debram30005
I have researched this surgery for about 4 years now. My prior health insurance refused my request for surgery because I was healthy other than being morbidly obese. (isn't that a contradiction in terms?)
The first of 2005 my insurance switched from Kaiser to BCBS. In February I turned 40 yrs old and I decided that I needed to find out if BCBS would cover the surgery which I found out they did!!
I made my appointment w/ Dr Christopher Hart and went to see him on 05/19/05 and everything went fine. He gave me the ok to start the testing for the surgery. I was weighed, 337lbs. (OUCH!!) He said that I would need to lose 37lbs before surgery. I do not have any of the co morbities that is associated with the weight so I guess that's a good thing.
I have however lost so much of myself in this weight. I used to love going to amusement parks and riding roller coasters. That stopped when I went to six flags when I was around 230lbs and got on the mine train roller coaster. The bar came down and it wouldn't lock. My sister that is small in size tried her hardest to get it down but it took 2 guys that worked there to push it down enough to lock in front of all the people waiting to ride and all the people already in the cars waiting for the ride to move. The ride could not have gotten over fast enough. I was so embarrassed and being squeezed in that tiny car was killin' me! I used to ride bikes and loved to dance and walk my dogs but now I am so tired once I get home from work, I feel like I can't move.
Anyways, back to the subject. I went to see Dr Hart, what a great man. He is kind and really seems to care about his patients although he seems to be no nonsense type of doctor. I liked him and I feel comfortable with him. I also worked with Mildred and she is funny and very sweet. The doctor and her sat down with me at different times to ask if I had any questions which I didn't but I know I will have a million as this process unfolds.
My husband went with me to my appointment (which he highly recommends to any spouse) and he was able to sit in on the group discussion with Dr Hart as he explained in detail about the surgery. The percentage of fatalities concerned him but he knows what this means to me and he said that he would stand behind me with whatever my decision is. He has never been heavy so he doesn't realize the problems that I face but he tries to understand, which I think is really great.
My sister Cheryl is going to her first appointment with Dr Hart on June 9th to see if she is a candidate. I am hoping that she is because I think this will be so much easier with her going thru it with me. She is my best friend and we can keep each other going in the right direction.
My appointments for the testing is May 25th & 26th. The dietitian is May 31st and with the psychologist is June 2nd. Things are happening fast! I will update with how the appointments went. Wish me luck!!
05/25/05 - I have to update before I forget anything. I went for my first day of testing. If I was not 110% sure that this surgery was what I wanted, I would have quit!!! The whole thing was unpleasant. Now I KNOW that I am a hard stick and its hard to find a vein because they blow out or roll.
I went in at 7:30am this morning. I had 10 vials of blood drawn 1st at the lab. I then went to radiology and had to have nuclear stuff put into my veins so they could check out my heart. The radiologist found a vein on the first stick but my vein blew out so they had to find another one. The next stick was in my wrist and the radiologist stuck me so hard, my wrist still hurts! I then went to have my lungs checked out and they had to get blood gases. I can honestly say that I would rather suck on a razor blade than have this test done to me again. The man that tried 2 times could not find an artery and hit my nerves both times which shot a pain down my arm and thru my hand that I will remember until I'm 80 yrs old. Since he couldn't do the stick, he called in another man that attempted it He got the artery but in the process of doing so, hit my nerve and the needle stayed hitting my nerve for what seemed like 10 minutes although it was only about a second. He kept telling me to be still but I couldn't because the pain radiating down my arm was like a thousand needles being stuck all over my arm and hand at the same time. It makes your hand move involuntarily. Hitting the nerve with a needle also had another effect on me, it made my finger tips and palms of my hand numb. The doc said that it was normal and would "take a while" to wear off. As of 6:15pm, its still numb.
Now I don't want to scare anyone because as I said, my veins are difficult to find. I do NOT cry normally (especially when getting stuck with needles) but that test made me cry. I was stuck 6 times today!! I think that's enough for anyone.
Ok, next they sent me back to radiology and they performed the test that looks at your heart. It takes about 20 minutes and you have to lay very still but IT DIDN'T HURT!! Then for the look at my stomach. First comes the fizzy icky stuff that you have to drink to make your tummy fill with gas. Then the thick gritty gross stuff that you have to drink while they are taking the pictures of your tummy. Last but not least come the thinner gross stuff that almost made me barf. And then that test was complete and I was free to go back to work. It is now 6:15pm and my stomach still feels sickly. Don't expect to want to eat anything after that test.
I go back to the hospital tomorrow to get the stress test done and have to be there by 7:30am.
Oh yeah....the doc found a Hienel (sp?) hernia but said it was nothing to worry about.
05/26/05 - I went today for my last day of testing. I had to get a IV put in but that went without a hitch. One stick (a little bit of searching) and it was in. Thank goodness because my arms look like I've been in a fight. They are black and blue. I had to walk on a tread mill which increased in speed and elevation. I think I was only on it for about 6 minutes but I was very tired when it was done. Then back to the machine where I had to lay very still for another 20 mins while it took pictures of my heart. I was in and out within about 2 hours.
