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I know I havent been here for a while but so much has changed since the last time I saw you guys!

Surgery was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Not long after my surgery I ate something I shouldnt have...eggs with cheese. HUGE mistake!!  I am still having trouble with my eyes being bigger than my stomach LITERALLY. Sometimes I allow food to trick me but Im gradually getting better at eating. 

For those of you that dont know, I had surgery on Feb 1, 2010. My starting weight was 358 lbs. As of today I am currently 283 lbs. SHUT UP!!! Can you believe it? Im so excited about it. Well...I have an appointment at the gym at 8 so I have to get going but I have so much to tell you and pics to post. I'll come back a little later.

See yall in a few!

Whew....

I thought this was going to be easier than it is. It's really hard to drink the amount of water that they want you to. I'm constantly sipping and its never really enough. The gas is virtually gone (which is fantastic!) That was some of the worst pain EVER! When they pulled the drain tube out of my tummy when I was being released that eased quite a lot of discomfort too. That tube was about a foot long and that sucker hurt!

I'm breathing in the little Air thing to make sure my lungs are open and clear and I'm doing my leg exercises regularly. The sodium free broth is disgusting but an ounce or two of it is tolerable. I'll make it work. I have found that sugar free peach jello is my favorite thing to eat in these first stages. Well, that's all I have to report but if your coming up on your surgery date and you have questions, just ask. Also....if you have had the surgery and you have any words of advice or any suggestions, please drop me a line or two.

Thanks,

Brandi

Well first I will say HI to all you guys. I know I have been gone for a while but since the last time I posted sooo much has happened in my life. For the bad stuff...

On Christmas Eve we had to call 911 because my great grandma Nora was having complications. We found out a year ago that she had cancer but we don't know how long she had it. Well she was doing fine on Christmas Eve in the ER but on January 1, 2010 she passed away. Her birthday was December 31st and we bought gifts and balloons and my little cousin sang happy birthday to her. We had no idea that we would not get to say goodbye. It was tough. We buried her on January 6, 2010 and that was one of the hardest  days of my life. I am finally doing better and am able to talk more about it so I thought I would come here to express myself. Most of you guys give me great feedback and your genuinely sweet and caring. I need that right now

Now for the good news....

MY SURGERY IS SCHEDULED FOR 2-1-2010!!!!!!!

Its scheduled so far in advance because I have to sleep with the CPAP machine for two weeks prior to surgery  I was hoping that I could have it sooner...while my mom was here. She flew in from the Middle East (where she lives for the next 3 yrs) for my grandma's funeral and she's here until the 28th. My doctor decides he wants to go on vacation the last week in January so I'm stuck with Feb 1st. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to finally have a date set but....darn I wanted it sooner. Anyway...any advice or tips you guys can give me to get me started on my journey, I greatly accept.

OH!! And my doctor to my that I have a "fatty liver" so the most weight I can lose before surgery the better. Uuuugh this is gonna be tough! 

OK guys...get this.... I JUST GOT THE CALL FROM MY DOCTORS OFFICE....I WAS APPROVED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY FOR SURGERY! Its the best thing that has happened to me all year. I just have to sit down for a minute to just thank God for this blessing he has bestowed upon me!

*::::*moment of silence*::::*

I'M SO HAPPY!!!


OK so I need advice...lots and lots of advice. I'm having gastric bypass and I know there are plenty of you who have had the surgery and have gone on to do fabulous things. Please (as the newbie) I am asking for any advice that you all can give to me. I will be very grateful!

Everything is happening so fast. I found out that I was borderline diabetic, had an under-active thyroid, and have high blood pressure. It all freaked me out and I decided to visit "my last resort" option which was surgery. Ive never had any kind of surgery so this was a HUGE decision for me to make. I knew I had to do something because to me, these health issues are not small issues. I decided on weight loss surgery because of these health reasons but as I continued to do research I thought about the physical side of having surgery. I would have the potential to lose tons of weight. Then the overall ideal became concrete to me. Ive always been the big girl with a pretty face. I've always been proportioned well so I rarely got picked on. Never really met a man that wouldn't date me (based on my weight) but I never really felt comfortable in my own skin. I cross my arms over my stomach, I wear a cardigan over almost everything, I sit in the back row whenever possible, and I tend to be over zealous and "the life of the party" to take attention off of my weight insecurities. So...to continue with the beginning steps of surgery. Dr. Enochs was suggested to me by a co-worker who happened to have stomach issues and had a surgery performed by one of his partners. I called and I was at the seminar the next night. It all seemed so clear to me at the time. This is what I needed to do or else with a BMI over 50, it would be almost impossible to get down to what  I needed to be. I knew it was time so I scheduled my consultation with Dr. Enochs and he was able to answer all of my questions (and believe me there were PLENTY!) I immediately began taking the necessary pre-surgery tests, labs, and consults. I thought I would never get through that but I took my last test which was a sleep study last week. Side note: during that sleep study I found out that I stopped breathing numerous times while sleeping. THAT freaked me out. I let myself get to this point and if I don't change now, its going to kill me. I'm sure of it. Back to what I was saying before: So, I took my last test and now its just the waiting game. Will my insurance approve me? That's what I'm waiting to hear. Ive had my GI clearance, I'm good psychologically, and I have my nutritional facts at my finger tips. I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready! I'm ready for change, I'm ready to live my life and love my life, I'm ready to be comfortable in the skin I am in!

I don't know yet when my surgery is, but I will definitely post it because I'm going to need people and support through this process. Any encouraging words or words of advice you can give, I will greatly accept. Thank you so much for reading my blog. It feels good to write out my innermost feelings to not be judged.

-Brandi (The fat girl with the pretty face)