Junebug65
1-15-06
I have been overweight my entire life. I am very short, so all the extra weight makes me look even bigger. I am really looking forward to being able to do so many things I cant do now, because of my extra weight. I have tried so many different diets. It became depressing, because all I would do is lose a few pounds and gain it back, plus more. I am committed to making this surgery work in my favor. I will do everything I can to keep the weight off for good. I will not go back to my old habits of eating all the wrong foods (chocolate..etc). I am hoping they make me dump, so I will not want them. and I know the 1st time I dump. I will not want that to happen again. so I will be really careful, what I put into my mouth.
2-16-06
I received a call today from the surgeon's office to let me know they have all the info they need and they have submitted it to the insurance company. now I wait. they said it could take up to 2wks to get an answer. I am soo hoping it only takes a few days. I am excited and scared at the same time. I know it will be the best thing i could do to help myself become healthy again. My husband & family & friends are all behind me and want me to succeed. My husband and I will celebrate our 7th anniversary next month. He told me that after I lose all the weight that I want to lose, that we can go on a 2nd honeymoon. I can't wait for that. I will write later as soon as I find out the insurance outcome.
3-9-06
I am still waiting for an answer from the insurance company. My surgeons office told me the insurance company returned her call and adv them that they are just back up with alot of cases, that is why it is taking so long, but she would pull out my file and have a supervisor call the surgeons office back to get things going again, that was last friday and I should get an answer within 3-10 days after that, so I am still waiting again. I have been trying to watch what i eat. I have already been to the pulmonologist and he gave me clearance for surgery, and I go to the cardiologist monday to find out if i need another sleep anea test, which I think I will. because I was diagosed with it over 7 years ago, but I didnt want the machine, so I never rcvd one. I know I will need one when I go in for surgery. but I will keep you posted on my insurance approval as soon as I hear something. Thanks for listening. :-)
3-18-06
Since my last update, I have been to the pulmonologist and he cleared me for surgery and then the cardiologist. He said he wants me to do some blood tests to find out if I have thyroid problems or a cortisol problem. then I have to go to get a stress test and doppler echocardiogram. The doctor thinks I might have a narrowing of one of my heart valves. I guesss it is ok that I havent heard from the insurance because I still need another sleep apnea test,so I can get the CPAP machine. I would rather be safe than sorry, having surgery and also having heart problems, so I would rather have it looked at now, before I go into surgery, and fix any problems I might have.
3-22-06
I'M APPROVED, I'M APPROVED. I am soo excited, but scared at the same time. I know I will succeed and have the rest of my life to be healthy again. but I will really have to put forth a conscious effort to do what I am told and eat what I should eat to maintain after my weight loss.
3-25-06
back from the stress test. It was just horrible. thank god the effects only last 6 minutes, but believe me, it is the longest 6 minutes I have ever had to wait. you feel flushed, your heart rate increases rapidly, your whole body feels like it is numbing, but exercising in a way. It its a really weird feeling. the nurse told me that was a good word to use. then I had to lay perfectly still in this machine for 20 minutes the 1st time and 15 minutes the 2nd time after 2hrs. This stress test is not the one where you jog on a treadmil. It is the one where they give you medicine thru a needle that makes you feel like you have, thats why I had those feelings listed above.
I will go back to the cardiologist next week to get my results. Hopefully my heart is ok for surgery. I will keep you all updated.
I want to thank everyone for their support. I couldnt do it without the support of my wonderful husband, family and friends.
3-28-06
I am still waiting to hear from the surgeons office about the info on the pre-op testing and surgery date. I called and left a message to day for the lady in charge to call me to fill me in. I havent heard anything back yet, but as soon as I do, I will update again.
03-29-06
I have a surgery date: may 10, 2006. I am so excited. I am a little scared, but I know it is the best thing I could do for myself. I still have to be referred by the pulmonologist for a sleep study, but hopefully, I can have it all done before my surgery date, if not, they will have to change the date of surgery to a few days later.
03-30-06
I have been cleared by my cardiologist for surgery. When I went in to the office to get the results of my test, he said that I was born w/a slight narrowing of one of my heart valves and leakage. He said I must be doing ok because it hasnt bothered me all of my 40 years being alive, but he does want a follow up visit a month after my surgery and to have a "wonderful" -NOT stress test done to make sure my heart valve doesnt get any worse every year. lucky me. oh well, I guess I better get used to them. Now all I have to do is see the pulmonologist again and do a sleep study.
My team at work is going to have a "junebug" food day, they want me to make a list of all my favorite foods and they will bring them in for me. I thought that was so sweet of them. I am so lucky to have everyone behind me on my big decision to have this surgery done. Thanks for listening,until next time,america!
4-1-06
I am reading a book calld "Exodus from obesity" it is really a good book. It takes you from thinking about surgery all the way to after surgery and beyond. I have learned even more after reading the book. I am not finished reading it yet, but I have gotten to the post-op section.
In the pre-op section. the author says to "write a letter to me".so that after the surgery is done and you have lost all your weight, you can look back at the things you had to live with whle being overweight, so I wrote a letter to myself and I felt really good doing it. I think it will really come in handy later on. because when we are of normal weight, we wont even think twice about the things we couldnt do or had a hard time doing, or feelings we felt when something happened to bring your weight in the spotlight. like asking for a booth that has a table that moves, so I can fit in it to eat. or asking for a seat belt extension while traveling in airplane. I had to do that while traveling to England & Paris in September w/my best friend for my 40th birthday. We had a wonderful time, but I had a hard time keeping up with everyone when walking to diff places like tower of london. I promised myself I would go back to england after I lose all the weight because I didnt get to see all the diff towers because i couldnt walk the stairs to get to the top of each one. and I am really into the whole castle things.
thanks for listening.
