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Last year 2005

(11/01/05) - It is 2 days before my Lasik Eye Surgery & I'm feeling so overwhelmed. My cat, which I've had for 18 years, is on his last legs. He is ready to go any day now. I went home for lunch today, & my husband informs me that he had just gotten off the phone & ordered a pet casket & headstone and he wants to go pick them up right after my eye surgery Thursday. I'm totally devastated. I'm torn between having him put to sleep or just letting him go naturally. My dilemma is what if he’s not ready to go yet & I put him down. But on the other hand I just don’t want him to suffer. He’s been my companion for so many years, 14 ½ of which Steve was gone on the road. I will so totally miss him. My little white baby Crissy, disappeared 5 years ago last month and that just killed me. Anyway, just wanted to share with you. I’m excited about the surgery, but sad that I’ll probably put my cat down the day after.

This was on someones site & I thought it was cool, if it works for me:)

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About me - Updated 6/02 below
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My name is Lynell Allen. I am a 43-year-old housewife and mother to a 22-year-old daughter. I was 40 when I first started my research into the world of Gastric Bypass surgery. I first contacted my surgeon, Dr. Cooper, of Chico, California on January 22nd, 2000. My consultation was scheduled for February 24th, 2000. At that time I was approximately 85 lbs. over weight with major medical problems that were getting worse by the day. I was told by my surgeon that I probably would not qualify for insurance approval, but if I was serious, to fight. After receiving the run around by UHC, long story, but the short version was that I got false approval and lost my first date of April 17th, 2000 and then got denied and had to appeal. After winning my appeal, I was approved 3 days later. My date finally was set at May 31st, 2000. So by the time I had my surgery I was 41 years old and had gained about 28 lbs. It took me approximately 4 months from start to finish to have the surgery. I am about 2 1/2 to 3 months away from my 2 year anniversary and I have lost and kept off 114 lbs. I wear a size 4/sm. My dress size is a 6 do to boobs that are still too big. I have minimal excess skin and would like to have a tummy tuck, but will have to pay for it myself since it is not considered medically necessary. I no longer have any medical problems and except for getting Acute Sinusitis, Acute Bronchitis, and almost going into pneumonia, last month, haven't been this healthy since I was in my 20's. YES, if I had to do it again I would. I have no problems eating and except for my scar, you'd never know that I had surgery or that I ever was over weight. I am very petite and when I tell people that I used to be 114 lbs. over weight they're shocked and until I show my before pictures, they don't believe me. I will continue to update and answer any and all mail I receive. I lost about 7-8 months of update, so I have some memories and I have a weight loss chart if anyone needs to know that information. I will continue to drink 2-3 protein drinks until the day I die.

Pre-op & first 2 years of entries below
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2/27/00 - Well I had my first appointment. Doesn't look good.
I will probably have to fight my insurance company.
Dr. Cooper said that I didn't weigh enough. I am
5'5" and weigh 213#, (I had to gain weight and used
($200.00) in rolled quarters to get my weight up.
(It worked.)
3/2/00 - So, okay. It has been 7 days since my consultation and
I haven't heard a thing from the doctor’s office or the insurance company. I am too afraid to call them, afraid of denial, I guess. So which one do I call? In other words, who do I bother? I would appreciate any kind of support while I sit here and chew my nails and wait. Thank bunches.

3/6/00 - Well I bit the bullet and called Diane in the doctor’s office. She said that they sent a letter of request on 2/28. They have not heard anything yet, and since it is now almost 5:00 pm., I'll call United Healthcare tomorrow morning. I won't be able to sleep tonight. Wish me luck.

3/8/00 - Someone pinch me I must be dreaming.....I GOT APPROVAL!!!! It has only been 6 days and when I called they approved me right on the phone then. I have a date of 4/17/00 at 5:30 am. I called my husband on his cell and he was speechless. I do believe that he was hoping for denial. He is very worried about me. Well now I will have to convince him that I'm going to be fine. I am so excited. I can't wait; this is going to seem like an eternity.

3/10/00 - Well Diane, in Dr. Cooper’s office called and moved my date from Monday the 17th to Tuesday the 18th. That’s just fine; one day won't matter to me. I can wait.

4/6/00 - AFTER GETTING FALSE APPROVAL, then denial, having to appeal, and finally getting real approval, but losing my date of 4/18, I have a new date, 5/31. Instead of just 2 weeks wait I now have 8. I don't know if I can wait that long. I was so ready to do this NOW. I wanted it done and over with by summer. Now it looks like I will be trying to heal right in the middle of summer. Well, at least I now have real approval and surgery date.

5/23/00 - Well I have seven days left before my pre-ops. My husband and I will head down to Chico, CA Tuesday at noon. My surgery is scheduled for 11:00 am Wednesday morn, but if my surgeon decides to operate before his meeting, I'll be in by 5:00 am. (Note: He chose the latter, so be prepared) I am just starting to get butterflies in my stomach. I have been feeling kind of queasy the last 2 days. I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Too many things to do and too little time. Oh well, not much longer. I'll post again the day we head down. Thanks to all my new WLS e-pals, if it weren't for you all I don't know what I'd do.

5/30/00 - Heading down to Chico, Calif. for pre-ops today. Surgery tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. Got the worse tension headache this evening. Had to take 2 Tylenol and a valium.

