ObesityHelp

09-03-00 It's been a little over 5 months and I'm down over 90lbs! I'm amazed! I thought the coolest thing would be to lose 100 lbs in 6 months but I didn't think it would be possible for me. Maybe it will be. I also went to Honduras for 10 days and survived on the strange food, high altitude and physical work (it was a missions trip). I was nervous about how I'd do compared to my other 15 team mates who are in better shape than me. I actually did okay although we all got a bit sick (which helped the weight loss). The hair loss is getting pretty bad though. A few clothes friends admit they notice. There aren't bald spots, but its definitely thin and since I can't get a perm (for fear of damage and more loss), its just looking flat and thin now. I think I have around another 50 lbs to go. This is wonderful!

08-08-00 Went to my 4 month follow up and was down about 75 lbs. I'm having a hard time believing weight is still coming off since I can eat pretty normal now. I can eat anything, just not a lot at one time. I still get tempted by sweets. It's fun buying so many new clothes and people are definitely noticing and commenting. I haven't been at this weight since I was 15 - how wierd! And I sitll have a long way to go... starting weight 318, now 241.

06-21-00 Still going great. The plateau ended after about 3 weeks and I'm losing more slowly now. At just under three months from surgery, I have lost 60 lbs. I can eat about anything so I have to work on habits more. I'm working out 3-5 times a week at a gym and feeling pretty good.

05-19-2000 Things are still going great. At 6 weeks, I'd lost 47 lbs. Unfortunately, I haven't lost any since then (almost two weeks of plateau now, URG). I'm toning up meanwhile. I can eat a bit more than I could the first month and I can also tolerate almost anything. Meats are always a gamble though, but if I eat slow and chew well I usually avoid problems.

Cigna has paid my $45K hospital bill at 100%! I was expecting to have to pay something since I have the PPO, but they took care of it. Thank you Cigna!

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04-06-2000 I had my first follow up 10 days after surgery. I'm down 20.5 lbs!! Here is the information I posted on another board:

I had lap RNY Monday - March 27th - and I just want to thank everyone for their support and prayers! I couldn't have imagined everything going so well. I felt such peace even going in.

I was walking 8 hours after surgery (could have sooner) and I was pretty coherent from the time they took me out of recovery. The catheter was out the next morning and I was able to do the potty on my own. I had a shower the next day which felt great. I walked a lot which made a huge difference. The only bad thing was waking up with the breathing tube - it was a couple seconds of pure panic but quickly resolved. The incisions caused almost nopain, but the escaping CO2 gas hurt my shoulders bad for a day or so. I had no drainage tube, didn't have to fast or cleanse in advance and had no other problems.

I was released Thursday morning and have not needed any help (I live alone). It's been incredible. What I have learned is that I way over-estimated the pain and difficulty of the surgery and way under-estimated the frustration of missing food. The last couple days have been tough. If I see one more pizza commerical I'll scream! I'm on a modified liquid diet (strained liquids) which is giving me a little trouble - before surgery I was sensitive to milk, but now I am even sensitive to lactaid. It passes right through. So, I fear I'm not getting nutrition right now, but I have an appt Wed with the surgeon where he will probably advance me to soft foods which will help.

For all those of you nervous about the surgery, I have a few suggestions. 1) work out your arms in advance. It's much more comfortable to reposition yourself with your arms than your abs after surgery. 2) bring Gas-X, slippers, a big robe , chapstick and comfot toiletries like lotions and shampoo. 3) ladies - many women start their periods right after surgery. I took the pill to try and time it but I still spotted and let it come when I got home. 4) realize the food deprivation is difficult and be ready to deal with it. I think I miss flavors more than anything, but its a frustrating feeling. 5) walk as soon as you can and breathe deep!
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04-02-2000 I'm home and feeling great! Thanks for all your prayers. Everything went better than expected. I'll post more later about the details (I just typed for half and hour and lost it all to a computer glitch). Right now I feel better than I have in a long time, no pain, lots of energy.

03-23-2000 Surgery is scheduled for Monday the 27th and all pre-op work is done. I'm getting nervous and have gained over 10 lbs since I started this process. I can use your prayers! I'll let you know how it goes soon...

02-08-2000 All approved! Surgery date is 3-27-2000.

02-07-2000 I just received a letter today from my insurance saying the hospital stay is approved. Tomorrow I will call the surgeon to get a surgery date confirmed - it looks like March.

I would really like to hear from people who had the surgery years ago. I want to know what is different in life in terms of health. what are the challenges? You can email me at shelleylw@aol.com.

I hope everyone is finding success and happiness. God bless you all.