ObesityHelp

After two years or more I have a surgery date and cant wait. Aug. 9/04. Sars put everything behind schedule so much I thought my date would never get here.

July 20/04
Had my pre op tests done. It was a long day, I was there from 11 am to 5:30 pm. First I seen the internist who asked me a few questions, checked my bp and listened to my chest, he also had a look at my ekg and gave me the ok to have the surgery done. Then a visit with the nurse, who took another ekg, blood test and discussed everything that would be happening that day and during my stay. She also took the time to show me how to breathe and do the leg exercises after. Then I had to see the anesthetist who told me the risks of the anesthesia and told me what her job would be in the surgery room. She also sent me for
chest xrays. Everyone was very nice and answered all my questions without hesitation.



The Internist also went through the risks with me and he said he would only see me again if there was a complication so he didn't expect that we would meet again. While he was nice I certainly hope there isn't a need to see him again.


July 21/04
I took the time today to talk to my husband about what he needs to do should anything go wrong with the surgery. I even told him what type of funeral I would want. Not that I am expecting anything to happen but I want to make sure he knows exactly what he is to do. Sometimes when people are upset they forget things they are entitled to and if they dont act on them they miss up getting them. I also would not want an expensive funeral, just cremate me and put my ashes on the mantel. Ive been tossing around the idea of writing those just incase letters Ive seen so much about on here. If anything should happen I would want the kids to understand why I did this.

Aug. 12/04
Well I made it. I had my surgery on the 9th and I just got home today. When I got to the hospital the first thing they did was put me in a gown and a bed, hooked me up to IV and then the anethestists assistant came to give me an inhaler to open up my lungs. The next person was the OR nurse, she gave me a drink to calm my stomach, she said it would taste terrible so take it like a shooter. It wasnt really that bad, just kind of sour and salty. The anethetist came in to check on me and then finally the surgeon. I walked from there to the OR and I remember getting on the table, a very slight table and I remember them tying up one arm after that I was gone, I dont remember a thing. The surgery was 1.5 hours long and I was in recovery about an hour. The surgeon came out and told my husband everything went well and it was text book surgery. Apparently at that time they wheeled me by on the way to my room and my husband said I waved to him and my son. I dont remember that at all. My next memory was being in my room.

I was hooked up to a morphine pump that I could use for pain and everytime I hit that button I passed out for about an hour. I remember being in and out of it all day monday, the day was kind of a blur. I did sit at the side of the bed about 5 times and at one point stood up. I wouldn't recommend doing this without telling your nurse since I accidentally unhooked my cathetar and the tube emptied in my bed, lol. I also woke up with a tube down my nose. Being a restless sleeper by the middle of the night monday the tube was literally hanging there by a thread. In the morning the nurse tried to put it back in but it was making me gag and I was coughing up stuff from it. She decided since it was coming out that day anyway not to bother torturing me anymore. I had heparin just prior to my surgery and it seemed like twice a day after my surgery. On Wed am I went to the bathroom and filled the toilet with blood twice from my rectum. Scared the daylights out of me. The Dr said this was just from the blood thinners and it is completely normal. He said I was doing quite well and would put me on a liquid diet and sign me out for thurs morning. That sounded good to me. When hubby left to pick me up he got a flat tire and had to call my parents while he was on the road to come and get me. But I did eventually make it home and am now relaxing, sipping some water and typing this. I actually dont feel too bad. I am drinking but very slowly, my tea this morning took me two hours to drink and I couldnt finish it. Will keep you updated with any changes.

When you get home dont worry at the beginning what you can and cannot have. All I have been able to drink today is two cups of tea about an ounce of jello and some broth. It takes me about 2 hours just to drink a black tea. I've also over the last couple of days been experiencing some burping and gas, wow does that stink lol. I overdid it today, I actually thought I could hop in the van and go to buffalo on a run with my husband, he ended up dropping me off at my mothers and now my muscles are a bit sore.

Aug. 15/04
7 days since my surgery and I am able to drink water continuously. I am also now able to get my protien in. Its amazing the diff a couple of days makes. I am now on creamed soups, pudding, yogurt and hot cereal. I've been running a bit of a fever between 99.2 and 99.9 the last couple of days, everyone says thats normal and not high enough to worry about so I am not going to worry about it. I have a bit of a sore shoulder when I breath in, that I am a bit more worried about. I think I will go see my pcp tomorrow as I was told by a couple of people on here it could be the sign of a blod clot but then again it could be just from trying to lift my butt off the lazy boy without using my abdomen muscles. Better to be safe than sorry. Tonight my side is feeling alot better and I am finding it easier to get up and down. The best part is each day it should continue to get better. And the bonus is that I weighed myself today and I am down 15 pounds, Yay for me! I haven't been this weight in 7 years.

Aug. 20/04
Had my staples out today, there were 23 of them. It was so nice to finally get them out. It didn't hurt a bit and was over in a few minutes. Surgeon said everything looks good and he will see me in three to six months.