5/31/00 - Well here I go! I remember very little about getting ready for surgery. I arrived at the hospital early and did the necessary admit stuff. Got weighed and gowned :) They prepped my tummy. My husband stayed with me until they wheeled me away. I don't remember saying good bye to him. I don't remember his kiss good bye. The other strange and funny thing I do remember was, no fear. I wasn't afraid of anything. I just told the Doc. that my life was in his and Gods hands and that was that. I was in surgery about 3 hrs. and when I came to, all I could think of was the intense pain I was in. Since I had never had any kind of surgery, no stitches, or anything, I had no clue how bad I would feel. I remember people (ICU nurses) talking and I remember a very blurry husband and best friend standing over me, but not much else, except the pain. I was in and out of it the rest of that day. The thing I hated the most was the stupid tube in my nose (YUK!!!!) and that they had placed my IV in the crook of my elbow. Every time I moved or bent my arm, an alarm would go off and everyone would come running. All of the nurses in ICU were great to me. I think I was in there for the day of surgery and most of the next day.

6/1/00 - I was in and out of it most of the day. Lot's of intense pain. Nothing like I could have ever imagined. I am coherent enough to know that I would never do this again in a million years. They moved me to my own room today. I am in a room with a lady who had WLS and who had my same doctor. He came to visit the next day, and informs the nurses that he prefers that no two patients of his be in the same room. I guess he is afraid that we'll compare notes:) My ng tube is removed, Thank God!!! I'm still having problems breathing (Asthma)

6/2/00 - So, I'm moved to another room. What a bumpy ride! I'm moved to a room with a lady who is in for some blood (not sure of her problem) She is allowed to eat REAL food. I can smell it and I know exactly what she is eating. My sore tummy growled and growled. The nurses on the 3rd floor were so good to me. Enloe was the best. They were a little hard on me, making me get up and walk, and walk. I didn't have to go very far, but the pain was terrible. Still pretty much out of it.

6/3/00 - Today I got my catheter and the epidural out. What a relief. I had never had a catheter before, now if they would just get this damn IV out of me. I have to have lots of breathing treatments. Having a real hard time breathing. I keep getting sick too. I do feel a little, I said little, bit better. I am walking a little more, and by evening I am walking a lot. I got a bath and got my hair washed, boy did that feel great. The lady who got to eat went home. I got the IV capped off. They wouldn't take it out just in case, but at least I wasn't tethered to the bed anymore. I had a really wrestless night last night. I couldn't get comfortable. Still sooooo much pain. I did get to eat some Orange sugar free jello, I was in heaven. YUM!!!!!!

6/4/00 - Well, I had such a good nights sleep finally, that when I woke up, I couldn't remember where I was at first. As soon as I got up to go to the bathroom I remembered. My doctor came in at 7:30 a.m. and asked me if I was ready to go home. I said YES!!!!!! He took my staples out and put some of the yuckiest smelling stuff (he said it was glue) on me and then put steri-strips on me. I finally got to see where the drain tube was inserted. That thing kind of gagged me. He said that they could take out the capped off IV and I could be released. I waited for my hubby to come in and then the nutritionist arrived to talk to me. Then my husband went grocery shopping for me and I got ready to leave. That was the longest trip I have ever taken. (2 1/2 hrs) I felt so sick. We stopped by the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions and that seemed like forever. When I got home I tried to take my pain meds. They were big round pills that had to be quartered. I kept trying to swallow them but kept puking them back up. I went all day Sunday and most of Monday with NO pain meds. I finally got a prescription of liquid Vicodin and got some sleep. I am having a very hard time.

6/6/00 - Still a lot of pain, found out that I can't drink Carnation Instant Breakfast. Don't know what to do now.

6/9/00 - Doctors appointment today. Got the drain tube out and got weighed. I have lost 13 pounds in 9 days. I hope that is good. Wanted to go shopping but just couldn't do it. I am still in soooo much pain. Can't sit up for more that 20 minutes. I am still sleeping on the couch. Our bed is real high and I can't climb up. I can get out, but not in.

6/18/00 - Well, I went out today. We went to a Fathers Day car show. Luckily we were in the shade all day. I wore myself out and fell asleep as soon as we got home. I haven't taken my pain meds. in about 4 days. Just taking Tylenol. Feel real queasy today. I am sleeping in my bed now. My husband put a foot stool by the bed so I can climb up. I am waking up at 5:00 a.m. every morning though. It hurts to lay flat for a long time. I spend most of my time on the couch.

6/19/00 - Ok. I feel a little bit better today. I wrote all of the above today. I kept a journal by my side and took notes so that when I was able I could write my experience to share with you all. I still see blurry, but I think I'm going to live. I've lost just a little over 20 pounds in 19 days. My incision is healing good. A week ago Sunday I ripped open the bottom of my incision, but we taped it real tight and it is healing good. I go back to my doctors 7/6/00 so I'll update my weight then. (Note: If you rip your incision open, tape it really tight with surgical tape. I did, and I have to say that that area looks the best now. The line is very fine there.)

3/14/01 - Okay........I don't know what happened to all of my updated profile from 7/14/00 to 2/10/01, 7 months worth of information deleted. Eric or someone, if you see this, can you figure out what went wrong? Anyway, back to my update now. I am 9 months and 2 weeks out of surgery. I am down 99#'s with 5 more to goal. I am almost there. I haven't felt healthier. I love my new life. I love shopping for clothes. Still don't have my pictures updated, but as soon as I get my film out of the camera, I'll post my recent pictures. I am in 9's and some 7/8's. See you soon, and I hope someone can figure out what happened to all my updates.


