Corissaa3
June 3rd, 2006
Hello to all! My name is Corissa. I am 20 years old and live in Minnesota. I live with my wonderful boyfriend Michael and our 8 month old daughter, Willow. I have been overweight since puberity. My weight escilated to obese when I was 16. Since then it has just continued to climb. My Mom had RNY 9 months ago and is my inspiration and angel. I am so excited to start this journey and not have to worry about this dark path my health will continue to follow if I don't get this weight off.
I will be going to the informational meeting at Unity today. Last time I went it scared me and I decided I wasn't yet ready for that big of a step. Now, I feel like my education about the surgery, my heart, and my reasons for wanting the surgery are in the right place. I will post how the meeting went saturday afternoon! Until then, TTFN!
June 3rd, 2006
I went to the informational meeting with my mom and my boyfriend, Mike. It was strange. The last time I went I left there feeling like "I can't do this, I'm not ready for this, I will try something else." Just pretty much scared out of my mind. This time I left there feeling empowered and excited. I am ready for this!! I know it in my whole body!!
June 5th, 2006
I called my insurance company today to see what the requirments are...and of course the guy had no idea what I was talking about, and he hardly spoke any english...FRUSTRATING! All I got out of him is I need a referral to the surgeon from my PCP and I need letters of medical necessity from both of them. Ok, easy enough. I called my PCP and I have an appointment with him tonight!! WOOHOOO!! I am scared about what he will say, but he is such a great doctor, I don't think it will be a problem!! I also called the Unity Bariatric office and got an appointment for Wednesday at 11:15 for my health history meeting!! YAY!! I never thought I would get in so quick!!
June 5th, 2006 (later that day)- Well, I went to an Images meeting with my mom (she had the surgery last september). I can't believe how much she has come out of her shell!! Its crazy!! She is my inspiration. She was a beautiful person when she was heavy but now she is beautiful AND sassy!! I had my doctors appointment after the meeting and he agreed that this is the next step I need to take. He wrote me a letter of medical necessity with us sitting right there. He also has me scheduled to come in on Thursday to have blood drawn. He wants to check my cholesterol. I HATE needles, but Its the price I have to pay to be healthy!!
June 7th, 2006
I had my introductory meeting with Lynn at Unity today. It was great! I really like her. My BMI was 41.5. Looks like I have 11 pounds to loose before surgery. I am sooooo happy I have Ucare for my insurance! They have very few requirments. I have to have my psych evaluation, see the dietitian, have blood work done and have a letter of medical necessity....thats it! So, now when I go in tomorrow I have a longer list of tests I need done..YAY (NOT!!)! I have my first dietitian appointment on June 23rd at Unity. I also called the psychologist's office when I got home. I have my first appointment THIS FRIDAY!!! Then, I have my testing next Friday and the results follow up the following Friday! That means all appointments are done before July 1st! Thank you Dr.Terri Bly for not having a super busy schedule!! Till Friday...
June 9th, 2006
I had my first appointment with Terri Bly, psychotherapist today. I can't quite decide if I like her or not. She is very nice, but skinny as a rail. I know she is trying to help, but when I started talking about the ways I think people percieve me she got very concerned. I don't think there is a heavy person out there who hasn't felt like everyone is judging them when they are out in public. I have a feeling she has never dealt with this, so she doesn't really understand. She wants me to see a dietitian (which I already have an appointment with), and wants me to come in for an additional 1-2 appointments then what is required. I left there feeling so bad about being me. I think it comes down to she got me thinking about a lot of things, but then we never talked about them. I go in next Friday to take my test, then the following Friday I meet with her again. I am not excited for this. I will post more after the testing next week!
June 16th, 2006
I went and did all my Psychological testing (MMPI) today. It was very interesting! Some of the questions were so strange "Is someone trying to control your thoughts?" and "Is someone plotting against you?" But, a lot of the questions really made me look at myself and realize I am human, I have my faults and I need to learn to except them. I am shy, big deal! I am a lot more sensitive than most, oh well!! I walked out of the office feeling fried because of all the questions. One test had over 500 alone. Overall I think it went really well! I can't wait till next week to find out my results!
