buffy_CT

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LOL, I have been puzzling over numbers the past few days. I can't wrap my mind around it all, it seems so unreal. I started this amazing journey at 389lbs, day of surgery it was 376. Today it is 252.
 389
-
 252
------------
 137

My surgeons goal for me is to get to 216. I want to get to 180. My secret goal is to get to 150, where my BMI says I should be. My BMI has gone from 62.8 to 40.7. A huge step towards health.
I have lost 137 lbs. I am still fat, still considered morbidly obese. But I no longer have to take meds for blood pressure, for acid reflux, I am off my c-pap completely. Its packed in it's bag collecting dust in my closet. I need to do some research to see if I could donate it to someone.
I still have days where I feel like a whale, I look in the mirror and see only fat and rolls and now saggy skin on my legs, arms and belly. Then there are the days that I see collar bones, and have trouble sleeping because my hip bones are so prominent, and days when I curse the fact that I am broke because I just want pants that fit and don't need to keep punching new holes in my belts!
I weigh 252lbs. I don't remember this weight. It seems like totally uncharted territory. Another number that is blowing me away is my clothing size. I have gone from wearing tight 30/32W to 18 size pants. 18....I think the last time I was in an 18 was when I was 13 or 14. My tops are 18/20 in most brands though I still wear my 22/24's faithfully. It's bitter sweet having to hand clothes down to friends. So many of the outfits I have I love, the only consolation is being able to see them on my friends! I am living at the Good Will, it makes no sense to buy new clothes knowing that in a few weeks I will have to get new sizes. Like I said...bitter sweet.
It feels good to have the numbers down in black and white. Where my brain can't twist them and confuse me!LOL

And doing wonderfully! I just had my 6 mo follow up w/ Dr Aranow who is very pleased with my blood work and weight loss...131 lbs as of 5/19/07. Driving again as my ankle is healing as the weight drops. All of my comorbidities are GONE!!! No more sleep apnea, acid reflux or high blood pressure. I am sooooooo grateful  for this surgery. :)

Today marks 4 months since my RNY. The time has really flown by. As of today I am 91lbs down and under 300lbs for the first time in 4 or 5 years. 9 more lbs and I will hit the 100lb lost mark. I have gone from a size 30/32 to a 22/24. Some brands are still firmly in a 26 but still, 30/32 to 26 is a huge accomplishment.
I am off all blood pressure meds, off my acid reflux meds and my c-pap settings have been lowered from 13 to 8. I've gone out twice this mild winter to shovel out our long driveway and spent at least an hour and a half each time, shoveling, lifting, digging, throwing, scraping and feeling GOOD doing it. I am getting my period again after not getting it for 6 years....a good sign that I may not be infertile after all. I just wish the cramps weren't as bad as I remembered them!!!
This is so mind boggling to me, whose life IS this??? Who ever thought I could live happily without sugar? rice? fried chicken? Buffalo chicken strips...okay I'll be honest, I AM craving those. I find so much enjoyment in eating knowing that what I am putting in my mouth and body is healthy and good for me as well as tasting great. I get more enjoyment out of 2 large meatballs with sauce and cheese than I ever got from a massive bowl of pasta. I am thrilled with a chunk of low fat cheddar and a slice of lean deli ham. The only regrets I have had were when trying to fight off a nasty headache with tylenol...and not being able to take my Aleve.
Other than that....I am thrilled. I am loving this new life of mine and wake up every day wondering what new revelation or triumph is in store for me.
I still have 82 lbs to get to the goal that Dr. Aranow gave me, 118 to go to reach MY high goal and 148 to reach the weight that the BMI charts. So there is time to enjoy the weight loss phase and each new day.

