NHskinnygirl

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Well my written diet finally arrived from my Dr's office. His nurse forgot to put that and a Rx script in my original packet of test results and the Dr's instructions. I am in for one hell of a year. My new diet, due to a bacterial infection in my intestines is so restrictive. I can only have proteins, but no eggs. No dairy what so ever, so I am now using Soy milk that I found that is very low in sugar as I am not allowed sugar or sugar alcohols. No chocolate no mushrooms(yipee I hate them anyway) For veggies I can have peas and legumes but no root veggies so no cattots potatoes any kind, no winter squash but I can have summer and zucchini squash, green beans and salad veggies. Oh and nuts. I can use splenda or stevia but no Sweet and Low.
I can have berries, tart apples lemon limes and 8 oz of sugar free juice per day. That is it.
For one year I can not have any grains,pastas,rice,oats, barley,eggs or yogurt. None of the veggies I love cause I am a root veggie girl. I prefer veggies cooked not cold. No banana's, sweet apples or watermelon, darn my favorite too.
In addition to the handful of supplements and vitamins I already take I have to take a mega dose of a supplement with 425 billion active cultures in it. 1500-1800mg of garlic pills 3x a day, for a year on both of those. I have a new Rx for the bacteria, for 1 year and I am ordering another supplement that I will have to take for a month. I have been taking all but the 1 I need to order for a week and see no change but it has only been a week, 51 to go. I am still having these pains, today was a bad day but I am hoping tomorrow will be a better day. I can do this for a year, I hope. So many restrictions but all will be worth it, if it will help to straighten my insides out (no pun intented). So I just want to say Happy Thanksgiving to all, and make sure to enjoy your treats tomorrow cause you never know if there will be a time where you absolutely have to say no. 

I got my results for the 3 day sample test and the 15 vials of blood taken.
What the Dr. was checking for was intially Celiac's (allergies to wheat rye and barley) what I do have is not celiac's but a Bacterial/fungus in my intestines. ohhh, gross. At 52 yrs old I never thought I would hear this. I guess anyone can have this for years and not know it and it just keeps building up til it starts to cause pain. (this was the sample test results)
I have to take 2 herbal Rx, garlic tablets and 1 medical Rx. Most will be taken for a year but 1 of the herbal's will be just for a month.
All the blood work shows that I have several mild food allergies, sadly they are to Cheddar,cottage and parmesan cheeses, Cow's milk, Casein (not sure what this is) and gladly mushrooms(I hate them and never eat them ever) So what this means is I can no longer have dairy products, yogurt or eggs. So I guess I will now learn how to live on a simple low carb diet. Which means fruits, non starch veggies and protein minus dairy. This is going to be such a challenge for me as I am a carb a holic. Breakfast is my most favorite meal and I can no longer have, eggs, milk,cereals or breads or oats. I lived on oatmeal,egg custard and cereal with fruit for breakfast, milk in my coffee is a must the list goes on but I will do what I have been told as I want to get rid of these pains and get back to feeling normal. So I now will adjust to fruits celery and peanut butter for breakfast, lunch and dinner, proteins and veggies.  They have said they will test again after 1 yr so I will pray alot that these favorite things will someday be reintroduced in to my diet. If not, oh well, health is everything and sometimes we have to sacrifice for that. 
I will have to find a way to maintain my weight on this diet, I am already below goal and would only like to lose another 5-10 lbs max so it will be a learning experiment to balance out diet and exercise to maintain between 140-150lbs. I never in all my life thought that I would ever have to worry about NOT lossing weight. I will do it but hope it is an easy road back to a pain free life.

What a night. The Sox were fantastic and surprised us all by sweeping the Rockies.
I watched every game and each one was more fantastic than the next. 2 World Series wins in 4 years, who would have thought. The male residents at the nursing home that I work at were all excited today. None of them stayed up to the end but heard the news this morning and activities surprised them with a repeat airing for those that needed their sleep. The theme tomorrow is red sox pride day with stadium"junk food"
for lunch. I guess I'll bring my homemade meatloaf tomorrow.
Have a great night all and
CONGRATULATIONS RED SOX  #1

The World Series has started with a bang!!!!!  Game 1  Sox lead  13 - 1 !!!!!!!
Sorry Rockies Fan's but we are praying that this one is ours.
GAME 2 TONIGHT  GO RED SOX!!!!!!!

                                    

Well, I saw the specialist in Londonderry and he was really nice(not like the last Gastrointerologist who should really be a proctologist). I walked in with all my records from my RNY til present. He just skimmed over them and it took him 35 minutes to do that. Then he called me in and spent 35 more minutes talking to me did an exam and ordered different blood work and OH JOY a 3 day stool test. But if it helps I'll do it, barfing and all.  He is going with either a bacteria or fungus in my intestines and colon (something you could pick up as a child or with uncleaned food) or I may have Celiac's (a wheat intolorance) So we are in the process of doing all the tests and once those come back we will take it from there. I am still suffering in pain daily, some days much worse than others but I have to believe that this one will get an answer and help to make me better or at least with less pain. I am going to keep smiling think positive and believe that this is it.  Take care and please keep me in your prayers.