4/29/01 - Well, it's obvious that my updates from July 2000 to March 2001 have vanished. I am totally bummed about that. Here I poured my heart out for 7 months and POOF!!!! They're gone. Oh, well, I'll start copying them to a floppy from now on. Ok, now on to my update for April. I am almost 11 months out. I have 1 month left till I'm one year post-op. I am down 109 lbs. My actual goal was 104, but since I am small boned I decided to shoot for 114 lbs. I only have 5 lbs left to go. I'm wearing size 28 Levi 501's and I now have some new photos to update with. Carola my very dear friend gave me a Polaroid One-Step Express for my Birthday and I have been taking lots of pictures. I'm going to try to down load them here myself, but just in case I can't, I'll e-mail some to Kricket. I am doing so wonderful, I can't believe that almost one year ago, I was fat and miserable. I haven't had an asthma attack since surgery. I no long have acid reflux and I have so much energy. I did get sick last month and almost had to spend the night in the hospital. I got a bacteria in my lungs that caused me to run a high fever, which in turn caused me to become dehydrated. That caused my blood pressure to drop to 65/30 and my pulse to rise to 137. Very scary. I felt as though I had elephants sitting on my chest for 24 hours. I drove myself to our local Dr's office. He took one look at me and was going to call for an ambulance. I refused and just wanted to go home and wait for my husband to get in town to take me. The doctor refused to let me go. I ended up getting escorted to the ER by his nurse. After 4 hours of IV's, I was allowed to go home. I was fine after that. So, now I make sure that I have my water bottle with me every where I go. Things couldn't be better now. I am so looking forward to summer. We will be spending most of it on our boat, and yes, I will be wearing a bathing suit this year. I've always wore shorts in the past. Oh, yea, before I forget, Carola and I met in Santa Barbara for a 3 day spree a couple of weeks ago. We stayed in a posh hotel and shopped till we dropped. We had such a blast. Carola had her surgery 6 days before me; we've been friends since we met at Catalina Island in 1970. She has a profile here too. Well, I guess this is all for now. I'll be back for my rebirth birthday 5/31/01, which is also my 10 year anniversary. See you all then.

06/10/01 - Well............I just celebrated my one year anniversary on May 31st. So I had surgery 1 year and 10 days ago. I am officially down 110 lbs, with 4 left to goal (this last 4 pounds is taking forever). I wear a size 6 and my measurements are - Bust-38, Waist-28 & Hips-36, (when I started they were - B-50, W-42, H-49). I haven't been this small since school. (I never did have a weight problem until I turned 18) Okay, let’s see........what's new with me? Well, things are GREAT!!!!!!!! I have no health problems, I am having the best summer since I was 18 (1977), I wear a size 6 (already covered that, but boy do I like to say that), I have been spending a lot of time on Shasta Lake in our boat, and yes, I am wearing that bathing suit, (I even bought a black bikini, and I wear it), I have been traveling to Southern California with my hubby (he was working down there), been putting a lot of miles on my new little sports car (Christmas present, Mitsubishi Eclipse), went to Hearst Castle and went on the tour, drove our Jeep to the Oceano Dunes (went right down to the water with it), shop a lot, take our 67 camaro to car shows. Things that I notice now, well notice more now. People are friendlier, they treat me differently, I am more out going, guys flirt, (a lot!) I am happy, always a smile on my face. My hubby keeps telling me I'm sexy, he even says he has a problem with it. He told me that he's never thought of me that way. He told me to bear with him; it will take him a while to get used to the new & improved me. I don't think he's jealous, but just not used to it. I'm a totally new wife. I even wear glasses now. I find that at least 2-3 people notice my weight loss a day. It feels so good to feel this way, feel so good about myself. My self esteem is so high. My hubby told me that I look like a model. Well, I guess he has to say that:) My favorite thing to do now is go out in our boat and sit in the front (open bow) and have my hubby go real fast. I feel so free. I feel just like Cassie B. does, like I've been sleeping and have just woken up, actually I feel like a caterpillar that has turned into a butterfly, like a flower bud that has opened up. One of the other good things (well something that has made me feel good) is that I've had more people e-mail me and tell me that they can't believe that I'm 42. They tell me that I look 25-28, now that feels real good!!!!!! I have a little excess skin, no apron or anything, but just a little flabby tummy and what I call, elephant elbows. I have no butt at all, I mean flat as a pancake. I'm going to try and build up my glutes, but maybe I'll think about surgery in the future. I don't think I look too bad for a 42 year old woman who has just lost 110 lbs. My bust is still big. Well, proportioned well for my figure. My measurements in school were 38/25/36, wish I could get that tummy down another 3-4 inches :) Well, I hope I haven't bored or made anyone sick with all my gushing and happy stuff:) I'll keep on posting on a monthly basis and I hope that my success will encourage and inspire anyone considering surgery and I'll e-mail anyone who writes. I will answer any and all questions. Good luck and I'll see you next month. Take care!!!!!!!!!!!!


06/30/01 - Well I am 13 months out. I had to take the time to write cuz I've finally dropped 2 more lbs. That means I only have 2 left. I looked in the mirror the other day and I can actually say that I'm at the perfect weight. My six's are starting to get a little loose, but I think that I'm at my perfect body size. I thought that an 8 was my goal, but I'm more comfortable now. No, I'm not skin and bones. I still have my shape. I'm going to try and drop these last 2 lbs. But that is it for me. I am still doing my protein shakes (at least 2 a day) and I pretty much eat what I want, just normal or smaller portions. My health is still great and I've been riding my bike and my exercycle. I have tons of energy and am hardly ever tired. And the sex!!! The sex is so great!!!!!!!! I think my hubby thinks so too:) Sorry, just had to add that. Been together for 10 years and it feels like we're still on our honey moon. For those who are considering surgery, as I said above, GO FOR IT!!!!!!! You'll never live to regret your decision. Good luck to everyone waiting, having and those who have had surgery. Life is soooooooooo GOOD. See you next month. Almost forgot to add that my BMI was 39.1 when I started. As you can see I am at the lower to normal end now.

