oceanrayne
When I graduted high school in 1986, I weighed 135 lbs. I was never overweight growing up, and was fairly active. When I became pregnant with my daughter, I gained over 70 lbs. When she was born, I was 185lbs. I never was able to get back down to that 135 that I had been the year before. I maintained this weight until 1993, when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Course after course of prednisone added pound after pound after pound. I was guaranteed to gain at least 10 each time they put me on it. During the summer of 2005, I hit my highest weight of 353lbs. I have pictures of myself at a family reunion, seeing people I hadn't seen in almost 10 years, and looking absolutely horrid. I felt awful, I snored so bad that trip that my family was ready to disown me, and I was so tired all the time! It was during that trip that I took terribly ill, and was unable to keep things down for almost two weeks. I survived on bananas and gatorade. I dropped almost 20 lbs by the time we got home, and decided that I would keep watching what I was eating to see how much more I could lose. My stomach was messed up for a long time after that, and I was able to only eat certain foods. Eventually, I felt better but it seemed like my appetite wasn't what it had been. People kept saying that I looked like I was losing and it felt good to hear it. I just kept trying to eat better and not binge or graze. It seemed like I got to about 305 and just stopped losing.
My birthday was rough and I kept looking at those pictures from the reunion. OMG I looked horrible. My father died at age 55 of a massive heart attack and was morbidly obese. I don't know how much he weighed but I figure he was at about 450 or more at the time of his death. I felt that I was on the same path.
After coming to a decision the day after my daughter's 18th birthday in November, I went to my first appointment with Dr. Zografakis with Advanced Bariatric at Akron City Hospital in Akron, Ohio on 12/7/05. My mom, who has been my biggest supporter in this quest, went with me. I think she was totally shocked at what I was preparing to do to myself. After talking with Dr. Zografakis, I knew that a RNY was what I was supposed to do.
Billie, the Medical Assistant, was wonderful in assisting me with all of the testing I had to undergo. She would schedule things so that I could do many the same day and not have to return to the hospital time and time again. When I had my EGD done in January, I was diagnosed with an ulcer. After being put on medication, I was told that when the ulcer healed that I would be scheduled for surgery. My follow up EGD was for the first week of March. The end of February, Medicare changed it's rules for Gastric Bypass surgery and the program at Akron City was no longer going to be covered. I was completely heartbroken!!!
After finding out which programs were on the COE list for bariatric surgery, I called the closest, which was Cleveland St. Vincent's. The person I spoke to there proceeded to tell me that the testing that I had done in January (this was March), was going to have to be redone. I thought that this was just rediculous to redo testing that would not be covered in network by my primary insurance. They could only give me the explanation of "This is a different program."
I called Columbus's program through Ohio State University Hospitals and was told that I could apply there. They also mentioned that I probably would have to redo tests. So, I called the hospital in Pittsburgh, UPMC- St. Margaret's and they said that they didn't forsee any problem with taking my test results!!
I went to their next seminar the beginning of April and met Dr. Quinlan. His seminar was so informative and I learned much more than I had from the Akron one. I was totally impressed with him. There were several of his patient's there that night that had brought family or friends to consider the surgery as well. They had nothing but good things to say about the program and doctor.
His office staff has been wonderful! I got in for my first appointment to see Dr. Quinlan a few weeks later, and he looked through all my tests and felt that everything was in order. He said that he would do his best to make my trips to Pittsburgh a minimum and that I could do most of what needed to be done with my primary doctor. He had me meet the Pulmonary team so they would be familiar with me post op because of my CPap machine. His thoroughness has been amazing. After my nutrition classes in May, it took about three weeks to get my surgery date. Lisa, Maria and the rest of the office staff have been absolutely a blessing and no question is to large or small. These people truly care that you succeed in their program.
My surgery is scheduled for June 13th, and I am ready to go. I can't wait to complete this journey and start to live life again.
It's been six months since my surgery, and all I can say is WOW! How my life has changed. After my initial recovery, which took about 5 weeks, I started to feel pretty good. I was able to get off the CPAP machine within a month after surgery. I no longer snore at night. I've had a few struggles here and there, mostly relearning how to eat and what to eat. I don't tollerate artificial sweeteners well, so I had to find alternatives that worked for me. I stick to a pretty good diet of foods that are good for me, although on occasion I will take a taste of something bad. As a former binge eater, I know that if I have one little taste of something that it will satisfy the urge for it. If I don't have that little taste, I'm afraid I will forget myself and start to binge. Binging now will make me deathly ill. I have experienced dumping, and the horrible sensation of overeating. I found out that the switch that says that I'm full goes off while there is still food on its way down into my pouch. This will make me feel miserable for over an hour. I've had to learn when to know that I'm almost full and not set off that little trigger in my stomach.
I have more energy than I've had for years. I was digging through some papers the other day and found old doctor notes. I haven't weighed what I do now in over 15 years. I walk a lot more, do more, don't sweat all the time like I used to, and just generally am able to do more around the house and when running errands. I don't exercise as much as I'd like to but when you have two bum hips, it makes it kind of difficult.
