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I achieved my weight loss goal of 100 lbs on my 7-month surgiversary date!!!  I would have never imagined pre-op that I would lose the weight so quickly.  I am truly thankful and blessed to be healthy and I have a whole new life because of my RNY!!

I have been diligent to follow all the “rules”.  I have not eaten any foods that aren’t on the “acceptable” list.  And, I’ve been very conservative and tend to eat the same limited foods that I’ve found to be pouch-friendly and high in protein.  The biggest key to my success, I believe is the commitment I made to take this major surgery very seriously.  Since I had the remaining portion of my stomach removed at the same time as my RNY (sub-total gastrectomy – due to multiple gastric polyps), I know that this is my ONE chance at success and I have no option for any kind of a revision.  I was mentally prepared and now think of eating and food in the light that “this is how I live and eat now”…..”this is my new life”.    As I was progressing on my journey I was “blown away” by the numbers of posts I read from people asking…..”how soon can I have pizza”, or “how soon can I drink alcohol or drink soda:?   This is a huge opportunity at better health and a huge change to our bodies and surgery should be treated with seriousness and commitment. 

My new life is way more than I ever hoped it would be.  I’ve gone from a size 22 to an 8 pants and size small tops.  At age 53, I look better than I did at age 23.  I’m very fortunate to not have much sagging skin.  My skin shrunk back nicely – which was a very big surprise and an unexpected blessing!   My exercise of choice has been walking/hiking and bicycling.  After being divorced for 10 yrs, I had made a vow to put a profile out on eHarmony once I hit the 50# weight loss mark.  I did that on New Year’s day 2010.  Going on my first date at age 53 was pretty daunting, but it was a huge step for my self-esteem.  In April, I met a man through eHarmony and our connection is amazing.  We are madly in love and are planning our future together.  He is dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and is supportive and very understanding (and proud) of my weight maintenance lifestyle. 

To those of you who are investigating and researching WLS – take time to be thorough.  I am a nurse and I researched for 3 years before making the decision.  WLS is NOT for everyone.  Even though my wt loss was very fast, it was tough and took 100% of my focus and energy to be successful.  It’s all about choosing the right time in your life.  If you have too many other commitments or distractions, consider the timing so you can be successful.  

RNY was definitely the best thing I have EVER done in my life.  I’d do it again, in a heartbeat!   

I've finally made it to the ONE hundreds!!!  I haven't seen this number on the scale since 1992!!!  That's 18 very long years of being so unhappy with my size, self-conscious and unhealthy.  My RNY has given me a 2nd chance at a whole new phase of my life.  I am so thankful and feel so fortunate for this opportunity  to have better health.

Today I hit my 1st big goal.  I've lost 50 pounds!!!!   How cool to start the new year with a big milestone.  I'm 200 lbs, so hopefully within a few days, I'll FINALLY be in ONEDERLAND

When I started my journey, I would have never thought I would lose so fast.  I was hoping for maybe 25-30 lbs by Christmas.  I couldn't even imagine losing 50 pounds in 10 weeks.  This journey has been exciting and surreal.  I physically feel so much better - and the improvement in my self-esteem is incredible.   My surgeon is very pleased with my progress and she said that I've done "perfect".   I have stuck to the program 100%.  I am being very conservative in my food choices, mostly because I DO NOT want to dump and I hate to be nauseated and worse yet throw up.  I have thrown up once when I tried a scrambled egg.  Haven't tried one again and it'll be a long time before I do.  On Christmas eve, I had a piece of meat get stuck and had pain and the "foamies" with dry heaves which was also unpleasant. I've also had challenges with the common problem of constipation.  But, that's been the extent of my issues.  All in all, the food goes down well.  I'm not eating more than 3-4 oz at a time.  I'm doing 2 protein shakes a day and am making sure my protein intake is 80-100gms/day.  A week ago I began "shedding" hair, so that's a bit freaky.  I'll continue to make sure my protein stays high.  I also started taking Biotin at 8 weeks.  I've been using Nioxin shampoo and conditioner since surgery.  All these years, being so self-conscious of my body, it was my naturally curly hair that has always been my best attribute.  The thought of losing the curl in my hair causes me concern, but the weight loss and improvement in my health is way more important. 

It's been very fun to go shopping in my own closet.  I've given away my 1x & 2x clothes to my best girlfriend.  She and I shop together, so she helped me make decisions to buy most of them.  Last night, I went to a Singles New Year's eve party at my "Mega-Church" with about 500 other singles.  I was thrilled to fit into an old size 14 dress pants!   I was shocked!   I had a pair of 16's that were snug when I wore them to my work Christmas party, so thought that they'd fit perfectly......and they ended up being baggy.  One of my new favorite past-times is trying on clothes that I haven't been able to wear in years.  That's a big sense of accomplishment for me.

