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My WLS Journey
Old Profile
Well today with the help of my new found friend and angel "Jessica" I
now have my first consultation with Dr. Quioco on December 30,
2003! I am going to be getting the new year off to a great start:)
Wow what a wonderful nite I had last nite(010504)! Went to my first
support group and was I sooo surprised to see quite a few people I
knew! Was a very positive experience but most of all I got to meet
my angel Jessica! I know this is the beginning of a new me! I am so
very excited! Will give another update after I have my consultation
with the Dr on the 22nd of this month..yes I had to reschedule due to
unforeseen circumstances!
Five more days until my consult with Dr. Quioco...very nervous and
still very undecided on what I am going to do...just going to keep
praying about it:) oh and it's my 18th day without smoking!!!
WOOOHOOOO
Hello everyone...been awhile since I have updated..alot of changing
my mind has been going on!! To have the surgery or not to have the
surgery!!! since my last update I have cancelled yet another consult
with Dr. Quioco. Yes I know I give new meaning to the term "a lady
changing her mind!
' I am still not smoking(wooohoooo!) but have also gained more
weight because I quit!!!! I have decided to yet again reschedule
another consult with Dr. Quioco on the 11th of March. I really need to
talk to him to get these questions out. My angel Jessica just had her
surgery today and she is doing wonderful...I just want to thank
Jessica, Yvette, and Robyn for taking the time to listen and support
me. I have truly been blessed to have met all of you all!! I just know
everytime I go to the doc the scale keeps going up, up and further
out of control! My poor body can't support this weight anymore...time
to take action!!! I will update again soon:)
Well closer to my consult date and I have finally gotten the approval
of my mom! I know I am doing this for myself but her support is so
vital to me. She is a very important part of my life and it is a
complete miracle that she has accepted the surgery. Another hurtle
that has been overcome. I have come along way but still have things
to work out and deal with before doing this surgery. I truly believe
you have to be totally at peace with the decision to do this. You have
to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the right step. Giving
complete control to the Lord of your life!! What a tough step for me
to do. Giving control over and giving it to the Lord is vital to doing
this as well as anything in life. I know the surgery is a medical need
in my life but it is also making me deal with issues that I have pushed
away. So needless to say this is the hardest time in my life right now.
Dealing with old demons and realizing why I turned and use food for
stress instead of nourishment! Everyone has their skeletons and my
addiction to food is it for me! Shew!! I think I just wrote a novel!! Oh
well it was good for me to get this out...I will update after my consult
with Dr. Quioco:)
Well I did it!!!! I completed my consult with Dr. Quioco and didn't cry
once! Dr Quioco wants me to lose 20 pounds before surgery which is
going to be so very hard. It has to be done done so there will be less
risk of complications. I am at peace with this decision and am so
excited on reaching my goal. I strongly believe that you have to be
totally certain and completely trust your surgeon before making this
final step. I once again totally want to thank Jessica, Tracy, Nicole,
Cathy, Kathy, Robyn and Yvette for so much support. What an
awesome group of women! I went prepared and confident for my
consult and feel so ready for this big step! Will update more when I
start to lose this weight preop:)
03/24/04...Here I am again...got a letter in the mail from Anthem
stating my surgery is approved!! Everything is covered except for my
copay!! Things are falling into place little by little. I started my
Pro-Cal Shakes yesterday and did really well. I also have seen my
Primary Care to check to see if I am physically able to do the
surgery... and my next step is for my primary care to give the go
ahead to Dr Quioco....so hopefully everything will check out:) I am
starting to get extremely nervous but I have always told myself that
if everything went smoothly before surgery then it was meant to be.
Other than all the doctor appointments everything else is
wonderful...I think it is finally sinking in that I am actually doing this!!
It almost feels like it isn't real...the reality of me being thinner is
going to be happening!!!
03/28/04 Sunday...This week is going to be full of Doctor
appointments...If I can make it through this week I will ready for
surgery...and if I can just stay well...allergy season is hitting hard this
year!!!
