RNlvnCARSON
Hello to all: i have been overweight nearly all my life. during highschool i kept an average wt of about 190-200lbs (i'm about 5'4"). i graduated in 1999 and took a year off to relax, work some and save a little money. in aug 2000 i started my long journey through nursing school and moved in with my boyfriend. over the next 2 years i didn't really gain alot of wt, maybe about 10lbs or so, but the next 2years, which was my last 2 years of nursing school i gained about 55lbs. when i graduated nursing school in june 2004 i weighed about 245-250lbs. since then i have gained about another 15lbs and i just can't get it off. nursing school was very, very stressful and i blamed the weight gain on all the stress and inactivity of school, as well as the 6 hours a night studying and preparing for clinicals. i hoped when school was done i would be able to lose the wt., WRONG! i've been out of school for almost 3years and haven't lost a lb., in fact i have gained a couple more lbs.. my current wt is 263, my heaviest=267lbs. the reason i have decided to have weight loss surgery(GBS) at this time is because i feel soo bad all the time and i haven't been able to loose the wt on my own. i stay sick, it seems like every virus that passes me attacks me, and being a nurse it means i meet a lot of bugs. i have NO energy for anything, including sex, and being a newlywed (OCT.14,2006), no sex is not good! daily activities are getting harder and harder to do and getting myself motivated to do them is a job in itself. my blood pressure is borderline high, my lower back bothers me all the time, i have recently been dignosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (which interferes with metabolism, hormones, insulin levels and causes you not be able to loose wt.), i have GERD, suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain/muscle tension, along with tension and migraine headaches. oh yeah.... did i forget to mention that i am only 26 years old!! a couple years ago i knew of people that were planning to have WLS and i always said "that is too dramatic, you shouldn't do that, have you tried other diets and wt. loss plans through a dietician or doctor?", BUT now that i am considered morbidly obese and feel like sh*t all the time, i see where others were and are coming from. i have researched the surgery ALOT, have 3 coworkers that have recently(within the last 2 years) had GBS, and have thought about it long and hard for a long time, not to mention prayed about it, and i have made the decision to do it. i honestly do believe that i can do what i need to do, post-op, to have good results and i know it can only make me feel better. currently, i have gotten my referral from my PCP, went for my consultation with the surgeon (Dr. Schirmer @ UVA), and have my psych. evaluation scheduled for this friday. I will need to have an EGD and a gallbladder ultrasound then wait for the insurance approval. I am excited as well as a little nervous. my mom is scared and hopeful, my husband is weary and they are my 2 main support people. Everyone is very supportive, yet a little nervous about the "surgery " aspect, which is 100% normal. I know that it's very hard for anyone that has not been overweight to understand what it's like, and it must be hard to support someone through such a serious surgery knowing they have overeaten all their life and made wrong food choices all their life. I'm sure they are all thinking:"Is she gonna be able to stick to the diet and portions she is supposed to? She eats too much now and eats whatever she wants, so how can she change overnight?" I know my family loves me and they will always support me, which is very important, but this is a decision i have made and ONLY i can control how well or poorly i do after surgery. i will keep this updated and ask everyone to send out an extra prayer for me during my WLS journey. Holly MARCH 28, 2007 update: well, i was hoping to have my surgery done this month, but ran into an insurance road block. i had my psych. eval done and passed, had my gallbladder US done, as well as my EGD. when it was time for all my stuff to be submitted to the insurance company (PCHP) the insurance man at UVA called and said "well, i see you have completed your preop procedures, but where is your 6 mo. of documented wt. loss plans from your primary care physician?" i explained to him that before i ever started this process i called PCHP and asked them if they required the 6mo of documented wt loss or would a letter of medical necessisty from my doctor be enough and they told me the letter would be fine. (see, i have 