lallen454z
I am a 42 year old woman, married with 2 grown children and a very spoiled dog. I have battled obesity for most of my life and I am looking to the surgery to be my salvation. I have been researching this for over a year and I am ready to start a new way of living healty and eating right. According to some posts I have read, I guess I am considered a "lightweight" at 5'8" and 260 pounds, but I don't feel light. I find it hysterical that anyone would think I was too small for something, even this surgery. Fortunately, my surgeon is very understanding and agrees that this will help my health. I want to be able to run again, sleep lying down and chase after grandchildren (whenever they come along). Finding this site has been a lifesaver! 11/21/2001--I have a surgery date! It only took a week for Humana to approve me and my surgery date is January 28, 2002. 01/14/2002--I now have an appointment for my pre-op testing and hospital registration on January 21st. That's next week! It's funny how you can pray and wish for something so long and hard and then when it starts coming true, you are totally freaked out! I am trying to gather stuff together and get my house all cleaned up before I go so that it will not be a mess when I come home. I can hardly believe it is really happening! I have gotten some really nice supportive email from other readers and other patients of my surgeon. They have been truly helpful and I appreciate them very much. Thanks to all! 01/22/2002--Ok, had my pre-op testing done yesterday, no sweat, but a big bruise inside my left arm. I did get quizzed by the lab tech about whether I was sure I wanted this surgery. They seem to come out of the woodwork to tell you scary stories, even total strangers! Oh, well, I feel like I have investigated and I am confident this surgery will be a great thing for me. Less than a week to go, butterflies in my tummy are now the size of school busses. 01/23/2002--Another day counted down! I have had so many wonderful wishes from people, it is amazing and I thank you all. I am so grateful for the good wishes and my amazing angel, Diane. She is truly holding me together. I feel like I have found a life-long friend in her. It is like we have always known each other. 4 days to go! 01/25/2001--72 hours till surgery! Major freakage going on here. Why does everyone at work find something critical for you to do on your last day before a major event? Things are jumping at me from all directions today and I can't possibly get them all done. I hate to leave things unfinished, but I guess I will have to pass them on to someone. My "mental self" is doing fine, though, I am really excited about the surgery. I haven't forgotten about the risks, but I feel so positive about this that I am not letting that interfere. I will do all my little final tidying up this weekend and be ready on Monday. 01/28/2001--Ok, here we go! Getting ready to leave for the hospital now, I am amazingly calm and ready. My angel, Diane, will update my profile. Thanks to all for the wonderful wishes! 01/28/2002 - This is Diane, Linda's Angel. Linda's daughter just phoned to say that Linda did very well during her surgery. One interesting thing did arise. It appears the average person has 16-25 feet of intestine. Linda only had 10 1/2 feet. (I knew she was one brick shy of a load, but never knew she was 15 feet short of intestine!) The Dr. told her family she will do fine. She went into surgery at 11:30 and I received the call at 2:30 from her daughter. Please keep Linda in your prayers for a speedy recovery. She's a neat lady. Will update if I hear more. Plan on going to visit tomorrow after she gets some rest tonight. 1/29/02 - This is Diane, Linda's Angel again! Went to see Linda at the hospital today. She looks wonderful. She was sitting up and seemed to be having only moderate discomfort. She even had her sense of humor back. Weather is getting bad in KC, so she is a little concerned about the ride home. Should be released on Thursday, 1/31. Looks like all of our prayers worked. SHE'S DOING GREAT! 03/13/2002--Ok, Ok, so I'm a slacker........I have been meaning to update and just have not had time. I am doing really well, down 40 pounds since surgery 6 weeks ago. I am now back at work and doing great! Have not really had much trouble with food or cravings. I was worried that I would go into chocolate withdrawal, but I have no desire for it. Just seeing the weight come off is incentive enough for me to stick with it. I have to thank my "Angel" Diane McGrath for being such a marvelous supporter and cheerleader. She had her surgery a couple of weeks ago and is just doing wonderfully! She had the RNY and I had the BPD, so we have different diets to follow and can't share food tips, but she is an awesome support and role model. My family has been super, also, and so have the people at work. I work for Humana insurance, so I am kind of the "poster child" for gastric bypass in our office. I feel that everyone is watching to see how I do and I don't want to disappoint them. I have been asked by countless numbers of people about how the surgery works and what it takes, I feel like a consultant! But anything I can do to help someone else to improve their health and have this surgery is worthwhile. My PCP is delighted with my progress and has given my name to a couple of patients with questions about the surgery. All in all, it has been a very positive experience for me. 04/04/02--I'm not very good at keeping up with these updates! I have been doing well, so far. I have had to travel for my job recently and find it difficult to find the right foods to eat when all I have is room service. Plus, if the company director takes me out to dinner, it is difficult to know what your food choices might be. Luckily, I have had good luck with most foods, so I feel fairly safe with a grilled chicken breast. I will be finishing up my Masters Degree in June, so our family has decided to take a cruise to celebrate! That will definitely be a challenge, with all that food around! Fortunately, I have not had problems craving sweets like I was sure I would. I have lost about 40 to 45 pounds and seem to be stuck right now, but I am sure it is because of my traveling and having to guess at what is in some of the foods I order. I can't wait for warmer weather and to actually wear some shorts!! 