aokerlund
I got my insurance approval after the first letter... it took them 2 days to approve the procedure! I'm so excited! :)
My surgery (Laproscopic RNY)is scheduled for August 8, 2003.
8/4/03: Gosh, only 4 more days until my surgery date! I'm very nervous, but excited at the same time. I can't believe it's almost here. I'll check in next time post-op. :o)
8/7/03: Well, it's less than 12 hours until surgery. I'm doing well - a little nervous, but mostly excited. I've been strict with my pre-op diet and feeling really good about tomorrow. Well, I guess there's not much else to say at the moment. I'll see you on the losing side! Thanks to everyone's messages of support. It's been unbelievably helpful! :o) God bless!
8/10/03: I'm baaack! I'm 3 days post-op and feeling better each day. My hospital stay was GREAT! All of the staff there at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach was AMAZING. I felt I was in very capable hands during my stay. I was nervous the morning of the surgery, but was very excited. After a quick pre-surgery meeting with the nurses, I got hooked up with an IV, vital stats, changed into a big hospital gown, and wheeled into the OR "holding" area. I was there for about 40 minutes, and then the anethesolgist came in and gave me something to sedate me. WOOOOOooooo... LOL! Needless to say, I was worry free and ready for surgery! I was then wheeled into the OR and was VERY sleepy. I don't remember much, just looking up at lights and then I was out. I don't even remember the gas-mask going on my face! I woke up in the recovery room where nurses quickly answered questions and made me feel at ease. My first question was "was it open, or laproscoptic?". The nurse check my incisions and said "laproscoptic". HUGE relief! Thank you God! I just felt very groggy, and I was breathing shallow breaths and a slight aching in my abdomen. I was quite chatty with the nurses too, so that was an encouraging sign. About 1 1/2 hour later, I was wheeled to my room, and my parents and sister joined me about 15 mins. later. I was so excited to see them. It was great...
Well, so far, I've been blessed with a great experience. No complications (knock on wood) and I'm strictly following doctors orders in hopes that no complications will follow.
Thanks to everyone for their kind messages and well wishes! I can't begin to explain how it's helped me on my journey! GOD BLESS!! :)
8/17/03: Hi everyone! Well, I'm 10 days post-op and down... ready?.... 20 lbs. I can't believe it. I feel so great, full of energy and can't believe how much I've lost already. It feels great to be on the losing side!! I haven't had any complications (thank God), and I feel amazing. Incisions look great and I can't wait to lose more weight! :) Check in later.. BFN!
10/03/03: Wow, it's been too long since my last update. Things have been going great! I only had one 'dumping' episode, on turkey sausage, of all things! NOT fun. Now that I've been on regular foods, I've been taking my time to explore things. My last doctor's visit was a success. Everything is healing and the weight is falling off. As of this week, I'm down 44.5 lbs. and counting. Thats 44.5 lbs in 8 weeks. I'm on my way! Clothes, shoes, even my car fit better! :)
10/30/03: Well, here I am 12 weeks post-op and down 62 lbs. I can't believe it. Somebody pinch me! Things have been going great. Last week I started working out with a personal trainer which has really helped me. Since I've been working out and walking consistantly, I've had much more energy and its been easier to get up in the morning, etc. Clothes keep getting looser and I'm more agile. I'm so excited, I can't wait til next month, and the month after, etc.! I finally see the future as nothing but endless potential, rather than something I fear. Check back later! Take care everybody!
12/11/03: Wow! It's been a while since my last update. I must make the effort to keep up on the updates. Well, as of this morning, I have lost 80.5 lbs! Thats about 20lbs a month on average so far. I can't believe it, I feel amazing. It's surreal. I've been working out consistantly with my trainer twice a week, and walking/cycling an additional 2 times a week. Thanksgiving was great! Managed to have a tiny bit of everything: had a bit of turkey, stuffing, yams & potatoes, and even managed a bite of pumpkin pie. I do not feel deprived at all. I can pretty much have lots of stuff now (except sugary/fried foods), and I'm loving life. I've been treating myself to some great sushi lately, trying to get that good protein in. Mmmm....tuna tataki sashimi! Anyway, I'm looking forward to Christmas and New Years... My goal is to lose 10.5 lbs by that time. I don't think I'll have a problem with that :)! God bless everyone out there and I wish the best for you this holiday season. Take care! :)
1/12/04: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Well, I've been stuck on a monster plateau since my last update. I had be teetering from 86-88 lbs lost for the longest time! (About 3 weeks or so) It didn't matter that I was eating right, drinking water and exercising regularly. The weight just stopped! Well, I'm happy to say that I had broken the plateau over the past weekend, and I'm now down 91.5 lbs! That's just 8.5 lbs from losing 100 lbs! Now that my plateau has been broken, I'm hoping the weight will continue to come off in a steady consistancy over the next few weeks. I'm going to up my exercise to help it along. I've been walking regularly and seeing my personal trainer 2 times a week. I'm shooting to get as much weight off that I can in the next month since I'll be leaving for vacation in England/Scotland on Feb. 13th! I'm excited, since I will be seeing friends that haven't seen me from BEFORE my surgery. Anyway, lots to be thankful for and lots to look forward to in 2004! Its going to be a great year.
