MrsMac14fan

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So, we had to take a friend to the emergency room last night because she was in congestive heart failure. Once we knew they were admitting her and her sister got there, we were going to go home but she refused to allow me to leave until I weighed myself! She even called in her nurse to ask her to weigh me! Can you believe that!? LOL Gotta lover though! Well, to "shut her up" I did as she demanded...since I last weighed in, I have lost an additional 22 pounds! That is a grand total of 160 pounds in just a little bit over a year! Fifteen months!  I do feel really good about that!

I have even noticed other bodily changes. A month ago, whenever we got into her car, I would have to lift up my belly and run the lap belt under it in order to buckle the seat belt properly. Now, I don't have to. I can run it right over the "flat tire" of my belly and easily buckle it!

I am right now wearing a shirt that in 2006 was snug but I could wear it. Now it hangs loose enough that it "flows" when I walk! I love it!

Funny thing though...before I started losing all of this weight, I quit growing hair on my body. I still grew it on my head but nowhere else. Since I have been losing all of this weight, I am suddenly growing hair on my legs again! Sheesh...time to break out the bottle of Nair! LOL

I am running around in shorts, sleeveless shirts and flip flops and not caring one bit what people think about all of my flapping skin! I was worried about it when I had the surgery but I am finding that I view my skin bags as badges of honor now.  Yes, I had two surgeons and a wonderful surgical team who have all helped me get to where I am today but they were just the tools for me to work with! I know I could be even thinner right now if I followed their instructions to the letter but I am still happy with what progress I HAVE managed to make on my own. 

I am so very grateful to my husband, my family, my friends, and everyone who has wished me well and continues to wish me well on my journey to a happier and healthier me! I am also grateful to my darling puppy, Beauregard who is a huge help to me. He keeps begging for walks while Daddy is at work and I take him for a short walk at least twice a day every day. I am definitely walking a LOT more now than I did a year ago! I still have a lot of pain in my back, legs, hips and ankles but I am slowly able to handle more and more walking. Once I get rid of the excess skin that is weighing me down considerably, I am hoping a lot of that pain will go away! And hopefully, i will quit twisting my ankle so much! 

 

Well, we have moved to the Riverview FL area. I have been trying to get a new surgeon for my post-bypass care but no luck so far. I asked my surgeon in Charleston for a referral several times before we moved and at least once since then but nothing yet.  A bit disappointed about that.

My husband just got a new job and a gal there had this surgery a few months ago. She gave me her doctor's name but he doesn't accept any of my insurance (Medicaid and Medicare) so I am back to square one. I am also looking for a primary care provider and perhaps that should be the one I concentrate on for now. Let THEM help me find a bariatric surgeon for my follow-up care and then a plastic surgeon for that portion of my new life.

I am really looking forward to the tummy tuck but scared to death at the same time. Saw an episode on this type of surgery on Discovery Health and it scared me spitless! The pain this poor woman went through after her tuck! I don't care about the scars, I really don't but I am highly allergic to pain! LOL  Hopefully they will put me on hydrocodone again. That stuff worked best! And I didn't get addicted to it! :-) 

On the 12th I will be going in for surgery on my right shoulder. Ever since I started losing weight, my shoulder has been hurting worse and worse. An MRI showed some torn tendons so they are going to go in and clean up the area and see what is going on. If they need to do any repairs, they will do it right then and there but at this point in time, I will be going home the same day!

When I went in for my pre op I discovered that I have lost another 3 pounds in two weeks. At my last regular doc visit I weighed 365.8 and yesterday I weighed in at 362.5. I am thrilled every time I get on that scale and see a smaller number! Think about it....I have lost 133 pounds in 11 months...that is the equivalent of a slim adult!!! I am tickled pink! I like that I am losing it slowly...I believe it is much healthier.

My only problem now is that all of the skin of my stomach is hanging down and pulling on my lower back. It makes my legs go numb all the time..even when I am sitting down! My back hurts a lot more now too but I plan to get it looked at soon too.

Unfortunately, it will have to wait until after February! My husband has been out of work since August and we are going to lose our house. It is not a bad thing really. We are looking forward to our move! There are going to be so many things available for us to do where we are moving! Come summer, I will be sweating off the pounds for sure! Florida is worse than SC in that way! LOL

On the cusp of my one year anniversary, I have to say that I am very pleased with my results and have absolutely no regrets about having this surgery! I no longer feel as if I am living on borrowed time! Now, I am enjoying life again and it is wonderful! 

If anyone is considering surgery and has any questions, don't hesitate to email me privately. My email is [email protected] . I add it here because I don't check this website regularly enough.

Happy New Year everyone! May it be the best year for all of you!

I added a new photo today. I had my husband take a picture of me at my 6 month post op check-up because I am showing off how much weight I have lost. As of that appt., I had lost 109 pounds! Those jeans...I wasn't even able to button them let alone zip them 6 months before. Now, I can take them off and put them on while they are still zipped and buttoned! Loving it!!

Went to my family doc on the 18th and I had lost another 5 pounds in the last month for a total of 114!

Happy with changes!