Tomorrow is my visit to my PCP to try and get him to write me the referral letter. Hopefully he will do it. If not, I will be looking for another PCP. Wish me luck!!!!
05/27/05 - I went to my PCP today. I talked to him about the possibility of me having surgery. He said that I would have to have a complete physical before he would make the decision on whether or not he would give me a letter of medical necessity. I scheduled my next appt for June 8th.
05/31/05 - I went to Dr Hart's office to an appointment w/ Rachel, the dietitian. I know you will be surprised, but I am eating ALL the wrong foods. I am addicted to coke and that has to go! I substitute coke for sweets which means I drink a lot of coke!! She gave me a "menu" to follow and I can do it. I have to do it! Rachel is very nice. She didn't make me feel bad about what I have been eating, but she made it clear that I had to change things before surgery or post surgery would be very difficult for me. She told me that I cannot have any carbonation after surgery because it would stretch out my pouch and would cause dumping so coke will soon be a drink in my past. From the people I have talked to about dumping, it seems to be a very unpleasant thing so I have decided to do my best not to do anything after surgery that may cause that effect.
OH YEAH....I was weighed today and I lost 4lbs. Only 33 more to go before Dr Hart agreed to do surgery.
06/02/05 - I went to the psychologist, Dr Richard Van Haveren today. When I made my appointment, I pictured a gray haired, balding older gentleman but when I saw the Doc, I was shocked that I was so wrong. He is young and quite nice looking. We went to his office and he talked to me about my life, whether I had been abused (which I haven't) or if I have any trauma in my life. Luckily my life has been pretty easy. My parents are married still after 47 years and I am close to all my sisters and brother. We actually like to be around each other and always go on vacation together or go to each others houses. I figured that if the doc did not call the padded wagon for me while I was there, he didn't think I was too crazy. My loving family and friends joked with me that they didn't think I would pass the screening. I did have to do 3 tests while I was at his office. They asked me in a dozen different ways if I wanted to commit suicide (which I don't!!!) or if I heard voices in my head, liked my family, thought the world was out to get me or if I had problems with alcohol or drugs. The questions seemed to be worded like they try to trip ya up but if you're being honest, the tests should be no problem.
on Wednesday, June 8th I have my physical with my PCP. Hopefully that will go well.
I have started to switch my regular coke w/ diet vanilla coke and I have started cutting down on the amount of caffeine. One of my friends, Angela that sits next to me at work is cutting out her caffeine to help me. She is helping me keep the faith at work and I just will not buy regular coke for the house so I can't be tempted.
06/08/05 - I had my complete physical by my PCP today. I had to fast which I did without too much trouble. My appointment was at 3:45pm and I had my dinner the night before at 6:30pm so I had not eaten or drank anything for almost 24 hours. Since i'm still trying to loose weight that Dr Hart said I had to loose, I didn't cheat. I was weighed and I'm down 10 pounds now!!! YEAH FOR ME!!! My PCP put me on blood pressure meds because my blood pressure goes from normal to slightly on the high side. The highest its been is 146/92 but today it was 126/90. I am a bit apprehensive about taking the meds since I am not a constant high blood pressure patient. (if anyone knows about this, let me know) I did not fill the prescription.
My PCP said that he would see me back in 1 month and if all is going well with my blood pressure, he will give me my recommendation letter but when I went up front, his nurse looked at my chart and said that she will have my letter done in about 2 days and I could either pick it up or she can mail it to me. I'm confused now but I will call the doctors office on Monday if I haven't gotten the letter and will check to find out if I am getting it before my monthly checkup.
I will let you know how it goes.
06/14/05 - I received my "letter" of necessity from my PCP. It wasn't a letter at all, it was the doctors notes where it stated that my dangers from obesity far outweigh the dangers of surgery. My PCP said it should be good enough. I faxed the information to Amanda at Dr. Harts office to have her check to see if it was enough for the insurance co. I haven't heard back from her but it's driving me nuts and I want to call her so badly but I don't want to bother her. I know she must get a thousand calls a day from people asking questions so I am going to try and be patient and wait for a couple of days. If I haven't heard anything by the first of the week, I will call and check.
06/16/05 - I recv'd a phone call late today from the psychologist, Dr Richard Van Haveren. He told me that all my tests were back and everything seemed fine. He said that I appeared to have a good support system w/ my family and friends and that he thinks I would be a good candidate for the WLS surgery. He will be forwarding his report to Dr Hart and he should be receiving it within the next couple of days.
I guess I will wait until Tuesday afternoon when I have another appt w/ Rachel (dietian) to see if I'm losing weight. I can say that I have lowered my caffeine intake to 6 oz of a diet vanilla coke in the mornings. I still miss my regular coke but I know I can't have it anymore.
