Demrie63
January 2, 2002
When I went to post an update on 12-31-02, everything I'd written, all 6 months worth of postings, disappeared. It was extremely disheartening, especially since my measurements and many of the things I noted I don't have recorded anywhere else. So, here I start from scratch. I'm wasn't going to continue to post, but I still think it's important that other people considering this procedure have resources such as myself to turn to.
I had my surgery on August 22, 2002. My starting weight was 320 lbs. My BMI was 58.5. I'm nearly 5 months post-op. It's been a long road. There have been good days and bad, but I don't regret the surgery for one momemt. I no longer have high blood pressure. I no longer have sleep apnea and can sleep without being hooked up to a pressurized air machine. I'm working out 3 days a week during my lunch hour, and don't feel like I'm going to die afterwards. My knees feel more stable. I'm not winded just from walking from one room to the next.
One of the things I had posted here before was the letter I'd written to the insurance company, which accompanied my doctor's letter of recommendation for the surgery. I think I will post it here once again. I've had many people comment on the letter, so I believe it's helpful.
To the Person(s) Making the Decision about My Surgery:
I want to send this letter along with my doctor’s request for the Roux-en-y procedure. I want you to hear from me some of the reasons my doctor might not cover in his request.
I have been overweight my entire life. I was 12 when it became apparent that I had a weight problem and the battle began way back then. I have been on several types of diets, from counting calories and fat grams to carbohydrate diets, Grapefruit diets, liquid diets, fasting diets. I have been on Weight Watchers and gone through Jenny Craig. Every time I would lose weight, but each time I not only gained back what I lost, I gained more than what I lost.
Five years ago I was put on Phen-Phen by Dr. Oswald’s nurse practitioner, Cindy Sorenson. At the time my weight was up to 258 pounds. I did remarkably well on this treatment, losing close to 80 pounds. It was a life-altering experience for me. Then the warnings came out and Cindy called and told me to flush the pills down the toilet. At that time, I’d been on them approximately 9 months. This was a scary experience, once I found out the health problems other people were having who had been on these drugs. I’m one of the lucky ones in that I did not have any adverse lasting effects as a result of taking Phen-Phen. However, I gained back over 130 pounds during the 5 years since then.
During these past 5 years, I’ve joined gyms and found I enjoyed exercise, but my weight has been a hindrance for using the equipment at these places. Yet, this is minor compared to my other weight-related problems.
I now have sleep apnea, something I did not have until I gained all this weight during the past 5 years. I now have to sleep hooked up to a machine with headgear and a mask over my face just so I can get a good night’s sleep.
My ankles are constantly swollen so that I can’t get shoes on or off, especially when the weather is warm. I am unable to find clothes to fit me anymore. I have to special order and, half the time, the ones I’ve ordered through the mail don’t fit either.
I’ve had trouble with bladder infections because I’m unable to keep myself clean enough when wiping after bowel movements. I often have to shower a couple times a day and change my underpants at least twice to keep myself clean, and even then, I’m still getting bladder infections, which I never used to get. I’m currently on my third treatment for yet another bladder infection this year.
I’ve had bouts of high blood pressure over the past three years. Currently my pulse rate stays above 110 when it should be closer to 75. Both my dad and uncle have weight-related diabetes, and I fear that I will too.
When I talk to people on the phone, they ask if I’d been running to get to the phone. That’s because I breathe heavy now, and am easily winded.
I have to wear slip-on shoes because I cannot reach my feet to tie or buckle them. Someone else has to clip my toenails.
I can no longer fly on airplanes because I don’t fit in just one seat and some airlines are charging double if you spill over into another seat. Over the past few years I’ve flown a few times and had to ask for a belt extension in order to get the seat belt on. This has been not only embarrassing but, one time they didn’t have an extension and had to hold up closing the plane’s door to find a belt extension for me. Other passengers were aware of this and irritated with me. It was a very embarrassing situation.
I don’t go out to lunch with friends or people from work very often because I usually don’t fit into chairs at restaurants and no longer fit into booths and must request a table instead.
I can no longer go to amusement parks because I don’t fit on any rides. I tried to get on the Ferris Wheel not long ago and was refused a seat because of my weight.
There are few vehicles I can drive because I’m too short and too fat to get close enough to the steering wheel so that my feet will reach. This means I can no longer drive on long trips and other people have to drive me instead.
My knees have been giving me a great deal of trouble lately. I have fallen half a dozen times in the last year because of my knees buckling on me. I feel very unsteady on my feet most of the time because of the stress on my knees from my weight. I’ve suffered two concussions as a result. One concussion sent me in for a CAT scan because my vision was blurry for several weeks after the fall.
My L5 disc ruptured in my back seven years ago, and I had to have the pieces removed. The surgeon stressed losing weight to take pressure off my lower back; this was one of the reasons for going on Phen-Phen. Now the stress to my lower back is horrendous. I cannot stand for any length of time without a great deal of pain in my lower back and hips.
