Hotdiva
Hi,
My name is Isabella and I am currently working on my Masters Degree at Cornell University. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
I have struggled with my weight since my senior year of high school. I have always been a pretty athletic person despite the fact that my weight was steadily increasing. I love swimming and hiking.
My weight did not stop me from climbing pyramids in Egypt or hiking a trail on Table Mountain in South Africa. My weight did not stop me from climbing over 500 steep steps in Brazil to Corovado (Christ Redeemer) Mountain.
I have been to Brazil, Egypt, Cuba and South Africa, so I guess it is safe to say that I love traveling. My goal is to reach my ideal weight so that I will be able to be around for a long time to come and be around for my family.
I am having my surgery on July 29, 2002 and it is my hope and my goal to reach my ideal weight by June of 2003. I will be traveling to South Africa again in June of 2003 to complete my field research for my Masters Degree and I want to be able to sit in my airplane seat and not have to ask for a seatbelt extension. I think that will be great!
I noticed that there are a lot of people having Surgery on the same day that I am so I want to wish all of the July 29th people good luck!! We can do it!
I am an outgoing person eager to have weightloss surgery so that the quality and quantity of my life improves.
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July 12, 2002
Hi,
I am sorry that I have not posted anything since I got my surgery date. Everything has been so hectic lately. I am trying to get everything in order before I leave work. My co-workers are taking their vacations now and I will be using my vacation time to recover from my surgery.
Time is not moving fast enough for me. I was hoping to loose some weight before the surgery but instead, I have gained 2 lbs! Believe it or not, I have not told anyone about my surgery yet! I even told my immediate family that I am having my gall blader removed. I just don't want them to worry. If everything goes well, I will tell them the truth after the surgery.
It is kind of lonely keeping a big secret like this. I am such a private person, I wish I were more open. I can tell a million strangers that I am having this surgery but I can not tell my own mother!
Well, let's see, I had my last dietician appointment before my surgery today. I told her that I had given up on the idea of trying to loose weight before surgery. I told her that I am just going to try to maintain the weight that I am at and not gain another pound before surgery. It would have been nice to loose 10-20 lbs before the surgery though. That would have meant less to loose in the long run though. I am not going to beat myself up about it though.
I bought myself a gown that zips down the front today, I should have bought two. I think I might go back and buy a few more. I have to travel 4 hours and 40 min. to the hospital so I am going to leave my house on the 27th, check into a hotel for Saturday and Sunday (One with a pool since I won't be able to swim for a while), I am having my surgery on the 29th so I will check out of the hotel on Monday morning and go to the hospital. My doctor has already told me that since I am traveling such a great distance, he is going to keep me in the hospital until August 2nd, unless I am doing trememdously well.
After he discharges me from the hospital, he wants me to remain in town for an additional 5-7 days so I will be checking into a hotel nearby. I would rather be close by if something happened than to be over 4 hours away.
Well, I don't post for weeks, and then all of a sudden, I can't shut up. I will try to do better with posting. I know I certainly appreciate visiting this site almost everyday and learning something new. So I will make an effort to contribute more.
TTFN,
DIVA
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7-16-02
Well Hello All,
I am still hanging in there, only 13 more days to go!! I am just anxious right now, not scared or anything. I bought some more gowns this weekend and I should have bought them a size bigger but I am not taking them back. I will fit them soon anyway!
Well, I don't have too much to say now.
TTFN,
DIVA
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7-17-02
Bonjour,
Well,12 more days till my surgery.Tomorrow I go to my PCP for my medical clearance for my surgery. My surgeons office told me that this is a basic and routine procedure. I have to have an EKG and my PCP lets my surgeons office know that I will be able to tolerate anesthesia during surgery.
Ok, last night , I had a terrible dream (or should I say Nightmare!) I had a dream that I went to the hospital on the day of my Surgery (July 29th) and they told me that they did not have any record of me having surgery on that day. I was furious, I had traveled 5 hours and they were telling me that I was not scheduled for surgery!!