06/21/05 - I went to see the dietitian, Rachel. She was glad to hear that I had cut out my regular coke and even cut down my diet coke to only 6oz. I am going to stop the diet coke this weekend so I will only drink water. I have only lost 7lbs total. I'm down to 330lbs, and a BMI of 54.9. I still have 30 more lbs to lose. Rachel said that Dr Hart won't even schedule my surgery until I'm down to at least 310lbs so I need to get this weight off. I have been trying to exercise but it is killen my knees. I have to go every 2 weeks to weigh in now.
I asked the office staff if they could check my chart and see if all my tests have been recv'd. All the blood tests have not come back. I took those tests on 05/25/05. That's almost a month! How long do those tests take to get them back??? And my test results from the psychologist, Dr Richard Van Haveren have not been recv'd yet but I talked to him last Thursday and he said that he would be sending them.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell all of you. My sister, Cheryl was a good candidate for the surgery. She is going thru the testing now. She went for the initial blood tests, breathing tests, blood gas (she had NO problems and they didn't hit her nerves) and upper GI. This Friday she will be going to have her EKG & stress test and to see the psychologist, Dr Richard Van Haveren. Now as I see it, I think she needs to share the pain of that bad, bad blood gas test so I told her when I see her this weekend, I was going to make her black & blue. (I'm just kidding, I really wouldn't hurt her!!)
I also found out that a friend from work is testing for the surgery also. She is Dr Harts patient, she even saw the psychologist, Dr Richard Van Haveren and she has done all her testing. She is still waiting on her letter of necessity to come from her PCP.
It is a positive experience that I have my sister, Cheryl and a work friend to go thru this with me. Dr Hart's office said that they may even be able to schedule the surgery for me and Cheryl to be on the same day! That would be awesome because then the family only has to go to the hospital once to visit both of us together.
06/23/05 - I recv'd a call from Mildred w/ Dr Harts office. She said that all of my tests are in but after looking at my stress test, there was something strange on it so I have to see a cardiologist. She said that the cardiologists office will call me to set up an appointment.
06/24/05 - I am being impatient. I sent an email to Mildred w/ Dr Harts office and said that I haven't heard from the cardiologists office yet and she told me to be patient, they will call around the first of the week to set up the appt.
I don't know why I am feeling like I need to rush it because I still have 30lbs I have to lose before Dr Hart will even agree to operate. I need to take a deep breath and chill out.
07/01/05 - As of today, I still have not heard from the cardiologists office.
The good news is that my information has been sent to the insurance co for approval although I will still have to see the cardiologist and lose 30 more pounds before I can schedule surgery if I'm approved.
07/08/05 - I went to see the cardiologist today. I have to have a procedure that runs a cath up my leg artery into my heart so they can check on my heart to determine if i have a blockage or if its just fatty deposits that are causing a false positive reading. My surgery will not get the go ahead until that is done. Its scheduled for 07/27/05 at 9am. I was weighed and I've lost 3 more lbs so I was at least pleased about that but I have to say that I'm pissed about this test. I don't want it, I'm certainly NOT happy about it and I don't think they will find anything. I weigh 327lbs now so I would stake my rep that the problem is fat around my heart. My 3 EKG's have come out just fine so if my heart was having a problem, wouldn't it show up on the EKG too? Only the stress test had the "strange" reading. I have none of the symptoms of a clogged artery. Now, I'm hoping I'm right but if I'm wrong, I will be thanking God for the tests and this just supports the need for this surgery. If I really do have a clogged artery and I continued at the pace I am going, I would be dead early. I'm only 40!! 20 years ago I thought that was sooooo old but now, I realize that 40 isn't old at all...I'm only half way thru my life and I really want to be around to see 80.
My sister's tests have all come back fine. She was worried that her tests would come out bad and I would have to wait for her before we could do surgery but now, it looks like she will have to wait for me.
07/11/05 - I read a profile of a woman that had BC/BS and she said to make sure that they get the paperwork so I thought I better check. I called BC/BS and just asked if my paperwork had been received. I was told that it had been recv'd but it was denied just today. The man from the insurance co could not tell me what it was denied for but just said that they needed something additional from the surgeon and they were sending out a letter to both me and Dr Hart's office stating what they needed. I am sooooo bummed. Every time I think something is starting to work out, a huge dose of defeat smacks me right in the face.
I AM NOT GIVING UP!!!! I am going to finish up with the cardiac problems, tackle the denial, get this last weight lost and get this going the direction that I want it to go.
07/13/05 - I had to go to the cardiologists office today for the blood work to be done for the cath procedure. On the way I stopped at Dr Hart's office and had to be weighed...I lost 5 more lbs. A grand total of 12lbs. Only 25 more to go!!
Oh yeah.... the psychologist, Dr Richard Van Haveren called my sister and she actually passed her tests. He doesn't think she is crazy ... boy did she fool him!!! lmao :)
07/15/05 - Amanda w/ Dr. Harts Office has recv'd all my sister Cheryls and my work friend Carols paperwork. Both of them have been submitted to the insurance co.
