyway I have been glued to the computer finding surgeons and researching. I really wanted the RNY because I honestly am afraid that the Lap Band won't work for me. I am also afraid of losing too much weight with the RNY.. ay yu yuy I just don't know what to do, but I have to do something. I can't continue to live my life like this. I am suppose to love myself more than anyone and I cant stant to even see myself. I feel like I don't deserve anything ever.. I am humiliated ever time I am in public.. I'm always tugging at my shirt pulling it down, pulling my stretchy jeans up, tucking my boobs in.. ugh it's nasty. Hey if there are any wealthy people out there who are willing to help me out please let me know! lol ok I am getting desperate. I guess all I can do is try and do the stupid diet and see how long I can go until I lose my Insurance. Atleast I can work on it.. maybe I'll have insurance long enough maybe not.. it's worth a try. I guess I'll keep you updated ..sorry I just had to vent and no one at home would listen, I think they are all tired of hearing about this stupid surrgery that is just a "Maybe" in their eyes.. I guess they just don't know how bad I really want it.
~*January 8th 2006*~
Ok so after last night..(feeling so depressed) I snapped out of it .. today I am thinking about this thing in a whole different way. If I have to divorce my husband to get the money to do this RNY then I will... lol j/k no but really. I don't want to settle for something I am not comfortable with getting in the first place.. so this is my plan.. April is the last month we'll have insurance (if my husbands company doesn't keep their word to pay our Ins for 1 year) so I'll do this stupid diet and I'll finish the 2 months I'll need by march, I'll re-submit and if I am approved we'll pay for the insurance(Cigna) untill my surgery.. if not then I will self pay in Puerto Vallarta.. this way mu husband could come with me.. he'll be out of a job with a decent severence (sp?) pay but he'll be able to make it. Ahhh I feel much better.. last night he told me to go ahead and finance the lap band but like I said before I'm afraid that it wont work for me. I am not gonna rush through this and I am not gonna settle for less.. this surgery is for me not for him so fuck it! I am gonna be selfish and I am getting what I want. Day in and day out I am depressed and feeling like shit, living like a hermit. No More! and I love my husband but even he isn't gonna keep me from getting this. I pray that I have a smooth recovery and all but if I don't than hey at least I tried to go for the healthy life...I can't imagine what my life will be like after I have the surgery.. I only pray that I don't have complications.. anyway I guess I'm gonna back off of this website for a while because I am way too obsessed with it..lol I feel so stupid evertime some one posts "APPROVED" or "I GOT A DATE" (whatever) lol anyway when I am done with my stupid diet I'll come back and update ta ta for now everyone..
~*January 9th 2006*~
Ok so I am obviously not done with the diet.. it turns out that the nutritionist won't use my weight watcher card after all.. so yea I have to do the full 6 month's it won't be till June that I could re-submit my request (that sucks) anyway I might get the surgery sooner if the insurance is taken away in April (like we think) but if not than I will do this diet till then... O-well I tried. I wanted to thank Carrie Legeness "My Angel" for being so supportive.. she is having her surgery this month (Bitch) lol anyway I know she'll do great.. I only wish I could join her. I realized I haven't really told you all much about myself other than I am fat and Miserable...lol I am a stay at home mom during the day and stripper at night..j/k I am a student at night.. I am trying to get my AS degree so yea that's what I have been up to. I dropped out of school because I got pregnant, I rebelled and left my home when I was only 15 years old.. I never went back. I have been through allot and the people that I thought I hated the most have now become my Rock.. (My Family) I have 2 sisters, 1 brother,3 nephews and both of my sisters are in the early stages of their pregnancies. Family time always involves food.. and my dad is always the one doing the cooking. It's nice getting together, we always hang out on Fridays or sundays every week. We are a close knit family. My aunts live on the same street as my parents so its like a party every week..lol My mom is the quiet reserved one she pretty much keeps to herself... although her and I talk about everything and boy do I mean everything lol I am amazed that there was a time in my life where I couldn't even tell her I love her.. anyway we have all been through allot and it seams like the older we get the softer our hearts are getting. I feel bad for making them worry about me so much, I was a difficult teenager..lol