I called my Surgeons office and told them what happened and the Receptionist cooly apologized and said: "We can squeeze you in on August 16th!
I was soooooo furious , I woke up on the couch, I had fallen asleep watching the new John Q DVD. I saw it at the movies and I just had to have my very own copy. When I woke up, boy was I glad that it was only a dream (I pray).
Well, I will update after my appointment tomorrow.
TTFN,
DIVA
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7-18-02
Hello All,
I had my appointment for my medical clearance for surgery. Everything went fine. My EKG was fine as well. I was told that everything would be faxed to Dr. Zuccala's office within an hour. I called Dr. Zuccala's office to verify reciept and the receptionist said: "We probably won't receive it until your Labs come back". I said WHAT LABS? They did not draw any blood! She told me that they should have!
I told her that I asked about that prior to my appointment and I was told that my labs were not 60 days old so I didn't need anymore. She told me that they need to be under 30 days and by the time I have surgery, they will be a little over thirty days.
I called my PCP'S office back and I have not heard from them yet. I don't want something as petty as blood work to screw up my surgery date! If there are any pre ops reading this, I just want to say: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate! Talk with your PCP and your Surgeons office. Don't just assume that they are doing what they tell you they are doing. Sometimes they forget or things get lost. If I would have just assumed that my clearance was faxed to my Surgeon and my file was comeplete, I would have been in for a big shock come surgery day! They would have told me that my bloodwork was not current! I have been a little paronoid since that crazy dream, but I guess that dream is keeping me on my toes!
Well, I was hoping that I did not need to get poked again until surgery day but I guess I was wrong! Oh Well, such is life...
TTFN,
DIVA
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7-19-02
Hello All,
Well, I was poked again! I had to have all of my bloodwork done again! The last time I had bloodwork done was June 14th and they told me that the blood can't be more that a month old for them to use the results for surgery. Better safe than sorry, I guess.
So now, I should be done with everything unless something else springs up! Now all I have to do is wait. 10 more days! And the weekend always goes pretty fast!
I wanted to return to work two weeks after open rny but I could not get a paper from the doctor's office for that. They faxed me a form saying that I would be totally incapacitated until 9-16-02! However, they said that if I feel better sooner, I can go back sooner. I guess it was wishful thinking on my part to think that I could return to work in 2 weeks.
I guess I will have to find something to do with myself during this unexpected vacation. I love working and unless I am bed ridden, I don't see why I can't return to work.
Well, I could think of a few things that I would like to do while I am out. I can start reorganizing my house before classes start, I can write another chapter or two in the book that I have been working on forever...
Well, Have a good weekend everyone!
TTFN,
DIVA
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Ok, I am bored so I will post my weight stuff:
These are the day's that I will post my weight.
July 29th: 383 lbs
Aug 8th: 369 lbs
Aug 14th: 353 lbs -30 lbs in 2 weeks!
Sept. 27th: 332 lbs -51 lbs
Oct. 4th: 320 lbs
Oct. 18th: 316 lbs -67 lbs
Nov. 1st:
Nov. 15th:
Nov. 29th:
Dec. 13th:
Dec. 14th 2002 (It's My Birthday, It's My Birthday!!!!)290 lbs
Jan. 6th 2003 (Happy New Year!!) 287 lbs -96lbs Gone Forever!!
Feb. 12th 2003 283 lbs -100lbs Gone Forever!!!!
Dec. 26th 2003 240 lbs (Not at Goal yet but..) 143lbs Gone Forever!!
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7-22-02
Hello,
I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I spent my weekend giving my house a through cleaning. I want to get everything in its proper place. I know that after surgery, I won't be able to lift much so I am doing it now.
