Stormy Sky
| Stormy River Post Op - BMI: 41.6 Surgery Type: RNY - proximal Member ID: S1082662101 Contact: Click here to send a Personal Message Surgeon: Milton L. Owens M.D. | Click here for Stormy's surgery support page Click here for Before & After pictures page Click here for the 06/2004 Reunion Page Click here to print Stormy's cards (You can print your own cards, and if you're good at it, you can help print cards for your friends as well!) |
 2004   ~~~~MORE BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE~~~~ 5/7/04 I am a 40 year old diabetic with high blood pressure, high cholesterol & stomach problems. I weigh 235 pounds, most of my extra weight is in my upper body. I'm like a potato on toothpicks!!!! I am married to a wonderful firefighter, have a son who is a firefighter and a 16 year old daughter that is determined to be the first female firefighter in the family. So I also have a lot of stress at times worrying about them. I have been researching all the different WLS & decided I need to have the RNY, Lap. I called the insurance company & told them I needed to know which doctors were covered by them so I could do my research. I went to my primary caregiver. Told him I was getting gastric bypass surgery as soon as he gave me a referral!!!! He said he would give me the referral as soon as my blood work came back. So I figured I would begin the waiting game. He really surprised me; I got a call this morning from his nurse (8 days later) that my insurance company, (TriCare Prime Retiree) had approved a referral to Coastal Center for Obesity. I am very excited because this is where I wanted to go. I go to my free seminar on the 5/15/04. Then they will schedule my first appointment. 5/8/04 I haven't been able to decide whether or not to tell family about having surgery. 5/15/04 I went to the free seminar today. It was very informative. I really feel comfortable with Coastal Center for Obesity. Dr. Owens was great. I turned in all my information, so now I’m waiting for my insurance to approve me for surgery. This waiting game really can make a person crazy. I will call Coastal a week from Monday to check & see what’s up. I hope the next week goes by quickly!!!! 5/17/04 I have started to have dreams about my WLS. I dreamed I had my surgery & then while still in the hospital my sister gave me a hotdog. I ate the whole thing, bun & all. Then realized I had already had the surgery & shouldn’t have eaten it. So I started walking around the hospital corridors trying to get it to digest, worrying about dying. I hope these are normal dreams. I really can’t wait to have this surgery, however I do think of the potential problems. I have told my husband & daughter to get me up to walk every hour after surgery. I plan on being very active as soon as possible, even if it is just moving around on the hospital bed. I wanted to call the doctor’s office sooo bad to see if they have sent my stuff to the insurance company yet. I didn’t, I will give them until Thursday. Surely by then it will be sent off. I just worry that I haven't filled out my paperwork good enough. The waiting is very, very hard. Approved Approved Approved Approved Approved Approved 5/25/04 My life has just changed forever. I got the phone call at 3:34. I am approved. I have to pay $63.60 to Chapman Medical Center for my part. Also I have to pay $150.00 for the membership fee at Coastal & $208.00 for my protein shakes. I already knew this, so that wasn't a surprise. Coastal is sending me a list of blood work, etc, I need to get done, and then I will get scheduled for my surgery. I really am hoping to have surgery by the end of June. One minute I am on cloud 9, the next I am wondering what the heck I am doing. This is such an emotional rollercoaster. 5/27/04 I went to my first support meeting. It was very nice and everyone made me feel welcome. My hubby went with me, he is so sweet & such a great support. We have been married for over 20 years now & he has always been there for me. I should be getting my packet of pre-op information anyday. It was mailed on 5/25/04. I am anxious to begin this part of my journey. The waiting is so hard. 6/03/04 My lab work & ekg were faxed to Coastal Center today. I called & talked to Nancy, who is just wonderful. She scheduled me for 6/07/04 to see Dr. Owens & do all the pre-op stuff. I was so excited that I couldn't even think straight. I just want to scream for joy. I wonder if I'm crazy being so excited over surgery. It really feels awesome to know I am on my way to living so much healthier. 