Brittany B.
8/04
hello everyone i am 19 years old and married to a man named patrick and we have a beautiful 8month old daughter. as of right now i am 280lbs and miserable im 5feet 6inches. I am so tired of beight fat and ugly. sometimes i dont want to even get out of the car to go into a store cause i am afraid of what people will think about me. I have tried every diet from the low carbs to low fat to pills to just not eating. sure i lose weight and then i gain it all back and then some. no one in my family supports me getting this surgery except my mother. she is my shoulder to lean on i love her so much. my husband wants me to be thinner but doesnt want me to die doing it and i can understand but i just cant do it i have tried and i think that this surgery is for me. I am so tired all the time and my feet hurt when i stand for a while and my back is always hurting. I want to be normal and look good for a change. being big runs in my family but we all LOVE to eat. i have never been this big. I gained all this weight after i had my daughter i just ballooned. My feet swell all the time and this heat dont help anything. so i am hoping to get this surgery to help me lose weight and feel better about my self.
I have chosen a doc i chose dr. henderson. i am filling out all of my paper work and i sent it back and now i wait to find out what i do next. well i will go for now. ill write more later.
-3/4/2005
well i havent had my surgery yet and i am still hoping to have it. I have been going through rough times since the first time i wrote on here. I had some set backs with money and things like that. so now i am restarting the process. Thank God for tax returns..lol..I went to an informational meeting at the hospital and found out alot that i didnt know about the surgery. I still want it and i cant wait to start this process. I am so miserable.
My sister moved in with my family and she is 19 and very pretty i mean skinny skinny and gorgeous every guy turns their head when she walks in the room. so you can imagine how i must feel. Its not so much jealous of her its just that i want to be able to wear the things that she wears and share clothes with her. we were just talking about that the other day it was funny cause i was like maybe in the near future i will be able to wear your clothes.. but that will be a while before that. but at least its something to look forward to. My husband isnt being so supportive right now. he thinks that we cant afford it and that we should save our money to buy something else. but he isnt fat and he doesnt know how it feels to be in this body and be unhealthy. he is just so quick to stop me instead of helping me find ways to find more money for this. the good thing is that my insurance wont make me go through many of the things that other insurances would. and they cover 90% of the surgery but say the whole surgery costs 30,000.00 i would only have to pay 3000.00, but i wont even have to pay that cause with our insurance we dont have to pay a co pay over 1000.00 so all i have to pay is up to 1000.00. which is such a good deal..lol..well i will get off of this for now and i will update again when i have time or something happens..if anyone wants to write to me with any kind of info they have just to share their experince with me i would love that..
3/9/2005
well, i got a call from the doc on monday and they scheduled me for an evaluation on March 23rd so i hope that they say im fat enough to get it..lol..wow that sounds so bad..but i will write more when i get more information..
3/23/2005
Good News today i went to doctor Hendersons office for the first time and he said that i could start getting all of my tests and stuff done and i should be able to have the surgery done in about two months i cant believe it. I am so happy to start actually getting this all together i just hope that the money situation and my approval come fast..i will keep praying. At the docs office today i couldnt believe how much i weighed on a real scale..lol..i was scared.. i have gained so much weight in the past two months. i now weigh 300lbs i gained like 20 lbs in like two months or something like that..what the hell is happening with me. why and when did i gain more weight or maybe i just wasnt weighing myself right.
I had to laugh today when i was at the doctors office. after an half hour of trying to find the office and turning around like 20 times i walked in with my skinny sister daniele and we sat down in these huge chairs made for big people. we just kinda looked at each other and said they dont put these everywhere you go..lol..and thats another reason why i dont want to be this big anymore. But as far as the nurses and people who work there they are all very very nice and helpful. Lets keep our fingers crossed for an approval and all the money that i need.
Now i have to go tomorrow and get all of my tests done and then on friday i have to go back to the docs and take the two hour phych test. after that on 4/5 i have to go back to see the shrink and then after thaton 4/16 i go to the work shop. then after that i should be getting approved and then my surgery date i hope..
well i guess i will go for now.
3/28/2005
I went back to the doctors today for that 2hour true and false test thing to see if i am crazy..lol..they ask some weird stuff. but i finsihed it in like an hour. then they wanted me to watch this thing called EMMI its a presentation on the internet about gastric bypass its realy neat i found it very helpfull. IT also lets you send questions that you have to your doctor. I reccomend it to everyone wanting to have this done. i went and got all my blood tests done and they came back all normal and on weds i have to go for the ultrasound of my gallbladder. well i think that is about all for now. I am just trying to save save money for all of this. Anyone who wants to chat or talk about anything feel free to e-mail me anytime. Ill update when i have more to say.