Well no one cancelled their appt. so I guess Oct. 15th it is. I have all my paperwork completed, I have a binder ready with all my surgeon's appt's since before surgery and all my office visits and exploratory results, my gallbladder surgery, my 9 day stay that found nothing wrong even though I was in pain for the whole time, all my bloodwork and hopefully next Friday I will get the report and bloodwork and tests from the Lahey Clinic.
I have good and bad days with this and I am so tired of it. I went to Roswell Ga. last week to visit my best friend Karen and her family and did a good job of not letting them know I was having abdominal issues. Luckily they were not too bad but bothersome just the same. The plane ride was awfully uncomfortable but it has been a bit better since Monday. I am still so tired of this and hope this next appt will give me some kind of answer to what is going on. I don't think this Doctor is God by any means but I so want this to stop and get back to feeling healthy and pain free again.
Keep up the good fight it is so worth it, potholes and all.

   Well, I was driving to the DMV to renew my license and my cell phone rings, so I answer it...sorry I did that. It was the Ass of a Dr. I saw last week at Lahey Clinic. Now he already told me he thinks I am in pain all the time from gas, yeah right gas...so now he calls me a week later to say that he read the report again and he is convinced that there is NOTHING wrong with me and that Miralax will solve my problem. No further testing should be needed. I almost swallowed my tongue biting it, said thank you for calling and hung up. I already was upset by his refusal to send the report to my surgeon, he told me that only my PCP needed to get a copy of his findings and my test. ( my PCP and Surgeon are husband and wife so no big deal ) but those results are mine and my insurance paid for them so he should send them to who ever I ask him to right?  I so wanted to tell him that both my Doctor's were bothered by the way he handled this and are now sending me to another gastroenterologist, here in NH that also deals with alternative medicines as well as conventional,but I didn't bother, so as I wait for this appt (Oct 15th the soonest opening) I cointinue to have these abdominal pains some days are better than others and hope that someone will cancel their appt and I can get in sooner. This has been going on since April and all these tests are just not finding anything, lets hope this doctor can help, better than the last one anyway.   Please say a prayer for me if you read this, I really believe that every one helps to keep us strong.

I had my 2nd appt with the Dr. at Lahey Clinic. My DH came with me as I did not want to meet this man alone. My first appt did not give me a great impression of him, kinda reminded my girlfriend and I of the TV guy, House. He was not prepared, even though he had my paperwork from all my tests and Dr's appt since the first of the year for over 2 weeks. Never looked at them before hand and had us sit for 20 minutes while he read them in front of us. Today with my DH he read back his notes(out loud) and then told me that in his opinion from both my pass tests and the ones today that I am just full of gas. God help me I bite my tongue not to call him an #$$.  I just thanked him for his time and we left. I made it to the ladies room before breaking down in tears. It is so fustrating not knowing what this is, but I dam sure know it's not just gas!!!!!
I guess my pity party will go for tonight, tomorrow I'll call my tag team Dr. Scheib and Dr. Brown and see where I go from here. Oh this wonderful (not) Dr. also informed me that the radiologist wants me to get to the gyno as he found both fluid in my uterus and a rather large cyst on my ovary. Joy oh Joy....I have 2 more weeks of this awful 51st yr hopefully Sept 2 will start a much better year for me. As always good thoughts and prayers always welcomed and appreciated. Sorry to rant but when in the mist of my pity party ranting seems to help. Night all.....

  Hello All.  I have been having a really hard time since about April when I was in the hospital for 9 days with such bad abdominal pains. Even after all that time and all those tests they still could not tell what was wrong with me. I have still been in pain on and off since I came home. I get up every day, try to exercise, mostly walking as it dosen't hurt so bad, no sit ups or crunches for me as they really make the pain come on stronger. My Doctor's (Jeff Brown is my god send surgeon/his wife Lisa is my wonderful PCP) my chiropractor Bruce and now a Dr. I don't like at Lahey clinic (only going at the request of my surgeon, if it can help him,, I'll do anything he asks) They are all trying to figure it out but it took weeks of reading posts here on OH to see that Amy Berry is going thru the same thing as me.(I hope, as she has answers) Amy was so great to e-mail me with her info and I researched on line to see if this was at all like mine, and it was. I have given my Surgeon all the info and he was great. He is looking into this, researching Amy's Dr.s publications and seeing if this is something to pursue for me.  This has been a really bad week for me, everyday I have hours of pain and now I'm getting constant headaches that I know are because I'm not walking straight as bending alittle helps me get thru my work day with the pain easing up in that position. I'm trying to stay up beat but the tears come often as I worry that I'm going to have to live with this. I know I seem to have made a deal with the devil( and I would do it again in a heartbeat)having this surgery for a healthy life, but I never thought I would have to go thru all this to be thin. Pleasethink positive thoughts for me and prayers are always welcomed......