I have a funny story for you. I live in a huge apartment complex and you litterally have to take a number to do your laundry. The laundry facility is across the street from my apartment. Well, more like across the sidewalk, well anyway, I usually do my laundrey at 2 a.m. on Saturday mornings (No one bothers me at this time of the morning). Well, this Saturday morning, I was walking over with my second basket of laundry and I thought about the coyotes my lanlord said were near our apartment. I don't know why that thought came into my head at that particular time but when I looked up from my basket of laundry, I saw something that sent chills down my spine! I took a step and it took a step, I took another step and it took another step, my third step, I took backwards toward my apartment door and this thing came charging toward me! I dropped my basket of laundry and my quaters, I screamed loud enough to wake the dead! I managed to get back in my apartment and I called the Police. They told me that I lived outside of the city limits so I had to call the Sherrif Dept. I called them and they told me to call Animal Control. To make a long story short, I could not find anyone to come and get the thing. I waited until daylight to go back outside and get my laundry! I guess I won't be doing my laundry at 2 a.m. anymore. I mean I've seen skunks and Deer where I live but not coyote, Oh, I found out what it was. It was a MOUNTAIN LION!, yes a I said a MOUNTAIN LION! Apparently, this big cat came out of hiding and someone else saw it and called the right people to pick it up. I love nature and I love living in a natural setting, but I don't want to be that close to nature again!!
In retrospect, I thought, wow!, this really would have postponed my surgery, maybe indefinitely!
7 more days!
TTFN,
DIVA
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7-23-02
Good Morning All,
This morning I called my Doctor's office to see if my labwork came back yet. I am waiting for them to give me a call. I want them to go ahead and fax my bloodwork results to Dr. Zuccala's office. Once that is done, I can calm down a little. Well, I went shoping again yeserday after work. I bought several different kinds of Carb Solutions protein bars and I bought two more cannisters of the Carb Solutions Shake mix. I bought more just in case I don't feel like going out to the store after surgery. I have not tried any of this stuff though. I might like it before surgery and hate it afterwards. So I am just going to find out after surgery if I like it or not.
I still need to go to GNC and buy some flavorless protein powder that I can mix in anything. I thought about buying my Mederma or kelo-cote now but I don't need it until my staples are removed and my scar starts to heal, so why spend the money now?
I am going to buy Carnie Wilson's book "Gut Feelings" and read it while I am recovering from surgery. I have made a list of the things that I am taking with me to the hospital and I will probable pack my bag tonight. I am trying to stay busy so the days will fly by but they are still dragging on! 6 more days to wait.
I think I will call Curves for Women today and find out how much a membership would be. I work at a University and have access to all of the newest equipment and several swimming pools but I don't want to wait in line to use a piece of equipment.
The YMCA is out for me until I loose a little weight. The last thing I want to hear right now is some little kid: " Mommy look at that fat lady!", I have heard that a couple of times and it made me feel like a freak that had escaped from the circus or something!
Well, I guess I will get back to work.
TTFN,
DIVA
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7-25-02
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,
Only 4 more days until the BIG DAY!! I guess once Wednesday was over, it was all downhill in the countdown. Tomorrow, all I have to do is wait for the Hospital to call me to confirm everything. I won't believe that this is all going to happen until I am being wheeled into the OR.
I am still cleaning my house! It is my goal to complete everything today after work. Tomorrow, (Friday!) I am going to this place here in Ithaca called the Bistro Q. I am going to have my last meal! I am going to have some of the things I will probably never enjoy the same again. Once I get the craving out of my system, I will be fine. I have been putting off packing my bag for the hospital for days now. I am going to pack my bag Friday night. I have made a list of everything that I am bringing so I won't forget anything.
I just interviewed three people sent over by a temp agency to cover my position while I am out. I hired the third person that I interviewed. I will be training her tomorrow if she says she can start then, if not, my co-workers that come back from vacation next week will train her.
This might be my last entry here until I have crossed over to the other side. I will be very busy tomorrow and I might not have time. Everyone, please pray for me to have a complication free surgery and a very speedy recovery. If something does happen, I want everyone to know that this surgery was my choice and I would make the same decision no matter what. I am tired of living in a body that does not fit my personality or lifestyle.
My goals after surgery is to be able to lead a healthier life not a normal life but a healthier life. After all, what is normal? I want to be able to ride my bike agian, skat again, swim faster, run father jump higher and most important give the real me a chance to live!!
