Richard Cummins

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Hello!  I can't believe it's been three months since I've posted.  It's been a very busy summer and so much has happened!  A few weeks ago I met my goal of 185 pounds.  I currenty weight 182 and couldn't be happier.  I'm doing so many things that I couldn't even imagine a year ago.  I really just can't believe I've lost 172 pounds in less than a year.  The greatest thing from this experience is being able to move again.  I used to have to pause at the bottom of the stairs in my home because getting up them was painful and difficult.  Not any more!!  Now I walk several times a day - 45 minutes in the morning and then usually two 30 minute walks during my work day (I'm lucky - my employer has a walking program to encourage good health so I can walk as much as I'd like as long as I can get my work done...) and then usually a walk or bike ride at night.  It's really hot here in Southern California, so that makes it a little more difficult, but I am determined to get my walking in.  Exercise has really been the key to my success and I'm a little bit obsessed with getting my exercise in.  But I figure that if that's my biggest problem then I'm doing alright.  My new favorite weight loss gadget is the Fitbit Tracker.  It's like a fancy pedometer that monitors everything you do all day and sends it wirelessly to your computer.  It tracks everything and works with the incredible Lose It! app on the iPhone.  I'm a huge fan of Lose It! because it has really helped me to keep track of my food and activity.  It's super easy to use and helps me to stay honest with myself.  Everything I do and everything I eat goes in to the Lose It! log.  I would HIGHLY encourage anyone trying to get healthy to give it a try.  It's fast and easy and now it works with Fitbit.  Journaling and tracking your food and exercise is so important when you're trying to lose weight and that app is wonderful.

My increased health and activity has moved me to make a HUGE decision in the last two weeks.  Not to go in to too much detail, but Theresa and I have been struggling with the bank (Bank of America - pretty fed up with that organization right now...) to adjust our mortgage so we can afford to live in our house.  We're incredibly upside down with huge house payments and we have both seen our income drop a great deal over the past two years.  The bank had us apply for a government program - the Make Home Affordable program - and we did the huge application process to try and modify our loan.  The bank came back to us with a promise of a much lower house payment and asked us to make three months of trial payments, saying that the trial payment would be the amount of our new house payment.  We were so excited and happy and made the payments for three months.  What a fool I was - I should have not paid a dime until I had the terms of the new loan in writing!  After the three months the bank came back with a contract that was the polar opposite of what they had promised us - variable rate, higher payments, didn't include the second, etc.  I have been so stressed about where we were going to go and what we were going to do.  Well, last week we went on vacation to Hungtington Beach and had such a great time!  I never really liked the beach because I didn't like being in a swimsuit and couldn't walk, ride a bike or swim - the three big beach activities.  Well, this time I could do it all and fell in love with Huntington Beach.  While we were there we looked at a small beach house with an ocean view.  In a spontaneous and very unlikely move, we cashed out my Apple stock (bought with money my dear aunt left me when she passed) and were able to pay cash for the place.  We're still trying to negotiate with Bank of America, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for that at this point.  So if we do end up losing our home, we now have a small place to move and eventually retire to.  It's just a little pre-fab house, but we were able to get it for a very low price.  Thanks to my aunt and to Apple - I'd bought the stock years ago at $14 dollars a share and sold it at $400!  I'm not very good with money, but that was the best investment I ever made.  Sooo....I think we will stay in Highland for the rest of the year - my son Tim is a senior in high school, so I want him to be able to finish school this year.  But we will start looking for work down by the beach and will probably relocate in the spring.  The other great thing is that he wants to go to Cal State Long Beach to major in music and the school is only about 20 minutes away.  I wouldn't have been able to afford room and board, but now he can live at the beach with us.  I really don' think this change would be happening if I hadn't gotten healthy.

So I've lost almost an entire "me".  I'm looking towards a new life in a new place.  My family is healthier and happier than ever.  I feel great and am so happy I had this surgery.  Thanks to Dr. Fedorka, my wife and my son for supporting me.  At this point last year I was so frightened about having this surgery - now I can't even imagine my life without it.  I know it doesn't work for everyone, but if you make the most of it and work really hard your entire life can change.  I never want to tell anyone that they should have the surgery - there can be complications and some people aren't successful.  But in my case it was absolutely the best thing I've done next to getting married and having my son.  If there's actually anyone out there that reads this thing, and are thinking about doing this, I would personally encourage you to go for it.  There's a whole new life on the other side of the fat suit and it is truly incredible.

