Shannon R.

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So here I am at 8 weeks out from lap RNY. I'm down 32 lbs. since surgery on 11/11 and 63 lbs. since my highest weight of 301 in July.  I've lost 29" so far and gone from a size 24 pants to 18.

POSITIVE: I still feel like my recovery was too easy and my transition to smaller portions has been nearly effortless. I can pretty much eat anything I ate before surgery and do not dump (unfortunately). I rarely touch anything sugary, but can handle carbs like sandwich thins, toast, crackers and a few bites of pasta. I know at 2 months out, the 1/2 cup of food I can eat is too much, but my calories are still around 600-700, so I'm trying not to stress about it. I get in all my vits and fluids daily. BP is great and I'm on only 1 prescription drug! Body aches nearly gone!

NEED TO WORK ON: Exercise! I have to admit I'm not doing enough activity. I truly believe if I had been exercising like I should have, I would have lost almost twice as much so far. I need a serious kick in the butt here! I see my arms getting smaller and fanny getting flatter, but everything (sadly bye bye boobs) is all flabby and soft now. I know exercise would help!

Surgery Day: 270 lbs.
     Chest 46" - Bicep 19" - Forearm 12" - Waist 47" - Hips 53" - Pant Size 24

1 Month Out: 249 lbs. (21 lb. and 13" monthly loss)
      Chest 44" - Bicep 18" - Forearm 11" - Waist 41" - Hips 50" - Pant Size 20

2 Months Out: 238 lbs. (11 lb. and 11" monthly loss)
      Chest 43" - Bicep 17" - Forearm 11" - Waist 40" - Hips 47" - Pant Size 18

One other thing, I still need to get to a support group. I want to make time to visit the lovely folks at Maple Grove coffee SOON! Thinking ahead to summer motivates me. Stepping out into public after being stuck indoors all winter, I want to reveal the new and improved me to the world!

To anyone still on the fence... I LOVE MY DECISION and would do it again in a minute, even with my "slow" loss. I need to learn to work my tool better and feel very fortunate it's worked so well even without me putting forth the effort that I should. This group is still one of the biggest forces in keeping me encouraged on the tough days. THANK YOU ALL! Oh, and I have posted a new before/after pic in my photos and am thrilled at the difference I can see so far!

Shannon

So today I am 1 month out from surgery and feel pretty darn good about how I've done so far. My measurements are more impressive to me than my weight loss, but I am happy about both. I've lost THIRTEEN inches in a month and lost 21 lbs!!!!!

Surgery Day:

270 lbs.  Chest 46" - Bicep 19" - Forearm 12" - Waist 47" - Hips 53" - Pant Size 24

Today:

249 lbs.  Chest 44" - Bicep 18" - Forearm 11" - Waist 41" - Hips 50" - Pant Size 20

I still have to kick myself in the butt to start getting that required 30 minutes of exercise in each day, as I know this would increase my losing and better my remaining flab. That starts TODAY!

So as far as food goes, I've been pretty adventerous in my eating, since I'm tolerating everything so well. I've not touched sugar or pasta or white carbs of any kind. I can eat fish, poultry and even a small bit of steak if well chewed. I eats lots of chili and still use popscicles as my dessert daily. I stay away from bread, but have been eating half a toasted sandwich thin (they have protein!) with a little natural PB for breakfast a few times a week. I'm keep my calories around 600/day and my portions are already at 1/4 cup with no problem. I never drink with meals, and am swallowing my split pills with ease.

I FEEL GREAT, my 6 little incisions are almost invisable, I have still never dumped or even felt stuffed, but do know it's time to stop when my nose starts running. I LOVE MY RNY and the support and advice I've received from you all!

So here I am on the other side of my lap RNY. It's hard to wrap my head around the relatively quick process I went through to get here. I first attended the informational seminar at the end of August and here I sit 3 months later in mid-November at 47 pounds less than then! AMAZING!

My surgery was without issues, as Dr. Johnson said the extra 10 pounds I lost over and above the required 17 he required before surgery was a big help in allowing him to get at my stomach under my liver, as well as easily remove my gallbladder, which contained some stones and sludge. I was MISERABLE coming out of surgery and the first 24 hours was rough, but I was only in the hospital 1 night and only needed the liquid Vicodin a few days at home before switching to another couple days of Tylenol. I had no bruising and no trouble with constipation.

I've been able to get my broth, water, Popsicles, etc. down with no problems. I can stomach skim milk just fine. (Thank God! I was worried about the after-surgery lactose intolerance some face.)  I meet my required liquid amounts daily, have been able to take my one remaining blood pressure med pill (split in half), and have not once felt like vomiting. At my 1 week follow-up they said I could add cream soups, which I've done with no issues. I'm adding protein powder to much of what I drink. I do need to up my activity level now.

I'll admit to being one of those who gets on the scale everyday. The first few days I was still around 270, which is what I went into surgery weighing... but I knew all the water weight and swelling impacted me. Then at the 5 day mark I was losing a pound or two a day. This morning at 10 days out I weighed 254, which is 16 pounds since surgery. Again, AMAZING!

