Kelly S.

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Today is my two year surgiversary!  I can't believe that it's been two years since I had the surgery that both physically and mentally changed my life forever.  I am happy to report that I have maintained my weight loss.  I checked this morning just be sure, but I still weigh in at 149.  I pretty much hover around 150 give or take 2 pounds.  I would start to be concerned if I exceeded 153.  I'd say that my tool still works - I have difficulty eating sweets and still have intake restrictions preventing me from overeating.  I think that those two preventions are key in my maintenance.  If I were to not have the nausea with sweets or the limits on intake, I would not have been able to maintain this extraordinary weight loss on my own.  I do have to improve on my vitamins, though.  I was lazy with keeping up on my vitamins and had both an iron and vitamin e deficiency.  I hope to get more diligent with those now.  Also, I'd like to get in some exercise as well.   haven't had a lot of time to devote to it and I think it would help both my muscle tone (or lack thereof) as well as mental clarity.  I did have a physical situation regarding my WLS.  In November, I got the flu.  Pretty standard stomach virus.  But, with throwing up, etc. I irritated my stomach lining quite badly.  I wound up suffering back bad pain that I couldn't correlate to anything.  But, it was symptoms similar to ulcered colitis.  They didn't know how to treat me in the hospital.  So, even though I was still in a lot of pain, I left.  I went home on some ulcer medication and followed up with a gastric specialist.  I had a scope and an MRI done.  They couldn't find anything.  Which is good of course, but frustrating that no one can diagnose you.  So, we treated it as an ulcer and I continue to take Prilosec and Carafate as a precaution.

My personal life has been crazy for the past year.  I moved out on my own with the boys.  We rent half of a double about 4 miles from my Mom's.  I had the illness in November that decimated my Thanksgiving holiday.  My boys were with their father for Christmas.  I almost lost my job in January.  I had several financial setbacks in March and May especially. The summer was busy - trying to keep the boys active/entertained.  We did a few trips to Sesame Place, Knoebels, and Wildwood Crest, NJ.  We did lots of park and pool days and even attempted camping once.  And they started school this past week.  My oldest is a kindergarten-er now!  My divorce is almost final.  All the terms have been agreed to finally and we are just working on the court to execute the divorce decree.  I won't lie - it's been an uphill battle.  But. I think I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the very long, dark, lonely tunnel. I can't wait for my post next year.  Hopefully, it'll be way more optimistic and progressive!  But, as long as I'm on the right road, I don't care if it's a bit windy and desolate.  Take care!

Kelly

September 3, 2009 I had the life-changing experience of gastric bypass surgery.  One year later, I can't even begin to tell you how different my life has become.  At my heaviest, I weighed 281 pounds.  I have maintained a weight of 156 pounds for the past several months making my weight loss from the surgery approximately 96 pounds.  I was aiming for 100 pounds to at least be able to say I lost 100 pounds, but I cannot complain about my success at all.  I was a 22/24 for several years and am now a 10/12.  I feel wonderful and can pretty much eat/drink anything I could prior to the surgery.  In January, I left my husband of 7 years with my two little ones.  I now live with my Mother and am planning on moving to my own place this fall.  In June, I started a wonderful job in my field and am working towards advancing my career with the opportunities that the position provides.  I have almost finalized my divorce and have dated a few guys who have no idea that I used to be morbidly obese.  I will update later, but wanted to log in and acknowledge this date as it is such a significant anniversary in the story of my life. 