Moving forward, I'm going to set 10 lb milestones.  I would love to lose another 40 minimum by my daughter's wedding in Sept.  I want to be a "hot mamma" walking up the aisle.   

To the newbies out there.....I am so glad that I made the decision to have WLS.  It was a long decision process.  The results have been way more than I anticipated.  I feel better than anticipated and am beginning an exercise program.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  It's hard work and dedication, but well worth it. It is a totally new lifestyle and a whole new way of eating/drinking, so the mental preparation really has paid off for me.   I continue to pray everyday that I will stay focused and will not endure any complications.  So far, so good!

I feel so very blessed,relieved and fortunate to have come through surgery with no major complications.  My surgery was a very big and long procedure.  It took 4 hours to complete.  When I was contemplating surgery, I had been dealing with a history of gastric polyps.  I had an annual EGD exam with multiple biopsies each year for the past 5 years.  This last year, my polyps had increased to 70-80 (I know.....so GROSS!!)   Luckily, the polyps were in the lower and middle portion of my stomach - the portion that would remain after a traditional RNY.  The polyps have bled  on occasion and I've had several suspicious polyps, that thankfully always come back negative for cancer.   The decision I faced was that by having a traditional RNY, we would never be able to get a "scope" into the remaining portion of my stomach to visualize the polyps or biopsy them.    After consultation with several doctors, my surgeon and I made the decision to remove the remaining portion of the stomach  (a subtotal gastrectomy).   This is not very common.  Pre-op, I read through so many posts, searching for someone else who had faced the same issue with polyps.  About a week before surgery, I did find another OH'er whose mother had done a subtotal gastrectomy for polyps.  So.....I'm sharing my story in the event someone else is facing the same decision and I don't want them to feel they are the only one to make this decision. In addition to the subtotal gastrectomy, the surgeon discovered a hiatal hernia and adhesions from a gall bladder surgery 12 yrs ago.  She also did a liver biopsy to rule out fatty liver.

 After surgery, I experienced a big sense of relief that I have made the right decision to be proactive and decrease my chance of a polyp turning cancerous without my knowing it.  I have a very strong family history of cancer, so that fear has always loomed over me.

I've had my post-op appt and my doctor felt that I was doing very well in light of the big surgery.  I think I'm bouncing back pretty well for a 53 yo!!!   All was going text-book perfect until day 12 when I began to get itchy and then day 13 broke out in hives from head to toe.  The itching was unbearable!!!  My surgeon's office thinks it is most likely an allergy to Whey Isolate Protein.  I'm freaking out about that since I know I'll need protein for the rest of my life.  I've found some Soy protein, but it tastes horrible.  I'll do whatever it takes to heal and make progress.  I've had some steroid injections and will be on steroid pills for 6 days to resolve the hives.  I'm hoping I can try Whey again to see if it's really the culprit.  My PCP thinks that the hives could also be a delayed reaction to the IV Antibiotics.  So, while it's frustrating, I'll just have to be patient and figure it out.  In the meantime, the steroid injection is working and the itchiness is subsiding - THANK the LORD!!!

My weight loss has been incredible, fast and surreal to me   I lost 3 lbs pre-op and a total of 24 lbs by day 13.  I have always been a SLOW LOSER, so this has never happened to me before.  I even asked my surgeon's office nurse if this was too fast and she said no - and to not weigh so frequently if it was freaking me out.  I know that I've always retained a lot of fluid.  Pre-Op, I was on a very large dose of lasix (water pill) that just did not work well.  I was retaining lots of fluid in my legs and abdomen.  So, I'm assuming my quick loss is a result of all that fluid that my body was holding onto.   I'm thankful  to have a chance to live a healthy life and have a whole new start.  This is just the beginning of my journey and I can't wait to see how the rest unfolds.

I have my surgery date scheduled and it's  only 2 weeks away.  A moment of panic set in initially and then a sense of calm set in.  I was able to clear  time off at work with my wonderful boss. Now I need  need to hustle and get everything in order.  I plan to take a week off from work and then work from home for a week (God-willing that I come through surgery with flying colors and no complications).  I can't wait to start this new life and get to the "loser's bench" with so many other OH veterans. I'm so thankful for the great info and inspiring stories on this site.  It's really been a blessing as I've gone through this process.  My surgeon has a wonderful support system, but OH has given me a realistic view of others experiences and that's incredibly valuable. 

My approval letter arrived from Blue Shield CA. I was surprised that it only took about 10 days.  My surgeon's office has the approval process nailed!!  That's an advantage of finding a surgeon who has achieved a "Center of Excellence" status.   As I read the letter, time stood still.  It seemed unreal.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  I'm excited, relieved, grateful and scared all at the same time.  My hope for a healthy future is becoming a reality.  I'll be anxious to talk to the surgeon's office to see when my surgery date can be scheduled.