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01/08/2003 I am 31 years of age and have 2 children ages 8 & 11 and a hubby of almost 13 years who is finally respecting my wish to have WLS. I am in the process of researching surgeons in the Phoenix Arizona area and hoping I don't have problems getting approved. I have intended to have WLS for 2 years now and this year I have a new insurance company that hopefully will approve this. I called them yesterday and they said they don't generally cover WLS, but if it is medically necessary-then have my doctor fax over a request for approval. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed at this point and hoping it doesn't take forever!!!! Not that I'm being impatient or anything! lol

02/5/2003 I had my appt with my pcp today and discussed diets, etc with her. She was hoping that I would try the Atkins diet again but I am not wanting to start another temporary diet. So I told her about the surgery that I wanted to have and she said she has no problem referring me to a surgeon. Infact, she has several other patients who have already had gastric bypass surgery done. So now I have to wait until March 21st for the seminar in Phoenix with the surgeon. In the mean time I am having some blood work, etc done.

08/12/2003 I had my psychological evaluation last Friday (8th) in Phoenix. I was referred back to my pcp to be put on an antidepressant. In two weeks I will call the psychologist back and if he feels that I am "happier" then he will let my surgeon know that I'm ready. I have my consultation with my surgeon on September 11th.

11/03/2003 I am approved and will be having surgery January 13, 2004. Been a long road to get here so now it's just a matter of waiting a little bit longer!

02/17/2004 I had my surgery January 13, 2004 and everything went wonderful. I was off work for 3 weeks and although I've been a little tired, I'm feeling great! My only complaint with the hospital was in the pre-op room. The nurse who did my IV, etc wasn't wearing gloves and when she started my IV, I was bleeding all over my hand, arm, and HERS TOO. URR! I still can't believe she would even think about touching somebody's blood without gloves! I have lost 35 lbs so far!

04/25/2004 It's been a little over 3 months since my surgery. I am down 62 lbs and feeling great. I am wearing a size 16 pants now and about 18 on top. I am having some pain in my hips after I've been sitting for a while and then stand up. But I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I will discuss this with him. I am also losing a lot of hair everyday. Guess that is fairly normal after having surgery. Other than that, I feel great and am so glad I did this surgery.

05/16/04 My weight loss has been almost to a stand still lately. SLOWWWWWWWW!!! But I have still been losing inches so that counts for something too. I have been walking almost everyday for an hour and let me tell you...I live around some very steep hills. Walking outdoors here is truly a workout! The summer heat however is here and I have to wait til after dark to be able to walk at night so I think I am going to start doing it EARLY in the mornings now. I tried on a pair of size 14 jeans yesterday and was so ecstatic when I could zip them and still breathe! lol The shopping in the plus department is gone forever!

"DON'T BE AFRAID TO GIVE UP THE GOOD FOR THE GREAT!"

5/25/2004 I am down "70" pounds which officially puts me under that cursed 200. YAHOOO!! HAPPY DANCE!!! My Vitamin B-12 level has dropped over 250 points since my surgery to just over 200 so I am now giving myself shots to see if I can get it back up which in turn will give me more energy! Other than that, I am doing awesome!

06/22/2004 I am down "77" pounds now. Weight loss has been slower than I would like but as long as it's still going down, then I'll try to be patient.

07/11/2004 This last month was tough for me. My nephew was killed in an auto accident which meant traveling to attend his funeral. It was very hard on me having to go bury him. His mom (my sister n law) and his sister (my neice) and his neice (my great neice) were all killed in an auto accident as well just 3 years ago on the same Highway 95 in Idaho. It was like dealing with it all over again. All the mental anguish and just being away from home was sure tough. And then two weeks after the funeral, I had a week of vacation which meant another week of traveling. Sheesh! So tomorrow I will begin again and really stay focused on my protein and water. I am going to cut all bread from my diet for a while and see if that helps to give me a boost with the weight loss. This first 6 months has been a learning adventure and I'm so happy I had this surgery done. I was hoping I would have lost a little faster, however, 80 pounds is a great accomplishment. And dropping from a size 22/24 to a size 12/14 is truly amazing! I'm so thankful for this "tool" to help me get my life back and to have a more productive and happy life!

July 26, 2004
Went to the Dr today for my 6 month check up. I have lost 84 pounds now. BUT the doctor changed my weight goal from 142 to 137. So now I am 5 pounds farther away from my goal. Sheesh! Well, if I get anywhere close to 137 or 142 I won't complain. Anyway, I am going to start being better about working out daily and also start lifting weights. I need to give my weight loss a boost. It's been pretty sluggish. The Dr also said I need to start eating more calories. He said I'm not eating enough so the loss has been slower.