Well, today is my 6 month surgiversary. I can't believe it! I still am in awe by the surgery and the impact that's it's had on my life, health, self-esteem, and well being.  I honestly still can't believe I had it done.  I had some bumps in the road to start out with - 2 strictures/upper endoscopies.  But, all things considered, I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I went from a size 22/24 to a size 12.  I've lost 82 pounds and lots of inches especially from my waist, bust, and hips.  It is SO great shopping for clothes now.  To have such a variety in any store you want to visit is just unreal.  I actually had some difficulty at first - I've shopped exclusively at Lane Bryant for so many years that I didn't even know which stores to look in!  I feel really good - I do need to up my exercise.  Regarding my personal life, I have moved out from my husband and my children and I are now living with my Mom 6 hours away.  I am actually getting ready to go Pittsburgh to take the kids for a visit with their Father for a few days.  I'm looking forward to some much needed quiet time and relaxation.  I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Quinlan on Friday as well.  I just want to say that if you are contemplating the surgery, from my experience, the benefits FAR outweigh the risks.  There's something to be said for quality of life and it's just something that you can't put a pricetag on.  Being happy and self-confident is extermely important, especially to the women out there.  Being obese will cause you to make decisions based on low self-esteem and feeling hopeless.  I would know - I stayed in a marriage far too long knowing that my weight would greatly impact my ability to find love and I'm better off staying in an abusive situation for the sake of "being married" than being fat and alone.  Who would want me?  I feel empowered and although I haven't chased all of my demons yet, I feel that having the WLS has given me a fighting chance to take back my life and be proud of who I am.  Take care and thanks for reading!

Today, November 3rd is my 2 month surgiversary.  A lot has changed in 2 months, that's for sure.  I had some issues in the beginning that caused a big delay in me adopting the habits for success with WLS.  I wasn't able to eat properly and it affected everything else including my vitamin intake, exercise (or complete lack thereof), and fluid intake.  Since my EGD on 10/22, I have had a HUGE turnaround.  I can eat, have finally started taking ALL of my vitamins, and I've joined a gym!  I've gone 2-3 times a week since joining and I am really enjoying it.  It sure beats the mundane "walk around the block".  Also, this past Sunday, I went out shopping.  I was having some serious clothing issues - especially with pants.  I only had sizes 22 and 20.  I didn't know what to do since I don't want to buy a ton of clothes that may be obsolete in 2 months.  So, I went to a big sale at JCPenney's and was able to shop in the "regular" section!?!?  I can't remember the last time I didn't head straight to the "Women's" department!  I was being hopeful when selecting a pair of size 18 jeans.  When I tried them on, they were too big!!!  I got a size 16 (well, two pairs actually ).  I can't even remember the last time I wore a size 16 - had to be in college.  And I bought some sweaters/long sleeved tops in XL and L! 

I am just shy of losing 50 lbs (49 so far) and I weigh 200.8 (so close to ONEderland!)  I know I weigh less than when I got married, so my next milestone will be around 185.  I know that is what I weighed in college - I once told a friend and he was like no way!  So, that number kind of sticks out in my head.  I feel like I am just now getting on track with my RNY - I am looking forward to seeing family for Thanksgiving and hear their comments.  It is very encouraging to hear the compliments and know that they are sincere.

Also, on a personal note, my husband and I have decided to divorce.  Things have been pretty tense since we made the decision, but hopefully once we get the papers filed things will lighten up.  Since I am not working, we are all living together during the divorce until I can find work and support myself and my children.  It is going to be a lot of change all at once, but I am looking forward to being happy again.  I will update soon!  Thanks for visiting my blog!

Well, a few weeks after surgery, I have to admit hat I wasn't loving my RNY...  I kept having these "episodes" - extreme discomfort followed by vomiting.  It was always pretty random, too.  I thought that I wasn't chewing my food enough, or maybe it was too dry, etc.  But, then it would happen with soup!  I began to get concerned that this was permanant and would be a consequence of the RNY that  would have to deal with the rest of my life.  I became afraid to eat and actually started eating only once a day to avoid any incidents.  I wasn't taking my vitamins or drinking all of my fluids.  There was no way I was getting close to enough protein in. So, I had my 2nd post-op follow up on Friday, October 16th and told Dr. Quinlan about my experience.  He said that it wasn't normal (thanks goodness!) and that I should have an upper-endoscopy to widen the path into my intestine.  He said that it just needed to be dialated slightly and that I would have instant relief.  Although I may have to have several treatments, it is something that can be resolved and does not require a revision.

So, I had my endoscopy yesterday.  They preform it at an outpatient center.  The worst part was the IV!  I arrived at 8:00am and was ready to be picked up at 9:40am.  The procedure itself only takes about 10 minutes and they give you a twilight sedation so you are not totally asleep, but exteremly relaxed.  I was not awake during it. The surgeon who performed my endoscopy said that there was some narrowing and that he did expand it to one size (they have 3 different sizes that they inflate the "balloon").  He said that this may be the only session I need or I may have to return a few more times until it is adjusted appropriately.  But, he said in all cases that they have been able to permanently repair this in RNY patients.

