Karene C.

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I finally got the laptop to get a chance to update this blog. Crossing my fingers to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow or at least by Monday.

Okay here is the update on my hospital stay:

I am currently being tested to see if I can tolerate being on nutritional support via PICC line for 12 hours a day instead of the 24 they started me on. I got a IV bag of platelets last Wednesday and I am thinking clearer.

When I get discharged I will be entertaining a few people weekly. LOL I have physical therapy scheduled and a home care nurse who both be visiting me two days a week at home. The nurse will do blood draws and general maintenance of my PICC line. Family has been trained on how to attach/remove, run the IV pump, etc. Its not too bad, at least I won't have to eat too much. No dry heaves! Yeah.

Unfortunately, we don't have a fix to what ails me so for right now they are just trying to get me healthy as they possibly can.

When I come home I promise to update further since I know my friends who have been so supportive will need to know and maybe what they do for me can help someone else on this site. It has allowed me to find support and friendship from excellent people.

Sooner than later,

Karene

Well, for three days straight I was throwing up every other time I hate or drank. It was getting to the point that I was going crazy so this Monday, November 9th I came into the ER. Well after nine (9) hours there I was admitted. I am still here at Providence Newberg with test after test with no true end in sight. They believe that they see scaring on my liver and one bile duct is constricted. The fix is to difficult for the specialist here but right now they are just trying to get me healthy as they possibly can. I am taking in the usual glucose water and Exacta-Mix as a food substitute. I was quite dehydrated and starving for some type of nutrition. I don't know how long I will be in here but I can't wait to go home.

Sorry for the short blog but not much time between tests, nurses, and visitors.

Karene 

Yes its true, I am still losing. I am now down to 110 lbs. Had my appointment with GI doctor who performed the encolosopy. I found out that my pouch looks normal but the "y" is difficult to get a look at the other portion of my stomach where the bile drops in because the scope couldn't reach around the "Y" to see it. 

Colin is worried that I am wasting away. Due to his feelings and mine we agreed that although I don't want to gain any additional weight, I will not try to lose any additional weight. He has agreed to not bug me as long as I don't go any further than 115 lbs. Now I just have to figure out how to gain 5 lbs without sliding down that slope to obesity.

I plan on attending our local support group to get some guidance and support. Colin is the most wonderful husband a woman could ever have but he just doesn't understand my fear of gaining all my weigh back. Its one of the reasons why I still have hung on to my clothes even though I haven't been able to wear them for years. 

Hope for wonderful things to come....  

I am still losing weight although due to my malabsorption problem. I am not getting anything from food or mineral/vitamins.

Hey I finally did get off Coumadin medication that I took for my blood clots. I wasn't doing well considering that since I have a stomach that only absorbs every once in a while. After having problems with the medication, I am finally using Lovenox! It has taken me seven years to get my doctors to see that Coumadin is not the right drug for me. I spent days at home sick to my stomach and then three more in the hospital due to overdosing on Coumadin.

Well, I weigh 119 lbs now and still losing which should be a great thing since five years ago I was weighing 335. I just hope they find out what is preventing me from absorbing anything.

Check in later,

Karene

Well, let's see where do we start. First of all... I have bypassed my original goal weight of 150! I now weigh 138 (at least today) and have established a new goal weigh of 130. My daughter Vanessa who is daughter number three is so beautiful and I have always wanted to get down to her size since she has that hourglass shaped that I had at her age. Check her out at her website www.myspace.com/ohhnessa. She is beautiful.


I still can't look in the mirror and see a thin me but everyone seems to tell me it is true. I know that I can't wear the clothing I currently have and borrow from my daughters for generic items with the exception of one bra. I wish I had waited to get my breast reduction. If I had I may have had more to work with but wonderbras are amazing. LOL

Is there anyone else who are scared to let go of their fat clothes? I just can't seem to let go of most of them. I worried that if I do, I won't' have anything to wear. I know that this is unrealistic but can't let go. If anyone else has had this problem and beat it, please send me how.

Well, until next time. Toodles.

  Well things are going well... I am finally self-employed where I can now be home for Gilshenan during the summer break. I just hate the time that we lose between Colin and I since he works longer hours. 

Let's see... my youngest daughter (Noelle) has lost 200 lbs!!!!  I know it is hard on our kids when they leave the nest too soon but I did help with her rent. Didn't know that she wasn't buying food when she was on her own. Well, at this point she has taken off that weight that was messing with her health. Now we are just in competion on who  will make it to our goal weight first. 

I started the journey weighing 335... now I weigh 149lbs. I have lost a total of 186lbs!!! More than a whole person... a whole person and some luggage. Yet, I still feel like a big round ball. 

I tried on  some clothes that my (missing) best friend left behind. She alwways left a set of clothing and tolietries here so that when she came to visit there was never time wasted in between flights. Well, for as long as I have known her... about 22 years she at 5'2" always was smaller than me. Well, not that I can talk to her about anything...she just dropped me with no warning or anything... but her clothing is a little baggy. The point is that I am smaller than her. I am wearing a size 12 to 14.  I don't remember trying  on a size medium and it fitting me.  It's time to celebrate but with who?

Well, just for all my friends... its time to celebrate... I am under 150lbs. Don't know if it will last but I feel like celebrating. Can you tell me how to get my eyes to believe it? That is one thing I am having trouble getting through.

Hugs, kisses and support all around.,

Karene

I wish I could say great but I have had so many problems with Vitamin Deficiency that I am at the point where walking is becoming a problem. I should feel lucky that I finally found a doctor that is trying desperately to fix me.

I knew when I had my bypass that there were things that would be different and that there was going to be a price to be a normal sized person again but this is crazy. I have iron and vitamins D & B deficiency. These are the ones that they are finally recognizing and my inability to absorb. There maybe others that I am being tested for now but they are having problems getting me stable.

Update will be soon.

K 

Well it has been approximately two years since I have mention what is going on with me now.  I gained 20 pounds due to illness from bed rest from 2005 to 2006.  Then my son was diagnoised with bone cancer and I ended up have lung issues.  Now don't feel too sorry for me just yet... there are silver linings.  My son's tumor was removed and he has been clear on all his bone scans for the last eight monts.  The other wonderful thing happen is with the illneses and the stress I went from 200 pounds and a size 20 to 168 pounds and a size 13/14!!!!  All though I see the same fatty in the mirror my clothing can't decieve me like my head does.  I have changed, I know it but why can I believe it?  I guess the depression and not hanging out with anyone with the exception of my family really caused a lot.  I miss Bonnie who I haven't seen in almost two years and I just saw Lee Anne who I also haven't seen in the same amount of time.  If she hadn't come to my house last week, I probably wouldn't have seen her.  She looks great and I am very proud of her progress.  We compared battle scars and found some similarities in what are eyes are seeing and how our minds are playing tricks on us. I hope Bonnie gets in touch really soon. 

I believe the biggest reason I have came back to "ObesityHelp" is that I truly need some one that can understand what I am going through.  I really need that support from a like minded person that has walked in my shoes so to speak.  Where can I go to get that kind of help and companionship?  I hope this will be the start of something new.