MARCIAM
My husband and I had a long battle to get approval for our surgeries. After several denials we appealed our cases to the New York State Insurance Department. We are very greatful that they overturned the denials! My husband had gastric bypass surgery on 1/9/06. I had lapband surgery on 1/23/06. Our health is improving every day. So far my husband has lost over 70lbs and I have lost just about 40 lbs with many more to come! Our surgeon, Dr. Cussatti is simply the best choice for both of us. He is a wonderful doctor!
UPDATE: 4/22/06
Well it is just about three months since my surgery. My health has improved so much. Before my breathing problems were so severe that I couldn't walk more than a short distance without having to stop and rest. I couldn't walk around the Mall or do my own grocery shopping. I am happy to tell you that I not only can grocery shop by myself but also bring in all of the bags and put everything away. That may not sound like much but it makes me so happy that I can get around. I am starting to use an exercise bike and I can walk upstairs without stopping to rest after a couple of steps. I now am taking only half of the breathing medications that I did before the surgery. My lap band is giving me back my life. I am very happy.
Update 5/7/06 Well here I am one week before Mother's Day. Next week I have visits with both my PCP and Dr. Cussatti. I am really hoping that my PCP will lower the dosage or cut out some of the meds that I am on. I really hope that Dr. Cussatti will give me another fill on Thursday. I have lost weight this week, but I have been hungry almost every evening. Dinner is just not lasting long enough and I don't want to snack. Well I'll find out later this week.
| M | Mesmerizing |
| A | Awkward |
| R | Rich |
| C | Creative |
| I | Influential |
| A | Amorous |
UPDATE: 5/14/06 Happy Mother's Day! I got my 2nd fill last Thurday 5/11/06. 1/2 more cc. - that makes a total of 3 cc's.
I feel great but I am no longer hungry all the time. I go back to Dr. Cussatti on 6/1/06. I sure hope I lose more than this month's 7 1/2 pounds.
UPDATE: 5/20/06 The scale seems to be frozen in place! I need the numbers to be going down. I'm not over eating or binging on BAD choices. I want to walk alot more but my right hip starts to really be so painful that I start to limp. I went to the orthopedist who took x-rays and found nothing wrong. Maybe new sneakers will help. I really need to exercise more. This morning my husband and I went to the Bariatric Surgery Support Group at Good Sam. I love to see how well other people are doing. It is so encouraging.
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UPDATE: 5/26/06
Well I have amazing news! I joined Curves today. I have not been able to exercise in years. I go back Tuesday after the holiday weekend for my next session. Just imagine, me in a gym! I am so happy that my surgery has made this possible. I bought a pair of sneakers. All of this is a great achievement for me. I'm sorry if I am going on and on but only a few month ago I could not walk up the stairs to my bedrooms without resting every 2-3 steps. I wish it hadn't taken so long to get the insurance to cover the surgery. I guess I could say better late than never, but the insurance company kept my life on hold and kept me sick. It is ironic that people get health insurance so that they can get well and in the case of my husband and myself, they were keeping us sick.
We went to the Centereach support group tonight and I am so glad we did. The group is so friendly and caring. Everyone made us at home right away.
Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and take care.
| How to make a MARCIA M |
| Ingredients: 1 part jealousy 3 parts brilliance 1 part energy |
| Method: Add to a cocktail shaker and mix vigorously. Add a little wisdom if desired! |
UPDATE: 6/2/06
I went back to Dr. Cussatti yesterday. Unfortunately I had no weight loss in the last 3 weeks. He gave me another fill. I'm up to 4 cc. in a VG band. I feel good and I am eating less. Tomorrow I go back to Curves. I'm hoping that the exercise will help too.
UPDATE: 6/4/06
Just a quick hello and to tell you all that my DH and I are leaving for Atlantic City in the morning. We won't be back until Friday night and I will not have a computer. I am going to really try hard to be very active so that I don't eat too much! Well, wish me luck...
