Laura-n-GA
Like most of you here, weight has been a battle for most of my life...tried all the diets, pills, powders, gyms ect. Several years ago I was on yet another diet, Atkins this time, and lost 70 pounds. Several illness within the family and stress levels climbing, food became my comfort again...then my beautiful daughter was diagnosed with cancer. After a years battle with chemo and a few months of regaining her spirit and we thought recovering she died. While some in my family refused to even be near food it was definitely my comfort. I gained not only the 70 pounds back but at least 50 more. I'm unhealthy. I need help. I need prayers. Four years this month 9-19 my daughter died. I've started a new career at 47...GO ME! I have 2 other children and a husband and I need better health and less aches and pains caused by weight. Some days my hip hurts so bad I can barely walk. I've never had high blood pressure but I do have depression and a family history of heart disease and diabetes. Please pray for me this month and next especially(daughters birthday). You all seem to be a very caring and supportive group. I take my hat off to you all. Thanks for reading my long winded comments. ~L~
9-7-02 FRUSTRATION My parents aren't happy, My hubby and kids reluctantly understand. Just left my PCP and had to plead for a referral just for the consultation with him all the while saying "Blue Choice POS will not cover weight loss at all. I don't see that it's medically necessary" but in the same breath says "You have arthritis in your hip. I'm sure losing weight would help the pain." I can't walk through the mall or even to my mailbox and not be short of breath and in pain. HOW can he say it's not medically necessary? cause my bp is ok maybe? I think some of the PCP's are just ignorant as to the improvements and advancements in this surgery. He went over all the drastic changes and how my body would be made to do things it's not suppose to do....I'm like um Doc what do you call what it's doing now. I'm not SUPPOSE to weight 284lbs. (surprise I weigh less than I thought). At any rate he finally approved of the referral for the consult which is 9-20 in 2 weeks with Dr. Rothwell in Macon. He's had the surgery himself so I'm really looking forward to meeting him. I'll keep you all posted. Please keep me in your prayers as will for you. Thanks. ~L~
9-7 again....got my packet in the mail already. Loads of info.
9-12 Missed my surgeon's lecture last night due to an unplanned root canal :( but tonight is the H.E.L.P. support group and I'm going to that. My pcp gave me a referral reluctantly but he did make sure he put for weight loss visits only. That in itself will make the insurance company balk. I will be asking Dr Rothwell for a referral to good PCP in Macon. Please keep me in your prayers as I push forward on this journey. ~L~
9-16---Last Thursday night went to H.E.L.P. support group. Met a few people from here and got a lot of information. Also met Linda, Dr. Rothwell's wife. She's an RN and the coordinator. Debra is the Clinic Manager I think. Both were great, supportive and no nonsense. I also got a NEW PCP Dr. Moye in Macon but I can't officially see him until Oct. 1. I'll be using my referral from my old PCP for my consult this Friday. Got all my paperwork all filled out (whew! that took a while) and mailed back to the Dr. I'm so excited to get this ball rolling. Leg and hip pain is almost unbearable somedays and this voltaren makes me feel yucky. My parents, hubby and kids are becoming more supportive as I share all the information I'm accumlating. My mom is going to the consult with me Friday. Thanks for the prayers and please keep them coming. ~L~
9-20------------Consult was today. Things went great. Dr. Rothwell and staff are great, very friendly and efficient. Today was rather hectic in his office due to Hospital making changes in their surgery schedule but they were handling it pretty well. Dr. Rothwell walked right in and said congratulations on your decision to improve your life. He'd already seen all my paperwork since it's mailed in before hand. Now we set up all the -ocologist appointments to get surgery clearance and I'm good to go. I'm excited and ready to move forward. I did ask about a diet that would help prepare me for what's to come. They suggested Sugar Busters. I have no desire for a 'last' meal. I'm ready! Starting NOW I'm preparing my body and mind for this journey.
