Terry W.

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wow its been 6 months- how fast time flies when you truly are having FUN!!  God has blessed me with a healthy newly on the way to being TRIM body.  I am so thankful for the gastric even though it was Suppose to be a vertical sleeve.  Some observations that are weird that happened to me is- now I  am lactose intolerant,  I have a touch of reactive hypoglycemia when eating too much carbs and most of all I have been able to eat way more than I or others thought I could at this stage.  I eat 3 meals AND 2 snacks daily.  I try to stop 2 to 3 bites short of a whole sandwich and a small bowl of oatmeal with protein added for breakfast.   Over the holidays I tried to make cookies and breads with splenda but it was still too much in the carb dept.  so I was at a stall a long stall for almost 6 weeks ... I am thankful I have been able to document my eating so by reading my journal I went back to my former eating prior to holidays and an exercise schdule of 30 min daily of cardio with one day off a week to get the weight coming back off.  At first I had hot flashes and my hair fell out but now its stopped thankfully.  I am excited to say many think I have already lost enuf weight.  This is so funny to me because I am still not even to the half way point. Hopefully next time I post I will be halfway to my goal!!!

Ok its been 28 days since my 7 procedures- July 1st 2010
I am starting to feel normal- I have lost 20 lbs and I have a stitch line down the middle of my body that truly runs from here to down there- no where land.  I have no belly button and yes although I went in for Vertical sleeve I came out with Gastric RNY- I am happy to be alive.  I thank God for a phenomenal surgeon who had the thought on the table to rethink the Gastric and thus inadvertently finding my 3rd hernia hidden inside my colon.  Its all good - it has taken all this time to heal yet, with great help from friends and family it has happened.  I am now on my way to understanding how to get this weight off, stick to my food regimen, and get walking daily.  I am happy to be able to write this and to feel like writing this.  Its the small things we appreciate after 3 days in ICU 13 days in the hospital and weeks of being so tired I could not ever dust- but today its getting back to normal... or at least my new normal.  I am so glad to have the opportunity to live the rest of my life healthy and I pray that that is just what I do!!!

  its a miracle- Vertical sleeve was excepted and no discussion back and forth between my insurance and the Dr-  UNBELIEVEABLE as Dr had even prepared a peer to peer review for them- wow thank you God!!!  I don't understand every part of all my surgeries I just know they have to pull the stomach down from  above the diaphragm, put new sphincter muscle in, make vertical sleeve, fix abdominal hernia and then pull lateral flaps over the abdomen for additional support!!  Its so much yet I feel good about my surgeon and pray God is with him as we go forward.  For those of you having one surgery I know its hard but just know that  FOR ME this is where I consider the vertical sleeve the BABY at the end of my contractions and labor of the "other surgeries"  as I give birth to the twins as I call them- my hernias!!  So I welcome the new baby so to speak the vertical sleeve, and the new me!!!

realized a new thing has happened as I wait for surgery to be okd by insurance- I have always had great self confidence even though I have gained weight... but after recent trip this weekend as my husband loaded all the pictures and readied them for facebook- I said NO WAY you must be kidding.   He loaded all but pics of me per my request- people keep asking  "did Terry go on this vacation?  She is not in one single picture?  Oddly I feel NOW that as I look in the mirror, I am finally seeing the real me.  All this time I choose not to. Or to not let is bother me.  I think it can be therapuetic to take off the rose colored glasses-- but it makes impending surgery that much more important to me and truthfully I am ready.  God let it come together- please.

all   tests required are done, 5 year weight submitted - only varied in weight by 5-8 lbs since 2004.  Now as I attend weight watchers every week, yet follow my nutritionist guidelines for 65 grams protein, and go to general doc every month to be weighed-  I sit in limbo.  Seems this is everyones script known as take a twice a day- bariactric patience!! And looks like most get this as a prerequisite for surgery.  So I am happy to be a t least 3 months in just praying that maybe by July I will be able to schedule surgery????

done ALL testing, psych eval, nutritionist, endoscopy, 2 times sleep lab, need cpap still, ultrasound of gall bladder, and also the upper GI- I AM SO READY to get DR to resend all this to the insurance again for approval.  Plus I have lost 5 1/2 pounds doing presurgery diet 75 grams of protein then the veggies and the fruit.  I have tried several protein things and have even found my favorites. I ve got my baby plates and silverware- having a lil hard time not drinking with meals and remembering to  chew till its puree'  :) but  I am praying we have date to meet again with doc soon!!!!

wow January  1st exercizing, starting  the 2010 new year commited to getting weight under control- buy instead I pulled my stomach thru a haital hernia.. now my stomach sits in my chest cavity. I currently have 2 hernias: an umbilical hernia that arrived after colon resection surgery an a haital hernia where the opening to my stomach has allowed my stomach to move into places it does not belong.

So now heres my delimma,

There are 2 surgeries to put  stomach back and create a working spincter muscle-1= fundifplication where they take stomach and wrap it around esophagus to make a "Dumb spincter
"or  2=gastric bypass where they make stomach smaller and they use some pig skin to make the spincter muscle* bonus with gastric you get a faster heal, extra weight removed prior to second hernia surgery but important side note its a life long change. 
interestingly... both surgeries have similar morbidity and different lifelong effects.

 Now since I am over 120 pounds over weight. &  I need umbilical hernia surgery  knowing this is the surgery my 
Dr wants to do because he feels it gives BOTH hernias a better place to stay repaired I believe I should have gastric RNY.

 YES, I have studied it.

As all gastric patients know- I am now in insurance red tape as they decide if they will accept the fact I have not had the required 6 months monitoring by a dr.
                                                                                   So I need a miracle. 
The surgery my Dr wants me to have and I  am prepared to do, is being decided by my insurance or... as long as stomach does not strangulate.  So we are doing all necessary tests & my dr  is monitoring me as we wait it out to see if I can have gastric or just emergency fundiplication.  I am praying!!!  Hoping if you are a person that prays that you will too! 

can anyone that has had both surgeries please get back to me to tell me how their surgeries went and how they are doing today post op.  Thank you