but hey I was young and stupid. My kids are my life.. I have my daughter who is an angel .. she is sweet and so innocent. She is always trying to help people. Devina (my daughter) almost lost her life when she was 5.. she was in the hospital for a little over 6 weeks..Thank God that she made it through, she had a problem with her intestines.. she was born with a cyste (sp?) we didn't know it.. it got to be the size of a doorknob before we found out. My son Jaime Jr. is a clown.. he is so silly, always making us laugh. He is the one that worries me..lol he has such a short temper.. I love him so much.. oh and my Baby Diego.. he is still a baby so from what I can tell he is going to be a handfull.. he is always climbing stuff, he loves playing with cars and balls..lol and then there is my Husband who I have been with since I was 15 years old.. I love him so much.. I am glad to say that we made through the toughest years of our marriage..lol the first 5 years...he is older than me but you wouldn't know it by the way he acts.. He was so cold when we first started dating.. he lost his mom at an early age and his dad didn't really show them much love.. so he was so hard to deal with at the begining. My family makes a big deal out of everything, Holidays, birthday's and well anything you can celebrate so he wasn't use to always having get togethers or putting up decorations for Valentines day or 4th of july but now I find him beating me to it..lol I love my Husband.. even though he can get to be a pain in the ass sometimes..lol anyway is anyone reading? ok so I have filled you in on my immediate family so now you know just a little more about me. Well I'm gonna go check the message board out so I'll update as soon as I find something else to put on here lol
~*January 11th 2006*~
So guess what... I HAVE A DATE! yup I went ahead and scheduled my surgery for April.. ( my husband's giving me the money) anyway I ended up choosing the Lap Band. I figure I'd try and if It doesn't work for me I will bug our next Insurance company for the RNY..lol (this bitch doesn't give up easily..lol) anyway I am really happy about it. I can't wait, I was on the Lap Band forum and ask how much every one had lost and I was amazed! they lose just as much as the RNYers.. yup it's true.. it gives me hope to reach my goal weight of 160 lbs I think it's a good weight for me.. so anyway I can't wait.. I am still going to the nutritionist as long as I can... I really need to change my eating habits so I'll take advantage of it. Anyway did I mention I HAVE A DATE! lol gosh all the complaining I was doing earlier Up there somewhere lol and I got a date... anyway I chose Dr Kuri.. in T.J.. I figure if I am in allot of pain I can hit the strip and take a few shots of tequilla..j/k I have lots of family there so I'll be staying with them for the week following my surgery.. just in case anything goes wrong. Well peeps I have to go I just wanted to share my news with my little journal here.
~*January 21, 2006*~
Hi! well I was reading my profile and I just wanted to let you know that I am really happy about having the Lap Band done.. it doesn't sound like it up there somewhere but I am happy about it.. I have been researching everyday and I have found that it's almost the same thing as RNY.. except it's not as invasive as the RNY. I am not saying that 1 is better than the other because I think that what really matters is that it works and that it's safe. Anyway My Angel Carrie is having her surgery in less than 1 week! I am so happy for her, she has been through so much and finally she's having her surgery.. and as for me. Here I am waiting for April to roll around..lol it's ok because I have a date to look foward to.. and it's in April baby! well I am on my way to TJ in about 3 hours... I am gonna check out the Hospital I'm suppose to have surgery at.. They don't know I'm coming.. I just want to see what it's like and if I don't like it then I can look around for another facility..anyway I just wanted to update my profile...
~*March 15th,2006*~
Well I am still here, still fat and still waiting. I do have a little update. I was still seeing the nutritionist but this month was my last visit.. screw that stupid nutritionist.. he wasn't telling me something I didn't already know. I mean how much do they pay that guy? well I have also changed my surgeon.. Dr. Kuri, well I never met him I am sure he is a nice guy and all but the communication with his people wasn't the greatest. I have re-scheduled my surgery for APRIL 3rd! just a couple of weeks away..I am so excited. Well other than that everything is pretty much the same..The surgery will be at the same hospital that I visited. Oh and my Husband, well he has came around. I think he is just tired of hearing about this surgery. Well I'll update some more after my surgery! Yaaaayyy finally I am gonna be banded!....