June 20th, 2006
I received all my blood work results in the mail today. Everything looked great. This is both good and bad! Good to know I am not pre-diabetic or have a thyroid issue or anything, but bad because it proves I have no real co-morbidities. I sure hope insurace realizes I may be healthy now but if I continue at this weight in another few years I will have some major health problems.
June 23rd, 2006
I had my one and only nutritionist appointment today with Anita at Unity. I didn't really gain too much from this appointment because any person who has ever tried to follow a very structured healthy diet would know all this info already. I am a little bummed I don't get to go back because I love Anita! When I left there I told her we could be best friends! She is just one of those people I clicked with. She would like to see me dropped down to 1200 caloric intake and really work on getting my water in. I have officially cut out any type of pop and really have been working to drink water so she was happy about that. But, on a sad note I left there up 1.5lbs since my first visit with Lynn. Time to get my butt in gear! I have Anita's blessing to have the surgery so that means another thing done on my pre-op list!! YAY!!
I also had another appointment with Terri Bly today. It turns out I am boring! Her exact words! She said I had some of the highest test scores she had ever seen, meaning I am generally a happy satisfied person; except the weight issue. We had a very good session today. We talked about every traumatic event that has ever happened in my life and how I have dealt with them. We talked about the new realtionship I am building with my dad and the wonderful relationship Mike and I have. She has decided that I am in the correct mental state for the surgery and feels comfortable approving me. She is going to write my report up and I will be having one more half session with her on July 7th to check in and see how the diet is doing. Then, either that day or the following Monday she will be turning over my report to the surgeons office. YAY!! The surgery is finally starting to seem real and "reachable" now! Lets just hope insurace deams me "worthy" of the surgery!!
July 1st, 2006
I started my own low-carb, low-cal, uped-protein, half liquid, LOTS of water, start of my new lifestyle, Corissa's own homemade weight loss plan! I was surprised how easy it was today! I decided I need to eat small meals every two hours. So, about the time I was getting hungry it was time to eat! Here is how my first days meals went:
9am: 1 bowl malt-o-meal made with skim milk
11am: No sugar added Country Berry Applesauce
1pm: Tuna salad:
Tuna, light Miracle Whip, chopped onions, cashew pieces,
grape halves.....so yummy!
3pm: Raisins
5pm: Taco Salad:
Taco meat, lettuce, onion, salsa, fat-free sour cream
7pm: Light 'n Fit Carb and Sugar Control Vanilla Cream Yogurt
from Dannon
July 2nd, 2006
Okay, okay I know its bad to weigh everyday but I was REALLY curious as to how I did yesterday! So, I weighed this morning and I have lost 3.2lbs already! YAY!! I am so excited!! Here's what todays food intake looks like:
6am: Chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast made with skim milk
9am: Grapes
11am: Light 'n Fit Vanilla Cream Yogurt
1pm: Fat free bolgna with fat-free mayo sandwich
Low-fat Cottage Cheese
3pm: Salad with fat free dressing
5pm: Chicken breast with a small amount of Wild Rice
7pm: Chicken broth
July 6th, 2006
I am having one of those helpless/hopeless days. I have been doing so well with this diet up until today. For some reason I am so hungry! I just want to eat anything and everything in the house. I even went so far as to put peanut butter and chocolate syrup on a Ritz! AND IT WAS SO NUMMY!! But, it was just a little slip up. Back on track for teh next meal. I also weighed today and sometime between the being hungry no matter what and excercising my butt off I have gained a pound..ugh! I don't think I will ever be aloud to have this surgery just because I can't get the pre-op weight off!! Sorry, feel the need to throw myself a little pity party!
July 7th, 2006
Last psych appointment today! It was only a hlaf hour long. I actually brought Mike and Willow with me because we were planning on going to the zoo afterwards. They both came in with me and Terri asked Mike a couple of questions about how he feels about me having the surgery. She told me what to expect it to say in my report and that she will hopefully have it out the door by early next week. I am so happy to be done!! Now its just making sure that Unity gets all my paperwork and getting approval from insurance! YAY!!
July 8th, 2006
I had my first weekly weigh in today. I was a little disappointed. I have pretty much turned all my eating habits upside down, worked out nearly everyday and tried my best to get my water in everyday. So, when I stepped on the scale today I was expecting to see atleast 3-4lbs gone...no such luck! I am down exactly 2.2. Only 8.8 more pounds to go.....
