KathyGallagher
2-1/2 Years Post-Op
Jan 11, 2009
Well, well, well. It certainly has been a long time since my last post of November 2006. That was one month after my surgery. I think I lost about 45 pounds by that time.
It is now January 12, 2009 and alot has happened. I have lost a total of 153 pounds (at my lowest weight of 147), but have leveled out and weigh between 153-158. I am happy with that. I had my abdominoplasty and breast reduction in November 2007 with Dr. Danyo, but not without complications. Everything was fine and I was healing well until about 12 days later. I developed an incisional abscess under the right breast that was very painful. Then another, and another, and another. It became apparent that I was rejecting the sutures, and knowing there were literally hundreds of them, I was in for a long recovery. I pulled lengths of suture for about 8 months from every incision. The last of them to surface were tiny bits around the nipples that had broken off, and they caused more problems than the longer pieces. I still have a few areas where the pieces of suture did not surface and have calcified. I have been told that I should never have sutures again unless life or limb saving.
As we thought would happen, I DID develop an ulcer, which took over my life. The pain with an ulcer is tremendous. The meds I needed were not covered by my insurance and out of pocket, they were $180 for 30 pills...at my dose, that was only 2 weeks worth. I couldn't afford that so we tried some other stuff. I now take prescription strength generic Prilosec twice a day, and Carafate when I have a flare up. The Prilosec prevents acid production, and the Carafate heals the ulcer. Against medical advice, I stopped taking all the cardiac meds in August 2008, due to the ulcer...those meds hurt my stomach so much. As of last week, my cholesterol and triglycerides are within normal limits, *without* the Crestor. My blood pressure is in the low/normal range, *without* meds. I know when I see the cardiologist next week, he will be upset that I stopped the meds but I think he will be easy on me because for someone with my history, my cardiac profile and lipid panel is excellent. So my heart disease has stabilized but the arthritis has progressed.
This month, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I started having cramps and achiness in my thumbs, wrists, and ankles last summer. Blood tests and x-rays confirmed the RA. I see what this disease has done to my mom over the past 10 years and I just don't want to get like that. Early intervention will help slow it's progress and give me a few more years of mobility, and who's to say I will get as bad as my mom? We will see.
We welcomed our 3rd grandchild on April 2, 2008...Miss Dakota Marie. She's 9 months old now. We have temporary guardianship of all 3 grandkids so it's pretty crowded here. My daughter and son-in-law have had alot of financial struggles from unemployment and poor money management and ended up without power, water, or a place to live, so we took the kids so they can get back on their feet without worrying about child care. It's a struggle for us, as we also had some hardships when Ed lost his job in October. I went back to work but a month later, this issue with the kids came up, so I had to quit working. Ed is now working at Perdue in the vehicle maintenance garage. I hope this one is permanent.
That's the latest news. I will try to update more often. BTW, I still struggle with food addictions but I know when I am getting out of control and stop the behavior quickly. It's carbs....breads, crackers and my favorite...potato chips. Those are my evils. I'm doing ok though.
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It is now January 12, 2009 and alot has happened. I have lost a total of 153 pounds (at my lowest weight of 147), but have leveled out and weigh between 153-158. I am happy with that. I had my abdominoplasty and breast reduction in November 2007 with Dr. Danyo, but not without complications. Everything was fine and I was healing well until about 12 days later. I developed an incisional abscess under the right breast that was very painful. Then another, and another, and another. It became apparent that I was rejecting the sutures, and knowing there were literally hundreds of them, I was in for a long recovery. I pulled lengths of suture for about 8 months from every incision. The last of them to surface were tiny bits around the nipples that had broken off, and they caused more problems than the longer pieces. I still have a few areas where the pieces of suture did not surface and have calcified. I have been told that I should never have sutures again unless life or limb saving.
As we thought would happen, I DID develop an ulcer, which took over my life. The pain with an ulcer is tremendous. The meds I needed were not covered by my insurance and out of pocket, they were $180 for 30 pills...at my dose, that was only 2 weeks worth. I couldn't afford that so we tried some other stuff. I now take prescription strength generic Prilosec twice a day, and Carafate when I have a flare up. The Prilosec prevents acid production, and the Carafate heals the ulcer. Against medical advice, I stopped taking all the cardiac meds in August 2008, due to the ulcer...those meds hurt my stomach so much. As of last week, my cholesterol and triglycerides are within normal limits, *without* the Crestor. My blood pressure is in the low/normal range, *without* meds. I know when I see the cardiologist next week, he will be upset that I stopped the meds but I think he will be easy on me because for someone with my history, my cardiac profile and lipid panel is excellent. So my heart disease has stabilized but the arthritis has progressed.
This month, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I started having cramps and achiness in my thumbs, wrists, and ankles last summer. Blood tests and x-rays confirmed the RA. I see what this disease has done to my mom over the past 10 years and I just don't want to get like that. Early intervention will help slow it's progress and give me a few more years of mobility, and who's to say I will get as bad as my mom? We will see.
We welcomed our 3rd grandchild on April 2, 2008...Miss Dakota Marie. She's 9 months old now. We have temporary guardianship of all 3 grandkids so it's pretty crowded here. My daughter and son-in-law have had alot of financial struggles from unemployment and poor money management and ended up without power, water, or a place to live, so we took the kids so they can get back on their feet without worrying about child care. It's a struggle for us, as we also had some hardships when Ed lost his job in October. I went back to work but a month later, this issue with the kids came up, so I had to quit working. Ed is now working at Perdue in the vehicle maintenance garage. I hope this one is permanent.
That's the latest news. I will try to update more often. BTW, I still struggle with food addictions but I know when I am getting out of control and stop the behavior quickly. It's carbs....breads, crackers and my favorite...potato chips. Those are my evils. I'm doing ok though.
Can't sleep
Nov 19, 2006
Here I am again, up in the wee hours of the morning. Heh, nothing new.
About Me
Millsboro, DE
Location
26.3
BMI
Surgery
10/04/2006
Surgery Date
Sep 22, 2004
Member Since