~*March 31,2006*~
3 days left untill my surgery.. I am so excited. Well ok I am starting to get cold feet. I am wondering if I can do it on my own. THis surgery will cost us money we can use on the house..I am just thinking and thinking of all that we can do with the money. But then again, I deserve this.. I need this so whatever...lol I have been really nervous lately.. the other day I was up at 4 a.m I couldn't sleep for shit! and I have been so clumsy(sp?) today I nearly burned my house down.. SERIOUSLY...I turned on my oven and I didnt realize their was something in there.. I will never know what it was but all I know is it was plastic. I couldnt stop the flames so I poured water on it..BIG MISTAKE lol it was like throwing water on hot oil.. black smoke was coming out of every part of the stove.. my kids were scared. The flames were so intense that they were almost as tall as me.. these flames were coming out of the oven and so my husband dragged the big trash can in and put the whatever it was in there, he wheeled it out and then the damn trash and can caught fire.LMAO the neighbors were just staring at us. It was so funny but anyway I need to get new knob's for the stove cuz my original ones melted away... I don't know why I am so nervous but I am. I feel that I'll miss my kids and stuff. I am leaving the 2 older ones with my sister. The baby is coming with my husband and my mom. I thought I'd be more excited about getting everything together but I haven't bought anything. I have to buy some P.J's and some new slippers.. oh and my food! well the liquid stuff. I can't wait to come back and share my experience with you guys.. till then.. buh bye..
~*April 7th 2006*~
Well I am Banded! I am so happy that I did it FINALLY!.. I had to go back and fix my profile.. 1/2 of it was gone? I'm lucky I had e-mailed myself a copy of it, I was able to copy and paste the rest of the profile on.. Well here goes my story. My husband, my baby and I drove to T.J on Monday morning @ about 6 a.m we got to the clinic by 8:15 and we waited for them to open at 9. I walked in and they did my labs and pre-op.. we waited a couple of hours for the result's and then I met with the surgeon.. we discussed the different types of bands on the market and he explained the difference between them. I ended up choosing the swedish band.. (the dr himself has the same band) so after choosing the band, the labs and stuff had came back, turns out I had a Hernia that needed to be repaired. The Dr wanted to charge me $500.00 to fix it. I was so pissed I didn't have that extra money.. I told him no.. just put the band on and I'll have it fixed when I get back home.. well then he told me to think about it and to let him know before he did the surgery..so off we went to the hospital.."Hospital Angeles" We got there checked in.. they took me to my room.. it was really nice I had a beutiful View .. this hospital is New it opened in January so everything was in excellent condition.. The nurse introduced herself and handed me the hospital gown.. I changed and they wheeled me off, My husband and baby were able to stay in my room till I got out, here is my bed..
and this is where my mom slept..
there was a recliner there.. (to the left) it laid flat and the blue padding on this seat was really soft, my mom preferred to sleep on that. To the left was the entertainment center and the restroom.. they were also really nice but I didn't get a shot of it.. I was given an IV and they put some long compression stockings on me.. Dr. Verboonen walked in and asked how I was feeling and he assured me everything would be fine. I then told him that I didn't want to hernia fixed cuz I couldn't afford it... HE told me not to worry about it, he was gonna fix it for free! I was so relieved.. we went in and there were about 3 Dr's in the operating room.. When I woke up I was in !PAIN! they gave me something in my IV.. that shit didn't work! for 3 hours I was in really really bad pain.. I didn't know it at the time but it was the gas that they use when they do Laproscopic surgeries.. I guess some people have the pain in their shoulder but I had it all over my back.. ;( by then my husband and baby had left and my mom was there with me.. the nurses gave me more pain meds and advised me to start walking.. I did and it helped a little.. I was upset because the doctor didn't leave any order for pain meds.. so I had to practically threaten them before they gave me any.. finally they got a hold of the Dr and he Ok'd some more meds.. the rest of the night was ok as long as I had those meds.. The 2nd day was hard I was so sore and my back was still killing me.. I could only have tiny sips of water or Ice chips and It hurt when I swallowed.. it got better through out the day.. I was discharged to the hotel "The Grand Hotel in Tijuana" it was beautiful.. (here are some pic's that I took before the rain) 
the pool.. it looks small but we were so high up..