4 friends that have had GBS, all through PCHP, and 3 of them did not need the wt loss documentation for 6mo, but the last one that had surgery did, so that is why i specifically asked them if i needed it). he said "well the problem is they told you that, but when i submit this info. they are gonna ask me where the documentation is and they will not approve the surgery until it is in your records." so, i was upset and called PCHP and to make a long story short, i gave them a piece of my mind. anyway, i went ahead and started my 6mo of wt loss with my primary care doctor in feb. so my 6 mo will be up in july. hoping to have my surgery in aug or sept. it has been alot to deal with, but it will all be worth it once i loose the weight and feel soo much better. i will keep this updated. HOLLY , ......................Another update:, May 5, 2007- I have been going to my doctor once a month since feb, and as of my visit on april 23, 07 i have lost a total of 8 lbs. not much, but i guess it's better than nothing and every little bit will help make the surgery easier on the surgeon- oh yeah, did i forget to mention, now i have high cholesterol and fatty spots on my liver! just a few more things for me to deal with at the age of 26! thank god the surgery is getting closer. i'm getting a little more anxious, but plenty to keep me busy.... until next time,,,HOLLY..................... May 23,2007- well, as of my doctor visit today: i have lost 2 lbs this month, which is a total of 10 lbs. he just told be to keep up the good work. he also rechecked my cholesterol to see if it has come down since feb.. only 2 more checkups (weigh-ins) to go!!! HOLLY ........................... JUNE 20,2007- 5th doctor visit- lost 1 lb this month, which is a total of 11 lbs since Feb. next month is my last visit and i am sooo excited to be getting closer to my surgery. my doctor said he is very pleased with my progress over the last couple months and he is certain that i will do great with the surgery. he also told me that the benefits of the surgery far outweigh the risks as far as my health is concerned. (my mom doesn't agree with him, she is soo scared that something bad might happen to me during surgery.) he put me on fish oil twice a day for my cholesterol. well, that's my update for this month, hopefully i will be posting a surgery date soon!!! until next time... HOLLY. JULY 18,2007- 6th and last doctor visit.. gained 3 lbs this month, so my total wt loss in the last 6 months is 8 lbs. my doctor asked me if i knew why i gained this month and i told him that i had been on a weekend vacation to the beach and splurged a little (captain george's seafood). i also haven't been drinking my water like i was and i can't figure out why, i just haven't been thirsty. he explained to me that it is normal to splurdge a little, after all we are all human!! he gave me another referral to UVA for my surgery and i asked the receptionist at his office to fax all my records ASAP to get the ball rolling. my doctor's office has a real problem with doing things in a timely manner and it gets on my nerves!!! SOOO..... now i just have to sit and wait on the insurance approval and a date for my pre-op appointment. this waiting game is not for me..... i absolutely hate it!! i just want to get it all over with. Until next time... HOLLY
JULY 23rd, 2007- today my doctor's office sent all my records to the surgeon's office and the insurance man there got it all together and sent it to my insurance company. NOW the wait continues........ i hope things go fast because i'm getting more and more anxious the longer i have to wait and the closer it gets. keep praying... HOLLY JULY 27th, 2007: Today I got the great news that my surgery has been approved by my insurance company!!!!!!!!!! I had to call them reguarding a previous claim and while i had them on the phone I decided to ask if my surgery had been approved and to my surprise the lady said "Well, as a matter of fact the approval went through yesterday." The insurance coordinator at UVA, Mike Miller had told me to call him when and if i heard from PCHP before receiving a letter from them, so i called him and it's a good thing i did, because he had not heard from them yet. he called PCHP and they had faxed the pre-authorization letter to the wrong place. i am soo tired of dealing with all of their s*it!! It makes me just want to cancel my coverage and say forget it all!!! BUT i have dealt with it this long and have come this far so i may as well hang in there and besides where am i gonna get health insurance if i do cancel it? it just p*sses me off, because i have to double check everything they should be doing. ANYWAY>>>>>>>MY SURGERY HAS BEEN APPROVED AND I AM HAPPY !!!! now i just have to wait on my pre-op appointment to come in the mail. until next time.... HOLLY