4-3-06
I have my pre-op testing scheduled for april 21. that will be real fun..NOT! oh well, it has to be done, whats one more IV, i've been poked and proded for the last 2 months, I feel like a pin cushion, whats a couple more times including surgery!
thanks for listening, have a great day!!
4-7-06
I have my sleep study date, its april 21st. same day as my pre-op testing but at 8:30 PM. I guess I will be killing 2 birds w/one stone.
I will probably have my CPAP machine within 1 week, so I can get used to using it at home before I take it to the hospital for surgery.
4-21-06
I had my pre-op testing today and everything went well except when I had the upper GI, the doctor said I have some pollups on the opening of my stomach and maybe an ulcer in my stomach. He said I should have a stomach scope done, but it will be up to my surgeon if he thinks its necessary. So I have to wait for the answer to that. If I do have to have one, it depends on how soon they can get it done and what the outcome is, to find out if my surgery date will change. I will pray that I will not need to have it done and I can get the surgery on date scheduled. They were unable to get any blood for my artery blood test this time, so they will have to do that the day of surgery. I will tell you that test was soo painful I left crying it hurt soo bad. they have to go way in to get the artery and hope it doesnt move like mine kept doing. I was so upset that my body wouldnt cooperate. well, thats all for now, bye everyone!
4-25-06
I had my sleep study on friday night, and it went ok, but I was about to give up and go home because I coudnt handle the masks on my face. I felt clostraphobic or something. the lady there was very nice, also very patient with me. She said she can try 1 more kind of mask, it was actually just clear tubing w/2 little nubs that go in the nostrils to give the air. That was much better. The only thing is that it dried my nose out so bad, i had bloody noses the next day in both nostrils. She even had a humidifier hooked up to it and i still got really dried out. It really sucked. I will be so happy when I lose all my weight , so I wont have sleep anpea any longer. I will only use the machine as long as I have too. If I had a choice of dying in my sleep because I stopped breathing and sleeping w/that on my face. i would rather die. I will take my chances. I have lived this many years w/it. and I am still alive, so I must be doing something right. Dont get me wrong, I dont want to die, but that thing on my face is very uncomfortable and I really hate bloody noses.
I am still waiting for a call from my surgeon to find out if I have to have a stomach scope or not. Hopefully not. I only have 2 weeks left until surgery. I am not scared at all. I am really looking forward to this. I looked at my picture today and just cried, because I know how much better I will look and feel when I get down to my ideal weight. It is really emotional for me. I am so blessed to have a husband who loves me for me and married me when I was overweight. It will just make us closer than ever. If he ever reads this, I want him to know I appreciate how he has stuck by me and I love him with all my heart and soul forever! His love means the world to me. I couldnt of asked for a better husband and best friend! I want to thank all my friends and family for supporting my decision to have this life changing surgery. Thats all for now folks!!
5-1-06
Hi, I went to the pulmonologist today for my sleep study results. I wasn't shoched at all. I was told that I stopped breathing 20x's in 1 hour. The doctor said I have alllergies, thats why my nose got all crusty while in the sleep study. He told me to use a nose spray and I told him, no, I already tried that, and the 1st puff gave me a bloody nose, so I wont try it again. He was reluctant to write the order for the CPAP machine because he knows I will only use it when I have to in the hospital. but I told him that my surgeon told him I need one, so he did go ahead and write the order for it and his office staff will call the service tomorrow and tell them about me,so they can call and set up a date to bring the machine to my house. I hope I can get it bye this weekend.
My parents are coming down this saturday, so my mom & I can go get permanents on our hair. I am treating my mother. She deserves it. She & my father have done soo much for me when I was growing up and living on my own. I am taking my mother Bingo sunday night, because she doesnt get to gamble at all anymore and I take after my mother. We like bingo and video Keno. my father would rather stay home and watch t.v. so he will have the whole house to himself. for a few hours.
well, I guess thats all for now.
5-3-05
Hi, I just found out a few days ago that I do have to have the ECG done, which is a stomach scope. I am having it done friday morning at 11:00AM. My sister-in-law has to take me because they will put me out and I wont be able to drive home. I will have some answers though. If I have anything wrong w/my stomach, like polyps. I will probably have to get that taken care of before my surgery can be perfomed, so my date might change. I am really praying everything is normal, so I can get the surgery on May 10th as planned. I will keep everone updated.
5-6-06
Hi, well I had my stomach scope done yesterday and the surgeon said I have many little polyps in my stomach and a few larger ones. The surgeon took a biopsy of one them to have it tested for cancer, etc. He said the little polyps will not stop me from having surgery on wednesday, so I was very happy about that, unless the biopsy tells them something bad, but I dont think that will happen. I dont have any ulcers my stomach either, which is great too. so I am on my way to be on the losing side in about 5 days. I cant express how I am feeling right now. I want to jump for joy, (if i could jump). Ha,Ha! .and I just broke one of my teeth eating a sandwich yesterday, but it doesnt hurt, so I will wait til after surgery to get it fixed. It was already a bad tooth, it just got worse, thats all. thank goodness for no pain though. well, I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Thank you for listening and all your support, it really means alot to me!
5-8-06
Hello, Well I only have 1 1/2 days left until surgery. I am excited and a little scared. I had a little bit of a sick stomach a few minutes ago because my brain is actually realizing I am really going to go through with this.
I know everything will be great. I just have to get past the hospital stay and the actual surgery. I told my parents today when we were driving that just ignore me when and if I say "why did I do this to myself"! Because I will be glad after I start losing weight and seeing the scale go down instead of up. I have to go to the hospital tomorrow for what they call, "teaching day". it lasts about 3hrs. Then when I get out of that , my parents and sister will be in the waiting room for me. yes, my sister will be arriving at the airport about the same time my teaching day starts. I cant wait to see her. She is staying 1week w/us. She wanted to be here for my surgery, and I am glad she is. She is my big sister and I am the little sister in my family. and we have a brother between us. We are all close and love to be together whenever we can, which is never enough for me.