I could immediately tell a difference.  I feel wonderful today and I'm not afraid to eat anymore!  I had 1/2 of a chicken salad sandwich (sans bread) yesterday for lunch - it was like manna from heaven (as my mother would say).  I even had some meatloaf, veggies, and mashed potatoes for dinner!  I'm taking all of my vitamins today and am keeping track of my protein for the first time since my RNY!  I am really relieved to feel better - it's amazing how much better you feel when you're eating and drinking properly.  Your energy increases as well as your general mood.  Anyways, I'm down 43 lbs since my first appointment and am hoping to be in ONEderland by Thanksgiving (only 6 more lbs to go!) 

I had my surgery - a Lap RNY on September 3rd, 2009 at 9:00am at UPMC St. Margaret's in Aspinwall.  Dr. Robert Quinlan from Pittsburgh Bariatrics was my surgeon.  My experience was alright - what you would expect from a surgery stay in a hospital.  I will admit that there were a few things immediately following surgery that I wasn't prepared for: my clear liquid diet for the first week post op included 4 daily "calorics" - I could have regular jello or a regular popscicle.  I also had chicken broth and ice water a lot.  One week after surgery, I had my check-up with the surgeon and was advanced to Pase 2.  I would say that Phase 2 - the mushy stage - has been the worst so far. Also, about 2 weeks after surgery, I took off my steri strips - I had 4 incisions for the laparscopic sites and one small incision for my drain (which was another story altogether...).  The 4 sites that had the steri strips were curling up and starting to fall off.  So, I removed them all.  Well, the next day, I had a horrible, red-blistered, extremely itchy, rectangular rash at all 4 sites.  It lasted for 14+ days and is finally getting cleared up one month after surgery.   I believe that the rash was more painful than the incisions itself!  The pain was the worst for the first week and I stopped taking the Roxicet on day 9.  I do get a little sore every now and then, but it feels more like a bruise or a pulled muscle. 

This phase of the diet has been very difficult for me.  I find myself not really eating or drinking anything due to the fact that dry items get stuck (and it's gotta be up there with the most painful things when it does get stuck) and that I can't handle eating another scrambled egg.  I'm mainly having issues with chicken - doesn't mattered if it's mashed, pureed, etc. - it seems to keep getting stuck.  I've had the most luck with cottage cheese, soup, super skim milk, applesauce, and yogurt.  Also, fish is good - especially crab - it's so soft.  I haven't had any issues eating those items.  My weight loss was huge the first 3 weeks - almost 8lbs a week.  The last 2 weeks it has tapered off to 3 lbs a week.  I have honestly not been exercising either, so I know that I have to start doing better in that regard.  In one month + one week (since the first day of my fast prior to surgery), I have lost 30 lbs! 

I am optimistic and just have to adapt to this new lifesyle.  It is hard - I'd love to eat some pizza, wings w/ blue cheese, or a big greasy cheeseburger with onion rings.  I don't think that those cravings will end overnight.  Right now, I'd settle for eating a salad or even a bowl of turkey chili.  But, that will come in time, I suppose.  I'll update in another month.

Well, I have officially graduated!  On Monday, July 6th, I completed my 6-month dieting requirement.  It seems like it took forever, but the 6 months is finally up!  The past 3 weeks have been exciting as well.  I finally completed my re-scheduled psych eval on June 23rd.  So, all of my pre-op testing has been completed.  Also, on the Pittsburgh WLS Group on Yahoo!, I discovered that Dr. John Means, my surgeon, has left Pittsburgh Bariatrics and the continential U.S.!  He apparently had a birthday and decided that he was young, unmarried, and working too hard and moved o Alaska!  I didn't get a letter or anything notificaion in the mail or by phone! I was grateful for that online group!  Anyway, I dicussed it with Abby at Pittsburgh Bariatrics and I will get moved over to Dr. Quinlian whom I have never even met.  It will be interesting!  I went to the Pittsburgh Bariatrics Support Group on June 30th in order to attend their protein and supplement fair.  I tasted a lot of different products and was able to take a few home as well.  The next day I got a message from the support group stating that I had won their door prize! It is a basket filled with bottle of supplements, protein shakes, vitamin water, a water bottle, Splenda, a Pittsburgh Bariatrics T-Shirt and lots of other goodies!  I was so excited - I never win anything!  I interpret all of these good omens as signs that my WLS was the right decision and is meant to be.  I just have to wait to hear from the office in the next couple weeks regarding a surgery date (YEAH!) 

