sgarrison

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I really wish I had kept this blog up all along, so I would be able to look back over it and know remember what was going on and when, so I could help others who ask me questions.  I'm down from 273 to 165 (108 pounds) and from size 26 to 14.  I did gain up to 169 over Christmas, but am down to 165 now.  My lowest was 162, but that was just a one-time thing--may have been a fluke.  I've very happy with my weight loss--I feel normal again.  Weird thing is that I'm size 14 at 165, but when I was 18 I was size 15 Junior at 135 lbs.  I do still have a chubby belly and of course saggy arms, boobs, butt and thighs but no skin folds.  I feel great, look great and have so much more energy.  My diabetes has resolved, plus the sleep apnea which both made me tired all the time before.  Blood pressure is greatly improved, I'm off the hormone medicine (progesterone) that I had to take all the time, skin conditions cleared up, feet don't swell anymore, no more gastric reflux.  What hasn't improved is the back pain and my new conditions are cold all the time, Reynaud's Syndrome, and mild loss of sex drive. 

I can eat quite a bit now and can eat sweets and that worries me.  Almost a whole regular size hamburger (not the big ones).  I rarely get nauseous anymore--in fact, I never once threw up the whole time.  I eat at least 6 times a day.  For breakfast, I have a slice of bread and a 3 inch link sausage at 5:00 am.  At 8:00 am I have 9 crackers and 1-1/2 slices of Monterey Jack/Colby cheese.  Lunch at 11:00 is a piece of meat (2-3 oz) and 1/2 c veggies and 2 pieces of caramel candy.  Snack at 1:00 is 1 graham cracker spread with peanut butter.  Dinner is at 4:30 meat & veggies.   After dinner is my problem.  Especially when I'm doing homework==I snack.  I'm also drinking about 5 Diet Pepsi's a day which is probably not good.  I need to get back on water.

I try to walk 3 or 4 times a week, and plan to start back at the gym (we quit last August) next week if my husband is feeling better.  He's been sick with a cold.

In two weeks I've lost more weight than I have ever been able to lose before in 9 months!  The most I've ever lost before was 23 pounds and that was with very heavy exercise over a long period of time.  My hormones & metabolism was just all screwed up and I was afraid that even gastric bypass wouldn't work for me.  But it looks like it is.  I'm starting to regain some energy and will be going back to work Monday 1/2 days.  I also started laser hair removal from my upper lip and chin today.  Previously they had told me it wasn't feasible due to hormonal imbalances and insulin resistance.

I had my first consult with my surgeon in January 2006.  Insurance required a 6 month doctor-supervised weight loss, nutritional consult, psychiatric exam, and endocrinologist exam.  I made the mistake of waiting until May to try to set up the appointment with the endocrinologist.  Found out that I had to have a dr referral and because there were only 2 in our area, the earliest appointment I could get was the end of October!.  By the time all the paperwork got submitted in was mid-November, my surgeon was going on holiday leave in mid-December and my insurance was changing January 1st.  My insurance company, Definity Health, came back and asked for a drug & alcohol screen, cardiology and pulmonology report--all things that they had previously not mentioned, nor was it in the information they had sent us.  I felt like they were just stalling, waiting on my insurance to run out.  There was no way we could get it all done before my surgeon went on leave.  Disappointing, particularly since I had already met my maximum out of pocket.  So we waited until Jan to start all over with the new insurance company, Aetna.  They had different requirements, including a 6 month dr supervised exercise program.  So I really didn't expect them to approve me up front, but I found out yesterday that they did!  My surgery is scheduled for May 3rd.