Karen O.
3 more days!!
Jan 23, 2009
Soooo close! I just got the call from the hospital saying I had to be there Monday morning at 5:45am and my surgery is at 7:40am. I am on my liquid diet (since Monday) ... I won't lie, I have cheated 2 times :( I had a lettuce and FF italian last night for dinner and today for dinner ... I am still under 700 calories every day and have already lost 5.2 lbs in 5 days, and it makes me feel so bad I ate something, but just broke down. For the weekend I will be strictly liquids and won't cheat at all! I promise myself!
I just got over pneumonia and now my daughter has it and Austyn has a wicked cough and a temperature :( I still have a little of a dry cough, but should be deminished by Monday. I am scared it won't be and Dr. Ali won't preform the surgery. It's just been a stressful week ... with me & Raymond getting over being sick and my other 2 kiddos are sick now :( On top of that, I am PMS'n and I want Monday to be here to bad and for everyone to just be HEALTHY and not sick! I pray and pray that this cough will go away! I wake up every morning hoping I don't cough, but end up coughing :( I have my spirometer and am doing breathing exercises every hour and I can do them just fine, I don't hurt, the pneumonia is GONE ... just this damn cough grrrrr.
Well, it is actually night now so only 2.5 more days!!! YAY! SO excited!
5 comments
I just got over pneumonia and now my daughter has it and Austyn has a wicked cough and a temperature :( I still have a little of a dry cough, but should be deminished by Monday. I am scared it won't be and Dr. Ali won't preform the surgery. It's just been a stressful week ... with me & Raymond getting over being sick and my other 2 kiddos are sick now :( On top of that, I am PMS'n and I want Monday to be here to bad and for everyone to just be HEALTHY and not sick! I pray and pray that this cough will go away! I wake up every morning hoping I don't cough, but end up coughing :( I have my spirometer and am doing breathing exercises every hour and I can do them just fine, I don't hurt, the pneumonia is GONE ... just this damn cough grrrrr.
Well, it is actually night now so only 2.5 more days!!! YAY! SO excited!
BRAIN OVERLOAD
Jan 21, 2009
I have been planning for this day (surgery day the 26th) for almost a year now. I have done ALL my homework, ALL my research, I know everything I am suppose to do and am going to go through, I bought my vitamins for the next 3 months (ALL of them, multi, calcium, iron, B12, etc ...spent close to 200 bucks), I have all my post op "food", I am in the 3rd day of my liquid diet, so I am almost there!
Well, I was thinking this liquid diet will be so easy, I don't know what everyone is whining about (and I only have to do it for a WEEK!). Well, I was wrong .... day 1 was okay, day 2 was horrid, and today is better than yesterday. BUT I find myself thinking "what am I about to do to myself?" "did I really exhaust all other options?" "I am healthy (now) ... don't fix something that isn't broken." .... they just keep coming. Don't get me wrong ... I want this surgery so bad, but why am I thinking these things??? Why am I questioning my decision NOW ... why not 3 month or even 1 month ago?!?!
I am so scared of the "unknown" ... will I be one with lots of complications? Will I not lose any weight and fail? .... I have 3 children (8, 6 & 1) and I find myself thinking about them and if I have complications and am in and out of the hospital, they deserve me there every day to help, love and nurture them. I just don't know ... I have so many things running through my head ... they just came on all of a sudden BRAIN OVERLOAD! I don't want to end up like my father who had a stroke at age 46 (has high BP, cholesterol, diabetes), my whole family has high BP and is overweight. I just want to set a good example for my kids but can not do it without help (from my tool). I WANT THIS, but why these thoughts NOW?
3 comments
Well, I was thinking this liquid diet will be so easy, I don't know what everyone is whining about (and I only have to do it for a WEEK!). Well, I was wrong .... day 1 was okay, day 2 was horrid, and today is better than yesterday. BUT I find myself thinking "what am I about to do to myself?" "did I really exhaust all other options?" "I am healthy (now) ... don't fix something that isn't broken." .... they just keep coming. Don't get me wrong ... I want this surgery so bad, but why am I thinking these things??? Why am I questioning my decision NOW ... why not 3 month or even 1 month ago?!?!
I am so scared of the "unknown" ... will I be one with lots of complications? Will I not lose any weight and fail? .... I have 3 children (8, 6 & 1) and I find myself thinking about them and if I have complications and am in and out of the hospital, they deserve me there every day to help, love and nurture them. I just don't know ... I have so many things running through my head ... they just came on all of a sudden BRAIN OVERLOAD! I don't want to end up like my father who had a stroke at age 46 (has high BP, cholesterol, diabetes), my whole family has high BP and is overweight. I just want to set a good example for my kids but can not do it without help (from my tool). I WANT THIS, but why these thoughts NOW?
Go Steelers!
Jan 18, 2009
Steelers last playoff game is today! I am celebrating ... since I start my liquid diet tomorrow ... bring it on 
! I am going to have some wings and drinks and have a great time with my friends at a local bar. GOOOO STEELERS!! So this is my final farewell to my best friend "food" ... What way to let go than with Chicken Wings YUMMY! Wish me luck on my liquid diet ... I know I CAN do it!
2 comments
! I am going to have some wings and drinks and have a great time with my friends at a local bar. GOOOO STEELERS!! So this is my final farewell to my best friend "food" ... What way to let go than with Chicken Wings YUMMY! Wish me luck on my liquid diet ... I know I CAN do it!I GOT MY DATE!!!!