here is the golf course
I got there popped a sublingual tablet and went to sleep.. I woke up and my mom was reading the menu for room service...lol I felt bad cuz I knew she was hungry.. OH I forgot to mention that the weather was horrible.. it rained the whole time so we didn't really leave the hotel.. I ordered some fish soup and asked them to only send the broth.. it was yummy and that is what I had.. I can't drink more than 2 oz. The 3rd day Wednesday I was ready to go home.. I couldn't sleep, we were on the 16th floor and the wind was really bad.. it was scary hearing it howl at night.. I called my husband and asked him to come an pick me up.. the gas pain was still there and I so regretted not buying a heating pad.. I was still needing the pain meds.. before I left T.J I went to the clinic so they could check my incisions.. just to make sure their were no signs of infection. They gave me the all clear and we came home. The 4th day was way better, I was home and the gas pain was going away.. it still made me uncomfortable but it was tolerable.. I was still on clear liquids.. I noticed that I could drink a little more and it didn't hurt.. I guess its not pain that I feel, it's more like pressure.. The 5th day today is much much better..I think I am ready for mushie's.. I can drink like 4 oz of liquids now so it's much better I think the swelling is going down.. The incisions never really hurt I just felt sore.. I was told that I was given a fill while in surgery.. I know that the Dr's here in the states don't do that.. I am fine with it I haven't vomited at all and I have somewhat of a head start..lol I know that I will probably have a hard time finding that "sweet spot" but I am ready for the challenge. I feel full after drinking only 4 oz.. that tells me my band is already working.. I am measuring the amount of liquids I take in so I can keep track of any changes and so I'll know when I need a fill.. I haven't had anything to eat since sunday and I don't feel hungry.. today is Friday. Oh my Daughter's cheer competition was so much fun! they got 1st place in both the cheer and dance category..well I have to go but I just wanted to update..
~*APRIL 13TH 2006*~
Well I started my mushies phase a day early and my solids soon after.. I know it was too soon but I could tolerate it. I am chewing everything really really good. I kinda regret not sticking to the mushies phase all the way but I was not feeling any restriction so with solids I do. I have lost a total of 16.5 lbs.. and I am so excited. Today I had some oatmeal for breakfast I made it really watery so it went down ok.. I know many people say that your band is so tight in the mornings so people don't eat, I have to have something in the morning so I've been doing the watery oatmeal and shakes for breakfast. I am still a little sore and I could feel the actual band through my skin. It's weird and definately something I have to get use to.. I mean what happends when My hubby and I are doing our thing? can he hurt it when he's on top? lol (TMI) but I am just wondering. I am finding myself coming on here every now and then instead of everyday..lol I guess since I have had my surgery I feel content. I am must ready to live and enjoy life. I have a long way to go but already I am feeling healthier. I was doing some gardening yesterday and I washed my truck by the time I came in 3 hours had passed. That's 3 hours of physical actvity I wouldn't not have done before lol a couple of years ago we invested in some exercise equipment and I think after I finish here I'll jump in my Elliptical and maybe do some light weight training..I am ready to put those machines to work. I feel like I have to help my band because it's helping me well I'll update more in a couple of weeks.
~* May 11th 2006*~
Hi everyone, ok so what has happend since last month. Well for one thing having this band is not easy, it takes lots of patience and it's a learning process.. I had to learn to eat all over again. Remember when your mom would tell you to chew your food right and to have your drink after your meal.. well mommy was right. I have had a few PB's and they weren't fun. I had my 1st fill on May 3rd and it has made a huge difference. I was able to eat much more before the fill, I still havent been able to eat like I would pre-op so thats a good thing. My weight stalled for about 2 weeks and since my fill I have lost 2 lbs... right on target and at a healthy pace. I am the kind of person who wants the weight off like yesterday and it isn't happening. I just have to be patient and aware of what I eat. I have been ok though, I fell kinda dumb updating because I have met people here on this site who had their RNY and compared to them I am losing at a snails pace..lol but hey 2lbs is 2lbs right? I am getting ready for another hot summer.. I hate the heat. I especially hate not being able to wear all that cute clothes that thinner people wear.. but anyway I'll try to update every month or every other month depending on how much weight I lose..
~*June 11th 2006*~
Hi everyone! so its been a month since my fill and I didnt get much out of it, I did feel a huge difference right after the fill but then I started my period.. ( sounds ugly so I'll call it flow) so anyway flow came and since I have PCOS it was a irregular never ending cycle.. flow was here the whole month! and it just went away like 3 days ago.. I lost my restriction the whole time I was on it.. I still had some but not enough. I didn't gain any weight but I only lost 5lbs in the whole month! I have already scheduled my fill it's in 3 days.. I heard that it takes longer for people with the VG band to hit their sweet spot.. this next fill should help. I have a total of 5.6 in my 10 band. I wonder how much they'll give me this time? oh and another thing. In the mornings out bands are always tighter.. well my last fill was in the morning. This time I scheduled it for the afternoon..I think maybe thats why I felt such a huge difference the last time I got my fill.. but later the same day of my fill I could eat a good amount! so anyway I hope he isnt stingy with this next fill. I haven't pb'd anymore. I was at the begining but it was because I wasnt chewing well, I had a huge NSV this weekend. 1 of my sisters had her babyshower and I saw family I hadnt seen and they all told me that they could tell I was losing weight! YAaayyy its about damn time! Ive lost 25lbs so far and just noticed?..haha.. I have not been able to lose not even 10lbs in 1 month before so I feel great having lost 25 in 2 months.. well my friends I'll update you all some more after my fill..