03/29/04---rest of physical
03/31/04---Psych Evaluation
04/01/04---Gallbladder Screening
04/06/04---2nd Consult with Surgeon(mom is going with me:))
Will update when after all of these are completed
04/07/04...Wednesday-----Have gotten all of my appointments over
with!!! wow what a week last week was:) I do have some
unexpecting news on how my second consult went. I have lost 10
pounds since my first consult! and my blood pressure has gone down
to 128/68 which I think is sooo awesome... my mom really liked Dr Q.
and I feel very good with the visit except for the fact he wants me to
now lose 30 pounds!!!! I know he knows best but this is quite
frustrating...he said he wanted to see me in 6 weeks but the
receptionist won't let me schedule an appt until I am close to 30
pounds lost??!?!?!!? I am wondering if this is a sign or I just need to
do this and develop some patience Anyhow I am going to do the
liquid fast to get these 30 pounds off!! Lord help me:)) So it looks
more like July possibly for my surgery....I know this is in God's timing
so I feel that this is right and I just need to take this day by day! Oh
and I did also find out that the Center for Bariatric Medicine may be
offering a support group for Dr Quioco's patients very soon!! Which I
think would be great!!! Hopefully the next time I update I will have
lost some more weight:))))))
04/21/04----Wednesday--Here I am bout 2 weeks later than the last
post...and wow what a change of events have occurred...First off I
have still only lost 10 pounds!! which is a not good considering I have
30 more pounds to lose until Dr Quioco will even talk to me!! I was
about to give up and I got a phone call from Dr Davenport's office
asking me if I could come in for a consult with her on the 29th of this
month!! I was like OMG what a breakthrough...so needless to say I
have gotten my primary care to refer me to her. She was my first
choice of surgeons but her waiting list is a year long!!! I have been on
her waiting list since November or early December..can't remember:)
I have heard nothing but wonderful things about her and am really
looking forward to meeting her! I will update after my consult!:))
05/01/04 Well I reckon I need to update…I all I have to say is it’s not
my timing but God’s timing!!! This past week has been well short of
miraculous! First off I know a lot of people are noticing that I have
switched surgeons. Well let me clear this up…when I first had talked
to my primary care physician back last year I had initially wanted Dr.
Davenport but her waiting list was almost a year. So I got impatient
and schedule with Dr Quioco. I first want to say to anyone who has Dr
Quioco as a surgeon or contemplating going to him that he is a fine
surgeon. I am not here to say negative things about surgeons. I am
just sharing my personal experience on this site. I had completed all
pre surgery appointments and the last step was surgery. With Dr
Quioco that was not going to happen until I lost 30 pounds. Needless
to say that was just not going to happen. Maybe I don’t have the will
power maybe I was mentally not ready. All I know is that right now is
where I am at and where God wants me. I had pretty much accepted
the fact that I wasn’t going to have this surgery…I was even getting
quite jealous of my newfound friends through this site because they
were moving faster than I. I have to be honest and I have been
experiencing so many emotions about all of this. So I decided to just
calm down step back and back off of all of the dieting, talking about
surgery and pursuing gastric bypass. Then when I least expect it I get
a call from Dr Davenport’s office, asking me if I wanted to come in for
a consult on the 29th of April. I was so much in shock and said of
course. I went to my meeting with her and knew it was right. I mean
I was totally fearing this surgery, and all my friends from the site
knew I was flip flopping ready to not go through with this. So here I
am! I have decided to have this surgery with Dr Davenport on the 5th
of May!!! Shannon, Dr Davenport’s nurse called me early Friday
morning asking me if I was ready to have surgery on the 5th of May. I
said YES!! So everything is ready to go for Wednesday. I did want to
say that I asked Dr Davenport why she personally does this surgery.
She said that it is the only surgery that can cure diabetes,
hypertension, aches, joint pain and give patients back their mobility,
and self esteem. What other surgery does that? My jaw bout hit the
floor…I was so moved by her answer that I knew God was all in this.