10-4-02---------new PCP on 10-1. He was fabulous. Stopped by Dr Rothwell's to let them know all went well and then went to the lecture explaining the surgery with Dr. Williams. The office told me it would be about a week before I got all my other appointments they require but when I picked up the mail today there it was :) I'm thrilled. All my appointments will be finished within a month.
10-15-02--------Ultrasound of Pancreas, gall bladder and liver done! Arterial Blood Gas done! Seems my oxygen is low end of the normal range, had chest x-ray and sleep study is being scheduled. Got all my paperwork, a big packet from each doctor, so I'm ready when I get there. Things seem to be moving along rather quickly. Still no desire for that 'last meal' syndrome.
10-28-02-------Well, I've finished all my -ologist appointments except the gastro and the psych. Those are next week. And I still have to do the sleep study, waiting on them to call me with a date. All other blood test, scans, poking and prodding are done for now. I'm dealing with that nesting syndrome like you have when your preg. lol Cleaning and organizing the house and finishing the Christmas shopping. I'm thrilled with the calm and peace that God has given me about this adventure. Here's to a healthier body and happier life. ~L~
11-03-02------Tomorrow I go for pysch eval, 3 hours with a Female Dr that wasn't very pleasant on the phone. Tuesday night is my sleep study. Then next week 11 and 12th the gastro and then the follow up with the pulm. Dr and I'm done with all the preop visits that are scheduled. Still attending support group and doing to another lecture with one of the other doctors in the group just to see what questions are asked. Hoping I can find out my date soon even if I have to wait til next year to actually have surgery. ~L~
11-8-02------Sleep study was awful for me...they said I had to sleep on my back. I don't sleep on my back at all so needless to say I didn't get much sleep. Today I go to the gastro doc. This is my last appointment other than follow up with psych eval and pulmo doctor for results. I am a little upset because I have waited very patiently for my surgery date. I've done everything that's been ask of me and was told that once I've completed everything they'll give me a date, so I haven't ask for one again. Amazingly in talking to a few other patients from this office I find they already have dates and still have many appointments to complete. Guess I was hoping for too much when I wanted to get this surgery at the end of this year because I know my hubby has 2 weeks off and my daughter will be home from college rather than 90 miles away and worrying about me. Seems like I'm being penalized because I followed the rules and didn't ask for special favors. Don't get me wrong I love the Doctors in this practice and this week is the first time I've left a message for a call back that hasn't been returned. Guess I'm just frustrated that the 'system' doesn't work. We all think we're special but I for one don't think I'm more special than the next person so I didn't ask for them to make an exception to their rules for me. Guess I should have...! I do so want to see my daughter graduate from the Univ of Georgia with honors in May. I just hope that by then I've made enough progress that I can walk far enough to get from the parking lot to the graduation ceremony. Sorry for venting here but I just needed to get it off my chest. ~L~
11-15-02----------Opened my email and SURPRISE! Got a date- January 21, 2003. I'm ready.
12-6-02-----------Doctor's office has called for the last two days wanting to know about my psych eval. First appointment was 11-4 and it's taken me 3 days to get her on the phone to hear that I'm 'next' on her list to do but she'll be out of town all next week. The staff at the Dr's office said it should be fine. This is the kinda stuff that worries me. I have absolutely no control over when any of this gets done. Glad the holidays are here to keep me busy. Blessings to you all.
