everydaymom
05-16 2006 (Waiting for approval letter)
I have been waiting for a long time to have this surgery. I've been to all sorts of Doctors and several changes in insurance. It's been about 3 years since I began to request WLS. I finally seem to be getting closer. Hopefully my new HMO will approve this so I can make the change I've been waiting so long for. 03-22-2006 Had appointment with my new PCP who was reccomended by a friend who had WLS. She weighed me, ordered some bloodwork and said she would send in the request for a referral to a WLS Surgeon. I have Greater Newport Physicians as my Medical Group. 04-04-2006 Received the "Consultation Approval" letter from my Medical Group and made the appointment for the New Patient Orientation at Memorial Care Center for Obesity which is run by Dr. LePort. 05-04-2006 The New Patient Orientation was a class with about 20 people & was 3 hours long. I found out that I need to make 3 more appointments before they will send in my letter requesting approval for surgery. I've attended "Doctor's Talk", "Nutrition Class" and "Psych. Eval" is in a few days.
06-01-2006 (Home scale: 309.8 lbs.)
I always weigh less on my scale at home with no clothes on, but I got on it yesterday and was surprised to see that I weigh almost 310. I guess all that ice cream I've been eating in anticipation of never eating it again, is catching up with me. I weighed 295 just a few weeks ago and had planned to try to get down to 280 before my surgery. The Dr.'s office sent the letter to my medical group a week ago, so with any luck I'll have my approval by next week and hopefully get a surgery date for July. I hope, hope, hope!!! This morning I started making protein shakes in the hope that I can lose some weight and my plan is to have a salad for dinner.
06-03-2006 (approved for surgery)
I'm in shock!!! My surgery approval letter arrived in the mail today and I almost cried as my husband handed me the envelope. It only took 10 days and there even was a holiday. So, for me tonight it's Champagne.
06-05-2006 (I've got a date!)
Oh my gosh, I was so (can't describe it) after getting off the phone with the surgery scheduler, that I could feel my heart pounding really fast & could hardly breathe. They scheduled me with Dr. Ali on July 10, 2006. So, I've got 35 days left until my new life begins. Drinking protein shakes to replace 2 meals per day is really difficult and by noon I had eaten 2 slices of leftover pizza. I want to lose some weight so badly before my surgery. Tomorrow begins the process of cleaning out the pantry and fridge. I'm home all day and I've got to get it out of the house or I'll eat it.
06-11-2006 ( 37 years old & 5 '10)
I've really been trying to eat less & drink 1-2 protein shakes every day, but it's so difficult. I want to be under 300 by my surgery date, even if it's 299. I have less than 30 days left until my surgery and I can't wait. In the past few days, I've told all the important people in my life that I'm having WLS and much to my surprise, everyone has been very supportive. I gave away 3 bags of groceries to my parents and sister this week, so now I have room in the pantry for the things I'll need post-op. My husband is less than thrilled that I got rid of so much food, but he could stand to lose a little weight and less carbs & sugar in the house isn't such a bad thing.
06-20-2006 (Dr's scale: 318 lbs.)
Wow do they weigh trucks on this scale? I've never seen such a big, huge, intimidating platform thing. I finally had my one on one with my Doctor yesterday. He seems like a very pleasant, easygoing type person and I felt comfortable with him. He answered all my questions & it went very quickly. I was in & out within 30 minutes. When I got into my car it all hit me, I'm really doing this. I just signed a paper where the last thing listed under possible complications was "death" and then the Dr. shook my hand and said see you at the surgery. I sat in my car & cried, but just for a second.
06-22-2006 (Hospital Scale 315 lbs.)
HA!!! I like the scale at the Hospital much better. I had all of my pre-op testing yesterday. I have to say, it was like foreplay and about half way through I was ready to hop on an operating table and say "Come on people, stop teasing me, I'm fine & healthy, lets just get on with it & do it!!!" LOL The only thing that I didn't like was the Barium. Who invented that disgusting stuff anyway. I was hungry from fasting, but give me a break. YUCK! First they said take a sip and then they took a picture and I thought well this isn't so bad. Then they did it like 4 more times and I still thought, no big deal. Then the tech. says "Ok, good." Now I'm thinking "Oh, I must be done." and he says "Now finish drinking." "Uhhh, the whole thing???" I say and he actually laughed at me and said "Yes, the whole thing." So I said "Well I'd better sit down for this." It took me a while and I had to keep telling myself don't puke, but I finished it.
