Amanda M.

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I think if I would have made OH a priority I may not be in the spot that I am in today.  I am back looking for support because I am starting to gain my weight back.  I had surgery in July 2008 and made it down to the low 160s and now I am up to the high 170s!!!  I just started the 5 day pouch test, to kinda break the carb issue, my problem is that my pouch HATES protein unless it is the form of a slider food, like cottage cheese or peanut butter!! Even protein shakes will make me throw up unless they have tons of carbs.  So I am slowly but surely trying to re work this pouch of mine.  Maybe I can trick it into working for me this time.  I have to get back to the exercise grind. . . that is probably most of it, get myself to bed at a decent hour . . . it is 3 am now. . . so that didnt work tonight.  And make sure that I am getting enough h2o.  I will try to post on a weekly basis so that if anyone is reading this, they will be able to see what progress I am making. . . maybe it will help someone else out there who is struggling too.  

Good to see you again OH community. 

Well its been that long again, I am so busy now that I have lost so much weight!!!  I actually DO THINGS NOW!!!  I am down over 100 pounds, am running around in a Juniors size 9 pant and juniors xl top YIPPY!!  I am still working on the last 20 pounds, as I would really like to be in the 130's before I call it GOAL MET.  I have to say the last 20 are going to be tough.  I am hoping that by my year surg-aversary that I will be at my personal goal of 135.

I had no idea it had really been that long since I had last wrote down everything that was going on after my gastric bypass!!! Holy Cow!!!

Lets see I am almost 6 months out already,  I was so very sick for a couple of months which turned out to be a stricture of some sort at the end of my esophagus, or top of my tummy pouch which ever way you prefer to look at it :) but that was taken care of and now I only get sick if I eat the wrong thing or eat too much.  I really am still limited in what I eat because after the stricture was fixed I had to start all over on liquids, pureed etc.  So I am only just now re introducing soft foods,  I am still a big fan of the refried beans, salsa, and cheese, and I can tolerate a couple of corn chips if I chew and chew them.   I have a VERY hard time not drinking with my meals, and I know that doesnt help any :)  

I have to say my biggest hurdles so far have been my own.  I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it is okay to eat.  I think with being heavy fo so long that I have a hard time accepting that food is okay to eat, I find myself not eatting all day (I know this is SOOO BAD) and then feeling a very guilty about my refried beans durring dinner.  I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I am never hungry.  If I were hungry I dont feel I would hesitate because well. . . I was hungry but since I never am, I feel kinda bad about it? maybe.  I think it is the reverse of head hunger maybe?

Also my skin, I had a really hard time three months out, it was almost like I wished I had all my fat back in there.  at least with the fat there you see it, you feel it, you cant hide it, but with the skin, it just hides under your clothes until you are standing there naked wondering what the hell did I just do to myself.  But I would say after I got over the fact that it was going to get worse before it got better.  I am good with that.  And now I just look forward to when I can get my tummy tuck :) 

Lets see I dont have measurements at the moment, but I am down to a size 12 jean YIPPY!!!!!  I will post my measurements from before and now and add up the inches lost in the next few days.  I am still 25 pounds from my personal goal, so hopefully by summer time I will have made it down to a size 9 and between 135 and 145 pounds :) 

Well  I have been busy the last part of the summer and it is really showing inmy weight loss.  I am down to 206 YIPPY!!!

I think the hardest part so far has been finding things to eat that are not only on my post surgical diet, but also that taste good.  I am so sick of the puree stage I can hardly stand myself.  I had a couple of weeks where I couldnt get anything to stay down, and that was real hard, one day I could eat the next day I couldnt, Im still not sure what that was about.  I have found that I can eat a bite or two of bread (NOT ON MY LIST)and maybe a few crackers (also not on my list) and that helps if my tiny new stomach is feeling overwhelmed!!!

We bought a Wii and that is getting me off the couch and moving.  And I have started to walk. 

All is well :)

Well here it is almost three weeks since my surgery and I am still around to talk about it!! :) 

I had surgery on the 22nd of July.  It went off with out a hitch.  I was up and walking around that very night.  The worst part was NOTHING by mouth for 24 hours.  I was so sad about not even getting ice chips, I was offered these little pink sponges to wipe my mouth with, and nothing else :(  

Wonderful news, I was released from the hospitol the very next day!!!!!!  I needed very little pain meds, and was able to use the bathroom, and was also able to keep down my freezer pop, so off I went YIPPY !!!!