12-11-02-----What a week? the psych finally called, that final appointment is 12-16. Then, to my great excitement, today I get a phone call from Deb at the Dr's office and they are mailing out my final pre-op dates. I ask for an earlier surgery date if one becomes available. I told her I knew that's what everybody wanted but I don't have young children, I'm self employed, and my hubby is on vacation most of the time I've got left to wait, I could go with a 36 hour notice. LOL Just long enough to take that famous cocktail and let it work. She just laughed and said she'd see what she could do. I'm not holding out much hope but at least I know I'm ready. Much love to all my AMOS family. ~L~
12-17-02....Tired updating this yesterday and it didn't work so here goes again. Pysch appointment was yesterday and I got an all clear for surgery. She did suggest counseling because I live with a perfectionist and I tend to sabatoge my success because I expect to 'do it wrong' or fail. My opinion of this Dr. changed drastically with this visit. She's a real no nonsense, very blunt person and I took offense to that on my first visit but I realize that she is exactly what I need at this point. She tells me just like she sees it with no sugar coating and she's not tiptoeing around my feelings. I tend to be a loner rather than risk failure. I shy away from a lot of people for the same reason. All in all the appointment was very informative and she put a lot of my fears, feelings and stuff I just plain knew but couldn't verbalize into words. I will continue visits with her now and after my surgery. Today I got all my pre-op appointments. With the nurse, hospital, doctor and then again with the doctor...Not sure what the 3 visits to his office of for but it all starts Jan 10 with surgery bright and early Jan 21. Thanks for reading my rambling. Blessings to you all. ~L~
01-04-03------I'm one of those people that doesn't wait very well. Now that the holidays are over I can feel the anxiety kicking in so I'm trying to stay busy. Sinus issues are adding a bit of stress...hoping infection doesn't set in so I'll be calling my PCP Monday. My pre-op appointments with the nurse, doctor and hospital start next Friday so at least I'll feel like I'm really on my way. Take care and God bless you all. ~L~
01-06-03-----Just got a call from Glenda at my surgeon's office. Dr. Rothwell wrote such an amazing letter to BCBS seems now all they need a letter from my PCP. Called the PCP's office and I have to go in tomorrow, seems BCBS requires a visit for this too, so they can do the letter. Odd that they want to pay another office visit to my PCP when I just saw him a month ago. Anyway, lol whatever hoop they hold out I'll jump through. Surgery is still on for Jan 21. I go Friday to meet with the nurse/clinical coordinator at Dr. Rothwell's office. On my way home I'm going to stop and purchase the things she tells me to get. I'm assuming things like broth, sf jello, crystal light, Vitamins, B12, mylecon for gas, liquid tylenol or whatever they want me to have and of course chapstick and fleet phospho. I'm also gonna purchase one of those water filters that hooks to the faucet. Can't stand water that smells like chlorine. I'm so ready for this I can't wait to begin my new life. Take care and God Bless all my AMOS family. ~L~
01-08-03-----Ok Went to the PCP to get his clearance letter...talk about being paranoid now. So many really sick people in there. I'm already battling sinus stuff now I'm afraid I caught a bug in his office. Here's to more vit. C and claritin. BCBS has been great...thanks in part, I'm sure, to my Surgeons letter to them. I'm so ready to get this show on the road. If anyone wants to know more about my letter just let me know. Love ya all. ~L~
1-10-03-----Well I've gained 8 pounds since September. That's the least of my worries at this point. My BP is up, my heart rate is low and the nurse hears pauses...so back to the Cardiolotist I go. He can't see me until Tuesday, so 10am I'm there then at 3:30 back at the Surgeons. My surgery date isn't canceled but it's certainly not in concrete either. It all depends on what the Cardiologist says. I must say I'm a bit disappointed that 'something' came up but I know that I put this in GOD's hands from the beginning. Things happen for a reason and I'm glad that Dr. Rothwell's staff is as caring and thorough as they are...They've never lost a patient and I can see why. I had a heart cath done 2 years ago this month and all was fine but I've never had high blood pressure before. Scary when combined with the other two factors. Again I leave this all in GOD's hands. I wanted to let my amos family know and ask for your prayers. Thanks! You all inspire me. ~L~ (PS I forgot to add that I also have gallstones so I know the gallbladder comes out too.)