07/25/05 - I went on the message board and posted that I had recv'd my denial letter and the reason for it (I have to have a one year Dr monitored diet). A very nice woman sent me a message and told me to get me records from my prior doctor and submit those because it may have enough in it to show the monitored diet. I called Kaiser and requested my medical records be sent directly to Dr Hart's office. They should arrive to his office within 7 to 10 days. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
When I called my sister tonight, she said that she just recv'd her approval letter for the surgery. She is going to try putting off the surgery for several months to see if I can get approved with Kaisers medical records.
Please keep me in your prayers.
08/01/05 - I went thru the cardiac cath with flying colors. The cardiologist said I had beautiful arteries. So now my next hurdle is the one year doctor supervised weight loss. I can only hope that Dr Hart's office recv's the info this week and it is what will be needed. If not, I told my sister to go ahead with her surgery.
Cheryl's surgery is scheduled for Sept 27th.
08/11/05 - I heard from Amanda with Dr Harts office. She recv'd my records from Kaiser but it did not have much in the way of the notes about weight. She said that she submitted the information to BCBS to see if that was enough.
I was shocked because every time I saw the doctor, the weight issue was discussed with me. Even when I saw my OBGYN she even discussed it with me and gave me pointers for weight loss.
Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me and keep me in your prayers that I'm approved with what they have.
08/22/05 - I'M APPROVED!!!!!! OMG...I can't believe it!! I was soooo sure that I was not going to be approved and I would have to wait until next year. I was so shocked, I cried, I laughed, so many emotions but never once did I get nervous or think that I was doing the wrong thing.
I called Amanda w/ Dr Hart's office and she had been called too. She said that once the letter is received, they can schedule me. I still have to have the 37lbs lost by the time but I think I will have it lost in time.
My sister is going to cancel her date on Sept 27th and will reschedule for my date as long as Dr Hart's office allows that.
09/02/05 - I went in to be weighed in at Dr Hart's office. My scale at home showed that I was 310lbs but the scale in the Dr's office said I was at 318lbs. What a mood killer! I was so bummed out but I'm still trudging along. I've been walking steadily for weeks. I'm up to just over 1 mile but by the time I'm done, I'm exhausted and my feet hurt so bad I can barely stand up. I have at least 13lbs to go before I can be scheduled.
I am scheduled for surgery for October 12, 2005 but still have to lose the weight before I can go to my pre op appointments.
09/29/05 - I went into Dr Hart's office this morning and weighed in. I am at 309, which is 1lb below what was the requirement to start the preop appointments so surgery is on. Now I have to meet with Rachel (dietitian), Dr Hart one last time before surgery and the Anesthesia (sp?= the guy would will be putting me to sleep) Doc. I joined a gym 2 weeks ago (ladies workout express) and have been working out. The owner is really great. She is keeping up with my progress and has been a great cheerleader for me so I will keep going and hopefully lose more weight before surgery.
I'm not nervous at all. I know without a doubt that this is what I want. My left knee is getting worse. The pain and grinding sometimes gets unbearable. If this weight isn't gotten off me, I'm afraid that I may have to have a knee replacement or worse, not be able to walk. I am so excited. My sister said that she feels the same way. She is excited but not nervous. We both know that this is the best thing that could happen for us.
*** I wanted to give an update on my friend Carol. She had her surgery on Sept 27, 2005 and came thru it like a champ. She is at home now and doing fine. She had her surgery w/ Dr Hart at Emory Dunwoody Medical Center and said everyone was great except the leak test was really bad. It made her gag and have dry heaves.
I also posted a note on the message board asking what to bring to the hospital and got a list:
toothbrush/toothpaste
robe
lipbalm
nightgown (some people just stayed in the hospital gown)
hairbrush
loose fitting clothing for the ride home
a pillow for the ride home to support your stomach
slippers (some people just used the socks that the hospital gave)
I want to thank everyone for the messages of support on my surgery page. All of you are wonderful and I appreciate all the awesome journal notes. I have read so many profiles and I hope everyone that has kept a journal understands how much help the profiles are to the newbies that are just starting their journeys. I know it helped me.
10/3/05 - Amanda w/ Dr Harts office called. She let me know that my surgery is still scheduled for 10/12/05 and it is at 12:30pm. My sister is scheduled on the same day at 9:30am so our surgeries will be back to back.
Amanda scheduled me for my last appts with the dietitian and w/ Dr Hart.
I see Rachel on Wednesday @ 1:30pm and Dr Hart for preop on Monday 10/10/05 @ 8am and will be going to the hospital for preop Monday afternoon.
My throat is hurting me today and I feel terrible...I hope I am not getting sick.
10/5/05 - Bad news...I have been out from work sick on Tuesday and today. I went to my PCP today and I have strep throat. Since my surgery is in 7 days and a RX of antibiotics would take 10 days to finish, my PCP gave me a shot. She said it should not interfere with the surgery. Pray for me that it doesn't.
