donna N.

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I promised myself that when my weight stabilized I would have my breasts lifted.  Size was not the issue, it was all about location, location, location!   My boobs were languishing up against my ribcage instead of up where they should have been!  Clothes didn't fit right.  The darts used for proper fit were all about 4-6 inches higher on blouses and dresses than where my breasts actually were.   And bras?  Oh forget having them fit correctly, despite many tries and styles they just never fit quite right with the extra skin I now had.  America may be fixated on mammary glands, but only on small to mid-size perky ones.  Too big or too pendulous and you are simply out of luck.  IF you can find garments to fit they will be sturdy and utilitarian not pretty or sexy.  Even the specialty stores just couldn't address the problem to my satisfaction.  
So, on Sept 8th I had an extended mastopexy done, ie, I had the "girls" lifted.  Yay!!!! I'm so very happy I did!  The procedure took nearly four hours and I went home the same day.  I took two doses of Percocet the day of surgery (one when I got home and one at bedtime) and since then have only needed Tylenol.  I really hasn't slowed me up too much, but I'm taking two weeks to recover and then plan on going back to work.  It will take a while for the swelling to go down but already I have found tha the darts in my blouses are miraculously now positioned correctly for my anatomy!  My waist now looks smaller because my ribcage is now visible!  Still planning on having abdominoplasty when time and budget permits, but know I made the right decision when I opted to have the mastopexy done first.  After things have finished healing I'll update pix.  For now, I'm just smiling!

Well, I'm one year post-op and what a difference a year makes!  I'm so much happier.  I feel great and I've been off my blood pressure med since May.  I've "grown" nearly 3/4 of an inch (never saw THAT one coming!  must be because the weight isn't compressing my spine?)  and gone from a size 20 to a 12.  I'm still not always crazy about how I look in photos, but I do like what I see in the mirror.  I've lost about 67 pounds.  To many folks that may not sound like a huge amount but to me it has made all the difference in the world.  I'm still "overweight" according to the BMI, and that peeves me quite a bit.  But, I'm happily in my own skin these days and I keep hearing how great I'm looking from folks around me.  My nutritionist considers me to be a great success as does my surgeon's PA.  They both say I'm fine right at my current weight and that I don't need to lose another pound.  All in all, life is good.  Time will tell whether or not I decide to drop any more weight.  I do know that it's just a matter of time before I have some plastics done.  I want to have the girls lifted back up and have the excess skin removed from my midsection.  I know having those done would drop of a few pounds, too. 
Other than that,  I'm happy to gracefully age my way to perfection!   

So, I saw the nutritionist last week at 9 weeks post-op.  I had to wear jeans because the dress pants I had worn for the previous weigh ins are history, way too big now.  My BMI is down to 31, down from about 36 when I had surgery.  According to her stats, I have now lost 51% of my excess weight.  Admittedly, that is her reckoning.  Still, based on my own personal goals, I figure I've lost almost half of what I want to lose.  She has me at being down 34 pounds, but like I said I was wearing jeans instead of dress pants, and I was in something of a stall at the time.  This morning it looks like the stall has broken and I'm down another 5 pounds or so, making the total loss more like 39 pounds.  I've been tracking measurements and I've lost 24.5 inches since surgery on Jan 7th!  While I don't exactly wow folks with a really impressive number of pounds lost, that's OK  the tape measure is my friend even when the scales don't quite meet my expectations.  But what the heck, the scales are steadily going down and my body is adjusting to each drop, and that's a reasonable way to go.  I'm down a full size on the bottom and a size or two on top.  I've given away several bags of clothes and I'm pretty much at the point where when I drop another size I will (aww gee wiz... not!) have to buy some new clothes!  I had a kinda tough time with nausea for a few weeks which, happily, has passed now.    I think finally getting to the point where I can take my ursodiol whole instead of having to empty the capsule into applesauce has helped me turn the corner on that.  Anyway, I am feeling great and looking forward to getting a new bathing suit this year.  Imagine that!  Who ever would have thought that day would ever come!  Seeing the pic of Jen's new retro suit got me to searching and I've found a vintage style leopard print two piece that I think might just have to have a place in my closet. well actually on me on the beach!  I just have to wait a few months to order it because I'm not sure what size I will be when summer arrives!  Oh, and another thing!  I haven't seen my brother since Thanksgiving and he had no idea that I had WLS.  I saw him last weekend and he was just blown away by the changes!  I've also noticed that, while I have a ways to go yet, I'm getting more male smiles, looks, and doors held open for me!  What a great ego boost!  I love it!  Getting the RNY was the best thing I could have done for myself!

