carpink72
10/13/2006- Yesterday was my six month anniversary since I had my WLS. I have lost 71 lbs so far and I'm at my halfway mark of reaching my goal. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. Before I know it, my one year anniversary will be here. I have accomplished so much in such a little bit of time. Today was another OMG moment. It is a chilly day here in NJ and a jacket that I haven't worn in years was in my closet. When I tried on this jacket last year, it was extremely snug fitting and would not close around my stomach. Well this morning it fits perfectly and I'm able to zip the jacket with no problems. I get so many compliments on how wonderful I look and believe me I feel wonderful on the inside as well. The future looks very bright and I'm starting to realize that there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. I am now starting to enjoy going clothes shopping as I can now buy clothes in stores that aren't exclusively for the full-figure woman. It's good to be able to go to a store such as the GAP and find clothes that will fit me. I'm starting to see a shape in my body and my shoes fit more comfortably. I've cut me hair short and love it. Next year I'm planning on looking into plastic surgery as I'm starting to notice the loose skin. I will also be going to vacation with a new shape so I can't wait.
10/06/2006- The top ten things I can now do after losing 71 lbs:
1) Cross my legs
2) Go upstairs without getting winded
3) Can wear shoes comfortably
4) Can buy clothes in regular stores such as the GAP
5) Tie my shoes
6) Can wear clothes that I haven't worn in years
7) Don't have to look at a double chin
8) Like looking at myself in the mirror
9) Can walk for a long period of time without feeling tired or having
aching joints
10) Can wear jeans without having to hold my breath to zip them
I'm almost at my halfway mark of losing 75 lbs. My ultimate goal is to lose 152 lbs. My highest weight was 282 lbs which is the weight I was in the 1st picture. I'm working on attaining my goal of being 130 lbs. I'm planning on being in Onderland by the time I have my follow-up visit with my surgeon which is 11/16/06.
10/01/06- Tomorrow I will need set an appointment with a personal trainer at my local gym. I have been primarily walking as my exercise and with the weather changing, I will have to go to the gym. Also, I need to begin incorporating a strength training routine to help build and tone muscle. I am noticing in the inner thigh area that my skin is loose and I think in the long run, plastic surgery is the only remedy to get rid of that loose skin. Sometimes I wonder why did I abuse myself for so long by overeating to the point where I put my heatlh in jeopardy. I can't beat myself up for that as I look forward to what the future will hold.
09/25/06- I'm 10 lbs away from Onderland and I can't wait to reach that mark. I haven't been in the 100 lb range in years. On Saturday, 09/23/06 I did my walk for Walk from Obesity in Crandford, NJ. It was about a 2.5 mile walk and I did it with no problems what so ever. The weather held up as well. As soon as the walk was over about 30 minutes later, it was raining like cats and dogs. I am so proud of my progess so far. Once I reach Onderland, I'll put a new picture of myself showing my progress.
09/17/2006- I'm down almost 70 lbs and on 09/23/06 I will be walking for Walk From Obesity. I'm so excited about this as I will meet others who are for the cause of becoming more healthy. I am also getting a personal training to help with my weight loss as well as lose the pouch on my stomach. The weight loss is steady and I am so happy that I did the surgery. I'm able to wear clothes that I haven't worn in years. I'm able to walk with pep in my step and I can take the stairs without feeling winded or needing to catch my breath. Life is definitely good.
08/19/2006- I'm down 60 lbs since 04/12/06 and I feel a lot better. I was slipping a little bit last month regarding excercise, but I am back on track. I also spoke to my surgeon on Thursday and I told him that I was getting my protein strictly from food and he would prefer that I drink a protein shake for breakfast and get the rest of the protein from food as he doesn't want my pouch to stretch so quick as the end result would be weight gain. So tomorrow I'll see what GNC has regarding protein shakes. I finally downloaded pictures of myself before and after.
06/18/06- I'm down 41 lbs in a little over two months and I'm starting my transitioning phase. I can now take a short jog on the treadmill which is something I wouldn't have thought could be possible, but I did it. I'm also able to consume more liquid, which was somewhat of a problem. I'm able to wear clothes that I have not worn in a while. I cut my hair and I love my short haircut, especially since my hair was pass my shoulder. In a way it was a symbol of a new beginning that will only get better.
06/06/2006- I've lost 32 lbs so far and I feel wonderful.
05/12/2006- I've lost a total of 23 lbs so far and I'm starting to see a difference in my appearance. I've been keeping up with my exercising and went to my 1st support group meeting last week. I also went to a nutritionist this past Tuesday as well.
04/27/2006- So far I have lost 16 lbs and I've started walking lat week. Yesterday I had a bad experience. I had a piece of potato and it got stuck and I had to throw it up. The feeling was horrible as my stomach was bothering me as well. I definitely learned my lesson. Other than that each day seems to get better.
04/19/2006- It's been a week since my surgery and I am getting better each day. My major concern is having low energy which makes me easily tired. I am taking my supplements. I'm a big kid at heart so I had purchased the Flintsones sour gummies vitamins which is tasty. I'm the type of person that if I don't like something I won't eat it no matter how healthy it may be, which was the reason why I didn't take any supplements before prior to this. Most of the supplements were like horse pills and tasted horrible.
