05/08/12 - 9 years and counting.  Feeling great physically.  My weight held steady at 145 for 7 1/2 years.  In the last 6 months, I've put on 20 pounds.  I attribute that to depression and missing my husband who has been in the middle east since 2009. Thankfully, he will be home for good in the next 6 months.  Trying to regain control so I don't gain anymore.  I don't mind my weight.  I actually like the curves I have now, but I need to get back into my clothes.  So right now, the focus is getting enough of this 20 off to get back into my size 8s.

05/08/11 - Friday marked my 8 year anniversary.  Feeling so blessed, and enjoying life so much.

05/07/10 - Yesterday was my 7 year anniversary.  Wow how time flies after surgery.  My life has changed so much, and I am so grateful for every day and every experience that I have.  Can't wait to see what the next 7 years bring.

03/13/10 -  I came back to the site for the first time in a while yesterday after receiving several mails from other members.  I didn't realize how long I had been away until I looked at the date on my last entry.  Since losing weight, I've just been so wrapped up in living this new life.  I guess that's not a bad thing, but I've realized I should visit and share on the forums more often to potentially help some of those who are not as far out as I am.  Life is still great.  My boys are growing like weeds.  My husband has been in Afghanistan for 6 months now.  He was home for a visit in January, which was great.  Work and kids keep me pretty busy these days.

11/04/09 - I logged on to read a message someone left me, and I realized it had been over a year and a half since I had added any comments to my profile.  I'm still doing great.  My weight is holding steady, and I'm experiencing things in life I never thought I could when I was heavy.  I'm enjoying running after my boys (now 4 and almost 2).  They definitely make it easy to keep my weight down.  My husband left for Afghanistan 2 months ago, so I've been a little down about that.  Thankfully, I haven't had any depression eating as of yet.  I'm trying to stay busy with other things so I don't fall back on food as my comforter.  My attitude towards food has definitely changed over the past 6+ years since surgery, but I am and always will be a food addict... a recovering addict, but still an addict.  For those considering surgery or waiting for surgery, feel free to drop me a line if you just need a friendly ear.

01/03/08 - It's another year and the weight is staying off. I gave birth to my second son 7 weeks ago on Nov. 14th. I had some severe vitamin deficiencies during pregnancy and had to be hospitalized but I made it through. My son has an abnormally large soft spot in the front and an extra soft spot in back of his head due to the vitamin issues, but he seems to be fine otherwise.

10/04/07 - I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated my profile. Life has been a whirlwind since the birth of my son. He's now 2 1/2. I'm 8 months pregnant with my second son. Boy do I hate being pregnant, but the end result is so worth. And since I couldn't even have kids before losing the weight, I'm not complaining. I have been blessed with these children and I appreciate every moment of it. My weight is staying off very well. I still fluctuate between 140 and 150 and I'm feeling really good.

01/29/06 - It has been ages since I posted. I am almost 21 months out and have lost a total of 219 pounds. I've gone from a size 32 to an 8. I haven't had any plastics done yet. I'm not having any physical or medical issues with the excess skin, so I may not end up having anything done. My baby boy is now almost 10 months old and is doing great. I'm also getting married in March. I can't believe that will be me walking down the aisle in a strapless size 8 wedding gown.

05/26/05 - My beautiful babyboy was born on April 5th. He weighed in at 4lbs 2oz and was 18 inches long. He was born 4 weeks early due to the IUGR (labor was induced at 36 weeks). He stayed in the NICU at the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks, but he is home now and is doing great. He's even up to 7lbs and is getting heavy. :-) I'm now down to 154 for a total of 205 lbs lost.

03/28/05 - I've now lost 190 lbs, 25 or so of that since I became pregnant. At 31 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with intrauterine growth retardation/slow fetal growth (IUGR). At 33 weeks, I was hospitalized for about a week (baby's weight was estimated at 3 1/4 lbs). Now I'm 35 weeks and I've been on total bedrest for almost 4 weeks. My doctor's are talking about inducing labor soon.

01/01/05 - Happy New Year! At 5 1/2 months pregnant, I'm still doing very well. We found out 2 days before Christmas that we're having a little boy. I still haven't gained any weight. I'm actually still losing. The baby appears to be growing normally though. My doctors have had me seeing a dietitian to try to get my calorie intake up. They've basically told me to reverse some of the things I did after surgery to lose weight(up the carbs, calories, and fat intake). I'm still struggling with eating though, so I'm just trying to make sure I get as much as I can down for the baby's sake. I am so looking forward to meeting my little boy. My ability to have children was questionable for many years, so I'm still amazed that this is even happening.