July 14th, 2006
Weekly weigh-in time!! I was soooo happy when I got on the scale today! I am done another 3.4lbs!! I only excercised once this week because it has been so hot out, but I have really watched what I eat. I guess it has all payed off! Thats a grand total of 5.6 lbs lost! Only 5.4 more to go. That means I am half way there!
July 17th, 2006
I called the psychologist's office today to see if my report had been faxed yet and if I could get a copy of it. The receptionist questioned me about when my last appointment was and then put my on hold for 5 minutes. Now- background story- my second to last appointment (June 23rd) Terri told me that by my appointment on July 7th my report would be done or near complete. Then, on the 7th she said it was not quite done. Ok, no big deal, figured it would go out Monday (the 10th) or Tuesday (the 11th). Well, I call yesterday and she tells me that it hasn't yet been two weeks since my last appointment so I shouldn't expect it to be done till Friday (which would be two weeks). So, she comes back from putting me on hold and tells me its not there and gives me the whole 2 week lecture again. I tell her what Terri told me and she is pretty much at a loss for words. UGH!! So, Terri has till Friday to get it done. That means she will have had a month! A MONTH! Can you tell how annoyed I am right now?!?! Its like people don't realize that our lives are pretty much put on hold through this whole process waiting to get the surgery over with. Yet, they still play mind games and take their sweet time!
July 21st, 2006
Weekly weigh in time! I was very surprised today when I got on the scale and realized I am up 2.2lbs! I feel like crying. I don't ever remember 10lb being this hard to take off. I feel like I won't ever be able to have this surgery because I can't get the damn weight off! To top of this most wonderful day (sarcasm) I have to call the stupid psych office and see if 4 weeks was enough time to get my report done. I am so ready for this all to be done with. I know my patience is pretty much nonexistant, but when they tell me 2 weeks and have no had 4 patience is not an option anymore.
I just got off the phone with the psych office and they have already faxed my report out to Unity!! YAY!!! They are also mailing me a copy of it as well. I tried calling Unity to see if they have recieved it but they must have closed early today because there was no one there. Oh well, it can wait till Monday I guess. Now, hopefully insurance won't take too long and I can begin my new life!!
July 24th, 2006
I just got off the phone with the receptionist at Unity. They have all the information they need for my file!!! I got transferred to Lynn's (my nurse) voice mail and left her a message to call me to set up my teaching appointment. I am going to aim for this Friday because I have to go down to the hospital with my Mom because she is having tests done to see if she does in fact have an ulcer. I know that chances of me getting in this early are slim to none, but a girl can hope!! I will update more tomorrow when I heard from Lynn!
July 26th, 2006
Well, I got home last night and had a message from Lynn saying that she pulled my file and in fact my psych evaluation was not in there. UGH!! Then, she tells me it could be up to two weeks before it makes its way into my folder. TWO WEEKS?!?! Two weeks to put some papers in a folder?!?! Thats crazy! I wasn't too happy to say the least.
Then, this morning she calls me back and tells me she went and pulled my folder together herself! YAY! Everything is ready to go! I told her I wanted Lap RNY so she is in the process of handing my folder over to Dr. Jeff so he can do his dictation. I now have a teaching appointment set up for August 14th, 2006 at 8:45 am!! It seems so far away but really its only 3 weeks. Plus, I have been having such a hard time getting this weight off that it just gives me a little extra time to kick myself in the ass and get it more off.
I am both excited and nervous. I wish I knew one way or the other from the insurance so this whole thing can stop being up in the air! Oh well, I need to get some patience!
August 3rd, 2006
HAPPY DAY!! THE SCALE STARTED MOVING AGAIN!! I didn't weigh in last week because I went on a "I suck, lets eat" marathon. I could not get the scale to move no matter what I did. I bounced back up to 240 and it would not budge. I decided I was going to try doing Slim Fast until my Teaching Appointment to see if my body would have any sort of reaction to it. Well, it did! I got on the scale this morning and I am down 2lbs! 2lbs in 2 days? I'll take it! Even if it is jjust water weight! My weigh-in day has switched to Tuesdays, so I will update for the weekly exact total this coming Tuesday. Till then!!
