ObesityHelp

I am a 37-year-old single mother of two boys, ages 17 & 13. I initially started looking into this kind of surgery in 1989 but figured I hadn't tried enough things to say I gave my all to lose the weight I gained even though I had been on many, many diets and diet pills as well as exercise programs. We have diabetes in our family as well as heart disease, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia and as the years crept up on me with no real results where weight loss is concerned, I got scared that I would develop all of these things myself. In the last year, my blood pressure has jumped up and down and after watching my brother struggle with his diabetes for 20+ years as well as my best friend for probably the last 10, I was terrified. I am heavier now than I have ever been and my back and my knees hurt all the time. I'm just ready to make the changes necessary to live healthier and to be around for a long time--if nothing else, just to torture my children. ;)

My mom and my sister had this surgery last August on the same day and have had no complications, and we know several others who have had it and are doing well. I know this is the right thing for me to do also.

I had an appointment at my family doctor's office and then I had my initial consultation with Dr. Rorhsheib on April 23. He was great and explained everything to me in detail and answered all my questions. Every person in his office was so nice! Anyway, my insurance required a psychologic evaluation, so I met with Dr. Cuddeback on May 5th. Those 567 questions took forever to do! But I did it. I had my EKG the next week and it was normal. Since I didn't have a lot of medical records documenting weight loss (I had no insurance, no extra money, and could not with a clear conscience go to the doctor for diet pills and such with two kids at home who might actually need medical attention) so I asked for a recommendation. I called Dr. Rohrsheib's office on May 30th and Rita said they had sent all my information to the insurance on May 28th. The approval letter from the insurance company was dated June 7th and as soon as the doctor's office got their copy and called me, we set up my surgery. I will be heading to Clinton on July 9th for my blood work, etc., and my surgery is set for July 16th. I am so ready!


07-15-03 OK... it's the night before. All the pre-op work is done. I'm excited and a little nervous. But I will have my parents and my boys with me and a lot of thoughts and prayers. So I'm ready to roll!


08-19-03 Well, tomorrow will be five weeks postop. I have lost 24 pounds so far and I am feeling great. I didn't have any complications with the surgery or so far with my postop course. I have an appointment with Dr. R. tomorrow, so I'll update later.


09-17-03 Two months postop... down 40 pounds. I feel great and am starting to see the difference a bit. I know that I move easier and my back doesn't hurt as much as it did two months ago. I have a lot more energy than I had too. I will admit that sometimes I find eating frustrating since it seems that all the foods I used to eat on a regular basis look so good to me but aren't good FOR me. I have tried a few things, one of them being pizza, and I had no problem with the one piece I had (and which, by the way, tasted like heaven).And I think I only want them out of habit for the most part. But change is good, and I think I'm doing okay. I know that overall changing my eating habits is a good thing and will make me healthier, since I want to live a longer life. We are in full swing of football season here (Go Panthers!) so life is busy. And it's a lot easier to go up and down those bleachers this way. More later!


10-06-03 A little more than 2 1/2 months postop. I'm not real sure how much I've lost. I had a birthday last weekend, so all is well. I don't weigh often, maybe once every week to ten days. I know that I am losing faster than if I didn't have the surgery, but sometimes even the little plateaus are rough to get past. I just figure if I don't look too often and just go with the things that are good--like being down two pants sizes--then it's easier not to get discouraged. I know it's kinda silly to get discouraged when I am doing what I should, but every once in a while I get a little down. I don't question whether or not I did the right thing because I know that for me, I did and overall, I am feeling great! I go back to see Dr. Rohrscheib on October 17th for my 3-month check up. More later!


10-18-03 Three-month checkup was yesterday. I am down 48 pounds and doing well. I know I need to up my activity level some but other than that, I feel great.

12-9-03 Wow. It's been a while since I've been here. Got a week to go before I hit the five-month mark. I'm not really sure how much weight I've lost. I don't weigh all that often. I know that it's over 60 pounds. I do know that I have gone down sizes in clothing, from a 26/28 to an 18 and from a 3X top to a large or XL. That's the part that feels great! The numbers are good to know too, but I don't think I get the same feeling as just knowing my clothes are smaller... I will weigh in the next couple of days and update. I just like feeling good and having my back and knees not hurting anymore!!!

02-16-04 Nearly seven months and 80-something pounds behind me. I'm feeling very good now. I'm still not weighing often ... as a matter of fact, I haven't weighed since my six-month checkup last month. I haven't had any trouble at all. The only problem I had was dealing with the hair loss, because I have always had a lot of hair and it got thinner. It's coming back now, though, so I'm just feeling great all around. I would definitely do it again... in a heartbeat!

04-16-04 GGrrr... I've been stuck for nearly two months. How frustrating. I knew it would happen. I just didn't think it would be so irritating. But with spring here... outdoor stuff, walking, bike riding, etc. Hopefully I'll get my butt in gear and start it moving again.

05-03-04 Yay!! The scales are moving again. Eight pounds in two weeks.


07-16-04 OK... wow. It's been a year. Hard to believe it because it went so fast. I'm down nearly 100 pounds and I feel great. When asked if I would do this again... a resounding 'Yes!' In a heartbeat. I don't go back to the doctor until next month, so I hope to be down just a bit further when I go. Gotta get moving more.

02-01-05 It's been a year and a half now. I'm busy and I'm feeling great! I'm not sure how much I'm down in pounds because I don't weight often. I'm just happy to be where I am for the moment. I've been a bit sluggish with the holidays but am getting it in gear to pump up my exercising. More later!!