jennie K.

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December 26, 2008

My computer crashed so I've been without for a few months.  Just trying to figure out which one to buy or just repair old one?  Finally I am up again.  So much has happened since I've been on.  I'm down 97 lbs and it has been five and a half months. I'm wearing XL's which I don't think I've worn since I was 30.  I gave away all of my 4x's.   My life is amazing!!!!   It was rough in the beginning,  I had a stricture and thought originally what did I do? Did I make a mistake having this surgery?  Is this going to get better? It did!!!!   I can honestly say without a doubt I have no regrets having the gastric bypass and my only regret is that I didn't do this sooner. It's the day after Christmas and everyone is still sleeping- its so quiet and peaceful.  Christmas day was awesome- my boys were thrilled with their gifts and so was my husband.  I did really good too.  I got a pink Schwinn bicycle that I have always wanted but never attempted when I weighed 345 lbs.  I cooked ALL day and cleaned house and entertained and spent time with family and close friends.  It couldn't get anybetter than that.    I no longer have back pain after being on my feet for 15 minutes.  My energy level has skyrocketed.  I work 40 hrs per week and still do things after and my weekends are non stop.  My husband is just thrilled with the new me and my boys are too.  They are soo happy for me and everyday they tell me how proud they are.  My dtr moved out of state a week after my surgery.  That is the only sad thing in my life right now- missing her terribly and not being able to spend anytime with her is so hard.  She is 20 and moved to Manhattan Kansas with her boyfriend for a better job and opportunties they were not getting here in MI.  She is planning on coming home for a visit in Aprl.  She will be shocked to see my progress.  I have been heavy their whole lives- they have never seen me thin. New Years is approaching now and for the first time in a long time we made plans to go out and celebrate with good friends at a hall-  I need to go and buy a new dress?  Haven't done that in a long time either.  This will be the first new year that I don't have to make a resolution that I could never keep--- to lose weight !!!!!!  Amazing, awesome, terrific that is just a brief view of my new life.  Till we meet again

09-06-08-  It's been a month since I've posted- lots of things going on.  Mostly is I'm losing weight.  I'm down 56 lbs in two months.  It is amazing.  Not only the weight loss, but how terific I'm feeling already.  I'm down about 6 sizes. So I must be losing a lot of inches too.  I did not measure myself- I felt my clothes would tell me enough. Besides I didn't have a tape measure large enough to go around my bottom.   I've gone from a 30/32 (4x) to a 24 (2x).  Every time I try something on that was tight 2 weeks ago-it fits today!!!
My friends are just in awe!!  Everytime they see me they tell me I'm shrinking- and laughing out loud they call me skinny.  It's good to not have the FAT word in their vocabulary.  My mother today- who is up in years said to me, "you are losing so much weight:- you have lost all of your bloat and you are getting so much thinner".  This is from a woman who was dead set against this surgery- she would say to me, why don't you just lose the weight- stop eating.  Well obviously I ate or I wouldn't have weighed 345 lbs. But it wasn't just that, I didn't gorge myself, I definetly ate the wrong things- but I never sat down and ate a gallon of icecream or packages of cookies like some people assume you do when you are overweight.  I told my mother if it was that simple I would have been thin long, long ago.
I made the decision to have this surgery at what cost?  The only cost to me is giving up food- food to me was becoming the demon!!  I wanted it out of my life.  It was doing me no good and only making my life more miserable.  I eat now to survive.  My life has been handed back to me- because before my surgery my life was nonexistent.  I was working 40 hrs a week, which was killing me.  I would have to come home and lay down because I was in so much pain and sooo tired.  My weekends were spent in bed, literally all day saturday just to recoup from the long week.  Now I'm enjoying my life- I'm doing things with my friends.  My weekends are spent camping, shopping, cleaning my house.  I can actually get on my hands and knees now and scrub my floors do all the chores and laundry and still manage to go out in the evening with my husband.  The cost of giving up food to me is by no means worth any value especially for getting back a life I wish I had years ago. Any words of advice I could give- is don't wait- it is so wonderful living!!!!!!  Till we meet again. 