I will see all of you post-op on the other side.
TTFN,
DIVA
7-27-02
Ok, I am not on the other side yet, I just wanted to make one more entry before the BIG DAY. I received my confirmation call from the hospital on Friday. I am leaving for Danbury, CT in about an hour. I finally finished cleaning my house!! So when I return from the hospital, I won't have to look around feeling guilty that I am not cleaning up.
I am going to be the first surgery on Monday! I have to be at the hospital by 6:15 a.m. I can't believe that it is so close!! The lady that called me from the hospital reminded me not to have anything to eat or drink after midnight. I thought that I could at least have water when I woke up Monday morning, but she said nothing or they will Cancel the surgery! I guess I am fasting!
Good luck to everyone having surgery Moonday, July 29th!
Well, send me your prayers.
TTFN,
DIVA
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8-8-02
Guess Who's Back??,
It's Me, It's Me!!,
Well, I made it to the other side and I must say the view from here looks wonderful!!! I was in the hospital from July 29th- August 2nd. I traveled quite a distance to have my surgery done so after I was discharged, I stayed at a nearby Inn until Dr. Zuccala thought It was safe enough for me to travel. I
I was not supposed to have my staples removed until my follow-up appointment With Dr. Zuccala but I guess my body was rejecting them so I had them removed today.
I feel much better without them. All I have are some steri strips covering the incision now.
I am still oozing this stuff called serous fluid. It did not even hurt to have the staples removed!! I will be glad when I stop oozing though, I get this stuff all over my nice tops, even with the gauze pads.
I drove myself home from Danbury and I felt just fine, I only stopped once to stretch my legs. Can you imagine driving at 8 days post-op?
Well, I have to go get some fluids now.
TTFN,
DIVA
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August 12, 2002
Bonjour,
I just wanted to begin by saying thank-you to all of the people that prayed for me and sent me words of encouragement during one of my most difficult times.
With that said, I can't believe that I am two weeks post-op already! I am down about 30 lbs now. I can't believe that I have lost 30 lbs in 2 weeks!! I hope that the weight loss continues to go this fast.
I am still oozing fluid but I guess it could be worse. I just keep the incision site clean and bandage it with a guaze pad. I bought these very cheap wash cloths from Wal-Mart, they come in a bundle. When I am going out to walk or for an extended period ogf time, I fold one of them in half and AFTER dressing the wound with guaze, I put the towel over it and it has been working out fine so far.
I have been doing some form of exercise everyday but I walk every other day. I am up to 3 Laps (1/2 mile) per day. I started at 2 laps and I am trying to make it to 4 before my 3 week follow-up appointment. The area where I walk, has a lot of hills and after the third lap, I am soooo exhausted. I figure some exercise is better than no exercise.
Because my incision is still draining, I don't think that I can go swimming. I really want to take Water aerobics, so I can't wait until my incision stops draining. I read that some people had drainage for 7 months, I hope that I am not one of them!
I am going to call my doctors office and see if I can pour peroxide on my incision. I'll bet it will heal a little faster if I do that.
My classes begin in a couple of weeks and I want to be in great form. I don't want to have to give my Professors any excuses for why I can't do this or that. I won't be able to carry a backpack just yet though. I will probably make frequent trips to my car or leave some things in my department and pick them up throughout the day.
Water, Jello, Crystal Light and Carnation Instant Breakfast are my new friends! I bought the Carb Solutions stuff before surgery and I have not used them much. I find Carb Solutions to be disgusting but if I put a little in my Carnation Instant Breakfast, I can tolerate it for now.
Well, it is 2:45 A.M. so I guess I will go to bed. I am napping so much , I find that I am not tired at this time. My body is also still adjusting to not having Nurses waking me up!
TTFN,
DIVA
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August 15, 2002
Good Morning! (3:04 A.M.),
I still can't get over being up at this time of the morning. My sleeping is still all screwed up! Well, I have lost 30 lbs in 2 weeks! I am pretty excited about that. I hope that it does not slow down any time soon.