05/21/2002--I'm still not very good at keeping this up. I am anxiously awaiting our cruise next month! I am down to 200 pounds and wearing size 16's! I never thought that would happen. I have been doing well with food and have had very few problems. I did fix a big dinner for the family on Mothers Day and apparently nibbled too much because I was really sick that night and everything came back up. I guess that is to teach me to be more careful and not get complacent because things are going well. The weight loss seems to have slowed down some, but I am trying to be patient. I am now checking into plastic surgeons to see when I might be ready for the tummy tuck. 07/17/2002--Back again! Our cruise was wonderful! I got to kiss a dolphin and swim in the ocean with live stingrays and feed them! It was totally cool! I even wore a swimsuit in public and no one stared!! I am down to 195 and wearing mostly size 14's. I never thought it could happen. I need to lose about 25 more pounds, but if I never lose another pound I am happy. I saw a plastic surgeon for a consultation on a body lift and almost passed out at the cost. $16,000.00 !!! That includes the hospital and anesthesia and all that, but geez! I guess I will just have floppy thighs and tummy for a good long time before I can pay that much. But, at least I have another consult with a different surgeon that will try to get some of it covered by insurance. The first Dr. will not even discuss the insurance since they don't pay him enough for the procedure. I guess he has enough to keep him busy and doesn't need me! 07/24/2002--Saw another plastic surgeon and he was much more reasonable, TT and Thigh lift for $9300.00. He will even try to get my insurance to cover part of it. (Not that I am holding my breath) I have had lots of emails lately from people looking into the surgery, this site is really a great tool for information. I have made some great friends on here and learned a lot. I am only down to 190 so far, I seem to be stuck on a plateau, but I have been traveling for work again and it is really difficult to eat right. I guess I should be happy that I am not gaining anything. I have to share something that my hairdresser, Maria,told me the other day--I recently took my daughter (who is 23) to see her for a haircut and Karen (my daughter) really loved her hair. She came back for another cut a few weeks ago and they were talking about me and the surgery, because Maria wants her mother to have it now that she has seen how well I have done. Anyway, during the conversation, Karen told Maria how scared she was that I was having this done and how hard it was for her to be supportive, but now that it is over she is incredibly proud of me for sticking with it. How often do you get to hear that your child tells someone that they are proud of you? That means more to me than a hundred strangers thinking I did well. I am so fortunate that my family has been behind me with this. My husband was scared to death for me, too, but he went out of his way to learn all he could about the surgery and meet the surgeon so that he would know what to expect. Both he and my daughter were a little like the "food police" for awhile, but finally realized that I was not about to mess this up, so they relaxed a little. However, we do have a little family joke about the problem of gas that the BPD causes--one day at work I had had "a little gas" in my office and someone came in and made the comment that I needed to change the water in the flower vase I had because it was getting smelly. So now, when the "gas monster" attacks, we just say that it is time to change the flower water. It is a small price to pay for being able to wear a size 14! The pictures posted are a before and after. The before is November, 2001-2 months before surgery and the after is June, 2002, the last day of my Masters Degree program. The charming fellas in the picture are members of my study group from school. 07/29/2002--I am now waiting on the letter from the plastic surgeon to be sent to my insurance company. I really don't think it will be of much use since I currently don't have a lot of skin issues going on under the "flaps". It is frustrating when you have worked so diligently to overcome or at least manage a problem (skin irritations and infections) and then when you get a routine worked out that helps, you are penalized for it. One of the guidelines for my insurance to cover the abdominoplasty is redundant skin due to weight loss from morbid obesity and skin/hygeine issues. But since I work on it 3 times a day, it is currently under control, so I am not "symptomatic". I guess I should just stop takng care of the problem and let it get out of control again so they can see what will happen. It just doesn't make sense sometimes. However, since I work for the insurance company that covers me, I have a divided thought process. I want the surgery, but I understand the decision making that goes into the approval process. I just have to do like everyone else does, wait and see and then appeal if I have to. 08/08/02--Still waiting for the letter from the plastic surgeon to get to the insurance company. They had to get the photos developed before they sent the letter. Still not really feeling very positive, I am mentally formulating appeal letters. I have been feeling really good lately with lots of energy, but now I have noticed that I am covered with bruises on my legs. I am not sure where they came from. I know the big one on my shin is from crashing into my luggage at the airport a couple of weeks ago, but the others are a mystery. I have been reading in the library on this site and others seem to have this issue, also. I guess it is a vitamin deficiency. I will have to get my labs done again to see where. 