Since having the surgery, I have been able to return to college to work on my degree. I was never able to do that before now because I was always too sick to do it. This was one of my biggest regrets in my life not having gotten it, so I'm taking control and going back to school.
Health wise, my cholesterol has dropped drastically, my blood pressure is back to being low normal like it used to be, my thyroid has calmed down, and no more cpap. The one downside I've experienced is that now I'm cold a lot since I don't have that extra insulation all around me. It's a small price to pay!
I look back over the past year since I started this journey and know that I made the right decision. I've been able to regain so much of my life back. Once I get down to my goal, which should be early in the spring, I will work on getting plastic surgery done to sculpt my body into something beautiful. My self esteem is so much better than it used to be as well. I'm always being complimented on how I look. Often I look over my shoulder to see who they are talking to, because they can't possibly mean me. Yet, it *IS* me they are talking to!
******Updated 6/13/2007 ONE YEAR POST OP******
Today is one year to the day that my life changed for ever. After reflecting a bit, it's been a challeging year but also a good year. I'm down to 179lbs from my surgical weight of 297 and a lifetime high of 353. I am much more active than I used to be. In fact, we just relandscaped my front yard and I planted flowers for the first time in over 5 years. I just physically could not do it anymore. Now I can!
My loss is slowing down but I'm happy with where I am. I can now go into the store and buy a dress or a shirt if I like it... right off the rack. No more catalog ordering for me! No more settling on an outfit because it fits, not because it looks good. No more tent dresses that make me look pregnant. The only real problems I've had post op have been getting used to how to eat differently, which we all go through, an increase in pain as I've gotten more active, medication tollerance issues, and a nose/sinus surgery that gets chalked up to an issue of having been on a CPAP machine. When I was on the CPAP, at some point it wore or blew a hole through my septum (the cartilege between my nostrils). In May of 2007, I had this surgically repaired along with a septal deviation. Although the surgery was a success, the closure of the hole was not total. I went into it with the anticipation of a 30% total closure rate with the first surgery, and failed that. I will probably be having one or two more surgeries to complete the closure at some point over the next few months. The hole is about 75% smaller than it was but still enough to be there and be of issue.
As I've gotten more active, my pain levels have increased. Partially because I'm using muscles I haven't used in years, but also because I do have two chronic diseases that cause pain. My pain team has been wonderful with me over this past year and even allowed me to monitor my own pain dosing post op of my nose surgery last month. Instead of playing with medications that I might not be able to tollerate, or that would only partially absorb into my system, we stayed with my current med and I just changed the doses as needed. It worked wonderfully.
The biggest question I get asked is "Would you do it again?" The answer is YES. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. I won't give up this experiece for anything, even though it has been difficult at times. This surgery is not for the weak minded or weak willed. It is by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Every day is a challenge... making sure I'm hydrated enough and making sure I eat enough. Always remembering Protein first. Relearning that it's sip sip sip.. not gulp gulp gulp. One of the hardest things to remember, and I usually don't, is when after doing something strenuous and needing a drink that I can't just gulp it down. Often times I do and most of the time it comes right back up (if I'm lucky...) otherwise I spend an hour in pain waiting for it to pass... Small challenges but challenges all the same.
Mentally, I can say that I do have a problem with looking at myself in the mirror. All the skin...ugh! I still see the fat chick standing there as well. More things to work on but time will bring all that into alignment. Although my self esteem is much better, and it's fun when people have no idea who you are because they haven't seen you in a few years, I still have issues there as well.
I now do things that I hadn't been able to do in years. The next big thing on my plate is a canoeing/camping trip in Michigan the end of July. Imagine that! ME!! Canoeing!
Life was passing me by as I sat on my couch, now I"m back part of life and I love it.
**** UPDATE SEPTEMBER 16, 2008 ****
Wow! Where has the time gone? Life goes so fast now that I'm once again a participant in it! In the past year I've gotten to travel to Michigan to visit friends, gone to rock concerts with my daughter (Nine Inch Nails x2, Front Line Assembly, Mindless Self Indulgence x2, The Birthday Massacre), gone to see my all time favorite band Duran Duran - not only getting to be third row CENTER but getting backstage passes to meet them as well, seeing comedianne Kathy Griffin, Broadway Touring Productions of RENT & Wicked, and so much more! All things that I wouldn't have been able to do presurgery. Either the travelling would be too difficult, or the seats in the theater would be too tight, or that my pain levels would be off the charts.
Life is not passing me by anymore and I am a participant.
My weight has held steady at around 200 lbs and I am happy with that. I'm not cinched in by spandex but I'm comfortable in my own skin for the first time in years. *IF* i get the spandex out, I can get into a size 12-14. Without it, I'm an off the rack 16-18. The thing is, that the off the rack clothes FIT instead of me looking like a overstuffed sausage.
I definitely believe that this surgery made my life worth living again. I love it!