I have been excersing by cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen for the past couple of days. It has been toooo hot (102 degrees), for me to exercise outdoors. Normally, the heat would not bother me too much but I can't chug water like I used to right now. I do not want to get dehydrated.
I discovered something yummy! 98% Fat free Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup! I have used this in recipies before but not solely as a meal. Anyway, I added 1 can of water and heated it until it was warm. Even though I could only have a few ounces, those were the best ounces that I have had so far.
Another thing that I have found to drink besides water is the Raspberry Ice Crystal Light. I also found Strawberry Tangerine Crystal Light but I have not tried it yet.
Well, enough about eating and drinking, it just seems like my life revolves around that these days. Even with this 30# lost, I feel so much better already.
I went to a potluck picnic in the park yesterday and all I did was drink water and I was fine with that. I made this excellent fruit salad that required (strawberries,bananas, watermelon chunks, green and red seedless grapes and frozen Limeade) It was so hard not being able to taste test this salad! Even though you follow the directions to a recipie, sometimes it needs a little tweeking. Everyone at the park raved over the salad so I guess it was ok. My friend made her famous spring rolls and that was the first time that I wished I could eat something since the surgery.
I made a terrible mistake yesterday. It was so hot, I was taking a warm shower as I usually do and I adjusted the water to cool and the part of my incision that is still open started to bleed. I scared myself a little until I remembered what I had done wrong. I am back on the mend though.
Well, I think I can return to sleep now.
TTFN,
DIVA
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8-23-02
Good Morning!,
I had my 3 week follow-up appointment on Wednesday. I am doing great! I have lost 35 lbs and Dr. Zuccala could not have been more proud of me.
I also went to the support group meeting that evening. It was very helpful to be around people that shared the same experiences. There were so many people there!
The nutritionists were there and they had different protein drinks for us to try. I can't believe that I found one that I liked! It was a banana flavored shake mix that you mix with skim milk. I am going to look for it today.
I still can't go swimming until my incision is completely closed! Dr. Zuccala did tell me that I could dilute peroxide with water (half and half) and put it on my incision twice per day. I must say that since I started that, I am not leaking nearly as much serous fluid!
Dr. Zuccala told me that I can carry a back-pack next week when classes start so I won't have to worry about going back and forth between classes.
Oh, I am now on the stage 4 diet! Pureed foods. Last night, I pureed fat free refried beans with a little salsa. I heated them in the microwave and added a little fat free cheese and low fat sour cream. I was only able to eat a little but it was soooo good. I bought baby food but I was not in the mood for it. I thought my first meal would be mashed potatoes and gravy but my bubble was quickly burst when the nutritionist told me that in the pureed stage I could have no carbs or starches! Oh well, I can wait another 4 weeks. (Sept. 23rd !)
I am going to try scrambled egg beaters this morning for breakfast. We shall see how this goes. Well, I am off to start my day.
TTFN,
DIVA
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8-26-02
Well, I am 1 month post-op and I dumped for the first time yesterday! I had a sugar free popcicle and then 40 min. later I had 6 oz. of water, and then about 30 min. later, I tried eating pureed ham salad. After the ham salad, my mouth started to water and I knew what was about to happen. I rushed to the bathroom and I burped. I thought that would be the end of it but 2 sec. later, up everything came, the salad, water and popcicle!
I just love water, and I can never get enough of it. I am always thirsty! When I first got home, I would walk around with a bottle of frozen water. I would literally guzzle the water with no problems. Now, I can only drink a few sips of water at a time. My stomach must be healing more or something.
After I threw up yesterday, I got cleaned up and went to a bowling party for Graduate Students to kick off the new semester so I am doing just fine. I won't guzzle water anymore and I will space my meals out a little farther.
Today is a very busy day for me, I have quite a bit of work to do so I guess I will wrap this up for now.
TTFN,
DIVA
02-21-05
I can't believe that it has been sooooooooooo long since I updated my profile!
