foster141
April 19, 2006
Well my journey really starts back in 2003. My husband was stationed overseas and I was interested in Weight Loss Surgery. I didn't know exactly what kind I wanted just that I needed something that would help me lose this weight. At that time I weighed 250. I didn't feel bad and I had nothing else wrong with me but I felt that I had tried so many diets and different ideas for dieting that I needed something more. So I started researching... As I was researching I would stop reading because I kept thinking that I didn't have the same problems (co-morbidities) as other people that were having the surgery and since this was all new to me I stopped looking into it.
My husband returned in November 2003 and we went on vacation to Florida to visit his family. We had discussed having a baby but never really thought much of it. He already has a son (now 11) from a previous marriage and I had a daughter (now 11) and a son (now 9) from a previous marriage. So bringing another child into our mix was a nice idea and if it happened it happened..... Florida must have agreed with us......
9 months later on August 4, 2004 we had our baby girl! Since we already had 4 children between us we decided to both get "fixed" so there would not be any more children. I breast fed for 11 months and constantly was thinking about the weight loss surgery. I kept researching and researching.......and finally I decided it was time for ME. I had wanted this for so long it seemed.
My first appointment with my Primary Care Provider was the beginning of July 2005. I had only had High Blood Pressure once before when I was in labor for my son. After that I had never had any problems with it. So I was hurrying into the Doctors office and had the baby with me and by the time I got in there they got me right in to have my weight, bp check. Well my blood pressure was very high. They asked if I had ever had high blood pressure and I said no...only that time with my son and they documented it and when my PCM came in to talk to me about the WLS she highly recommended me. She is also a rather larger woman so she was sympathetic. I also had to come back for 5 days in a row and get my BP checked to make sure I didn't need medication.
So she gave me the referral for Tricare and I went to talk to them to see how fast it works and how long it should take me to get an appointment and all that. She really had no idea but told me that I would get a paper in the mail and a phone call from the office for my first appointment.
So I waited for about a month and finally got a letter in the mail from Bariatric Center in Syracuse. Fill out this paperwork and mail it back and we will see if you qualify it said. Ok so I had to fill that all out and had to think back to all of the failed diets, diet pills, anything to do with losing weight. Fun Fun. I finished it in a few days and mailed it back in. Waiting....waiting.....(I'm not a patient person...LOL)
About 2 weeks later I got a letter in the mail with my first appointment date telling me what I need to bring and that it would take a few hours of intake questions, etc. (I thought that is why I filled out the papers in the first place? Oh well)
My first appointment was October 11, 2005. I met with the nurse first who took my weight, height, BP, pulse and lots of information that I had already answered in the "questionaire". My weight at that time was 296. My height is 5'7. My Blood Pressure was normal and my pulse was normal. After she was done I talked to Marcy. I asked her quite a few questions that I had written down and got some good answers. Then I met with the nutritionist and she told me how I needed to try to eat differently and chew my food 20-25 times before swallowing and then wait 3-5 minutes before taking another bite. (WOW That was hard to learn) After I was done with the nutritionist I met with the Surgeon and heard the informational speech on the different surgeries available. I immediately liked Dr. Cunningham and so did my husband so I was intent on having him do my surgery. He only does Open RNY and not laparoscopic so that was the only downfall as I originally wanted Lap. But hey..the things we do....LOL
Anyway I went away from my first meeting/appointment with my husband and was very excited to get this whole thing started. I had to come back November 17th (2005) to see if I had tried to eat like they had recommended. I had to write everything down. I did well I thought.
But....then when I got into the office I got on the scales and had GAINED 6 pounds!!! I was so disappointed because I had really worked at this eating differently and I was exercising 3 times a week. That just sucked. They didn't give up on me and didn't tell me how I wasn't going to change or anything...they just said Don't worry about it....
So ok...Not worrying about it......
My next appointment was December 23, 2005. I weighed in and had gained 2 more pounds. Lovely. 310. But Marcy told me since I had Tricare that now they would submit the paperwork to be approved and I should hear from them in 2 weeks. So that was all for that appointment........
I waited....2 weeks....3 weeks....my husband wanted me to call because we had found out that he was going to Afghanistan the end of February sometime...so we wanted to get this done before he left.....no such luck. Tricare hadn't approved it because the people at my doctor's office didn't put the correct codes in. Tricare is too picky. LOL SO I called the office and let them know what was going on and the lady I needed to talk to was out for a few days but they would leave her a message to call me.
3 days later she called me when she got back in the office. I explained about Tricare and she said she would call them and take care of it and let me know. I didn't hear anything for a few days so I called back the following week. It was already the end of January so I knew I wouldn't get an approval before my husband left...which totally sucks.