9/04/01 - Well, it has been a while since I last posted. About 2 months. I have reached my goal weight and now wear a size 4. I have lost a total of 114 lbs in 14 months. I am still as healthy as ever and I still feel wonderful. Life is so different now. I am more energetic than I've been since I was in my 20's. I try to keep busy every day. I'm still drinking at least 2 protein shakes a day and I still stay away from fat; (no gall bladder) and I only eat sugar occasionally. I eat pretty much whatever else I want just smaller portions. I have a minimal amount of excess skin, my scar looks great (I was so worried it would look unsightly and get infected) and it healed just fine. My arms are still a little flabby and I still have no butt, (I guess I'll just visit Frederick's of Hollywood) I'd like to have a tummy tuck to tighten my stomach muscles, but I'll have to wait until we can afford it since it doesn't look like it is medically necessary. I'd like to have my breast lifted but hubby says, "NO WAY!" so I'll just make sure I have great support bras. I'm still a D. I was hoping to get down to a C, but I've been a D my whole adult life. Granted I'm a 34-D instead of a 40-DD, but for some reason I thought I'd get down to a C. I have a complete whole new wardrobe all size 4 and size small. Still just seems so weird buying size 4 clothes. I hold them up and they look so tiny. Just can't figure out how this big butt of mine fits in those tiny things:) I know, just a frame of mind, but I just can't figure it out. I look in the mirror and see a large size woman. I know in my mind I'm tiny, but I still see the big woman. I sure hope that goes away someday, and someday soon. Once you get to goal you'll understand what I'm talking about. I grew up a normal size person so I figure that this must be a learned experience. I wasn't overweight until I graduated high school so since I've been overweight for approx. 22 years, that's half my life. Of course I was up and down most of those though. Maybe in another year I'll get used to this. I have new pictures on the way. I'll update with my "I've reached goal" pictures as soon as they're developed. I'll update next month and for anyone who has questions or who needs moral support, I'm here. Please take care and good luck.

10/06/01 - Today I am 16 months post-op and reached my goal a month or two ago. I have updated my after picture to reflect my goal weight. I have still had no problems and feel wonderfully healthy. I am firmly in a size 4/small. I am still not used to this. I find that there are very few clothes that I can't wear. This is still the best thing that I have ever done for myself and my family. I will be 43 in 3 months and I feel like I'm in my 20's. I am full of energy and still drink at least 2 protein drinks a day. Last month while my husband was working in Seattle, Washington, I went with him and had the joyous opportunity to meet and dine with Michelle (vitalady) Curran and her husband Don. They are such great people!!!!! We dined at a very interesting restaurant and had wonderful conversation. I also was fortunate to purchase some of her protein samples. YUM!! They were very good. Only took me a couple of days to drink them though. For anyone who hasn't had a chance to try them, I'd suggest getting some. Well worth it. I'm on my way to Oregon, so have a good one and I'll see you next month.

01/24/02 - Well it has been a few months since I've updated. My computer went down and was in the shop until last week. Every thing is still the same, WONDERFUL, here. I'm still holding my own. Haven't gained an ounce. Still feel great. Just turned 43 last Wednesday (16th). My hubby took me out to listen to a local band called Clearcut. They sound a lot like Collective Soul and sing a lot of Creed's songs. They'll definitely be going places, so if you ever hear of them remember where they started, Redding, California. Had a great Thanksgiving. Went to Portland, Oregon to visit a childhood friend who I lost contact with in 1969 when I was 10. Our parents were best friends and there were 4 girls in her family and 4 girls in our's. She and I were the oldest. We started communication when my father passed away in 1999. She is a very dear & special friend. We had such a good time. We got up at 4:00 am the day after Thanksgiving and hit the stores & Mall. We shopped until we dropped :) Got a video camera. YEA!!!! Christmas was good. Got some nice jewelry. Got all dressed up for New Years, first time since 1993. We don't drink, so we usually stay home and are in bed by 10:00. We went out with friends and listened to a band. I wore my new RED dress. (See picture below) Went to Macy's for a Birthday Makeover. I never wear makeup, so that was fun. I'm heading to Riverside, Ca., to visit Carola (who had surgery 6 days before me) my friend of 33 years Saturday. Then I'll head to Arizona to be with my husband. When we get back we have a wedding to go to. Will post pictures of those events too. Carola & I are going to go to Glamor Shot's for Valentine photos. I want to surprise Steve. I'm going to try and include my webshot's web link here and if it doesn't work I'll just delete it. Now that I've got my computer fixed I'll update next month or sooner if I get more pic's up. Take care and keep those e-mails coming. Anyone who didn't get an answer over the last 2 months or so, sorry, just got back on-line. Please write back and I'll answer now. See you soon.

02/19/02 - Well, only 3 more months until my 2-year anniversary. Can't believe it. Being fat is now just a vague memory. Ok. All is great here. Went on my trip down south. Went to Carola's in Riverside. She convinced me to go out to her local western club. Big mistake! After getting up at 3:00 am and traveling for 9 hours to get there, I was exhausted and had been sick with a cold for about 4 weeks. She kept me up for 23 hours and I ended up very sick by the time I got to Yuma, AZ 2 days later. I had to go to the ER and after $160.00 in medical and medication; I'm okay now. Kind of put a hamper on my plans on my trip. All I got to do was see a movie and shop in Riverside. Steve and I did get to go to Mexico and buy some nice things, but we never made it to Phoenix or Tucson. By the time we got back home Feb. 2nd, I was feeling a little better. See you next month.