6/08/04 I went to pre-op yesterday. It was an all day thing, which makes for a long day, but was so much better then spreading the appointments out over two or three days. Dr. Owens was real nice, I feel very comfortable with him. The staff at Coastal Center for Obesity was awesome. My surgery is the day after tomorrow, 6/10/04 at 10 o'clock. I am ready. I don't really feel the urge to eat all my favorite foods one last time. I just want to get this show on the road!!!!!! 6/10/04 *The following is a posted update by Harold-husband-and Haley-daughter of Jacqueline* We arrived at the hospital today at 8:00 after an hour long drive and an early morning of 5:00. The doctor took her into surgery at 10:35 and she was sent to recovery shortly after at 12:10. By 4:00 she was up and walking, completing one lap around the hospital, by 6:30 she had completed her second lap. What a trooper! Everything is fine so far, and her page will be updated tomorrow with more information (and her actual thoughts) during this time! Please keep her in your prayers. ~The S. family 6/14/04 Will, here I sit at the computer again. It doesn't seem like I even had the surgery. I never really had a lot of pain. Right now I have more gas pain then anything else. But let me back up & tell you about my surgery & stay. I was pretty calm until about 9:30. The IV was put in around then & I accepted some happy juice. So I really had a blast making my daughter laugh until time to go to surgery. The second dose of medication & a kiss from hubby & that's all I remember until I woke up moaning in recovery. Moaning is the best way to wake up because they rush over & give you something to stop the moaning. I felt no pain because they were on the ball. Anyway, I got up to my room & promptly was shown the morphine pump. I used the morphine pump on principle alone. I was on the morphine from Thursday until Friday morning. Then they gave me Lora tab. I took that about every 4 to 6 hours. I can honestly say the worst part of my time there was the headache I couldn't get rid of, a roommate from hell & the room being way toooo hot!!! The roommate from hell wanted to poop & couldn't, so she made sure everybody knew about it & was as miserable as she was. Finally got rid of her around 10 pm Thursday evening. Was given a fan 5 am Saturday morning & got discharged at 4 pm Saturday. Now I'm home & very comfortable for the most part. I don't like the drain, it is a nuisance. Hubby is great about seeing to all my needs. He is just the greatest. My daughter has been fabulous. She fed me ice chips in the hospital & made sure a nurse was around when she thought I needed one. She watched them take out the staples, ready to pounce on them if it looked like they were hurting me. Dr. Owens is truly magically. I did ask him if he was sure he did the surgery on me, because there is really no pain. He has assured me that I did indeed have the surgery. I would highly recommend him to everyone. He is truly a magnificent surgeon. My four little incisions are looking great, no bruising or anything. The hospital staff wasn’t impressive. I really didn't need them for much, which is just as will, because when I did need them, it took them forever to respond. One time I had to disconnect myself from the IV or have an accident in the bed. When they finally showed up, I just explained that I couldn't wait to go any longer. I can't wait to get this drain out & then life will be perfect. !!!!!!!!THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS !!!!!!!! 6/25/04 A lot has happened since I last posted. I started to feel a lot of pain in my left side about 8 days pre-op. I called the doctor on Saturday & ended up going back in the hospital Sunday 6/20/04. I had an infection & the doctors wanted to make sure there were no leaks. So I had all the test run & everything checked out fine. I got released Monday afternoon with antibiotics. It was a rough couple days after that, however I slowly got better & this drain tube will come out on Monday 6/28/04 hopefully!!!! 6/28/04 Went to the doctor & he removed the drain today. I feel so much better. I haven't been having any problems getting in my protein & water. I have been walking 1 mile every day & have been doing light weightlifting. I have lost 22 pounds already!!!!!!!! That is a true blessing. It is hard to believe I could lose 22 pounds in 18 days. 7/26/04 I have been throwing up since going to my second stage. Now I am to the point where I am on the way to the E.R. because my husband says I'm dehydrated. 7/27/04 Went to the E.R. yesterday. I was dehydrated, so I had a couple bags of fluids. Then Dr. Owens said I had a stricture so today I had an endosopy & was dilated by a very efficient Dr. Jigjinni. It was all handled very fast. Dr. Owens is a great doctor. You can't go wrong with him as your doctor!! 