Janna B.

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I am forever grateful that I had the surgery.  Having the surgery got me back into enjoying life and doing things I hadn't been able to do.  I have a fantastic job.  I was laid off from West Coast Transporations over a year ago due to decline in their business.  I did get a new job that I enjoy.  I still work with the Military but now on the pay side. 

Now my problem.  I have gained lots of weight back due to drinking, eating too much and not exercising.  Well, Duh!  lol

I have been drinking wayyy too much and I am ashamed of myself.   I went to see my Dr. to address the issue.  I will have my blood workup done and she gave me some numbers to call for counseling.  I believe I will have to go back to the beginning of when I decided to have this surgery and the happiness I felt when I was approved and all the hard work I did to get there.  I don't know why I am drinking so much.  I like the way it makes me feel but hate the way I feel.  I am in good health but drinking is going to ruin it!  I am looking for a support group in my area I may attend and receive support for this.  I don't want alcohol to ruin my life. 

I start tomorrow! I have just been hired for West Coast Transportation!  It is a great company, great pay, not too far from home.  I am so excited!

So I have been working at my new job for over a month now.  It is a perfect fit.  One thing is that no one there knows that I had surgery.  Would they have treated me differently if I was MO?  Probably.  Would I have been hired if I was still MO?  Probably not.  I don't know if I will ever tell them that I had surgery.  Not because I am ashamed or anything but I don't want them to look at me differently than they see me as they see me right now.  Maybe I am imagining that they will see me differently but for now I am not going to take that risk.  I can finally be me now that I have lost the weight.  I am a confident woman.  I like who I am.  That person was always there.  Just buried in all that fat. 

The saga continues....

As you may know, I have been searching a long time for a job.  Not just a job...but a job that I would really LIKE to have.  I was just hired at our local animal hospital as an office manager!!  I start Monday.  I am sooo excited!  I don't believe I would have been hired a year ago due to my appearance.  I have the same skills, thank you very much! But I hate to say, looks ARE very important.  I have been thinking alot about this very subject.  It breaks my heart that so many people cannot get jobs of their choice due to their appearance.  This surgery has blessed me in many ways. 

It has been 11 months now since surgery.  I can hardly believe it!  Things are going very well.  My weight loss has slowed down tremendously but I only have 5 for my personal and 15 for my "ultimate" goal.  Anything more than that is icing on the cake.  I have been blessed throughout this journey that I have had absolutely no complications.  Yes, the occasional tight chest from eating the wrong food, or too fast and needing to throw up but I have pretty much learned to keep that in check and take my time.  I am pretty in tune to what I can handle and what I cannot handle.  I have been lucky that I have not dumped.  I don't think I have anyway.  A few times my heart rate has sped up a little but not the dumping stories that I have heard from the board.  I have a job!  Not really the one that I wanted but it is a paycheck.  All the applications and interviews that I went on produced nothing.  The job that I found is from a personnel agency.  Better that than nothing I guess.  It is a very simple job.  I should count my lucky stars.  It's very boring though.  I am a customer service rep for a company called ClickNPay!  Hopefully business will pick up in the near future and keep me busy.  I mean I have time to check out OH don't I?  haha  I'm feeling real good.  Taking my vitamins as needed.  Unfortunately I have cut down on exercising since I went back full-time.  I need to get a routine going again.  More later!

Today was my 9 month appointment with my surgeon, Dr. Weber.  Long drive as usual, beautiful day.  Met two people in the waiting room from our support group.  Everything went fine.  He called me skinny and said that everything was right on track.  He said there was no reason why I shouldn't meet my goal of 130 pounds.  We went over my labs and said everything was fine. Still have to take Zocor since my cholesterol was so high last appointment and the meds brought it down to very normal amounts.  He hopes as I reach goal weight that it may come down on it's own.  I started bawling and telling him i'm in the process of a 3rd interview with a position that would not have hired me last year before the surgery.  No one knows that I had the surgery that I interviewed with.  I just sat and cried realizing how different things are now that I have lost weight.  My marriage couldn't be stronger.  I love my husband so much.  My outlook on life is so much more positive and I know it reflects on how I carry myself.  I feel so good.  I did write on the OH message board late last night about a bad eating night though.  Luckily I didn't resort to carbs but I did eat too much even if it was protein.  I don't smoke, drink or take drugs and I needed food last night to cover up my sadness.  My kids are growing up and moving out of the house and with my husband working nights, I dwelled on it last night in the empty, quiet house.  I think I may be going through menopause too.  My whole role as mom is changing and i'm having to rediscover who I am.  I lost who I was it seems raising my children.  I know that is not what should happen but it did.  So with the weight loss and the loss of my family moving on,  I have to find "ME" again.

I am still looking for a job! This is going to be harder than I thought. I have an education, college, lots of business experience but after faxing, mailing resumes and signing up for employment agencies, NO ONE is calling! Wahhh....
Oh well, I will keep plugging along. I feel that I can compete in the current job market now. I FEEL confident, look good, and can offer an employer so much. But if they don't even call for an interview, how would they know that? I will keep looking and looking. I am so ready to have a paycheck again. My weight keeps going down bit by bit. I am wearing size 12 pants and large shirts. I am very happy with the way I feel and look. I have stopped losing my hair! It is only coming out in a normal way now instead of clumps!! I do have loose skin, mostly on my arms, breasts and tummy and thighs. The arms bother me the most. But still, I am ok with that. So far. If I get down to goal, then I will have even more skin hanging. I will deal with that when the time comes. Right now I am rejoicing in my health!!


8 months Post op

Wishing everyone a Happy and SAFE 4th of July!!

Hi All. Things are going very well. I am down to 168 today. In the 160's!! I am looking forward to a very good summer with all the excess weight gone. My hubby is in Florida right now visiting his mom. It is hot hot hot!! It reminds him when he comes home the reason we love the Pacific Northwest so much! I don't have anything to report really. Things are great. My son is getting ready to join the Air Force when he graduates next year. I am so proud of him. He has been going to the gym with me all year and he is now 5 lbs from his military weight goal and 9 from his own personal goal! He has been working so hard. He quit drinking soda when I quit and cut down on his carbs so much. He started gaining weight when he was about 7 or 8. My other two kids gave him heck for being chubby. Now he is becoming a tall, lean machine. His self esteem has gone through the roof. He is so happy the way clothes fit on him now. My oldest son is going into the Navy soon and my daughter now works with the animal cops as a dispatcher at our local humane society.
As for me, I am staying home working with our business until next year when my son leaves for the Air Force. My daughter still lives with us and has had a few legal problems and does not have a driver's license so I am taking her to and from work every day. I hope by this time next year her license will be reinstated and I can move ahead and look for a full time job. I am more than ready to go back to work. In the meantime, I have been selling on Ebay for some income. The last couple of days I walked out the door and just started walking. I came home and realized I had walked for 2 hours straight!! When the weather is good I walk outside and when it is bad I go to the gym with my son. More later!

I am down 70 lbs! I have gotten into my smallest clothes hanging in my closet and they are getting to big! I tried on some summer clothes and they are too big! So in the next 10 lbs I am going to have to do some serious shopping. I will have absolutely no clothes that fit me. What a dilema! haha
Yesterday I had the pleasure of staying overnight at the Swedish Ballard Hosp. with someone I met on OH that needed an angel to stay with her after surgery. She is a beautiful woman named Lisa. She did absolutely wonderful and will be home Sunday. I just wanted to tell you Lisa that it was a great pleasure meeting you. I hope that we will be friends for years to come and I wish you all the best on your journey! Bless you Lisa.