Miranda B.

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Instead of purchasing a scale, I will be documenting my weight loss though pictures. I'm going to try and take a daily picture of myself, and then when a year has gone by, I'll put together a short film of my progress. The numbers are just not enough.

would I do it again? hell yeah I would. Even though I had a serious complication, Dr. Felix took very good care of me. When I went in on Nov. 30th for my surgery, I was expecting to go home two nights later. By the time Sunday rolled around I had started crying in the hospital because I just wasn't feeling good, and all I wanted to do was go home. I think if Dr. Felix and Dr. Kettelle and Dr. Swartz wouldn't have acted fast, not to mention me telling them the information they needed to know, I could have died. He sent me home on Monday, and I really shouldn't have gone home at all. It wasn't because he sent me home early, it's because everything scientifically seemed fined. I now know that I was feeling like a little kid saying, "not tired, wanna play!" the whole time. I have a stubborn way of doing that. I am glad I got to get out of the hospital for the 20 hours I was out, and when I went for my follow-up the next day, I almost passed out in the office due to my stupidity of just wanting to go home. I had to go back into the hospital immediately, I was told I had a huge blood clot that was starting to obstruct my bowels, again, nothing Dr. Felix had done. 

I was put on nothing to eat or drink until the next day, which was torture to say the least, even though I was sooooo done with the clear liquid diet. They took me back to surgery the next day and found the huge clot, and washed it all out inside, and when I came out of that surgery, I felt 10000% better. I was able to drink water, I drank a whole 64 oz in 4-5 hours! The only bad thing about my experience is that I had to have a drain tube put in, which was very uncomfortable, especailly when getting up for the first time. I have a high threshold of pain, and trying to get up for the first time made me cry. But eventually the pain subsides. I stopped having fevers, I felt soo much better, and then was told I wasn't being sent home until Saturday, Swartz had come in to tell me everything looked okay but that I was probably going to stay just one more night just to make sure. I was fine with that. I didn't want to be sent home again thinking I was better when I wasn't. But trust me, I felt almost perfect. He also put me on a mush diet, so I didn't care at all about staying one more night. God I hate that clear liquid diet. 

Then the dietician for the hospital walks in and starts going over some nutritional things with me, She wanted to check and make sure everything was alright, she wasn't even there 2 mins, when my mom walked in with some goodies for me, she was on her way to work (at a hospital, she's a nurse) and the dietician left, and not 2 minutes after that, Dr. Felix and Dr Kettelle walked in asking me if I wanted to go home! I was so surprised and so extremely happy at the same time, besides the little bit of pain I was feeling, I was great. They had to pull out my drain tube, and Dr. Felix said it was going to hurt. He said it was going to feel like he was ripping out my tonsils from the hole underneath my boobs. It was very uncomfortable, but felt nothing like that. I was very glad it was out. So, I went home feeling a little nervous, but by the time I got set at the couch I was staying on, I was fine. 

I woke up the next morning feeling better, and today I feel wonderful too. I've only been out two nights now, but feel amazing. I've even been up shopping, I had to get a blender. So I ask you, that if you ask yourself whether or not you would do this surgery again and you doubt that you will, just hang on. If you picked an outstanding surgeon like I did, you'll be fine. Just let them do whatever it is they need to do to get you well again. It'll happen. :)

So, when I went to my pre-op appointment, I had lost 6lbs! I wasn't even trying at all either. I had my consultation on October 3rd, and weighed in at 328. My pre-op was 322 on November 28th, and two days later I was 316. My first follow-up is today, and I hope that I've lost more, but I don't know since Sunday they weighed me on the hospital bed, and I was still 316. I don't know how correct the bed was though because the first time she weighed me it said 289, and I thought thats totally wrong. So she zeroed out the bed and it was 316. I don't want to get on the scale today and not have lost anything, although if thats the case, I don't really care right now, and my face looks and feels a lot thinner. Anyway, 1 hour and 7 minutes to go, have to climb in the shower, as I'm feeling very weak. Will update more when I return at about 10:30am pst.

I have no idea. I had to have a blood tranfusion the 3rd day. didn't care about getting someone elses blood as I've donated several times suring the last 12 years. I was more worried by the fact that this procedure could have killed me. And still might as I think I have an infection in my incisions and having fevers between 98-100. Doc says if my fevers go over 101, I have to go back to the hospital. The question at hand is, would I have this done again? I think so, especially with the competence of my surgeon and how prepared the hospital was.

11/29/06 11:11pm.

So today I went to work, and I thought it would be a good idea to go, not only because I'm a new employee, but because I think the constant work would keep my mind off of eating liquids. Blah. Anyway, My tummy got hungry at about 11:15, and my lunch is at 11:30am, so when it was time to eat, all I had was onion broth. It was way better last night than it was today. I hardly ate any of it, just enough to stop my pains in my stomach, and then went back to work, and drank all kinds of water. I typically drink water, but I drank a lot today. 

