fatgirlsneedluv2

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Life is GRAND again!

I have so much to share and only a moment to do so, so I'll be fast. 

The scale hit 325 today, down from 414.  I am fitting into a 3x top (down from pushing a 5x).  All of my bras have to be fastened at the shortest loop!  My fat is beginning to sag, but it's a smaller sag bag.  And best of all?  My chin is disappearing!! 

My tummy no longer rubs on the steering wheel when I'm driving and it's WAY easy to turn my head (and whole body) in the car when I change lanes.  I'm just thinning out.  Nowhere close to BEING thin, mind you - just not as "stuffed".  My butt is beginning to hurt after sitting for any length of time cuz the fat is not one globbed mass - it's separating??? 

I consider my surgery a success at this point.  It was never about the size or the weight - it was about FEELING better - and I SO do!!  Thank you LORD!!!

I have 2 goals for the rest of this year:  Hitting my century mark (100lbs) and beginning the year under 300!  That would be losing 1 quarter of my weight!  Wish me luck!

Officially 36lbs down & I'm pretty darned amazed at how wonderful I feel compared to pre-op!

I'm back to work full-time for 3 weeks already!  I tire easily, but gaining stamina.

I do believe I'm going to be the next RNY poster child!  

I'm getting my daily protein in easily with protein smoothies and soft foods (chili, chicken, & fish for the most part) and am still always full!   

My daily water intake is more of a challenge.  I'm still trying to get that 64oz of water!  Sippy sippy sippy every 5 minutes!!  That first drink of water in the morning kinda nauseates me - the pouch does a little flip-flop - but I don't let that deter me!  I know what I need and I'm going for it!

Supplements are a breeze - when I remember!  It's just a matter of getting the routine streamlined!  

Here is a regular workday routine: 
Regular pills (including Lasix) first thing in the morning before I leave for work. 
Take Citrical pill on the way to work.
At lunch I take 2 Flintstones Complete (gotta time the multi at least 2 hours from the calcium).
I get off work at 6, so at dinner I take the next Citrical.
At bedtime, I take my other regular pills - yay!  
Lather, rinse & repeat!  

As long as it's a workday, it's no problemo!  It's the weekends that end up getting all changed up!  That's my next project - getting the weekend routine down! 

After a long-awaited pre-op period, I've finally completely the process! 

My surgery began at 8:20am on Tuesday, July 21, and was over in about 3.5 hours.  6 small incisions, no tubes except the intubation (which I didn't feel except when they were pulling them out and I was waking up- yuk!), but all went well and I was standing up that night by 10pm (didn't do the walk that night because I was feeling a lil light-headed) and finally did the walk the next morning - yay!  Drank the appropriate amount of broth and completely flavorless jello (nasty!) and was prepared for discharge! 

I had spent the week before in Vegas at the BBW Network Vegas Bash (see www.bbwnetwork.com) enjoying the company of my wonderful friends who have been so encouraging...  I ate mostly protien, sacrificing sweets and carbs, but not savories!  

My last meal was cherry tomatoes, strawberries and Odwalla "50 cal" Limeade - sooo delish!!  And now I'm watching Paula Deen & Rachel Ray constantly - what's up with that??  

It's almost time for my evening walk.  After that I'll try to update on the small array of foods in my current diet...yippee!

I don't know if it was something I said or did, but the information I received from the surgery coordinator last week was completely wrong.

I was stressed out ALL weekend before my appointment on 3/30!  I had done my research and was ready with ammunition!  I had a list of people who'd had successful surgeries at my BMI range and a study that showed that there was virtually no difference in the outcomes of patients who lost 5% versus 10% before surgery. 

I was cordial when Doc came in and just waited for the bomb to drop.  He went into his hopes and expectations for my surgery, risks, and all the usual stuff.  He brought up my chart on the computer monitor and we discussed lowering the risks of surgery doing it laproscopically and that the lower my BMI is at the time of surgery, the higher likelihood of being able to do that.  I kept waiting for him to drop the 50-75lb loss bomb. 

It never came.  He said that because he could see that I was on a downward trend, if I continued that I would probably be at least 20 - 50lbs lighter by July, which would put me in an excellent position for doing the procedure laproscopically. 

JULY?????  I was certainly hoping for a sooner date, but okay - I'm resigned to July.  That allows me time to prepare financially and do some major spring cleaning around here!  I have vacation plans in July as well -I'm attending the BBW Network Vegas Bash 7/11-19, an annual trek for myself and 1000 of my closest friends bask in the hot sun while floating in our bikinis and then dancing the night away til the wee hours of the morning!  Wheee! 

Doc said the coordinator would be calling me in the next few days to schedule the surgery.  Indeed, she called the next day with a list of appointments.  Pre-surgery with family appointment June 15, Post-surgery follow-up on August 3 and again on the 24th.  Okaaaaayyyy.....so does this mean I have a surgery date???  "Ohh, doc didn't tell you?"  DER!  No - I wouldn't be asking if he did, would I??  Sheeesh!

July 21, 2009 is my new 'birthday'!  Holy cow - 2 days after I get back from vacay - it doesn't get any better than that!!  I'll get off the plane, unpack my suitcase and then jump on the operating table - tanned and feeling completely relaxed!

I have a nice long story to tell and only a few minutes to share at the moment.  As you can see I've been a member here since 2001.  In that time I have done plenty of research on the different types of WLS and have monster resources in the form of friends who have been through the major 3 versions, RNY, DS and LapBand. 

I am in my 2nd round of surgery prep for the RNY.  I didn't follow through with the first round for a myriad of reasons, so here I am again.  I chose the RNY because, and ONLY because, that is what my insurance will pay for. I don't believe this is the best choice for me and if I had the resources to self-pay I would be going to Spain or Brazil to get the DS as I know people who have taken that route with wonderful successes.  If my insurance would pay for stateside DS, I would likely go to the Drs. Rabkin in San Francisco.  But that is all a mute point because they won't.  Period.  And my Sugar Daddy has yet to appear!  I could always try the lottery, but I'm already broke, thankyouverymuch!

I attended the orientation at OHSU on 10/3/08 and finally was set a pre-op appointment on 1/22 (3 months later) and was told then that my insurance (Providence PEBB) required a 5% weight loss (22lbs, minimum) before the surgery would be approved.  Okay - so I did that in 3.5 weeks - 25lbs!  Record time!  I am a determined person, for sure.  So 5 (yes, FIVE) weeks later OHSU finally gets around to make my appt for the surgery consult.  I'm also advised that Dr. O'Roark has decided that I must lose an additional 50 - 75lbs before he'll do the surgery.  WHAT?  She said the doctors don't 'like' to do the surgery on someone who's BMI is over 60.  Well guess what?  Mine is 60.9 at this point and another 10lbs would bring it under 60.  *insert frustrated profanity*  I could easily do another 10lbs - I'm good at short-term goals.  It's keeping it OFF that is the problem.

I'm going to go to see him on 3/30 and find out what is on his mind, and quite possibly give him a piece of mine. 

If I could lose that much weight on my OWN (by then it would be 100lbs), then WHY would I bother with the surgery?  Also, all of my insurance paperwork names Dr. Deveney - NOT Dr. O'Roark, so I may request him instead.  I've heard good and bad about both, but in my 1st round of this process it was Dr. Deveney who did my surgical consult and didn't seem to have ANY problem with doing the surgery then and my weight was comperable.

There is so much more I could tell about this process and my philosophy, but I just don't have the time. 

I would like to hear from anyone who's had experience with either of these 2 surgeons with a BMI over 50?