July 7th 2003
Well I met with Dr. Brown last week and he is wonderful. He answered all my questions and concerns and really set my mind at ease. I know this is going to be the best thing for me.
I am going to the Nutritionist on Weds. 7/9 for my first visit, and will be at my needed 15 lbs down by then. I am scheduled to see the physchologist on 8/27, it seems so far out but really is only 8 weeks. Hopefully my date will not be to much after that.

July 22nd 2003
Today I had my appointment with the PHd. Her name is Dr. Rebecca Johnston and she is nice. I felt very comfortable with her. My appt was scheduled for August 27th but was moved up to this month. I hope this means that my Surgery will be scheduled soon. Things seem to be moving along and I am now getting very excited with a bit of nervousness too.

Sept. 1st 2003
Well it's been a while since I entered any thing but I have been getting good news about my journey. At the August support group I weighted in and have lost a total of 25 lbs to date. I have been on a holding pattern since the meeting as my Mom was rushed to the hospital and is still in. Hospital food is bad so I have not been eating as I should be and I am not lossing any more weight. I have not gained so I am happy about that. I have heard from the team at St. Joes and should expect my surgery date to be late Oct/early Nov. The wait is painful as I just want to get it over with and head for a whole new healthy life style. I have told myself just about 10 weeks so then it doesn't sound so long out. My psyh. eval went well and I passed with no problems or signs at this time of depression. Dr. Johnston told me she feels I am a good candidate for the surgery. Tomorrow is my 48th birthday so I am hoping to hear from the team for the appointments for my pre surgery tests for the heart and lung and then just wait for my big day. I know this will be the tool I need to finally beat this yo-yo dieting and live a healthy life.

Sept. 17th 2003
Well things are moving along, slowly, but still moving. I went this week to have my Echo-cardiogram and Chest X-ray. I had a scare, they called me back for more intense testing, and we found out I have a congenital birth defect. Nothing life threatening but it was good we found the problem out before surgery. It's called persistent Left SVC. I'm very thankful to find this out so the surgery process is again slow but very needed for these very reasons. I am hoping to hear my date soon, I'm still praying it will be sooner rather than later.
Mom arrived home this past Monday, I have been still running back and forth from NH to Ma each day to make sure she is eating and taking her meds. I will be happy to rest in a few weeks when her new electronic chair lift is installed, and she can get about her house freely. Hopefully then I can look for a part time job to occupy some of my time.

October 22nd 2003
Well I had my pre-op appointment today with my PCP. It went well as I expected. Hopefully He will get it faxed over to Dr. Brown's office asap and I can finally find out if my insurance company will approve me and then the team will set a date. I am so tired of having people ask when my surgery is going to be. The waiting is awful and you sure need to have alot of patience for this process. I have not called the Dr's office as I don't want to be a pest but the waiting is driving me crazy and is causing problems with my sleep. I hope when I know it's a go and have the date,things will calm down and I will get better sleep and be able to enjoy alot more activity. Please say a prayer for me that all goes well and I will soon be on my journey to a healthy, thinner life.

Nov. 6th 2003
Well here I sit still waiting to hear anything from the team that has my life in their hands. I love all the people that are involved in the process I am going thru, but I must say that the waiting is unbearable. If one more person asks me if I have a date yet I think I might pop them. I have to pray every night for the patients this process takes and hope all goes well.
Yesterday here in NE, at Boston's Brigham and Womans Hospital, a young mother from Lawrence Ma died after having this surgery.
She lived for 3 days and from the news report she either died from the staple gun misfiring during the surgery and causing damage or from an infection from an open wound. I cried for her and then for myself, knowing that this is what I want to free myself from this weight loss hell and that I could be just like her. I will pray for her and ask that anyone who reads this will pray for me and all of us that are going to take this journey too. Pray that each surgeon is guided by god and that angels will watch out for all of us.

Dec. 8th 2003
I guess I have not learned enough about patients yet. I am getting so tired of waiting just to hear if my information has been submitted to my insurance company. I try not to be a pest and don't call, just wait, but the waiting got the better of me last week and I called and left a message with our support team cordinator. She was great and got back to me that afternoon but it was not what I was hoping to hear. My PCP had sent in my letter and I have taken all the tests and a few extra that have been asked of me. My file has been at the surgeon's office for seven weeks now and I was informed that the Dr. is reviewing files now on his desk (mine being one I hope) and they are hoping to get these submitted to the insurance providers by the end of the year. So I guess that means I will not be having my surgery, if I am approved that is, until sometime in late Jan or Feb. When I started this process I know it was not something done over night but never did I think it would take 9 months to happen. Sorry to ramble but I needed to vent, I know they are a great team and that I am in good hands but the waiting is just driving me crazy. My Mom is back in the hospital and sitting there day in and day out I have nothing else to think about as she sleeps so some times I pray for her to get better and get home and sometimes I pray for myself to hang in there and know that my day will come soon.
Happy holidays to all and hopefully my next post will have a date for me to continue my journey to good health.