On the flipside, my family doc took three vials of blood to run some tests. We are testing for lupus, etc. Have to find out what is going on with my shoulder as well as this stuff on my nose! Signs are pointing to either lupus or fibromyalgia...

Shortly after I wrote yesterday's journal, I became an Aunt! My baby brother and his wife gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Owen Leonard! Besides my son, Owen is the only other grandchild my dad has. I am so glad that I am not the only one who is keeping our family line going!

Today I started a new program that my husband's insurance company offers called 10,000 Steps. They sent me a good pedometer and a few charts for me to keep track of how many steps I take in a day plus a conversion chart so I can get credit for other activities like housework, gardening, biking, etc.

Talked to hubby today about getting us both some bikes and going for bike rides around our neighborhood. I think that would be better exercise for me because I would be sitting down and not putting my weight on my legs but yet getting good exercise for my legs. Wish I had a stationary bike to use inside at home! My only concern is finding a bike with a big enough seat for me.

We have been saving to get our air conditioner fixed and almost have enough! I will be so happy to have it running again! It is really hot out today and when it is this hot, I can't do a lot of activity. It is so humid too!

I want to give y'all a website that has a LOT of great information in it for both RNY and Lapband patients. It is run by the Medical University of South Carolina's Bariatric Surgery program: http://www.muschealth.com/weightlosssurgery/nutrition/index.htm

On this particular page, if you click on which surgery you had, there are surgery specific resources. On the right hand side of this page is a lot of information that is great for getting ideas for 100 calorie packs, recipes, etc.

There are links to email the registered dietitians on staff too. I have seen both Debbie and Nina. I can tell you that they are the best I have ever dealt with. They may be thin themselves but they know their stuff and they know their patients.  They are great at helping you find alternatives when you are having problems. There are a TON of things you can print out for yourself. I am checking out recipes myself today!

You know what? As I sit here printing page after page out, I realize that I need someplace to keep these pages where I will see them and use them. Some place where they will do the most good! So....I am going to remove the pictures from my refrigerator and I am going to start putting the important pages up on the fridge. Heaven knows I have enough magnets! And I am going to put together a binder of pages that I can keep in my truck for reference when shopping or eating out.  It is time, past time, that I get serious about this and really buckle down. I can't rely on my swiss cheese brain to remember the things I need to know.

What a dreary day! I tried to put the dogs out but it started raining again. It started during the night and was still raining when Dave left for work before 5 this morning. What I hate most about rainy days is how it seems to sap the energy from a person. I really need to do some dishes, vacuuming, exercising, etc. but I just can't seem to get moving! I am drinking tea hoping that the caffeine will help. I did manage to get the garbage picked up from when the CATS knocked it over last night. Actually both garbage cans! I have picked up a few things they knocked over too. Doesn't picking up after "kids" count as exercise? Well, it should at least count as activity...LOL

I was referred to this site via a friend on my facebook page. I am so glad I found it! I wanted an easy way to chart my weight loss and find support for my specific needs. I feel I can find that here.

About me: I had a Lap. RNY on Feb. 10, 2009 at the Ashley River Tower MUSC hospital in Charleston, SC. I was fortunate to have two surgeons do my surgery. My primary surgeon is Dr. Pullatt. He received assistance from the head of the department, Dr. Byrne.

On the day of surgery I weighed 495 pounds. They said my surgery would take 3 to 4 hours depending on if they had to open me or do it by lap. It took only an hour and a half!

On Feb 16th, I went in to have my drain removed. I had lost 30 pounds already! I know most of it was water but hey, weight is weight!

My one month check up was Mar. 12 and I weighed in at 452 pounds. I had lost a total of 43 pounds since surgery. My main issues were dealing with problems exercising and problems drinking water. My stomach cramps up when I drink water so I am drinking water based drinks now. Stuff like tea, kool-aid, etc. All sweetened with Splenda.

My three month check up was May 21. This time I weighed 415 pounds. Exercise is still an issue. I have low back pain from a previous back surgery that is aggravated by my fat settling in my stomach area thereby putting strain on the lower back. I have trouble still with standing or walking. My legs go numb and usually so do my hips.

One of my issues I am looking for help with is finding a sweetener I can tolerate. I am allergic to aspartame so I use Splenda. Problem is, I seem to be sensitive to it as well. I get an upset stomach after awhile. I can't use honey or any other sugar based sweetener so I am at a loss as to how to sweeten my tea, koolaid, etc. I handle the granulated Splenda better than the packets but I am still sensitive to it.

My goal for the next three months is to increase my exercising, find an alternative sweetener, and lose at least 100 pounds in the three months. My final weight loss goal is about 165 but I will be happy to reach 195 pounds!

Why did I do this? Lots of reasons. Most importantly, I wanted to be healthier. I want to live longer and be around for my grandkids. I want to have another child while I still can as well. At my present weight, that is impossible because I would not be able to properly care for it. I want to grow old with my husband. I was fortunate to not have the health problems that most people with my weight have. I do have high blood pressure but I recently was able to stop taking that medication. I was getting very dizzy and discovered it was because of those pills. I have arthritis in so many places...

I look forward to learning more and losing a lot more!