I just snapped at my mother and I feel so bad. I think I am just nervous, so it makes me do things I wish I didnt. I apologized, but I stil l feel bad. I hope they know it is only becuase I am under stress right now and will be better soon, and back to my old self. Well, thats all for now.
5-12-06
Hello all, I am back home from surgery and everything went very well. I have had no vomiting, no nausea, nothing, I am soo happy about that. I was worried for awhile because I had to be in ICU overnight because they had a hard time stabalizing my breathing I think I had a reaction to the anesthia they give me. The same thing happened when I had my appendix out last year. The hospital was short on beds, so I had to wait until about 4:30 to get a room. I got a room w/a lady who had just had surgery on her hip and she was complaining and calling the nurse every 15 minutes. I couldnt wait to get home, in my own surrrounding. I really missed my hubby, he couldnt visit me because he works 2nd shift and by the time he got off at night, visiting hours were already over. oh well, I can give him a big kiss & hug when he gets home tonite...yes I am waiting up for him..lol.
I am having friends over for dinnner and my sister is cooking spaghetti & meatballs, and I will just be eating my protien drink. Thats ok, because I have to get used to people eating regular food around me, until I can work some reg food into my diet after about 6 months.
I am just really happy to be home and doing well. I cant wait for the weight to start dropping off me, but in the hospital, they keep your blood sugar high, so you cant really lose anytihing until you are at home. we wiill see. I will keep everyone updated on my progress every chance I get. Thanks again for listening and for all your support, it really means alot to me!
5-14-06
Hello, I have been doing great, no problems to report. I have ordered a really cool bathroom scale that keeps track of fat and bmi along w/my weight. It's a stand up scale, like a regular doctors scale, but its all digital. It should arrive in 2wks or so, I cant wait.
By my cheap bathroom scale, I have lost 5 lbs since surgery, but I will be going for follow up appt on may 22nd, so I will find out exactly how much I have lost. I have a few aches and pains which is normal after major surgery, but all in all, its is great! I dont regret my decision at all. I think it is cool because my parents and sister are visiting from out of town and they can eat anything they want, and I just walked by them in the living room and they were eating apple pie and ice cream. It didnt even look appetizing for me. It really is a strange feeling because before the surgery, I was a sweet a hollic.
The only thing is the gas I get. I get pains, then after i burp or pass gas, it goes away, then comes right back. oh well, its all part of the life changing surgery I had done to my body. I want to tell anyone out there if they are contemplating getting the surgery, GO FOR IT! It is so worth it after all the pains are gone, and even at the stage I am now! I would'nt change a thing. :-)
We took my measurements:
Bust: 59"
Waist: 57"
Hips: 64 1/2"
Thighs: 52"
L. Arm: 17 1/2"
r. Arm: 17 1/2"
Neck: 17 1/2"
5-16-06
Hello all,
It is 4:30AM and I can't sleep. I took a nap yesterday and now I am having a hard time falling alseep. I think it is because I am not working, so my body has no schedule to go by, so it just does what it wants. Right now, my parents are taking my sister to the airport and dropping her off to go back to her home in IA. My parents will be leaving tomorrow to go home.
I have not had any problems so far and I am soo happy about that. but this liquid stage is so boring. I am getting sick of only drinking. I cant wait to add some pureed foods to my diet. I am waiting for my kitchen bullet to come, so I can make some different meals for myself. My husband has been great. I love him soo much. He is such a great supporter of me and wants me to succeed. I am glad we met when we did. I really dont know what I would do without him.
5-17-06
Hello everyone , I have lost another 3Lbs, which brings me to 8Lbs total since surgery. and I also lost 1" on my waist..yeah!!! am doing great on the full liquid diet. I am getting a little tired of just drinking fluids, but I only have 2 more weeks, then I can work in some pureed foods. I just received my kitchen bullet today, its a generic of the magic bullet. I will have my sister-in-law show me how it works, because she just purchased the magic bullet a month ago or so. I went shopping w/my parents yesterday evening and I found some interesting baby food I will try once I am on the pureed food stage. I calculated that should start on June 1st. The macaroni & cheese looked good and I got some diff ones like ham and gravy, turkey and gravy..etc. I tried a different cream soup today that I found at walmart, it is cream of chicken soup w/spices. It is a whole lot tastier than the plain cream of chicken soup. I actually enjoyed eating that one. Now I have enough to make a few more meals out of it for the coming days. My sister left yesterday to go home. I miss her already! if you are reading this jessica, I love you and really treasure the time we spent together walking and talking together. I wouldnt trade it for the world. Today, I am all alone, my parents left this morning to go back home also, so they can take care of their 3 kittens they just received. I know they were happy to be home and in there own surroundings and playing w/the kittens. well, I guess I will stop for now. Bye!!
5-19-06
Hello,
I just got approved for my short term disability today and I should receive my next check like I normally do, in 2 weeks. I forgot to telll everyone that when they took the biopsy of my polyp on my stomach it was benign, no cancer. I was relieved.
I will be back to work on June 12th as long as I dont have any complications, which I hope I dont. I want everything to be fine w/me. I will just stick to the foods I am allowed to eat after june 1st and take it one meal at a time. It is definitely and adventure I am up for. My incisions are healing very good. I have 7 of them. I have had no seeping or leaking out of them and now they are all scabbed over, so I will be having less pain as the days go by. my lower left abdomen still has pain because that was the main opening for the surgery. but I am so happy to report that I can sleep 8hrs straight w/out waking up in my bed. It is such as good feeling, I havent slept 8hrs straight for many years. I received flowers from my job today, they are beautiful and if anyone from work is reading this, I thank you, very much. It really made my day and so did the card. I really enjoyed reading my teams messages to me. My nickname is Junebug and the one I thought was the cutest was becki who wrote, we are going to have to change your nickname to "thinbug"! I thought that was so cute. I talked to my boss this morning and thanked her for the card and flowers. Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. I finally get to spend some time w/my husband I am happy about that. Bye for now!