04/04/02 - Well, I can't believe that in less than 2 months, I will be 2 years post-op. I just reread my profile and can't believe what my measurements were before surgery. My bust has gone from 50 down to 38 (sz. 36D bra), waist from 42 to 27 & my hips from 49 to 35. I have lost a total of 41 inches in just those 3 areas. I've gone from at least a size 18 (refused to buy any size larger than a 16, so I'm guessing) down to a 4. I reached my goal 14 months after surgery and as of this morning am still down 114 lbs. and still holding my own. I can't believe that I've maintained my goal weight for 9 months now. I still have my fat days (you know the kind, wear you feel fat, even though you know that you haven't gained an ounce.) My husband tells me it is all in my head, but even after 2 years, I still feel this way. I weigh and the scale says the same thing, but I still feel fat. My husband says I'm nuts:) Well, I'm getting ready to head to Portland, OR to visit my friend Lorri. Then I'll head over to LeGrande, OR to pick my hubby up from work. We'll head back home to CA on the 15th, and our first car show of the year will be the 19th & 20th. We picked up the boat from storage last Tuesday, and are getting ready to take it to the lake Saturday. Yep, it's bathing suit weather again. I can remember loving summer but dreading it every year. Now I embrace it with open arms:) Still feel great and still drinking the protein. I go to the doctors for the first time since 1 mo. after surgery. I'll have a panel done and make sure all is good. See you next month. I know enough is enough!!!!! LOL! Just making up for the 20 something years I hid from the camera:) Take care.

06/01/02 - Well, here it is June 1st, 2002. Wow!!!!! Two whole years have passed since my surgery. How my life has changed. The 1st of June 2000 is just a vague memory to me now. It was the day after the event that changed my life forever. So much has happened to me. All good of course. I just recently (5/9) got a job that is only 2 miles from my home, got in a car accident and almost totaled my Eclipse (it's still at the dealership getting repaired. They've had it since April 18th). No I didn't get hurt, but it happened after I left my doctor's office and I never made it to the hospital to have my lab work done. It also happened 5 days before my trip to Portland, OR. My insurance company gave me a rental (2002 Explorer) and I was able to make my trip. I also applied for 2 jobs & found out on the same day that I'd gotten both of them. What a hard decision to make. I guess I chose the better one, cuz I love my new job. I am the front office person in our local doctor's office. I've been training since the 9th of May & as of next week I'm on my own. What started out as part time has turned into full time. We only have one doctor a day with 2 trading days. I really don't believe that I would have gotten this job had I not had surgery. I applied for it about 5-6 years ago and never heard back from them. This time, not only was I hired, but I started the day after the interview. I turned down the other one. I feel so good about myself now. I have to dress up and now that I'm skinny it is so much fun. My health is so great. I get up at 4:30 every morning, head to work at 8:00, work 8-10 hrs., get home & clean house & make dinner. I have so much energy. There is no way I could have done that before. I'd be exhausted before lunch even came. Now I don't even realize it when it's time to go home. I stay up until about 10:00 pm with no trouble at all. I'm on a natural high:) I'd like to thank everyone who has written to me. I love to help when I can. Also, thank you for the nice comments. They make me feel great. I will continue to update on a monthly basis so that those who are considering surgery will know what a success I've had and to help answer any questions you might have. And to those who have had surgery, if you find that you need an answer to something, please feel free to write too. I'm always here. It might take a day or 2, now that I'm and important working person:), but I'll answer as soon as I can. Thanks to all who acknowledged my 2 year birthday. Now, I have to go and celebrate with my hubby. It was also our 11 year anniversary and I'm sure that he has something exciting planned.

8/20/05

Well, it has been quite a while since I’ve been here to update. I had surgery 5 years, 2 months & 19 days ago. I originally lost 120 lbs. but put 9 back on. I am now 46 and am still working the same job I got in May of 2002. A lot has happened since I last updated. Actually I haven’t updated since I went to work. I just don’t have any time. I do have the before and after page on my desktop at work & still enjoy reading the profiles. I’m just bad about updating mine.

March of last year I was approved by my insurance for a tummy tuck. I had a complete tummy tuck April 23rd of 2004. They removed 3-4 lbs of fat & skin. I pierced my belly button August 20th (I’m a belly dancer now) & in November while visiting my husband in San Jose at work, my belly ring just fell out. The scar tissue was too thin. I’ve had steroid injections in the base of my scar & I am waiting to have it lasered before I attempt to pierce it again. It wasn’t painful, but I want to make sure my scar is totally healed before I do it again.