Best wishes - feel free to drop me a line if you have a chance!

Good morning!  So it's been about nine weeks since I had my surgery.  Things couldn't be going better!  I'm all healed up and have experienced no pain or complications.  I've lost 54 pounds in nine weeks  and 132 pounds total from a year ago - not too shabby!  People are noticing and  it's fun to hear the great comments.  But even better than how I look is the way I feel.  I believe I have dropped 20 years.  I'm now able to do things I had only dreamed of in the not to distant past.  I'm hiking every day with my dog, Emma.  I've started riding my bicycle again.  I've been the the theater several times and fit comfortably in the seat.  I can cross my legs and tie my shoes.  My energy level is through the roof.  I can't stress enough how happy I am that I had this surgery.  For anyone sitting on the fence about doing this, well, just DO IT!  You'll feel like a brand new person!  Gotta run - exterminator is coming soon to check for bugs (yuck!)...

 Well, it's been a busy five weeks since my surgery and things are going great.  I met with Dr. Fedorka on Friday and have lost a total of 33 pounds since my surgery and a total of 116 pounds from a year ago.  It seems like it has gone very quickly and I am extremely happy with my progress.  I still have about 50 pounds to loose, but with the way things are going it should go quickly.  

I have celebrated many little victories already.  I bought an electric mower and started to do my own yard.  I've been hiking on the trails in the hills by my house with my dog - she just loves to run free!  I've sat in a theater seat and crossed my legs.  I bought a whole new wardrobe at the Goodwill.  I couldn't be happier.  Dr. Fedorka asked me if I was happy I had the surgery - YES!  YES!  YES!!!  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I think the only thing that has been difficult for me so far is not being able to drink with a meal.  I was always a big drinker with my meals.  But I am getting used to this and know it will get better with time.  The rest of the diet and requirements are really not difficult to comply with at all and I'm starting to develop new habits.  

Good morning!  I am now 1 1/2 weeks out and feeling GREAT!  I cannot believe how easily this has gone for me.  My experience may not be typical, but I have had very little pain (discomfort, really - not sure pain is even the right word) and am so happy I had this surgery.  

I met with Dr. Fedorka today for my first follow-up visit.  Let me start by saying that I can't really say enough about what a great doctor he is and how wonderful his nurse GiGi is.  They treat me so well - I feel so confident in my health care now that I am with Kaiser.  Some people may have bad things to say, and they aren't perfect, but I have yet to receive better care.  And it is significantly better than the care I was receiving from Healthnet at Beaver Medical Center.  I begged the doctor there for a year to x-ray my back and my foot and he just would do no diagnostics.  Kaiser found my back problems and the crushed bones in my foot and have been helping address these painful problems.  I already feel significantly less pain in my foot, but am still waiting for some kind of relief for my back pain.  Hopefully as I continue to loose weight my back will slowly improve.

So, for the moment you've all been waiting for....  I'm down 16 pounds in 12 days!!  Totaled with my weight loss prior to surgery I am now down 96 pounds from my highest weight!  I still have about another 80 lbs to loose, but when I started the program with Kaiser last summer I would never have guessed that seven months later I would be down this much.  I couldn't be happier.

Well, go to run - it's lunch time!  Soup and jello, here I come!  Best wishes to all... 

Well, it is 4:17 AM and I am up and wide awake.  I already seem to have more energy than I have had in years.  Used to be I could fall sound asleep about 8:30 at night and easily sleep in to 7 or 8 then next morning.  Of course, most of the time I had to be up at 5:00 for work, but if I had the morning free, I could easily sleep in.  Now I seem to be up at 3 or 4 each morning.  I think I need to try to stay up a little later at night.

Yesterday was interesting.  It was my first day eating at home.  I at a 1/2 cup of yogurt and felt that "too-full" uncomfortable feeling.  Imagine!  From 1/2 a cup of yogurt.  I love it!

I am already down 7 pounds from the day I went in to the hospital.  I am still a little sore, but the pain medication takes care of that right away.  I am surprised at how little pain I've had.  If the doctor hadn't told me he cut me inside, I would have never known - there is absolutely no pain inside of me - only at the the incision sites.  

Here is a little more detail about what happened while I was in the hospital...