2/1/2004: Well, I did it! As of this morning, I've officially lost 101 lbs.! I can't believe it, I'm so happy! The past week I've been sick with a bad cold, so I haven't been exercising at all, and I felt so lazy. But when I stepped on the scale, I couldn't believe my eyes! The weight just came off. I went to a concert in LA last Friday and had such a great time! I danced and squeezed up to the stage to see one of my fave bands ("Travis"), and it was such a great time!! I start back with my trainer this week and I'll be exercising like crazy until Feb. 13th, when I leave for vacation to England & Scotland. I hope to lose another 5-10 lbs. by Feb. 13th. It's a long shot, but I'm going to try my best! I'm actually looking forward to the plane trip. I've never been this thin on a plane before! I can't wait to ease myself into my seat and feel comfortable for a change, rather than a blob squeezing into the seat, and not being able to relax! SIGH Wow.. this is going to be great! :)
3/7/04: Well, I'm at my 7 month anniversary, and I'm down 111 lbs.!! I bought a size 16 pair of trousers at Macys the other day, and nearly cried! LOL I don't remember the last time I wore a size 16. I think I was in the 8th grade in Jr. High! Wow, I am so excited. My trip to the UK was fantastic and I got to see lots of friends that haven't seen me since April 2003, so they were amazed at my weight loss. It was really nice to hear all the compliments and positive feedback. Talk about an ego boost! heheheh Anyway, I forget about how different I look to people who haven't seen me in a while. I also ran into an old friend at a work function the other night, and he saw me last Halloween, and says that I look fantastic. I just saw him last October, which doesn't seem so long ago, so thats cool! Heheheh No side effects or any dumping, so I feel great! Life is great! :)
8/6/2004: Wow, I feel so bad - I haven't updated in 5 months! GOSH! All I can say is that I've been extremely happy and enjoying life! Summer in southern California has been fantastic. I've been hitting the beach every weekend and dating and just having fun! Quite a contrast from the same time last year. This Sunday is my year anniversary of surgery, and I can't believe how far I've come. I'm down 146 lbs., and have about 20 more lbs. to my goal! I can't believe it - everything has happened so fast, but I'm so incredibly happy. I have to pinch myself everyday! :) I've had no complications and have been enjoying bites of this and that. I must admit my exercise has decreased the past month due to being very busy with work and friends, but I plan to apply myself in August to get to my goal. I'll be researching having plastic surgery to remove excess skin (tummy tuck & breast lift) over the next couple months. I wasn't sure how badly I'd need the surgery, but as I get closer to my goal, I can tell I'm definitley going to have it done. Good luck to everybody out there! Have a great summer! :)
5/15/2006: YOWZERS! I haven't updated in, hmm, let's do the math... about a year and a half??? WOW! The more weight you lose, the flakier you get - LOL! Just teasing! But it is funny how my life has kept me so busy! All is good, but I didn't have a little set-back in August of 2005 with an internal hernia/intestinal blockage complication. I had emergency laproscopic surgery to fix the problem. Unfortunately, when they went in, it was a bigger problem than they had anticipated, so they had to pull out and cut me open. I'm not going to lie, it was an extremely painful surgery to recover from and I was down for a month. Aside from that, I'm feeling great now. I'm still struggling with those last dang 20 pounds!! Hee hee! It's okay though - I've been so busy with my career and my personal life has been great! Working out hasn't been my priority lately, so I know that when I get back on the ball with exercising, those last pounds will fall off! I managed to meet a wonderful man in 2005 who is my boyfriend. (Awwww) I'll post new pics soon. I also just moved into a new house and have a Bulldog puppy. Career is great - boyfriend is great - dog is great - all is groovy!!! :) I plan to do lots of surfing this summer!! I'm still researching and planning on having a tummy tuck in the future too. I hope everyone out there is doing well! :) God Bless
