JK44094
Hello!! It has been almost 4 years that I have been looking into having WLS. Back then, I didn't have the support from my doctor at the time. She told me "..to excercise and eat healthier..". This upset me because I had tried this several times and it didn't seem to be working for me. She didn't even take the time to work with me on what I should eat or anything....she was just blowing me off. In 2003, I started at LA Weight Loss. I did really well...I lost 50 lbs. I felt great, but as soon as I went on Effexor for depression, I gained it all back and then some. Since that happened, it has been much harder for me to attempt another diet...
This year, I started going to a new doctor, Dr. Harriet Jakob. The only thing I regret was not going to her sooner. She is the best doc. I mentioned to her at my 2nd appt with her that I was interested in WLS. She was very supportive of me. She recommended a hospital that has a whole floor dedicated to their bariatric patients...St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, OH. This is only 30 minutes from me so this made it very convenient for me to go there. I started my research here on OH.com and got a lot of useful information. A few days later, my doc called me to let me know my blood test came back showing diabetes. I knew this was a wake up call for me.
So, on July 7th, I attended the seminar that SVCH gives and I felt very comfortable with what I learned there. I had originally wanted the Lap Band, but learned more about the gastric bypass and that they do it Laproscopically now. This is what I wanted...LAP Gastric Bypass it is.
At the seminar, I filled out all the paperwork and gave it to them. They called me the next day to setup an appt with the surgeon, Dr. Aviv Ben-Meir.
My consult is setup for August 5th at 12:30pm. I am extremely excited because I really want to get the ball rolling. I have been overweight all my life and hit 200 lbs. after I got married in 1998.
I will update more after my consultation with the surgeon....
7/26/05
Today I had my consult. It was supposed to be next Friday, but they called me yesterday to ask if I could come in today. Now my consult is out of the way...now just need to wait for approval from my insurance company.
8/7/05
Well, it has been almost 2 weeks since my consultation with Dr. Ben-Meir....
Well, I had sent my check to CCBS for the membership fee the last week of July and didn't hear anything, so I called them the week after my consult and they told me that they hadn't checked their mail yet. So I asked them how long it was going to take to get the letter to my insurance company and they said 2-3 weeks....I was very upset when I hear this...I think that is a little ridiculous. So I decided I would keep contacted the Customer Service dept of my insurance company to see if they had received anything. I waited until Friday, August 5th to call. When I talked to them in the morning around 10am, they had received it that day...but no news yet on approval. So at 5pm that night, I called just to check since I had heard of UHC approving very fast. To my amazment, they had approved it already...and they told me my surgery date(s). They told me that it would either be 9/5/05 or 9/6/05. So, my surgery day will either on Labor day or my husband's birthday. It's kind of funny because no one asked me what days I was available for the surgery, but I guess I will take what I can get.
9/26/2005 (6 days post-op)
248 lbs. -13
So I haven't updated in a while so there is a lot to say. As for the surgery date my insurance company gave me...that was not the case. It ended up it was a "dummy date" to get the approval. So, as it turns out my surgery date ended up getting scheduled for October 5th. I went for my Pre-Admission Testing on September 8th and that was a long boring day of mostly waiting. Everything came back okay on my tests except for my sugar (which was 210 fasting). I knew this since I am diabetic, but as my doctor knows that I have not been taking my medicine because of how sick it makes me. So anyway, after my PAT I decided to go shopping for all the things I would need post-op so I could have them ready. And that was a good thing, since they called me September 14th and asked if I wanted to move my surgery date up to Sept 20th. Of course I said YES!!!
So my surgery date came and I was extremely nervous. I went into surgery about 12 noon and remember getting to my hospital room about 5pm. Shortly after they wheeled me back, my husband showed up with flowers. I was so groggy from the morphine that all I really did the rest of the night was sleep. He said I kept waking up to make sure he was there and would go right back to sleep. I did get up an walk a couple of times that night and it was very painful. This is something my doctor is a stickler about. They want you up walking all the time. I am glad they made me to this.
So the days in the hospital were pretty uneventful. They almost kept me an extra night since I started running a low grade fever. They also took me for an ultrasound on my legs (since I mentioned I got a leg cramp) to make sure I didn't have a blood clot. I do remember some of my friends calling to see how I was doing, but I don't remember much of what I said since the drugs they had me on made me really sleepy.
I got discharged on Thursday, Sept 22nd. I had to yell at the people there to get a wheelchair. I felt a little bad about raising my voice about it, but I waited a half hour and I didn't want to get stuck in rush-hour traffic on the way home. Finally, a nurse took me down. I am glad I did since the guy who was supposed to take me downstairs had taken me in the wheelchair before and thinks he is on the Indy 500 and doesn't take caution on bumps...not good for someone who is in as much pain as I was.
After getting home, I got better really fast. Everyday that has gone by is dramatically better. Tomorrow it will be a week out for me and the only pain is my new pouch (heartburn/aching feeling) and my incisions/stomach muscles being sore. I am down 13 lbs. so far. I think that since I have lost so much, it is because of water weight and stuff. I know that this will slow down eventually. I have been trying to drink protein shakes, but it is really tough to drink anything right now. Hopefully, after the pureed diet starts, I can start to enjoy eating again. It is amazing how much food was a part of my life. It is just a matter of learning the "real" meaning of food and learning the right way to eat again. I know that as long as I keep in mind why I am doing this, it will all work out in the end. My kids need me around for a long time and I plan to keep it that way. Until my next update....