~*June 19th 2006*~
Ok so I said I'd update after the fill so here I am. It went great and so far so good I am down to 227 and that means I have lost 5lbs in 8 days! yaayyyy I am 30lbs down total, Now thats what I'm talking about.. Yea Baby restriction is here.... hopefully it stays.. so anyway just a quick update everyone I'm going to bed...
~*July 2nd 2006*~
Ok so I am now at 223 thats a total of 34lbs.. it's nice to see the scale moving down constantly instead of up.. I have lil stalls every few days but hey it was expected with this band. I have to be totally honest in this so I am gonna admit that I kinda wish I had the RNY.. why? because this band is a hard tool to work.. the weight comes off but its so slow and you really have to watch what you eat.. yesterday we were out all day we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific and then the drive in.. I wanted so bad to eat those nachos and soda that everyone was having.. I did have the toppings on the nachos with some ice tea..lol anyway I am missing my food, for so long I ate all the good junk food and now I cant.. In a way its a good thing but I just miss it. I am still having a hard time getting use to the smaller portions. I serve myself alot of food only to find I can eat so little.. I guess mentally I want to eat it but this band wont let me. Thats good I know but sometimes you just want to enjoy your food without worrying about getting sick. I think of how I felt pre-op I would do anything to take this weight off I am grateful for this band but right now I am going through a little bit of regret.. I colored my hair the other day.. I went with a coffee color brown with a red base. Not thinking of my Hi-lights I went ahead with the processing and my hair came out red! SHit shit shit!! now I miss my Hi-lights.. My family and I are going on Vacation next month and we'll be going to the beach a water park and a family friends house in Mexico (he moved from L.A to but this place.. he scored) the pool is huge so I didnt want to worry about the hi--lights turning green on me.. I thought it would be easier to go dark for a while.. I have been strugeling with my weight loss but I blame it on the PCOS.. I have such a hard time with it. During "that time of the month" I get so hungry for sweets and junk food.. I normally dont ever eat chocolate but when flow is here OMG I crave it.. and I do eat it.. With my PCOS I have never ending cycles this last one lasted almost 6 weeks! I hate it... so everything has been kinda screwed up lately. Oh My high school reunion is only 4 months away.. I really want to lose 40 lbs so I have to step it up, I want to lose at least 10lbs a month so I am gonna really try to make it happen.. .I'll keep you all posted. OOH 1 more thing, My baby turned 2 on June 30th! I weigh almost what I did after I had him.. so I just took off the weight I have put on in 2 years in 3 months!.. yaayyy.. Hi Guys, so I can say that at 4 months and 2 weeks out of surgery I finally got a handle of this band thing. I Haven't pb'd in the longest time and I know understand the signals that my band gives me..lol in other words I know when to stop eating. I sometimes stop eating way before I get those signals and I do fine. I am close to my goal well my realistic goal of 175 lbs. I am happy with that weight. I weighed that before I got pregnant and I was wearing a size 12/13 and sometimes 11 depending if they were strechy jeans. I am calling it a realistic goal because I am older and Ive had 3 children so how can I expect to weigh what I did in High school? 135-140lbs. Anyway I have lost 42 lbs so far. Today I weighed in at 215 lbs.. I am so happy. I just think that in April I was almost 260 lbs and miserable. I want to lose 40 more pounds and then I will honestly be happy. We took a long ass vacation recently and although I still felt fat, I did enjoy myself. I saw relatives I hadn't seen in years. The last time I saw them I was thinner so they noticed the weight..lol I didnt care cuz I know I'm not staying like this. I lost weight while I was on vacation and I was shocked. I ate whatever I wanted I even thought I had lost my restriction but I guess not. Since Ive been home Ive lost 2 more pounds. Thats in 1 week! yay for me.~*Wendy*~
~September 24th 2006*~
Ok so it's been a month or so since my last update. I am at a Plateu I haven't lost a thing, I actually gained a pound but thats because I have been eating much more. I have been in need of a fill but I'm afraid to get one. Why? because I feel this band getting tight at times and then there's no restriction so I'm afraid if I get a fill it'll be too tight when I have those days with good restriction. WHy does this band change so much? I gained a pound and once again my PCOS is acting up I have had no cycle and I feel that I'm retaining lots of water, I wake up a lil swollen and well all that other stuff you get right before your cycle..but the cycle never really gets started. SO anyway I have been working out, I started walking 2 miles a day and just this last week I started walking. I weighed myself and lost the pound that I had gained.. I am so happy because my goal here is to lose not gain.. I'm going in for a small fill to try to get this scale moving again. I am still at 215 but I'm not upset. I feel great. I'll update more after my fill.. just a few days away.. Wendy
~*February 1, 2007 *~
Ok so my profile mest up.. I was adding a song and don't know what happend but anyway allot has happened these last few months. the weight loss is slowing down allot but I am still very excited and happy at my progress so far. I am currently down to 190 lbs and I feel great I am so sad that all my pictures and slides were accidentally lost, I have to try to put some more up later.. anyway people back your profiles up! believe me you will save yourselves allot of time if this ever happend's to you..