Since going to work in May of 2002, I have felt absolutely fine, except for a few things. One namely (well the biggest) is the fact that my chiropractor (who WAS also my doctor) found a goiter on my neck while adjusting me about August of 2003. He sent me for a TSH, and when it came back normal, never mentioned it again. From that time on, I started to feel fatigued, my skin was dry & my hair started falling out again. I also started to have 2 periods a month. One day in January of this year (2005) I had a sore throat & asked the doctor I work with to take a look at my throat. First thing he says is, “How long have you had that goiter?” I’m floored by this. I tell him that my doctor found it about 2 years before, but my TSH came back normal so that was the end of it. He proceeds to ask me about my T3 & T4 (labs for thyroid) & tells me that I should really get a scan done. I tell him that I’m in between doctors at the present (long story) & how was I supposed to get this done. He agrees to write up an order for the scan & the nurse I work with draws my blood for the T4. In the mean time I find a new doctor (a female) & explain that I had the test done & pending the results, I’d like to start seeing her. She agrees, and an appointment was set for the following Tuesday. On Saturday, while I was home the Nurse Practitioner I work with got my results at the Walk-in Clinic at our other office and calls me at home and tells me that my T4 was .59. The normal low is .71. And I do indeed have a huge goiter but no masses. I’m freaking out by now cuz this explains why I’ve been feeling down for the last 2 years. It also explains why I had been having 2 periods. I just thought I was going through the change. I go to the doctors that Tuesday & find out that I have hypothyroidism and to my amazement I had put on 14 lbs since my tummy tuck in April of 2004. She puts me on 50 mcg’s of Levoxyl & I start dieting like crazy. I had no idea that I had gained the weight; my clothes still fit the same. After about 2 weeks of the medication I start feeling like my old self & then my periods start coming once a month again. My hair starts growing & my skin is no longer dry. After about 2-3 more weeks though I start feeling sluggish again & my doctor ups my dose to 75 mcg’s. My T4 is drawn again & it’s up to .91, which to me still seems low. I start feeling normal again in a week or 2 but then eventually I start feeling tired again. I decide to increase my meds myself. I decided to take one of each (50 mcg’s & 75 mcg’s) but didn’t add right cuz I thought that I had increased to 100 when actually I increased to 120 mcg’s. I called my doctor to let her know and find out if it was all right. She never got back to me, so I’m assuming she agrees with it. That was months ago and I feel absolutely wonderful now. I lost the 14 lbs by dieting and I fluctuate between 128 & 132. I got down to 119, but that was too thin for my height (5’5”). I wear mostly 6’s, but some 4’s still fit. I have a flat stomach, but by having the tummy tuck, it changed my shape & my inches. I use to have a waist of 26 & now it’s 27. And my hips used to be 35-36 now they’re 37. Not sure why my measurements changed, unless it has something to do with the way the Plastic surgeon pulled my skin up & down. Now that all my fat cells are gone from my stomach, I think that when I put on even one pound it goes straight to my arms or thighs. My bust is still a 36D, but when I was down to 119, I was all hanging skin. As soon as I gained to 128 they started to fill back out. I’ve sent a few updated photos in so that you can see that I’ve pretty much maintained my weight/size. The black & white close up was taken Christmas of 2003 & the belly dance ones & the red evening gown where taken 2 month’s ago. And the sexy one in the orange was taken about 4-5 weeks ago. I'll continue to update occasionally. It is nice to read profiles of people who are as far out as I am and farther to see if the surgery does indeed work for life. It is totally normal to lose below your ideal weight & gain back about 10-20 lbs. It is freaky at first cuz you think that you're starting to gain it all back again, but I'm living proof that it is totally normal. I found a protein drink (in a can) that has 50 mgs of protein. I try to drink 2 of them a day, I eat a fat free yogurt, one normal meal (salad w/chicken), & I eat fruit & veges. I don't eat much bread, pasta or rice. I am hooked of Seaweed chips, made by Stash Tea. I also occasionally eat ice cream (my one weakness). I started drinking diet soda when I went to work, but I've been off of it for about 4-5 months now. I drink 2 cups of coffee w/ff. coffee mate (flavored kind) every day & I'm hooked on cranberry juice blends. I mix it with water so it's not so sweet. I take a Flintstone vitamin w/iron, Bromelain, Acidophilus & a Probiotic Complex. I take my levoxyl. I have ended up in the ER with medicinally induced gastritis & therefore I can't take any pills for pain & such. I pulled the ligaments in my ankle when I fell last September & was in a cast for 9 weeks. And that is about all that has happened to me. Still married to the most wonderful man in the world who sometimes tells me that he misses the old (fat) me, but he is also very proud of me.

8/22/05

Wow! That was fast. I didn't think my photos would get posted so soon. Thank you. I'm also missing 7 months of entries from my first year out of surgery. Still bummed about that one.