10/3/2005
240 (-21 lbs.)
So, I am officially on pureed foods now. It is getting a little easier, but I am still having quite a "withdrawal" from food. I totally lost it last night. My husband reminded me that it will all be worth it in the end. I am already starting to notice my weight loss, and some on my clothes are fitting better.
I have struggled getting my 48 oz of liquids in, but when I realized that I may be getting dehydrated, I stepped up the liquids and I am feeling much better now. I stalled a little with my weight those few days, but I am not worried too much about what the scale says. I know that just losing 20 lbs. is lowering my risk of health problems already.
It may be a little premature, but I was up at the mall the other day and noticed a few new clothing stores (in smaller sizes of course). I walked in to look at the clothes and found some really cute clothes, but I cannot get too excited at this point. I still have a long way to go. In the end of Feb 2006, my husband and I are taking a trip to go see my sister in California. Hopefully by then, I can buy some new and fun clothes to wear.
1/22/2005
I am down 74 lbs. to 187!!!!
Well, it has been a while since I have updated. I had my 4 month anniversary just 2 days ago. It is hard to believe that it has been this long already. I just found out a friend of mine got approved for the surgery. I am so excited for her. She was denied at first, but sent in an appeal letter and got approved. So this means she doesn't have to do the six month doctor supervised diet.
This has been a long road for me, but well worth it. It was really tough for me up through about 6 weeks post-op. I still get frustrated eating sometimes because I cannot eat too much and I get full really fast. I have found that salads are my favorite. I no longer crave sweets either.
So until next time...can't promise it won't be another 4 months!!
2/15/2006
180 lbs!!! I finally have lost 80 lbs.. It is so amazing how far I have come in my weight loss. I haven't been this weight since high school. I am in size 14 misses jeans now and large shirts. My husband and I were goofing around the other night and I tried on my old jeans and I almost started to cry because I didn't see the weight loss that much and this was a wake up call for me. When I look in the mirror, I still see the old me, but by doing this, I realized just how much I had lost.
4/23/2006
170 lbs! Down 91 lbs. Size 12 (13 JRs) I don't remember the last time I was this weight...maybe 7-9th grade. I am almost to 100 lbs. lost...just 9 more lbs. I have been working out for almost 2 months now and it is so nice to see results...it makes all the hard work worth it. These last few pounds are the toughest...I only have 19 lbs to goal!!! We put a playset for our kids this weekend and I went down the kid's slide without a problem...how fun is that?? I showed the kids pictures of me before my surgery and they didn't even recognize me. That is a WOW moment for me!!
5/12/2006
166 lbs!! Down 95 lbs. Size 10 (11 JRs). I am almost at my goal weight of 151. I have been working out now for 2 1/2 months and am really seeing results. I work out about 3-4 times a week, mostly weights and not too much cardio. On 3/14/06 by body fat % was 27.3% and I got it checked again yesterday and it was 23.8%. I wish I would have known what it was originally, before my surgery. My guess is about 42%. I am not concerned too much about how more weight I lose, just about getting more toned. I went for my 6 months checkup (a little late) and they said that I was losing weight too fast. This I didn't understand because I am eating healthy foods and working out. They weren't overly concerned, but want me to eat more.
7/18/2006
151 lbs!! 110 lbs. gone!! 10 months out of surgery and I have hit my doctor's goal weight that they set for me. I am now in a size 8 and sometimes a size 6. It is so awesome to finally be happy about my weight. I still want to continue toning, but I really don't want to lose too much more weight. I have so much more energy now, too. Since February, I have been working out at the gym 3 days/week and the results are amazing, but now I am starting struggle with certain areas, like my stomach and thighs. It is hard to tell if it is skin or that I need to tone those areas more. So, I am going to look into getting a personal trainer to assist with my weight training. Eventually, I would possibly like to get a tummy tuck, but I don't think my insurance will cover it. Until next time....
7/26/2006
150 lbs!! 111 lbs. gone!! I finally got my body fat % checked again yesterday and it was 20.6%. That was a real WOW moment for me! I am actually above average for my age range (meaning my % is lower than the average, if that makes any sense). I still have a goal of 18%, so I have to keep up the hard work!
5/26/2007
142lbs. 119 lbs. gone!! I haven't updated on here in a while. WOW! How time flies!! I haven't lost much since last updating, but I am now below my goal weight so I am not worried about my weight anymore, just toning and staying active. Until next time!!
6/12/2007
137 lbs. 123 lbs. gone!! Well, I am actually starting to get concerned about my weight now. I haven't been eating much the last few weeks. I think it is the new medication I am on for depression, Cymbalta. I have no appetite and when I do it, I have a tendency to get sick. I don't want to lose anymore weight and my mom is starting to hassle me about it saying I am getting too thin. I doubt that since I am a size 4-6...and I am at a normal weight. She is just worried that if I get really sick, I won't have any reserves. If I lose much more, I will call my doc and find out about what I should do to put some weight on since I am not hungry and I am not eating much. Until next time!!!
