Deidre D.
Well after a long wait the day is here. I finally was able to get a cancellation and have had my consult appointment moved up 2 years. I will now be seeing my surgeon Dr. Nohr in Medicine Hat Alberta on Tuesday the 05 December 2005. I will let you know what has happened after the visit.
Well had the visit with some good news and some bad. I have to loose 30 pounds before I can have the surgery but as soon as I do he will do the surgery. Yippee!! Curves here I come. I have been weighed at 343 pounds. WOW!
Aug 28, 2006
Well it's been a long tough road but I did loose my weight. Michelle at Dr. Nohr's office gave Dr. Nohr the news that I have lost the weight and I am ready for surgery. Today Michelle called to let me know my surgery date has been set for the 16th October this year. Yes 6 weeks from now. Wow! Am I excited. I have been getting ready for my recovery post surgery and getting everything done before I go. After all the gazebo in the back yard won't take itself down. I will be posting before and after pictures at the same time so needless to say I will have to wait for the after. I will try to be more dilligent at posting notes. Bye Bye:)
Oct 29, 2006
I am back from what I would call a very very difficult journey. The pain was horrible and the meds did not seem to help the first day. I am trying to keep positive thoughts. I developed a low grade fever which caused Dr. Nohr to keep me in hospital for a couple extra days. They released me to the hotel where I was staying with my Mother. 4 days there and finally home. I am so glad to be back home. Things are going quite well now and I am tolerating liquids and blended food but not really hungry. I must make myself eat. I am trying to keep busy and in the afternoon have a little nap. Tomorrow I get all 40 staples out and they remove the gastric tube that has been hanging from my abdomen for the last 2 weeks. Yippee! I should be able to get around a lot better once these things have been removed. I am going to be looking for a support group in the city to attend so I can help the mental as well as the physical me. I weighed myself and I am down to 282 so I am on the right track. I have picked up a book which Dr.Nohr definitely recommends - Weight loss Surgery for Dummies. Don't let the title fool you. This is a terrific book and a definite must read before surgery. Well must go time for my nap. Talk to you soon:)
December 18, 2006
Wow, I can't believe it has been 2 months my surgery. I did have to return to Medicine Hat on the 02December for a scope and a esophageal stretch. I flew to Medicine Hat that morning, had the procedure and flew back to Winnipeg that evening. Next day was my office Christmas party. Good times! The weight is coming off, now down to 262 which is 81 pounds from my original weight. I have not had any dumping. I guess it's because I am scared to even try to eat the wrong things. I went back to work today and everyone here was so excited to see me and I was also just as happy to see them. They all comment on how great I look. I can hardly wait till my birthday in June. I will be 45 and I am going on a cruise with my best friend, mom.
October 16, 2007
I can't believe it. A year today has passed and I could not be happier. I did go on a Hawaiian cruise with my Mom back in April. We had a 1 week cruise around the islands and 2 weeks in Hawaii staying in 5 star hotels. I had to do it up right because this will be Mom's lat trip to Hawaii. The long flight takes it's toll on her and she said she just can't anymore.
I am now down 157 pounds and feeling great. I just had a consult with a plastic surgeon to have all this extra skin removed and to see how much it will cost. I guess I will just have to start saving my pennies. Well friends thanks and I hope to put another entry in this log after I have my plastic surgery. Take Care.
January 2, 2008
Well the time has begun to start looking into plastic surgeons. I have quite a bit of extra skin since I am now down 176 pounds. I did ask my family doctor for a referral. She refered me to a plastic surgeon that should have served appetizers in his posh waiting area. I could tell at that point that this was going to cost $$$$$. I went in and he advised me for just the lower body lift would be $10,857.00 which they would see if Manitoba medical would cover $2000.00 of it. Well they checked with Manitoba Medical and they were nice enough to cover $2000.00 but the thing is where am I going to get the other $8,857.00 and the sad part is that this is only for the lower body lift and not the legs, arms or boobs. Needless to say have all decided to vacation south permanently. Don't get me wrong, I love my weight loss but sometimes this skin is a little hard to manage. For now I will just continue to loose weight and feel better about myself every day. I would love to know if there is anyone out there that may have a solution to my problem and who I may contact. For now thanks for reading I will update soon. Take Care.
Wow! I can't believe 2 years has gone by. I am now down 202 pounds and weigh 148. Being I was a big woman all my life I still find it hard to get my head around the fact the I can go through a turnstile and not have to worry if I will get stuck and the store will have to call the fire department to get the jaws of life to set me free. You see this surgery has permanently set me free! I travel on planes not having to get an extension for my seat belt, I sit comfortably in restaurant chairs and best of all... I took a trip with my nieces to a theme park in Minnesota where I rode ALL the rides. Being a big person they won't allow you on the rides. We had such fun and being with a 8 and 12 year old would poop anyone out but I had energy to spare.
I did have a paniculectomy in May 2008 where they took the excess belly skin off but I am still dealing with lots of extra skin under my arms, legs and butt and we will not even discuss the breast area. With time this all will be taken care of but I am healthy and a much happier person. Good luck to you all and may all your dreams come true!