Anyway, right after having that little bit of soup, I was soooo tired. I almost fell asleep at my desk! Not good. If I had to choose again, I'd do the same thing. So I came home after work and started drinking the magnesium citrate. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I got the Walgreens brand grape flavor, and it takes like a semi thick strong grape soda. I took it in shot glasses. Much easier to go down. 

Anyway, I'm almost packed, and hopefully in the morning, I won't be too hungry. :) we'll see. If I don't get on in the morning, see you on the losing side!

So I know I'm at least 5'7, but when I went for my consultantion at the beginning of October, I was told I was 5'8. I thought she might be wrong because she was short, but then that's what I thought until I got my analysis today. 

She inputed my height 5'8
my weight                       322

and it calculated my bmi = 49.0

and then it told me my bmr = basil metabolic rate = the amount of calories *used* by the body to maintain normal functions when at rest.

mine = 2241k 

and it says daily activities and exercise increase the amount by 15%
=
2577.15

wow! thats 1000 less calories than a whole pound!

my %age of body fat= 54%

my fat mass into pounds= 174lbs

my fat free mass (muscle connective tissues, bones, water) 148lbs

my total body water= 108.5lbs

my desireable range for %age 21%-33% but she said around 25%.

my desirable range for fat mass= 39.5-73lbs

I think it was calculated wrong because I really do think I'm 5'7. But I don't know what those results depend on. So I may not be right.

It's very surreal. And I haven't even had the surgery yet! I've had nothing but an amazing experience up until this very second, and I hope it continues. It's almost like I feel it's going to be the most natural thing. Like quitting smoking, I quit August of 2002, and then September 2005 I started until March 2006 and then quit again for good. I know its for good. After being a non-smoker for so long, and then putting a cigarette in your mouth again, well, I lost the taste for it. It did nothing for me. I'm so happy right now I can barely see straight.

Today I am 2 days pre-op. I started my liquid diet this morning, and had a diet orange crush popsicle, and then at about 3pm I had some chicken broth, and some strawberry kiwi juice. I had about 16 oz of water, and have had 32+ oz of fruit punch flavored crystal light. I'm a soda addict and a chocolate addict, and an overall, take a big bite and slightly chew it up, almost swallow it whole addict. For some reason I conditioned myself to eat like that, and now I can't stop. I know this will help me stop. Anyway, the crystal light is way good. I've never tasted something that tastes like the real thing. And it does man. hehe. 

I came home and had a cup of beef broth, and then a bowl of onion soup and strained the onions out. Now I'm drinking more crystal light, and I'm freezing my tukus off! I went and turned on the heater, and realized I was going to be very cold this winter. Then when I think of winter, I think of my birthday, which is at the end of February, and by then I should be 50 lbs lighter! we'll see though. 

I went to my pre-op appointment today, and learned all about the things you absolutely 100% need to do. 64oz of water. 80-100g of protein. Calcium meltin your mouth pills that are stronger than the ones you buy at the store. Multivitamins, all chewables. All those things are going to be first and foremost for me. Then I'll get the food in. When I'm feeling like I'm having head hunger, I'll go for a walk. I got a pedometer today and Bluma said we have to walk at least 5000 steps in a month. I was thinking, are you crazy? I can probably do 2000 in 45 minutes alone! 120 steps per minute at 20 minutes is 2000 steps. Since I have a weight issue, I'll give it more time. If I do 60 steps a minute for 40 mintues that 2000 steps. Shoot I could do 60 steps a minute for 20 minute and only do it 5 days because I'll have 1000 each time! Wow. That's really not alot. 

Then I met with Dr. Felix, and my mom was there because she wanted to ask questions and she asked how long was the recovery room period and how long was the surgery. I could have told her that, and she asked him, and then I asked him about fatty livers and since I hadn't tried to decrease mine in size at all, he said that its very rare that he's had to convert to open because of a fatty liver. I know he's an excellent surgeon, and I have complete faith in him. I'm actually going to be third that day, so hopefully everything will be routine by then.

I hope I absolutely hate every food I've ever enjoyed, and have a taste for new foods now. :) Yay! I'm so excited.

Today I showed someone my picture for the first time. It was a friend who lives in the UK, and I've never met him before. I started off lying to him because I never thought I would actually meet him, but over the last 8 months we've become very good friends. So I told him I was going to have this surgery done, but I didn't tell him how much I weighed. 

Today I told him, and I had to covert it into stone because thats how they weigh things over there. No matter what he says, when you see my picture, your shocked. I'm shocked. I'm disgusted. lol. Anyway, he's very supportive of the whole thing, and it's not so bad knowing that I'm so close right now. 2 days left!

I forgot to add something to the list of things I want to be able to do. I'm sure there will be more as time goes on, but here's my last one now. 

13.? I want to be able to see the tendons in my neck!

I've always wanted to see those. I feel like I have such a thick neck. I want a skinny petite neck. I'm gunna get one too.