5-24-06
Hello all,
I have been doing excellent. I have not gotten nausous or vomited or had dumping 1X yet, but I am still on liquids only. I can eat sugar free jello, and sugar free pudding, for my snacks. I bought a scale and it now reads 254, that means I have lost 16 lbs since surgery 2 weeks ago. I am so proud of myself. It is such a wonderful feeling when you get on the scale and the numbers go down instead of up. I havent seen that in about 20 years. I go the the surgeon for my follow up appointment on friday, and I have a list of questions for him like, when can I start driving? when can I start pureed foods? the paperwork I have said to wait 3wks to start that, but I am getting really sick of soup and all liquids only. I know I have to, so my stomach can heal. but I cant wait until I can try a baked potato w/light sour cream on it or beans & cheese at taco bell. I am defintely having head hunger,but I have to admit, I am never hungry, I just have to eat so I dont get sick. I havent had a hunger pain since before my surgery. It is a weird feeling, not to be hungry. I am trying my best to get all my protein in, but I am having a hard time because I get full before I finish my 8 ounce cup. I just drink as much as I can. I am faithfully taking my kids vitamins and calcium chewables, that will help so I dont have any defiiniences down the road. I think this surgery is a life saver and I cant wait until I lose alot more weight, so I can enjoy walking around our wildlife world zoo w/my husband and not getting out of breath, or sitting down because my thighs are numbing. My husband has been such a great supporter in this. He takes care of me and wants me to succeed because I want it. I would'nt trade him for the world. He even called from wal-mart last night and wanted to know if I needed anything while he was there. He is always so thoughtful. well, I will post again after I go to the doctor. i want to see if their scale says the same thing as mine at home. I received that stand up scale from amazon.com and it is defective, it doesnt work, so I got permission to send back w/no charge to me and get my money back, I will never buy anything like that again online. My husband bought a digital scale at walmart that works and it was only $20, the digital scale I bought onlines was $150. Bye for now all!
5-26-06
Hello, Well, I went to the surgeon's appointment today and he said I was doing great. I lost 20 lbs so far. He cleared me to start driving again, I was so happy about that, even though my car is still in the shop. I also got approved to start eating pureed foods. I went to souper salad w/my parents and sister-in-law and I had a mashed up baked potato w/sour cream, butter and cheese on it and boy was it heaven. I also had a scoop of cottage cheese. They both were awesome. Neither food made me sick or anything, so I was happy about that . I had fat free refried beans w/low fat shredded cheese on it for dinner and it also was great. I am soo glad my body is agreeing w/the food I am giving it. I went to wal-mart to day and bought a bunch of low fat items to eat like low fat sour cream, low fat cottage cheese etc. I even bought sugar free jelly & low fat peanut butter to put on my low fat club crackers. It was so nice to eat regular food again, and not soup.. My doctor was pleased. I have to go to him in about 6 weeks for a follow up appointment. I am soo happy I had the surgery. It is really a life saver. I wish anyone well who is going to have the surgery and pray they have an easy time w/food like I have so far.
I will post again soon, bye for now.
6-3-06
Hello, not much new here, I now weight 249, that is a total of 21Lbs less than when I started . I havent lost that much because I am just at home and not doing much because it is way to hot here in phoenix to go out and do anything. I go back to work on June 12th and I know it will start coming off more then because I work in a huge building and my desk is at the other side of it. I will also join their gym and work out after work on the treadmill or eliptical machines. I will keep everyone posted more then. for now, have a good one! bye
6-8-06
Hi all,
I went to the doctors yesterday and she cleared me to stop taking all my meds. I am off all my diabetes meds, acid reflux & cholesterol meds. I am soo happy. I was so sick of takng mediciine. I don't even need my cpap machine any longer. I now weigh 248 Lbs by the doctors scale, but my home scale says 246.6. I am feeling much better. I dont get winded as easy and my thighs dont get numb any longer after standing on them for a period of time. I am soo happy I had this surgery. I wouldnt change a thing. I am looking forward to going back to work next week because I am getting bored of staying home. The surgeon's office just faxed me the release papers, so I can go back to work. My co-workers sent me another card to say Hi and they all can't wait til I go back either. The card made my day. Well, I guess thats all for now, I willl write again soon. bye!
6-17-06
Hello, I'm sorry it has been awhile since i've posted. I have been doing great. The scale hasnt moved since iI lost a total of 25LBS. I was talking to a few women where I work that have already had the surgery and they tell me that your body does go thru plateau's and it will start to come off again soon. I just wish it was more. I dont want it to come off to fast, ,but it would be nice to lose at least 2LBS a week. I am not having any trouble w/any foods so far. I still eat out at restaurants, I just eat eat my 2oz and thats it, but I get to taste a variety of food, except bread, lettuce.etc. I really miss lettuce because I love salads, but soon I can eat lettuce again, in appx 2 more months. My friends are really very supportive of me and so is my loving husband. He is the greatest. I dont know what I would do w/out him.
I will write again as soon as I have some lost weight to report. so by for now all!
6-25-06
HI all, I have been doing great! I have lost 30.4LBS so far. I am very happy that my body got over the plateau stage this time. I am going down again, and it feels wonderful. I cant really see a difference in my clothes yet because I am not able to work out like I want to because the doctor hasnt cleared me to work out w/my stomach muscles. It is too darn hot to walk in phx. so i get most of my walking at work, and around the house. I still have had no problems with food. everything has agreed w/me, except, I did try some fried zucchini the other day and it made me sick to my stomach, but live and learn. until next time.
bye for now all.