I went to see Rachel, the dietitian. I weighed in and had lost down to 301 lbs but I haven't eaten or drank anything since Monday afternoon because I have been so sick so I figure that large of a weight loss is due to the illness.
10/7/05 - I am back to work today. Still don't feel 100% but I am feeling much better.
I will have to tell Dr Hart on Monday that I had strep and I had a shot of antibiotics. Keep praying for me that it doesn't affect surgery.
10/10/05 - I saw Dr Hart this morning. Everything is ok and having strep last week will not affect the surgery date. I'm so relieved.
Amanda went over all the info I would need for the surgery. She is awesome and Mildred w/ Dr Harts office saw me and said hello to me using my name. I think it's just awesome that Dr Hart's office staff actually know their patients and can call them by their names. I didn't have any questions for Dr Hart. I'm just so excited and I am ready for Wednesday Oct 12th @ 12:30...my surgery date!!!
I go this afternoon to meet w/ the hospital to get my preop done.
10/11/05 - Pre op was easy. No problems. I have to drink the phospho soda between 4pm and 7pm. I left work at 3pm so I could get to my mothers house before taking it. Let me tell you, the directions say that it can start working within 30 mins of drinking it and they weren't kidding!!!
10/12/05 - My sister and I got to the hospital together around 9:30am and the staff kept calling us "the sisters" which was really great. they all had been told that we would be coming in so it was good to be expected. the staff took us into separate rooms and got our iv's started and we changed into our gowns. They then rolled my bed into my sisters room so we could wait for our turns at surgery together. I am really thankful that I had her with me. Cheryl was taken down for surgery around 12 noon and around 1:00pm I was taken to the holding room and given my sedative which didn't knock me out. It was supposed to make me relaxed which I guess it did. I wasn't in the holding room for long until I was taken into the operating room. I remember getting onto the table. My arms were stretched out to the sides and the anesthesiologist (sp?) said that I was going to sleep now and then I woke up in my room and the surgery was over. I wasn't nervous prior to surgery because I knew, without a doubt that I was doing the right thing and I had all the confidence in my surgeon.
Anyways, I woke up, it was dark outside and the nurse was in my room. I remember saying that I wanted to get up which I did. (the beds are great because they move to a sitting position) After I stood up for the first time I felt sick but it passed and I walked to the door in my room and back to bed and that was enough for me. I was woken up about every 4 hours to walk and about every 12 hours I was given a shot in my stomach (did not hurt at all) to prevent clotting.
Everything went well. I had my sister to walk the halls with so it wasn't boring. Either I was in her room or she was in my room most of the time.
My sister started a fever of 101.5 on Friday morning before we were supposed to be released from the hospital but the staff was able to get it down by noon so we both were able to leave sometime after 1pm. Our mom took us back to her house so we could recoup there.
*** I have to tell everyone this: Emory Dunwoody Hospital is awesome. It has a special bariatric unit that is just for this surgery. It looks like a hotel with special lighting in the hallway and wood floors. It is wonderful and the nursing staff could not have been nicer and absolutely the BEST!!!. I am so impressed with the hospital and staff that I would gladly refer them to anyone.
On Thursday morning I went for my leak test and I can honestly say that the stuff I had to drink is probably the worst crap I have ever put in my mouth. Thank goodness I didn't have to drink too much because I would have thrown up. I wasn't leaking so I got to have water, popsicles, broth and jello. It tasted great compared to the leak test gross stuff. Cheryl made it through her leak test just fine also. I have found that banana sugar free popsicles taste really, really good.
Once we were at our parents house, we had to start drinking our water and 3 protein drinks per day and 2 snacks. We used the Unjury strawberry protein drink which isn't too bad.
10/19/05 - My sister and I went to our checkup with Dr Hart. We both are healing nicely with no problems. My sister has lost 8 lbs and me 9 lbs since the surgery. I am 296lbs now.
Ok, I have been drinking protein shakes 3 x's per day for 1 week and I am so sick of them, I want to gag. It's getting really old really fast. Dr Hart said we have to stay on the protein drinks until this weekend then we can go to pureed foods.
10/24/05 - All is going ok. We are making sure that the food we are eating is very soft and so far, we have not had a dumping spell. We do have times that we feel sick to our stomachs but it passes. Cheryl cannot take applesauce but it doesn't bother me. Tuna upsets my stomach. I felt like I was about to dump for about an hour. I was miserable so I don't eat tuna and Cheryl will not eat applesauce. We have eaten oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat and they all have set well on our stomachs. I'm looking forward to branching out to other food but right now, oatmeal tastes pretty good but we aren't hungry at all. We have to make ourselves eat and we have to concentrate on getting in our water but as long as we drink a water all day long, we will get in our fluids.
It has been really hard to stay off a scale. I want to see my progress but I'm going to try and stay off of it until my meeting with Rachel (dietitian) in 4 weeks.
