Donna B.

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 I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Just wound up in southwest Louisiana since December of last year. We spent 2 years and 3 months in Missouri before coming here. God has continued to bless me so richly. Hope to post more soon. Praying God's blessing for y'all.

I was reading some of the other WLS folks goals on their blogs and realized, WOW, I've been there and have done that. So I decided to look at some of the wonderful things I can do now that I am almost HALF the person I used to be.

1: I can fit in any booth at any resturant I want to, without feeling like I'm being sliced into two pieces.
2: I have collarbones, shoulder blades, ribs, and hipbones like everyone else!
3: When I go in to get blood drawn, I don't have to listen to how hard it is to draw blood on someone "my size"!
4: My spouse gives me that "wink" ...LoL
5: I no longer pay the "fat tax" for my clothes at Walmart.
6: I can wear my 17 year old's clothes if I wanted to, and he's not overweight! Now if I could only get him to buy clothes that I would wear.
7: I can sit in "cheap plastic dollar store chairs" without worrying about them breaking.
8: I went horseback riding and wasn't worried about hurting the horse.
9: I can look down and see ___ without sucking my stomach in!
10: My waist size is only 2 inches larger that my inseam!

This is just my "Top Ten", there are so many others. I hope that all of you reading this have or will be able to say the same and more. God bless and keep you.

If it counts, I'm at 199 lbs nekkid and PPP (post pee and poop) first thing in the AM....LoL

Life is so good and I feel fantastic. It's hard to believe that I'm almost 50 years old. My weight loss has slowed down, but I'm only a little over 25 lbs from my goal weight of 175 lbs. I'm weighing in at 202 right now. I can eat most anything I want. But I don't, that's the best part. I don't crave any foods at all, and can get full from a "happy meal" at Mickey D's (but I still can't finish my fries if I eat all my double CB like a good patient).
God is So Good...and so is my life!

January 14, 2008- 297 lbs, HBP and antidepressants, CPAP machine, and little exercise....

July 14, 2008- 227 lbs, No Prescription meds, gave CPAP away, working out 5 days a week and walking 2 miles a day....

6 months = -70 lbs, -12 inches waist

NOW THIS IS PRICELESS!!!!!!

God is so good...and living is so much better...

Life is WONDERFUL! I have been exercising 5X a week for the past month. I am currently doing 1.75 miles on the treadmill in a 30 minute WL program that varies the grade between 3.5% & 7% at 3.6 mph. The I do 200 sit ups and a 30-45 minute circuit of the weight machines in the gym. The more I exercise the better I feel, and the better I feel the more I want to exercise.

I am losing weight and INCHES, and feel better than I have in DECADES. I enjoy getting outside and working in the yard, and even shoveled a whole load of mulch last week for my wife around the shrubs. It feels so good to feel so good!

I am still living the DS dream. I eat anything I want, and really aren't having any odor or bowel issues. But it is now amusing to me that the same person that could sit down and eat a whole pack of Ball Park Beef Hot Dogs by themselves can only eat 1 and a half now. But I still love 'em!

I will post some new photos soon, I promise. Once again I must thank God and Dr. Albert Spaw for giving me my health, and in turn, my life back.

 

First of all, I want to thank God, Dr. Albert Spaw and his staff and the staff at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, my beautiful and loving wife Laura, my children and family, my church family and friends, and last but far from least my OH family and friends. Without you, my sucess would not have been possible. Thank you God and all of you from the bottom of my heart. I owe all of you a debt I cannot ever repay, but will try to by living as long and healthy a life as humanly possible until the day God calls me home. THANK YOU ALL!

I had my two month post op appointment last Thursday. Dr. Spaw said he couldn't be happier with my progress.I have dropped over 30 lbs since surgery.I was losing an average of a pound a day at first, but this has slowed down now.I am weighting myself weekly now instead of daily, and stopped obessing about the pounds lost per day. I have lost a total of 6 inches from my waist, almost 2 inches from my neck, and my thighs, calves, and arms are all smaller and more muscle defined too. I went from having no chin to three chins and an Adam's Apple again, all of whcih I have gotten quite good at finding with my razor each morning

It has felt so good to be able to do "stuff" around the house again. That was the only "bad" thing about having my procedure OPEN, was the 8 weeks/8 lbs lifting restriction. But so far so good.

