48 lbs to goal and panniculectoy scheduled for November

Aug 26, 2009

So I am 48 lbs from goal, I have lost 278 lbs, as of last week.  I am visiting my sister and her family in Traverse City, Michigan and the only thing I have to weigh myself on is their Wii Fit Board, not as accurate as my digital scale.

I saw my surgeon, Dr. Rossi, July 13th and he gave me a quote for a tonsillectomy, good for 90 days.  It will cost $10,500 and my insurance will not cover it.  Even though I have had back pain caused by the panni that swings as I walk, I have been in physical therapy and it isn't helping, my back is so bad now I can not walk as easily as I did at 570 lbs.  What a crock!!!

Dr. Rossi knocked $4,000 off his portion of the bill so I could come up with the money.  It will only cost me $5,515.  my wife and I had to borrow the money but we had to do it.  Heck to save $4,000 alone made it worth borrowing.  Dr. Rossi is great!  The wife and I sat down with her school calendar (She is a Special Education teacher) and we figured out the best time for the surgery.  She would have to take the least amount of time off around thanksgiving.  So we asked if the week before was a good time to have the surgery and Dr. Rossi's scheduler said sure thing.  So exactly one week before Thanksgiving I am having surgery.

I cannot imagine what life will be like with a stomach that is not larger than my chest.  From what I understand this is a much tougher and far more painful surgery than any surgeries I have had in the past.  Which doesn't amount to a lot for me because I have only had an appendectomy in 4th grade, tonsillectomy when I was 17 and the DS in October 2008.  I was a bit worried about having the panniculectomy before I was at goal but Dr. Rossi assured me it was the right time.  I have lost nearly all my weight, I can feel my bones all around my chest (That's right I feel ribs!) and I will not lose much more weight from there so in order to continue getting healthier I need to have the panni removed.

I will be able to walk and work out  again, once healed, with little to no back pain.  Dr. Rossi said he would take anywhere form 12-30 lbs off but it was hard to determine how much the panni weighed.  I tried to see how much it weighed by weighing myself, then weighing myself with my son holding my panni up, it was rough but it took about 27 lbs off the scale.  I am attempting to lose 30-40 lbs before surgery in November, just cause.  All the Dr.'s office told me was to up my protein and vitamins to stay as healthy as possible between now and my surgery day.  So that is what I am doing.  Back to basics, nothing but protein for the most part.  I am cutting carbs out again and I am back to losing 6-9 lbs a week.

I never though I would weigh less than 300 again in my life.  Here I am less than 50 lbs from goal, down 278 lbs and am dang close to weighing half of my starting weight.  It is a glorious feeling.

-Jaime

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