LaShonda
7/1/04
Hello. I'm 26 years old. I'm separated and I have a 17 month old son. I've been overweight ever since I was 8 years old. I've been researching bariatric surgery for 2 years and I've decided to have it done. My father and my friends are very supportive, but my mother and my sister are very opposed to it. Today I called Florida Medical Center and spoke with Becky. She is very nice. She said she would send me a packet in the mail and she advised me to make an appointment for a psychological evaluation and to get a referral from my PCP.
7/6/04
I had my psychological evaluation. I passed and the doctor is sending my report over to Florida Medical Center. The psychologist believes I'm a good candidate for WLS. Now I have an appointment with my PCP set for 7/12/04 to get the referral. I'm not sure if my PCP is going to give me the referral because I asked him about WLS in April and he stated that I can lose weight on my own because I'm so young. He went further to tell me that Oprah did it naturally and so can I! He has some nerve! I'm not Oprah and I'm not rich like her. I can't afford a personal trainer like her either. LOL. He also put me on a 1200 calorie diet and Meridia. Meridia makes me feel terrible and it's too expensive. I have lost 7 lb. though.
7/8/04
Today I received my packet from Florida Medical Center. It's all filled-out and ready to go. Now I just have to see what my PCP has to say. Well, I will update you all after the visit with my PCP.
7/12/04
Today was a very rough day. My PCP would not give me a referral. He stated that 26 years of age is too young to undergo a procedure that will alter my body forever. I told him that I don't like the way Meridia makes me feel and I can't afford it. Instead of taking me off the Meridia, he took me off of the 10 mg tablets and prescribed the 15 mg tablets. Uhmmmm, what makes him think that I'd like a stronger dose of Meridia? What a jerk! He then asked for my calorie log. Of course I don't have one because he never told me I had to keep a log of my calories. I figured reading labels and calorie-counting books would be enough for me. OOPS! He then said that it seems to him that I am not serious about losing weight and I have not made a concerted effort to do so, therefore he will not give me a referral to a bariatric surgeon. He went further to say that it seems like I've made up in my mind to have the surgery, but he is one doctor that will not be giving me a referral. He also suggested that I go see a psychiatrist and maybe have accupuncture to deal with my obesity. Then, he listened to my breathing with his stethoscope, wrote the Meridia 15 mg prescription, told me to come back in a month, and kicked me out! I was in tears when I left. I immediately started making calls to other doctors and asked about their opinions on WLS. I called Humana and changed my PCP also. I have an appointment with the new PCP tomorrow. I am going in prepared and prayed-up! Hopefully I will get a referral! I'll update you all soon. Wish me luck.
7/13/04
God is good!!!!!!!!!!! Today I visited my new PCP, Dr. Carlos Levy. He is awesome! Right away I knew that he was genuinely concerned about me as a patient and I knew he was going to help me. He was very thorough about introducing himself and getting acquainted with me. We had a very nice discussion about my medical history and he was willing to answer any and every question I had. He actually had time to give me the care and service that every patient deserves. He was not in a rush to get me out of his office like most doctors are these days. He was astounded when I told him that my last PCP had yet to take a blood sample from me even after being his patient for 8 months. Anyway, Dr. Levy gave me a thorough physical including labs. We talked about WLS and he gave me the referral. He congratulated me on taking the first step in combatting my obesity. I hope this is the beginning of a lasting relationship with Dr. Levy. He definitely has a passion for helping people and that makes such a big difference. I have submitted all my paperwork to the surgeon and now I'm waitng on an appointment for my consultation. I'm on my way to a better life!!!!! Through prayer and faith, I've gotten over my first obstacle in my WLS journey. Thank you Jesus! 7/14/04 My consultation is scheduled for 7/21/04 with Dr. Carrasquilla at Florida Medical Center.
7/27/04
Today I got that special call from Becky at FMC saying that I'm APPROVED! Humana is GRRRRREAAAAAT! They wasted no time. It only took two days for approval. I'm very impressed with Humana. I'm also very impressed with FMC. They submitted all my paperwork very promptly. Now I'm wondering when my date will be. I hope it's soon.
7/30/04
OMG! Is this real? I have a surgery date. My surgery will be on 8/31/04 with Dr. Esposito (one of Dr. Carrasquilla's partners). That's very soon. I'm feeling so many emotions right now. I'm happy and scared at the same time. Although I'm a little afraid, I know that this is the time to do this. I don't want to wait until I start to develop obesity-related health problems before I do something about my weight. I'm just going to trust in the Lord that everything will go well.
8/11/04
I had my pre-ops 2 days ago. I hated the barium shake. I almost vomitted. YUCK! But, hey I 'll drink a million barium shakes if that's what it takes to have this surgery. A little suffering is worth the reward that I'll get in the end. Yesterday the doctor's office told me that I had H.pylori bacteria in my GI tract. So, as usual they gave me an Rx for Nexium, Flagyl, and Biaxin to take for 14 days so I can go on with my scheduled surgery date. Also, my anemia is acting up again. So, I immediately went home and took my vitamins and iron. The mere thought of a blood transfusion frightens the living daylights out of me! So, hopefully my erythrocytes and hemoglobin will increase tremendously before surgery and I won't have to worry about any blood transfusions. Please pray for me if anyone actually reads this. Sorry to change the subject but I have to tell you all about my wonderful co-worker. As you probably already know, I'm a teacher. Well, yesterday was my first day back at work. Upon returning, I learned that I would have to share a classroom with a social studies teacher (I'm a science teacher, of course) and there will be 50 students in the room during each period. I was livid. I just thought this would be impossible. As the day went by, I said to myself, I can do this. It is possible and God won't put more on me than I can bear. Also, several other teachers commented on how sorry they felt for me because I had to share the room with one of the least-liked teachers there. Of course I ignored all of their comments because I don't judge anyone based on what others say. To my surprise, the teacher that I'll be sharing with overheard me talking with another teacher that had WLS and he was just so happy for me when he learned of my upcoming surgery. He shared with me that his daughter is also hoping to have WLS and she was just denied by her insurance company. He also told me about his struggle with weight and all the medications that he takes for his heart and cholesterol. He is sooooooooo supportive. And to top it all off, he's a minister! Boy I tell ya, GOD IS GOOD! God works in mysterious ways. He knows what you need when you need it. Despite what others say, I'm going to enjoy working with him. He's a God-send. Now I know why he's so hated: because he is a man of GOD!