4/5/2005
Well today i got some bad news:( I had my consult with the dietician and that went well and then right after that i had my consult with the psychologist greg cox. Well things started to go well and then he started asking me questions about my married life and life growing up. so i started telling him about problems in my marriage and then he showed me my test results from the two hour test thing that we had to take before hand. he told me that i was severly depressed and i told him that i didnt think that i was. i started to cry cause he told me that before i could get my surgery i have to go see a psychiatrist and get a prescription for like an anitdepressent and i dont think that i need to be on that. I said how is a pill going to solve my marital problems. and its not me that needs to change its my husband. So now i have to be on on this medication for 6 to 9 weeks before i can get my surgery. I was so bumed. I cant believe this.. This guy said that i was severely depressed in a matter of 45 mins. Im not depressed i have problems in my life but who doesnt? When i took the two hour test i answered all of the questions as if i have ever had any of the things asked in my life at anytime. I hope that he lets me get a 2nd opinion cause i just dont think that i need to be on an antidepressant. I just want to lose weight and get healthy. thats all. and the only thing that makes me depressed is the thought of me not getting my surgery and being fat. the longer i wait the longer i will be down.. I am aware of all of the steps i have to take after the surgery and of all of the ups and downs that could occure but i am a strong woman and i know my self better then anyone. I am just so up set about this. But i will do what i have to do i suppose. I explained to him that i am on a tight budget and i dont have all kinds of money for the meds and visits to all kinds of councelors and to be going out of town with gas prices like they are. I put aside just enough money for all of my copays and everything that i needed to pay and now i have to spend more money to see another dr about my so called depression. I really need some support and i am not getting it from my husband and my mom lives too far away so all i really have is my daughter but she is too young to understand. so if anyone wants to give me some words of encouragement i would love it..
4/18/2005
Well. I went to the two day workshop and i have to say i dont think that it was worth $200.00 i would have paid 50.00..lol..i really didnt learn that much. I met alot of really nice people but everyone was older then me and i was the youngest..but thats ok. everyone was really nice. Now on thursday i have to go see the physchiatrist to see if i am depressed again..lol. and then get on some meds and take them for like a month and then get a surgery date hopefully..thats all i have to say for now.
5/3/2005
I havent wrote in a little while. Not much has been going on. I went for the evaluation that greg cox wanted me to go to on april 21 and the woman that was asking me all the questions says that she dont see anything really upsetting to her besides my marriage and me being over weight the things that bother me the most. i already knew that..lol..and now i have another appt with the real dr may 10 to see if he wants me to get on some antidepressants. If they put me on them ill have to take them for a month and then go back to the drs and see if it helped or not..then after that i will be able to get scheduled for a date for my surgery..so i hope that all goes well next week. My boxer puppy had his ears cropped last week and just a little note to anyone wanting to get their pups ears done read up and get all the info before doing it..he looks so cute but i dont think id do it again. well i guess i will go for now untill i have more to write..anyone feel free to write i love getting email..lol..
5/23/05
Its been just about three weeks since the last time i updated. well i went to see the physchiatrist and he doesnt want me to go on the meds he said that he doesnt see anything that is a red flag right now..but after i have the surgery if i feel like shit or really depressed i will def get my butt to the docs for some meds. and on that note finally my stuff was faxed to my insurance company thursday night so its only really been one day so we will see i will call the insurance company tomorrow to see what is what and if i can do anything to speed this process up a litlle bit..well i dont have anything else to say..
5/26/05
I GOT APPROVED YES!!!!! I am SOOOO HAPPY!! I cant believe how short of a time it took. I thought that they had sent it to the wrong fax number but i got a call today from dr henderson and they said i was approved. I just cant believe it. now i have to go see the doc next week and get a date and then ill be on the losing side of things.. oh my gosh i cant wait. God really heard my prayers this time.
5/27/05
Pam called me this afternoon from dr hendersons office and she gave me a date for my surgery and scheduled my pre-op. I cant wait to be post-op.lol..well my surgery date is tuesday june 7...11 days..wow im so excited..i cant beilieve this is all coming together. I just want to thank everyone who has e-mailed me with kind words and thoughts throughout this whole thing. Now the next part i have to get through is coming out of the surgery ok. I have never had surgery before so this all new to me. What are some of the things that i have to do the week and night before surgery?
5/31/05
Happy Memorial Day to everyone! 6 days and a Morning till my surgery! Im so excited and scared and i just have all these emotions going through my mind.. like what if i dont wake up or what if something goes wrong..but i guess all of things might happen and might not happen. This is my choice and i am going to do this cause i need to. anyways now that i got that out and in the open..
