kathy S.

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Been off of here for almost a year....I'm losing again and am very happy with my life...not that I ever wasn't happy since surgery.

 

Down to 214 and almost to lowest weight Post WLS ever (had an e coli infection post tummy tuck so I don't really count the 202 weight).

 

I went back to the rules and things are wonderful again.  I had put on 35 pounds and they are all gone so the tool still works if you follow the rules.

 

Keep hope..you can do it!

I'm working the program that my physician gave me when I had the surgery and since March I'm down 37 pounds.  I'm currently 223 pounds I am running and training for 5K. I feel great I will look really good and I'm excited about where this is going. I never got to onederland and I will really want to get there.  I know I will!

I am back on track.  Almost at post regulated post-wls weight and training hard for 5k/10K.  I feel great because I am eating great based on post WLS goals!

 

Well, since my last post on 7/3, I didn't exercise and slipped back into some really crappy eating habits and drinking too much.  So, I've started back with my trainer and I'm in my 3rd week and am feeling really good.  My fitness/cardio level has really taken a nose dive, but I'm on the right track to get that back up again. 

The weight training, I think, is really helping.  I know that muscle burns more calories and revs up your metabolism.  So I'm glad to be back to that again.  My shoulders are already changing!  Whoot Whoot!!!

The eating thing, I'm really glad that I realized what  I was doing. Those evil processed carbs. Carbs aren't the enemy, but the processed carbs are. I think I'll post to my blog once a week to keep myself accountable.  My ankles have really been swelling and I think that most of the 8-9 pounds that I've gained is water weight (well, at least 3 pounds of it).  I started taking a water pill today and dropped 3 pounds already and my ankles are not swollen anymore.

So here's to another new start and to realizing that I was really screwing up and for realizing that I was doing it before it got away from me!  I'm not going to drink another adult bev until halloween either!

Well, I did it.  I ran my first 5k this morning and beat my goal.  I wanted to run it in under 1 hour and I did 55:59.  Yes, I'm going to get that 59 seconds in there.  It's under 56 minutes! 

The first mile was 16:30, 2nd was about 19 and the 3rd was 20, but the wind was kicking my ass.  At least after mile 2, the wind was at my back.  My legs felt like rubber and I was overcome with emotion when I finished, but I did it!!

Now it's on to the next goal.  1/2 marathon in November.  Start training for that on July 12

I'm 4 months post-plastics and things are regulating.  I still have this layer of fat on my upper gut that Dr. B. couldn't pull all the way down.  It's kind of irritating, but I understand that he removed a ton!

I started training @ Running Wild for the my first 5k program.  I pretty much had to beg to get in because it had filled up, but Nikki let me in and I almost cried!  The first day I ran on a track and did it just fine.  Run 2 minutes/ walk 2 minutes.  Went on Wednesday to run with the group and there were freakin' hills!  I just about died and was the last one back.  I thought I was in shape and fatter girls than I were finishing waaaaayyyy before me.  But I finished and didn't complain.  On Saturday, Karl and I went and ran the route for the recommended time 1/2 for 10 times and I did it ok.  Monday was walk 1/2 for 10 times and I did OK but had to walk because they changed the route.  Today was walk 2/run2.  I did it!!!  Slow, but I did it.  My legs are pooped though!

I know that the scale will continue to drop and I see onderland in my near future...hopefully the next month!  I'm solidly in a 14 or a women's large dress!  Totally cool!  Thighs are still giggly fat but who cares.

I've got guys looking at me, hitting on me and it's just weird not to be ignored.  Karl loves it!  The attention of his wife I mean!  I'm looking forward to my first 5k on 7/3/10

So I didn't come in and post that I had a serious infection in my gut...OMG!  I got my drains out at 4 weeks even though one was still outputting about 90CCs a day.  I kept complaining that my drains smelled and Dr. Butler said that sometimes they do smell and to wipe them with a lysol wipe.  It helped some but not much.  Pat said hers didn't smell at all.

Anyway, I thought I had the flu,  seriously high fever and nasty, snotty nose, cough and chills.  I was supposed to start work on 1-4 but I had to delay that a week because of my fall.  I got my drains out and he put me on antibiotics just in case.  I got really sick when I got home and puked for the first time since my beer incident.  it was disgusting but I was fine afterwards.

  Reset my work return date to 1-11 and had to call in sick because I thought I had the flu. I started school on Tuesday morning and was just miserable...miserable...miserable.  Karl was dropping me off and picking me up.  I went to work Tuesday, 1-12 and felt Ok. Was a little tired and moving slowly.  After about 1 hour, I got the chills miserably and left work.  I went home around 2pm after waiting 30 minutes sitting in front of the space heater to warm up.  I had my binder, t-shirt, sweater, fur coat on and got under two covers when I got home next to the space heater.  When I woke up, my fever was 103.7 but I'm thinking I had overheated myself because of the covers, heater and clothes.  I went to class and suffered through it.

I lived on Nyquil Sunday - Wednesday.  I was running a low-grade fever.  Between 99.9 and 101 gthe entire week.  My doc's appointment was thursday.

I went to the docs office and they made me put a mask on because Dr. B was going on vacation.  I was really feeling miserable.  He had me stand up so that he could aspirate my tummy and I got really dizzy.  He had me get on the exam chair and started to try and aspirate me there.  He got a tiny bit out and then asked his assitant to get a tube because he wanted to send it off for a culture.  He told me that he suspected I had an infection and said he's be right back.  Left and came back in scrubs.  They stated to prepare a little surgical tray.  He explained that they were going to cut a hole in my side so that they could get the infection out and so that the fluids could drain.