UPDATE 6/14/06:
We are back home from vacation in Atlantic City. We had a wonderful time. My weight has finally started to move downward again! I ate more than usual on the vacation, although I didn't pig out. I came back Friday night one pound heavier, but I knew it would just be temporary. Today I weighed myself and I lost that pound and 4 1/2 more! I just hope it keeps going down, down, down.
UPDATE: 6/17/06
I really am so happy! My scale said 246 this morning! That is 50 pounds! Every pound makes me happier and healthier.
Steve has been doing just amazingly! He has lost 92 pounds!!! It will be 100 before we know it!
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UPDATE 6/24/06:
Hello everyone! The last two weeks have been very difficult for me to stick to my eating plan. Our daughter and future son-in-law were living with us while work was being done on their apartment. I had too many tempting things around the house to eat. It has been quite a temptation to keep away from the wrong things but I really tried to be good. If I had dessert I made sure it was sugar free! Now they are back home and I can go back to my serious food plan! I can't wait to go back to Dr. Cussatti. I am sure that I need another fill. It takes me too long to get full and I am getting hungry again too soon.
UPDATE 6/28/06:
Hello everyone! Today was Steve & my 36th anniversary and the first one since our surgeries! We went to Red Lobster and stayed on our diets. We shared one meal and brought home a doggy bag. We had steak and lobster tail. We shared the salad. Then Steve had only about 1/3 of a little steak & I had about half of a lobster tail. We shared a baked potato but only had about 1/4 of it each. We had the rest packed to bring home. I am really happy that we had such a healthy anniversary!
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UPDATE 7/6/06:
I went back to Dr. Cussatti today for a check-up and a fill. I lost 4 pounds officially this month for a total of 50 pounds. The doctor's scale is over 2 pounds higher than mine at home. He added 1/2cc. .more in my band for a total of 3 1/2cc. This is the first time that I really feel restriction even drinking water. I'm back on liquids for three days. I hope this will really increase my weight loss. Dr. Cussatti said I am doing very well so I guess I will have to be satisfied with the 4 pounds. I drive myself crazy weighing myself too often on my bathroom scale. It would be great if I could just keep my little toes away from it. Tonight Steve, my daughter, her fiance and I are going to see Superman. I fit in a movie seat!
The bird on the right looks just like Fagel~
UPDATE 7/12/06
I have lots of news to tell everyone.
First and most important my husband Steve has LOST 101 pounds since his RNY surgery on 1/9/06. Six months & 101 pounds! I am so proud of him! We will have to send in a new picture for his century card.
Yesterday I had a consultation with an eye surgeon. I HAVE CATARACTS! I will have surgery on the left eye in August and the right eye in September. More news to follow.
UPDATE 7/18/06
I don't know if I am at my sweet spot yet because last night I was really starving. I had eaten very little during the day. It was so hot and I went to Curves to work off some of my calories. This morning I weighed 241 pounds on my scale. That's 5 pounds down since the 6th. Not bad but I wish these pounds could just melt off. I do love my band. When did I ever just lose 5 pounds without killing myself on a diet. I have lost 55 since 1/23. I just have to love my LapBand!
Today I will be off shopping with Steve and going with him for his PCP appointment. Talk to you soon!!!
UPDATE: 7/21/06
Today has been a very productive day for me! First I was down another .6 of a pound - bringing me to 240.4. Second I really worked hard at Curves today & Third tonight was the Centereach support group. I just love Dawn our leader and all of the women in the group. I had dinner with them at the diner after the meeting. We all ate healthy food! I had poached salmon. I had a small amount and brought home the rest to eat over the weekend. You can eat out and have fun after WLS!
Tomorrow will be my future "son's" birthday. We are going to surprise him at Gasho of Japan. After dinner we are going to his Mom's for birthday cake. I'm going to allow myself one biite of cake
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UPDATE: 7/23/06
Today is my 6 Month Bandiversary! What a difference these 6 months have made. I am so much healthier and happier. I enjoy life and look forward to enjoying my retirement years with my DH! This is the first time since I retired after 34 years teaching in New York City, that I can truly say that I am enjoying retirement. I still have a lot to lose but I have real hope that I will do it! I love my LapBand! It is my miracle and I thank God that it was invented an that Dr. Cussatti had the great knowledge to put it inside of me and keep adjusting it. If I am this happy after 6 months I can't wait to see myself after a year!