This surgery is putting me in the poor house.. I think i have paid with out even counting my deductable which is 1000.00 i have paid out including gas and all of the doc visits 500.00 already. i know to some people thats not that much but believe me for me and my husband thats expensive. We really dont have all that much to spend on this and we had a couple of emergencies of our own so i mean all of this has taken its toll physically and drained out our savings just about.. now i have to go buy protein drinks and stuff for after the wls. oh my gosh,..i just feel so over whelmed sometimes i just have to sit down and breathe..and tell my self that this is all worth it and i want this so bad and i am going to do this. it was just rough getting to this point but i have a feeling that it will be all good in the end.
June 1, 2005
I just finsihed all of my pre-op stuff now i am just waiting to hear back to see if all of my tests came out good. I got alot of my questions answered today from the docs. They are all so nice and they reassured me. I felt very comfortable when i walked out of there today. Well for thoes of you who dont know what you have to do for pre-op. i went to the docs this morning (early this morning) and they weighed me and discussed every bit of the surgery with me and explained what was going to happen and then i signed my life away-so to speak. then after that they took my picture ugh i look so fat!! Then i got a bunch more papers and they sent me over to the hospital to preregister. I went in and waited at the admissions office for 35mins to see someone. then they sent me off to the lab and in there i had my EKG and blood work drawn. Then from there they sent me to radiology and i had a chest x-ray done. and then i was all done. this whole process started at 9:30am and lasted till 2:00pm.. needless to say it was a long day for me. Well i will go for now...5 days and a morning till my big day!!!
6/4/2005
Alright, 2more days and a morning till my surgery. WOW I am nervous. My whole life is going to be changed on june 7th. I have all kinds of emotions running through my mind its crazy. Well i just wanted to update for a minute..it feels like the wedding jitters should i or shouldnt i?? i know i should. thanks for all the support everyone..
6/6/2005
Wow i cant believe in less then 24hrs i will be having wls surgery. I am very nervous and scared but im happy. I just want to get this done. I feel like i have like another week or two to prepare for this. Im prepared but i some how right now and feeling a little more scared. I have never had any kind of surgery so i dont know how i well i will wake up from the anistheiologist(sp).. the main thing is i cant belive this is all coming together. I was reading through all of my entries from the past and i cant believe how everything worked out and a couple of weeks ago i was complaining cause i was going to have to wait 6more weeks if i had to be on meds.
Well I woke up this morning and did all my running around and then came home about 12:00am. I havent eaten one thing all day and i am so hungry right now i could eat like 6 subway sandwhiches...lol..well maybe not quite but thats how hungry i am right now.. i dont think i have ever went a whole day with out eating before. its very hard.. I was feeding my daughter pizza tonight and i was like oh that smells so good and i want a bite but i didnt. Oh and that magnesum citrate you have to drink oh my gosh it makes me sick just thinking about it i almost threw up. its nasty stuff. but im kinda bored. i have been cleaning all day cause i know that when i get out of the hosp i will be getting some visitors. I will spend most of the time n the hosp alone untill i go home cause my husband has to work and my sisters cant come out cause they say that they dont have any money to travel all the way out there and they have kids too so its kinda hard. But thats ok my mom will be down here next week and all will be good and my father is coming down too on friday. well i guess i will let you all go i just want to end on one more thing..THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING ALL THE SUPPORT AND EVERYTHING..SEE YALL ON THE LOSING SIDE...
6/13/2005
First of all - I went into this up till the morning of my wls a Healthy 20year old and no comorbidys i was just fat and feeling the effects of it.
The morning of my surgery which was tuesday i was nervous and scared but i thought i was ready. went in had my surgery. I woke up saying it hurts! IT HURTS!!! I was wheeled off up stairs to my room. they finally gave my my morphine pump..Wow I can not stress enough how much it feels like your insides have been ripped apart I also had the lap gastric bypass.
after i was awake fully enough it was sometime in the afternoon.. i got up and started walking and i went to the bathroom and i wanted something to drink soooooo bad but the only thing i was allowed to have was ice chips. It is so hard to get up and out of that hosp bed and let me tell you they are not comfortable not at all.
My heart rate was high and they were a bit concerned but i wasnt showing any signs of distress but i didnt feel any wors or anything. and about midnight i started running a fever and the next day they took me down to get xrays and to see if there were any blood clots anywhere and to see if i had a leak. later that night they told me i had a leak so they stopped all fluids to me except for in my IV ( which IVs are the worst mine had to be redone and redone like 5times cause they kept on closing up so i have like tons of bruises and needle marks all over my arms.). Then so i just sat there from thursday to sunday with out any food or water going in my mouth. once in a while i asked for some ice chips and they let me have a few.
