cfreeman

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I feel great!  I have lost 100 pounds and now weigh 125. I walk every day and never get winded, I even run/job now and then because my body feels like it needs to move.  It is wonderful.

I'm still eating healthy and in small portions. I have added more fresh veggies to my diet and now eat sushi every chance I get, but I also eat a cookie now and then as a treat.  I'd love to eat an entire brownie.. but I think it would kill me!!   I do get hungry now, unlike the last time I posted when I didn't, and sometimes if I don't eat for a while my stomach will bother me and I find I NEED to eat quickly or I get heartburn.  Once I eat a little something I am fine and everything is normal.

I love shopping for clothes now because I can actually find things that fit me!  I must confess, I still shop at the Goodwill store because during the transition period I realized there are some great deals there and now I can't bear the thought of buying a shirt for more than $4! 

I have had no major problem since the surgery. A few times I have eaten too fast or too much and upset my stomach, and there have been a few foods I have found don't settle well, but other than that things have been smooth sailing!

My body has gotten "soggy" in places due to excess skin and someday I'd love to get that taken care of, but for now I'm really happy with who I am. I'm am glad I had the operation and am very pleased with the results. Dr. Benbrahim was fantastic and has continued to be a great doctor post-op. It was the best decision I ever made!

Post Op: 6 Weeks
Weight Lost:  35 pounds
Current Weight:  198

I am around 6 weeks out and doing good.  I have little desire to eat but am still thirsty all the time.  If given a choice I'd rather drink than eat.  I am finding it a struggle to get in all the protein I need but I drink 2 protein drinks a day (giving me a total of 46g protein) hoping that will make things okay.  I eat mostly meats and cheeses with some veggies and very little bread or rice.  Getting all the necessary things eaten when you only take in 6 ounces a day is quite a task and I do get frustrated by it sometimes.

I'm finding I never really have a "full" feeling after eating, but then again I pretty much eye the quantity of food I intake.  Only once after eating a small home-made cheeseburger (without bun) did I feel full.  I can only say there have been 2 or 3 times that I have actually felt hungry.  Usually I am not hungry and eat because I know I have to. Eating has never been so strange!  :-)

I have only had one problem since the operation and that was from eating melted non-fat cheddar cheese.  That stuff turns into plastic when melted!  So, it either got stuck or was just blocking the passage from stomach to intestines and only fluids could get through.  After almost 24 hours of not being able to eat anything I made myself vomit and got everything out of my system.  For the rest of that day I only drank fluids and ate a little soup. The next day everything seemed good and I have been able to eat without issue since then.

Physically I feel great.  I feel like I have lots of energy during the day but kinda get pooped out pretty early in the evening.  I think my body is still healing and so it is demanding its rest. I have been given the okay to exercise, now I just need to get moving but it is SOOOO cold outside that I don't want to do a lunchtime walk yet! I guess I'll have to break out the old Richard Simmons tapes!!!  LOL

My incisions are all healed up and the scars already seem to be shrinking.  The scar that I thought would be the worst was from where the drain was, but it has gotten very small and it won't be nearly as bad as I was thinking.

It seems like I haven't lost any weight for the past two weeks.  I've been staying right at 198.  I've been sick with a sinus infection and strep (thank god I didn't get the GI bug going around!) and don't know if that might have something to do with the stall in weight loss. I'm feeling better this week so hopefully the weight will continue coming off now.  I'm optimistic. 

My only question is... will I ever stop being thirsty???

I'm 11 days out and doing really good.  The surgery went off without a hitch and although the first two days were rough (no sleep, grogginess from pain meds, thirst, pain,  etc.) the hospital stay wasn't all that bad.  I did have a moment of feeling like "I can't believe I did that.  Why did I do that???" but I was well under the sway of morphine and definitely don't feel that way now.  I am so glad I had the surgery!

When I came home and weighed myself I weighted 11 pounds MORE than when I went in for surgery!  I realized it was all the fluids they were pumping into me at the hospital and two days later it was all gone and I was already losing weight.  I started surgery at 229 lbs (went up to 240!) and am now 210.   How crazy is that?!?  It is awesome!

When I went to get my staples out on Monday the doctor told me that my surgery was pretty tough for him because of my shape.  I'm short and most of my weight is below my waist.  This makes me short waisted and that means all my organs are really squished up in there!  Also, I didn't do the pre-surgery diet because I wasn't told to and that made my liver stay kind of fatty and hard for my surgeon to work around.  He even showed me a picture of a blood blister that had formed on my liver because of the surgical tools touching it.  I don't know how that figured into there being fat around the liver, but I'm just going by what he said.  All I know is that I came out of it without any issues and I'm feeling really good now!  

My surgeon, Dr. Benbrahim, was wonderful.  He was very attentive and made me feel very comfortable.  I definitely recommend him to anyone who is considering gastric bypass.

I'll try to keep updating here as I heal and venture into my new life.  Thanks to those who have send notes of encouragement and cheer.  Your words mean so much!!

Turns out I did not have the surgery in July as I had wanted, but not because the insurance didn't approve it (they did!) but because the insurance ended. I had been on insurance through the state (Medicaid) and my eligibility period ended and I couldn't self pay for it because that isn't how they work.

Now, six months later, I am at it again. After reducing my hours at work which lowered my income I was able to get back on Medicaid. As soon as I was eligible for medical insurance I was back in Dr. Benbrahim's office!! We scheduled a surgery date right then and there. I am now due to have surgery on December 12th!! YAY!!! The surgery was approved by my insurance -Community Health Network - on November 21st so I am good to go.

I have done all my required doctors appointments and blood tests, gone to a required "class" at the hospital, attended seminars and supports groups at the hospital and started buying the foods I will need post-op. I've been psyching myself up mentally and I think I am ready. I'm very excited and a bit nervous too.

I have a great support team as my best friend had the same surgery just a year ago and she is so knowledgeable and helpful. My roommate and my son will both be helping out with the first days once I am home too.

Right now the only concern I have is surviving the operation. Yeah, I even started to create a last will and testament "just in case" but I don't really have any bad feelings about the surgery. All the signs that I look to which give me hope and inspiration have been good. :-) I guess it is normal to have that little bit of worry in the back of your mind though.

Unlike my last entry, this time I'm less than two weeks away, and everything is looking good!

I'm two weeks away from surgery... but I'm still playing the waiting game!! 

I started the process in November 2005 with Community Health Network (Medicaid - Husky A) and they were covering everything. I've done all the tests and attended seminars and doctors appointments - everything I've been required to do.  The surgeon's office submitted for approval and - they approved on the first letter!!

The problem:  My coverage with CHN ended on June 30th and my surgery is scheduled for July 25th.  I didn't have any notice (well, I had one weeks notice) that it was ending.  The new insurance I have through work is HealthNet and they DO NOT cover bariatric surgery any longer.  I've been calling the surgeon's office to speak with Janet (the woman who works with the insurance) to find out if CHN is responsible to pay for it since they said they would even though the insurance was terminated without notice.  I also tried to call CHN to see if I could even pay the monthly premiums myself for a month or two but no one is returning my calls.

I'm frustrated!

Janet (the insurance person) has been out of the office for the past day and a half and is supposed to be in today after 1pm.  So, I'm waiting.  I've another 45 minutes before I can call her.  I hope she doesn't decide to not come in again like she did yesterday.  I understand she might be sick or something, but a huge event in my life is teetering here!  And a good chunk of money for the surgeon too!