wlsurvivor
3/16/04 : This surgery has been great for me so far! I experienced little pain and I have had no vomitting or dumps at all. I am walking 1.5 miles a day two weeks post op and feel great! I did everything they told me to do and I had a really good experience. I have lost 26 pounds so far!
05/01/04 - It has now been two months since I had surgery. I have lost 50 pounds!! I feel really good and have rejoined my water aerobics class, returned to work a month ago, walk 2 miles a day and can eat most everything. Potatoes, bread and pasta don't go down very well, so I just stay away from them. My iron is a little low so I am now on iron and vitamin C to help with the absorption. I thank God every day for this surgery and would do it again in a heartbeat!
5/30/04 - Wow, I am now walking three miles a day and still taking water aerobice three times a week. I just called and made my first shrink appointment with a counselor who specializes in relationships with food. I am not experiencing hunger yet, but have been told by many in my support groups that it will happen by the eighth month. I want to be prepared so I don't fall back into my old problems with food. My weight loss as of today is 65 pounds! Can you believe it????
07/31/04 - Wow. Here I am at 5 months post-op tomorrow! This has been an incredible journey so far! I have now lost 87 pounds! I haven't had any complications or problems eating or drinking. Sugar, which I have only eaten once by mistake, made me sick. I have never thrown up but have felt uncomfortably stuffed before. I try to pace my eating to avoid that feeling! I do not eat pasta, potatoes and very little bread anymore. It sticks when it goes down, so I just stopped eating these things (except cornbread, which is crumbly enough to go down). I am walking three miles a day and taking water aerobics three times a week. My doctor has now taken me off of all medications except one puff daily of an asthma inhaler. So, no more high blood pressure, high cholesterol or acid reflux medications and I no longer sleep with a CPAP machine! My hair hasn't fallen out and my skin isn't too saggy yet. I took vitamins daily for about 6 months before my surgery and I ate lots of protein for the couple of months prior so maybe that is why I have experienced little hair loss. I am seeing a psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders and she is helping me to learn why I eat emotionally. I don't want to fall back into old patterns! I also attend five different support group meetings and that has helped me tremendously! I thank God every day for this surgery and how it is changing my life.
8/19/04 - It has now been 5 1/2 months and I have lost 94 pounds! Only 6 more to get to the Century Club! I am now off of all medications! I can walk three miles a day and take water aerobics three days a week. I feel so much better! I hope to lose 70 more pounds, if that is even possible. If my BMI was to be the ideal 24, I would actually have to lose about 75 more pounds. The doctor "guaranteed" that I would lose 65% of my excess body weight. I began at 320. I now weigh 226. the 65% mark would be 204. So, I am hopefull that I will at least be able to lose another 22 pounds. Anything above that is gravy! I have joined five support groups in my area and I am seeing a psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders. She has helped me tremendously to understand why I eat to comfort my emotions. I am so happy!
09/04/04 - I have now lost 96 pounds. Things have slowed down alot. I am seeing a psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders and she is helping me to discover why I compulsively overate in the past so I won't repeat the same behaviors again. I feel so much better!
2/10/05 - Gee, I haven't posted here in a long time! My weight loss is now at 112 pounds. I feel so blessed to have lost as much as I have. I don't think I could have done it without the support of all the other WLS patients and related support groups in my area! I attend one educational support group meeting a month, one social support group meeting each month, a weekly exercise class with other WLS patients and a personal trainer to whip us into shape, a WLS 5 week workshop sponsored by Fair Oaks Hospital run by the bariatric educational nurse and the dietitcian. We also meet at the local mall for walks during the week and we are arranging to all go see the White House in December all decorated for Christmas! We have two Yahoo Group Bulletin Boards set up for support and they publish a monthly newsletter for all of us, too. Can you believe all that support??? The hospital is trying to get their Center of Excellance rating for their Bariatric Department and one of the criteria is to maintain contact with at least 75% of all gastric bypass patients five years from their surgery date. They understand that support groups it the way to accomplish this goal. I feel so lucky to live close enough to participate in all the programs they have to offer.
About Me
Before & After
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