But every day the nurses come in in the morning and draw blood and give you a shot in the abdomin.
About friday night i started having a hard time i was ready to go home and i started crying cause i wanted to see my family and daughter. I was starting to get depressed.
The Beds there are not comfortable at all i had a hard time sleeping i couldnt find a comfortable spot. i couldnt roll on my sides or on my stomach. They wouldnt give me anythihng to help me get to sleep..
Now the nurses were very nice,
So yesterday which was sunday i just couldnt stay a nother night in that hospital so i asked the nurse to call the dr and tell him that i had to go home for my family and my slef/...so he ssaid that could go home
when i got home everything smelled like that hospital.
my husbands breath they outside my clothes everything smelled and i couldnt get it out of my head or my mind everytime i think about it it makes me cringe.
So needless to say today is a new day and im trying to get used to my house again and everything.
The way im feeling right now is like ~!!!!!WHAT DID I DO?????!!!! My whole life has changed its not like i can just reach in the fridge and get a soda cause thats what you want when your sick you want gingerrale and sprite. but you cant have thoes things and when you get a complication in the hospital its even longer before you can advanced to the next stage in your diet.
Im not saying- i wish i never -but i am saying -what did i do -and ive heard that everyone goes through the what did i do part.
I just want you to know exactly what i went though. And i though that it was going to be easy as cake with a little pain and i would go home and do what i had to do to increase my diet but thats not the way it went.
This just goes to show that anyone and anyperson can have a complication. What really helped me was praying and having god and my husband by my side with me.
But please have this surgery if you are fully ready dont rush it and give your self time to seriously seriously think about every part that there is to this. i thought i did enough but as i am sitting here i havent.
I also want to say that Everyones journey will not be like mine and mine has just begun. I hope that it will get better. There are many many many people that come through this with flying colors.
good luck!!!
Brittany
June 16, 2005
Well, Today i feel great im over most of the hurdles. I went to the doctors on tuesday and i had lost 16.5lbs. wow i cant believe it. While i was att he docs they pulled my drain out a little bit not all the way but it hurt like hell. I am still on liquids and it sucks. Im SOOOO hungry i could eat every thing. Im drinking alot of water and popsicles and jello and some broth and that consists of my diet and to be honest im quit sick of it. but i have to go back tomorrow again and hopefully he will say that i can eat like eggs or something like that. Oh i went to the docs today too and i lost another 6lbs in two days...its great. i can already tell the difference in my face. Im so glad that i did this. it hasnt been the best time yet but the greatest reward is the weight loss//its worth it.
7/5/2005
I had to go back to the drs today cause i was having some problems eating. everytime i ate something with some kind of substance i would throw up like 5mins later and it always feels like its stuck in my throat and its pain full..but anyways other then that i have lost 31lbs and im feeeling greeaat! I still dont have much evergy but its coming slowly..i still have to work on the water part..ill update later when i have more news.
July 13, 2005 WEDS/
Hey yall, well monday i went to the hospital for an endoscopy. Dr henderson did find an obstruction so they dialated it and now im better but i have to be on liquids for two weeks which sucks. But other than that i am feeling great i lost 5more lbs and i hopefully will lose more cause i have to be on liquids the next 2 weeks.
July 18, 2005 Monday Morning!
Ok, the liquid thing is killing me but i lost 5more lbs this week making my total weight loss so far 41lbs..i am so happy. Nothing more to say im doing better havent thrown up yet. thats a good sign i go back to the docs july 27th. Ill update then or maybe sooner..
August 4th 2005 Thursday Morning!
Well, Im doing great so far i suppose..:) I think that I am having that sricture problem again. ugh..yesterday i couldnt eat anything with out throwing up..but i can eat very very soft foods..no chicken or turkey meat..nothing with substance again..But maybe i over did it or something..I am just going to give my insides a rest for a few days and lay off trying to eat meat products for now..and see how it goes. I have lost a total of 52lbs..My clothes dont fit anymore. i love it.. i would do this all over again.. its the best thing that i have done for my self. People say they dont recongize me already.
august 17th 2005 weds
Hello! Well Im doing great as of right now. I have lost a total of 60lbs and starting to notice a difference. But just wanted to update and tell how much i have lost so far.
God Bless.
Brittany
September 7 2005 weds
Hello. I have lost another 10lbs since the last time i posted. I feel great. I am fixin to put some more after pics on here.