Aug. 26/04
I had a terrible bout with the flu this week, couldn't keep anything down for a few days and had a fever of 101.7. Went to see my pcp and he said on top of the flu I also have a urinary tract infection. The cure for both he said is water water and more water. He also said to use the heating pad on my side. He must have been right I feel good today and am able to keep things down. I have lost 26 pounds so far but I really only notice it a bit in my face. I go on Monday for my first blood tests to see how I am making out with the vitamins.

Aug. 31/04
Yesterday was my third week anniversary so I got to start on pureed foods. I had a scrambled egg for breakfast, cottage cheese for lunch and chilli for dinner. Had no problems. Today for breakfast I had a scrambled egg, no problem. Lunch I had a piece of fish with lemon and pepper on it and it gave my a tummy ache but it didn't last long and the fish was sooooo good. For dinner tonight I am eating a Michellinas chicken primavera. So far so good with that and I should be able to finish about half of it. Everything I eat tastes salty right now but I hear that our taste buds get a little out of whack and that should change soon. It's just nice to finally be able to add a little variety to my menu.

Sept. 9/04
The last few days have been very rough. I can't even drink water without pain. The only thing that really sits well is my protien drink. In the last week 6 pounds have come back on and I imagine that must be water retention since I am not eating much or drinking much. My pcp is concerned that I could get dehydrated so he has me keeping a food diary for a week. I had my bloodwork done and it showed hepatitis A which is akin with flu like symptoms. I don't think that I have any obstructions causing this since I am able to eat and having normal bm's, it's just the pain going down. The only thing that didn't stay down this week was tuna, the first time I had it was fine this time it came back up within minutes of eating it. Hopefully this passes soon.

Oct. 12/04
It has been awhile since I have updated. My moods have been up and down depending on what the scales say. I seem to go through alot of short plateaus. Depending on the time of the month I can even be up a pound or two. I am doing really well. I can now drink cold drinks again so getting my water in has been alot easier now, it's still a struggle to get in 64 oz though plus the protien shake and my meals. I also have a habit of still eating too fast. Trying to train myself to slow down, it's not worth the pain in your stomach when you eat too fast. The foods I haven't been able to tolerate at this point are dense meats that are dry, for eg: pork chops, chicken sometimes and for some reason fish of any kind. I can't eat green beans but any other beans seem to be ok. Bread hurts my stomach instantly. I haven't tried any sugar unless its natural, like in fruit. I don't want to experience dumping. Today I am down a total of 52 pounds. I no longer have any pains, unless its from something I eat or eating too fast. I rarely vomit now. Overall I feel very healthy and people have now began noticing that I have lost weight.

Nov. 10/04
Today I am down 63 pounds,its still going alot slower than I had hoped but it didn't come on overnight and really I guess it's not too bad. I would like to be down 75 by Christmas. My new goal. I like to set short goals and then when I reach them it gives me incentive. I can now eat bread but rarely eat any and I found out that I can tolerate sugar but I've only had a bite or two of something with sugar in it just to see if I could. At this stage I am really not having any problems with anything I eat as long as I don't rush or over do it. I try to stick mostly with protiens. Usually I have a protien shake for breakfast and for lunch some lunchmeat, cheese and maybe a couple of olives. Dinner is always different. I find that salads go down very easy and I seem to be able to eat quite a bit of salad. I dice up some ham, cheese and lettuce and put it in my salad then I add a bit of oil and vinegar pop it into the microwave long enough to melt the cheese and its so yummy.

Dec. 9/04
Today I am out 4 months. Time goes by so quickly. I am down 76 pounds and I really do feel a difference. Things like tying my shoes and putting socks on are not so difficult anymore. This morning I noticed that I have alot of skin on my legs and arms and I am starting to get some on my tummy also. In Ontario a tummy tuck is covered but not the arms or legs. I can't wait till I reach my goal so that I can get a tummy tuck. Only 90 pounds left to go till I am at goal. Right now I only set small goals for myself, my goal was to be down 75 by xmas. My next goal is to be down a hundred by my birthday on Feb. 25th. I pretty much only eat protien so I have stopped taking the protien drinks now. My nutritionist wants us to get our protiens from food as opposed to drinks. I still have a few problems with dense meats but for the most part I can eat anything without too much difficulty.

Jan. 8/05
Made it through the holidays but not without a bit of damage. I put a few pounds back on but today they are gone and I am down one more. I'm still hoping to be down 100 by my birthday which seems to be coming closer everyday. My hardest part is keeping up with the water. I have to really get back to trying to get all my fluids in. I know that is slowing down my weight loss. I am amazed how much more I can eat at one sitting. Especially foods that arent dense like salad, meats fill me up very quickly.