~* April 3rd 2007*~
So today marks 1 year since my surgery and I am thrilled that I still have room in my band ..lol I thought I would lose my 80 lbs and thats it.. anyway I am so glad that I had this surgery. I am currently wearing a size 13 in jeans and a large on my tops.. my boobs shrank from a 42 DD to a measly 38 D.. hahaha thats ok I'll take these lil ones instead of the fat! I still feel heavy but I feel great.. nothing like I did a year ago.. I have lost a total of 72 lbs and I have to admit I'm not exercising or following any special diet.. If I was I would have lost a lot more by now. I had this surgery to be able to eat less and live a normal life .. no dieting and no more pills for me! so I am content with my loss so far. I am no longer pre-diabetic and my cholesterol is normal! my feet don't hurt in the mornings and my lower back pain has vanished! I have so much energy now and I enjoy all of the foods I would eat pre-op.. I am so glad I chose this surgery.. I control it.. IT doesn't control me.. anyway it makes sense to me... well I hope to update soon and post that I am at my goal weight...
~*June 25th 2007*~
Well it's been a while since I have checked in with Obesity Help.. what happened? I would be on this thing 24-7 before I had my surgery.. and now it seams as though I don't even have time for the computer anymore. My days start off with a burst of energy and I'm making breakfast for my children.. they are on summer vacation right now so we are keeping busy.
As for my surgery well I reached my goal of losing 80 lbs last month.. I was so excited and as a reward my husband bought me a new car.. were not rich or anything but I am happy with my gas friendly Toyota Yaris.. lol I was driving a Sequoia that was killing us on gas,, so anyway I am still having my tummy tuck but I'm gonna wait a while I am still losing.
Things are moving really really slow. I can go a month without losing an ounce. I'm not stressing over it anymore. I still don't follow the band rules so I know that I could have probably lost a lot more if I would stick to the rules. I have been eating a bunch of stuff I should be avoiding but I'm still losing weight. I eat so much but it's small amounts and I think it's working by speeding up my metabolism. I don't understand it but it's working.
I'm not obsessed with weighing myself anymore every now and then I jump on the scale and sometimes I lose but for the most part it stays the same. My friends have been telling me that they can tell I lost more weight.. I don't know how since I've been binging on Ice Cream every freakin day.. I went shopping to Target for some shorts and I am wearing a size 12! I lost a few pounds but honestly I don't care about the numbers anymore.. I have learned that we can lose inches and not weight.. I didn't believe in that before but it's happening to me.. sometimes my clothes gets big on me.. I weigh my self I I am at the same weight? so that was a huge turn off.. ( with the scale)..lol
I am so happy I had this done.. every time I see someone that is overweight like I was.. I feel so bad because I know how they feel. I have always been the one that's joking around, always happy, and I don't let anyone get to me.. but Ir was a cover up because I was miserable inside. I am not that person anymore.. I love my new life and I thank my husband for making it possible.. anyway for all you pre-op's that are just starting out don't believe what people say when they tell you the lap band doesn't work because it does.
I am glad I didn't do the RNY because I love being in control of how much I lose.. the last thing I want is to be thin and trapped in an 80 year old persons body with all the lose skin.. I am having skin issues with my stomach and a lil on my arms.. but its minimal and doesn't bother me enough to make me wanna hide it.. so yea everything happens for a reason and I thank god that I wasn't able to get the RNY.. I was so desperate to get this weight off at the time that I didn't care about anything but the surgery I honestly don't think I would have been able to stick with all the things that come with .So anyway good luck to all of you.. I'll try to check in more often and please feel free to e-mail me [email protected].. make sure and put OH on the subject line otherwise I'll just think it's junk mail..