11/05/04 - I'm now 3 1/2 months pregnant and doing well. My due date has been moved to May 3rd. I don't have much of an appetite these days, so I'm struggling with eating. We heard the baby's heartbeat last week. That was really something. I'm starting to show a little, but my weight hasn't increased at all since I found out.

09/25/04 - I found out 2 weeks ago that I'm pregnant. It was quite a shock at first, but now that I'm over the initial shock, I'm very happy about it. For so long I was told that it might be very difficult for me to get pregnant, so this is definitely a blessing. This week I was told that my uterus is larger than it should be for a 9+ week pregnancy. It's possible that either I'm farther along than we calculated, or there's more than 1 baby. I'm having an ultrasound on Wednesday to find out which it is. Right now, my estimated due date is April 25, 2005.

08/25/04 - It's been quite a while since I last updated my profile. A lot has happened in my life over the past year or so. I'm almost 16 months out, and I've lost 170 lbs. My weight hasn't changed much over the past few months, so I think I'm stabilizing. I feel great, and I'm very happy with the way I look. I'm down to mostly size 14s and some 12/14s. I'm only 9 lbs from the goal I set at the beginning of my journey. I wanted to lose half my body weight. My doctor thought a goal of losing 179 lbs was a bit of a stretch, but I've almost made it. I figure after my plastics (need a little nipping and tucking), I'll be right around my goal. The arms, thighs, and stomach are definitely going to have to be done. I'm in no hurry. Thankfully I'm not suffering from the rashes and such that I hear others mention. So, I'll just save up and do it when I can.

03/27/04 - Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. I'm now 10.5 months out from my surgery. I've lost 142 lbs so far, and I've gone from a size 30/32 shirt and pant to a 14/16 shirt and 18 pant and some XLs. 18 more pounds and I'll be below 200 for the first time since I was 16 years old. Things are going very well for me. I'm able to eat a lot more now, so I'm having to make a conscious effort to not overdo it. So far so good. I seem to have more willpower now.

11/09/03 - Yes!!!! I made it to the century club. I stepped on the scale for my monthly weigh in and 100 lbs exactly. What a wonderful feeling. I've gone from a size 30/32 shirt and pants to a size 18/20 shirt and a 22 pant. I feel great. I can sit in an airplane seat without making the person next to me uncomfortable. I no longer need a seat belt extension when I fly. This has been the most amazing experience, and I am so thankful for all the weight I've lost.

09/03/03 - Well I'm down 76 lbs. There have been a lot of ups and downs lately. There's a new man in my life and things are great. Well I guess he's not really new, we've known each other for 3 years. At the same time, my father has been sick (battling pneumonia) since late July. He's back in the hospital, so I'm really concerned about that. I haven't been eating very well this week, but I'm trying to stay on track.

07/23/03 - Wow it's been a long time since I updated my profile. I am finally feeling better. It took about 6 weeks for me to start feeling decent again. Now I feel great. The weight loss has been slow though. I lost 40 lbs the first 4 weeks, and I've only lost 19 lbs in the past 7 weeks. I guess I can't complain too much. That's not too bad considering I didn't lose anything for 4 weeks. So, actually that's 19lbs in the past 3 weeks. I'm finally getting in my protein. Just 1 more pound until I'm under 300 for the first time in over 10 years. I can't wait to celebrate that accomplishment. I celebrated my 30th birthday on the 19th. This surgery was my gift to myself. I had hoped to lose more weight by my birthday, but hey 59 lbs is more than I've ever lost at one time.

05/25/03 - Well I have a new tale of drama. My first follow-up appointment was scheduled for Friday 5/23 at 3:30 pm. I was recovering at my parents house in NC. So we drove from NC to my house in GA and then flew to New Orleans. We then drove from New Orleans to Biloxi for the appointment. We get there and the receptionists tell me that the doctor is gone for the day. She says they left me a message at home (in GA) that morning telling me they had moved my appointment up. Can you say PISSED?!!! Then she tells me the nurse will talk to me. Oh hell no! I spent $1000 to travel there for this appointment, and there was no way I was going to just talk to a nurse. Anyway, after they realized how pissed I was, they got my doctor's partner to come in and examine me. He assisted with my surgery so I was ok with that. I just couldn't believe how non-chalant the receptionist and nurse were about the fact that the doctor was gone after I had traveled so far. Anyway, I got my exam and everything looks good. I still have to work on increasing my protein intake and my fluid intake. I'm down 27 pounds in the 2 1/2 weeks since surgery on 5/6...32 pounds from my highest weight and -17 inches. Hopefully, I'll have more energy soon.

