ObesityHelp

December 30th, 2002 – I am now 5 months out and feel wonderful. I am now wearing a size medium top and a 16 bottom what a feeling that is. It’s almost unbelievable.
My health is still going strong and no extra meds and no special visits to ER. I will be weighing in tomorrow so for now I am at 85Lbs gone and 64.75”.
My biggest issues to deal with are changing clothes so rapidly figuring out what to wear because everything has become too big. I am the happiest I’ve been in years and can’t thank CCBS and Dr. Ben-Meir enough for all they have given me. Thank you for my life back.

November 25th, 2002 – Well, my health is back to normal and I am not longer on any additional meds. I was down 60Lbs – 43% as of the end of October. I will be weighing in at the end of November for my 4th month. I feel great and enjoy trying on clothes now. Every time I put something on it fits differently than the week before. It is a really weird feeling to go the complete opposite and I love it. Today I put on my first XL skirt and it feels good! No more fat stores to shop in come January I will be in normal size clothes and I can’t wait. I don’t have much more to say other than this is the best thing I have ever done.

September 6th, 2002 - I had had a rough month since surgery. A few days after my last post I developed a pain in my chest under my right breast and a high fever. I called the doctor and was asked to come in immediately. So on Wednesday, August 7th I went to ER about 9:30pm at St. Vincent’s Hospital. Approximately 2:00am they finally decided that they were going to admit me into the hospital. At that time I was in a lot of pain and out of it from drugs so I still did not know what was wrong. That morning Dr. Ben-Meir came in my room and said I had developed Pancreatitis. Everyday like clockwork they would draw my blood to check my levels and up they went daily. I was NPO (nothing by mouth) for weeks. Finally we saw a break and the numbers began to come down so we tried a little bit of food. I became very ill and then my numbers went back up again. Because it had been so long since I ate and had any nutrition they had to put a Pick Line in my right arm to feed me. A Pick Line is a catheter that runs up your arm curves at your shoulder and down into your chest area inside the vein. The Pick Line is good for up to one year however, in my body it lasted one week. My shoulder began aching and then a couple of days later my arm was swollen. I had developed blood clots in my arm from the Pick Line. They immediately removed the Pick Line and began treating the clots. Several days ago, they began feeding me and the first few days were rough. I managed to keep a few things down and did not have any pain. I am not eating normal for a Bariatric patient but I am eating something and drinking a protein drink. A few days shy of being in the hospital a month Dr. Ben-Meir released me on Labor Day to go home. I have been home for 5 days and I am still taking food very slow. I have not had any pain but I am very tired, weak, and get dizzy easy. I have my blood drawn every week to check my pancreatitis and to see that my blood does not get too thin from the blood thinner. At this time I am still under Doctors care for both issues until they are resolved. I do not regret having this surgery and I have complete faith in my Doctor and the staff at St. Vincent’s Charity Hospital. I am their first patient to develop these things so what I have is rare and uncommon. I have lost over 30lbs in the first month and will report more as things change.

August 3rd, 2002 - Well, I am a few days past surgery now and I am feeling much better. I had a rough time in the hospital the first couple of days. A friend told me that I kept telling her I was going to die. Needless to say I am not dead! I had excruciating back pain the first two days. The doctor was not sure exactly why. Then I found out that I was on the table at 9:00am surgery was supposed to be 10:00. They did not take me in until after 12:00 sometime. All that time on the gurney lying down plus I had 3 hours of surgery and 2 hours of recovery. I can see now why my back was in pieces. The morphine pump was not enough for the back pain and the back pain out weighted the stomach/incision issues going on. They upped my dosage of morphine and I finally got some sleep. Then of course when you finally are in that deep sleep here they come to check your vitals. I have been up and walking (not a lot) since the first day of surgery and milking my drain every 4 hours. I am eating fine and keeping everything down including protein drinks. I have the typical burps and gas (you know where). I am now trying to just become more mobile and can’t wait for the drain to come out.

July 29th, 2002 - Well, I have one more day to go. This two-day bowl prep is for the birds. If it were not for the taste of the soda it would be a breeze. I am not nervous but I am sure tomorrow I will be a little bit. I have been cleaning out my closets and making way for the smaller sizes. I am so excited to wear the clothes I have not been able to for so long. Just 18hrs left and I am on my way to the lighter side. See you soon!

Well, I have switched doctors and go in July 8th for another Consult. I am going to Dr. Benmeir and switching to Lap. My insurance has already switched everything all I need now is a surgery date then I'm good to go. So until then I am not going to change my date online. Wish me luck!