AUGUST 8th, 2007- Today i received my pre-op appt. in the mail from UVA and my appt. is Sept. 27th @ 10:15am. I was really hoping it would be sooner, because i want to go ahead and get it all over with. My 1st year wedding anniversary is Oct.14th and i wanted to have had my surgery and be well by then, but it doesn't seem like that is gonna happen. I am just getting really anxious, because nothing is going my way and everything seems to take forever. i hate all of this waiting and it has been over a year now since i started the process for this surgery. i know it's getting closer and for that i am grateful, but i am just tired of all the waiting and i am getting very, very, very anxious!!! My husband and i have not been on a vacation this summer (other than a weekend trip to the beach with my parents and niece and nephew), because i kept thinking that at any time they would sent me my appt for surgery and i wanted to save my time at work for medical leave. i am going to plan a romantic getaway for our anniversary and the surgery will just have to wait. Hell, i have waited this long so what is one or two more weeks? I am going to keep my pre-op appt., because if i cancel-who knows when the next available one will be, and on that day when i discuss with my surgeon the surgery date i will just tell him that i need it to be after my anniversary weekend!!!! I really hope everything works out.... until next time..Holly August 28th, 2007---- i called UVA Dr. Schirmer's office today to see if they have had any cancellations and could move my pre-op date up and the secretary told me that the reason my appt. isn't until the end of Sept. is because Dr.Schirmer is gonna be out of town off and on through the end of Sept. My mom said "you need to stop trying to rush things! At least he will be well rested and ready for your surgery when he comes off of vacation!" i guess she is right and i am out of luck for getting it sooner so i will just have to wait! until next time. Holly 9-14-07 I HAVE A DATE- MY SURGERY DATE IS OCT.1st,2007... see ya'll soon!!! 10-8-07-surgery on 10-1 was very successful! The only problem i really had was severe nausea due to the Morphine, which was bad enough, but i'm at home now and recovering well. getting used to my pouch and new lifestyle. still pretty sore and moody at times, thank God my mom and husband are very understanding and for Percocet. my checkup is scheduled for 10-18.. will update then. Holly 10-23-07 my checkup on the 18th went well! I had lost 17 pounds and Dr.Schirmer said that i am right on track and looking good. I have lost 3lbs. since then, so as of today my total wt. loss is 20lbs and i feel really good. I still am not able to eat more than 2-3oz at a time and only eat 2-3 times per day, because i just ain't hungry. I am also having a hard time getting in my 48-60oz of fluid a day, but i am working hard at it. I'm working really hard on making sure i have enough protein each day,because GOD knows i don't wanna loose any more hair! I have not had one headache since surgery and my energy level is already getting better!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! well, until next time.. Holly
11-13-07 it has been 6 weeks-i have lost 30 pounds and feel great!! still no headaches since surgery and just focusing on protein and fluid intake. i have a lot more energy, which my husband is really enjoying (if you know what i mean:)HAHA!). i plan on joining an exercise program very soon, until next time.... Holly
12-4-07: I have lost 38 lbs and am feeling sooo much better. it is amazing at how loosing a little bit of weight can make you feel. i have gone from feeling like i needed to be on disability to a normal 26 year old and i wouldn't trade it for the world! i told my mom last night that if i didn't loose another pound it would all be worth it. No more headaches, acid reflux or high blood pressure! my period returned after over 2 years, i don't sleep 16 hrs a day like i used to, i'm not as moody..... Let's just put it this way- i never thought i would ever feel this good again, but i do and it is wonderful!! until next time... Holly
1-10-08: my 3mo checkup at Dr.Schirmer's office-i have lost 48lbs and am right on track!!! i just need to keep working on getting in more fluids. my lab work looked good. Holly
2-12-08
BEFORE SURGERY: wt=262, shirts 2x-3x, pants 22, bra 46-48C, underwear 9-10, shoes 8.5-9.
