What A Difference A Year Makes

Aug 22, 2012

 So this Saturday marks my one year anniversary for Bariatric Surgery (Roux-en-Y).  The results are in..through the good, bad, scary, and everything in between I have gone from a peak of 260 down to 188. A decline of 72 pounds!  Not as much as I had hoped for (was hoping for 100 pounds lost) but not bad at all considering the last few months.   I know I have not been the best the last few months of working on my journal, or Blog, but it has been hectic the last 4 months.

April 30th as I was driving my brother home from his hospital appointment from the VA in Seattle, I suffered a stroke.  I felt out of sorts, not able to think clear, and I noticed my face, neck, and left arm feeling numb...like novicaine had been used.  Took my blood pressure when I got home, and it was high, and I placed a call to my primary care's office.  They suggested I call 911.  I knew that it would take them 30 min or so to get to my residence, do an eval, and prob get me to the hospital.  I opted to have my husband just take me to the er as it was only 15 min. away.  I will do a small plug here for Valley Medical Hospital in Renton, WA...they were fabulous!!!  Within 30 minutes, I was evaluated, had a CAT scan, and though it took 30 minutes to find a good vien that would not collaps, they were able to administer TPA to hopefully remove the blockage from the brain stem.  It worked!  The doctor said that I did everything right....by not ignoring the signs of a stroke, and getting to the hospital as fast as possible.  There is a 3 hour window from the onset of a stroke to when the TPA can be given to a patient to reverse the blockage and lessen if not take away completely the damage done by the stroke.  The hard part is after the TPA is given, one becomes a patient of the ICU for the next 24-48 hours.  It took 4 more days after that for me to be released home, and a couple more weeks of pretty much doing nothing but resting and gaining my strength back.  At almost 4 months from the stroke, I still use a cane when I am not in the house, as my balance has taken a hit....I have some word association issues (I seem to have trouble distinquishing the words left and right..makes fun navigating however...) and I have not been able to do much exercising. 

To top it all off, I discovered at the end of March, middle of April that I would either be losing my job at the end of June, or be transfered to the East Coast....Well, I am now living on the East Coast..litterally, 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean...and it is nothing like the Pacific Northwest!!  I am enjoying the beaches here, and I have the best tan than I have had in years!!!! 
I have had to find a new set of doctors, including one who knows about WLS.  I believe I have found a great doctor here.  The first visit for the meet and greet ended with a Vit B shot, and a follow-up for complete blood work to check all my nutrient and vitamin levels along with everything else that goes with one year post-op for WLS.  He seems to know his stuff, and does not seem the type to shy away from the WLS lifestyle.  He knew where to find a support group, (a couple of them), and has a bariatric group that he works close with.  That is a great releife for me.  I had such a great support group in Washington, that I was afraid I would not find another one across the country.  

I guess it is time to post a new picture of me this weekend...sort of that before and after type thing..  I went shopping with my youngest daughter this last weekend while she is home from college for her summer break, and went into a couple of stores, and bought right of the rack!  a great pair of Lee jeans ($3.00 may I tell you ladies!!!) and a great dress for church!  I did not have to go to a large style store, but bought right off the rack in the young miss section!!!! Oh yeah baby!!!!!!!  That was the first in years that I could purchase right off the shelf and wear it the next day! Let me tell you that is the biggest pick-me-up for me!!!

Wel...it is late tonight...need to get some sleep as I had a hard day at the office. Will blog more in the next couple of days!

0 Comments