11/01/05 - I was eating corn on the cob. I always cut it off the cob but for some dumb reason, I decided to bite it right off the cob (HUGE MISTAKE) and i accidentally swallowed some corn without chewing it up really well. I thought I was going to die for about 2-1/2 hrs. I honestly hurt so badly and felt sick but I couldn't throw it up. I spent an hour hanging over the bathroom sink hoping I could. It finally passed but I will not soon forget it.
11/03/05 - I LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!!! I had some salmon and a tiny piece went down before it was chewed AND THE PAIN STARTED RIGHT AWAY AGAIN. Luckily it took only about an hour and I was able to throw it up so the pain went away. This is twice this has happened....it won't happen again!! It's also the first time that i have dumped.
11/4/05 - My sister Cheryl and I went to Dr Harts office just to be weighed so we could gauge how we were doing. I was at 288 and my sister was at 270. That's a weight loss of 17lbs for me since surgery and Cheryl is 15lbs down.
11/11/05 - I started back to work on the 7th and back at the gym working out. I am staying off the scale as much as possible. I truly do not know my weight since my scale at home doesn't even come close to Dr Hart's scale. I cannot see a change in myself although I am wearing my pants that are a size smaller now. People at work say they can tell but its hard to believe because I don't see it. I have my appointment with Rachel (dietitian) on 11/22 so I will update then with my weight loss.
11/22/05 - I had my appt w/ the dietitian and I weighed in at 281 lbs. She said that I was on track and had lost 24 lbs since the surgery and that is 4 lbs per week so I'm doing good. That means a total of 56 lbs gone since I have started this journey. I am in a size smaller pants and have started giving away my larger clothes because I need to know there is no turning back.
My sister also went to the dietitian the same day and she is down 20lbs since the surgery, 38lbs total since her journey started.
I still cannot see the weight loss on myself. I don't know how much weight i will have to loose before I can see it but I know I will be really pleased when I finally do.
12/13/05 - I have been in Houston, Tx since Dec 2nd because my company needed additional workers to help with the hurricane claims. I will be here until Dec 23rd. I haven't weighed myself since Nov 22nd so I have no clue as to my weight but I can tell you that my pants are falling off me. I brought a pair of jeans with me that were 22's and they are loose on me now. All the other pants that I brought were 24's so you can imagine how baggy they are.
Now for the important stuff..... I had to fly to Houston. I always got nervous with flying because my body did not fit into a seat and I would spread over into the seat next to me and I would have to hold the middle arm rest down so that my hip wouldn't make it raise up and the thought of not getting the seatbelt fastened and having to ask for a seatbelt extender is so demeaning so I was really nervous about boarding. When I got to my seat, I sat down, the arm rest DID NOT poke me in hip and I was able to get the seatbelt fastened, without having to suck in and I even had room to spare!!!!! I seriously had to fight back tears of joy. I kept thinking that the people around me would think I was crazy if I just started crying because they wouldn't know the reason. It was a victory for me and I can't tell you how relieved I felt. Each of these victories mean so much to me and I know if your reading this, you probably know exactly how I feel.
As soon as I actually weigh myself again, I will post it.
01/16/06 - I had my 3 month checkup today. I had to fast so nothing to eat or drink after midnight which was no problem. My appoint was at 8:15am. Dr Hart said that my incisions looked good and would fade in about a year. I told him about how tired I was all the time. I actually find it hard to stay awake during the day. Its tough because I work. I am doing my exercise. I go into the gym tired and leave tired. It seems that I just can't get any energy. I am taking my vitamins and B12 pills as required but I just can't shake the no energy bug. Dr Hart told me to see Rachel (dietitian) so I scheduled an appointment for Feb.
I have lost 48 pounds in the last 3 months and with the weight loss prior to surgery, I have lost a total of 80 lbs. I actually got into a size 20W non stretch jeans. My work pants all had to have a seam taken in the backside so I can continue to wear them. I really don't want to purchase new pants because right now its just a waste of money.
My sister went for her 3 month on the same day and she has lost 42 lbs (60 total due to her weight loss before surgery).
I have started going out and dancing again. That feels really great.
01/18/06 - Mildred w/ Dr Harts office called me. My bloodwork came back and everything is great. My iron was higher than it was the last blood workup I had so the "no energy" is not from that. My cholesterol is 140.
06/15/06 - I am back from Catastrophe duty in New Orleans. I had to walk everywhere in New Orleans because parking is a nightmare. I think the walking was great for me. I am down to about 215. I am wearing a size 16 pants and a XL shirt. I still get sick easy and have to drink skim milk 1st thing in the morning or else I get sick with anything I eat. I made the mistake of drinking whole milk and thought I was dying. Me and whole milk = enemies. I have to take great care in watching sugar grams because anything with the slightest sugar content will put me into a tailspin and I will get so sick. Me and sugar = enemies.
It has now been 8 months since the surgery and I will be going on June 22nd to my 6 month checkup since I missed it in April.