I scheduled ALL of my pre-op testing on one day - Upper GI, Liver U/S, Chest X-Ray, EKG, Bloodwork, and Psych Eval.  This way, my husband only had to take off one day of work to watch the kids for me.  My appointments started at 7:30am at St. Clair Hospital.  I got pre-registration calls and appointment confirmations the day before so everything was all set.  While I was getting dressed from my 8:30am Upper GI, I noticed my phone had lit up.  I checked it and there was a missed call from a number I didn't know.  I was pretty sure that it would be bad news... I had to wait until I was leaving the hospital before calling to check my VM since there was NO reception while in the hospital.  When I called, as I already deduced, it was a message from the receptionist at the Psych's office canceling my appointment.  Disappointed, I called them back to see if there was anything I could do TODAY.  Can I come in later? No Can I see another doctor in the office/practice? No Can I re-schedule for an evening appointment? No If I do a 1:30pm re-schedule, can I bring my children? Only if someone comes with you to watch them. (Ok, If I had someone to watch them, do you think I would bring them to sit in the waiting room with me? Really??) SO, I was S.O.L. I was so aggravated! I was going to have everything done - awaiting for my July 6th graduation from the 6-month dieting sessions.  Oh well! Nothing you can do, is there?  I was thinking, though, this doctor charges you $150 is you cancel same-day or are a no-show... Should I ask him when I'll be getting my check in the mail?!  I really am ticked about it (can't you tell ?)  So, that's my situation.  I'm going to try to schedule with another office, but most likely I will wind up re-scheduling with the flaky psychologist at the end of June when my Mom will be visiting.  On a personal note, I feel that the psych eval is the biggest scam/unnecessary component of the pre-operative testing.  It is a time-hog.  And I know once I complete the psych eval, the doctor will take his/her sweet time completing his report and faxing it to Dr. Means office.  Believe me, if they want to see a crazy person, just cancel an appointment on me again! I'll go coo-coo!!!    

I wanted to blog a status update since I haven't done one since February.  I have been to 2 of my dietitian group sessions as of this past Monday April 6, 2009.  5 of the people in my group 'graduated' and were moving on to their surgeries.  I wish I were one of them.  Unfortunately for me, I have gained weight at both of my weigh-ins thus far.  I guess my attitude towards the 6-month required diet and life in general is starting to show.  My home life is distressed at best and is really affecting my mood and ambition towards everything, including the surgery.  I thought that I could shrug it off and just deal with my adversarial relationship with my spouse, but things continue to get worse.  I never realized how much I needed support in my life before I was so long without it.  Whenever I am with other family or friends, I am speechless as to the unsolicited understanding and compassion that I receive from them for being a hard-working wife and mother.  It makes me so sad to hear my friends talk about their husbands and how they randomly brought them flowers or came home from work and took the kids for a few hours and suggested they take a break.  Just hearing that they put the kids to bed and cuddled on the couch to watch a movie makes me want to burst into tears.  I don't feel that I will ever have that intimacy with my husband.  After I slave over dinner, he can't even so much as get me a glass of water when I sit down at the table without an eye roll and heavy, annoyed sigh of aggravation.  I just don't feel that I can go much lower in my emotions (or lack of emotions, for that matter).  I know that this blog is about my weight loss surgery journey, but I just don't have an outlet to vent my frustrations and disappointment with my marriage anywhere else.  I can't talk to my friends due to embarrassment and I can't divulge the degree of hostility to family for fear that they would constantly worry about me and have bad feelings towards my husband.  I guess I feel pretty confident that no one will read this so I can be honest and empty my thoughts for my own therapeutic needs.  Oh well - sorry to vent anyone that came to read about my journey.