August 14th, 2006
I had my Teaching Appointment today with Lynn at Unity. It was nice to have clarifying on everything, but if you have read your "Survival Guide" then you pretty much know everything that will be talked about at this appointment. I am down exactly 7lbs since my first appointment (with my clothes on and on their scale)!! YAY!! My altimate goal is 11, but she told me if I could hit 7 that would be wonderful...and I did it!! And, I still have more time until surgery!! I am so happy. Its really difficult because it has been extremely hard to get this weight off, but I know I can do it. And, I know at the end of all this there lies a healthier, happier and more fulfilled me....I think its all worth that! Now, on to my rant...
Two minutes into my appointment Lynn tells me that Dr. Jeff has yet to even OPEN my file! UGH!!! Hes had it for over three weeks! C'mon already! I was hoping it would be at the insurance company already. I know this process takes time and I know it takes time for a reason, but in my book people being slow is not a good excuse. If he is that busy he should stop booking for now. I am just upset. I am so afraid my surgery is going to take place right around my daughter's birthday and birthday party. I know Mike and my Mom can handle all the party stuff, but I really want to help out! Plus, I would like to be healed for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe I should just calm down!! I will update more when I hear more info! Till next time....
New Hair Color/Haircut!!
August 17th, 2006
I GOT APPROVED!! This morning I posted on the MN board complaining that Dr. Jeff had had my file for almost a month and had yet to even open it. Well, about half hour after the post went up my phone rang. It was Unity calling me to tell me that not only had he gotten my file done but she had submitted it to insurance and had already gotten a reply. I AM APPROVED!! I am so excited!! I have my meeting with Dr. Jeff on September 12th at 3:00PM!! I am so worried that my surgery date will fall right around my daughter's first birthday party at the end of October, but if it does I am sure my mom and boyfriend can handle everything. Besides, not like she will remember it down the road! I have to realize that right now is my time to be selfish and focus on myself! I am doing this for my health but also to live a long life with my family! I want to have more babies down the road and I want to be healthy for the pregnancy(s) and thier up bringing! I am going to be whole again!! VERY VERY SOON!! YAY!!
August 27th, 2006
Last Wednesday I told my Grandma about having the surgery. When my Mom had it done she was supportive but leary. When I had brought up myself having it done she would always say the same thing..."I am too young, I need to wait till I am done having kids and now is just not a good time." Well, I thought about all the comments she has made and I don't think I am too young. In fact, most say they wish they would have had it done sooner. I want to be able to get down and play with my kids and future husband, I want to not have to worry about my health, or that its too hot out or about how bad my knees will hurt later on if we do this much running. I want to walk down the isle and feel confident. Not feel like everyone is saying "Oh my God, why does he want to marry that cow?" I want to be confident in knowing my next pregnancy will be healthy for myself and my baby. And dammnit, I want people to KNOW I am actually pregnant and not wondering if I am just fat! And lastly, why isn't this a good time? I have taken time off school to be with my daughter during her first year of life, she is still small enough where she is fairly easy to watch and control (when needed), I have moocoo amounts of family around me to help myself and to watch Willow while I am on the mend, I'm healthy....or as healthy as I can be at 100+ lbs over weight. I think now is the perfect time! I need to do this for ME, and no one else! Anyways, back to the story! So, my Mom showed up over at her house while Mike and I were finishing up laundry. She pretty much shoved me into telling her, which is nice because I don't know if I would have ever done it on my own. I just told her I got clearance from my insurance company last week and I had an appointment on 9/12 with my surgeon. I will be getting my date at this time as well. All she really said was "I still think you should wait." She had some questions about the pregnancies and various things. My Mom straight out asked her if she would support me and she said of course, so I guess thats all that really matters!
September 12th, 2006
I had my appointment with Dr. Jeff Baker at Unity today. I am so glad I picked him to be my surgeon (well, I didn't have much choice, but I am still happy!). He is such a gentle, well mannered guy. He made me feel so comfortable and very confident with my choice to have the surgery. My date is Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 at 11 am!!! Exactly one month before my daughter's first birthday!! I couldn't be more happy about it! This means I don't have to reschedule her party and I won't be too sore to enjoy her special days!! I have my gall bladder ultrasound on Monday and my pre-op physical the following Saturday. I will update after each appointment!