I know that some of these things have more emotional implications than physical, but I believe my emotional state is just as important and needs to be considered into the equation.
I beseech you to approve this surgery so that my life will improve dramatically. With this surgery, I will be given an opportunity to become a healthier and therefore happier individual. I am well aware of the side effects and possible complications of this surgery. I am also aware of the need for support after the surgery while I grow accustomed to such radical changes in eating habits. I am prepared for all of this. I have done my research and connected up with a world-wide organization to offer advice and emotional support for someone like myself (WLS and ObesityHelp.com).
I believe I have exhausted all other options and this is the one left for me. I am 38 years old and am worried about increasing medical problems as a result of my weight.
I look forward to receiving your approval to have this much-needed surgery done.
Sincerely,
Demrie Alonzo
January 21, 2002
Down 100 pounds!! I have hit the Century Mark!!!! Whoo Hoo!!!I feel great. The journey's not over, but I'm well on my way.
February 20, 2003
Down another 10 lbs. Have lost a total of 110# so far. I feel great. I work out in the fitness center at work 4 days a week over my lunch hour. For the first time in my life, I can jog! I'm going to take up water aerobics starting next week. I'm really looking forward to that. I still have "grouchy pouch" days, as my roommate calls them, when I eat something that doesn't agree with me. Last week I ate a candybar and did major "dumping." I ended up in bed with a horrible tummy ache. It's a lousy feeling. I tend to eat a lot of little meals throughout the day as opposed to big ones. For example, I often have some low-fat crackers and Mozzarella cheese in the morning. I might eat some orange slices or strawberries after that. Then, I'll have my lunch. Sometimes it's leftovers from home, or it's an ounce of imitiation crab (one of my favorite foods!). Later in the day, I'll eat some pretzel sticks. If I eat too fast, I'll have a tummy ache or if I eat too much. I'm still learning!
February 28, 2003
Down 115 lbs!! From 320 pounds to 205 pounds in 7 months! I joined the local Aquatic Center last week and had my first water aerobics class. It was a blast! Right now I go to the Monday night class, but I'm thinking of doing the Wednesday night class as well. Tonight I'm going to merely swim laps for an hour. I've always loved swimming, so this is fun for me. I'm still working out at the fitness center at work during the lunch hour 4 days per week. I'm really getting hooked on working out! I feel great!!
April 1, 2003
The weight loss had definitely slowed down. I'm hovering right at 200-202. I can't wait to drop below 200!! Things are going well. I had a terrible "dumping" bout happen while on an airplane. It was a horrible experience and it was from eating pineapple. I won't do THAT again!! Also, I ate some sushi too fast and ended up throwing up everything I'd eaten, but besides these two incidents, things are great.
April 14, 2003
Down another 5 pounds and FINALLY out of the 200's!! Whoo Hoo!! I'm 195. Doing great. I've been eating meat again, lean steak and chewing it really good. Eating slow is definitely the key. And not drinking water with meals. When I drink during meals, I can eat twice as much. That's NOT a good thing.
April 22, 2003
The loose skin is starting to be a noticable factor. The skin on my arms bothers me the most, next to the fact that my boobs are deflating! Ugh! I am working out and doing toning exercises, but it's not going to take care of the whole problem. I'm going to wait until I'm down closer to my goal weight before I see a plastic surgeon to discuss my options. The places I notice the most are my arms, boobs, inner thighs and stomach. I thought my stomach would be the worst area, but so far, it's not. I still have 55 pounds to go to reach my goal of 140. A lot can happen in 55 pounds. I've been working out four days a week and taking water aerobics two evenings a week. I'm going to add Tae Bo and Pilates to my regiment. The Pilates is supposed to be excellent for toning. And it's something I can do at home in front of the TV.
I go home to California next month and my family is not going to recognize me!! They haven't seen me since the surgery, only the one photo taken around Christmas time. I'm excited about the trip!
May 5, 2003
Down another 5 pounds to 190. I have 50 more to go to goal!!
May 23, 2003
My visit to California was wonderful. I was spoiled rotten by my folks. My mother had so much fun taking me clothes shopping. I got a ton of clothes, 3 new pairs of shoes, a gorgeous ring...oh, and a really good bottle of Mexican Tequila. My sister kept saying, "You're so little! I just never saw you as a little person!" It felt good to have them compliment me. I haven't lost anymore weight but seem to still be losing inches. I've had a bad head cold so I haven't worked out on the treadmill, but I'm doing the Pilates at home, which I like.
May 27, 2003
Finally, down 5 more lbs. to 185. My next goal is 160 pounds. I'm joining the local fitness center to work out with a friend. I've been using the fitness center at work for free, but it's limited in equipment and having someone else to work out with will be fun. It's not very expensive at all, so it'll be worth it.