Its 8/5/08 and it was a month yesterday I had the surgery.  Am I glad I did it?  Absolutely!!!  Without a doubt- this surgery is saving my life.  I am down 39 lbs.  Without it- it would have taken me 6 mos to lose that much if I was lucky.  I am only taking two meds-(I've had two taken away already) no longer need diabetic medication and only need one blood pressure pill, instead of 2.  Hopefully that will get adjusted too.  I will always need my synthroid.  It's been a challenging month- following Dr. Schneiders guidlines for food has been the challenging part.  Each week you are allowed to add something.  I had my first "dumping" experience last week when I went out with my girlfriends for dinner on soup!!!!  You just don't know and this is such a learning process I didn't realize you could get sick on high fat food also.  Boy I did- full tilt!!!!  sweaty, pain in my esophagus, felt like I was going to pass out and vomiting- thought I was gonna die.  Can't handle turkey deli meat yet either- thru up for hours after that try.  Guess my tummy's not ready for that yet.  I went shopping with my girlfriend at Trader Joes' in Grosse pointe.  We spent two hours in there reading all the labels and just having so much fun.  I got some good things- just need to try them a little at a time. (Beef barley soup-low fat) turkey chili, laughing cow cheese, and shrimp with a cocktail sauce that has no fat and only lg of sugar.  I'll wait till next week to try the shrimp= Doc says go slow.  I'm still drinking my Unjury shakes with 8oz skim milk and I add a packet of no sugar added carnation choc which gives it more of a choc flavor and it gives me almost 30 gr of protein a serving.  Still love my scrambled egg with low fat shredded cheese and my f/f refried beans with sour cream and salsa, cottage cheese and chicken salad.  I love my healthy request soups too.  All is good.
The changes are a happening- I went to work today for the first time since my surgery to visit and give them my return to work note and boy did I get the welcome.  They all can't get over how good I look already even the doc's thought so.  I guess I have to start getting use to the compliments.  It's been a long time since I've had any of those. 
My daughter is in Kansas and has been gone for 2 weeks now- I miss her sooo much.  I don't think the void every goes away.  She's starting her new life and is happy so I need to be happy for her, it's just so hard.
Down 39 lbs in one month- can't wait to see what another month brings us.  Till we meet again. 

It's 7/23 and my 16th day post op and every day is getting better and better.  Only complaint at the moment is not a whole lot of energy.  I went to the mall today with my youngest son- he needed a new bathing suit.  That was eventful- it's July and not one to be found in that whole mall.  Finally at Steve and Barry's they had one left in his size- a miracle.  I was there with him for 2 hrs - it just about whiped me out.  Got home sat down in my recliner and fell asleep.  Unfortunately now I'll be up past midnight hopefully I'll fall asleep later. 
I've dropped 27lbs and feel better- I don't think it's noticeable yet only because I have so much to lose.  Probably at 50, 60 is when it will be noticeable. That's Ok because I FEEL it. 
My daughter left this last Sunday for Kansas with her boyfriend.  She's only 20- so I'm having a hard time with this.  They left for better opportunities and  she's always been so independent she wants to live on her own.  I wish she was closer- A 4-6 hr drive would be so much better than 15 hrs!!!!!!  I don't know when I'll see her again- so today I cried again.  I just miss her sooo much.   I hope she misses me that she comes back home.  I pray each night.
Yesterday was my first problem with food.  I am still on liquids and cottage cheese/scrambled egg. I'm not sure what happened but I took my pills in the morning like I usually do.  My pepcid, synthroid and Toprol with a little water - I must not have waited long enough to eat because I took a couple bites of my egg and boy did I get a pain in my esophagus like a vice grip- broke out in a sweat and painfull!!!!  It lasted for about an hour and then finally passed.  I just sat in my recliner and relaxed and it went away on its own.  I was afraid to eat anymore so I just sipped my water all day. Today was better- I had two shakes with some f/f refried beans and melted shredded cheese and low fat cottage cheese for my snack.  I got 32 oz of water in today along with my two shakes = 48 oz of liquid.  That is good for me.  Tomorrow I'm going to attempt going to the grocery store.  I'm bringing my youngest one w/ me to carry the bags since I'm not suppose to lift anything over 5 lbs yet.  He doesn't mind helping.  Then I'm going to my girlfriends and sit on her patio and get some vitamin C.  Loving life. 

it's 7/15th and I just got back home from my first postop visit.  It felt good to get out and drive!!!!!   I took an extra 10 minutes to get there thinking I would need that much time to walk from the parking lot to the 2nd floor of the office.  Dr Schneider is absolutley adorable.  He was pleased with my 21 pound weight loss- he actually weighed me myself, my bloodpressure was 110/71 and pulse 88 which is after being off of one of my bp pills since I was in the hsp!!!  So I'm already only on one bp pill, my synthroid and pepcid for now.  No longer do I need my diabetic medication either, this is a miracle.  I feel good, just a little sore in the middle of my stomach, especially if I over do it.  Tried to make a meatloaf for the family- (there's 7 of us including my mother and dtr's boyfriend) so it was hard for me to stir 5lbs of meat- got help for that.  I can't believe I feel this good after it being only one week since surgery.
Thank God.    Life is good.  till we meet again Jennie