Yup, yesterday was the 6 week mark for me! I saw Dr. Aranow on Tuesday and he cleared me to llevel 5 of the post-op eating plan. I can have Broccoli now!!! Seriously, I have not had cravings for any junk....chips, candy, icecream...but have been dying for broccoli and beans!! And now I can have them! Yay! 
I am down 30 lbs since surgery...43 from my highest weight!!! Go Me!!! I have had no problems with foods except for stupidly putting immitation bacon bits in my scrambled eggs!! Taught me! 
I know that now that I can eat *real* foods again it will become more difficult. Now it is all on me to make good food choices, to keep to the portion sizes recomended, and follow the rules...protein first, daily exercise, get in the fluids/supplements, NO snacking. The holidays will prove to be a real test for me. The support I get here and in the neighborhood at www.livingafterwls.com will be really needed and appreciated in the upcoming weeks. 

--> -->Back into my room, watching Home Alone on TV. Walk time again...as I approach the 3rd turn I see a fimalliar face....and another. Hmmmmmmmmmmm is that...?................................................... --> --> --> -->

Yup it's Paula!!! Yay! I had no clue she was coming down with Marla!!! Her first impression is going to be me in a johnnie all doped up on Dilaudid..Great. But it is soooooo sweet of her to come! Marla too of course! My friends from www.livingafterwls.com are awesome! What a great group of people! They are loaded down with presants and baloons..for ME!!! They walk the rest of the lap with me back to my room and all hug! Hugs are sooooooooooo great! We sit around and chat for a few minutes and I open all my great gifts!!! Marla wanted pics but I hadn't gotten to shower since Friday morning before we went to the hospital...eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww So I told her after shower time!

Too soon the nurse comes in to take me for a shower. The shower is a room the size of my whole bathroom! Huge! I pile my stuff in the corner and put my shoes under the chair like the nurse says and close the curtain around me. If I wasn't in pain and so soon post-op I would have danced and sang for hours! It feels glorious. Warm and soapy and sweet smelling! I'm tempted to stay there forever but I want to get back to Marla and Paula who are waiting in my room. Shower done I dry off and go to get my shoes but theyre soaked!!! aw man! Grrr.

I go back to my room barefoot with one thought in my mind..PANTS!!! I get dressed ...with a little help from Marla who insists I need help getting pants on!! I also wriggle into a tank top. God I have dignity back!!! Paula helped secure my abdominal binder, wrap in my hospital robe and back into my chair. Ahhhhhhhh feels good to be clean and properly clothed!

Then my wish is granted and the nurse brings me a REAL bed!!! Not the E.R. kind because their weight limit is too low, but a real hospital bed. Marla and Paula got a kick out of my excitement over this!! And yes they took the Evil Bari Bed away and banished it to another part of the hospital!!! Yay!!!

We chat for a while more about everything and nothing at all. Then my mom shows up with my half sister Megan and my dad too. Everyone was so impressed that I have such wonderfull friends from the neighborhood. Others who have taken this weird and wonderfull journey and have helped to pave the way for me, and who care enough to come see me. All too soon they have to head out and start the trip back to Massachusetts.

The string of visitors continue with my Aunt Annetha and Uncle Nick, then my brother in law Bryan and his girlfriend Erin, My Karaoke buddies Nancy and Kimmy and finally Matthew. At this point I NEED to walk. I just have to move. Everyone takes the cue and starts to get hugs and depart. Matthew takes a short walk with me and visits for a while longer then leaves me to nap...much needed nap. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

I wake up with my little sister at my bed side...mmmmmmmmmmmm real bed nap!!! Toad comes after work and sat with me till 8:00 when visiting hours end. Then sleep...Tomorrow I get to go home and see my babies. How I'm gonna keep Fat Cat off my belly I don't know...but It will be soo good to cuddle them again, to let them know mommy didn't abandon them...but for now I sleep.