5:15 AM - Arrive at the hospital.  Freak out that I forgot my drivers license.  Absolutely certain I won't get my surgery today because I don't have a picture ID.
5:30 AM - Don't need a picture ID.  Got to remember not to freak about nothing!
5:40 AM - Upstairs for pre-op.  Getting really scared at this point.  Am I actually going to go through with this?  Am I doing the right thing?  Is this crazy?  Seems very surreal.  Get undressed and put my things in a plastic bag.  Put on the paper gown.  Start getting poked.  Start the IV.  More blood samples.  Nose swab for something.  Get pushed while in bed to another pre-op area.  Feeling super scared now.  Feel like running.  Dr. Fedorka comes to see me.  We talk about Metallica and Rush.  He says he'll put Metallica on for me in the O.R.  Talk to the anesthesiologist.  Tell her I'm freaking out and would like something for the nerves.  She says, "Soon...".
7:00 AM - Rolled in to the O.R.  Told to slide on the the operating room table.  It is very flat and very hard.  There are blocks for where your feet go.  They start an I.V. and tell me they are giving me something to relax.  I don't feel a thing!  I have to spread my arms out and they are strapping them with velcro to special arm thingies.  I feel like I'm on a cross with my arms out and strapped.  i am feeling extremely frightened at this point.  Boom - asleep.
12:30 PM - Wake up in recovery.  Creepy room.  Lots of people moaning and in pain.  I am extremely nauseous.  They are asking me my pain level and are giving me something for nausea.  The worst part?  My back is killing me.  The pain meds don't really seem to be helping my back.  Look at the clock and realize I have been out for over 5 hours.  I thought this was supposed to only be an 1 to 1 1/2 hours for the surgery.  Why so long.
1:00 PM - Get moved to a room.  My wife Theresa is there.  Why does my back hurt so much.  Theresa tells me there was a problem with my surgery.  My intestine would not connect correctly to my new stomach.  The doctor had to remove part of the intestine to get to a healthy place to connect to my pouch.  Good grief, this is the worst mattress I've ever been on.  My back is killing me.
Time?  Who knows.  Thirsty.  So thirsty.  No water.  Do they do this to prisoners of war?  It is torture not having water.  My dear wife is taking care of me.  The hospital staff were fine, but I would NOT recommend doing this without having someone with you at all times.
The first night:  Rough.  My blood pressure is high and my heart rate is way too high.  More blood tests.  An EKG - they are worried about my heart.  Don't sleep for more than 1/2 hour without being poked or prodded.  Thank god for Theresa.  She's there watching over me.  I love her so much!
Day 2:  My back hurts so bad.  Down to radiology for the upper G.I.  Yuck!!  Have to drink way too much chalky stuff for my little pouch.  The x-ray doc tells me I'm not obese enough for this operation.  I think he should mind his own business.  I start feeling very nauseous from the dye contrast.  This lasts throughout the the day.  I am also starting to feel very bloated from gas - it needs to get out, but is not even moving!  I get water!!  Little tiny sips.  I'm ok with that.
Day 3:  My back is out of hand.  I cannot handle laying there in so much pain.  Theresa starts scoping out the floor and finds a big recliner in a room of furniture.  She pushes it in to my room.  I move in to it.  She has also snuck in a heating pad for me.  I move and immediately start to feel some relief.  
Day 4:  I am starting to feel much better.  Am ready to get out of there.  My back is much better.  Beware of hospital beds!!!  I think the back thing got started because I was on the operating room table so long.  Then it was just made worse by that horrible bed.  The doctor comes in about 7:30 to discharge me.  He pulls out the drain tube.  I've heard so many horror stories about drain tubes on this site that I was extremely nervous about this.  It felt a little weird, but I felt no pain whatsoever.  I am anxious to get out of there and go home.  Waiting, waiting, waiting...  Where is that nurse?!?  Three hours later and finally a very scattered, messy, mixed-up nurse shows up.  She can't seem to do anything right.  Wrong blood pressure cuff.  She leaves for a super long time.  Finally comes back - wrong blood pressure cuff, again!  She leaves again.  What on earth is going on.  Finally she shows up again with my discharge papers.  Takes out the I.V. needle.  Leaves again to find a wheel chair.  Finally get a wheel chair and head out.  Get to the first floor - so close.  She gets lost.  Confesses to this only being her second time in this hospital.  Good grief!!  Finally find the exit and...FREEDOM!!  Never felt so good!!