I have stopped taking my antidepressants and diuretics with my PCP's blessings. The only prescriptions I am currently taking are Pepcid and Norvasc for my HBP, which is now mild and I hope to come off of the Norvasc in April, my next PCP appointment. I am still using my CPAP, but I'm not sure how much of that is habit and not necessity. I seemed to take me forever to get used to sleeping with it,and it may take me a while to wean myself from it as well.

Overall, I feel so much better. I find myself "bouncing" up and down the stairs in my home now. I have energy I had forgotten was possible. And I truly feel good about myself. My mental and physical condition are the best they have been in years. It feels so good to be able to go into a store to look for clothes and not have to find the "big and tall" rack. And the first time I slid into a resturant booth and had room left between my tummy and table was great.

And the diet is UNBELIEVABLE!!!How can anyone call steak, shrimp, fish, chicken, ham, sausage, bacon, tuna, hamburger (the good GREASY kind), meat gravies,beans, nuts and peanut butter a DIET? I am getting 100-120 grams of protein a day and the only time I drink a shake (usually a EAS Myoplex Lite- I'm too lazy to mix one...LoL) is for breakfast on Sunday or if I'm in a hurry that morning.

Remember, the Duodenal Switch is a DEFINITE SOLUTION to MO and SMO. Don't get a "diet aid on a string" or a "tool", but get a DEFINITE SOLUTION....GET DS!

 

I AM SO LOVING MY DS! I continue to lose an average of a pound a day, and I am not having any problem getting my protein or fluids in. I have also have not experenced any of the "evil DS" side effects that people talk about. My pants are getting baggy, and shirts are too. I have had to make new holes in my belts, and now have to wear them to keep my pants up and not just for ornamentation. I may be switching to suspenders before long. I have begun preaching again, and started back in my classes last night. God is so good, and so is life. I thank Him every day for all of His blessings, especially for the blessing of Dr. Albert Spaw and the wonders he has worked in my surgery.

Went in for my two week (+3 days) checkup. My Nutritionist Laura and Dr. Spaw were both very pleased with my progress. I have had no nausea, no diarrhea, no lactose intolerance, no percievable change in my tastes, and no difficulty in getting my 80 gms of protein a day. I do usually suppliment one shake for my fourth meal each day to keep my protein up. I am eating ground beef, deli roast beef, turkey, and chicken, cheese, tuna, shrimp, oatmeal, peanut butter, wheat crackers,and about anything else protein I want. I even have an occasional cup of popcorn (I can only hold a cup now...not a whole bag like pre op....LoL). I am able to drink again without sipping. 

My staples came out today so I can drive again...YEAH!!! I took my wife to the grocery store today for the first time since before my surgery. It was funny who is reading all the labels now for Protein count..LoL.. I found a "protein bar" that is PB and Chocolate that has 18 gms of Protein and 150 calories. I actually bought it and liked it. How can you call this a diet when I'm eating shrimp, roast beef, angus sirloin, grilled chicken, and my lovely wife is cooking a huge pot of sausage and shrimp gumbo as we speak. I love my DS.

I am still waiting for the "negative" side of my DS to happen. No, I am glad it hasn't and never will. 

God and Dr. Spaw have given me this wonderful tool to make myself healthier, and that is what I am doing. Anyone who wants to suceed can, wither it be Lap-Band, Roux-eN-Y, or Duodenal Switch. But just as you can't cut a tree with a shovel, you can't expect the same results from a L-B or a R-N-Y as a DS. And I know being a member of a "mixed WLS" marriage. My wife has had RNY and of course I just had my DS. 

If at any time I can be of assistance to anyone considering a DS or that has a spouse or family member who is having an R-N-Y and would like to know more about supporting a R-N-Y patient just let me know. I am here for you.

Your servant and brother in Him,
Doug

Hello friends,

I know you are tired of hearing this, but my recovery is still textbook perfect. I have lost a total of 17 lbs, one shirt size and one jacket size, and feel great. I am eating anything I want to, getting all the protein I need, and taking all my supplements. I will get my 32 staples out on Thursday and be able to drive again, and more important, wear regular slacks. I also want to thank whoever it was who posted about the black angus burgers from Wal-Mart. I had one yesterday I grilled on my George Forman grill and it was delicious. I am eating deli roast beef, turkey, chicken, ham, cheese, and tuna salad. I am also eating sausage, hamburger, ham, eggs, wheat crackers, beans, and an occasional COOKIE and small dish of ICE CREAM. I have had no diarrea or nausea, but I have had to learn to eat much slower. I am also one of those people who hickup when full. Does that stop, or is that my "full alert" forever?  LoL  

I am so happy with my DS, and thank God every day for this blessing.