On another note, today is my Mom's one year surgiversary!! I am so proud of her! She has done amazing and I know she feels amazing. She is such a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman. I am thankful everyday to have her in my life. I love you Mom, and thank you for being my inspiration, angel and best friend!!
September 18th, 2006
Wow, its only 11am and I feel like I am ready for bed. I had to get up at 5am this morning (I am usually up at about 6:30, so its not that big of a stretch) to be at Unity by 6:45am for my gall bladder ultrasound. I walked in there a little scared because I have heard it hurts from them having to push so hard. NOT!! He never had to push. I felt like a model because he first had me lay with my hands above my head, then on my side with my arms above my head....pose...click...pose...click (lol)! It was a little challenging because he kept having me take deep breaths and hold it for quite awhile, but if thats all I have to do so be it!! It made me miss being pregnant!! But, there will be time for that 2 years from now!! I have my pre-op/blood work done this coming Saturday, then its off to the Ren Fest!! YAY!!
September 23rd, 2006
I had me pre-op today. It went great! My doctor is very excited for me and can't wait to see what the future holds. My Mom went with me, THANK YOU MOM!! I had to have a tetinis (sp?) shot and a finger prick to have my blood count checked. Those finger pricks really do hurt like a b**ch!! But, nothing really exciting happened. So, there isn't much to report!!
Day of surgery: (232 lbs!)
October 5th, 2006
Well, my surgery was on September 27th, right at 11am. My Mom, my Grandma Sherry and Mike all went with me to the hospital. I remember waking up in my room in complete pain and in tears. For a couple of hours I just remember little blips of consciousness and pain. At about 7pm I got up for my first walk. Nearly threw up all over the little portable nurses station, so that one wasn't too long. Then, around 1am I got up again and took a decent walk. I slept on and off that night and the nurses never really did seem to find anything to help the pain. On Thursday morning I got wheeled downstairs bright and early for a leak test. My first taste of anything post-op was the disqusting die to make sure I wasn't leaking. All looked good so I was given the clear to start liquids. OH THE JOY!!! They finally gave me some diluted Lortab for the pain and if finally helped!! I felt so good! I also got to have some chicken broth, that tasted absolutely amazing! Oh, and some apple juice!! Did lots of walking and sleeping. I was running a low-grade fever but nothing they seemed too concerned about. Friday afternoon I got to go home!! Well, to my temporary home....my Mom's spare room bed! It was nice to be some where familiar and with people I knew. I am in lots of pain and so tired but just can't seem to sleep. I am not a person who sleeps on my back so those first few nights were really ruff on my back! I don't know what they did during surgery, but I don't have the sensation to pee back yet. The nights have also been pretty rough because of the hot flashes. Due to my messed up hormones from the surgery I wake up soaking wet in sweat. I cannot wait for that to go away!! Its really annoying! But, I am happy I did this. I know all this pain will end soon and I will be back to my "new" normal self in no time. I have lots of pictures from the hospital, and my post-op tummy and of my insides!! So, I will post those as soon as I get them from my Mom!
Day of Surgery:
My beautiful mug after going through the registration process!
My 2 angels: My Mom and My Grandma at the hospital!
Hours after surgery:
My stomach hours after:
On Sunday, October 1st, I ended up in the ER at 9pm. My fever had jumped up to 102.6. I called my surgeon and he suggested going in to see if they could find out whats wrong. So, after two hours of sitting in a noisy waiting room they finally took me back. After another hour I saw a doctor. He was baffled as to what is wrong. So, of course he ordered every test imaginable. I had 2 large viles of blood drawn...which came back all normal. A urine sample...which came back normal. And a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia....also came back normal. So, they finally just decided to give me some liquid Tylenol, which was way too sweet and caused me to throw up water because I drank so much trying to dilute the stuff and send me home. 2 days later my fever finally broke and went away.
Wednesday was my one week and weigh-in day. I have already lost 20lbs! I started out this journey at 241 and Wednesday morning I was down to 221! I am so excited already!