10/20/04 I have been exercising all along, even when I haven't felt good. I am down to 155 pounds. That is a total loss of 80 pounds. I feel so much better. This is truly a learn as you go tool. I can eat most meats, but eggs don't work at all. I don't take diebetes, blood pressure, or acid reflux medications anymore. I take my vitamins, B12, & calcium citrate. 11/18/04 I can't believe it's been over 5 months since my surgery. I have lost 88 pounds so far. I have been so very blessed, the weight has been coming off very steadily. I have trouble eating hamburger & ham, also refried beans from Taco Bell & chili. I guess it is the fat content in the refried beans & chili. I can eat steak, pork chops & chicken just fine. I do a lot of tuna & cottage cheese. I'm also very addicted to decaffeinated green tea. If I don’t get in 3 cups a day, I feel cheated. I drink it unsweetened, so I don’t think it’s harmful. ~~~~~~~~Thank you Rene for making my profile so beautiful~~~~~~~ 12/21/04 Time sure has a way of flying. I know you have heard this time after time, but I can't believe it's been over six months since my surgery. I have been slowly learning what my pouch can handle. I dump on sugar & fat. Carbs make me crave more carbs, so I try to stay away from them. Protein makes me feel the best. I eat a lot of tuna, cottage cheese & regular fish during the day. At night I eat whatever my family is having. I mean I eat the protein part. I am very content with that. If I make them hamburger, then I end up eating fish. I still can't handle hamburger because I can't chew it down small enough. I have lost 95 pounds. I lift weights 3 times a week & walk daily. I enjoy exercising after I'm done. I feel so good when I do it. Every day I have to talk myself into it. I can find a million reasons not to exercise, however my life is very much worth me exercising & no excuse can overcome that!!!! I haven't been having any skin issues. I am quite happy about that, I thought I would because I am 40 years old. I think exercise has really helped. I thank God & Dr. Owens for this new life of mine. I truly love it. I thank my husband so very much for being here for me. He has put up with the emotional whirlwinds as will as being my partner for exercising. It hasn't been easy on him, but he has been a real angel (most of the time!! God knows he isn't a saint!!). He has lost weight also. His cholesterol is down to normal & he is back to his pre-retirement weight. So we are both blessed in this surgery. My New Years resolution is to update more often. God Bless & Merry Christmas!!! 12/29/04 My daughter turned 17 today. She is growing up way to fast. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY HALEY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She is very supportive of my surgery, always willing to go to support groups with me & very vigilant on my eating right. 12/31/04 This has been an awesome year. I am down 95 pounds. I weigh 140 pounds. My daughter let me borrow a pair of her jeans. I thought that was a huge "WOW" moment, however I went to take them off & noticed the tag said size "8" REG. WOW, WOW & WOW. I didn't know this & had to show my husband & tell my daughter. Of course she already knew what size they were. I wore these jeans to a Christmas luncheon, another time to the mall shopping & today to a football game. I never knew what size they were, I am still in shock. I hope you all have a great New Year!!!! 2005 1/31/05 Will here it is the end of January. I can't believe I am almost 8 months into this journey. I have been losing inches & firming up. I haven't lost much weight lately. I will weigh myself February 10th & hopefully I will have lost 100 pounds. I want to be in the century club. I have had my ups & downs, but it has been great for the most part. Learning when I am really needing to eat has been the hardest. I have head hunger that I could swear is real hunger. Head hunger is my worst enemy. I also became obsessed with advantage protein bars. I would eat 3 to 4 a day. I have finally got control of them. I haven't had even one today. Although like any true addict I have thought about them all day long. I will probably end up buying one on my way to weight lift. I have to buy them one at a time or I eat too many. I get plenty of protein in. Tuna, cottage cheese & chicken are still my mainstay. I really love my new life, even when I am standing over the porcelain god puking up the chocolate I knew would make me sick. Lessons I seem to learn the hard way!!!! My hubby is taking me to Hawaii for our 25th wedding anniversary. He is so wonderful; God blessed me with him that's for sure. Now don't get me wrong he isn't fully trained, even after all these years. I think somewhere along the way he was actually training me!!!!!! But he has been very supportive & has even started watching plastic surgery shows. So that when I tell him I want plastic surgery, he will be prepared. Anyway our anniversary is in April & my goal is to keep exercising so I will look as good as possible & not worry about the numbers on my scales. 