9/24/04
It has been a long time since I updated my page. I had my surgery on 8/31/04. I've lost 24 lbs. in 24 days. I went from size 22/24 to 18/20. I'm so happy! Everyone is starting to see the results. My face has even gotten slimmer. My self-esteem is shooting through the roof. I get so many compliments everyday. Just wait until I lose 100 lbs. I aint' gonna be nothing nice.
Today I tried to eat some chicken and black beans from Pollo Tropical. "Tried" was the keyword in the last sentence. I threw-up every bit of it. I will never try Pollo Tropical again. YUCK!
11/4/04
Life is great! I'm down 42 lbs. in total. I'm wearing sizes 16 and 18. Dayyyyyuuuuuummm, I'm sexy!!!! I get so many compliments, especially from the men. I'm back on the dating scene too. I can't even go to the bank without somebody trying to give me their digits. Whew this is fun!
I'm not having any problems at all. I've only thrown-up once since surgery. I'm eating a variety of foods now. I can even eat a little bit of candy sometimes. I don't really dump, unless I have too much sugar. Whenever I do have too much sugar, I feel hot and sleepy. That is dumping for me.
I can honestly say that I have a life again. I'm so grateful to have had this surgery. I will always thank God and my doctors for making this possible.
7/15/06
It's been over a year since I posted anything here. Well, the journey continues! It was easy at one point, but now it's hard again. I had lost down to 169 lbs. but, gained 16 lbs. back. Some people liked my weight at 169 but most didn't. Most people said I looked like I was battling something" at 169 lbs. What in the heck does that mean? LOL! Anyway, whether I weigh 169 or 185, that is still too much weight for a person that is 5'1" tall. And an even bigger point: I'm doing this for me, not the critics...
Honestly, I gained weight because I became lazy and I started eating a ton of sweets again since I rarely dump. Two weeks ago I took ownership of my actions and decided to change. I joined the gym and went back on my low-carb/low-calorie/high-protein/high-fiber diet. I was always afraid to join a gym because I was self-conscious, but somehow I've overcome that and I am busting my behind at the gym everyday. I work-out 5 days a week. I am so proud of myself because I have never been self-motivated when it comes to exercise and diet. I just sat down one day and said to myself, "What are you doing? You are becoming a pig again. Why did you have this surgery if you were going to go back to your old ways?" I know it is pretty harsh to call yourself a pig, but that was my way of being honest with myself. Since I have been working-out and dieting again, I have dropped 7 lbs. in just 2 weeks. My goal is 140 lbs. and a size 8. Right now, I wear 10/12 in tops and 12/14 in bottoms. My hips and butt won't go anywhere!
Back to the diet, I have made a commitment to continue this diet for the rest of my life. I guess I wasn't truly ready to modify my behavior when I was approved for surgery. I consider it a blessing that I lost as much weight as I did because I did not hold up my end of the bargain. Now that I understand how to work my tool, I am going to work it to the best of my ability. If anyone is reading this, PLEASE STICK TO YOUR DOCTOR'S ORDERS AND DON'T REVERT TO YOUR OLD WAYS. YOU CAN AND WILL GAIN WEIGHT IF YOU DON'T.
On a happier note, I finally got that divorce!
If anyone is struggling with finding healthy meals to eat, go to Borders and buy Good Carb, Better Carb Cookbook ($3.99), The Low-Carb Bible ($3.99) and Phase 1 Low-Carb Recipes ($3.99). These books have a lot of valuable physiological/nutritional information and scrumptious recipes in them and the prices are great. The regular prices of the books are $29.95, $29.95, and $19.95, so at Borders you are getting a steal for $3.99.
I'll try to update more often. Best wishes to everyone, wherever you may be on your journey!
7/10/08
Wow! It has been almost two years since I wrote anything on my profile. Well, here it is... I lost down to 162 lbs. back in 2005. For two years, I kept going up an down between 166 and 188. Then, during Summer 2007 I started to eat the wrong foods and gained weight (193 lbs.). I've been struggling ever since... I went to my gynecologist on 7/1/08 because I've been having problems with my cycle and fibroids. They weighed me and the scale read 200 lbs. I called my surgeon's office as soon as I got in my vehicle after leaving the gynecologist's office. When I went to see the surgeon on 7/7/08, their scale read 193 lbs. I was relieved to see that. I must have been bloated from my menstrual problems...I have been on a full liquid diet with protein for the past two days. I've been working out on my elliptical for 30 minutes everyday also. I bought a new scale tonight and it read 187 lbs. Wow! This tool really works. I'm down 13 lbs. in 9 days. I'm glad to know that my tool still works. I really want to avoid a revision at any cost. After going back on my protein, I must say that I have not had any sweets and I don't feel hungry often like I was before. I hope to be 135 lbs. by October.
278/187/135(my goal)/122(doctor's goal)
Size 18 - back in 1999
2 Months Post-op
About Me
FL
Location
35.0
BMI
Surgery
12/17/2009
Surgery Date
Jul 23, 2003
Member Since