7-2-06
hi all, I have been feeling wonderful. I lost another 3lbs aprx. I am down to 237 now-in the middle of the day weigh in. I finally got sick on a food I will never touch again. chinese noodles. I had them at work on friday and after I finished eating, they got stuck in my esophogus and my team member told me I had no choice, I was going to have to go into the bathroom and make myself throw up to get them to come up or I would of been in pain all day. it was soo painful. I felt like some kind of bulimic or something, but I had no choice, I had to do it, or be in pain all day. I am soo glad it is all over now. I am learning new things every couple of days. but its really worth it. I wouldnt change it for the world!! I love getting on the scale and the #'s going down, instead of up! Anyone out there that is contemplating doing this surgery...GO FOR IT!! It is soo worth it!!! I dont even like chocolate any longer, I have no cravings any longer and dont even miss it. I was in the elevator the other day w/a guy that had birthday cake he was taking home and it didnt even look appetizing to me, it was so cool. I have found it is getting easier sitting in some booths at different restaurnants that I coundnt fit before, and now I can. My best friend called me "skinny " the other night when she dropped me off at my house. I said thank you, but i have a long way to go before i am actually skinny, but it made my night. My hubby said I could lose weight, but not in my chest. I said, sorry honey, they are going too, but I will get a boob job when I am at my goal weight. He was only kidding, but it was cute. We had a good laugh together. I have the best hubby. I love him so much, he is always there for me and I for him.
well, everyone happy days, I will write more laters!
7-16-06
Hello, I have been doing soo good. I have lost another 6 lbs and now I weigh approx 231.6 as of this morning. thats a total weight loss of
38.4LBS so far. I went to my surgeons appt last week and I was told that I shouldnt be eating raw vegetables, so i stopped. I ate some steamed brocolli from ruby tuesday's and it was steamed a lilttle too much and in too much butter that it got stuck also and I had to gag myself ot bring it up. I had the bad pain in my upper stomach again, so i knew what to do this time. I cant wait until i can eat raw vegetables and mostly anything I want w/in reason of course. but that wont be for another 8 months or so. I went to the eye doctor yesterday and learned that I have to wear bifocals now, my eyesight requires it now,but at least they have the no line ones, they call progressive lenses. The eye doctor also told me I dont have any diabetes showing up in my eyes or any cataracts or anything. I have healthy eyes, thank gosh. I was soo happy to hear that. Everyone at work is noticing the difference in me. I have been told from the back it is getting smaller and not so wide, and my face is getting thinner,but I still have my double chin, a little bit. I can't wait until that is all gone. well, everyone have a good day and I will update soon. Hi Jessica-my sister. I hope you are doing good. I will talk to you soon.
7-22-06
Hello again. I have been doing great. I have now lost a total of 40LBS. I am soo happy I did the surgery. I have signed up w/a workout place and will workout 3x's week. it is like curves, but its a different name. I got a really good deal to start. $25 enrollment and 1st month free. then I signed for 1YR and pay $40 month. I dont think that is too bad.
It will help me tone up while I am losing. I also got a haircut today. I got it cut really short because it is soo hot in phoenix. I dont like any hair on my neck. but the hairdresser had to put my hair the opposite side to hide my balding spot on the top of my head. My hair has always been thin, but it is really thinning now. oh well, it will grow back soon. I hope everyone is doing well and if you are still considering this surgery. GO FOR IT!! It is soo worth it in the long run. bye for now all!
7-30-06
Hello. I have lost another 5LBS, for a total of 45 LBS so far. I am soo happy. It is amazing when you can only eat a few bites of food and be full. I wouldnt change it for the world. I really am missing salad though, but I have to wait another 8 months before I can eat one. its ok though, there is plenty of food I can eat and do, in moderation, of course. my husband gets all of my left overs and he loves it, because he is not a big eating out fan. tonite I will be going to applebees w/my best friend and having the fiesta lime chicken, it is soo good. even though i dont get to eat much of it at one time. at least I will have lunch for tomorrow at work. well, you all have a great day and I will update soon. :-)
8/8/06
Hello, I have lost another 3LBS so far , for a total of 48LBS. Only 2 more to go to hit the BIG 50!!!. I cant wait. that is a mile marker for me. my parents are going to be so surprised because they havent seen me since May 2005 and now its already August. I wont see my parents until thanksgiving when they come down to my house for the holiday weekend. By then, i am hoping to be aprx 75LBS lighter. My husband is very proud of me. He tells me that i am shrinking right in front of him. It is nice to hear. All my friends at work at calling me "skinny", but I told them I have a long way to go before i am skinny, but its nice to know that people notice the change in me. I applied for a different positon w/in the company and I am waiting to hear something. everyone wish me luck. I applied to be a bank services specialist. and i would work P/T 5 hours a day and 5 days a week. I want to get a degree in Medical billing and coding,so this way, i can go to school in the morning and work at night at the new position. well, I hope everyone has a good one. I will update laters.
8/16/06
Hello all. it has been a few days since I have updated I have lost another 4lbs for a total of 52!!!. woo-hoo. i'm soo excited. People I know at work are telling me that they dont recognize me from the back because I look different. It is really nice to hear compliments like that. My next goal to be below the 200lb mark. I will be working out at least 2x's a week and that will help drop the weight faster and tone up at the same time. I still havent heard anything from the job I applied for at work. hopefully soon I will hear something. well, I guess that all for now. I hope everyone is doing good. Until next time america..lol.