I need to thank two outstanding nurses... Lynn and Chitra.  They were excellent nurses.  The rest of the staff?  Not really that committed to my well-being.  Pretty uninvolved and seemed bothered every time I tried to contact them.  Can't really say that my hospital stay was that stellar.  I need to realize I am used to the standard of care that Kaiser provides - which is very high.  I was having my surgery at St. Bernardine's because the new hospital in Fontana has not been completed - and that will be Dr. Fedorka's new home.  Dr. Fedorka was awesome, though.  He came to see me every day - often poking in 2 or 3 times to see me.  He spend lots of time with me and was very nice to meet my large family.  Dr. Fedorka ROCKS!!

The entire experience was not so bad.  The first two days were by far the worse.  I'm feeling pretty good now.  I will continue to post on my recovery....

Hello all.  A quick post today.  More details to follow.  Just got home from the hospital and am doing surprisingly well.  Don't let me misrepresent this - the first couple of days were pretty bad.  Nausea, no water, some pain.  But three days out and I was feeling great.   A small amount of discomfort from the incision points, but no pain from the internal re-arraingements.  Really feeling very well - just a little tired.

Well, I've probably posted too much this week, but I'm feeling a little nervous and writing about it helps me.  I am on full liquids today - two shakes before noon, then the "cleansing" meds and water from that point out.  Nothing to eat or drink after midnight.  I think the thing I'm most anxious about right now is waiting for the hospital to give me a time for tomorrow.  Everything up to this point has been super organized by Kaiser.  However, Dr. Fedorka is performing the surgery at a local hospital, St. Bernadine's, until the new hospital in Fontana is completed.  This works very well for me because the hospital is only a couple of miles from my home.  But it is not a Kaiser facility so I'm a little uncertain about their procedures.  I'm hoping I'll hear relatively early in the day so I'll know what to expect tomorrow.

I've had several really touching and encouraging emails the past few days.  I haven't told a lot of people that I'm having this surgery - I figure it isn't really their business.  I may feel differently after I loose weight, but for now it seems like a pretty private undertaking.  But the few people I have told have been super encouraging, and several have written me saying that my courage has inspired them to consider this surgery.  I'm not very good at complementing myself, so their words have helped me to stop for a moment and realize that it really does take an incredible amount of courage to go through with this.  There are a lot of unknowns (even though Kaiser and this site have done a lot to prepare me...), and the prospect of surgery is daunting.  I have to pat myself on the back for having gotten this far and for my determination to see this thing through.

I was thinking about some of the things that have happened in the past that were so embarrassing and hurtful that remain as a sort of anchor of pain that keeps me going.  One of the biggies was when I was sent for physical therapy for the pain in my back.  I've had severe pain in my mid-back region for almost three years ago.  My PCP said it was collateral damage from my weight, but that she was going to send me to physical therapy to see if that would help.  I was enthusiastic as I was willing to try anything to alleviate the pain.  When I got there I met with a therapist named DIane (in the Redlands office - sorry to call her out, but she was was very hurtful..).  When I went into the physical therapy room, she sat me down and told me that I needed join a gym and to stand up straight and stop walking like I was pregnant.  I felt like I'd been slapped.  The reason I walk like I am pregnant is because I am carrying the weight of triplets in my belly.  And the reason I'm having problems standing up straight is that my excess weight is pulling on my spine.  I left and never came back.  Another big embarrassment was when I went to a Rush concert with my son last summer.  I am a HUGE Rush fan!!  I had bought incredible third row pit tickets and the Irvine Amphitheater.  Well, the seats are folding chairs that are set up directly in front of the stage.  My back was already hurting, so I was sitting down before the show started - knowing I would be standing as soon as the band came out on stage.  Well, my big fat ass was actually taking up two of these little folding chairs.  The people that had the seats next to me came up to me and asked if I would move so they could sit there.  I was so embarrassed, and it was even worse because it was in front of my son.  One of my big goals is to sit in a theater seat comfortably and not have to be concerned about the person sitting next to me.

So, I've written a book so far today, so I will sign off for now.  The next time I post I will be post op and on the other side.  Please keep me in your prayers and wish me the best of luck.

It is Tuesday, February 15, 2011.  My surgery will take place on Thursday the 17th.  Today will be my last day of work - my doctor has excused me until March 14, 2011, so I will be out just a little under a month.  Although I enjoy my job, it has been a long time since I have had this much time off at once.  Other than the pain of surgery, I am really looking forward to getting away from the stress and pressures of the job for a while.  I work as a video editor for the County of San Bernardino, and like I said I enjoy my job, but our department is closely associated with the higher workings of politics in the county and that, at times, can be rather stressful.   