So I left you off after my NG tube was removed...my morphine button was replaced by foul tasting pills called Dilaudid. It was no problem getting the pills down...they're tiny...but they left a nasty aftertaste in your mouth and you can't drink a lot to wash away the taste. They come in 2, 4, or 6 mg doses. They started me on a 4 and it didn't quite cut it so they gave me a 2 making a total of a 6 mg dose. It started making me really nauseous and the nurses promptly injected some anti-nausea meds into my IV and I was out like a light!!! Zzzzzzzzzzz That taught me that 6 mg was too much!!!

The day was spent mostly walking and sleeping. I was enjoying my recliner quite a bit at that point! Thats where I napped. From midnight to midnight I did ( if I remember correctly) 30 laps around the nurses stations out of a goal of 16!!! Almost DOUBLE what was expected of me. Oh and just so you know, 16 laps = 1 mile! Todd came to visit me before he went to work and did a few laps with me

The Surgeon came to see me around 2:00 ish and was so impressed with how much I was getting around he asked if I wanted to go home the next day. After I picked my chin up off my chest I politely declined but did ask if I could get the Foley catheter out...he said YES it was a day early for that step so I was really happy! I loved walking but when the catheter was in, the rubbing right near ...well right near the exit...made me feel like I had to pee really bad and was getting uncomfortable.

Soon after he left the nurse came in unhooked the bag and untaped the tube from my leg and slid out the catheter. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh Sweet release!I felt free! I really enjoyed those next laps! I was still hooked up to the IV so my IV pole was my walking buddy still, but I was free of the catheter.

Mom and Heather came to visit and mom brought my mail....Kaye had sent me a card! I felt special! Heather had brought me some magazines to read but I never did get the chance!!! Shortly after they arrived my buddy Matthew showed up with a huge bouquet of absolutly gorgeous flowers and get well cards that all the kids in the afterschool program he runs made for me.

I perched on the evil bariatric bed to read them all and disaster struck!!! I just had my butt cheeks on the seat and my feet were tippy toed on the foot mat/foot board and the meds drowsey effect started kicking in. I was sliding off the bed!!! I was scrambling to wiggle back up and work the contrrols to help me out and nothing was working. I tried to hop out of bed...no go. Mom wanted to go get a nurse but I was too embarrased and begged her not to! Some how, some way, I got out of it and into my recliner. That night I dreamed that the bed was chasing me!!! Oh God that was horrible! Yup need a nap after that!!!

So I napped a while and walked some more and Heather came by about 7:30 with her friend Johanna who is like a sister too, then they were off to be 21 yr olds and party! Todd called around 9:00 when he got out of work. He was off to Karaoke to fill in all our friends on my progress and wanted to "tuck me in" before he did. He can be so wonderful sometimes.

The nurses told me that I needed to try to pee on my own...the seat was SO low. How could I get down there? How would I get back up?!? So I asked the nurse if she had a booster seat They brought in a whole bench with a toilet seat built in and a hole to bridge the gap to the toilet. Now my feet won't touch the floor....I'm using all my muscle control to stay perched on it that there was no control left to squeeze my bladder!!! Oh well I'll try again later. 1 more walk then sleep.....

More to come but.......................
I forgot a big part of night 1...I was up about 12:30 and tried to call Toad...no answer...Mom, answering machine picked up Mom was out cold...called Heather she was out being 21 then too and couldn't hear me, didn't know who she was talking to. I'm yelling into the phone "I can't call you back in 15 minutes dork! I'm in the HOSPITAL!!! She was a brat and just shrugged it off and I finally hung up on her..grrrr She apologized up the wall the next day but I was really hurt at the time

Ok, Installment #2!! This is a recap of night one in the hospital...

I left you at the point when I fell asleep...... I woke...kinda to a nurse telling me to push the button in my hand if I had pain. I guess I prefered sleep to morphine at that point because I wasn't using the button!! Because they couldnt get me to stay awake. I have a family history of not coming out of anesthesia easily. I wasn't brought up to my room till about 7:00pm because of this. My family was frantic. Todd broke his non-smoking pledge that day in a big way...I can't blame him. This is why...