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UPDATE 8/1/06
Well I have a lot to tell you. Yesterday I went to the eye surgeon to get my eyes measured for the cataract surgery. Yes, they actually measure the eye balls! Yuch!!! They have moved up my surgery from 8/21 to this coming Monday 8/7! I had to run to the lab this morning at 7:30 to get my blood test. They couldn't find my vein as usual! This afternoon I have an appointment with my PCP to get clearance for surgery. I know that I am much healthier than before my LapBand surgery! Everything is a rush but I am better getting it over with. When both eyes will be done I am not going to need glasses for distance any more. That should be a big plus.
UPDATE 8/4/06
Tonight will be the last night of the New York heat wave of 2006, if the weather men are right about their forecast!
Wednesday night my DH and myself had tickets for Sweet Charity at the Gateway Theater in Bellport. It was so terribly hot that I was joking with my DH that I hoped that the power wouldn't go out during the show. One night in the 1970's we went to a Broadway show during another heat wave and the power went off causing a massive blackout in New York City! Well just our luck it must be our curse. The air conditioning went out and the lights went on generator power. During intermission the theater gave out drinks and cups of ice for free. Water never tasted better! Finally they got the ceiling fans going but they never got the air conditioning back on. The show was really very good but the theater was just too hot! Last year I wouldn't have been able to go to the show. The seats would have been too small for me to fit in and I would not have been able to breathe in that heat without air conditioning. Thank God for my LapBand!
Earlier today my daughter lost power for about four hours. They went out for dinner & the power came back on just as they came back home. Saturday night we have tickets to see Peter, Paul & Mary at Westbury Music Fair (it has a new name now but I never remember it) I hope the air conditioning works for this show! My DH and I can do so many more things since our surgeries. Life is so much better and so much more fun!
UPDATE 8/5/06
We just came back from a Peter, Paul & Mary Concert at Westbury Music Fair. I don't know when I had a better time. Last year they didn't come to Westbury. I didn't know it was because Mary was battling Leukemia. She had a bone marrow transplant and chemo. Thank God she is in remission! They have been together for 46 years. I am so glad that we bought tickets. They sang every one of my favorites and their voices are still just wonderful!
On the way home we stopped at my daughter's apartment to meet our new furry grandchild. Today John and Heather adopted an adorable little kitten. He is only 9 weeks old. His name is Cosmo. He is named after Kramer from Seinfeld. We have to take his picture so I can show him to everyone.
This was a wonderful day brought to me through the magic of my LapBand! My life was so different before my surgery. My LapBand allows me to sit in theater seats, run around all day and enjoy a full and happy life without ever getting out of breathe!
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I love my daughter and future son-in-law's new cat. His name is Cosmo & he is only 9 weeks old.
UPDATE 8/11/07
Yesterday I went back to Dr. Cussatti for my monthly appointment. He gave me a small fill of another 1/2 cc. I had thought that I already had 4 1/2 cc's but he said that I was wrong and that I only had 3 1/2 cc. in my Vanguard Band. I tried to go back on my profile and fix the mistake, but I'm not sure it is all fixed. I just know that as of today I really have 4 cc. in my band. I am on full liquids for 3 days. Not so bad because I feel good and know that real food will be back soon. I lost 8 pounds this month. My weight is officially 238 and going down!
UPDATE 8/18/06
Today was the first time I went back to Curves since my cataract surgery. It felt really good to exercise again. Monday I am having the second eye done. Then I will have to stay away for just about a week. That is, as long as everything goes well.
This morning I ordered Heather's birthday cake. My baby will be 26 this Sunday! Tomorrow I am going to Party City to get plates, balloons etc. I also have to get cards and wrapping paper for her gift. I love birthdays. My DH and I will take her and her fiance out to dinner and then back home for the cake and singing Happy Birthday!