08/15/2002--Tick Tock, still waiting. Insurance company still has not received the information. Sigh. I guess patience is a virtue I don't have much of. But the bruises are getting better, I am taking more vitamins. However, the waiting is killing me! 09/13/2002--It's my birthday, Friday the 13th and I am 43. I feel younger now than I did last year at this time. I am now wearing size 12's and even got on a pair of size 13 junior jeans. Of course they were hip huggers and all my scary skin just hung over the top, but I got them on and zipped up!! 09/28/2002--WooHoo!! Humana has approved my abdominoplasty!! The jury is still out on the thigh lift/lower body lift, but at least the tummy tuck is covered! I am scheduling surgery for November 5th or 6th (when my vacation time starts over). I can't wait!! 10/02/02--Got my answer on the thigh lift--no approval. I was expecting that, so I am not as disappointed as I thought. I am still going to have the abdominoplasty and the thigh lift done together, I will just have to pay the thigh lift myself. Fortunately, we just refinanced our house to do some remodeling, so I will remodel myself as well. I just feel blessed that Humana is covering the abdominoplasty at all. Still waiting for a firm surgery date and time, they should call me anytime now. 10/09/2002--OK! We're on the way! After another consult with Dr. Jon Rast at Associates in Plastic Surgery, I am scheduled for surgery at Research Medical Center on Tuesday, November 11th. That is less than a month away! Surgery is at 7:30 a.m. and I have to be there at 6 am. Not that I will get any sleep anyway. I will be having an abdominoplasty (paid by insurance), a medial thigh lift (paid by me) and a breast lift with a small implant (also paid by me). We decided on the small implant because there is a large asymmetry in my breasts now, with one much smaller than the other. I don't want to look like I work at Hooters, but I would like to look balanced, so I'm going with a small implant. I decided to have it all done at once because I can't take off work again to have the breasts done. I figure I might as well get it over with even if it is really uncomfortable. I hope they give out good pain drugs! 10/23/2002--Well, now I have shingles!!!! The struggle is never-ending. I am still scheduled for the abdominoplasty and thigh lift on November 5th, but have had to postpone the breast lift as it is too expensive to do right now. I am already paying out over $6000.00 for the thigh lift part of the surgery and can't afford any more. Maybe next summer. Anyway, I came down with shingles last week and have been suffering with them. I thought they affected people over 60, but I guess enough stress will bring them on to someone in thier 40's also. I am in the middle of remodeling my house, waiting on surgery, working full-time and I just finished refinancing my house and helping my Mom refinance hers. No stress here!! But the good news is that the shingles are clearing up and should not interfere with the surgery. The medicine they give for shingles is the same medicince used for genital herpes, so it makes me feel like the pharmacist will think I am a sexually transmitted disease carrier, but I guess it can't be helped. As long as it works. I just want to get it all over with and move on. I feel like the tummy tuck will complete a huge circle and then I can restart my life. I have been at 180 pounds for many weeks now, but I am happy with my size and I don't care if I ever lose any more weight, I just don't want to gain any back! 11/10/2002--Today is Sunday and I am through surgery and home! I was released on Friday and went home to my Moms for a couple of days since we were getting new carpet installed and I wanted to stay out of the way. Feeling pretty good, but tired.....more later. 12/09/2002--I'm back! I came back to work last week and am doing full days now. I am at 165 to 168 pounds and wearing size 12's comfortably. Maybe after all the swelling goes away I can get into a 10, but I don't really care. I am very pleased with how everything came out. I still have about a 2 inch area on my abdomen that is healing slowly, but all my other incisions are healed over and doing great. Sunday is my graduation for my Masters Degree and that is just one more thing to celebrate. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday season. 12/16/2002--I did it! I finally graduated! I now "officially" have my Masters Degree. Graduation was great, but not as great as being able to get into a size 10 pair of jeans from the Gap. I could not believe it! True, they do stretch a little, but who cares! I got them on, wore them all day and had no trouble breathing or bending. A fellow classmate of mine had WLS a couple of months before I did and when I saw him at graduation he has lost 270 pounds, what an accomplishment! He is now getting ready for a total body lift and I wish him all the best. Happy Holidays to all! 01/11/03--Guess what!!?? I am going to London! I found this awesome deal on the internet at Expedia.com and decided to celebrate my weight loss, graduation, etc. Now I can go and be comfortable in the airplane seat (as comfortable as anyone can be, I guess) and not have to have a seat belt extension! We are leaving April 3rd and returning April 11th. Any travel or sightseeing tips from you guys is appreciated. One of our WLS sisters, Christine, is originally from London, so I will be pestering her with questions. I saw my plastic surgeon for a follow up the other day. I have been pleased with my results but he thinks he can do a little better and take out a little more on my upper abdomen and remove a couple of fat deposits around my "new" belly button. He will not charge me any surgeon fees, but I do have to pay the facility fee for the hospital. It will have to wait until after my London trip because I will be saving every penny. I have a couple of new pictures taken around Christmas that I will be sending in so you can see how I am doing. It still feels funny not having to go to class anymore.....I keep thinking I should be typing a research paper!!. 