I still look in the mirror and see a 300lb woman. When does that stop? I guess I can't see my true body image because my mind only sees the old me but when I'm folding my pants, I look at them and think that they look so small.
Oh, when I got home, I found out that my gym had closed and the closest ones are miles and miles away. I will never drive that far to go to a gym so I have been continuing my walking.
I will update on how my doctors appt goes.
06/22/06 - I went for my 6 months checkup. Everything looked fine. I weighed in at 208lbs. Dr Hart said that he would like me to still lose 50 to 60lbs to get to my goal. He asked me what weight I would like to get to and I said that I can still remember being 145lbs (I thought I was so fat at that weight! But boy was I wrong!) He agreed that 145 would be a good goal weight.
10/17/06 - I have just celebrated my one year anniversary on October 12th!!! To celebrate, my sister and I went to Six Flags Theme Park and I rode 6 roller coasters! I was really nervous standing in line to get on the first ride because I didn't know if I would fit on it but I did, with no problems! That old memory from Six Flags and not being able to fit on the roller coaster has been replaced now. I still see the "big girl" in me when I look in the mirror but I can look at my clothes and know its not me, its just the perception I have of myself. My sister has lost a total of 108lbs. She is at a plateau and has been for over a month. I weighed this morning and I am down to 190lbs. That is 147lbs lost!!!!! Dr Hart still wants me to lose about 40lbs more and I am walking and starting to jog to try to get it off but I'm not sure that I want to be 145lbs now. I think I would rather be around the 160 mark. I think a size 10 would be about as small as I want to go. I wear a size 14 misses! I don't shop at any big women's shops because the clothes don't fit me. It still amazes me that I can walk into a store and find clothes off a regular rack. I have energy now. I feel great and I am doing the things I love. I go dancing, I went white water rafting!, walks with my dogs, and I enjoy going out with friends again.
I asked my sister on our anniversary if she had it to do all over again would she?,..... she told me absolutely, she wouldn't think twice about it. I feel the exact same way. I would do it again in a minute. This surgery has saved my life and made my life so much better.
01/04/07 - I celebrated the new year with a new me. I have hit a plateau and have been holding steady at 189lbs for about 1-1/2 months now. I have tried exercising... I even tried jogging but my body just wants to hang out for a little while at this weight but I have to try something to jump start the weight loss again. My sister is down to 182lbs and she looks awesome. My friend Jessica had a modified gastric bypass on December 18, 2006 and has had problems. She started throwing up which caused her stomach to open and leak. She is in the hospital and her doctor said that she will probably be in the hospital for at least 10 days to 2 weeks. Please keep her in your thoughts. My BMI is at 31.4 which is down from 56.1 when I started this journey. I am still obese by doctors standards and have to get below 180lbs to get in the normal range which I will do. My 42nd birthday is in February and I am hoping to be 179lbs. That's a 10lb loss in 2 months and I am starting the fight to get down to that goal weight by Feb 19th.
06/05/07 - I wanted to update on my progress. I weigh approx 179 and my weight changes from 176 to 183 in a matter of days but I can't seem to get below the 179 mark. I am in a large shirt and still in a size 14 pants. I have started bike riding as another form of exercise. I really enjoy it. I go to the bike trail in Alpharetta. It is 6 miles long and I bike it from one end to the other and back. Yesterday I took a day off work and biked 20 miles. I am hoping that the bike riding will help get my weight back on track. I refuse to but back on the weight. I can't even think about putting the weight on....I still remember how bad I felt and I am not going back there. I have my sister Cheryl, my friends Jessica and Carol to help keep me on track. I suggest that anyone getting this surgery should make themselves find a support group, even if its just friends, family or OH friends to help keep them on track and give the support that is needed for this surgery. It is important!
I told you about my friend Jessica that had a revised gastric bypass....well she developed scare tissue that would not allow her to eat or even drink a sip of water so she was doing very badly health wise. She was in the hospital for weeks and finally her doc had to do another surgery in January on her and changed the revised bypass to a full gastric bypass. She is doing great now. I just saw her this morning and her pants are so baggy on her. She really does need to go to a smaller size. Jessica had many, many people pulling for her while she was sick and rarely was she alone. This showed her just how loved she was.
My sister, Cheryl is doing great. She weighs in the low 170's. My friend, Carol looks awesome. She doesn't talk about how much weight she has lost but I know it is quite a bit.
I have put in pictures of myself prior to my weight loss and me today.
10/12/2008 - Today is my 3 year anniversary!!!! I am still in about the same size I was in a year ago. Size 14 pants and a large to XL shirt. In April 2008, I fell and hurt myself and was laid up for 3 months. During that time, I gained 25lbs back and boy, could I tell it!! My knees and back started hurting me and I was having problems walking up stairs because of it. Since I have healed and able to move around again, I have lost 10lbs but I still need to get the remainder off. I can't allow myself to sink back into the bad habits that I had 3 years ago. Just coming to this site and reading my journal helps keep me on track. It reminds me where I was and how difficult it was to make it to the point that I am now.
