223 lb Weight Loss.

Jun 01, 2010

First I would like to apologize to everyone for not keeping up with my profile as much as I should. So much has happened in my life since my very first surgery, May 31, 2005. So let me recap:

May 31st, 2005 - ROUX EN Y Gastric by Pass Surgery Lapriscopically. I weighed 378lbs.

June 8, 2005 - Complications. Emergency Surgery. Laperotomy.

September 22, 2005 - Husband leaves me for a woman who leaves her marriage of 4 months. Grieving leads to depression. Depression leads to counselling and agoraphobia (not wanting to leave the house) Very slow weight loss as I went back to some old eating habits. I just didn't care. I was hurt. I was angry, sad, ashamed, sick, scared and overwhelmed.

September 2007/08 - I'm still grieving but I am eating better. I go to College. I take Administrative Assisting. I passed with a diploma. I'm seeing a private counsellor.

January 2009- I start to talk with a guy through an internet dating site even though I am still waiting for surgery & waiting to lose more weight. We talked for 3 months

February 2008 - 160 lbs lost. I still have the apron of fat so it's very hard to see my weight loss in the mirror. I go to a work term as part of the College Course. I'm always very nervous and shy around new people. Because I don't know how they will see me. I do a Woman’s Group of Counselling for 11 weeks also. I'm at a stand still because the apron of fat prevents me from being as active as I would like to be.

March 31 2008 - I start my new job! My career! Operations Manager.

March 5th, 2009 - I meet the man in person that I have been talking to via the telephone. He accepts me before the surgery.

March 26, 2009 - 183 lbs lost. Surgery day! Panniculectomy Procedure. My surgeon removes 20lbs of access skin. Yikes! And yes even in my before & after pictures, I still had that apron of fat. I guess I could hide it quite well.

March 27th - Home again. In home care nurses visit every day. Twice a day. It was a long recovery. 2 months off of work. I was losing weight during the recovery time, but not exactly sure how much. I had two drainage tubes in each leg. 78 staples and some stitching on the inside. Complications arise. I had an open wound that did not heal. The wound was under my belly button and above my pelvis. The smell was bad because there was infection and dead tissue. The tissue in the wound was green & yellow. I cried a lot because of the smell. The nurses were constantly cleaning it with a tube & syringe as well as packing it with this silver material. I end up going to emergency every 4 hours for intravenous medication. Doesn't help. I'm recommended to a local surgeon. I have to have corrective surgery.

April 2009- Still healing and my new boyfriend is visiting & taking care of me. He's so wonderful.

July 8th, 2009 - I had corrective surgery. My surgeon told me that he has never seen anything like it. He told me that he pretty much gave me a mini tummy tuck after removing a fist full of dead tissue that he sent away to be analyzed for cancer. Luckily it wasn't cancer. It was just rotted & dead tissue that was causing me to be septic. I had one more drainage tube and 10 needed stitches. It took another month to heal from that.

August 2009 - I went on my first vacation. I went to the beaches wearing bathing suits without a top & shorts to cover my weight. I'm very active since healing fully from both surgeries. I can't believe how much easier it is to move. I've bought tons of cute panties & thongs. I'm so happy!

Today it is June 1st - I'm fully healed. I have lost a total of 223 lbs. Everything that I wore last summer is too big this year. I'm between a size 12 & 14. I'm no longer in plus size clothing and I shop in the normal sections of the department stores. I can wear short shorts. I love who I am today. I'm living with my wonderful guy, Matthew. And he accepts me for who I am.

Also waiting to have another surgery to fix my pelvis.

Still for all I'm happy for the first time in such a long time. When I was waiting for weightloss surgery. I felt like there was no start date in sight and that I would be over weight forever. Now, looking back at 5 years ago, that feels like no time at all. So my advise is to be patient and take one day at a time. It does get better!