Jan 14, 2009
JANUARY 26, 2009 ... my new re-birthday! I have been waiting for soooo long for this .... SO WHY AM I SCARED!?!?!?! As soon as she said "I can schedule you for next Monday" I was like "HUH?!?!" .... I just didn't expect it to to in 12 DAYS! I start my liquid diet Monday ... I am so ready for this, but these emotions just keep coming! My heart is pounding, my stomach is uneasy ... UGH, I am 100% sure I want this, so why won't these feelings go away! I hope this is normal and everything goes great .... I know it will!
4 comments
I am so ready .... yet so scared.
Jan 10, 2009
I am just so ready to have this surgery. I started my journey May 2007. I know that is not a lot of time, but it feels like eternity. I know I want this surgery, but the more I have time to explore the fact that I could have serious complications (death is the big one) it scares me. I don't want to go into this surgery scared.
I am healthy ... well, as healthy as a "fat person" can be. I don't have any co-morbidities (diabetes, high BP, etc) ... I am just FAT. I keep telling myself "Karen, you are trying to fix something that is not BROKEN". My heart is broken and my self esteem is broken, but physically I am not broken. So I keep telling myself that I am doing what is best for me and my family. My father is in a nursing home because of a horrendous stroke, he has/had high BP, diabetes, high cholesterol, and I am sure many other things that was left undiagnosed. My WHOLE family has high BP and cholesterol, some have diabetes and they are all big. So it is in my genes to eventually be UNhealthy, but I am not right NOW. Don't get me wrong .... my heart hurts sometimes when I am physically active, I am so short winded anymore that I can not keep up with my children, and I look at myself and just shake my head because of how I let myself go.
I just came across the obituary section on OH and spent numerous of hours reading EVERY single obit. I thought .... I could be next on there. I am not afraid to die, if it is my time and that is what God has planned for me, that is fine .... BUT I AM afraid of leaving my children, of them never seeing me again. I have already began to write letters to each of them "just in case". I can deal with the after surgery pain (I went through 3 c-sections AND had my gallbladder removed), I can deal with the dumping, I can deal with every side effect of this surgery .... I just can't get the feeling of selfishness out of my head ... what if I leave my kids mommyless :( It just makes my heart hurt.
In no way am I RE-thinking of getting the bypass surgery done ... I AM doing it, but I thought I would be more happy about getting that approval call, but all's I can think about is my children and my husband. In the end, I know I am doing this to better myself physically and mentally ... I just had to get that off my chest :)
2 comments
I am healthy ... well, as healthy as a "fat person" can be. I don't have any co-morbidities (diabetes, high BP, etc) ... I am just FAT. I keep telling myself "Karen, you are trying to fix something that is not BROKEN". My heart is broken and my self esteem is broken, but physically I am not broken. So I keep telling myself that I am doing what is best for me and my family. My father is in a nursing home because of a horrendous stroke, he has/had high BP, diabetes, high cholesterol, and I am sure many other things that was left undiagnosed. My WHOLE family has high BP and cholesterol, some have diabetes and they are all big. So it is in my genes to eventually be UNhealthy, but I am not right NOW. Don't get me wrong .... my heart hurts sometimes when I am physically active, I am so short winded anymore that I can not keep up with my children, and I look at myself and just shake my head because of how I let myself go.
I just came across the obituary section on OH and spent numerous of hours reading EVERY single obit. I thought .... I could be next on there. I am not afraid to die, if it is my time and that is what God has planned for me, that is fine .... BUT I AM afraid of leaving my children, of them never seeing me again. I have already began to write letters to each of them "just in case". I can deal with the after surgery pain (I went through 3 c-sections AND had my gallbladder removed), I can deal with the dumping, I can deal with every side effect of this surgery .... I just can't get the feeling of selfishness out of my head ... what if I leave my kids mommyless :( It just makes my heart hurt.
In no way am I RE-thinking of getting the bypass surgery done ... I AM doing it, but I thought I would be more happy about getting that approval call, but all's I can think about is my children and my husband. In the end, I know I am doing this to better myself physically and mentally ... I just had to get that off my chest :)
I got APPROVED!!!!
Jan 07, 2009
Ohhhhh yessssssssssss .... I am so excited! I was taking a nap with Chloe and my phone rings, I was so mad until I saw the number! She says "we just got your information back from the insurance company and you ARE APPROVED for surgery!" I am so happy I could dance right now! I still have to wait for the nurse to call me back and set up my pre op appointment with Dr. Ali and GET MY DATE! I can't wait to hear back from them .... ta-ta for now!
4 comments
Finally!
Jan 05, 2009
Finally .... my insurance coordinator got her stuff straightened out and sent my paperwork off to the insurance company this afternoon! I am so happy! I have had pneumonia for the last week, so this is something to brighten my days! She said I should know by the end of the week, if not, next week by the latest! Wish me luck! 
1 comment
Almost there, but not quite :(
Dec 29, 2008
I am almost there :) I have my 6 month dieting done, all my blood work, all my testing, my psych eval .... EVERYTHING! EXCEPT for 1 TINY detail ... my insurance coordinator was suppost to submit me to the insurance on the 19th of December ... well, it is now the 29th of December and I call the insurance company to see if they had everything they needed ... and they don't have ANYTHING! Grrrr ... I call the office and get the insurance coordinator on the phone .... she says "I have to wait until the nurse reviews your chart" ... ummm, she has had over a week .... then she proceeds to tell me " your chart is on the desk NEXT to be reviewed" ... yeah, okay ... could it be you lost me and forgot? I just want to know if I am approved or denied so I can get everything straight for surgery or see what my other options are IF I am denied. BLAH
1 comment
About Me
Erie, PA
Location
24.6
BMI
Surgery
01/26/2009
Surgery Date
Jul 09, 2008
Member Since