2/28/05 I turned 41 this month. It is the first time in years I have enjoyed being me. I didn't have to promise myself next year I would be thinner. Hopefully I will be at goal waaay before my next birthday, but I'm not sweating it. I want to weigh 125 pounds, which is about 20 pounds away. I haven't weighed lately because I have been losing so slowly. I wear a size 6 in jeans, so I'm not too worried about my weight. Since I have been weightlifting the scale doesn't want to move. I guess it's true about muscle weighing more then fat. Some days I fight head hunger to the point of screaming. Let me tell you, carbs make you crave more carbs!! I do real well as long as I'm staying with mainly protein. This journey is not easy but it is worth it. When I fall down I just get back up & start again. I thank God for leading me to Dr. Owens & giving me a second chance at a great life!!!! 5/25/05 Here it is May!!!! The scale doesn't move much anymore. I have lost 95 pounds. I haven't been too good about exercising the last couple months. I went through a terrible time. . I have started back on my exercise routine. I figure enough self pity!!!!!!! Life is tooo damn short!!! I have an awesome husband, a fabulous daughter & two little doggies that love me to death!!!!!! What more could a woman ask for????? Good luck to all you pre-ops!!! Post-ops congratulations & keep up all the hard work on this wild journey!!!!!! 6/28/05 I passed up my 1 year anniversary without any celebration. I was depressed because I hadn't made the century club..........but I'm over that now & on to new days. I will lose the rest of my weight in Gods time not mine. From here on out I will do better on my exercise, which I had been lax on for the last two months. I thank God for this surgery; my life now is 100% better!!!!!! 235/137/120 3/08/06 I can't believe I haven't updated in so long. Sorry about that! Will......life has been the same as always. I have my ups & downs. I have had problems with head hunger & now understand why I did indeed have this surgery. I am an emotional eater......can't deny it anymore. I have learned so much about myself in the past year & a half. I am so glad I had this surgery. Dr. Owens is a life saver if you ask me. He truly does gods work. I love being alive more then I ever have. 4/19/06 My sister was asking me about my profile. I told her I have one, but haven't updated it in a long time. Sorry about that. It seems life gets away from me at times. I haven't anything new to tell you about. My tool keeps me in line for the most part. I try to exercise & eat right. I still have problems with emotional eating, but have been working on it. Boy do I dump. Easter was hard because the candy was around & I convinced myself I wouldn't dump. I was sicker then a dog all day Easter day & am just now starting to feel like going back to the fitness center. Please pray for my sister Cindy. She is going through a rough time & needs the strength of prayer. She is a terrific person & an awesome mother. Remember everyone, the vitamins are a part of your new life & don't be forgetting the calcium citrate! (My biggest problem) Good Luck & God Speed pre-ops & newbie’s!!!!! Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update Future Update
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Hospital Reviews Member Interests: Click here to see interests of other ObesityHelp members. Surgeon Info: Surgeon: Milton L. Owens M.D. Dr. Owens is a very distinguished man. He is very professional & I think a truly talented surgeon!!!!! The office staff was very helpful, never rude. When you are at the office you hear lots of laughter. The aftercare program is great; they really stress exercise & nutrition. Dr. Owens was excellent; he even gave me his cell number when I had problems with the infection so I could reach him if needed. Insurer Info: Tri-Care Prime Tricare Prime was easy to deal with. My time for approval was very short. I haven't had any problems yet. I am waiting to see how fast they pay the hospital & surgeons. Tricare has paid all the medical bills very promptly. |