So, I'm feeling great and doing fine.  The weight is coming off s-l-o-w-l-y.  That's OK.  I had lost about nine pounds in the last few weeks pre-op, then came home carrying ten or so of extra IV fluid weight.  I wouldn't be surprised if that all contributed to sort-of stalling at 2 weeks.  So, now I'm 3-1/2 weeks out and I weighed myself both yesterday AND today.  Got same results, I'm in Onederland!  Yippee!  I meet with the nut on Tuesday, I hope the hell her scale agrees with mine and that I'm still in Onederland  at my appointment!  Consolation to the slow loss is that ,at 3 weeks post-op, I'm about a size smaller than pre-op, have culled a bunch of clothes out my closet and unearthed things from four and a half years ago that I can wear again!   This adventure is getting to be fun!  

Shoot!  Here it is Jan 19th already and I forgot to write an entry here after I got home from my surgery on Jan 7th.  I came home on the 9th; everything went super!  CMC staff and Dr Cambpbell were great!  I had minimal pain and had them D/C my morphine after the first night.... was making me way too loopy!  They left me the PRN bolus, but I never used it, didn't need it.  I know some folks need the pain meds, but I really think it has made all the difference in my speedy recovery that I didn't take any past the day of surgery.  They wanted me to walk so I was doing laps around the floor with my IV pole in tow.  This was such a good decision to have the RNY!   I have had no regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat.  My husband is an absolute sweetheart.  He loved me just as I was (fat), but also loved me enough to support me in doing this.  He even went out and got me a Wii Sport yesterday so I can exercise indoors during this horribly snowy and icy weather.  Thank heavens I got insurance approval or it couldn't have all been possible.  This is going to be a very exciting year!

Today is Jan 3rd and my RNY is scheduled for Jan 7th.  No fear,  just ready to get on with it all.   I'm so lucky to have such a wonderfully supportive husband and kids! 

Actually, I saw the surgeon on a Monday and I think I was approved by that Fri.  There was some question initially about what day surgery was going to be scheduled for, then the person who notifies the patient of approval was out sick, so I found out the following week that I had been approved.  But, it truly became totally real to me (what if they made a mistake and told me the wrong info!) when my copy of the insurance approval letter came in the mail!  Woo-hoo!  I did the happy dance then!!!!!   I was so busy telling people close to me and setting things up for my absence at work that I forgot to post this blog!  I'm actually taking a vacation before my surgery.  I had planned this vacation last summer, well before I was scheduled for surgery.  But actually this will work out great.  I'll be rested and relaxed before my surgery.  I'll be out for two weeks, then in for two days, then I estimate being out for another two weeks post-op.  I see my surgeon for follow-up the day before I plan to go back to work .  Should work out great!   And I even have a local friend who has volunteered to be my WLS Angel.   I am sooo psyched!!!  What a great way to be wrapping up the old year and ringing in the new!

Finally had my surgical consult on Dec 1st, the day after Thanksgiving weekend.  It went great.  I had met Dr Campbell professionally prior to then and knew that I liked her.  I've also seen her work and she is very good.  After a slight delay hearing back from her office, I have a date.       Jan 7th!   Waiting on insurance approval  now.  I had hoped to hear by the end of the week, but hopefully by the early part of next week. 
In the meantime, I'm working double time as I had already planned a two week vacation over Chistmas and New Years.  I'm hustling to get as much as possible of my Dec and Jan work either scheduled or done ahead.  I'm excited and hopeful.  I have a wonderful bunch of grown-up kids and a husband who is a wonderfully supportive gift from god.  I have a local friend who has volunteered to be my WLS angel and she's a great source of support, info, and encouragement.  Actually, everyone who knows about my WLS decision is very supportive.  I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful circle of support.  Now all I need is my approval.......   

As of Sept 25th I have jumped through all the hoops required in order to see the surgeon for a consult.  I've been told that my scheduled appointment will be for sometime about 3 months from now.  Just waiting to hear on a date.  So for now, I'm just trying to stay calm, take care of myself, and keep my weight stable (must not dfrop below BMI of 35).   I will get there...................eventually!

August 4, 2008-  After some technical problems in May,  I feel that I'm finally started on my journey.  Even though I havn't been able to go forward with any other aspects of the program, I've lost six pounds. 
My granddaughter was born happy and healthy in VIrginia on July 7th.  My daughter and the little darling are doing fine.  Now it's time for me.  I've got a number of appointments scheduled and things are moving ahead, finally.  
I'm very excited and very happy!  I keep looking at the clothes I'm wearing now an thinking about how none of them will fit next summer because they will all be too big!  How wonderful will that be!