Dec. 17th 2003
Well after ending my day yesterday with a heart to heart prayer session, today my prayers have been answered. Nicole at Dr. Brown's office called me today to tell me that my surgery date is January 19th. I was so happy it hit me like a brick and I could not stop crying, from happiness. This is truely the best Christmas gift I could have received. I did almost instantly feel nervous from the excitement but I'm sure that must be normal. I have been under alot of stress lately because my Mother has been in the hospital since Thanksgiving due to a fracture in her back. She is too weak due to COPD and conjestive heart failure to withstand any surgery so we are hoping that they will be doing a procedure on her that will at least get her home for Christmas. So to have this wonderful news now is a blessing. She has been hoping that I would have it soon, so she knows that I am ok and on my way to a thinner and healthier life so this news also cheered her up too. I would ask that anyone who reads this post, please remember me in your prayers from now til 1/19 and also Dr. Brown and the team at St. Joe's in Nashua. I do pray for everyone each night that is choosing this life saving procedure, that God will guide each surgeon to do the best job possible and get us safely on the road to a new and healthy life. God bless and Happy Holidays to you all.

January 7th 2004
Well Happy New Year everyone. I have only 11 days til my surgery and I am strangely, happy and excited. The nervousness seems to have subsided for now for which I am very glad. I have been ill since Christmas with an upper respitory infection and bronchitis but I am feeling back to normal, finally. My Mom was home for Christmas, minus the procedure we were hoping for and she returned to the hospital again on 12/27. She is not doing well and today I had to make the decision to place her in a nursing home for rehab until I am able to take care of her again. I had mixed feelings about this, but after some soul searching I did decide that without this surgery I would not really be able to take care of her properly because I don't have the energy now to take care of myself let alone another person. So I feel good in my decision and Mom does understand why we are doing this and has consented to spend some more time in rehab. I am hoping for a stress free and uncomplicated surgery and recovery time, I pray every night that God will watch over me and help me to recovery fast so I can take care of my Mother for what ever time she has left. Its funny how things happen I am starting a whole new life shortly and pray each day that this will be my ticket out of prison and a pass to a life of activity and health. My DH is so nervous. he does not do well with medical things so I can't really talk to him about this but he does understand and support me in my decision. My wonderful son Matt is behind me 100% and is very proud of me for the courage I have to go thru this. I get so much support also from my family and friends that I know this is a wonderful thing happening to me and I am very greatful to all those involved in making this happen for me. Thank you Dr. Brown, Nicole,Jodi, Rebecca, MaryBeth and all the staff for your help in this journey. See you on the "losing side" God Bless.

January 16th, 2004
Well it is 3:14 am on the Saturday befor my surgery. I won't say I'm nervous but I am excited. Today at 10am I will be at the local David's Bridal helping my niece and her bridesmaids pick out the dresses for her July Wedding. I am her wedding planner and have been having such a great time planning everything. I only have one son, who is 23 and not anywhere near ready for marriage so this has been fun, just like being Mother of the Bride. It has been keeping me distracted some and along with visiting my Mom at her nursing care facility I don't think I have really focused yet on Monday. This is a good thing as by nature I am a very nervous person. I will say when love one's call to give me good wishes and prayer's I have broken down several times, just overwhelmed I guess. Yesterday while visiting with my sister in law, she gave me a hug and I did not want to let go. It may just be hitting me and I hope this is normal. I know I am doing the right thing and have decided it is now in God's hands and I know he will take good care of me.
I have my bag just about ready, I will add my personal pillow and my toiletry bag on Monday morning but other than that and the day of prep on Sunday I am ready. If you are reading this post please keep me in your prayers and I will post again after I get home next week.

January 23rd, 2004
Well it has been some week. Monday the 19th was the start of my new life. I arrived at the hospital with my DH who was so nervous I think the Dr. wanted to give Him something to calm him down. I was very relaxed and was not nervous at all. My surgery went longer than usual but everything was routine and I had a great night in ICU. Tuesday they took me to a regular room for the night and I was released from the hospital at 8pm on Wed. I feel really good but have been dumping since I came home and started the protein shakes I have to have. Today I called the Dr and they now have me on a boosted up version of Carnation Instant Breakfast and that is great. No dumping at all. They have determined that I have an allergy to Whey so I won't be using them any more. This has been such an adventure and I am so glad that I decided to do this. Even with this set back I know that this is the start of a new and healthy life. Thank you to everyone who posted prayers and wishes for me I know they helped alot.

Feb. 3rd 2004
Woo Hoo!!!!! Saw Dr. Brown and Jodi today and I was down 14lbs just 2 weeks out. I did a happy dance all the way to my car. I am enjoying this journey so far and do not have the head cravings I hear so many complain about. I am cooking for my DH and enjoying that without any hunger pang. I will say that I am looking forward to 2/10 when I can up my intake to 6oz per meal and that it now can be pureed. I have been missing chewing so I am hoping that the pureed foods will be a little on the lumpy side so I can chew chew chew. This is a great adventure and I hope it will always be this good. The restriction on water to 4oz per hour is hard for me as I am a big water drinker but with each increase in food I'll be uping my fluid so I guess in no time I'll be back to my 64oz again. All good things in time.