~* Jan 24th 2008 *~
Ok it's been so long since I have updated my inormation. Well here's the deal since my last update I haven't really lost anymore weight but I'm ok and satisfied. It's just weird because I fit into sizes I would wear when I was thinner, but yet I weigh more? I am still in a size 13 I had lost some weight but gained a few pounds .. 4 to be exact anyway I realized that my all time goal was to be 160.. my "realistic goal is 175" and I am less than 10 pounds from there and less than 20 for my all time goal..lol
Well I am so happy with my new life and don't regret having this band.. I do sometimes but when I really sit and think of why I did this.. well it makes me appreciate every pound that is gone..no matter how fast or slow it comes off.. I have plenty of room for adjustments so I have no doubt that I will lose those 20 lbs .. anyway I am focusing on my tummy tuck.
I have always wanted one.. from the minute I had my 1st baby.. so I went in for a consultation just yesterday. I was sure about wanting a tummy tuck but when the plastic surgeons saw me "Butt Naked!" it was horrible you guys I just covered my eyes hahaha anyway they reccomended a body lift. The surgeon said I have at least 15 lbs of excess skin on me! do you know what that means? I will only be 5 lbs away from my all time goal if its removed!..lol anyway I am gonna do it.. I want some Lipo on my back because I am top heavy so I have that fat popping out of my bra all the time.. umm a breast lift would be nice but they would be much smaller after.. I think if I wear a good bra I'll be ok without it.. for now ;) well My sugery will take place sometime in late march so I'll keep you guys posted on that.
I am also having my plastic surgery done in T.J it's so much cheaper and I found a Dr. that is Licensed in both the U.S and Mexico he does body sculpturing (sp?) anyway. I did go see other surgeons to compare prices and their were cheaper ones out there but I just felt comfortable with the one I have heard so much about. The body lift and lipo will be less than $6,000 here in the U.S it would be double if not more.. anyway I will keep you all posted and when I have this done I'll post my before and after pictures..Bye!!!
~March 30th 2008*~
Ok so so much has happened since my last update. I had stalled on my weight, I even tried dieting wich is something I swore I would never do. I did and lost 8 lbs in a week.. "atkins" but the minute I stopped the diet I gained 5 of those 8 lbs back ;( needless to say I stopped the diet. I then got tired of my band being too tight. I had started getting reflux at night but found that if I ate early I wouldn't get it. It didn't change anything really I was pb'ing everyday.. I think I wasn't losing because I wasn't eating enough. In 6 months I lost only 2 lbs..
I had been looking into Plastic Surgery mainly to get rid of my stomach rolls. I have always been top heavy and wanted that flat stomach. I finally had my Lower body lift with an Anchor cut on March the 19th. It was a very hard surgery. I was regretting it on the 3rd day and almost broke down. I didn't .. lol I kept sucking it up telling myself that this was something I chose and didn't really need. I didn't cry.. I didn't complain, instead I thanked God for letting me live through it.. it was a long surgery and I feel so blessed to have walked out of there alive and well. I know the pictures look bad, the cut is aweful but I chose to have the scar vs the skin. 15lbs is what I had removed.. thats a whole lotta skin.. I still was heavy so I know it weighed alot because of the fat but either way I am greatfull to have it all gone. Today is the 11th day since my lbl and I am feeling really good, a bit sore but overall doing great. I am worried about my healing process.. seing my cut freaks me out. I want the stiches out and for the skin to look normal.. not puffy and with no scabs..
Not showering has been the hardest thing.. I want to shower and my Dr, said that when the drain was removed I could, but I don't want to wet the scabs have them get soggy or come off I'd rather keep it dry till it heals shut.. I am cleaning it with antibactirial wipes (the abdominal area not my incision) and cleaning my body with washclothes and soapy water.. I just don't wanna wet my incision at all to prevent infection.. I have to wear my binder 24-7 so after the shower I would put it on and if a part of my incision wouldn't dry right.. then it wouldn't be good to have it just sitting there wet and all wrapped up. I do wash my hair daily and wear my make-up..