NOW: wt=201 (-61 lbs!!!), shirts xl-1x, pants 16-18, bra 40-42B, underwear 8, shoes 8.5-9
2-22-08 FINALLY UNDER 200LBS...TODAY MY WEIGHT IS 199LBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4-17-08 had my 6mo check up with Dr.Schirmer today..he said i look great and everything is right on track. i have lost 75lbs, wt=187lbs and he said he wouldn't doubt that by my next checkup i will be 150lbs! he even told me that he is gonna have to keep a close eye on me because i may actually loose too much wt.(that's hard to imagine!) i still need to increase my fluid intake and he started me on iron because i am having my periods again and they are like twice a month now. my labs looked good execpt for my cholesterol is still a little high. i think it might be because i am a little dehydrated and the numbers look a little higher than they really are, so, i'm just gonna keep taking my fish oil and keep a check on it for now. i feel great and am even going full time at work soon!! the wt loss has really started to slow down now, which is normal, but at the same time a little discouraging when you are used to loosing it so fast....until next time...Holly
7-30-08: Hey Everybody just an update for the records! my current wt is 174lbs and that means i have lost a total of 88lbs! i am soo proud of myself! not much has changed since the last update other than i have gone full time at work and sometimes i wonder why, because the money is good, but the STRESS is HELL! i am still working on drinking more fluids: I still don't have that "thirsty feeling" and am drinking just enough to get by. some days are better than others. I do have to admit I have been doing really bad with exercising, but i plan to get my butt back into it soon. my menstrual periods seem to be back to normal and beleive it or not i am glad to have them back. the wt loss has slowed alot, i am only loosing like a pound every 2-3 weeks now and i know that is normal, but if i could drink more and get back to exercising it would help alot. my current goal is to get to 162lbs (12 more pounds) which means i will have lost a total of 100 lbs!!! my husband and i have a new niece on the way, she is due Aug.22nd and her name will be Taylor Marie Carson...i am soo excited and can't wait to meet her! my other niece and nephew Faith Nicole and Chase Hunter both start kindergarden this fall. they are growing up so fast! I have stuck to my diet and am still not eating any sugar, which is hard for most people to beleive (even me sometimes). it has been like 15months since i ate any real sugar and i am very proud of myself. i eat substitutes like splenda and sweetnlow and eat natural sugars that are in yougurts, fruits, milk, etc, but NO real sugar! my next check up is my one year check up on Oct. 2nd with Dr. Schirmer and i will update then...HOLLY
AUG. 10th, 2008- WE have a new niece! Our niece Taylor Marie Carson was born this morning at 0935 and she is soo precious...her momma did a wonderful job and i helped deliver her. her daddy and uncles can't stop smiling! she weighs 7lbs 3.5oz, and is 21 1/4" long, lots of dark hair and just Beautiful!! my current wt as of yest. morning is 172 lbs, just 10lbs to go before i reach my goal of loosing 100 lbs!! until next time...Holly
Sept.10,2008-feeling more tired lately with less energy. went to my pcp for a checkup and all labs look good execpt my B12 is getting low: it's in the 200's and normal is 100-900, according to my pcp. he just wrote on the note for me to take a multivitamin daily and come back for another B12 level in 4-6 months. he is such a slacker...i have been religiously taking my multivitamin for 18months now and it's obviously been dropping! anyway, i have my 1 yr checkup with my surgeon next month and will find out more from him about what i need to do. i look for him to start me on B12 injections, but we will see. my cholesterol is coming on down and is within normal range now, which is good because if it was still high i was gonna have to start taking medicine for that. until next month......Holly
Oct. 5th,2008- had my 1 yr checkup with Dr Schirmer on the 2nd and he was thrilled with my results. all my labs look good and my B12 isn't really low like we thought, so i don't have to do anything special, but i do need to get better about drinking more fluid and get back into exercising like i was. i weigh 171lbs, which means i have lost a total of 91 lbs. my wt loss has really slowed down, which is normal, but a little dissapointing too. i want to loose down to 162lbs for a total of 100 lbs lost! Dr Schirmer told me that he usually suggests his pt's to wait 18mo-2years after wls to get pregnant, but because i have done so well with my wt loss..my husband and i can start trying anytime we want. (my husband isn't in any hurry, we want to buy a house first and get settled in, but we will see!) i'll keep this updated for anyone that is interested and until next time.... Holly
DEC.8TH,2008- JUST AN UPDATE: MY STATS: CURRENT WT=165LBS (-97lbs!!)
shirts=large, pants=10-12, scrub pants= small petite, scrub tops= medium, underwear= 8 (only because of all my loose belly) and i can wear bikinis now instead of the highcuts!!