6-27-2006
Oh, the headaches!!! I stopped drinking caffeine and for the past 2 days I've had this constant headache that just won't go away. I figure that I must have been addicted or I wouldn't feel like this. I drank coffee almost every day and had one or two energy drinks which are very high in caffeine. I hope this gets better soon, because at times the throbbing is so bad, I can't even see straight. I kind of feel like I have a hangover, but I haven't been drinking. Speaking of drinking... I'm trying to drink more water and it sure is difficult. I need to make myself some Crystal Light.
07-01-2006 (9 days till WLS)
I can't believe it's July!!! This is my life changing month!!! I got the results of my pre-op and everything came out just fine. It appears as though other than this obesity thing, I'm totally healthy. Yay for me!!! I saw my primary Doctor this week who did a physical and cleared me for surgery. Even my blood pressure was normal. I think it's because I stopped caffeine. I'm drinking protein shakes during the day & trying out all the samples I ordered. I have to say that some of the shakes are really YUCKY. I'm drinking lost of water and taking my vitamins & Iron. Hopefully I can lose a little more weight before I go in for surgery. Physically, I feel really good right now. No headaches, no aches & pains, no shortness of breath or swelling anywhere. I'm soooooooooooo ready for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
07-03-2006 (one week to go till WLS)
I'm getting nervous. I can't think about anything else today except for... this time next week I'll be out of recovery, on Morphine, in alot of pain, done with my surgery, on the losing side. I keep thinking, I hope I don't die. I had the "Death" talk with my husband yesterday & that was wierd. He said that he wouldn't let me die & that was sweet, but like he has any control. I keep making all these plans for my parents and in-laws to take care of my daughter, so my husband can go back to work. I want to ask them to baby me too, but I feel guilty because I got myself into this big 'ol size & I chose to have this surgery to correct a problem that I created.
07-06-2006 (surgery date change)
Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Dr's office just called and changed my surgery date to tomorrow. My surgery is July 7th!!! It was originally scheduled for the 10th of July, but the Dr. had some type of conflict and they moved up the date. I can't believe it. I need to pack. This is so crazy, but terrific.
07-11-2006 (Hospital Scale: 311 lbs.)
It's Tuesday, I'm 4 days post op and have been home since Sunday. The worst part of my whole hospital experience was the very beginning. They made me wait around the hospital for 5 hours before taking me into surgery, I was so hungry by 3:00 in the afternoon that it was just torture. To make matters worse, the nurse putting in my I.V. line was totally incompetent. She tried to do it on my mid-arm, went right through the vein, I bled everywhere, it hurt like hell (even after surgery) and I have a huge 4 inch bruise & lump on my arm. Let's see... other things that were unpleasant were the itchyness from the morphene, which the Benadryl didn't really help with and the fact that I had to let go of all modesty.
The rest of my hospital stay was really pleasant and they said my surgery went really well. I loved my hospital bed and wished that I could have brought it home with me. I hate my bed at home now.The hospital staff that attended to me were wonderful and friendly. I was never in alot of pain, it was discomfort mostly. I slept only an hour or two at a time, but it didn't matter because any time of day or night someone was there to help me out of bed, to the bathroom, or walk the halls. I never thought I'd be so happy to eat high protein Jello or diet custard and apple juice never tasted so good.
Since I've been home, I've been fluctuating between miserable and comfortable. The worst thing by far has been the gas and bloating. It's so difficult to walk, walk, walk when you're in pain and feeling weak, but it really is the best thing. So, I've been doing laps in my bedroom at 3:00 am and today I actually walked outside. I've never been comfortable sleeping on my back, but now I have to and after a few hours, it just kills my back & I have trouble breathing. My best friend is the Lortab Medicine. By the time I'm done taking it, I'm already falling asleep and then it's off to la,la land for two hours. My family have really been there for me. My husband makes a big batch of protein shakes for me in the morning, before he goes to work. My parents & in-laws have been, taking turns, here at home with me watching my daughter and tending to my needs during the day. It breaks my heart not to be able to hold her. She's only 15 months old & keeps trying to climb into my lap. I'm exausted, so that's it for now.
7-21-2006 (296 lbs. Dr.'s Office Scale, -19 lbs.)