At Hospital by 10:30

In surgery (O.R. anyways) by 1:15

Doc came out and told them surgery went smoothly at 3:15

Not out of recovery till 7:00ish....

During the time I was in recovery nobody told my family anything. They were frantic and worried and angry. After I was finally brought up a recovery nurse came up and explained why she was so long in getting me up there...she didn't apologize for unnecessarily worrying my family. I was to foggy to fight right then and my family was too weary and drained. That was only one strike against the hospital staff...there were very few, I was treated very well in general.

I got up and walked shortly after Todd left at a little after 8:00 when visiting hours ended. Then sleep. They had me in a bariatric bed and it was HORRID! it moves in like 1000+ positions but you can only do one move at a time. It is a workout just to get comfortable in the thing, it takes forever to get out of it, unless you are over 6' tall, your feet can't touch the floor! Luckilly I only spent 1 day in the stupid thing!!! That night they woke me frequently to measure catheter output and get vitals. I think I was up walking twice more before dawn....because I wanted out of the damned bed!!

My throat and mouth were sooooooooo dry I could barely talk, I couldn't make spit. I wanted nothing more than a gallon of ice water!!! I had to settle for a flavored sponge with ice chips to dip it in. Didn't help much but it was better than nothing. I had a Nasalgastric (sp?) NG tube in to suck out any blood or fluids that got into my new pouch. They removed that about 6:00 in the morning and started me sipping water. 1oz over 1 hr. It was way too easy, especially after they started me on pills for pain and took away my morphine pump. It took a good half oz at least to get it down...1-2 sips.

Warning: This is a complete recap of my experiences so far with open RNY. Sensitive readers be warned!I will be breaking this down into sections for easier reading and because I get sleepy easy!

Hi, my name is Beth and I'm a brand spankin' newbie!!!

I went in to the hospital at 10:30 am on 10/27/06. The hospital is all of 5 minutes from my home so I was lucky enough to be able to sleep in till 8:00 a.m. I woke after a surprisingly sound sleep and showered with my skin prep Hibicleanse. I jumped on the scale to see if I had gotten down to my pre-op goal 389 down to 379....I was 376.8!!! Go me! I Dressed in pj pants, a loose tee-shirt, a light weight zip up hoodie and my Merrell shoes...lots of support for walking the halls after surgery and almost as comfy as a slipper. Packed the rest of the items on my list and sat in front of the TV while I waited for time to go. My Hubby, mom, and sister were all there with me I got all the paperwork filled out and shortly after was taken back to be prepped. They made me pee in a cup to check blood sugar levels and rule out pregnancy, took my vitals, had me strip down and put on a johnnie and a robe, wrapped my legs in stretch gauze to prevent clots and DVTs. They introduced me to the anesthesiologist, started my IV line with fluids and pre-op antibiotics, and gave me a shot of the blood thinner Heparin in the back of my arm....ouchie!!! Then they brought my family back to wait with me and meet the Surgeon.

Dr. Aranowb came in and tried his very best to scare me away ...just kidding, he made sure I was 100% aware of what I was getting myself into and said I could still back out...I looked him in the eye and told him to give me the pen! I WAS scared, I was looking at my most treasured loved ones and reaffirmed that I wanted to LIVE and be with them. The doc left after I signed all the papers and we sat around and joked and hugged and were silly. I had to pee again so they led me to the potty. My toes were freezing cold....so verrrrrry cold they wrapped a second heated blanket around just my feet.

Soon after the nurse came in and got me, put my inhailer in the pocket of my robe. I hugged everyone and told them how much I loved them and walked with the nurse into the operating room. They took off the robe and loosened the johnnie to get it off easier, laid me on the table and covered me with blessedly warm blankets. The nurse told me she was going to give me something in my IV to help me begin to relax....thats the last thing I remember!!!

More to come readers! Time to rest for a bit!