8/21/06
Hello all,
I just put 2 new pictures of myself on the bottom but dont look at the shirt, its my bang around house shirt. I think I can really tell the difference in my face. I have now lost 54LBS so far. My sister and cousins requested that I post a newer picture, so I did. I hope you all like it. Tell everyone back east I said HI and cant wait to see them next may 2007. -hopefully. I will update again soon.
8/26/06
Hello again all,
I just wanted to update you and tell you that I have lost another 2LBS since the last update and I now weigh 214. I just posted a new "now" picture of me, that my sister-in-law just took and I put the original starting picture back on, because I really didnt like the shirt I was wearing in the other 2 pics. I am really feeling wonderful. My legs dont get numb as fast as they used to. I have to be standing on them constatntly for about 1hr before I even notice it, so that is cool.
I will start my workout again monday. I have been putting it off and I really need to stick to it, so it helps the weight come off faster and more evenly.
I didnt get the job I applied for, but I think everything happens for a reason. I am just concentrating on doing my job the best I can,so they dont let me go, because I plan on going back east w/my mother next year for 2wks and I want to keep my high seniority, so I will not have a problem getting the time off I need to go. My mom is really excited to go and after I have my 2wks off, I will try to get on same flight as her, so we can travel together on the way up. She willl be staying for 1month, so I will have to travel back by myself. but that's ok, I love flying. well,i better stop for now.
9-4-06
Hello all,
I am still doing great! I have lost another 2LBS for a total of 58 lost. I now weigh 212.4. I am feeling so good. I am still very happy I went through with it. It was the best decision I have ever made for myself.
My husband tells me that i am melting right in front of him. I think that is so cute. The shorts I always wear around the house are litterally falling off of me as I walk. I had to put a hair tie around bunch of it, so i wont lose my pants any longer. I just love the shorts, they are soo comfortable and I will wear them as long as I can. well, I hope everyone is doing good. Until next time, which I will report that I have hit the 60LBS Loss mark. Bye!
9/11/06
Hello,
I have finally made it to 60.2LBS lost. I am soo happy. It took aprx 4mnths to lose it, not bad. Now my next goal is to be below 200. I have another 10lbs to go. I went shopping yesterday and bought some smaller blouses to wear, because everything in my closet is too BIG. I went shopping at Ross & Fashion Bug. I bought 2 blouses that are a little snug, but will fit in the near future. than i bought 4 blouses that fit right now. My husband let me take $100 shopping because I finally got my money back from the hospital that they owed me from my surgery date. over $1ooo dollars. But most of it is going to be used for bills, so we can catch up from when my husband was out of work for 1month w/a back problem and no pay. I now weigh 209.8. I still havent had any complications from the surgery, I just get diareahea if I eat too much sugar, but thats my fault, so i dont do that too often at all. some foods i dont even know they have sugar in them, so i eat them and then i'm in the bathroom. so I really have to be careful what I put in my mouth. Well, I hope everyone has a great day!
9/16/06
Hello,
I have lost another 2LBS, so I am now at 207. I am soo happy. I went to my regular doctor last week and she advised me that the last time I was in her office before my surgery I weighed 272, so I have officially lost 65LBS so far. I am feeling so much better and w/so much more energy. I dont get winded when I walk anywhere and my clothes are getting so much bigger. I will be giving them to a friend of my sister-in-law's pretty soon because she wears the same size I started out wearing, but NO MORE!!. Well, I hope everyone has a good day.
9-24-06
Hello again,
I have lost another 2 LBS for a total of 67 LBS so far. I feel soo much better. My weight now is 205. I love shopping for smaller sizes. It is fun finding out what size I am today. I dont have much to talk about today, so I will stop for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
10-1-06
Hello ,
I have lost another 3LBS so far, for a total of 70. I now weigh 202.
I am soo happy. I couldnt of done it without the surgery. I feel much healthier and have more stamina than I used to. I look forward to getting up every day and living. It really makes my day when someone will tell me how good I look now and how they can really see it in my face, because it is no longer fat and puffy. I cant wait to do some glamour shots of myself. I think I will ask my best friend anita to do a pose with me, since she also lost about 90lbs, but she lost it on her own, not with surgery. We have been best friends since high school and we have been thru soo much together that I think of her as my sister. I hope she reads this. I am soo happy for what she has become even after the things she had to live through. Well, I will stop for now. I will post again after I weigh below 200.
10-7-06
Hello again.
I am soo happy, I have finally broken the 200lb mark. I now weigh 199 for another 3lbs loss for a total of 73lbs gone. I cant tell you how good I feel right now. I went and worked out this morning and was able to jog in place without getting out of breath, what a feeling. I have updated my picture to one that my best friend took of me in front of her house the other day. I hope everyone who does the surgery has the same good luck I have had during this whole life changing surgery.
10-21-06
Hello again,
Sorry I havent updated in awhile, I have been busy with my new life, like working out, and visiting my friends and hanging out with my wonderful husband. He is soo proud of me, just like the rest of my family is. I have now lost another 6Lbs for a total of 78 so far. I now weigh 194. I can do so much more than i was able to before. It nice not to get out of breathe just walking in wal-mart while my thighs would go numb, not anymore!!!!
I had to go to the urgent care last week because my left heel would hurt when i got up from my chair or out of bed in the morning. They told me that I have Achllies Tendonitis in the back of my heel. It really is painful to walk, but now it is subsiding and dsnt hurt as bad as it did in the beginning. I think it is slowly going away. Thank god. I sent my brother some side pictures of me that my friend took the other day because he said he wanted to see just how much i had lost and he couldnt really tell from the front. I really think he knows now. Well, I have to go now, everyone have a great day! I want to thank everyone who reads my updates, it really means alot to me knowing all my family and friends really care about me and want me to succeed!
10-23-2006
Hello all
I have lost another 2lbs, for a total of...80LBS!!! I am soo happy. I only have aprx 67lbs to go to be at my goal weight of 125. I am soo looking forward to it.