01-16-03...Joy! NOT! I got to spend my birthday(yesterday)having a stress test. Cardiologist said my EKG was the same as the last time he saw me, bp is a bit higher but that's understandable considering the nerves. The EKG during the stress test was also fine so now I wait until after 12 today to see how the pictures look. With that ok and the insurance company finally faxing over their pre cert info it's a GO for Tuesday. I'm trying not to get too anxious until I know how the test turn out. I've got a busy family weekend coming up so I won't have too much time to stress myself out. I still have to go shopping to get my chapstick, broth and jello. My Surgeon says no vitamins for the first week then I'll buy them from my doctor. I'd rather chew one made for gastric bypass patients instead of 6-8 children's. I still have to pack my bag but I can do that the night before to keep me busy. Thanks to you all for the encouraging messages. ~L~
01-17-03 What a week! I deliberately put stuff off so that I could keep really busy this last week instead of stressing myself out waiting. BAD IDEA! 1 Unexpected Dr. visit plus a stress test(took all day cause they worked me in) just to be safe. Then today my orders weren't at the hospital because they were waiting to get the written results from the stress test. Wasn't too bad. Just had to wait on them to call and have it faxed. When I got home though lol had a message to come in Monday at noon to see the surgeon. Well there is the problem. I'm about 50 minutes away. IF I go in at noon then I won't be home at 1 to start the bowel prep. Not only that but I panic cause he wants to see me the day before surgery. WHAT could possibly be wrong??? I simply ask the receptionist to find out what I was suppose to do she called me back and said the Doctor will be calling you. He did and was a complete angel. God put these people into my life for a reason. All is a GO for Tuesday surgery 8am. Now all I need to do is pick up last minute things at the grocery store. The hospital has a bariatric nurse that talked to me today at pre registration. She's awesome and has had surgery herself. She's reserve the bariatric bed in ICU for me that my surgeon requires for the first night. Explained everything also gonna get a call this weekend from the patient/family Liason...I think that's awesome. She's there to help make sure the family is kept informed during surgery and she helps if somebody needs a motel or needs to find somewhere to eat. Amazing hospital so far I'm very impressed. God is in control and when I let HIM be and don't try grabbing it back things are wonderful. ~L~
May 21,2003-----I've been so bad not updating but for a time I needed my personal space so I kept a paper journal here at home. Surgery went great other than being a bit too drugged lol. I ask to have the pain meds discontinued so I could carry on a conversation with people and walk. I had very little pain other than when getting up or sitting back down. Surgery was on a Tuesday and I was home on Friday. The first few weeks were...well HELL! Lousy odor both breath and urine but it soon passed. Must have been all the meds and the bleeding during surgery. I found very little that appealed to me as far as food. Broth I don't like but I did drink it. I'm rambling :(. At 4 months now I've lost 70 pounds. Months 2 and 3 I went to cardiac rehab at the hospital. My surgeon recommends it 3 times a week and it was definitely worth it. They helped me get my strength back and move more than I have in years. I now go to a local gym everyday. I've dropped from 28 or 30s to 20-22 and shirts 4x and now I still by 2x because of big belly flap and hips. That area is beginning to shrink thankfully. I've lost over 50 inches. I do treat myself to body wraps just for the relaxation, it's wonderful. I still eat mostly fish, chicken and occassionally turkey and beef maybe once or twice a month. I have to be careful not to eat veggies first, my favorites. I have not nor do I intend to test my dumping triggers. I will not eat sugar other than what's in prepared condiments and those I get either light or low-fat. I find I don't do well with no fat. No fat products tend to make me sick so I use low fat in lesser quantities. I don't eat potatoes or rice or pasta at all. If I eat bread it's 1/2 slice of whole wheat toast with an egg and that's rare. I drink my water constantly though somedays I get busy and don't quite get it all in. I am making every effort to make the most of this tool and I thank God everyday for his gift of this surgery and my wonderful surgeon and his staff. I weight everyday but I try not to get discouraged and so far the scale moves some every week. I don't want to be a slave to food. I want to eat only to survive and I'm trading snacking for excercise. I'm determined to make this work. Take care and my best to you all. Feel free to email me if you want to chat or ask me questions about my experience. ~L~
6-21-03 5 months and feeling great. I do dump with some natural sugar (honeydew melon) otherwise I'm doing great. I haven't tried refined sugar. I would do this again in a heartbeat. Down 85lbs. Love ya all. ~L~
10-29-03 Update on ME! Nine months and God is good! I've lost 117.4 lbs and 53 inches. I did have my appendix removed Labor Day weekend. Other than that and a bit of nausea now and then I'm doing great. I take my vitamins daily and excercise at least 3 days a week. I never thought I would see the day that I could walk all day without stopping to rest. I never thought I'd WANT to walk all day again. LOL Life is good and I feel so much younger. I still eat the food that's on my plan and avoid starches. I do have starches from time to time but I've learned to be very selective about what, when and where. I haven't tried sugar and don't think I will for a long time. I'm still learning everyday, both about body image and my need for food aka comfort. Dr. Rothwell and his staff are awesome, they helped me get my life back. Love you guys.