When I called back she told me that it had been approved now and that I just had to wait for them to get the paperwork and then I would get a date for my surgery. I was so excited. But then a week went by....then another....I called back and she said well sometimes it takes a few weeks but I have forwarded it to the surgery scheduler so I should get contacted soon.
February 22, 2006 I got my paperwork in the mail telling me when my pre-op is and when my surgery is scheduled. My pre-op is April 3 at 9 AM and my surgery is scheduled for April 24, 2006 at 11:30.
I am so so so so excited now! It just sucks that my husband will be gone and I won't have him here.
April 12, 2006 I went to my first support group meeting. I am sooooo glad that I did! I met some wonderful people that have either already had the surgery or are in the process. I got to see what my scar will look like...LOL If you are reading this and don't know if you want to go to a support group meeting I would highly recommend it. These people are informative and very supportive. And we all can use support through this!
April 23, 2006
Well tomorrow is the day! Since I have signed up on this site I have gotten emails from 2 people that are having the surgery the same day as me. One is actually Dwight and he is going to the same surgeon, same hospital as me but his surgery is at 7am so that is really cool. And the other girl I have been talking to is in Chicago. I am really looking forward to afterwards being able to compare notes on where we all are. Best Wishes and Prayers for you both Dwight and Hollie and I will see you on the other side!!
April 28, 2006
Wow! Well I went in on Monday the 24th for the surgery and had to wait because of an emergency. First they started an IV as soon as I got in the room and they gave me a shot of Heperin (sp) for blood thinner. I have no other problems and was not on any other drugs so they didn't have to do anything else. Just waiting now...that was the hard part but my dad and my aunt were with me. A few hours later an anesthesiologist came in and chatted with me...had me stick out my tongue and checked my throat (I asked why and it was for the breathing tube) He said they would be back in a few minutes.....Finally it was my turn to get wheeled in..before leaving the waiting room they put a shot of something like tylenol but not sure....into my IV and when they started wheeling me down the hall I was getting dizzy. When we got to the OR all I remember is having to switch tables and get situated and then they injected the "sleeping stuff" into my IV.
Next thing I knew I was hearing people and things going on and one person that kept saying Michelle wake up and breathe. Michelle...you have to breathe. I was in recovery. I just wanted to sleep. I was in surgery for 2 hours and recovery for 2 hours.
When I was finally taken up to my room I was so drugged up I could barely stay awake. My dad and my aunt were there talking to me but I hardly remember what they were saying. The nurses were in and out checking my BP and temperature. It was about 8pm when I finally checked the clock. I looked down to see my staples but of course they were covered with gauze bandages....that's ok I really didn't want to see it.
The same night as my surgery around 10pm I had the nurse help me get up out of bed and into the chair. I felt a little dizzy but not too bad. Then it passed. I sat for a few minutes but wanted to get back in bed. I kept hitting my pain button and that first night I could not sleep more than 15 minutes at a time. I kept waking up. It sucked. The next morning was a little better but I didn't really want to do anything....but I knew if I wanted to go home I would have to get up walking. So after my lovely breakfast of 1 oz beef broth and 1 oz sugar free jello and some water...I decided to take a short walk. It just hurts when I stand up.....
Tuesday the day after surgery my doctor stopped in to check on me in the morning and said my surgery was good and I looked good. He said to get up and walk and drink lots of water. So during the day I had walked at least twice. Long hallways. He also checked on me again late in the afternoon and said if I keep looking good I can go home soon. Yippee.
Wednesday morning the Doctor came in to check out my incision and she said it looked great and if I felt good I could go home today. I was like YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Ok so to me my incision looked terrible! I was like YUCK!!!!!! )
So I went home......I thought it was a good thing but then once I got home I think I should have stayed one more night. Too late now though. One thing that totally sucked was when I got home I was in the bathroom and realized that I had gotten my period! What f-ing fun. NOT. So now I had to deal with the after effects of the surgery AND my period. Mother Nature hates me.
Monday May 1, 2006
OK I have lost 20 lbs. I am sure it is mostly water weight...but hey 20 pounds is 20 pounds. I am still on liquids mostly.......and not really wanting anything else.
Monday May 8, 2006
Only 8 pounds this week. So I am still happy....losing!!! I am down to 282 now. Still in size 26 jeans which sucks but hey...working toward a goal.......My Doctor appointment for a month out is on the 10th so I am excited to hear what they say.
Monday May 15, 2006
9 more pounds. I can see a difference. People that see me weekly can also so it is a nice change. I now weigh 271. I want to go to the gym soooooo sooooo badly.......My appointment went well. They were pretty impressed that I had lost so much already. Also they moved me up to Stage 2. I am still afraid to try new things because I don't want to get sick!!!