05/19/03 - Well I've finally gotten around to updating my profile. I made it safely to the other side. My lap DS was on Tuesday May 6th. My surgery took about 4 hours. I stayed in the hospital 5 days. The first 2 days were by far the worst I've ever experienced. I think things could have been much better if the hospital staff hadn't been so unhelpful. There were a couple of nurses and a couple of nurses aides who were very friendly and helpful, but if my parents had not been there to help me, I would have been in a terrible position. Here's just a few of my complaints....everytime they nurses came into the room they had that "what do you want now" look on their faces, it took them an hour to come check the IV machine when it was beeping (not just once), it took 45 minutes for someone to come help me out of bed so I could go to the restroom, it took 3 and 1/2 hours to get pain medication, the nurses failed to tell me that the prescriptions I was given had to be filled at the hospital (so I had to go without pain medication for almost 3 days until I could get my PCP to rewrite the prescriptions), and I could go on... I'm just glad it's over. My surgeon and his staff are wonderful, but the hospital staff left much to be desired.

Anyway, I was released on Saturday 5/10. The drive back to GA was interesting. We only passed 2 rest stops in the whole state of Alabama, so we had to find other places to stop so that I could walk. A few days later we made it to my parent's house in NC. They had a recliner waiting for me. For the first time since surgery, I was able to experience some level of comfort. It's been almost 2 weeks now and I'm feeling much better. I go back to the doctor on Friday 5/23 for my three week follow-up. I'm not sure what the results will be. I'm having a lot of trouble getting in my protein drinks. I have to find something I can tolerate.

05/05/03 - Wow, I can't believe it's finally here. After all the months of anticipation, I'm only about 9 hours away from surgery. I have to be at the hospital by 5:30am. My surgery is scheduled to begin around 8am. I must say today was the most tiring day I've had in a long time. First I had all my pre-admit stuff at the hospital, where they put me in a room and forgot about me for almost an hour. Then I got to the surgeon's office and unfortunately he was tied up with something and arrived several hours late. Then just as he sat down to go over things with me, his pager went off and he had to race back to the O.R. I'm not complaining though, because if that had been me in the O.R., I would have wanted him to drop everything and come back for me too. I drank the bowel prep several hours ago. It has worked a little, but not like I would have expected. I've been on liquids all day, maybe that's why. Anyway, I'm going to try to get some rest. The next time I add to this page, I'll be post op! :)

05/02/03 - I had my pulmonary functions tests on Monday, and the technician said everything looked good. I got the official call from my surgeon's office on Thursday saying everything was a go. I'm heading off to Mississippi on Sunday, and my surgery is scheduled for Tuesday. I can't believe it. Only 3 days and a wake up. Earlier this week, I was on an emotional rollercoaster. The news of the loss of several site members last week really had me second guessing things. The more I thought about it, I realized the risks are the same as they are for so many other surgical procedures, and I am worth it. So I am putting it in God's hands. I know he will guide me through this.

04/25/03 - What a day today has been. I recently found out that one of my pre-op tests was missed. I had my testing over 2 weeks ago. Now here I am less than 11 days away from surgery and I have to get in another test. The doctor's office left me a voicemail this afternoon saying my test is scheduled for Wednesday April 30th. April 30th...that's only 6 days before my surgery. My ability to have surgery is riding on this test.

04/24/03 - Well turns out one of my pre-op tests was missed (the pulmonary functions test). It was on the sheet with all my other test, but it wasn't done when I was at the hospital 2 weeks ago. So I called my doctor's office to get them to order the test again. The lady I talked to had no idea what I was trying to tell her, so I asked her to have the doctor or his nurse call me back. Nothing. So this afternoon I talked to the coordinator at my surgeon's office. She called the doctor's office, and within 2 minutes she was calling me back saying they were scheduling the test and I should know when my appointment will be tomorrow. I don't get it. I waited all day for a response, and she was able to get action in 2 minutes. I guess I'm just a patient.