February 6, 2004 - My one year checkup at one year 2 weeks was good. My BMI is now 28 and all my blood work is great. I've lost 123 pounds. I've not lost many inches the last 3 months or pounds but I'm adding muscle and feeling great about me and how I look and feel. I would do this again without a doubt. It's not all been easy because I'm an emotional eater but I'm learning more about myself everyday. I'm more dedicated to going to the gym mainly for the new found strength that I'm finding. I don't want to feel my age...I will be fabulous at 50 in 11 months lol. Again a big Thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Rothwell and all the staff.
April 11, 2004 Well, I'm a little over 14 months out. I thought I'd stopped loosing weight. To my great surprise I stepped on the scales for the first time in about 6 weeks and I've lost another 10 lbs. I'm thrilled to say the least!!! I went shopping and bought a 10 dress and tops and a 12 in cropped pants. I stopped obsessing about the numbers on the scale and just continued to follow my food plan as much as I can. I find I don't struggle with choices as much if I don't obsess constantly. If I want something sweet I take a bite and move on to something else. It WORKS! at least for me. I praise GOD for putting Dr. and Mrs. Rothwell in my life along with this site and all the people I've come in contact with since I started this journey. And AMOS people are a constant source of inspiration. Thank you all! If I can help anybody by telling my story feel free to email me. God Bless. ~L~
November 13, 2004-----I've posted my before and after finally(well after from Jan 04-don't wear glasses now-laser surgery-and lost a bit more weight now)and it's still an amazing journey. I know I don't update enough now but I do read and post to the message board. I will try to update here more often. I'm making another career change to remove myself from a stressfull situation that created a struggle with food issues again. I can eat just about anything I want now but I struggle and fight that temptation. I try to eat my protien first and drinking water has become a normal part of my life. I don't even think about it anymore...just do it. My weight is holding steady between the 155-160 mark, a size I'm comfortable with now. I think plastics would put me right around the 140-145 mark which is ideal for me considering I'll be 50 in a few weeks. I'm healthier now at almost 50 than I was in my 20's, 30's or 40's. Loving life and dealing with struggles and challenges in a whole new way....with confidence I never had before. I'm glad I waited on plastics on my face as MOST of the skin has gradually shrunk to where it needs to be. Still need the girls lifted and the extra skin there removed...3kids and age aren't kind in that department. I have some excess skin on my tummy and around my thighs that needs to be removed. I'll be seeing a surgeon after the first of the year. Thanks OH for the support along the way. It's such a great addition to my surgeon's support. I think having BOTH has made this adventure and it's success much easier to achieve.
start weight 292
First month -35 257
Second month -12 245
Third month -12 233
Fourth month - 9 224
Fifth month -15 209
Sixth month - 9 200
Ninth month -25 175
One YEAR - 6 169
14 months -10 159
Measurements
Start 3 months 6 months 9 months totals
neck 15 1/4 13 1/2 12 1/2 12 3 1/4
bust 52 1/8 44 1/4 38 1/2 37 1/2 14 5/8
waist 52 3/8 44 40 36 1/2 15 7/8
hips 63 1/4 53 47 1/2 44 19 1/4
total to date 10/27/03 53
Photos
 292 7 days after surgery at about 290 |  |  169 1 yr postop-169 Loving life and still losing! |