I FEEL SOO GOOD NOW AND CAN NOT BELEIVE HOW MUCH MY LIFE HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST 14 MONTHS! MY HUSBAND AND I JUST WENT AND HAD MY WEDDING SET RESIZED FOR PART OF MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT AND I WENT FROM A RING SIZE 10+ TO A 7.5 !!!! WORK IS GOING GOOD I AM ABLE TO PICK UP TIME AND BE A LOT MORE PRODUCTIVE NOW THAT I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER. I'M GETTING LOTS OF NEW CLOTHES FOR CHRISTMAS.. MY HUSBAND AND I ARE STILL LOOKING FOR A HOUSE AND IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE NEVER GONNA FIND WHAT WE WANT IN THE PRICE RANGE WE WANT, BUT WE ARE WAITING PATIENTLY, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT GONNA JUST SETTLE FOR ANYTHING! HOPEFULLY A BABY(S) IS IN OUR FUTURE, BUT IT WILL BE A WHILE..... SO TO EVERYONE: HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL UPDATE NEXT YEAR! HOPEFULLY I WILL HAVE REACHED MY 100LB WT LOSS BY THEN.......UNTIL NEXT TIME, HOLLY
FEB.22nd,2009- I HAVE FINALLY LOST 100 POUNDS
(FROM 262LBS TO 162LBS!!) IT IS SOO HARD TO BELIEVE THAT I HAVE REACHED MY GOAL!!!! I can honestly say... i wasn't so sure i would make it, but i have and it feels soooo good! i have been sick the last 2 days which may have a little to do with it, but all that matters is.... i have worked very hard and have finally reached my goal!!! thanks to everyone that has supported me and prayed for me, because without you all it wouldn't have been possible!!! My husband and i are gonna celebrate my wt loss by having pictures done tomorrow.. if we can manage to get up the strength, since we have both been in the bed and slept about 40 hrs the last two days. AGAIN, A special thanks to EVERYONE that has supported me and I will keep you all posted. until next time....HOLLY CARSON (-100lbs)
June 1st,2009: Hey Everybody, it has been a while since i made an update, so i decided to make a little note. My life is AMAZING right now! My husband and I have just bought our 1st house and we moved in this past Friday! WE absolutely love it and look forward to spending many years, if not the rest of our lives here!!! I am truly blessed and am realizing it more and more each and every day. there are not many people in this world that can say they are truly happy and mean it, but I AM SOOOO HAPPY and I TRULY MEAN IT. i have the best parents, the best husband, the best family, a wonderful/successful career and am in the process of applying for a new position, a beautiful new home, a cute/spoiled puppy (a chiuahua named ODE), and am in pretty good health-What more could a woman ask for? (maybe a baby????) As far as my surgery and wt loss journey goes: I have lost 100lbs and am holding it there. I have not been exercising, but I pray for the strength/motivation to get back into it like i should be. I have been alot more active lately and with lots of energy, which has been handy since we have been moving! i eat about 6-8oz at a time now, depending on what i'm eating. it's still a struggle for me to drink fluids, which no one understands- it doesn't hurt or anything, i just don't get thirsty and i don't "want" anything to drink. my belly is very loose and jiggles and i would love to have a tummy tuck, but wanna wait until after children. i have NO boobs! My menstrual cycle has been messed up since January. before surgery i didn't have a period for about 2 years. the day i had surgery and started loosing wt. my periods came back like clock work-every 28 days. now I have been having like two 7day periods each month, so i went to my GYN 2 weeks ago for my yearly exam and we discussed things. My husband and i had originally planned on stopping the BC pill in Oct. (because i will be 2yrs post op then) and just see what happens, but my doctor suggested i just go ahead and stop after this RX is up since my periods are so irregular. he says he thinks it will take us a good while to get pregnant since i have so many hormonal issues with the PCOS and the fact that i am so irregular again. he also suggests me to stop the pill at this time because i have been on it for so long (like 10 or 11 yrs) and he has no way of really knowing what my regular cycle is now, because the pill produces a "fake cycle". if i go back next May for my yearly checkup and haven't gotten pregnant he will be able to better understand my situation by the chart of my periods being off the pill. if we decide not to stop the pill right now.. he suggested switching me to a higher dose pill