March 10th, 2004
Wow I didn't realize I had not updated in a while. At 7 weeks out I went to see my PCP for a follow up appt. and at his scale I was down 26 lbs from the Friday before surgery. I am having a hard time understanding why the weight does not seem to be moving out to fast, but slower they say is better so I guess I will be happy with that. I have my meeting tonight and I am hoping that I will see a loss. I have twice now gone 14 days without lossing an ounce so I do hope that scale will be kind to me tonight. I do Fitday.com and track my daily food intake and my gym visits (which are 4x a week) so I will be taking copies of my food journal from 3/1 til today, to the meeting to see if Lindsey our new dietition can let me know if I am on track or over doing it at this 8 week time frame. I have been getting in between 650 to 900 cals. per day and at least 65 grams of protein. I feel wonderful, I have energy to burn and I have been enjoying my gym time so I hope my weight will start moving soon. This has been a great adventure and I look forward to all the steps that I have coming. Have a great day!

Apr. 29th 2004
Well its been awhile since I posted. Things are going along nicely. I am down 46 pounds since surgery 81 total. I have 55 lbs to go to goal and then I hope to lose another 10lbs after PS. I will need a TT, breast lift and hopefully have something done about the wings I have hanging under my arms. I have been having such back and neck pain from the weight loss. I feel like the extra skin is just so heavy that I am always trying to adjust my sitting position so it doesn't hurt as much. Thank God for my wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Bruce Hulslander. He gets me through the days, that I really want to just stay in bed from the pain. He is the best at what he does and adds a bit of humor to each visit, laughing at your self really does make you feel better. We are working on the headaches but with the limited Rx's we can take it is not easy. I'm looking forward to the day I can again take a pill, whole, by mouth that will help these problems, but I am so thankful for all that has happened in these last 3 months, that I will not complain and just work thru it. This surgery has been a God send and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I wish, like I am sure all of us do, that the weight would come off faster but I am just happy that it is coming off and I have energy to burn. I am now in a size 18 for most clothes but I was thrilled when I put on a pair of new capri's and I read the tag inside. Wal-Mart had labeled them as 18's but inside the pants the tag says 16. How great that was to see that tag and then be able to zip and wear them too. Life is good.........

June 4th, 2004
Good Morning all. Well I saw Dr.Brown for my check up and he was very pleased with my progress. I am down to 195 lbs.
woo hoo! It feels wonderful to finally be on the other side of 200. I have 45 lbs to goal and then I will start to investage plastics. I know already that I will need my stomach and breasts done as I have been experiencing some really bad times with severe back pain from the middle of my back to lower where I already have a ruptured disc and 2 bulging discs' and also alot of daily pain in my neck. Thank God for my Chiropractor, I don't think I could make this with out his help. I have hit the first bump in my journey. I had my yearly mammogram done on 5/17 and yesterday they called to tell me I have to go back as they found 2 spots on my right breast. My Mom has had both breast removed to cancer so I am a bit concerned. If you are reading this please pray for me. I was a bit upset that it took them 17 days to call me and I plan to call them today to see why and to see if I can get in sooner, as the first opening they had was for next Thursday, another week to wait and then how long til they read it and send the report to my PCP. Oh well I am sure things will be ok it's just all the waiting that gets to you. Thanks for all your good wishes and prayers.
Update: Had my 2nd mammogram and everything is fine. They found that I have skin tags under the skin and my breasts are healthy.
I am much releaved and happy the girls do not have to be pressed again for another year...life is good.


When I started this journey in May of 2003 my first weigh in at our support meeting was recorded;

May 2003 283
Jan 2004 251 (day of surgery -32)
Feb 2004 237 -14
June 2004 195 -88 (4.5 months out)
July 2004 183 -100(almost 6 months out)
WOO HOO I am offically a member of the Century Club!!!!!!!!
August 2004 174 -109
October 2004 167 -116
November 2004 160 -123
December 2004 156 -127
January 2005 152 -131 2 lbs to goal 1 yr out.....

 

  
June 30th 2004
Well it has been something these last few weeks. I have been having some really bad lower stomach, lower back pains on and off now for 2 weeks. Friday it was so bad I called my PCP and was taken right in. After my exam he decided I needed to go to see my Surgeon so off to the hospital I went to meet with Dr. Brown. I started vomiting and did not stop from 4pm to 1 am so I was admitted and spent the last 5 days in the hospital for what they believe are kidney stones. I will be going to see a urologist asap to see if he can help and get rid of them so these pains don't come back.
I had been on a plateau for the last 3 weeks and it finally broke now after nearly 4 days on clear liquids I am soooo happy to report that I lost 8 lbs and all my pants are falling off me. I will need to go to Wally World today to see if I can find some pants that fit or I will not be welcomed at work tomorrow in my PJ's, they are about the only thing that fit now. woo hoo this just feels so good that it make those pains easier to take.
I really cann't say enough about my surgeon. Dr. Brown is the most dedicated and remarkable man I have ever met and my husband and I are so greatful to him for all the care and concern he has for me and my family. He is my angel and I am so greatful to God for sending me to him.
I hope that everyone that takes this journey will find the happiness , even with this set back, I have found and life is so much better now for me and I know that it is due to all the love and support I get from family, friends and most always from Dr. Brown and his staff, they are the best.