On Dec. 3 I can begin pureed food and I CAN'T WAIT! I never thought I would lust after cottage cheese and refried beans :o) This has all just seemed too good to be true, but I guess what so many of the wonderful folks on OH have said is true... FOLLOW THE RULES and the TOOL WILL WORK! I already have more energy and can't wait for the incisions to heal fully so I can jump back into activities with my husband and 3 little boys!

I strongly believe that with the fabulous support of the MN OH boards and my family, this journey will be a success for me! I'm thankful everyday to be able to log on and share experiences with those who have been there or will go there. What a helpful and caring group of folks! THANK YOU!

Shannon

I am absolutely thrilled to share that the nurse from my clinic just called to tell me that HealthPartners has APPROVED the costs of my RNY surgery! When I saw "ALLINA" show up on the Caller ID, my heart starting jumping in my chest!

This was the final hurdle I had to overcome to have the reality really sink in that THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN! It took less than a week for the approval to come after I met with the surgeon last Tuesday.  He checked out my 3 C-Section incisions and very long left side scar from a kidney removal I had at age 5, and said he is confident he will still be able to do the surgery lap vs. open. He hopes to have me off at least one of my BP meds right after surgery, and off the other within a few months!

Like many of you confessed feeling, I'm having mixed emotions of fear and excitement. I KNOW this is the right choice for me after all the failed diet and exercise attempts and all the research I've done on this tool. Both my husband and my parents seem a little tenative about me going through with it, but have offered their support nonetheless, which I will rely heavily upon.  I lost the required pre-op weight and am doing my best to not fall victim to the "Last Supper" problem that many face. I am still loggin my calories and will hop on the elliptical while watching TV a few evenings a week. We are going out for crablegs this Friday for our anniversary, so I am saving my luxury meal for that and avoid the carbs.

Thankfully, my doc does not require a 2 week liquid deal before surgery... but I am not allowed to gain any weight until then, I just have to go on liquid the day before. Surgery is on Veterans Day, 11/11/09, one week before my 36th birthday. This is the first real hope I've had in a long time that my health issues will GO AWAY once I learn how to work this new life-changing tool I am about to receive... and that I'll be around MANY MANY years to come for my 3 little boys, the oldest of whom just started Kindergarten!

Onward and downward! Thanks again to you all for the support so far!

Shannon

I can finally feel things moving along in this crazy process! This past week I had my 4th and final pre-op psych appointment and she said she is giving me the GREEN LIGHT and promised to have her paperwork submitted by next week along with mailing me a copy. This morning I had my 4th of 5 phone consultations with the HealthPartners WLS advisers, and after my final call on 10/12 they will fax my completion certificate to the Bariatric Center and HealthPartners office.

I had my required dietician appointment at the Bariatric Center a few weeks ago and she was quite impressed I had already lost 11 of the required 18 pounds and that I was logging all my food on SPARKPEOPLE.COM. This has made it MUCH easier to keep my calories around 1200 per day! This has helped me reach my GOAL pre-op weight required by the doc... as I hit 276 this week... so nice to see that instead of the 301 that was staring back at me back in early August!

This all means that in 2 weeks my Bariatric nurse should be submitting all my documentation to HealthPartners while I wait the standard 10 days or so to find out if I'm approved. I'm hoping to join all you losers on the bench sometime in November! Trying to remain patient!!!

Earlier this month when I hit 300 lbs, I totally broke down. I remember in college when I was a cheerleader, I would look at overweight people and wonder how they could ever let themselves even near 200 lbs! It sure doesn't happen overnight, but after 3 kids in 4 years and a very sedentary lifestyle, here I am. I need a change and I need it now. My health is going down the toilet, and even as I type this I'm wearing a portable heart monitor to try and determine why I've been having a racing heart and 160/110 blood pressures.

8/18/09: Monday night I went to the Unity Bariatric weight loss surgery informational meeting. It was eye-opening. I was so impressed with the nurses, speakers, surgeon and former patients who gave their testimonials, I signed up for a consult with a bariatric nurse.

8/20/09: Thursday I met with my family doctor who has been with me for over 8 years. She knows all my history and has watched my weight go plus and minus 30-40 pounds many times over the years. Upon seeing my new BP issues and other complaints, she said she supports my decission to pursue this surgery. She has even sent other patients to Unity. She ordered bloodwork for me and did an EKG. She even said she'd write a support letter for insurance.

8/21/09: Friday I had my consult with the nurse. My weigh in was 297 with a BMI of 45.9. WOW! She took a "before" picture, which I will post later. She thinks I am a good candidate and thinks HealthPartners will not have a problem approving the procedure. I have to lose at least 16 lbs. before they will schedule surgery. I can do it!!! When I got home I called and scheduled my 4 psych eval appointments all before the end of September. My required dietician appointment is Sept. 3. By the end of Septemeber they should have all the info to send to HealthPartners and then I sit and wait for my approval call to schedule the surgery.

It seems like so much progress for just the first week... but with my wonderful husband and doctor's support, I know I can do this... for me, for my kids... I'm filled with hope right now!!!