So he opened me up, and God it smelled disgusting...kinda like my drains were smelling.  I had just gotten over a yeast infection and I asked if I was going back on antibiotics and he said yep and that I'd probably get another one.  He put me on levaquin which is what they use to treat Anthrax!  Seriously strong antibiotic!  They finished expressing all the nastiness out of me and put monster bandages on me and recommended that I use maxi pads to catch the drainage.   I felt awful because it was his last day in the office before his vacation and I put him 1:15 behind for the day!

So for the next 5 days I changed my dressings 3X per day and then they called me on Tuesday and told me that they were changing my antibiotics because I had an ECOLI infection.  HOW DISGUSTING!  I'm totally convinced that I had it longer than just since new years and it was just brewing in my body and getting stronger and stronger.  So I changed antibiotics continued to get better and better.

On Feb 1, Two monday's after the emergency surgery I went back in and things were looking better.  I'm feeling better and the bandage was getting smaller and smaller.  Was released to start cardio. 

Feb 22 and I'm down to a bandaid and have been released to do all kinds of exercise with the exception of ab workout.  I'm feeling great, standing up straight, but upper tummy is still swollen.  I hope it goes down because it looks like a pronounced muffin top!  I didn't really have that before...just the handles on the back of my waist line.

I work this awesome black dress with purple flowers to work last night.  Straight dress with flowers in the right place and I actually had guys looking at me.  I saw them!  It's a cool feeling to feel desirable.  I had low self esteem as a young woman when I was smaller (but still thought I was fat) and never really noticed any attention, but I notice it now and I like it!

Ready to get the boobs done now, but have to save for that.

So I'm 3 weeks and two days past surgery and I'm feeling really well.  With the exception of the passing out in the shower and splitting open my right incision 10 inches, I feel great.  This surgery was really a lot tougher than I expected and it took a lot out of me but I would probably do it over again.  Ask me in 3 m onths!

I went in to surgery at 227 and as of this morning I'm 204!  204!!!  I was 207 the day I got married.  So I'm very pleased.  I just finished telling Karl that I didn't do this this plastic surgery to lose weight.  I did it because of my mobility issues as it related to excercise.  The weight loss is a huge benefit though!

So once again, I've dropped weight.  My body is so weird...I'll drop 5 pounds and struggle for 6-8 weeks to take it off again.  Then, bam...another drop.  I hit 222 back in september, then back up 2 weeks later to 226-230.  My trainer asked if I had lost weight again this morning and I said no, but then I went to weigh and WOW!  221.  Last monday I was at 227.  My body is just the weirdest, but I can say, that my tool is still working and I'm going to continue to work on this body until I get it under 200 pounds.  That's the next goal.

With plastic surgery less than two weeks away, I feel like I am going to reach that goal sooner rather than later.  Weight is really not that important to me.  I'm pretty comfortable with how I've progressesed and having the abdominoplasty and thigh liposuction will help my body image.  I still see that morbidly obese (well super morbidly obese) woman when I look in the mirror.  I shared with Karl last night that I hope my expectations aren't too high and that I'm not disappointed with this surgery.  I haven't had a flat tummy since I was 5 years old and I am excited for the possibilities. 

I'm so curious to see what my pants size will be after 6-8 weeks.  Right now I'm in a 16 Womens and some 14W fit but they are just a little snug around the hips.

I have confidence in Dr. Butler and can't wait till the new year.  My goal is to RUN a 5k, 10k and a half-triathalon in 2010!  I'm going to work on that.  My trainer used to be a marathon runner and he's excited about my goals!  So...till then...ta-ta!

After a great night's sleep, the cool weather arriving overnight, and an awesome day planned, I reminded myself of the wonderful day that today is for me!!!

Two years ago today, I left behind a super morbidly obese person in the operating room of Sacred Heart Hospital.  My husband was away at AF school (so I could have surgery) but I was surrounded by loving friends and family.

The first year I had lost about 125 pounds and in the second year I lost an additional 27 pounds.  I exercised every weekday (when possible), and also weight trained to tone my muscles.    But the point that I'd like to make is that I'm still losing.

I can walk for miles, ride in an airplane without a seatbelt extender, sit in a booth or any armed chair.  Now people don't look at me with pity and say "oh look at the fat lady."  But sometimes I still think they are looking at my saddle bags or something like that.  Bad body image issues still plague me.

I am coming to realize that I look like an everyday American woman and I love the way I look.  I have a ton of excess skin above my waist, and a big excess fat pouch/hanging skin below my waist along with saggin inner thighs and some pretty hefty saddle bags. To that end though, I am having an extended tummy-tuck and inner/outer thigh liposuction on December 16. 

I'd like to have my breasts done since they look like lemons in tube socks, but the doc says I'll be under for too long and it will have to be a separate surgery.  Nothing that a great bra can't handle.

I still eat properly, but I don't deny myself anything.  I just don't eat the whole piece of cake or bag of chips.  I will occasionally eat something fried, but I pay for it later.  Nothing really bothers me eating wise unless I eat too much of it.  I can't drink anything carbonated (not that we are supposed to), including beer or champagne. 

I would never, ever change what I did and am always telling people how great of an experience I have had with my surgery.  And I'm still a big advocate and try to dispel what my doctor tells his patients that you only have an 18 month window!  I'm living proof that you can continue to lose after 18 months and more.

In July of this year out with some of my surgery buddies:



comparison picture - left side, morning of surgery...right side, 1 year surgiversary
kathsum