It's 7/13 and I'm feeling soo much better. No pain- the inside is what hurt the most, especially when I would get in and out of the chair. But that's pretty much gone.  I'm getting bored with just having liquids, s/f jello, s/f popsicles, strained soup and protein shakes.  I have another week,  it's gonna be a long one.  I can't wait for a scrambled egg, pureed chicken salad, f/f refried beans with melted cheese.  It's going to taste like a steak to me.  Anyway I'm bored, my whole family went out- so I'mhome by myself,  tired of sitting around.  I went to a grad party this aftn and stayed for about 3 hrs but then was ready to come home, it was pretty hot out and my first day out since getting home from surgery.  I said I wasn't going to weigh myself until I went to the doctors office on Tues but when I went to the grad party everybody was saying OH MY GOSH you look like you've lost weight already!!!  So I was anxious to step on my scale and I'm down 20lbs since a week ago friday= doesn't seem possible.  But I can already feel it.  Hope it lasts lol- till we meet again

Well it's Thursday 7/10th and I got home from the hsp yesterday but wasn't up to typing.  Mostly just tired.  Everything went uneventful, the Dr. said everything went really well.  Thank God. I had the lap rny and when I got out of recovery and in my room I was so sorry I did it.  Not just the pain but all of the emotions too that I think goes along with this.  On Tuesday I really do believe I went thru a mourning process because I was feeling a little sorry for myself for not being able to eat  ALL the foods that I used to.  I remember even having the feelings of 'what did I do?" my insides are all cut up- for what?  this isen't probably even going to work!!!  What an emotional first couple days.  Good Lord.  I wasn't really prepared for that.  Thought I already had it altogether.  The hospital and staff were very nice- St. John Oakland was as good as any other I've been in.  I hated the I'V's in one hand and the pulse ox in the other hand and the leg compressors in both legs and the beds are so uncomfortable- plus it's warm I could not wait to get home,  If I could on Monday aftn I would have.  Todays Thursday and I'm feeling soo much better- walking and sipping and walking and sipping.  The gas pains are almost as bad as the actual incision pain but that's passing to!!  lol  I'm not going to weigh myself until I see Dr. Schneider on tuesday the 15th.  I still feel full of water from all of the IV soln they had pumped in me.  My fingers are still really tight.  
Everything is falling into place- I'm drinking my shakes- I could only get two down yesterday- the carb soln advantage has 24 grams of protein mixed with water was not very tasty.  Today I can mix it with skim milk- much better. I wait a half hour and then I start sipping my water- I actually think I can do this.    I'm giving myself Lovenox injections- now until Tuesday- that's to keep the blood thin and flowing- we don't want any problems with that.  The dietician Dawn called today and asked how things were and she told me not to worry about the vitamins just yet- to start those this weekend.  My stomach area- on the inside is soooo sore.  I just hate to overload it right now.  I am taking a pepcid every morning and I have to continue my Synthroid medication and they split my toprol in half- 100mg in am and 100 mg pm and that's all I need to take.  They said my BP was very controlled and I didn't need to take my avalide and my diabetic medication.  How awesome is that?  I really think this is going to be a good thing!!   My girlfriend sue has been there for me every step of the way.  My husband and kids are my full support and my kids are excited for the new me to appear.  They cannot wait.  All the girls from the office called today again- and they agreed I sounded soo much better.  I feel better- Well I'm going to rest now - only because I don't sleep well in this recliner- I cannot wait to get back into my bed and sleep on my side- Oh I cannot wait for that.  Till we meet again.