Well, I am still at 240 lbs. I had my son on 7-10-03 and I only gained about 8 lbs total during the pregnancy! My son is now 19 months old.
I am very active and still want to loos about 100 more pounds. I know that this will be very difficult but I do believe that I am up to the challenge!
I will loose about 30 of the 100 when I have my tummy tuck or body contouring.
Well, I am getting ready to start working on my Ph.D. so I guess I am the career student.
I have no regrets about having the surgery, I am glad that I took the steps necessary to change my life!!
Good luck to the other brave souls that decide to take this journey!
TTFN,
DIVA
Wow! 11-26-06 247lbs.
I can't believe that it has been four long years since I had my gastric bypass surgery! These four years have been filled with many ups and downs, weightloss and weight gain!!
I am back on the losing side after regaining 76lbs!
My total weight loss to date, has been 144 lbs!!
I have to get ready for church, but I will come back and tell you all about my journey back to the losing side without revision surgery! Praise God!
TTFN,
Hotdiva
2--2-07
Well Hello,
I am officially back on the losing side! I am down to 228lbs.
That's a total loss of -163 lbs!!
I have not had a revision or anything like that. My process over the last six months has been water, walking , working out prayer and fasting!! Yes I have changed the way I eat as well. No more living to eat, I eat to live!
Once I really grasped the concept that my surgery was really a tool and not a miracle, I began to work a little harder at the goals I set prior to having the surgery and that was to become healthier and more physically fit.
TTFN,
DIVA
5-3-09
Hi,
I am officially back after a long absence!! My life has been one horrific diaster after the next during the two years that I have not updated my profile!! I have moved around quite a bit, trying to support my family as a single parent. I have dealt with the death of my Aunt which was like a mother to me and the loss of essentially all of my material possessions!!
The only thing that I have not been loosing, is weight!! As a matter of fact, I have gained a lot of the weight back!! It is so hard for me to admit my failure, but I am hoping that by admitting that I have fallen short, made several mistakes...., I can rededicate myself to my weightloss journey. The hardest part for me has been admitting that I failed! Now I can begin again.
10-08-09
My daughter and I started going back to the YMCA yesterday. I started out slow and tried not to over do it. I am definitely feeling it today though!!
11-16-09
Well, since my last post, true to my word, I have lost 26 lbs!! My daughter and I are taking a Hip Hop Aerobics Class an it is really cool!!
5-13-10
Yippeeee!!!!!!!! Back on the loosing team Guys!! I am at 214 lbs as of today, which means that I have lost 150 lbs, and I have lost a total of 182 ibs if you count where I started from!! It has definitely not been easy as an almost 8 year post-op!! I can't believe that it has almost been eight years!!
Surgeon Info:
Surgeon: Keith Zuccala MD
My first impression of Doctor Zuccala was "Wow he looks young". He looks like he is about my age or a little older. I am not thirty yet if that tells you anything. And then I thought , how many of these procedures has he done if he is so young? My impression changed trmemdously after we began to talk. I found him to be very sincere and to the point. He is very knowledgeable on the procedures that he performs. He answered all of my questions in a very friendly and curteous manner. His office staff was great! Especially Cathy, she goes out of her way to answer any questions that I have. If she does not know the answer, she does not stop until she finds it. There was nothing that I disliked about Dr. Zuccala. Future patients should know that Dr. Zuccala is a very professional Doctor, he does not sugar coat things. He gives you a very realistic picture of the procedure, follow-up care and what you need to do to get the best results from surgery. Dr. Zuccala strongly emphasizes aftercare. As a matter-of-fact if we would not have had a strong aftercare program in place, he probably would not do my surgery because I live such a great distance away. Dr. Zuccala has a very structured aftercare program in place; he also has a support group that meets regularly. Dr. Zuccala was very honest with me about the possible risks of surgery. I had already been researching WLS for two years so he only confirmed what I already had knowledge of. I will rate Dr. Zuccala after my surgery. So far, I am please with him and his staff. I believe that both surgical competence and bedside manner are important when choosing a surgeon.