I can’t explain the peace I have about me. I know this is going to be
a tough road but I have such an awesome support group. My whole
entire family is supporting me. I am on prayers lists, in people’s
prayers; I have been blessed with the most awesome newfound
friends from this site! It is amazing to see how the Lord can bless you
and see you through anything!! My son knows that mommy is going to
have surgery on her belly and will be gone for three days. Everything
has fallen into place and I am ready for this life-changing event! I do
have to go Monday for all of my presurgery lab work and chest
X-rays, and EKG. Then after that I will go see the nutritionist to tell
me more on what I need to expect. So my next post will be after my
surgery!!!
05/23/04—Well here I am 18 days post op! All I can say is wow what
a journey it has been! I do want to especially thank Jessica my
angel!! I had wonderful support through this surgery but she was and
still is what is holding me together. I had my surgery open and
developed an infection in my wound about one week after my
surgery. So I am being visited now twice a day with Home Health
Care nurses for treatment of my wound. I am about ¼ of the way
healed but my surgeon had to remove most of my staples to let the
infection drain out of my belly. This I have to say has been very
depressing for me, but Jessica has faithfully called and supported me
through the rough times. I really believe you experience so many
emotions during this time. My nurses say I am really healing well and
will be back to work by June 14! I am praying so much for a fast
recovery. Having an open wound is no fun, but it is a small price to
pay for a longer and healthier life! I have not had any dumping and
pretty much live off of sugar free Popsicles! I am still on soft foods
and am keeping everything down very well….I also am not struggling
with any nausea, which I think is awesome. I am scheduled to go
back to Dr Davenport this Tuesday…hopefully I have lost some
weight. I can see it in my face but my tummy is still very swollen
…will update then!
06/19/04 Just wanted to update...I have now lost 46 pounds in 6
weeks which is sooo incredible!
I did however develop a kidney infection and had to go to the
emergency room last Tuesday...was no fun
I am feeling so much better though and am still loving my surgeon..Dr
Davenport...she is just awesome!!
Looks like I will be headed back to work on July 6 and my wound is
almost healed. No pain at all from that:)
What a difficult journey this has been but I know I had to do this. I
will update after my next Dr appt in three weeks:)
07/04/04 Just a quick update...I have now lost 60
pounds..woohoooo:)) still have my open wound but going back to
work Tuesday...wish me luck!
07/27/04---Here's a quick update...I have now lost 70 lbs since May
5th..so that will make me almost three months out!! Been a journey
but I totally don't regret it!! I am able to walk now and I feel
absolutely wonderful! My incision is almost healed completely...very
excited about that! Had my ct scan of my abdominals and everything
came back perfect!!! Have about 140 more pounds I would like to
lose:)
January 3 2005 ..whew!! it's been a while...I wanted to update and
say I am doing wonderful...I'm down 110 pounds and still going.
Grant it my weight loss has very much slowed and that at times is
very frustrating..but I'm determined to reach goal! I have a good 100
pounds to go. I've joined the gym and tried to keep a good routine
down. I am off to see Dr Davenport tomorrow and will update again
after that visit. I have a feeling I have a few hernias but I'm trying to
be xtra careful in that area. My life has changed so much since this
surgery!~ My job is very demanding right now and I can feel the old
eating habits creeping back in...So this is a true test of my lifestyle
change. I have very much wanted to pick up smoking again but you
know what??? I didn't go through all of this to turn back to old
habits!~
01/04/05 Ok here's the verdict! I have two hernias that will need to
be repaired in about three mos. I think..Dr Davenport said that I
would probably need to get them repaired before any type of TT.
Very upset about all of this but you know I can do this! I got through
my surgery the first time I will conquer it again. This just reminds me
of what a dramatic surgery I had and how lucky I am to have lost the
weight! I've learned that everyone's body is different and that my
success has been tremendous! So I'm going to keep my positive
attitude until I reach my goal and conquer whatever else comes my
way! * grin * I’m trying to motivate myself here:) Will update when I
go back to the surgeon in 3 MOs!