WARNING: LONG WINDED 4 PAGE UPDATE BELOW:)
Last updated:9/27/05

In just a few days it will be 5 yrs. 4 mo. Since GB Surgery. There are a few things that I’ve wanted to share but haven’t had the time or desire to dredge them up. First one started 5 days after 9/11/01, when I was coming home from Seattle, Washington. I had had gas, the burping kind, & so I was taking either Gas Aid or Gas-X like candy & evidently not drinking enough water. I started to get this awful pain right under my sternum in the middle of my chest. It felt like a volcano irrupting. I don’t have a gall bladder so I knew it wasn’t that. It was so bad it was taking my breath away & I had no clue what it was. It got so severe at one point I made my husband pull over & I got out and lay down in the grass on the side of the road. Eventually it subsided & we went on our way. The next time I had the pain was when I tripped over the railroad tracks & fell & hit my knee on the rail. I was home alone & in so much pain. I propped it up on a pillow, put ice on it & took a Vicoden. Wrong! Big mistake. After a while I started getting that pain again. I couldn’t figure out what was causing me to have such bad pain. I started to chug water and about 2-3 hrs. later it subsided. The next episode was when I got a migraine headache that lasted 3 days & would not go away. One of the PA’s I work with prescribed Tylenol 3 w/Codeine. I took one at 4 pm & went to bed. I woke up with a jolt at about 11 pm with the same pain again. I started to chug water hoping that it would go away like the time before. I would drink a whole bottle of water, the pain would kind of go away & I’d go back to sleep until I woke up with a full bladder. As soon as I emptied it the pain would come back. This went on until about 2 am when I then started to get sick to my stomach. The next time I got up to pee I started to throw up. At first it was dry heaves. Then when I got sick it was foamy yellow. Then about 3 or 4 am it was blood. At that moment I knew something was very wrong. This went on about every 20-30 minutes with some sleep in between until 6 am, when my husband, who had just gotten home at about 5 pm from working out of town, & driving for 10 hrs. got mad & said, “I’m taking you to the ER!” And of course, stubborn me, say’s, “No I’m going to work in 30 minutes.” He got on the phone, called my boss & told him I wasn’t coming in & we were on our way to the ER. When I got there they gave me an IV with Morphine, Zofran (for nausea) & Prevacid or Pepsid. After about 2 hrs. the pain subsided & I quit throwing up. I was diagnosed with medicinally induced gastritis. Yea! My illness has a name. The doctor scolded me & told me, “no pain medication stronger than Tylenol or Darvocet,” which up till then hadn’t caused me a problem. My next episode, No I didn’t learn my lesson, was about 3-4 months later on Thanksgiving when I was at a friends, who also had the surgery, & I started to feel those gas pains & she offered me some kind of generic gas relief. At first I said no way. Then she showed me how small it was, and I thought there’s no way that little pill was going to hurt me. Wrong again! Within 10-20 min. I felt the pain coming. My friend got on the phone & called the ER doc & explained the situation to him & asked if it would be ok if I took Prevacid. He said yes. I did and within minutes I was back to normal. My next episode, ok I know what you’re thinking, was about a week after I had my tummy tuck. I had been taking Percocet for the first 7 days after surgery & had already stopped taking them, when I rolled over in my sleep & felt a burning sensation on my left hip area on my scar. In my sleep, I reached over and grabbed a pill, broke it in half & took it with some water. This time within minutes I had that unbearable pain. I had to be at work in a few hours so I stumbled to the kitchen grabbed a bottle of water & a slice of bread. The water didn’t touch the pain & all the bread did was get stuck in my mouth. I tried to stand up & felt the nausea rush over me & I thought I was going to faint. I sat back down for a few minutes until I felt well enough to get up & rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a yogurt. It must have worked. I woke up at 5:00 am in an upright position with the yogurt cup in my hand and half of it gone. I felt like I had been run over by a Mack Truck, but the pain was gone & I went to work. Then the next, & YES, the last time was last November when I got another migraine that lasted 3 days & I was taking Darvocet & Tylenol with no relief. Then one of the Practitioners I work with told me to take more than one Darvocet. By the time Saturday came I had taken about 5 Darvocet probably as many Tylenols. I just knew that I had to get rid of this headache; I was heading to San Jose to see my husband & go to Santa Cruz on Saturday (3 days later). I got up early Saturday morning, no more headache, I headed south. I stopped in Redding to shop & started to feel gas pains. Went to the pharmacy isle & grabbed a bottle of liquid Imodium (liquid, great!) When I got to my car I just opened the bottle & chugged a dose. Great! Felt fine. It's 10:00 am & I’m headed to see my honey. I had dinner the night before at 7 pm., coffee for breakfast, I’m finally feeling fine. About 2 hrs into my trip I’m on the 505 HWY & I’m about 2 hrs. from San Jose when all of a sudden I feel that dreaded pain coming on in my chest/stomach area & it’s coming on fast. I’m in the fast lane & thinking UH OH!!!! No Prevacid, no water & no food in the car. There isn’t a gas station or convience store to be found anywhere. I’m in the middle of no where & I still had 2 more Freeways before I’d be in San Jose. I didn’t know what to do. I slowly got in the slow lane and exited off the freeway. I pulled over, barely made it out of the car & was hunched over on my heels swaying back & forth. I didn’t know if I should call 911 or what. I called my husband who had been up all night working (he had gotten home at 9 am) and woke him up. He didn’t know what to do for me. I just kept telling him that I was sorry, but I thought I was going to die. Eventually the pain subsided enough for me to get back on the road, so I told my husband I’d see him in a few hours. I just made it a few hundred feet when the pain started to come back. This time I’m scared to death. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!!! I decide to call the FNP I work with. She was working our walk-in clinic. By the time she get’s on the phone I’m out of breath & I think that I’m dying. She tells me to pull over or she’ll call 911. I tell her that I have to wait until I get out of the smoke from someone burning in their field and she tells me, “NO! PULL OVER NOW!” I finally see clearing & pull over, get out of the car & once again am down on my hunches rocking back in forth in pain. She tells me that I’m hyperventilating & to breath like I’m in labor. I do, & amazingly it works. I calm down, tell her thanks & after a few minutes, I get back in the car and on my way. Mind you, I’m still hurting with the same pain, but now I know how to breath/work through it. By the time I get to San Jose 2 hrs. later I feel like I’ve been beaten in the stomach by someone’s fists. And THAT was the last time I had a gastritis episode. But before the last episode I seek out to see a GI doctor who sends me to have an upper GI. I’ll elaborate on that experience later on down the page.