I also would have to say that with all the tests that I have taken, no one has ever criticize me or made the typical comment of taking the easy way out regarding the surgery. I have a wonderful support team in my corner. From my family to my doctors, I have receive nothing but support which is very important in making this weight loss journey a success.
04/15/2006- Well I am now on the other side as a post-op patient. So far everything seems to go well as each day passes. I don't have much of an appetite, but I need to make sure that I drink all my liquids so I don't get dehydrated. I would say I'm about 60% better. My energy level is a little low and I need to sip slowly as I'm starting to realize if I drink to fast, I will have gas in my stomach which can be uncomfortable.
04/11/2006- Tomorrow is my big day for surgery and the beginning of a brand new journey. Today I am on a liquid diet as well as having to take a bowel prep along with an antibiotic to make sure that my bowls are cleaned out prior to the surgery. My surgeon says this helps to decrease the risk of infection. My surgery is schedule for 1:00 pm and I'm nervous and excited at the same time. After tomorrow I will be on the other side of the road as a post-op patient. I bought a size 8 cashmere blend wool coat for inspiration of achieving my weight loss goal. I guess I will also have to post my pre-op photo soon as I dread taking pictures.
04/03/2006- I am done with all my testing and now I have to get medical clearance from my PCP which I will have done this Thursday. I have nine days left until my surgery and I'm starting to get anxious. I will be glad when this surgery is done with.
03/22/2006- I have my surgery date of April 12, 2006. I have to take a few more tests. I have to do pre-admission testing and venous non-invasive studies to make sure that I don't have any blood clots.
03/19/2006- I did my endoscopy and the test came back normal, so once Dr. Bilof is notified of the results I should have a surgery date. If I don't hear anything by week's end I will give the office a call. I will be glad when this is all over and I can begin my journey of weight loss surgery.
03/07/2006- Now I have to have an endoscopy test done and then I will get a surgery date. I don't understand why the doctor's office didn't have me do this while I was waiting for approval. So far I must say that I have been very unhappy with the service that I have gotten so far from Dr. Bilof's office staff. It seems as though his staff is just dragging their feet. If I didn't have the good sense to follow up with the insurance carrier, I would still be waiting for an update from the dr's office. If I was informed up front of all the requirements that needed to be done I could have gotten everything out of the way instead of doing one thing and then being advised to do something else. Now I have to wait for the prescription to be mailed to me. I probably will contact the office for the hundredth time and advise them that I will pick up the prescription myself as I honestly don't believe that anything has been mailed to me. I will be glad when this is finally over and I have a surgery date.
02/27/2006- Yipee...I've gotten approval for weight loss surgery from my insurance company, now I am just waiting for a surgery date. It took over a year for me to do all the requirements as well as going back and forth with the surgeon's office. It was just approved on Friday, so the surgeon's office may not have the authorization yet. I definitely will be calling them tomorrow to let them know.
02/11/2006- My new insurance company has confirmed that they received the information to be approved for bariatric surgery and it is currently in medical review. Hopefully, I will hear something soon.
01/28/2006- My insurance company has changed, so I'm still waiting on a response from my new plan. I received a call from Dr. Bilof's office on 01/18/06 putting in a request for pre-authorization. So now it's just a waiting game. I now have Aetna PPO insurance and I heard that Aetna gives a tough time approving for Weight Loss Surgery. Hopefully all will go well as I've went through all the requirements for the surgery.
11/06/2005- I finally received a follow-up response from my surgeon's office after having to write a letter to the surgeon to find out what was going on. It seems as though the insurance carrier is requiring additional information from my primary care physician. So that's what I'm waiting for. I've contacted my PCP and explained to his receptionist what additional information the the insurance carrier is requiring. I'm starting to the discovered that persisitence is the key to getting the ball rolling. If I don't hear anything from my PCP, I'm going to have to give him a call as well. My PCP is very good with follow-up and I'm sure he'll send the information that is needed for me to get approval. The surgeon's office spoken to my insurance carrier directly and once they receive the additional information from my doctor, I'll be approved. So hopefully I'll have a suregery date soon.
10/20/2005- I'm starting to become a little frustrated with the surgeon's office who I want to do the Gastric Bypass surgery. I've forward my paperwork over 2 months ago and nothing has happened yet. I've contacted my insurance carrier several times and each time I was advised that the request to get approval for surgery hasn't been received. I've also contacted my surgeon's office and spoken to his assistant and she keeps saying that she's awaiting for a response from my carrier. I've also left several messages and my calls have not been returned from the assistant at the surgeon's office. So I'm still waiting for approval.
08/11/2005- It's been a while since I've last updated my profile. In order for my insurance plan to cover weight loss surgery, I had to go through a medically supervised diet and exercise program for six months. Well, I went through the six month period and didn't loose a pound. My Primary Care doctor has since written a letter of medical necessity for weight loss surgery and now I'm just waiting for the bariatric surgeon to forward the paperwork to the insurance carrier for approval. Hopefully, the approval process will be a smooth one and I can proceed with having weight loss surgery.
About Me
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