Brittany
October 3, 2005
Hey Everyone! I am down 82lbs I cant believe it. I look at my self and i say where did all that weight go. I also look at my self and say i dont look like i have lost 82lbs in just 4months its unbelieveable. I am doing great so far. Been having some discomforts after i eat. but i have a doctors appointment in a few weeks and ill talk to him about it. but so far i feel good. havent been exercising like i should. my hair is falling out like crazy! But anyways just wanted to share the news. i now weigh 228lbs. 68 more till i reach 160 thats where i would like to be soon..
take care and God Bless,
Brittany
November 9, 2005
Hello! Im doing great so far. I have lost a total of 90lbs as of today. I am exactly 5months and one day post op. everything is good. I have added some new pics of me. they arent really that good. but i will get better ones on here really soon.
Brittany
November 25, 2005
Hey everyone. I know its been a couple of weeks since I last up dated. The weight loss has slowed down but Im not discouraged cause I feel great. I have been riding horses this past month for the first time in like two years. I was always too big to ride so I just stayed away. But I got up there and felt great. My butt has been a little sore cause Im not used to riding cause I havent done it in so long. Happy thanksgiving to everyone. Mine went great. I didnt eat too much and I had a great time. i did have a few Kaluhas and Milks. Which I totaly love. Anyways just wanted to post for a min.
Brittany
December 23, 2005
Merry Christmas everyone! I am a new aunt!. My sister had a beautiful baby boy Weds afternoon. I couldnt ask for a better christmas gift. So far I have lost 102lbs so that puts me at 208. I am Happy. I have about 60more lbs to go to where I want to be to be really happy. I am in the process of putting new pics on my profile. THey should be up anyday. Good luck to everyone.
God Bless,
Brittany
January 4, 2006
Happy New Year! Wow! What a year. Well I finally joined photobucket and got some pics up on there. Yall are free to look. Let me know what you think if you want to. The pic of me and my nephew is a bad one. I should have taken off the sweater. Oh well I took some new ones and they are being developed so hopefully I will be getting them this weekend.
January 6, 2006
I finally got my new pics up thanks to the fast workers on OH.com.. I weigh 205lbs now and I have lost a total of 105lbs from my highest 310lbs. I have about 50lbs to go.
January 30, 2006
I am finally under 200lbs...Yay for me. Im so happy. I weigh 199lbs as of this morning. I havent been feeling very well though. I have been sick to my stomach alot and just not feeling up to par lately. But I have a drs apt on weds the 1st. So I will update then.
February 8, 2006
I went to see Dr. Henderson last week and everything went well. I weighed in at 198lbs. So that makes a total of 112lbs that I have lost so far. That makes me really happy. I also found out that I am pregnant. I am dealing with it day by day. Dr Henderson thinks everything will go ok. He wants to monitor me every 6 weeks. I just dont want to gain too much weight. Anyways I will update when I have more information.
June 5 2006,
Well As you all know I am now 6months pregnant and expecting a boy! I have only gained 3lbs the whole time...Ill update later.
August 18, 2006
Everything is going good so far. I have had some set backs though. But I just don't have the time right now to write about it all. The baby is doing good so far. I am 35weeks pregnant now. Im due on the 22nd of september. I have gained a total of 12lbs this whole pregnancy. I am posting some new pics that I just took the other day. Hopefully they will be up soon.
Brittany
September 21, 2006
Just wanted to post and let everyone know that I had the baby! HIs name is Dustin, Friday september 15, 2006 at 4:34pm. He weighed a healthy 7lbs 4oz. He is adorable to say the least. I am going through the postpardom blues and they are taking a toll on me. But with Gods help and many prayers I know that I will get through this. Everything is going good so far. I am already back in my clothes that I was wearing before I got pregnant. I only gained 15lbs and I havent steped on a scale since I had him on friday. I will next week though.
November 19, 2006
I have had alot of set backs since I had my baby boy. I had my gallbladder out and they knicked my intestine and I got very very sick and had to spend about a month in the hospital. Im finally better and getting back to normal. While I was going through all of this I lost alot of weight cause they wouldnt let me eat anything hardly the whole time I was in the hospital. So heres the thing. Before I had my surgery I was a size 24 and now I am a size 13! Its so great. Dont have time to write everything so if anyone wants to know anything just email me.
June 24, 2007
Yes I know it has been a long time since I have posted or been on here. This month I am two years post op. So much has happend. I got a divorce. We just couldnt make it work. Now I am married to a wonderfull man. He just left for Iraq in May and I miss him so much. I am so much happier. Everything is going good. I now weigh 154lbs and feel great. I am in a size 9/10. My son is now 9mths old and growing like a weed. My daughter is going to be 4 soon and starting school this year. Just a little update for now.