As far as my 6-month diet, I've decided that on Monday, April 13, 2009 - I am going full speed ahead with getting back on track.  That will give me 3 full weeks to lose at least 3 or 4 pounds before my next weigh in on May 4, 2009. I hope to be back to my initial weight at my consult appointment if not 1 or 2 pounds below it.  I fear that without progress in this 6-month probation period that they may have grounds to refuse me as a patient.  The dietitian did ask me who my insurer was while I was standing on the scale, so I know that her mind is rolling and she is thinking about whether or not to move me forward as a candidate.  So, I'm going to get serious starting Monday.  I'll cut out sweets & soda (my 2 biggest problem areas) and I will start walking every day - even if it's just around the block for 15 minutes.  I hope that those changes in  my habits will at least net me 3 pounds of weight loss - 1 lb/week.  I will update to let you know how it goes.  Thanks for visiting my blog and best wishes on your own journey and weight loss success!    

  Kelly

I had my initial consultation on Monday, February 16th at Pittsburgh Bariatrics at UPMC St. Margaret.  Fortunately, I changed my appointment to a holiday so that my husband could stay home and watch the children.  It took me 1 hour to get there from my house, 3 hours for the appointment, and then another hour to drive back.  With 2 kids under 3, I never would have survived!  My appointment was at 9:00am and I was schedule to meet Dr. John Means who also lead the information seminar I attended on January 22nd.  I was in the waiting room until 9:30am and then I was brought back to meet with the Dietitian.  I got on the scale and received my initial height and weigh measurements before moving to her office.  We then reviewed the information packet that I mailed in and talked about weight loss prior to surgery and eating habits after surgery.  We made some goals for the next 6 months, which is the recommended time frame for their pre-operative diet. (NOTE: When I spoke to BC/BS, they indicated that there was no preliminary diet requirement for authorization, so I believe that it is a Pittsburgh Bariatrics policy although they would lead you to believe that it was the insurance provider.)  After signing up to attend their in-house dietitian sessions for the next 6 months, she provided me with my "homework".  I am to:
                       o Keep a food journal
                       o Exercise 10 minutes/day for 3 days/week  
                       o Stop drinking with my meals and immediately prior to eating
                       o Get into the habit of eating protein first at meals
                       o Start gradually eliminating soda from my diet

I have to admit that I was surprised that it was so lenient and not abrupt with change.  I assume that they feel a gradual approach will lead to long-term success rather than a severe behavior change at the outset.

So, from there I was to meet with Dr. Means.  I got into the Exam Room around 10:23am and didn't see Dr. Means until about 11:30am.  It was a long wait in a white-walled room with no periodicals.  Anyway, I did get to see him and he reviewed my chart and asked me about my health history and support system (which I informed him was lacking at the moment - but, that's a different post for another time).  He asked me which procedure I was interested in which is the RNY.  I explained that I had more than 100 pounds to lose and I also have a huge sweet tooth, so the Adjustable Band probably wouldn't be the best fit for me personally.  He agreed and told me everything looked good so far and that he'd see me in 6 months for my pre-op work up.

I then met with the scheduler who gave me all of my scripts and information for the various pre-op evaluations prior to surgery.  Most are the same as I've seen in the past with 2 exceptions:
                       o Chest X-Ray
                       o Liver Ultrasound (no gallbladder req'd since mine has been removed)
                       o Psychology Evaluation
                       o Upper GI (new to me since my first attempts)
                       o Blood work (TSH and H-Pylori)
                       o EKG
                       o Letter from PCP (new to me, although in the past I needed a referral, so same concept) 

After I complete my medically-supervised diet on 7/6/09 along with the list of above reqt's, I will receive a surgery date after which I will have to complete another set of tests req'd by the hospital prior to surgery.  She also told me that a few of the pre-req's expired after 6 months (like the EKG and Chest X-Ray), so I will wait a bit before doing those req's.

So, in a nutshell, I'm on my way (again!).  My next appt is for my first dietitian evaluation on March 2nd.  I think after that appt, I'll start making appts for the list above.  Based on the initial consultation, the 6-month diet, and the list above, I'm looking at a September-October surgery date.  The holidays will be interesting!