06/23/2008-  I survived my 5 hour adventure doing my pat. If anyone is interested in how Dr. Schneider does things- here it goes. He is now having all of his patients go to the St. John Oakland office- which is located adjacent to the hsp at 11/Dequindre.  I am not familiar with the area but figured it  out as I went.  I arrived on the 2nd floor at 11:30 am and was greeted by a sweet nurse she did a generalized history asked a ton of questions.  She explained all of the hsp procedures and what and what not to do. Then the doctor came in to do a short physical ( she was sweet too) and ordered about 10 tubes of blood and a u/a.  After that then the dietician came in- she spent at least 45 minutes with me going over everything I need to do during my hsp stay and everything after.  They recommend a low fat/high protein diet starting now and then I need to go on liquids two days before sx.  Not too bad considering some need to go on it 2 weeks before!!!
So much to go over again and read my head was just spinning.  I was surprised they are discharging me with Lovenox injections and gave me my sharps container to dispose of them properly.  The dietician gave me some samples of protein mixes to try- this is probably what I'm most anxious about because I would like to have everything ready BEFORE my surgery but they said my tastes will change so not to stock up on too much stuff.  I know my husband won't mind running out for me- poor guy is going to need a vacation after spending a week off work with me!!!  lol
That took about 3 hrs for all of that. Next I needed to go to the hsp to meet with the anesthesiologist and have a CXR and an EKG.  The nurse at the doctors office said I could just walk over to the hsp- I tried- Good Lord she a cute tiny petite little thing and walking over there is probably no problem for her.  After I started and saw how far I needed to go I turned around for my car talking to myself saying there is absolutely no way I can walk that far.  I found the lab where I droppped off my bag of blood and then had to go to registration.  They directed me to the 3rd floor which is where I will go directly the day of surgery and went into SDAS area.  Tommie took care of me- what a hoot.  She was definitley my kind of gal.  Also very sweet and explained in detail everything.  No jewelry, makeup, shower night before and morning of they give you brush with disinfectant cleaner to do at home before you go in.  No nail polish, which I wanted to have a pedicure before- so I think I still will and just have clear polish put on.  Shave legs and armpits 3 days before sx as to not have any nicks that could get infected.  They will put a catheter in once I'm in the O.R.- she says I won't know a thing.  I was hoping I could wear my underwear but so far it doesn't look like it.  Then the anesthesiologist came in and asked me some questions and told me not to worry- I will sleep like a baby.  To expect pain when I wake up because Dr. Schneider doesn't like to over sedate.  He has also had his patients get up in recovery and walks with them, so not to be surprised if he does that too.  Oh my- they will put the air pumps on my legs and walk me every hour I'm awake.  I was also sent home with a spriometer to practice at home because that will help my lungs once I'm out of surgery.  Tommie said to bring a small firm pillow to use for my tummy to hold when I cough- bring slippers that have backs on them and I suggested a cute robe- so the backside doesn't stick out when I'm traipsing down the halls.lol If all goes well I could get out in two days.  After all that she did an EKG which was normal and then sent me back down to the first floor for my CXR.  The young guy who did it was foreign speaking so it was hard to understand.  He had me go into a small room to take off my bra and cross- which I had to have him repeat at least 3 times-  He did the CXR quickly and then I left- he wanted me to go through the other door so I could put my bra back on but I said no it was OK I was going straight home and didn't need to.  The look on his face and expression was priceless- he started laughing out loud.  I guess most women put theirs back on.  I had on a black shirt that is extra loose - so you couldn't tell if I had one on anyway.  I think I made his day.  All in all everything went well.  Hopefully all of that blood work comes back normal- I don't need any deterences.  St. John Oakland appeared nice and clean and everyone was friendly.  Hopefully I get the same response when I go in for sx.  
I'll post again soon.  Till we meet again

6-17-2008

I thought what I wanted the most out of this surgery was to get back into a pair of jeans that were a size 16.  Gosh they look so small to me. Or maybe just to be able to go shopping at a regular clothing store instead of the plus size places.  I wasn't putting a weight limit on myself until I read the chart that told me I wasn't obese anymore if I weighed 153 lbs. or less.   I saw one of the BMI charts in the doctors office where I work and it about floored me!!!! I don't think it will be physically possible for me to weigh that.  I hope I eat my words-(I'm always thinking about eating!!!) I haven't been that size probably since the 8th grade.  Good Lord!!!  Where will all of this fat go?  I will need to lose 200lbs- can it be done?  God I hope so.  I am starting to get nervous because 07/07th is fast approaching.  I go for my pat 6/23 and I can't wait for that-  I am anxious to get as much info as I can.
Till we meet again.

06-01-08  Saturday I turned 48 and my oldest son graduated from high school.  What an emotional day.  I started crying the minute they walked out in procession and didn't stop until we got home from the restaurant.  It was a beautiful day, I had my entire family with me and what a blessing they are.  I love them dearly.  My girlfriend from high school is godmother to my son so her and her family joined us.  It was nice sitting next to her at the commencements and listening to the "sals and vals" with their speaches and relating to them--- and after all of these years we are still so close.  She is the sister I never had .
I am hoping this is my last fat birthday.  I can remember turning 30 and saying I hope this is my last fat birthday and then came 40 and still fat and here I am fastly approaching 50.  I looked at the graduation pictures- good Lord!!  do I really look that bad?  I know I feel pretty miserable, exhausted, in pain etc. you know the rest.  I cannot wait for 07-08-08.  It will be the day after my procedure and then I know it's official and I am on my way to my new adventure.  Till we meet again