June 9, 2003
Down another 5 lbs. to 180. That's a total loss of 140 pounds. My BMI has gone from 58.5 to 32.9, from Super Obese, past Morbidly Obese and Severly Obese to just barely obese and almost in the "overweight" category. I still can't believe it!! I am a different person. I have so much more energy and can do things I could never do before,like jogging and bicycling and fitting behind the wheel of small cars! I feel great. I still occasionally get things "stuck" in my pouch and will have a bout with vomiting, but it happens less and less. I have 40 more pounds to goal! I've upped my exercising to 3 days at the fitness center and one day at water aerobics. I'm really enjoying it. I am going to wait on seeing a plastic surgeon until I've gotten down to 140 pounds AND have been exercising all that time. I'll be 40 in December and it's one birthday I'm really looking forward to!!
September 15, 2003
Well, it's been a couple of months since I wrote. My summer was very busy, in a wonderful way. I learned to kayak this summer, thanks to my wonderful and patient friend, Laura. I went camping and hiking and swimming in lakes and bog exploring and rode a camel! I can do sit-ups for the first time in my life. I swim at least once per week and workout 3-4 times each week. This week I'm taking a class through my employment to become a Citizen First Responder (AED/CPR). Life is busy and great and I'm a completely different person thanks to this surgery. I'm losing very slowly now and not worrying about it. I'd like to get down to 160, and I know I will, in time.
October 14, 2003
Finally down another 5 pounds to 175!! It's definitely going very slow now. I only want to lose another 15 pounds, though. I've taken on part-time work at the very same fitness center I work out at, so I'm keeping busy and active. I'm glad that my part-time job is the opposite of my desk-job during the day!
October 28, 2003
I have wonderful news! I'm pregnant!! I never thought this would happen for me. I have tried in the past, even going through fertility specialists, taking meds, a lot of frustration and tears. The last time I tried was 5 years ago. Now, over a year past my bariatric surgery, I decided to try again. I got pregnant on the very first try, without any medical assistance! I truly believe my weight had something to do with it. I am seven weeks along and hoping and praying for an uneventful pregnancy and healthy baby. So I guess the scale is going to tip the other way for awhile, but hopefully not too much!
November 27, 2003
Happy Turkey Day! Last Thanksgiving I could hardly eat anything. I definitely eat better, and probably more than I should, but I feel great. I'm 11 weeks pregnant now and doing good. My weight hasn't changed, which I'm happy about, though I've psyched myself for the fact that I will be gaining some weight with this pregnancy. Hopefully not much. The doctor says I shouldn't gain more than 25-30 pounds, so that's my goal.
December 2, 2003
I just got off the phone with Dr. Brebrick's office (my WLS surgeon), and I have to say I've been very frustrated with his nurse. I think she may just not like me for some reason because she's always cold and indifferent to me. I had to cancel my one-year appointment in July (one year for me was August) because of other health issues I had going on. She called me and really reamed me about cancelling and not going in. I promised her I would make an appointment, which I did. But the appointment they gave me was a whole month away. Also, they scheduled me for bloodwork that very same day. A week or two later, the nurse called me back to say that I still hadn't made an appointment. I told her that yes, I did. She didn't even acknowledge that yes, I did. She was quite nasty towards me. Then she said having bloodwork the same day as my appointment was "useless" to them because they wanted the results a week before my appointment. I had no idea of this and the scheduling nurse did not mention it! Yet somehow, the nurse seemed to think I did this on purpose or something! So, finally my one-year appointment and they take 7 vials of blood. I have a two minute visit with Dr. Brebrick and that's it. I asked him if I needed to call about my bloodwork and he said he was on-call that week and I would have the results within a few days to a week and they would be mailed to me. Two weeks later, I finally called them. I assumed everything must have been pretty good since I hadn't heard. His nurse gets back to me to say my calcium was low (8.5 when it should be between 8.5 and 10.5, so not too bad), but that my B12 level was 138 when the normal range is 200-1000. She referred to this as "dangerously" low. The nurse tells me to start taking B12 supplements. She doesn't know how much, though, which wasn't very helpful. She said she would have the dietician call, which she didn't. So I start talking to some of my online WLS friends, and most say they did injections or under-the-tongue. So I call the nurse back and tell her what they said. She tells me I shouldn't listen to any of these people online (quite nastily) and that because I'm not dangerously low, a supplement would work fine. She was the one who used the "dangerously low" line to me just yesterday!! And now I'm not?! She said, "We'll monitor you closely to make sure it doesn't drop further," but in the next breath, when I ask if I need to make a follow-up appointment for bloodwork, she says, "No, not for another year. You only need yearly check-ups." What the hell? I can't go to my regular doctor or ob/gyn about this, because it's so very specific to WLS surgery, but I just hate dealing with this nurse. I wonder if I can switch to someone else for follow-up?