04/16/03 - It's official. I am being switched on May 6th. I am so happy. The parathyroid level turned out to be ok for now. I can't believe that I'm less than 3 weeks away. YEAH!!!

04/15/03 - Yesterday I found out that I could possibly have surgery on 4/29 or 5/6, but today I found out that my parathyroid hormone level is high. I'm not sure what the impact will be just yet. I'm supposed to hear back from my surgeons office tomorrow. I'm praying that my surgery won't have to be postponed.

04/13/03 - I've ordered several protein shake samples in the past few weeks, hoping to find something that I liked. After several pretty awful tasting shakes, I tried Real Meals. Finally something that I can tolerate. I just hope that I'll still like it once I'm post-op. I also tried the Detour bar. That is definitely the best tasting protein bar I've tried.

04/09/03 - I finished my pre-op testing today. I had an echocardiagram, gallbladder ultrasound, chest x-ray, and upper gi (yuck!!). All went well. Hopefully they'll get the results to my doctor quickly so I can get confirmation on my surgery date. Hopefully, I'll get a date in the next few weeks. Yea!!!

04/03/03 - Well I was finally able to start my testing today. My regular doctor couldn't see me until next week. When I heard that I was a little concerned, especially after it took her a week just to look at the fax from my surgeon. My surgeons office was great at helping me try to find another doctor in my area who could see me sooner. Funny thing is, the second time they called with a contact number, it was the number to my doctor's office. It hadn't even dawned on me that there were several other doctor's in the office who could do the same thing I was looking for her to do. I called yesterday afternoon, and got an 8am appointment for today. It went very well. They did all the tests that they could do inthe office (EKG and labs). I have to go to the hospital on Wednesday 4/9 to get my upper gi, echocardiogram, chest xray, and some pulmonary tests. Even though I have to wait a few days, I'll still be done with testing a day earlier than I would have had the original appointment with my doctor (4/10) if I had waited.

03/24/03 - I completed my pysch eval last Thursday night. The pyshcologist spread the evaluation out over 2 visits, so it took about a week to get through it. My experience with her was interesting, to say the least. The results were faxed to my doctor's office today, so we're moving forward with my blood tests, EKG, etc. Things are moving right along. Hopefully, I'll be able to post that I have a date soon.

03/14/03 - Had the interview portion of my pysch evaluation yesterday. It went very well. I have to go back for the testing portion next Thursday 3/20. It would have been nice to do everything in one visit, but that's ok.

03/04/03 - Well my pysch evaluation is scheduled for 3/13. I look forward to finding out that I'm sane. :-)

02/25/03 - I'M APPROVED!!! Received my letter yesterday. The letter was dated a week ago, so they approved in about a week. Now I get to have my psych eval and other pre op tests. Things are moving right along. Yea!

02/12/03 - I had my consultation in Mississippi on Monday 2/10. It went very well. I felt very comfortable with the staff and doctor. My first letter has been sent to the insurance company. So now I'm just waiting and hoping for a speedy approval.

01/29/03 - This is my first post documenting my journey. About 2 months ago, I decided to have weight loss surgery after much research and contemplation. Initially, I was considering gastric bypass, but I was very hesitant. Then one day while looking at the photo gallery on this site, I noticed that several people listed their procedure as duodenal switch. I was curious, so I started researching the duodenal switch. The more I researched, the more I knew this was the procedure for me. I was actually excited about a surgical procedure. Since my insurance was changing on Jan. 1, I had to wait until Jan. 2 to make any moves. I started researching doctors. There are very few doctors who perform the DS compared to the other procedures, and there are even fewer who perform it lap. Jan. 2, I contacted a doctor here in GA to schedule a consultation. I was told the waiting list was about 6 months long. So, I started researching other surgeons. I found South Mississippi Surgeons. I emailed their office on a Saturday, and I received a call on Monday. After several conversations with their staff over about a weeks time, I decided to schedule a consultation. My consultation date is Feb. 10, only 3 weeks from the time I decided to make the appointment...not bad compared to 6 months. It is much farther away (the GA doctor is only 45 minutes from where I live), but traveling to MS will allow me to move forward sooner. I will update after my consultation.

About Me
GA
Location
22.1
BMI
DS
Surgery
05/06/2003
Surgery Date
Dec 12, 2002
Member Since

Before & After
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May 2003
359lbs
March 2006 -214 lbs
145lbs

Friends 38

Latest Blog 1

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