3 amazing years have passed since my RNY - my post is long :)

12/10 came and went without notice until I got my email from OH telling me it was my surgiversary :)  Kind of amazing.  I call 12/10 my "rebirth" day.  I have plans to incorporate that date into some kind of tattoo soon!

Now, on to the important stuff:

My weight prior to surgery was 320.  The day of surgery I was down to 296.  My current weight is 186 and I am comfortable at my current weight.  I usually fluctuate between 5 lbs above/below but that's about it.

I have to say the hardest part of all of this was waiting for my mind to catch up to my body.  For at least a year and possibly two, I felt like a "fake" skinny person.  People would call me "skinny minny" and I would just look at them like "Are you crazy?? I'm not skinny".  When I was heavy and I would walk into a room, I would scan the room to see if I was the biggest person in the room.  If there were chairs, I would scan to find what looked like the sturdiest chair or the one I would fit in the best.  I hated going to concerts and events where there were stadium type seats because I would have a hard time getting in and out of the seats.

I honestly believe that being overweight for most of my life made me a very well rounded adult.  I know what it's like to be the 'fat kid" and be self-conscious and want to stay inside and hide from the world.  And now, I also know what it's like to be the center of attention and flaunt my ass in skinny jeans and high heel boots and have men smile and wink and wave.  I have compassion that I think people who have never been overweight will never be able to have.  I have been on both ends of an extreme spectrum.

I did lose the 7 year relationship that I had with my son's father.  Honestly, it was the best thing I could have done.  In reality, I lost another 200 pounds LOL by letting go of a man that was not doing anything for me or my children.  I have since found the love of my life.  Of course when you  meet someone new you don't say "Hey, i used to be fat...just wanted you to know that".  So, after a few months, I eased it into a conversation.  He was totally fine with it.  He has seen pictures of me from when I was big.  I didn't want us to go somewhere and see someone who hadn't seen me since I was big and have them say "Damn Josie, you used to be huge" and have to explain that LOL

Prior to surgery, I had basically told myself that it wasn't going to happen.  Even up until they put me under.  I was convinced that something was going to go wrong or they were going to find something and I was not going to be able to have it.

Consequently, I was convinced when I woke up after surgery that they had not done anything to me but cut me to make me think they had so that I would just think I had RNY.   I don't know if that makes sense or not, but I guess kind of like giving a placebo to a patient.

Complications:
While I was in the hospital, on the day I was supposed to be discharged, I had some intestinal bleeding.  Needless to say, I was kept another couple of days and given one unit of blood to stabilize my hemoglobin count.  I went in on a Wed, released on a Sunday.  Took 2 weeks off of work and had no trouble when I went back.

Fast forward to 1/18/2011 - I was at a doc appt (GYN) for something unrelated to my surgery.  After the appointment, I was in the elevator headed down to the 1st floor.  I started feeling light-headed.  I walked out of the elevator, into the pharmacy a few steps away and asked for a cup of water because I felt like I was going to pass out.  The lady told me to walk around the corner to the water fountain.  As I stepped out, mind you I was dragging my left leg because it was not working right, I passed out.  I woke up to 2 men trying to pick me up off the floor then heard someone say "OMG she's bleeding".  I passed back out. 

Soon, I woke up again and nurses were standing over me asking what happened, what day it was, etc...I was taken to the ER and they did a head CT (that's where I was bleeding from - SN:  granite floors cause cuts to your head when the two collide) and x ray and bloodwork.  Good news was I had no concussion or broken bones.  Bad news was, my hemoglobin was 6.5 (normal was 13) and my iron was a 1 (normal was 30).  So - they admitted me again.

I was given two units of blood and a quick iron infusion and released the next day.

I was severely anemic for 2 reasons.  One, of course, malabsorbtion from the RNY.  Two, my periods had become unmanagably heavy since surgery.

So, I was put on prescription iron, and over the course of this past year, I saw a GYN specialist and had a uterine cryo-ablation performed.  That was done in August.  My periods went from 7 extremely heavy days to 4 days with only one that I would consider "normal" for most women.  The other 3 are almost spotting.  In case anyone is going through this....you can find out more information on this procedure by going to www.heroption.com.

A month later, I had a IV iron infusion over the course of 5 hours.  I have continued to take extra iron (feosol carbonyl iron) and have started taking advocare supplements (MNS vitamins, meal replacement shakes and SPARK) (www.advocare.com/110910168).  All of my numbers are excellent.  I will go back to the hematologist this month to have bloodwork done to check iron levels again.

Positives:
My youngest son will never remember the "big" mama he used to have.

My older sons (now 17, 16) have gone from having kids in their 3rd grade class make fun of their fat mama, to having their high school buds now call me a "MILF" LOL

I have done more in the past 3 years that I did in the previous 20.  I am very active in clubs at work and have gone back to college to pursue my bachelor's degree.  This semester I got an A in accounting, B in Physics, and a B in Principles of Management.  I am very proud of those grades!!

I learned to swallow pills!!! (BTW, I have no problem with pills - couldn't do the chewables any more)

I love the way I look in most clothes and have finally accepted the body I have now (muffin top and all!!)  I would love to have a boob job and a tummy tuck, but if you get a good bra and some spanx, HELLO WORLD!!

I just went for my company health screening yesterday:

Total Cholesterol - 155 (Desirable level is below 200) Very Desirable

HDL (Good) Cholesterol - 63 (Desirable level is above 50) Very good

LDL (Bad) Cholesterol - 82 (Desirable level is at or below 100) Optimal

TC/HDL Ratio - 2.5 (Desirable level is below 4.0) Good to ideal

Triglycerides - 49 (Desirable level is Below 150) Normal

Glucose - 81 - (Desirable fasting level is 70-99) Normal

Blood Pressure - 126/80 - They classified it as pre-hypertension (I think it was higher because I have been sick - normally it's 120/65)

Body Mass Index - 28.3 - OVERWEIGHT

So, basically I'm the picture of health, but I'm still overweight. Then it said "Below are some of your risks associated with Chronic diseases - None indicated - keep up the good work!"

Would I do this again?? - IN A HEARTBEAT!!!

Will I ever reach my "goal" weight?  I don't know if I even want to.  I'm happy where I have been for the last two years :)

I hope something I've said will educate, inspire, or make someone smile today!

Congratulations.

I can't figure out how to post pictures IN the post, but I have uploaded a couple of new pics in my photos.  I have organized them from newest to oldest.  and Thanks!

What an amazing post and an amazing journey. I am so happy for you. You have a beautiful life and have done SO WELL. TWO things have stood out for me.....

1. How awesome and content that you are with the body that you have and the weight that you are. I can tell that you have a peace about this....I hope to have that some time...whereever my body decides to stop losing weight...that I am OK with that weight - just loving my body for what it is. I am proud of you and hope to be like you.

2. Can you explain in detail about telling your boyfriend that you used to be heavy? That has been SUCH a delimma of mine. It is such a scary thing b/c as a heavy person you are always dicrimnated against so I figure if you are heavy before, then you will be discrimnated against for just ever being heavy. I would love to hear of your eperiences related to telling him of your past...when and how did you do it?

Thanks for any advise that you can give - you are my inspiration

Aww thanks.  I am content.  I have come to realize that no one is perfect and even the girls I thought were perfect back in high school have body issues even now LOL (thanks to facebook).

As far as telling him....first of course, when we would go out to eat he would comment about how little I ate.  So I started off by just saying that I had lost quite a bit of weight and that I constantly watch what I eat ;)

Then if the subject of eating or weight loss came up again (usually because of something we were watching on TV) I would find a way to weave something in the conversation like "I lost a LOT" or "I'm so glad I'm not as big as I used to be" or something like that - leaving it open for him to ask "Well how much did you lose?"

Eventually when you are both comfortable with each other, the question will come up and I said "Well, I lost 140 pounds".....and he said "What??  You used to be that big?"  and I just said "Yup, I sure was."  Then of course he asked "How did you lose that much?" and that's when I broke the news that I had RNY.  He took it very well.   

After a couple more times of reminding him how heavy I was, I got the nerve up to break out the "old me" pictures LOL  I get the same reaction when I show them to anyone....."That doesn't even look like you!!"

Of course, I eased into this conversation over a period of months.  You will know when you are comfortable enough to talk about it openly.

If it is someone you plan on being with long-term, it's best that they know everything just in case you ever have medical problems (in my case, the anemia) so that they don't go unexplained and you don't have to make up a story to cover up the real reason.

congratulations.  Happy surgiversary.  You are a true inspiration> T hank you for sharing your story.  I hope that i will be as successful as you.  My journey is only 6 weeks long so far but i feel like a whole new person.

catherine

Congratulations and best wishes for continued success!! I'm still at the beginning of my journey but looking forward to letting the "skinny me" out to play.

Congratulations!  You're doing amazing! , I'm 3 years out as well and we started at the same weight.  Its hard to believe how fast 3 years goes by!  Cheers to continued success.

Lou :D

First, congratulations on your great progress!

Second, you ought to see about suing that nasty-minded rat for slander.

Third, the women there should stand up to him.  Dressing professionally does NOT mean dressing like the Amish or any other male-dominated religious sect.

Hurray for you!