My second experience was the one with the dreaded insurance company, UHC, & Plastic Surgery. And of course why they approved me & my experience. Probably the summer of 2002, after I went to work in the Medical field, I developed Umbilical Cellulitis because of my desk job & the fact that my belly button was laying over & causing an infection. After the first summer of this, I decided to see a plastic surgeon just to see what he thought. He told me that my belly button had detached itself from my stomach wall/muscle & was 2 ½ inches deep. I was just self treating with rubbing alcohol. The PS took notes & pictures & submitted to UHC. They responded to me right away & asked for documentation. Well…..since I was self treating I didn’t have any. I put it on the back burner & started collecting as much info/notes as I could. Every time it acted up I went to the doctor’s. I would get an infection 3-4 times every summer & have to get a topical antibiotic. I even got documentation from my gynecologist. Of course when I told her that I wanted plastic surgery she disapproved of it. I had the foot care nurse at work take photos of my belly button with a huge q-tip inserted with my thumb marking how deep. I then waited until spring of 2004 & took it all back to the PS for another consultation. Their office resubmitted it, and after about a month of run-around, (Ins. Co) I finally got approval & had my surgery April 23, 2004. I was very surprised to wake up & find out that the surgeon had used staples instead of sutures after he had told me that he definitely used sutures. I was a little disappointed, but dealt with it. I also really liked the way my belly button looked. The surgery was a piece of cake. I went in at 1:30 pm & was out by 4:30 pm on a Friday with a morphine pump & in NO PAIN. I was also given a script for Percocet. My insurance company allotted for a home health care nurse who came out the next day, Saturday, to check the pump, I.V. & incision & then Sunday she removed it. I went for follow-up & to get drains removed 5 days later on Tuesday. Half of my 98 staples were removed 2 days later. Then I was supposed to go back 5 days later but developed 2 huge pockets of fluid. The nurse for the PS told me to come in right away. They had to aspirate 30 cc’s from the left hip area & 80 cc’s from the right. It hurt like a son-of-a-gun. He took the drains out too soon. He thought that I’d have to go back again, but I didn’t. Two days later I got the last of the staples removed. I was driving after 10 days & back to work full time in 17. I am very please with the surgery itself, but I am very unhappy with the railroad track scar.

Now on to my third & most devastating update of all. Two months after my tummy tuck when I was sent to the GI doctor because of my episodes of gastritis, I was sent in for an upper GI. They thought that perhaps I had an ulcer. It was a real time GI & while I was drinking that yucky white stuff, the technician went & got the Radiologist. At this point I’m a little confused & concerned. I thought that the Radiologist read the x-rays later. Anyway, the Radiologist is totally floored/amused/amazed at what he is seeing. By this time I turn around (I’m standing up against the table with the machine in front of me) & I start watching the screen. What I see, or assume I’m seeing, is my stomach with a waterfall. I asked the Radiologist rather quickly, “What is that?” “Why is that happening?” “Where is that fluid going?” At which point he tells me, “Well it looks like you have a staple line disruption & the fluid is leaving your pouch & going directly into the bottom stomach.” I am devastated!!!!!! I’m in shock. I slowly get dressed & wander out of the hospital over to our business office, at which point I collapse on the floor in front of the Business Manager & start to cry. I just had my tummy tuck 2 months ago. I don’t want to be cut open again. I call my husband, I think. It’s all a fog. After about 2 days I snap out of it and am determined not to let this get to me. I’m going to fix this. I then call my original surgeon who did my RNY, at which point I’m informed that my doctor no longer takes UHC, he doesn’t do LAP & he definitely doesn’t do revisions. I’m so pissed by this point. I go directly to the GI doctor & beg him to fix me. I tell him, “just go in & fix that staple line.” He is concerned but explains that this is serious & I need to see a specialist. He tells me to give him a few days to come up with something. He personally calls me at home 2 days later & tells me that he found 3 doctors that he’s willing to refer me to. One is in Monterey, CA, one in Southern CA & the best is in Fresno. I get on-line & research them all and decide to call the one is Fresno. He does his surgeries LAP & he has done revisions. So I set up an appt. for the first week of Sept. Which was 2 months later. When I get down there, he tells me that my PS did such a good job on skin removal that there is no room to do the surgery for revision unless it is an emergency (15-20 lb gain) & that LAP would probably be totally out of the question. Then he proceeds to tell me that my PS did an awful job on the incision. He asked if I was self-pay or if the Ins. Co. paid. When I tell him yes, UHC paid, he explains that’s why the PS used staples, and you get what you pay for. He is correct. The PS would have charged between $5000 & $8000 for my surgery & he only made $800 from Ins. & my share was about $130. Lesson learned. Next time I’ll be self pay. I leave the Surgeons office bewildered. Now I don’t know what to do. Am I going to be okay? Is it alright if my staple line is disrupted? Am I going to gain all my weight back? I just drove about 8 hours & I’m pretty much told it’s a wait & sees game for me. I spend the night & drive home the next day with no answers. So……….when I go to my new doctors for my newly diagnosed hypothyroidism I get weighed & find out that I’ve gained 14 lbs in less than one year. When I weighed day of PS surgery 4/23/04 I’m 128 and now 9 months later I’m 142. Is this because of the SL disruption or thyroid? My doctor tells me that yes, it’s probably the thyroid, but just to be safe lets do another leak test. When the results come back they are compared to the ones last year & the leak is exactly the same. So I’m put on thyroid medication & she tells me the bad news is that I gained the weight because of the thyroid, and I’ll have to diet to lose the weight, but the good news is that now that I’m taking medication I won’t gain anymore weight. So here I am. I lost the 14 pounds, I’m on medication probably for the rest of my life, and I have a staple line disruption that is a potential time bomb. You bet that I’ll be weighing weekly for the rest of my life.

So some good news is that after 4 ½ years, I am getting Lasik Eye Surgery 11/04/05. I lost 109 lbs & gained bifocals in 2001. I have a problem wearing contacts & I can’t Belly Dance with glasses on. So…..after the 4th I’ll be glasses no more. I can’t wait.

Photos

210 7-11-99 My friend Carola and I, 10 months before surgery. I did gain more weight.

lbs. lost Bottom Left Photo Goal 7/01, Orange most recent 7/05, Rest are 5/05