1 week post-op tummy pics:
October 10th, 2006
I had my 1 week check up today with Dr.Jeff, even though I am almost two weeks out. I brought up that I had been suffering from acid reflux again since surgery. After I described the symptoms I was having to him he decided a blood test was in order. He said 95% of people with acid reflux have a bacteria or disease (can't really remember how he worded it) that is treatable with antibiotics but it won't go away if its not treated. He also put me on Prevacid for 6 weeks. Then, I go off of it for a week and if it flares back up I have to be scoped to see just how eroded my esophogus is and to make sure there are not any ulcers.
Other than that everything looks wonderful! My incisions are healing perfectly, my bruising (see profile for pics) is nearly gone and my blood pressure is already lower than it was before surgery. I start purees a week from tomorrow!! YAY!! I go back on October 26th for my 1 month check!
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*~*~*Weigh-Ins*~*~*
Pre-Op: 242
Day of Surgery: 232
Total Loss: 10
Week 1 (10/4/06): 221.5
For the Week: -10.5
Total Loss: 20.5
Week 2 (10/11/06): 217.4
For the Week: -4.1
Total Loss: 24.6
Week 3 (10/18/06):214.2
For the Week: -3.2
Total Loss: 27.8
Week 4 (10/25/06):212.6
For the Week:-1.6
Total Loss:29.4
Week 5 (11/01/06): 209.4
For the Week: -3.2
Total Loss: 32.6
Week 6 (11/08/06): 206.8
For the Week: -2.6
Total Loss: 35.2
Week 7 (11/15/06): 204
For the Week: -2.8
Total Loss: 38
Week 8 (11/22/06): 198.4
For the Week: -5.6
Total Loss: 43.6
Week 9 (11/29/06): 197
For the Week: -1.4
Total Loss: 45
Week 10 (12/06/06): 192.2
For the Week: -4.8
Total Loss: 49.8
Week 11 (12/13/06): 190.6
For the Week: -1.6
Total Loss: 51.4
Week 12 (12/20/06): 189
For the Week: -1.6
Total Loss: 53
Week 13 (12/27/06): 185.4
For the Week: -3.6
Total Loss: 56.6
Week 14 (01/03/07): 183.4
For the Week: -2
Total Loss: 58.6
Week 15 (01/10/07): 183.2
For the Week: -0.2
Total Loss: 58.8
Week 16 (01/17/07): 178.6
For the Week: -4.6
Total Loss: 63.4
Week 17 (01/24/07):176.6
For the Week: -2.0
Total Loss: 65.4
Week 18 (01/31/07): 176.2
For the Week: -0.4
Total Loss: 65.8
Week 19 (02/07/07): 173.6
For the Week: -2.6
Total Loss: 68.4
Week 20 (02/14/07): 169.8
For the Week: -3.8
Total Loss: 72.2
Week 21 (02/21/07): 170.4
For the Week: +0.6
Total Loss: 71.6
Week 22 (02/28/07): 170.2
For the Week: -0.2
Total Loss: -71.8
Week 23 (03/07/07): 168.4
For the Week: -1.8
Total Loss: -73.6
Week 24 (03/14/07): 166.4
For the Week: -2
Total Loss: -75.6
Week 25 (03/21/07): 164.4
For the Week: -2
Total Loss: -77.6
Week 26 (03/28/07): 162.6
For the Week: -1.8
Total Loss: -79.4
Week 26 (04/04/07): 162.4
For the Week: -0.2
Total Loss: -79.6
Week 27(04/11/07): 162
For the Week: -0.4
Total Loss: -80
Week 28 (04/18/07): 160.4
For the Week: -1.6
Total Loss: -81.6
Week 29 (04/25/07): 160
For the Week: -0.4
Total Loss: -82
Week 30 (05/02/07): 157.2
For the Week: -2.8
Total Loss: -84.8
Week 31 (05/09/07): 156.2
For the Week: -1
Total Loss: -85.5
Week 32 (05/16/07): 156
For the Week: -0.2
Total Loss: -85.7
Week 33 (05/23/07): 154.6
For the Week: -1.4
Total Loss: -87.1
Week 34 (05/30/07): 153.2
For the Week: -1.4
Total Loss: -88.8
Week 35 (06/06/07): 151.8
For the Week: -1.4
Total Loss: -90.2
Week 36 (06/13/07): 149.4
For the Week: -2.4
Total Loss: -92.6
Week 37 (06/20/07): 148.8
For the Week: -0.6
Total Loss: -93.2
l Loss:
