Lulu C.
For those who view my profile, if you want to email me, feel free to, that's the reason I joined this site to get to know more people like me, so we can go through this together. I'm 26, happily married for 5 years now. I have to little boys. I'm agnostic. I'm sarcastic and I love pottery barn, but can't afford it!!!! My page mainly focuses on my process through this, not the emotional side really.
MAY 2005
5/17/05 Ask my PCM about me getting gastric bypass and to put in a referral.
JUNE 2005
6/2/05 My referral to see a general surgeon went through. I called to make an appt., but they said one would come to me in the mail as soon as one was available.
JULY 2005
7/11/05 is my first consultation at ECU, but it's a workshop for before a consultation w/ a surgeon.
AUGUST 2005
8/15/05 is my consultation date at ECU in Greenville, NC. The doc said I was a good candidate for lap RNY & that it would be 6 months due to referrals. For tricare I still have to be referred to a psych doc and a nutritionist. He said those are backed up and that's why the wait & that I need to come back for lab work and an upper GI series. I think I have sleep apnea so I put in a referral to get that checked out.
8/31/05 I thought that they send in my referral paperwork for my pysch and nutrition appts. every other referral I called & made the appointment, but the lady said I'm on a waiting list for referrals and that they make the appointments at these other places and then send in the referrals to my insurance. That sucks cause think of all those cancellations I could be grabbing if I was calling in. So I'm waiting and waiting and waiting and...
OCTOBER 2005
10/7/05 the last thing I want to do is diet right before I am able to eat the stuff I do now, now noted I'm not pigging out or anything but I could easily gain more weight through the holidays!! So, I'm going to a personal trainer. Since I''m going to a personal trainer after surgery might as well start with her now. Upper GI and lab work were done today. No gallstones and my internal anatomy is in place according to my upper GI series. I called ECU to find out I'm #21 to see the nutritionist and #34 to see psych.
10/25/05 my sleep apnea appt was today. They put electrodes on my legs, chest, and head & I went to sleep. It normally takes 2 seconds for me to go to sleep, but it took me 2 hours because I was so paranoid. I got home and slept till 2:30 the next afternoon. I got my sleep study results on 10/31 and it said I do have mild sleep apnea. I really thought I had it worse.
NOVEMBER 2005
11/12/05 I'm still #34 on the pysch list and #22 on the nutitionist list...waiting and waiting and...
DECEMBER 2005
12/1/05 I called ECU today and she said I was #5 on the psych list and my nutritionist appt had been sent to me in the mail. Yeah!!!
12/3/05 I had another sleep study today for dfferent reasons. I took a Simply Sleep pill by tylenol so I would sleep better and I did. This test I slept through the night, not like the other where I hardly slept.
12/14/05 I'm still #5 on the waiting list, it's been 3 weeks now. Here's some emotional side for ya, my neighbor told me her mom said WLS is the easy way out. Who the hell started that phrase????? I thought about it and I think it's not diet and exercise, it's not gastric bypass, I truthfully feel, "the easy way out", is to stay obese and die early. So for me, I REFUSE to take the easy way out! And why have I been waiting for this since May!!!!! I'm hitting the panicky stage I guess where it's coming close to time, but I have no guarantee yet. and the surgeon estimated 6 months which is Feb!!!! My psych appt still isn't schelduled!!!!! Usually the surgery for the place I go is schelduled about a month after approval. So what, maybe April??? You ever go to a restaurant where they say the wait is 45 minutes and your like, well I don't want to wait 45minutes but I heard the food is worth the wait. and then an hour goes by, and they're no where near your name yet!!!! It pisses you off!!!! That's where I am right now, but in a bigger situation!!!
JANUARY 2006
1/13/06 I called ECU I'm off the psych waiting list!!!!!!!
1/17/06 My nutritionist appt is today at ECU. She was really nice She asked me what my meals were the day before and she put me on a carb cut, because I eat alot of carbs. Not a diet, but a carb cut, less than 200 grams. And she wants me to go ahead and start taking vitamins, and drink a boost a day to used to get used to the liquid diet?????
1/27/06 I had a pulmonary appt today at ECU. The place was really awesome, seriously. Anyway. I was asked very specific questions and answered them. She was very friendly and supportive. She said I was cleared and that she thought it was awesome I was getting the surgery. Had lunch with my angel and she is so naturally pretty. I get a little envious of bone structure sometimes. Damn my DNA, LOL
1/31/06 I have my psych appt today. It was 90 minutes. We talked about food and my issues with it. we talked about how easily I could die from poor after surgery habits and he said I was good and that it was a good thing for me.
FEBRUARY 2006
2/6/06 I am DONE with pre-op testing!!!!! Today I had my last appt, it was a cardiac consult. That was the worst appt also!!!!! If I never have an appointment like that again, it would be to soon! I had to do a treadmill stress test. Where my obese butt gets on a treadmill and 2 people basically stare at you and see how quickly your tired. Now, as an obese person, it doesn't take long!!! It was awkward and I did not like it, nor did my self-esteem like it. The staff was nice, it was just the procedure that was mortifying. I actually did everything in my power to hold my breath so she couldn't tell I was having shortness of breath.I hate being judged, yes I know it was the exact opposite of what I should have done. But the setting was uncomfortable and I felt judged, not evaluated
2/15/06 As of today all my paperwork has gone through and been signed. Kate let me know that I should get a call next week with a date. She said I'm looking at the end of March for a date. I've grown to like my phone nurses alot, they're real sweeties Liz and Karen? and trust me I call alot!!!!
2/20/06 I recieved a call today from ECU Pulmonary. She received my sleep study's and found out I'm suppose to be on a cpap!!!! I called ECU general surgery to tell them but when I did we got to talking and I told her my BMI was 41 now, I had gained 16 pounds in the 7 month process!!! Waiting through the holidays!! saying goodbye to the bad foods, I didn't think that was a crazy weight gain. According to my doc's secretary I think, that worries him and he will know not submit to insurance till I've lost the 16 pounds!!!????
2/24/06 Good news kinda. I weighed the 286, 41 BMI at the nutritionist appt. Well she put me on a carb cut remember back. Okay well, I weighed myself on the 21st and my scale said 275. So I was like well, thats only 5 pounds, so I stopped eating and now I'm 272. So I'm sending my faxed weight from my reg. doc and they still don't have my sleep study that says CPAP. I was going to see another doctor but I don't have the cash flow to pay anything out of pocket at this moment, we just put a down payment on a boat!!!!
MARCH 2006
3/6/06 ECU called me and told me my surgery date is April 12th. My pre-op appt is April 3rd. She said that they still had not received my last papers though, so I called and had it re-sent. She said that I'm borderline for getting approved. I might not sooooo, I'm not excited yet. Now I'm just waiting for that final tricare decision....
3/13/06 ECU sent out paperwork to insurance today, they had to wait till it was a month out from surgery date.
3/24/06 Approved by insurance today!!!!!!!
APRIL 2006
4/3/06 Pre-op appt @0900. There till 1130. Sent afterward to get blood draw, urine collected, chest xray, talk to a nurse, and a ABG done. saw Reneka at lunch looking fabulous!
4/12/06 Surgery day. I was nervous, surgery was suppose to be at 1140. Taken into the OR at like 1245. Got to my room around 6:00pm with the worse pain of my life, truthfully, but I knew it was temporary. To me it felt like birth contractions full blown! I was in crazy pain! I knew it was only temporary so that helped alot.
4/13/06 Took me for my drink series at X-ray. Only took like 5 min. Took my PCA pump and foley catheter, Perry and I walked the halls all day.
4/14/06 Got discharged from the hospital. and slept.....
4/16/06. Getting up alot quicker today. Taking alot less pain meds today. I can walk around for awhile but can't bend over, nope!!! If its on the floor forget it!!!!! I'm only allowed water and Ensure Plus for the next 2 weeks!!!!
4/22/06 I went to work a 12 hour night shift at my job yesterday and I survived! I haven't taken any pain medicine since like the 17th. I need to build up my walking, so I need to find out what I can do at the gym. I've lost around 15 pounds so far. I feel weird about the fact that I have not had food in my body in 10 days. That's weird, but it's true I'm not hungry at all. However at this point the smell of Ensure makes me a little sick. I have no desire to ever drink Ensure ever again!
MAY 2006
5/3/06 I've been going to the gym for a week now and only doing treadmill walking.
5/12/06 1 month out today. Total loss is 28 pounds. Went to my first real life gastric bypass meeting and I do prefer the website.
JUNE 2006
6/12/06 Today I dumped for the first time, it was bad. It felt like throwing up but it was different. There was no stomach acid taste, no burning, no throw up breath afterward and it didn't go in my nose. I threw up steak! I don't know if maybe it wsn't chewed well enough or if it was the seasoning on it because it was heavily seasoned. But I was in pain for like 3 hours. I ended up dumping twice in that time. After the 2nd time I felt alot better. Total loss since surgery 44 pounds.
JULY 2006
7/12/06 3 months out total weight loss since surgery, 59 pounds. I do have an energy increase. At this point I'm now trying to create a food routine I can live with. I've already started some bad habits I already need to fix.
1) Must eat breakfast!
2) Exercise goals, weekly goals!
3) Stop slacking on the measuring.
4) Keep up with protein and calories better, food journal
AUGUST 2006
8/11/06 4 months out now. WOW. Total loss is 70 pounds. I'm under 200 pounds now. I started a full time job on July 3rd, so I'm tired alot more due to the fact I'm getting adjusted to 40 hour weeks. I eat beakfast everyday. I'm exercising more often than I was. I've been religious with fitday.com for the food journal part. This is the month that my hair did start falling out like crazy though! It looks like a dead furry animal is on my tub floor everytime I get out of the shower, no joke.
Things to work on this month
1. Measuring !!!!!!
2. Increase protein even more if possible.
3. Make sure I take ALL of my pills
4. Eating slower, I'm starting to speed up
SEPTEMBER 2006
9/12/06. I've lost 88 pounds since surgery(5 months). I've notice I buy clothes every other size. I went from a 26 to a 22. A 22 to an 18, An 18 to a 14. I just went shopping at Lane Bryant for the last time. It was weird. I didn't realize it was my last time till I was walking out after my purchase. I'm very curious to see how much smaller I get. Size 14 is the smallest I've been even during my pre-teens and teens. So I just can't picture it. I'm in a stage where I really want to buy nice clothes to fit me, but since my weight lost is still going I know not to spend much.
My hair loss is bad enough to notice I don't have a bald spot but I had crazy thick hair before and it has thinned out in the front alot, and yes it's noticable there, at first I was wearing it in a ponytail to help hide it but then it thinned out alot in the front on the sides so now I wear it down and around my face.
1. my vitamins
2. exercise program, not just going when I feel like it, but going on a solid schedule.
OCTOBER 2006
10/13/06
I'm 6 months out. I've lost 89 pounds since surgery. Well, I do look pretty good. I'm in a size 12 from a 24/26. My hair loss is still big but I hair new hair growth so that's a good sign. Head hunger has set in, but I'm fighting it. I am at a plateau, I have not gained but this past month I've lost 1 pound. We'll see what happens next month. I have started exercising more routinely, but just started so we will see how that effects me. I am constantly thinking about plastic surgery, but I know not yet! But the thinking about plastic surgery is a real motivation to exercise so I get the best results!!!!
things to watch:
snacking
vitamins
exercise, keep it up!!!!
December 2006 12/28/06
Well, it's the end of the year I weighed 263 in April, now 9 months later I weigh 156. I was in a 26, now I'm in a size 8. It truly has been a great year. I am very happy I had this surgery. I have been exercising a minimum of 3 times a week since my Oct posting. I try for 5. I have been having an outrageous amount of head hunger this month. I think it's because tempation was in my face constantly! I'm very glad the holidays are over. I found out I do now have gallstones but not bad enough to have my gallbladder taken out. I am looking forward to getting a tummy tuck and new breast. My thighs and arms are great. I realized that through the holidays I did not keep up with this site and I have been acting like I didn't have surgery and I think it helps to remember that I did have surgery. My next appt is in Jan.
June 2007
This is harder to keep up with the further post op I get. I had my one year check up at ECU in April. THe doc just took down my weight and said okay I'll see you in a year. Wow, that was it. It freaked me out. I'm one of those people that needs to check in with people for me to stay on track. There's no one for me to keep on track for! I set up an appointment with my dietician and he said I was doing fine no worries. He said he didn't need to see me for awhile either. What? I get that it's in my mind, but ouch. That was all in April. Since then I have learned to rely on myself more, but I do still appreciate having someone to be accountable with besides fitday.com. One of the girls that I work with is awesome for exercise accountablity. Fitday for food accountablity. I've been reading the Beck Diet Solution, how to think like a thin person, it's pretty good. I don't think it was a waste of money. I haven't finished it though so I can't really say yet. It's suppose to help with emotional eating, so far it seems like it is. I was down to 145 in April and everybody was telling me that I was seriously get to thin because i'm 5'10, even my doc. Well it freaked me out and I started eating, not large amounts but small amounts all day! I' got to 155 and said what am I doing? 150 is my ideal weight, which I do look great at I must say. So I'm over my freak out and losing to get back to 150. I didn't eat about of junk really, just higher calorie foods. Kashi can up your calorie intake quick I've learned. I'm still working out 3-5 times a week.
My hair is coming back in finally! Yeah! Things I need to work on:
Less calorie intake, trying to keep it at 1200-1400 a day.
Keep up with my vitamins
Self sabatoge, I do deserve this!