01/21/2003--Next week (the 28th) is my one year anniversary. It is hard to believe so much has happened in just one year. I am extremely pleased with my surgery results except for one thing--the gas odor. I don't know what to do about it. I am trying Devrom, which is supposed to relieve the smell, but I am not sure if it is working. It has been such an issue that there have been some complaints at my job. I spray air freshners all the time and today I ordered one of thost Air Ionizer Cleaners from Sharper IMage for my office. I hope it helps. It would really be bad if I lost my job due to this! 02/06/2003--Well, things are humming along....I have an appointment next week in Human Relations to "officially" discuss the complaints about the gas odor, but so far there have been no more since before I got the air cleaner. I am being very careful what I eat and things seem to be doing well (as far as I can tell). I wish I had understanding co-workers like some of you do, but it seems I don't. Oh, well, what an embarassing situation to be in. I have printed off some information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and I may qualify since this problem is related to the surgery. More later! 03/17/03--Happy St. Pat's Day! I have 17 days until I go to London. Rather worried about the political climate, though. Oh, well, they are not going to stop me from going! 04/14/2003--I am back from London! Had the most wonderful time, it was beautiful, but a little chilly. Saw museums and historic houses and palaces, shopped everywhere and spent way too much money, but it was worth it. No problem with politics and everyone was truly friendly. I am going to go back again someday to see all the things I missed. 06/20/2003--I have been way too busy! I am now scheduled for August 27, 2003 for a mastopexy and augmentation. My breasts will no longer be watching the floor!!! Sometimes I feel like I am being really selfish in doing all this for myself, but I decided I am worth it! I am holding steady at 160 pounds and wearing mostly size 12's, and some size 10's. I never believed it could happen! I am going back to school in July (yet again). Even though I completed my Masters last December, I want to take this Graduate Certificate course in Health Services Management at Keller Graduate School here in Kansas City. Most of it will be internet-based, so that will be different. I just have to thank all the people who have emailed me with comments and questions, I think there have been 5 people that have consulted with my plastic surgeon and several people have had gastric bypass with Dr. Sifers. I get at least one email a week from someone that is confused, nervous or just plain terrified of the surgery. I hope I am of some help to them. I can't wait for my surgery and my new bustline! Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! 08/03/2003--The night before surgery! A little nervous, but ready to go. I hope this will be the last time I have to get "tucked" anywhere, but I consider myself a work in progress. I have been really blessed with recovering as well as I have after my surgeries and I don't want to push it. Hope everyone is having a good summer. 08/31/2003--Well, I had my breast lift and everything went well. I am very pleased. Still a little tender in some areas, but on the whole, it was not bad. I took off a week from work and when I went back, there was not a lot of discomfort. However, if I didn't have a desk job, it would have been more difficult. I can wear a 38 D bra now, and feel like I have now come full circle. I suppose if I was independently wealthy, I might have had my arms done, too, but they are not that important. I'll just wear sleeves and be done with it. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes and support throughout this whole process, I appreciate it! 11/24/2003--I know, I know, I'm a slacker.....I just don't update like I should. It has been really busy at work, still in school, holidays coming, all the normal lame excuses. I'm still pleased with my surgery results. I haven't been as good as I should have been, I've been eating junk again. My bad....just emotional eating, I guess. But I'm getting back on track again, got to be strong during the holiday food days coming up. Wishing everyone a great Holiday season! 02/22/04--Just checking in! Things are doing well and I am very happy with my results. We will be going on a cruise for 2 weeks the beginning of March and it is so nice to be able to wear a swimsuit in public and not worry about grossing out the population! 01/29/2005-- 3 years since surgery and I am still in a "normal" size--a 14! I spent a few glorious months in a 12, but gravity has rearranged things a little, even after the tummy tuck and thigh lift, but I am still very happy with how things turned out. I appreciate all of the good thoughts from everyone I have heard from on this site and I hope I have been able to provide the information you needed when you contacted me. Just wanted to add a big hug and thank yo
About Me
Before & After
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