I had my 2 week post-op visit today and found out that they use the weight that I was during pre-op testing as my base weight. So, we'll go with that & it was 315 lbs. Which means I've lost 19 lbs. so far. I'm pretty happy about that. I still tire easily and take alot of naps. I'm hungry in the afternoons and my old stomach growls alot. I get dizzy if I get up too fast & I'm not walking or drinking enough. I'm trying and every day gets a little better. Eating Jello and Popsicles is getting a little old and I look forward to eating pureed food in a week. My abs still hurt like I've done way too many sit-ups, but my surgery stab wounds are healing well. I can't believe that I will never weigh 300 lbs again. YAY!!!
08-18-2006 (Dr's Office scale: 283 lbs., -32 lbs.)
My 6 week post-op visit was today & They say I'm doing great. I have no more pain from surgery & I don't seem to get headaches like I used to. I still tire easily and take a nap every afternoon when my daughter does. I've only done minimal exercising & I'm still not getting all the water in like I should. My weight loss has stalled twice already and that's been very frustrating. I have to keep reminding myself that every day I'm getting further and further away from 300 lbs and those 2x & 3x"s.
I went to a concert yesterday and when I sat down I was in shock!!! I fit in the seat with a little room to spare. I saw a concert in the same place about 2 years ago and came home with bruises on my thighs from the tight fit of the seats. My next challenge will be an airline seat in a few weeks.
My stomach still growles and I'm still hungry, especially in the afternoons and evenings. I just have this desire to chew. Some things are easier on my stomach, like lowfat, soft cheese and some things are more difficult like bread products. Everything I'm eating is either non-fat or very low in fat and I don't eat anything with more than 3 grams of sugar. The types of foods I eat now are totally different. Instead of hamburgers, I eat veggie or soy burgers. Instead of steak, I eat fish, mostly salmon. Instead of french fries, I eat mashed potatoes. Instead of dessert, I eat a popsicle. It feels good when I am hungry to eat a small morsel of something and be satisfied. Last week I had to go out and buy a smaller size underware and I'm wearing a size 22 pants now. I've gotten rid of all but one pair of my size 26 and the 24's are going next.
08-21-2006 (Home scale: 277 lbs., -38 lbs.)
I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up this morning and my scale at home said that I weigh 277 lbs. I weigh myself without clothes in the morning & then with clothes I weigh about 3 lbs. more. Last week when I went to see the Dr. I weighed the same amount on both scales, with my clothes on. I checked out my BMI & I'm no longer "Morbidly Obese"!!! I'm sooooooooooooo exited, now I'm only Obese with a BMI under 40!!!
09-05-2006 (Home scale: 274 lbs.)
After my last entry, the darn scale went up a couple pounds. My weight loss for the past 2 weeks has been really slow and frustrating at only 3 lbs. lost. I guess I should just be happy for what I have acheived so far. I'm over 25 lbs. away from 300 lbs. and I will never again weigh 300 lbs. YAY!!!
09-17-2006 (Home scale: 265 lbs.)
I've been feeling really good & losing well over these past couple of weeks. I've started to notice changes in myself. I fit on an airplane seat and the seat belt isn't pulled to the maximum. This is a far cry from a year ago when I needed a belt extender. I had to buy a smaller bra and I went down another size in underwear. I've been to two concerts and fit in the stadium type seats with room left over. I can go up a flight of stairs without getting winded. I can sleep on my back without feeling as though I'm going to suffocate. I'm so glad I had this surgery.
09-21-2006 (Home scale: 263 lbs., -52 lbs.)
I got some size 20 jeans in the mail today that I ordered from Ebay. They are still tight around the waist & tummy, but I was able to zip them up. I'll have to wait another week or so before I can wear them comfortably. My size 22 jeans are getting loose. The last time I wore size 22 was 7 or 8 years ago and they were the same brand of jeans. I can't believe that I probably weigh less now than I have in the past 8 years. I am so happy about that. My next goal is to be in the low 250's before I go to Maui on October 17th.
10-06-2006 (Home scale: 257 lbs., -58 lbs.)
So, here I am 1 day shy of 3 months post-op. My goal was to lose 60 lbs. & I'm pretty close, which makes me happy. I had my follow-up with Dr. Ali yesterday and registered a 53 lb weight loss according to his scale. Either way, it's pretty darn good. I know that other people are losing faster than me on this website, but I try very hard not to compare myself to them. I have lots of energy, I'm thrilled with my ever transforming body and I can't wait to see more results. I bought another pair of size 20 jeans and they are very comfortable. Hopefully they will last me a couple of weeks. My double chin is gone & my whole face is really slimming down. My new goal is to be in the century club with a 100 lb weight loss by 6 months post-op.