I gotta look good even though I feel like crap.. so anyway I am down to 173 from 188 I have alot of swelling so I know I am lighter than that but the scale is playing games with me at this point. I had my band un- filled the day before surgery I had 7cc's and had 5 removed. I want to get it filled soon but think I'll wait till I'm 1 month post op to do it. My port had flipped so when my LBL was done the Dr. fixed it.. I was so glad because eventually I wouuld have needed to pay to have it fixed. This Dr also gave me a butt, for free!..lol they normally charge for fat grafting but he did it and I wasn't charged anything extra.. I love my new butt. I was flat before and now I have a small perky full butt.. My back was lipoed and it's not 100% better but I'm happy with the way it looks. So here I am recovering and reading back on this whole process.. I cant believe its been 2 years since my WLS and here I sit almost 90 lbs lighter with a flat stomach and a butt I've never had.. This whole process has been amazing and I'm glad I did it.. for all you pre-ops good luck to you and don't give up on anything.. there was a point in wich I thought my surgery wouldn't happen, I wanted RNY so bad and when It didn't happen I was devastated.. turning to the lapband instead.. the type of surgery you have doesn't matter every kind has its good and bad side effects but the bottom line is it saves us from so much. It helped me go from having High cholesterol, border line high blood pressure, and being pre-diabetic.. to having normal labs since my surgery. I feel healthey and I actually like going out and doing things again. I'm not always in my house living like a hermit anymore.. ok so I gotta go now but I'll update some more later..
~*April 18th*~
Ok so I am almost a month since my LBLand I am finally.. finally feeling completely normal again. I had a lil setback with my healing, a lil part of my incision re-opened.. its really small and didn't need to be re-stitched but its healing slowly. I am still wearing my compression garment.. I find myself taking it off often through out the day, not only to air out my incision but it feels so good not to wear it. I had gone down to 174 and when I went in for my fill I was back up to 180! I was enjoying my unfilled band a lil too much.. its been 4 days since my fill and according to my scale I'm down to 177 thats 3 lbs gone.. I am trying to get back to that 174... Oh wait when I went in to get my fill I saw this lady who was leaving, being as chatty as I am I asked the person who was waiting for her if she had just had her lapband placed or something.. She had just had a tummy tuck and looked pretty damn good.. I honestly never checked with Obesitygoodbye for any prices on the procedure because of the positive feedback I had heard from Cosmed and well the fact that I had my cousin and friend also going to cosmed.. anyway its worth looking into for those of you who are looking into having Plastic surgery.
http://obesitygoodbye.com/index.php/Plastic-Surgery/Plastic-Surgery.html
That's the link.. check it out..
~*JUNE 24TH*~
Ok so i need a serious kick in the ass.. its been a lil over 2 months since my lbl and I have actually gained weight.. what the hell? so anyway I have good restriction but my problem is that i am not eating enough.. i eat once or twice a day.. i dont drink enough liquids and honestly i think i totally screwed up my metabolism... so here i am trying to eat 4-6 small meals a day.. the last time i did that it helped and i lost weight so i'm gonna do it again. It's so weird.. before my lapband I would over eat and eat many many meals but now I'm gaining cause I'm not eating enough? anyway as for my size and the whole lbl.. well i was bummed out at first because my friend SABRINA yes girl you always had all this great news on how you were fitting into smaller sizes.. uggh Whatever..lol but now that my swelling is finally getting better I'm seeing some changes in my size too my weight is going up but my sizes are dropping.. just the other day I bought some shorts and they were a size 10.. wow I couldn't believe it.. another thing is I shop in th Jr's dept.. so when i go to the misses size I can get a 10 but when I am in the jr's I'm back up to a 12..lol anyway I'll update more later.. I was gonna delete this whole site and decided to keep it..I didn't think it was that important but I guess i forgot how i was at first.. these profiles helped me through this whole process so i'm leavin it up ;)
~* April 23rd 2009*~
Heyyyy.. so it took me 4-ever to come back on here but hey I'm not giving up on losing those last 20 lbs :) I was less than 5 lbs away from my goal about a year ago.. then I got comfortable and was maintaining my weight loss.. well I went for a year without getting a fill and gained 20 lbs :( but I know that I have not been eating well.. not blaming anyone but myself. I have always used food as a comfort and I have had a horrible year so I fell back to eating those sugary carbs and ended up gaining weight.
Since my LBL I feel so damn good in my clothes.. even after gaining those 20lbs I am still content with the way my body looks. SO that is different than before I still dont have any rolls or hanging skin so I just look thick.. thats what my hubby tells me. I have lots of pics to post so I will do that at a later time, right now I gotta go shopping but I did wanna give you all that have messaged me a quick update :) and I see things on the boards will never change..lol I see the same people with the know it all attitudes posting and excusing themselves before they spit their venom but yet they still do it..hahaha I guess some people were just meant to be that way.. anyway I'll post the pics up later..