UPDATE 9/3/06
In May of 2001 I was hospitalized for a month with a terrible staff infection of my left leg. I was tested for everything under the sun because they did not know the cause of the infection. During that hospitalization I was diagnosed with diabetes. My leg has been left terribly scarred and discolored as well as very painful ever since.
Since I was banded in January my leg has really begun to heal after 5 years! The skin used to look like the lunar surface. Now it has started to smooth out. The leg was always swollen. The color is starting to get more normal & it rarely hurts like it did before. I haven't worn dresses or skirts since 2001 because I have been embarassed by the way I looked. This fall I am going to go shopping for a dress!
I don't know if it is because of my over 60 pound weight loss...but I know it couldn't have hurt...Maybe it helps that my glucose is normal these days. I have another reason to be thankful for my LapBand & to thank God for the ability of my surgeon.
I know that this has been a long post but I really wanted to share my happiness with my OH family. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
The Labor Day weekend has been a total washout so far. Ernesto is here and I'm glad to say, is leaving! Later today I will go grocery shopping because we are having a bar-b-que on Monday as a sendoff to summer. Enjoy your Labor Day and be good to your band!
UPDATE: 9/7/06
Today was my visit with Dr. Cussatti. My blood work came back OK except for iron. My iron is low, so I have to start an iron supplement tomorrow. "I lost 4 pounds since my last visit. I am now at 234. I got another fill because I could eat anything. The doctor added .75cc so now I have 4.75 cc in my band. Today is the first time in ages that I really feel like I have restriction. We went out for dinner and I had yummy soup at the Sonoma Grill. Yum! Dr. Cussatti also said that I should revise my goal weight, as 125 pounds is not what he thinks is ideal for me. He thinks I should be about 140-150 so I am changing my goal to 140.
UPDATE 9/19/06
Hi everyone! I just wanted to update everyone about my latest little health problem. Dr. Cussatti had blood test done and found that I have low iron. He put me on a liquid iron supplement that really made me nauseous. I was going to my PCP anyway so I asked him to suggest a different form of iron because I don't want to throw up. He prescribed a different form of iron - a capsule with something else that helps you absorb the iron. The next day I got a phone call from one of the girls in his office telling me that the doctor wants me to do a three day test for blood in my stool. Now I am worried that something bad is going on. By the way, the lab instructions are that I have to be off the iron for one week before I can start the test. That means that I cannot do the test until Monday. Now I will have this hanging over my head. I am not at all sick or tired or any of the things that anemic people have. Except for not wanting to do this test, I feel great! After this test I wonder how many more he can think up for me to take...
UPDATE: 9/23/06
Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I want to wish all of my friends on OH a happy & healthy New Year with much success on your weight losses. This holiday has always been a very fattening one for Jewish people everywhere. There is always too much food and many sweet things for desert so that everyone has a sweet year. My DD and futre DS came for dinner tonight and I was determined to make this a much less fattening celebration. I have always made a noodle kugel (pudding) with lots of brown sugar, crushed pineapple and other good things! Well this year, for the first time I used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. Instead of using 8 eggs with all of the cholestorol I used 4 eggs plus eggbeaters. My family thought that it was the best kugel I ever made. Then I told them what I put in it! They were amazed and I was very happy. I also made boneless chicken on my George Forman grill, brocholi & green peas. For desert I made sugar-free cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury for the "kids". I was too full for anything else. It was a wonderful dinner and not much of a cheat at all!
UPDATE 10/5/06
Wednesday 10/4 was my first birthday with the LapBand! Turning 58 was much happier and much healthier than turning 57. Wednesday my DH bought tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway. We had a fabulous time. People dressed as animals come down through the orchestra. I was so thrilled that we had orchestra seats. After the show we came home to Long Island to eat dinner with my DD and her fiance. It was a perfect birthday! Late last night I started to set up the new computer that Steve bought me for my birthday. I'm typing on it now!
Today I went to Dr. Cussatti for a checkup and he gave me a small fill. I lost nothing at all this month. I hope that the fill will make a big difference in my restriction.
About Me
Sayville, NY
Location
33.2
BMI
Surgery
09/22/2008
Surgery Date
Apr 06, 2006
Member Since