July 10th, 2004
I am feeling happy happy happy!!!! Today I am offically a member of the Century Club. -100 lbs gone FOREVER!!!!! I don't think I have been this happy since my son was born 24 yrs ago.
Even with the unknown medical problem I am having at the moment, I feel good, have energy some what, I smile all the time and if I could sing( trust me I do not have a singing voice at all) I would be shouting from the roof tops the words to "I will survive".This has been such an incredible journey so far, and I have all of you here at OH to thank along with my family and friends that have supported me all along the way. We do not really know what strength we have until we hit a wall and need to decide what life is going to give us at that moment. I am so happy, that after all my research and soul searching that I made the decision for weight loss surgery and that with the help of Dr. Brown and all the staff at St. Joseph's, that I have been a success story and will work hard at keeping it that way. It is a hard journey but well worth it for me. I hope everyone that wants to follow in these footsteps has the success that I have had. Keep the faith and you will make it.

August 3, 2004
Well this past weekend was my niece's wedding. I was her wedding planner and was quite nervous these last few weeks that everything would go well and that everyone would enjoy themselves. My dream came true. She (Nikole) was a beautiful bride, she looked like a princess and her little 5yr old (Amber) was her flower girl who was just as cute as her Mom was beautiful. My Brother Jim was a softy and cried on and off but he was so proud and happy, all my work was worth it just to see him. We ate drank and everyone was merry and I am still get compliments on how wonderful it was.
I was so happy on Monday morning when I got on the scale and I am down to 178 that's -105 lbs. I have only 28 lbs to my goal of 150 and it feels so good. I have tried a few sugared things and as long as it is just a bite I do not have a problem and that bite is all I need to be satisfied, but I do know that sugar is a dumping trigger for me. I bought the wrong yogurt once and after only 15 minutes in my pouch it did things that I don't want to forget, so I do not try to much with sugar. I am now in size 16 or Misses extra large sizes I have not seen since I was maried 27 yrs ago. I have been having image issues as no matter what I do, my breasts hang, my stomach hangs and let's not mention how bad my arms and thighs are. After looking for undies for my dress for the wedding, I had a pity party in the dressing room for about 10 minutes, then I gave myself a slap and decided as long as I'm in clothes I look good and I can deal with this issue until I can get plastic surgery to help with these problems. God has been with me this far, so I know that down the road I will finally enjoy looking at myself and smile dressed or undressed. Hang tough everyone, this is a life long change that we have had the pleasure to receive and it's up to us to do it right forever.

August 12th 2004
Well we had our monthly meeting yesterday and I am so happy. That scale moved and I am at 176. I am going on vacation to visit my best friend Karen in Atlanta on 8/21 and had set a goal of 175 for myself before I go and I think I can lose that 1 lb by then. This is great, I am soooo happy I could dance.

August 20th, 2004
I am doing the happy dance today!!!! I leave tomorrow for Atlanta to see my best friend Karen and family. They have not seen me in two years and at that time I was heading back to my pre-surgery weight of 283.I am so happy to say that tomorrow they will see me at 174 lbs. 109 lbs gone and I had set a goal for myself that I would be at 175 by tomorrow.I am not only at my mini goal with an extra lb gone I am no longer classified as obese I am just overweight now. Life is good let me tell you. I have just 24 more lbs to go to my ultimate goal of 150 and then I will research and prepare for PS to get rid of all this extra skin. Exercise will be my next goal I have been walking but will now concentrate on weights and ab exercises to tighten up before PS. What a journey I am on and I can not thank Dr. Brown and crew enough for all their help on this trip. They are the greatest. Have a great day everyone.