June 9, 2005
Things are moving a bit slowly but still going in the right direction. I am down 109 pounds now. It feels great to be able to sit with my legs crossed, I do that all the time now, also to be able to hold my dog on my lap which was non-existent before. I have bat wings on my arms and would love to get those off some day and I have that wrinkly flab at the top of my legs but that doesnt bother me. Its wonderful to have so much more energy now and I find that I dont have the patience to just sit anymore for hours. Some foods still bother me but only on certain ocassions, for instance beef or pork if its very dry or greasy will bother me and I find meats fill me very quickly. Vegetables go down very easily and I can eat alot more of those. I find now that I am satisfied with a taste of something rather than the whole thing. I went to a social gathering sunday where they served cake for dessert. I was happy with two small forkfulls and left the rest. I didn't miss it one bit. Lately my neighbour and I have gotten into making smoothies with nice fresh fruits and on the days we dont I try and eat at least one orange. Ive never been much of a fruit eater before. Breakfast is something I am still trying to work on, Ive never been a breakfast eater but I am trying to eat something at least within a couple of hours after being up. Not much else new, will post again soon.

August 8/05
Well tomorrow is the big day, my re-birthday. I think I deserve to treat myself and am going to buy myself a new pair of jeans as a gift to me for all the hard work I've done in the past year. Im down 115 pounds now. Where am I at a year later emotionally? Well its been a very trying and very happy year. There have been many ups and downs but I don't regret this decision for even a minute. The downs come mostly in terms of the sags and wrinkles and having smaller breasts. I still have a very large panni which upsets me but hopefully soon that will be a non-issue. I think thats what bothers me the most. It makes it very hard to find clothes that fit well. On the food side everything is going great, I eat lots of fruit now and I try and limit anything that I think might be bad for me. The one food I really have a problem with is rice I just can't eat it or it comes right back up and with lots of pain. Other than that I can pretty much eat anything, still have to be careful with dry or greasy foods. I rarely throw up anymore although I did 3 times last week. I think thats mostly due to eating fast because the dog is hounding me for my dinner. On the whole though I feel wonderful.
I go to the beach a couple of times a week in the early morning and take a nice long stroll. It would have been impossible to do that a year ago and with this humid summer I wouldnt have been able to move. Last week a friend said to me that 115 pounds just really doesnt sound like a lot. He never thought of it in terms of bags of potatoes. It doesnt sound like much but think of 11 and a half ten pound bags of potatoes, thats a whole lot of fat.

I know its still too early but I did make an appt with the plastic surgeon for sept 16th. I want to see if he can do anything about this panni. I wonder if you can have a tummy tuck twice. You never know till you ask, right?

Sept. 8/05
Wow moments just never seem to stop with this surgery. On the weekend I tried on a pair of size 18 pants and they fit no problem. If it wasn't for the panni I probably could wear a much smaller size but I'm thrilled just to be in an 18. Tops I am down from 5X to XL. In less than 2 weeks I go see the plastic surgeon. In some ways I am very excited about possibly getting a tummy tuck and in other ways I am afraid to go in case he says its too early. The one thing I don't like is people noticing alot. I love being told I look great but I really would rather they just said that and left it at that. Its even uncomfortable eating because everyone is watching to see how much you can or can't eat. Sunday was a terrible eating day, everything I put in my mouth came back up. Other than that it wasnt too bad an eating week.


Sept. 16/05

I had my appt today with the plastic surgeon. Wow talk about embarrassing. He told me to strip down to my underwear and I could put the gown on but since I would have to remove it when he came in that was up to me. I stripped down and held the gown up to my body. When he came in he asked me to place the gown on the table. I did and put my hands in front of me, he told me to put them down. Then he told me to pull my panties under my tummy. Stand facing him then to the right then to the left and he was drawing my tummy on his notepad. The only real questions he asked was what I weighed before surgery, what I weighed now and was I expecting to lose more weight.

He then touched my stomach and lifted my panni to see what he would be able to remove. He told me that the health insurance would only cover a small portion of it and I would not be happy with that. He said to have the midriff and tummy flab all removed it would cost me an additional 5K over what the insurance would cover. I asked him about the risks involved for someone my age having this surgery done and he said given that I was able to go through an rny very successfully that he didnt expect any complications since this was surface surgery. He had a good sense of humour. He said the biggest risk for me is that I will like it so much I will want to get the rest done. Funny, but I am sure he is also right about that.

This is something I really need to get done now. Clothes look so funny because they need to be larger to get over my tummy. The pant legs are always huge and the shoulders on my tops are always slipping down. So now I wait the 6 weeks for insurance approval and by then hopefully I will find a way to come up with the 5k I need for the surgery, that might take a bit longer than 6 weeks. My husband isnt really thrilled about me having more surgery, especially surgery thats going to cost him.


Aug. 9/04 - just before going in for surgery 330 lbs BMI 53.3
Sept. 9/04 -28 pounds 302 lbs BMI 48.7
Dec. 9/04 -76 pounds 254 lbs BMI 41.0
Jan 8/05 -81 pounds 249 lbs BMI 40.2
Jan. 22/05 -86 pounds 244 lbs BMI 39.4
Mar. 28/05 -- 100 pounds 230 lbs BMI 37.1
May 3/05 - 105 pounds 225 lbs BMI 36.3
June 9/05 - 109 pounds 221 lbs BMI
Aug 8/05 - 115 pounds 215 lbs BMI 34.7
Sept 7/05 - 118 pounds 212lbs BMI 34.2
Nov. 26/05 - 120 pounds 210lbs BMI 33.8