to see what happens-hoping it would better regulate my cycles..... Right now it's kinda up in the air, but i'm pretty sure we will stop the pill after my next pack is up, because even though we are not old... we are almost 30 and if this is gonna be a long process we need to get started, so maybe the next time i post an update...... a baby will be in the oven?????????? Overall, i still feel great! it's still hard to believe how much more stamina i have since loosing the wt. i can do soo much more now. my husband has been really impressed this weekend with us moving, because i have stuck right in there with him! i still have trouble with my blood sugar dropping sometimes and when it happens i feel very,very bad. i am trying to get back to eating my high proteins, because i have noticed that when i slack on the protein, it happens more often. I still, to this day, have not eaten any artificial sugar!!!! it has been over 2 years since i had sugar and that is even hard for me to believe sometimes. Keep up the good work everybody and to anyone who is thinking about WLS- I hope my profile helps you make your decision. until next time........Holly Carson
OCT.1ST,2009-MY 2 YEAR SURGERY ANNIVERSARY!!!! can't believe it's really been 2 years. i go for my checkup on the 8th and i will post then. having some cramps in my abdomen, more heart burn and some pain when i eat, so i need to get it checked out! talk to ya soon! Holly
10/8/09 2 year check up with Dr.Schirmer-wt=169lbs, which is a little more than my scales yesterday am, BUT my appt. wasn't until 3pm, i was fully dressed with tennis shoes, AND i started my period yesterday, so we all know what that means!! anyway, he was very impressed and even gave me the "star patient" award for today-now i've just gotta wait to see what my lab work looks like??? Dr. Schirmer wasn't concerned about the cramps and discomfort in my belly says it's probably because i don't drink enough, but to let him know if it gets worse. 10/14/09 today is our 3rd Wedding Anniversary and i'm having a wonderful day with my sexy hubby! we are just as in love today as we were on our wedding day! i got my lab report today and everything looks good except my potassium is elevated and they are not sure why, so tomorrow i will call my primary care physician and see what he says????? i think it's because i don't drink enough so my blood is concentrated, but who knows? anyway, i've been feeling good other than some headaches the last couple days, but they will get better. until next time....Holly 10/16/09-dr's not concerned about my potassium level because looking back at my labs it has been about the same since my surgery and i'm not on any meds that would make it go up so i just need to have it repeated in about 6 mo or so and drink more fluids!
11/06.09 still doing good-for about the last month i have been catching myself wanting to snack, so i have put an end to that and have gone back to being very concious of what i am eating (limiting carbs) and trying to only eat 3 meals a day,with the exception of when my sugar drops i have to eat a snack. Rusty and i finally got back to the YMCA 2 days ago and we walked 1 1/2 miles, felt good and was not even sore the next day... and my weight this morning was 165lbs!!! hopefully we will go again this evening! I've been on my new job now since Aug. and i am still loving it-the lower stress level is great! Rusty and i have been in our new house since June and it is wonderful-feels very homey and comfortable! still not on the BC pill and i have had 2 regular monthly periods in a row and should be starting for this month any day now..unless something unexpected happens?!?!? well, until next time....Holly P.S. i'm wearing size 7 bikini undies now!! LOL!!
JAN.2010: Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is having a Happy New Year! i finally just submitted my before and after photos for the website-so be on the lookout for them, what a transformation!! well, my wt. is staying about the same @ 165 lbs- i fluctuate about 5 lbs at times. me and Rusty really need to get back into exercising on a regular basis because we both need to do it for our health. My periods are running every 32 days like clockwork and we have finally started "trying" to get pregnant, We still love our new house and I still love my job on Acute Rehab. Rusty isn't working much because it is sooo cold outside lately, but Thank God i have a job where i can work extra to make up for his lost time. so, until next time...Be Good!