January 22, 2004
I'm starting to tell people about the pregnancy now. I guess I was afraid something would go wrong, but I'm starting my fifth month now, without any complications, so this is it!! Muppet is going to be a reality (my roommate nicknamed it "Muppet"). There's lots to plan for and do and I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed, but also happy. My folks now know and are very excited for me. Oh, and I've only gained 4 pounds so far. Not too bad!
January 27, 2004
Yesterday I had my ultrasound. It was so much fun to watch Muppet moving around in there. I still can't believe this miracle baby happened. I am overwhelmed with love and joy and I know the WLS had much to do with it. My life is so different now.
February 26, 2004
Another month gone by. I'm up to 188 pounds, which is scary, but of course I knew I was going to gain weight with the baby. Afterwards I'll work real hard to get back down to 175! Seeing the scale go back up does freak me out, so I have to remind myself that it's for a wonderful cause! I'm six months along now and feeling great!
April 13, 2004
The baby is getting BIG. I was up to 192 lbs. last week, but this week I'm down to 186. My weight seems to fluctuate a lot, so I'm not real concerned about it. I'm 30 weeks along now, 7.5 months with 10 weeks or less (or more) to go! At my 7-month checkup they tried to get me to do the glucose tolerance test. Since my uterus was measuring about 4cm ahead, they definitely wanted to rule out gestational diabetes. Even though they had a letter from my bariatric surgeon, and even though I'd talked at great length with previous doctors and the nurse practitioner about the test, they still tried to get me to do the test. It was a very frustrating experience, but I held my ground, even though they treated me like I was trying to be difficult. In the end, they sent me home with a glucose testing kit, and I tested my blood twice daily for a week which gave them the results they needed. Everything was good. I just wish they were more knowledgeable about my particular situation. If anyone out there is trying to get pregnant or is currently pregnant and looking for a great support group, I highly recommend the yahoo group called [email protected]. They have been a wonderful resource throughout.
November 17, 2004
So much time has passed! My son is 5 months old. He wasn't as big as we all thought he was going to be: only 6.3 lbs. at birth, but very healthy. He is thriving and growing and changing every day. He is the light of my life. We went through some major changes, though. When Samuel was 5 weeks old, I moved back to California to be nearer my family. I'm settled into a new job; a new life. I'm at 188 lbs. but working on getting back down to 170. I truly believe I never would have had Samuel if not for this surgery! After 15 years of trying, this was my last chance since I am now 40 years old.
February 8, 2005
On January 5th I collapsed at work from severe abdominal pain and was rushed to emergency where a CT Scan showed problems with my intestines. They did emergency surgery and I almost died because part of my intestines had become necrotic and were dying, and the circulation was cut off. But when the untangled things (two surgeons working on me) the circulation came back and they were able to remove the dying part of my intestines and fix another area where part of my pouch had adhered to part of my "old" intestines. It is now February 8, nearly 6 weeks later, and I am still at my folks with my son because a nurse has to come every day to treat the wound. Because of all the infection inside me, the wound got infected, so they had to re-open it up and let it heal from the inside out. Originally the wound was 11-inches long, 5-inches deep (at the deepest point) and 3-inches wide. It's still 4-inches deep in one area, but it's not longer infected and is looking much better, but has to remain open for awhile longer while it heals from the inside out. It has been a long, painful process, but I'm very happy to be alive. The doctor said what I had is something that happens to gastric bypass patients. So, take my advice and if you start having stomach cramps, or feel like your food isn't going down, be sure to have it checked out.
March 17, 2005
I'm better, but still having pain. I have to eat teeny tiny amounts of anything so that I don't have a major tummy ache. I ended up back in the hospital with an internal infection and they think it's still there and causing problems whenever I eat. I have another CT Scan next week to see what's going on. I feel fine, as long as I eat hardly anything. I'm back down to 175 and losing, but I'd rather NOT be losing like this. I've rejoined a gym that I'm going to begin this weekend. I'm only going to be walking the treadmill for now until I'm completely healed from surgery. It's been a long haul, but people ask if I regret having this surgery, and I'm certain I would not have my son if it hadn't been for the surgery.
May 8, 2006
So much time has passed. I have healed completely from my surgery, but have also gained quite a bit of weight since last year. I am up to 217 and panicking. It's like it was BEFORE surgery, in that I'm hungry all the time. I never feel satisfied. It's scary.
July 15, 2006
I am looking for an online or local support group for bariatric-surgery patients who are more than three years out and struggling. Let me know if you are aware of such a group.
May 29, 2007
Again, my life has gone through many changes, nearly all of them good except for not taking good enough care of myself and gaining yet some more weight. I'm up to 225, but have started back religiously at the gym and am eating healthier and working on getting back on track. I need to in order to keep up with my toddler son!