Sept. 18th 2004
Hey ya'll I'm back from Atlanta, actually I've been back for a few weeks now but have not had time to post. Had a great time visiting with my best friend Karen and her Husband Rick. Also got to spend time with Karen's Mom who has been like a Mom to me now for many years, she is a love and it was hard to say good bye to come home. She is 87 yrs old and her health is not that great. She gives the best hugs in the world and I got three before I left.
On my vacation I had several milestones that I want to share.
First I fit sooooo comfortably in the airplane seat, it was great, I even could move around in my seat without hitting the sides it was great! Next Karen and I climbed Stone Mountain. A totally granite (how funny I live in the granite state but had to go to Ga. to fine a Mt of granite to climb) it was 1.4 miles for the climb with elevation of 666ft. I made it to the top, sweating and huffing/puffing but I made it! What a difference a year makes, last year I wouldn't have made it to the sign at the base from the parking lot. I was so proud of myself. We did not walk back down as both of us have knee problems and did not want to chance hurting ourselves for the rest of our vacation (6 days were left) so we took the tram down and walked back to the car which was about 1 to 1.5 miles back. What a day. I also did a rafting trip on a river in NC that was fun too.
Life is so much better now and I cann't wait for my next adventure. I'm planning on going to the DC conference for OH in Nov. with my Aunt Mary Jane and will be in Maryland for 5 days so I'm not sure what kind of fun I'll have but any time I'm with Aunt Jane and Uncle Paul we always have a great time. I know they love to walk so I'm really looking forward to that trip and the plane ride. I have joined WW and have lost 4.8 lbs in 2 weeks, which brings me to just 20 lbs to my goal. I hope to be at goal for the Christmas holidays but if not that's ok it won't be too much after that and I know I'll be at goal and heading for my next journey for PS. What a year so far, I am loving it. I got a wonderful e-mail from my niece Renee, who also has had this surgery and if you read this Renee, I did respond to your wonderful e-mail but it keeps coming back undel.
I'll keep trying to send it to you and thanks for thinking of me. I think of you often and know you too will be a lifetime sucess at this battle. We will do it together for sure.

Oct. 14th 2004
Well it's been a while since I have posted. Life is good. WW this week was a great weigh in down another 2.2 lbs for total of 8.6 lbs since joining about 6 weeks ago. I saw my surgeon last week and at weigh in there I was at 167 lbs. I can hardly believe I have just 17 lbs to goal. It feels great!!! I find myself wondering what is next for me and today I took the next step. I called Mass General Clinic for PS and made my appt for a consultation. I will be going in on Jan. 27th at 9am (oh boy Boston rush hour traffic in the snow) My friend Liz has been so kind and offered to come in with me as I am very nervous about disrobing in front of a panel of Dr.s that review your case and decide if you are a good canidate for the surgery. Hopefully one look will not send them running but ready to tackle a very needy case. Please pray for me and these Dr's that they will be able to help me with this step. I was very surprised to get a date so soon and hope they will take into concideration that I will be only 1 yr out at consult time and hope that if they say yes surgery will not be til sometime in June or later. This is such an undertaking and I am not sure if I am ready yet but I will be researching PS more to get informed. If anyone reading this has had ps please e-mail me and let me know any info you think could be helpful for me to know going into this. I thank you in advance for your help. Take care all and have a blessed day.

December 6th 2004.
I cann't believe I haven't posted since Oct. Wow. Things have been crazy. I did make it to the DC convention and it was so nice to meet people in person that have touched my life during my journey from these boards. Everyone looked great and the convention was very informative. I made a wonderful new friend from DC, Jennifer from DC. We met on the subway going to the site for the convention and She was also a great inspiration to me.
On a very sad and painful note, I lost my Mom on 11/30. She has been ill for some time but it still was very shocking to see her slip away so soon. She had a heart condition, COPD and diabetes (adult onset) ultimately it was pneumonia that took her life and we laid her to rest on Sat. 12/4. My Brother and I took care of her and visited her most every day at the nursing home she was living at. We both are lost now but know She is in a better place. The best thing I guess in all this is that one night while She was in the hospital my Son Matt stayed with her and he told me on Sat. that she would not sleep that night and just kept telling him how proud she was of me for taking this journey and being a success at it. She never told me these things directly but I did know she was proud of me, but it was so nice to know that she told someone else. I will miss her as my quest continues and I will always hope she is beside me watching out for me and keeping me safe when it comes time for me to do phase 3, PS. Please pray for my Mom, Barbara, she was a wonderful person with a very kind heart. I love and miss you Mom. Fly with the angels now.

January 19th 2005
Happy Anniversary to me! One year today. Thank you Dr.Brown you are my inspiration in this journey. You took a chance on me and I vow I will not let you down. This is the very LAST time I will struggle with weight. This tool you have given me is such a gift and I am finally living life the way it should be done.
I have walked a 5K road race, I have climbed a granite mountain(Stone Mt in GA) and lived to tell about it, I did a white water rafting trip, not my first and not the worst river I have been on, but I did it and enjoyed it so much more as a thin person. I'm thinking about walking for breast cancer with the Susan Komen group in the spring and hope to do the 5K again for the nursing home that took care of my Mom. Never would I have been so adventurious before. I am down 131 lbs with 2 lbs to my goal. I'm going in to Boston to see PS for a consult on 1/28 and I am so happy to say that I am wearing size 12 jeans. (My husband said they are too big so I'll try 10's now and will try not to faint in the dressing room if they fit) Last year on this date I was just getting back into size 22/24 from my highest size of 26/28 who would have thought it would happen this fast. I can not say enough about this surgery and the journey I have taken but I am thrilled with the results, happy with life and would do it again in a heart beat. It took me 3 yrs to decide that I had to do this or I was not going to live long and now I know I will live long and hope that I can help people who need a shoulder to lean on or who just need someone to talk to.
Thank you again Dr. Brown I will always keep you in my prayers.