My sister, Cheryl, is doing great! She weighs around 170lbs and looks fantastic. Neither of us have had surgery for any loose skin. Cheryl would like to get a tummy tuck but she won't do it. She knows the rehab time of that surgery and isn't prepared for it and besides, her husband loves her just the way she is. This is the first time that Cheryl has ever weighed less than her husband and she loves it!
Jessica is doing great also. She is healthy and wears about a size 12 although, she said that if she had it all to do again, she doesn't think she would have the surgery again due to the severe problems she had after her surgery. (I have to tell you, research, research, research your doctor!!!!!!!!! that's all I can say on a public site)
10/13/2009 - I am 4 years post surgery now. I am still in size 14 pants & large shirt. I still get sick on certain foods. What doesn't bother me today might make my stomach sick tomorrow. I have to watch what I eat because I have the ability to gain the weight back. I am happy with myself and feel healthy.
People ask me if I had the chance, would I have surgery again? I want everyone to know that I would go through it all again and I wouldn't think twice about it. This surgery has truly given me my life back.
I got divorced about a year ago but it wasn't due to the surgery. We would have divorced whether I was fat or thinner. I have met a wonderful man that enjoy spending time with and he knows all about my surgery.
My sister, Cheryl is doing great also and she is about the same size as I am. She also says she would have the surgery again. Several months ago she started gaining weight, not a lot, but enough to notice. She wasn't eating different so she got some testing done and the doctor found she had an under active thyroid. She is on medication now and doing fine. Her doctor said that this was not caused by this surgery.
Jessica is still wearing a size 12 pants and she looks fantastic. She is healthy and is out in the dating world.
I had a family friend that had the surgery 12/2008. He was a very large man and after the surgery, he had difficulty following his doctor's directions or controlling what he was eating. He developed complications and ended up in and out of the hospital. He passed away several months ago.
If you are having surgery or have just had surgery, follow doctor's instructions to the letter. Realize that this surgery is a blessing and start your journey knowing that you MUST do everything your doctor tells you to do. Don't eat or drink what you know you shouldn't. Go into this surgery knowing that from this point on, you will have to eat healthy and the bad food choices you made in the past are gone.
I still look in the mirror and see a big woman but I am starting to see the real me more often. I think being able to see the "big me" keeps me remembering what a hill I have climbed and if I'm not careful, I can slide back down that hill very easily.
04/08/2011- Wow, I can't believe that a year and a half has passed since my last update. My sister and I celebrated our 5th year anniversary. Neither of us would have changed our decision to have this surgery. In December Cheryl's son, Michael died from a auto accident. She has had some health problems not related to the surgery but she has stood strong and is doing ok.
I have my dream job. I fly and travel all over the country. It still thrills me that I can sit in a plane seat and my thigh doesn't spread into the next seat. I am still a size 14 pants, large shirt. I would have never been able to get my job or maintain it without having lost the weight. Cheryl is the about the same size also. Jessica has gotten to about a size 6/8. She is tiny but looks great.
I still get sick. I can't drink whole milk, skim only for me. Ice cream is never ever eaten. It sends me over the edge and i will be rolling on the floor sick. I still have to watch what I eat because I can easily gain weight.
The most important thing: I am happy.
10/13/2011 - It's my 6th anniversary!!! Doing great. Feel healthy and have even lost some weight lately. I've been trying to watch a bit more carefully my intake of food thanks to Dr Oz. His show reminds me why it was so important to lose the weight. I am still in 14 pants but they feel better since they are looser and a large shirt.
My sister Cheryl is doing well. Since her son's death in 12/2010 and her health problems that kept her a bit immobile, she has gained some weight back but she is trying to cut back to get it off. Remember that it is so easy to put it on but really, really hard to get it back off.
My friend Jessica is about a size 6. She is tiny but looks great. She amazes me on how small she is and she is doing well.
6 years later and I still wouldn't change my mind about this surgery. I was so lucky to have had the chance to be approved for the surgery and my doctor, Christopher Hart was absolutely the best decision I made.
10/15/2012 - It's been 7 years since my surgery. I am not moving as much for work and due to the immobility I have put on weight. I'm sure that my age isn't helping me either or the bags of Cheetos that I have become so addicted to. I am 29 lbs heavier since my post a year ago. I am scared to put back on the weight. I have enlisted help from my boyfriend to walk with me and to get me more mobile. I have been sitting at a desk for months instead of being out and working like normal. That is a real problem and I have spoken with other females in my office that said when this happens, they have also put on weight.
I realize I have to be diligent to get the weight off. I have to go back to the teachings of my nutritionist and reading through my journey helps get my mind back to the right place. I reminds me of the struggle I have been through and the struggle I don't want to revisit.
My clothes are uncomfortably tight and my favorite pants are stretch pants. This is not a good thing. Just writing this gives me more strength. I will loose the weight and when I do, I will post it.