10-30-2006 (Home scale: 249 lbs., -66 lbs.)
It has been a very difficult month. My husband and I are foster parents and for the past year and a half we have had a little girl that we were hoping to adopt. A little over 2 weeks ago, the court decided to give her back to her birth mother. I won't go into the details, but we are devastated. I have not been exercising and really struggling with my weight loss. I am extremely sad and would rather just sleep or sit around and do nothing right now. On the upside of things... My husband and I just got back from a vacation in Maui. It was bittersweet, but we did manage to have a good time.
11-15-2006 (Home scale: 240 lbs., -75 lbs.)
Every day is an emotional struggle because I miss our little girl so much. The whole weight loss part of my life is going great. I can hardly believe that I'm wearing size 18 jeans. I only have 25 more pounds to go until I'm in the century club. Physically, I'm noticing something new every day and it makes me feel good. Like... where did those ribs come from and I have bones in my hands. My waist measurement is 38. I have a waist, WOW!
12-27-2006 (Home scale: 237lbs., -78lbs.)
It sure has been a difficult month for me. I've been struggling with gaining 3 lbs. then losing it then gaining it again. I had not been drinking alot of water and because I was sick, I didn't exercise either. I started drinking wine and I think it's a bad habit. Due to the holidays, I've been eating more and drinking less protein shakes. This week, I have started losing again and drinking lots of water.
01-03-2007 (Home scale: 228lbs., -87lbs.)
Happy New Year!!! I can hardly believe that I lost 9lbs. since last week. I am so exited!!! I made some changes and it really paid off. I started walking about 30 minutes per day and drinking more water. I have also started drinking green tea every day. In the next few days I will join an exercise group. They meet for 1 hour, five days a week and it lasts 5 weeks. It should really help me tone and tighten the areas that are beginning to hang a little. I bought my husband a puppy for Christmas. She has alot of energy and we will begin to walk her twice a day. So, I've got lots of physical activity planned to help me get to my goal.
02-14-2007 (Home scale: 218lbs., -97lbs)
Happy Valentine's Day! I had set a personal goal to lose 100lbs. by Valentine's Day and I missed it by only 3lbs. I think that's pretty great. I went to a store yesterday and a guy I've known for a long time said that if I weren't with my husband, he would never have recognized that it was me. It really made my day. My hubby and I went out to a nice dinner and I have loftovers for probably 4 days. My next goal is to be in the 180's by Memorial Day weekend and wear all regular size (not plus or women's) clothing.
04-10-2007 (Home scale: 213 lbs., -102 lbs)
It's been 9 months since my surgery, I feel fabulous and I look pretty good too! Every time I look in the mirror I get this little giggle & I just can't help but smile at myself. The past few months have been a little bit of a struggle as I have been eating more and not drinking any daily protein shakes. I also wasn't exercising or taking my vitamins. I had even stopped weighing myself. Then, a couple weeks ago a friend of mine (who also had WLS) called to see how I was doing & how much I had lost. I told her that I hit a plateau and rushed her off the phone. Afterwards, I felt guilty and realized it was actually a wake-up call. So, I dragged myself onto the scale and it said that I had gained 6 lbs. since Valentine's Day. I immediately started taking my vitamins, drinking lots of water and replace 1 to 2 meals daily with a protein shake. What a difference!!! The pounds just started melting off again. I am so exited that I can officially be a part of the century club with over 100 lbs. lost. My next goal is to weigh in the 100's by Memorial Day weekend, even if it's 199 lbs.
8-07-2007 (Home scale 211lbs., -104lbs)
I have really been struggling for the past few months. I've been really sad in regards to some personal issues. I gained anywhere from 7 to 10lbs. and for a long time I didn't care about it. I am back on track now. I lost the weight that I gained and then some, over the past 3 weeks. I'm still trying my best to just get under 200.
08-09-2007 (Home scale 208 lbs., - 107 lbs)
I'm feeling great today! I've been drinking a protein shake as my breakfast and always keep a bottle of water nearby. It has helped so much to jumpstart my weight loss again. I am also no longer "OBESE" according to the BMI calculator. I am only "MODERATELY OVERWEIGHT" and my BMI being under 30 means that my weight no longer poses adverse health issues. WOOHOO!!!