11-5-06 Hello, I have lost another pound for a total of 81. I have been going thru a plateau, that I think is over now, because I havent lost any weight in a week or so. just today when i got on the scale I had lost 1 more pound. I went thru my closet and took out all of my clothes that are too big and I am going to give them to a friend of my sister-in-law's. I have soo much room in my closet now. I went shopping at Savers Friday night and found about 6 shirts I can wear now in a smaller size. I dont mind buying them there becuase they only cost me a few dollars each and I can give them back when I get to an even smaller size. That is so exciting. I have lost over 19 points on the BMI calculator since I started my journey. Well, I guess thats all for now. I hope everyone has a great day!!!
11-12-06
Hi all, I have lost another 1lb for a total of 82lbs so far. I bought some more shirts at savers yesterday that fit better and are a smaller size. I am having my parents and sister-in=law over for thanksgiving dinner on thursday. I cant wait to see my parents face when they see me for the 1st time since I had my surgery. They know how muh I have lost, but they havent seen any pictures of me, since they went back home a week after my surgery. They are very proud of me as is my husband. He loves me unconditionally, but he is happy that I did this for myself and my health. I want to be around a long time to spend time with him and all my friends.
11-13-06
Hi all, I have lost another 1lb for a total of 83 so far! I am soo happy right now. I am feeling so much healthier and happier. I have another 17lbs to lose to be at 100lbs lost.
11-29-06
Hi all, I have lost another 5LBS for a total of 88 so far. I am feeling so much better and healthier. I had a wonderful thanksgiving w/my parents and they were very surprised when they 1st saw me, because they havent seen me since my surgery, so it was nice. They are so happy for me and proud of me. My mother said the same thing my hubby did, "I am the incredible shrinking woman"! lol. I thought that was cute. We went and had a x-mas family picture done last saturday and they turned out great. We also had some pictures done separately of my hubby and me alone, my mom & dad alone and my mom, dad and me together, i bought all of them. I couldnt resist. well, you all have a great week and I will update again soon.
12-4-06
Hello again. I hope everyone is doing well. I am, I have lost another 3lbs for a total of 91LBS so far. I am so very happy. I love when my friends and/or family tell me that I am looking good, it really boosts my self-esteem. I only have another 57LBS to go to hit my goal weight of 125. I will hopefully be there before my mom & I go back east on vacation in May 07'. Well, I hope everyone is well and having a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas to All.
12-11-06
Hello all. I have lost another 2LBS for a total of 93 so far. I now weigh 180LBS. I am so excited. I cant stop saying how happy I am that I did the surgery. It has definitely been the best thing I could of done for myself. The latest picture is of me getting ready to attend my company's x-mas party w/my hubby. We had a good time. I want to thank everyone for their support in my journey, it really means alot to me to have everyone happy for me, and want me to be healthy again.
12-13-06
for some reason, I gained the 2lbs back, but I will lose it again as soon as I start working out. I am not worried about it. I know I have nothing to worry about.
12-17-06
Hi all, I have been doing excellent. I have lost another 3lbs for a total of 94 so far! Only 6lbs to go to hit 100lbs gone forever!!! I feel so much better and healthier. I hope everyone is doing well. I am tired from christmas shopping. I am almost finished, only 4 more gift cards to buy and I am done, then I have to wrap all the gifts I purchased for my family and friends. Talk to you all soon.
12-27-06
Hello all and belated Merry Christmas to everyone. I am doing wonderful. I have lost another 2lbs for a total of 96 so far. I am so happy. I feel great!!. I hope everyone is also doing as good as I am. I cant stress enough how much this surgery has changed my life. It has been a lifechanging event and well worth it. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!!. Until next time.
12-31-06
Hello everyone and Happy New Year!! I hope everyone has an excellent 2007. I know I will do my best to make it to my goal before my vacation on 05/18/07. I have lost another 2LBS for a total of 98!! I am so happy, I only have 2lbs to go to make it to my next goal of 100lbs lost. I have gone through some tough times these last few days at my job and now I am just waiting to hear if I can keep my job at my company or will they let me go. I got a different internal job, but I couldnt pass the AZ state adjusters exam, so it makes me vulnerable to get let go, or fired. I am praying that they wont do that and they let me go back to my old job, but there are no guarantee's, so I will find out tuesday if I can stay. I get to take PTO on tuesday so they can decide and then call me back to advise me of their decision. One good thing is that I get an extra long vacation. Well, I wont bore you any longer with my life, and go out and have a safe new years eve! Bye for now all.
01-15-07
Hi All, I just wanted to let you know that I have finally met my 1st goal of 100LBS lost!! YEAH!!. I am so excited. I went to a hockey game with my sister-in-law saturday night and we had a really good time. I did so much walking and stairs, it wasnt funny. I told her later that if I had been 100lbs heavier, I wouldnt of made it up so many stairs. I would of said, forget it. My legs are still sore, but that will go away. We got to go downstairs and meet the players and get their autographs, i even got my picture taken with a few of them, and so did my sister. It was very memorable. I am getting sick now, I think because it was so cold in there and it has been cold in phx also, so it caught up with me. I had such a bad sore throat today, I couldnt do my regular job because it hurt to much to talk, so i was able to work the incoming mail instead. I am glad my company works with us like that. I am going to stay home tomorrow and rest., then by wednesday, I should start to feel better. well, I hope everyone has a great week! I will write again soon.