August 20, 2004
I'm down 90 lbs right now. Gosh, it seems like my weight has been stuck forever! I keep saying it has got to just be from all the walking I've been doing. Building more muscle. I know I've lost inches though. My size 12's are getting lose. Infact, I bought a size 8 work pants last week thinking I'd be in them soon. You guessed it--they fit right now perfectly! I am going to be in my best friends wedding in 10 weeks (November 6th) so I am trying extra hard to tone my stomache more. You know how those formal dresses can be! Anyway, I'm very excited and so happy that I have lost as much as I have so far. And I hope I will get off this plateau soon that I've been having for the last 3 weeks.

September 26, 2004
Well, it's been a little over 8 months since my surgery and I am down 97 pounds. This morning I weighed 172. Almost to that 100 pound mark! I have been exercising faithfully for two months at least 5 to 6 days a week. And I have been jogging now. That was one of the things I was looking forward to being able to do again. It's amazing how many people all of a sudden have noticed a drastic change in my appearance. People that I haven't seen in a while don't even recognize me anymore. What a great feeling! I will try to get an updated photo on here soon. Only 35 more pounds to get to my goal weight! What an accomplishment in less than a years time! This surgery was the best thing I've done for myself! I would do it again in a heartbeat! Best of luck to everybody in their journey's!

November 18, 2004
I sure haven't been very good about updating on here lately! I have a new photo to send in so I will do that soon. I am 10 months post op and have lost 106 pounds and am in a size 8. I have 26 pounds to go to get to my goal weight. I feel good and am so greatful every day for this wonderful tool that has given me my self esteem and life back!

November 30, 2004
My new photo should be updated on here soon now. I sent it in a few days ago. Not much has changed in the weight area--PLATEAUS! UGH! However, today I tried on some new work clothes and I am now in a size 6 pants (Worthington brand anyway). That was pretty darn exciting! I still am in denial though. Still don't see myself that small. It's so strange because everybody else sees it except me. Guess that is what happens when you have been a plus size for so many years. Anyway, that's about it for now. Hope all is well with everybody else!

January 9, 2005
Well, my one year anniversary is in 4 days! What a journey this first year has been! This is the greatest thing I have done for myself. Seems like just yesterday I was going through the "getting approved" waiting period and now here it is a year after surgery! So much has changed over this last year. I have lost a total of 110 pounds--I'm down to 159. I was hoping to have lost a little more than that, but I have been going through so much right now, that it's no wonder that I am kind of stuck. I am going through a divorce right now and have also changed jobs so that I can be home more with my children. I was commuting 40 miles each way back and forth to work everyday and now I'm working less than 10 minutes from my home. For now I'm trying to spend as much time with my kids as I can as we all adjust to this new life. Good luck to all that are starting out and to those who are already on the "losing" side!

April 21, 2005
Ok--I've been away too long! Time to snap back into the swing of things. I'm still feeling like a yo yo with all the changes in my life. My son will be leaving to move back to Idaho with his dad in June and I'm having a hard time with that. But I just have to stay positive and hope that he will want to come back to live with me soon. We're very close so this is pretty devastating! I haven't lost a lot more weight. I'm somewhere around 150ish. I am trying to get back on track and I have started working out again so hopefully things will start dropping a little bit again. I am not super obsessed with the numbers anymore. It's nice to shop in the normal junior sizes and to feel "human".
That's about it for now. I'll try to be better about updating!
Take care and God bless you all!

December 27, 2005 Well --I just thought I'd do a quick update. My weight has still maintained around 150ish but I am going to start working out again in January. My son is here visiting from Idaho and we're having a nice visit so we have been on the go and eating not so great. But after this week, no more snacking on little bites of junk here and there. My two year anniversary is just a couple of weeks away and I'm happy that I am a normal size now and my weight has maintained. For once in my life, the scale isn't going up! Yahoo! I'm wishing the best for all of you in your journey's!

July 7, 2007
Life is great! 3 1/2 years since surgery and my weight stays around 157. I never lost it all but I have been comfortable with where I have gotten too. I never had any plastic surgeries after my weight loss surgery, so if I had all the tummy skin removed, I'd probably be closer to my goal weight. My life has changed a lot over the last couple of years. I got divorced and rediscovered myself. I got a great job as Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager at a local bank here in Arizona. I got remarried to a wonderful man who treats me like a Queen and we have so much fun together. Now we are expecting a baby in February 2008. We're both so excited. However, I'll be honest. I'm nervous about the weight gain. But I will exercise and continue eating smart and I'm sure I will be fine. This surgery is the best decision I made! It helped me gain control of my life again and everything positive has just fallen into place! God Bless you All in your journey's!

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