Tomorrow will be my cleansing day - fun!! - so today is my last day of solid foods for a while.  I am feeling a little nervous, but not a lot nervous as I would have expected.  I'm looking forward to getting to the weekend, as I know the worst of the pain and discomfort will be starting to subside by then.  I will post with my surgery experience after I return from my stay in the hospital. 

Doctor Fedorka indicated that I would be his first (and only) surgery for the day, so I should be able to get started early.  I will not know, however, until the hospital calls on Wednesday night.  I'm hoping it's early - Dr. Fedorka said I would probably need to arrive by 5:30 am, which is good for me.  Less time to worry, and less time to have to go without food or drink.  Do you think brushing my teeth counts as drinking?  I'm pretty sure I'll want to clean up before heading out the door.

It has been nearly a year since I started this journey.  It feels a bit surreal to actually be at the precipice of the culmination of the journey.  It has been a positive and productive process though.  I have enjoyed my Options classes.  They really helped me to get started on loosing a good amount of weight prior to my surgery.  I have already lost 57 pounds since starting my Options classes.  I feel really great about that, and have questioned myself if I really want to proceed with the surgery.  My hesitation is short-lived, however, when I think about all the other attempts I have made at weight loss - I have lost about the same amount in the past, but tend to level out at this weight and cannot seem to move the scales any lower.  I still have about 105 lbs. to still loose, and I don't think I can do that without surgical intervention.

I am nervous about the pain of the surgery.  I had my appendix removed about three years ago and it was very painful.  The difference, however, was that the appendix was very infected - gangrene and perforated - if I had waited much longer to get to the hospital I would have possibly died.  In addition, I had a large umbilical hernia which the surgeon repaired while he was poking around inside of me.  I ran a high fever from the infection and was in the hospital for about a week.  I was very sick and weak going in to that surgery and I feel that had something to do with my slow recovery.  This time, however, I am physically stronger and have been actively preparing for the surgery.  I ride my stationary bike religiously every day for a half hour.  I think this has made me stronger and less likely to have an embolism.  And, like I said, I have lost 57 lbs., which the doctor and the Options classes said will make a big difference in my recovery.  Realistically, I really have no idea how difficult the recovery will be, but I am certainly hoping it will not be quite as bad as my last experience with surgery.

Well, that seems to be enough rambling for the time being.  I will probably post again tomorrow night - getting the words out seems to be good therapy for me.  I appreciate this site and have learned a great deal about the procedure.  

I met with Dr. Fedorka for the second time on Monday, February 7, 2011.  I liked him even more this time than I did the first time I met him.  He is very straight-forward, but kind and and caring too.  He went over everything in detail - from what to expect post surgery, pre-surgery prep, and eating further out after the surgery.  I am a week and one day from my surgery date.  Although I feel a little nervous, I am surprised that I am not more worried than I am.  I normally stress on things rather well, but I feel relatively calm at this point.  Maybe as the day grows closer my feelings will change.  I will post again as I get closer to surgery.

Well, I'm one week out from surgery.  I received an invoice from Kaiser today outline my financial obligation for the surgery, and - wonderfully - it said no obligation from subscriber!  I am getting this wonderful gift and it will not cost a penny.  I am truly so fortunate for my outstanding benefits and for the great people at Kaiser.  I will meet with Dr. Fedorka tomorrow afternoon to review all the details for my surgery.  I am looking forward to finalizing the details.  I thought I would be enormously nervous with the surgery coming up so close (I tend to stress over even the smallest things!), but am surprisingly calm and excited to have finally reached this point.  I am somewhat apprehensive about what exactly to expect after the surgery - things like catheters and drains, but I will discuss these things with Dr. Fedorka tomorrow and will happy to know what all the dirty little details will be.

I have lost 55 pounds since I started the program.  My current weight is 279, down from 334.  I went to a great Super Bowl party today, and did a pretty good job with the food.  I did have a couple buffalo wings, but ate mostly all veggies.  I had a bite of chocolate for dessert, but didn't have the two pieces of cheese cake I normally would have chosen.  I'm feeling good about my ability to work the program and really can't wait for the surgery on 2/17/11.