1-28-07
Hi again, I have lost another 4lbs so far, I know weigh 168LBS. I went shopping today at savers and picked up 3 pairs of black stretch pants to wear to work. I really only like to wear black pants, but I do occasionally wear red or grey pants. I can sit and cross my legs and even sit indian style now. It has been years since I could do either of those things. I still thank the lord every day that the surgery was available to me and I was able to have this life changing surgery done to save my life. I still have different people at work come up to me and ask if I have been losing weight, because they didnt know I had the surgery, but noticed I have been getting smaller. It is such a wonderful feeling to be recognized for that. It always makes my day and I thank them for noticing. I cant wait to go back east with my mother to see my family and how surprised they will be. I really miss my brother and sister-in-law along w/all my cousins and aunt's & uncle's, and I will be able to see them in May. I really miss my sister of course too, but I will be able to see her in April, she is coming to my house for a visit. My parents will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! It is amazing they dont even look their ages. My dad is 73 and he only acts and looks like he is still in his early 60's and my mom as well, but she is younger than my dad, she will be 68 this year. Well, I will stop for now.
02/06/07
Hello all! I have lost another 3LBS for a total of 106 so far! I am donw to 165LBS. I am soo happy. All my friends at work are complimenting me, and telling me how good I look now and calling me skinny. I wouldnt say I am skinny, but I dont stick out any longer like i used to. I even wore white pants today. I would never have done that being 272lbs. I always wore only dark colored pants, either black or blue, now I can wear any color I want and look good. I am even wearing size large pants now,which is about a 16/18, instead of a 26/28. I love going shopping now. My BMI has dropped to a 40, from 65.5 originally. That right there is good for my health. Well, I want to thank everyone who reads my updates and cares about me. Bye for now
3-1-07
Hello Again. I have wonderful news!! I have lost another 4lbs for a total of 110lbs lost so far! I am soo happy. I now weigh 162LBS. The weight is gone for good and I am feeling so much healthier now. I can do so many things now, that I coudnt do before I had this wonderful surgery. I cant wait to go back East with my mother and see all of my family. Some of them have seen my webpage here, but not all of them. They will be so surprised to see me in person having lost a whole person almost. I wish everyone well, until next time america!!!
3-17-07
Hello, I have lost another 3lbs for a total of 112LBS so far. I am soo excited. I shop at savers and goodwills becuase I find good deals there and It is so fun trying on smaller clothes. I went thru my closet today and I had a whole pile of clothes that dont fit any longer, like that is a shock...NOT. It felt so good to say, this is too big, this is too big...etc. I am in a size large now, when i used to be a 3X-4X. I have lost 10 whole sizes now. I can now wear a size 16/18 instead of 26/28. I am going to give my clothes bag to the goodwill and let them sell them. I even had some halloween costumes in there. I wish everyone well.
3-26-07
Hi all. I have lost another 3LBS for a total loss of 115LBS so far! I now weigh 157LBS. I am so happy and feel 100% better. I am still very happy that I went thru with the surgery. I just added a new picture to my collection. I was going to a Catholic Church service with my best friend because she has a term paper due on the subject, and no one else would go with her, so I said I would. I really couldnt get into it, but I went just to keep her company. I bought the dress and shoes at goodwill for a total of $6.00. They were having a 1/2 price day on everything. My hubby said the dress looks like something his grandma would of worn. I said, no it doesnt, its a nice dress. but you know men. I wont say any more on that subject. Ha! Ha!. I wish everyone well and until next time, keep it happy!
4-5-07
Hello all, I just wanted to update and let you all know that I have lost another 2lbs for a total of 117 so far. I now weigh 155 and still losing. I have another 30lbs to get to my goal of 125. I am so much happier now. I can wear diff clothes, walk w/out getting out of breath or my thighs going numb. I can even cross my legs now. I cant wait to go on vacation with my mother next month. We are going back east to see her sisters & brothers and my aunts and uncles, along w/all my cousins and my brother and sister in law. I am really excited. I cant wait to go. I bought some new luggage that has leaves and ladybugs all over it, so I will have no problem finding mine in the airport when we land in CT. As for the dress in the picture,my other friend told me that it looks like I am a little girl trying to play dress up in my moms dress. I guess she is right, but it looked ok to go to church, I am giving it back to goodwill to sell again to someone else. Well, I have to get ready for work, so I hope everyone has a great day!!
7-4-07
Hello All, Sorry I havent updated in awhile, I have just been so busy with my new life, i mean me. I can do so many more things I could never do before and I feel 110% better about myself now. I was at a plateau for the last 2 months, but now I am losing again. I now weigh 147LBS. I had a wonderful time on vacation with my mother back east. It was so good to see all my relatives that I havent seen in over 25yrs. My cousin owns a campground in VT and it is right on Lake Champlain. It is soo beautiful. I loved getting up in the morning and opening the door to our camper and looking out at the lake and mountains. It was so breathetaking. For anyone intersted in going on vacation there, it is in Addison, VT and it is called
10 Acre Campground.
Well, I hope anyone interested in doing the surgery goes for it, because I will NEVER regret it!!! Bye for now, I will write again when i find some time..lol. 
8-11-07
Hi, today I am soo happy to be 125lbs lighter. I love the new me, and so does my hubby and everyone else I know. My best friends mother wanted me to update my measurements, since I havent done that since I had the surgery, so here they are.
Bust: 41"
Wast: 40"
Hips: 45"
thighs: 36"
L.Arm: 13"
R.Arm: 13"
Neck: 13"
I have lost a total of 83.5" everywhere. I can now wear a size 16 pants.
I have to go shopping today to get a new pantsuit or dress for a wedding of one of my friends. I LOVE shopping now. The only thing bad is that I have a size 2 shoe now, a kids size and it is very hard to find shoes that I like. My doctor told me not to lose any more weight becuase If i do, when I get my body reshaped, I will be too skinny. so I told her I would stay at the weight i am now, give or take a few pounds.
Anyone wanting to do this surgery, I will say it again..GO FOR IT!!. It has been a godsend for me and I will never regret it. 