August 11th, 2005
Wow I didn't realize how long it has been since I have posted. I have had some year, starting in March when I had my arms and breasts corrected with PS. I went to Mass General as they have a residence clinic from Harvard Medical school and the price was right. Both surgeries and I did have implants with the breast surgery cost only 5,310.50. That is with an overnight stay at the hospital. My surgeon was Dr. Guo and he was a doll. He was very informative, a great listener and had great bedside manor. I had geared myself up to having alot of pain where I was having both surgeries done at the same time but it was not at all painful and recovery was fast. I only was out of work for 2 weeks and then light duty for several weeks after that.. I had a great experience for that stage of my surgery and would recommend the clinic to anyone interested in having work done. They do not think of gastric bypass patients as "too much work" and really listen to all your questions and concerns. My Tummy Tuck was covered by my insurancecarrier and I had that done on 6/14 again with Dr. Guo.
Great experience so far just a bit uncomfortable but very managable for pain level. I only took the pain RX at night to make sure I got a good nights sleep.

Feb. 4th 2006
Wow I am now 2 yrs out and life is great. I have maintained my weight , I go between 142 and 148 (my goal was 150) and I guess I would say that I still watch my carbs and I get at least 60 grams of protein in each day, I drink at least 70 oz of water daily most days I drink 100 and I do at least 4-5 days of exercise. I would not have believed that I would be such a sucsess at this but proof is in the pudding. This surgery has been my life saver and I am so thankful everyday now that I made this decision and have used my tool wisely. I know that I am still new at this and I still have a lot to learn but I am up for this challenge and will not let Dr. Brown down. It takes so little effort now to think about what my day will be, what I will eat and how I will exercise or just get in some kind of movement for 30 minutes each day. It is not easy but well worth the effort. I hope anyone that reads my profile will come away with a smile, and know that we all have challenges in our life and each one can be achived with dedication and a little hard work.
God bless and always keep smiling.

May 27th 2006
Good morning everyone. Well yesterday I had my gallbladder removed after a year full of off and on pain. We did every test imaginable and nothing showed that the gallbladder was the problem except the pain and soreness on my right side and constant back pain in the middle of my back on the right side. Surgery went well, took awhile for me to come around this time but I was released at about 4pm and had an easy night, alittle discomfort from the incisions but I am happy to say the pain has gone away. Other than that I have been doing well, still maintaining my weight beween 142 and 148 so I am very happy even with these bumps in the road I am so glad I did this and would not change things for the world. I am thankful that modern medicine has given Doctor's this procedure to do and that we can all be hopeful to live a great life obesity free. I don't miss all the food I use to eat, it was just junk food that I thought was comforting me but all it did was make me fat and very unhappy. I do eat healthier now and do exercise and I love to move around now something I never did before. My only regret is that I didn't have this done when my son was small so that we could have enjoyed a better life together. He doesn't live at home anymore and I love it when I get to see him and he hugs me and tells me how proud of me he is. Life is good Thank You Dr. Brown.

May 21st,2007
Wow, another year and I am still maintaining. This is just the greatest thing I have ever done for myself. It is great to go out and not worry about fitting in a booth, airplane seat or movie/theater seat. To walk up 4 flights of stairs to see my doctor and not be so out of breath that I feel like I could die. To climb a mountain (I did Stone Mt in Ga with my best friend Karen) or white water raft and not feel like I'm the only one weighing down the boat, last time I worried that I was not heavy enough to stay in the boat, thankfully we did a really slow river and I didn't have to worry. Things have been great for the most part. Still not to hungry and need to make myself eat. No head hungers, no worries to get my protein in or get all my water in too. I recently spend 9 days in the hospital for unexplained stomach pains. Still not sure what caused them, I stll am suffering on and off with the pains but they are not as bad as before I was put in the hospital. We are still trying to figure this out and they have found that my thyroid is not working right. Go figure, now that I am a normal weight I have a thyroid condition. As a fat girl I prayed every time they checked my blood that that would be my reason, as it was an answer for why I was the only heavy person in my family. Oh well, hopefully the Rx will help and I'll have more energy to exercise more now. Life is good and boy am I glad I researched this surgery and found the group I did. Dr.Brown, well what can I say, he is the angel I pray for every night. He is the one that has helped me thru all of this, then he was there for my galbladder and now for whatever is bothering me now. It took us a while to get to the bottom of the gallbladder(it was dying from the inside out and looked fine so much that Dr. B was not sure if he should have taken it) so I know he'll figure this out in time too. I just hope it doesn't take as long to find it this time. I'm very lucky to have such great Dr.s and their staff (Nicole you rock Girl).
My wish for anyone that reads this is that you make the right choice for you and that sucess is within your reach this time.
Take care and God Bless........

283/144 current/150 goal