March 11,2010: ok things are not so good now! we put the baby plans on hold until like July cause we are going on a cruise in Oct. which i am soo excited about and ready for!.. BUT here lately i have been feeling really tired, moody, bloated, achy, nauseated, headaches again, thirsty all the time (which may be good since i used to never get thirsty!) and my blood sugar keeps dropping into like the 50's. i did not have a period from Jan.15-March 3rd-thought i might be pregnant-NEG.x's 2 tests, i have gained about 8 pounds since Jan and 6 of those pounds have been in the last week! (current wt-173lbs) i am really discouraged!! I have not been eating any different so i don't understand!!! i really think it is all hormonal and mostly due to my PCOS, so i went to see my PCP today to check things out..he ordered some bloodwork(B12, thyroid, Chem12, Cholesterol, HgbA1C) and is sending me to an endocrinologist, which i hope will be able to give me some answers and come up with a plan. until then..i am gonna crack down and really try to "go by the book" to hopefully not gain any more wt and maybe loose these extra pounds i have put on. i'm still not eating sugar!! i started eating some carbs to keep my sugars level, but now i guess i'm gonna cut out ALL carbs again and stop eating late. i'll keep you posted..... 9/20/2010 well...wt=180lbs today, which means i have gained 18lbs from my smallest wt. i am going to start back with the protein shakes as 1 meal replacement each day to see if that helps loose the extra pounds. really need to get back to exercising but can not find the motivation!! had a laparoscopy in June, due to pelvic pain, which showed a little bit of Endometriosis. we are actively trying to concieve but haven't had any luck soo far-hopefully it will happen soon!! still having really low blood sugars at times, but the endocrinologist did a lot of labwork and just said that there is really no treatment execpt to eat more often, so i am dealing with that too. until next time...... 10/1/2010 today is my 3 year anniversary since my RNY! good news: I AM 84 pounds smaller than i was 3 years ago and bad news: i have gained 16 pounds from my smallest weight. i am still having trouble with my blood sugars dropping and my headaches have started back again nearly every day, BUT i am going to get remotivated and get back to exercising to get these pounds off before they continue adding up!! until next time..11/30/2010 IT'S OFFICIAL:the circle of life continues and WE ARE EXPECTING!!! I AM ABOUT 10 WEEKS PREGNANT TODAY!!! we went to the dr. and had my 1st ultrasound today and baby looks good. We are sooo excited!!! my normal wt. has been about 176lbs and i am at 181lbs now-Dr. says that is great and i am right on track, so until next time......10/2/2011 WOW it's been an amazing year since my last update. i have since had a BEAUTIFUL baby girl-Rayanna Gail Carson born 6/30/11 @ 9:23am, 6lb 5oz, 19.5 inches long-she is PERFECT and our lives now revolve around her. i was able to take a full 12 weeks off for maternity leave and have just went back to work. my pre-pregnancy wt was 176lb, the day i delivered her i weighed 198lb and am now back down to 179lb. i very proud of losing my "baby wt." but would like to get back to my lowest wt of about 162lb. i'm still not eating sugar and not drinking with meals, but have not gotten back into exercising like i should be! i can't believe that yesterday marked the 4yr anniversary of my gastric bypass...time really has flown, that day DEF. changed my life for the better and if i could go back in time i would have had it done sooner!! my belly is still very loose from the wt loss and i plan on eventually having a tummy tuck, but we plan to maybe have one more baby first in a couple years then i will hopefully get it done. 10/28/11 wt today=174 lb. 2 pounds smaller than when i got pregnant and only 12 pounds bigger than my smallest wt after gastric bypass (162) . i am now on Topamax for my migraines which makes me have NO appetite and that is really helping with the wt loss! :) my little girl had her 4 mo checkup yesterday and she is 14lb 12oz now and 24 inches long! she gets to start on oatmeal now and next mo veggies then at 6 mo fruits and at 8 mo meats. growing up way too FAST!! dr said she is already teeting and should have her 2 bottom teeth in a month and top 2 teeth in about 2 months! time is flying and before i know it she will be all grown up! :(......1/15/2012 wt=161 lb. i am 101 pounds smaller today than i was the day i had my gastric bypass 5.5 years ago :) i must say i am very proud of myself, but i am on medication for migraines (Topamax) that does help with wt loss so it is not all me! i have really slacked on taking my vitamins and calcium since having Miss Rayanna 6mo ago but i do plan to start focusing on that really hard in the near future as well as EXERCISING bc i have not for a VERY long time, which is NOT good!! my life has changed soo much in the last year but it has been the BEST year and GOD has def. BLESSED US!! i am also starting a new job as a Hospice Nurse within this next mo which i am really looking forward too bc i am in NEED of a career change in my life! so until next time.....
4/4/2018....wow its been 6+years since an update....sad to report my current wt of 200lbs. ????????????
Since last update ive had to have a Hysterectomy and i also had a tummy tuck since i knew i wouldnt be having anymore children. I feel the weight gain is partially related to hormone fluctuations but mostly due to reverting back to poor diet choices and lack of exercise. I snack more and eat more carbs and sugar. My reason for getting back on here and this update is to try and channel some MOTIVATION and remember my journey! I know i can do it but ive gotta get back in the right mindset. Its TRULY a LIFELONG challenge for some of us! Send me good vibes to do better and get back on track...wanna get 25lbs back off!......
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About Me
Before & After
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