Monday May 22, 2006
5 more pounds. Some days I feel so great...and some days I am so tired..... I take my vitamins and all but maybe I need iron>? I will have to ask my dr in a few weeks. And great news. I know weigh 266 and fit into my old size 24 jeans! It is a wonderful feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will never wear 26 ever again in my life!!! THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!
Monday July 24, 2006
It has come to my attention (Hollie) that I haven't updated in awhile....so here is my updates....
I am doing great. Losing steady but it has finally tapered off to about 3-5 lbs a week now. I go to the gym and I feel great. I am really glad I had the surgery still. I weigh myself once a week on Mondays. I am down to size 18 in jeans and loving myself even more every day. So here are my weights that I have missed posting.
May 29, 2006 - 261
June 5, 2006 - 259
June 12, 2006 - 255
June 19, 2006 - 254
June 26, 2006 - 249
July 3, 2006 - 240
July 10, 2006 - 240
July 17, 2006 - 237
July 24, 2006 - 234
July 31, 2006 - 234 What the heck? LOL
August 7, 2006 - 232 Ok better.....
So then I had to go to Florida for my husband's step dad's funeral and so I didn't get on the scales for 2 weeks. We ate out twice a day while there and I figured I gained a ton of weight even though i still didn't eat a lot......but......when I got home September 1st I decided I would wait until Monday since I had always weighed myself on Mondays......so here we go.
September 4, 2006 - 218 I was like HOLY CRAP? I ate so much I couldn't believe I had actually lost. But I was thrilled. I am only 8 lbs away from my 100 lb mark!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! Celebration time!
September 11, 2006 - 217 Ok So I am back at home and the weight doesn't want to go away now. Maybe I need to head back to Florida...?
I must say....my husband had not seen me since I had dropped all the weight. He has been in Afghanistan deployed and I haven't sent him any pics of me..just my face. He was so shocked when he got off the plane and was coming down the escalator....he looked at me....and looked.....was like OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! Well I was also in for a shock because he had lost about 45 lbs on his own. So it was like we were both new people!
Oh and another thing. I went to my Dr Appt August 15th and they said I was doing great. I know everyone talks about losing their hair and well I was hoping I would miss out on that.....seems I don't get to miss out. My hair has thinned out so much....I hate it!! I am about to shave it off and go for the GI Jane look! I think it has almost been 8 weeks and my DR said it usually lasts about 8 weeks. Come on though? I won't have any left! And yep...I bought a hat. LOL Small price to pay for all the weight I have lost though...so who's complaining? Well me....because I want perfection. LOL LOL LOL I am going to post some new pics on here soon so check back! Or you can check out my myspace. Here is the link: http://www.myspace.com/chelle0606
September 18, 2006 - Weighed in this morning. 1 more pound gone........I now weigh 216. I haven't been under 240 in over 2 years and never under that for at least 12 years. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 25, 2006 - 214 lbs
October 6, 2006 - 210 lbs! Yippee! I have reached my 100 pound mark. I am amazed at how wonderful and happy I feel every day. I have so much energy. I am a new person.
October 13, 2006 - 208 lbs
October 20, 2006 - 207 lbs
October 27, 2006 - 204 lbs
November 6, 2006 - 200 lbs
November 13, 2006 - 198 lbs I am still feeling great. I have posted some new pictures. I have lost 112 pounds now and am wearing about a 14 in jeans. Sometimes I can fit into 12. I have never been in a size 14 that I can remember so I am happy at that. I really have to start working out harder to lose the weight now but I still don't eat much. I am taking Iron now because my bloodwork came back and my iron was way too low. Also I know they say the hair thinning is only supposed to last a few weeks....well mine has been a few months. It totally sucks. I got my hair chopped off though and I think it looks better. Thats what counts. LOL
November 20, 2006 - 196 lbs
November 27, 2006 - 195 lbs
December 7, 2006 - 187 lbs
February 27, 2007 - I haven't been on here in awhile. Sorry about that. I need to update though and so now I am down to 165 lbs. My one year mark is coming up on April 24, 2007. My goal is to get down to 150 and I was sick for a few weeks with something like the flu so that helped me lose about 10 pounds. Not that I needed help but unfortunately it did. I am feeling great and I love the way I look and am so much happier with my new life. I have a new job working for the government on Fort Drum and making some good money. We also just found out that we might be moving to Washington D.C. this summer. My husband is going to be working at the Pentagon but he will be gone a lot so that will suck. The kids and I are happy though. We are ready to leave Fort Drum. So not much else is going on. If any of you ever want to contact me send me a message through here and I will try to check it more often! Have a great day!!