Day two at home was a little hard, I scared myself into the ER  I was trying to drink Atkins Advantage shakes and they were just a little to much for my new tiny tummy!! So my new best friend was the toilet, and off to vomit I went for hours until all I could do was kneal and dry heave.  I ended up passing out and hitting my head, so off I went to the ER where they gave me IV fluids watched me for about ten hours and sent me home.  And here I have been ever since.

Eatting is a challenge.  It is hard to get excited about my very bland blended/pureed meals.  I have tried a few things that I am not supposed to have like a veggie pattie, and that sends me back to my friend the toilet for a little vomitting, and then lo and behold I feel all better again.  So, long story short I am doing my best to stick to the out lined diet and that is really helping. 

I HATE protein shakes, so I am trying to get as much protein from what I eat as I can.  I am even adding tastless(not really even though thats what it says) proteing powder to just about everything I eat, just to booste it up a little, and that is bringing me to my 60 grams without the protein drinks, although I have been using carnation instant breakfast for a chocolatey treat :) 

My new weight as of today is 233 YIPPY. 

After a little glitch (well big glitch. . . another false pregnancy)  I am back on schedule.  My false pregnancy set my pre-ops back from the first until the eighth and pushed my surgery back one day. 

So here it is the 22nd day of July 2008 at 5:09am  and I am just waiting to go to the hospitol which is about 10 miles from our home.  I will be having a laprascopic RNY today :)  I am so happy. . . right now I am tired.  Absolutley no sleep last night, maybe a few minutes each hour, but other than than nada, nilch!!  I think I will finally be really nervouse when the nurses are comming at me with their needles,  that would get anyone right?!!! 

My support team is wonderful, my hubbie, mom, and dad will be at the hospitol, and my sister will be at home with my three year old son.  And they will switch on and off until I get to come home, which I hope will just be in a couple of days.  Hopefully my friends will stop by and I won't be insanley borde to death in my room, watching soaps and reading yet another issue of People magazine :) 

Hopped on the scale this morning and I am down a couple of pounds.  I will start my surgery date at 249.  Amazing to me that my body is that big.  Fortunatley for me, durring my pre-ops I had quite a few tests done, and the weight has not done very much damage to the internal parts of my body.  My blood work came back fine, my ultrasounds, my echos, and my scopes. . . all fine.  Dr. McClellan did find a little bit of erosion assosiated with G.E.R.D. when doing my upper GI  but really it really could have been worse!!! 

Okay I better run, I need to throw on some shoes and get going.  I will update when I get home.  

My surgery date is July 21, 2008 !!!  I will start my pre-op tests on July 1, 2008.  Will keep you all up to date on what hoops they have me jump'n through!!!  Oh I am just so happy (and maybe even a little. . .  okay a lot nervouse!!!)

I am so happy I can hardly stand myself :)  I got my approval letter in the mail from my insurance company that says that they have reviewed my request, and I am APPROVED.  Gotta love that insurance through the Local 150!! The heavy machine operators and testing Local 150 has been so good to us, not only in pay, but also in benefits!!!! 

I called the Dr.'s office to find out what to do next, but the lady who does scheduling for surgery will not be in until Tuesday, so if I dont hear from her by Wed. I will give her a call :)  Hopefull I can get a surgery date not to far off!!!

So I called Dr. McClellan's office on Thursday last week, and low and behold, they have not yet submitted to my insurance!!!!!   What the heck. . .Nancy the lady in charge of my insurance submission said she was waiting on the report from my psych evaluation!!! That was over two and a half weeks ago!!!!  I kindly asked them to remind the Dr. that it didnt take me over two and half weeks for him to get paid and that I would sincerly appreciate him expiditing his reporting process, so that I can get approval from my insurance company. . . who knows if she actually told him this?  But I am calling on Tuesday the 3rd to see if it has been submitted yet, if not, I am asking for his voice mail, so I can tell him myself!!!!  OOOOO I wish they were more schedule oriented at that office!!!!! 

Other than that everything has been going well, I am main~taining.  Not really loosing, but havent gained anything else.  I do notice however, that I have really been able to do more lately.  I think it's the exercise!!! 

Okay more later.

I had my psychological evaluation, and low and behold I am not nearly as crazy as I thought I might be!!!! Horray!!!! 

Everything went well, the Doc was really down to Earth, and was very friendly.  At the end of my session he told me he thought I would make a wonderful canidate for surgery and he would have his report made by the end of the day!!! 

So now I just have to wait for the insurance to see if they will give final approval.  As you know I had some kind of strange pre approval from my insurance, and all that they required was a letter of medical neccesity. Dr. McClellan requires the nutritional consult and the psychological eval.  So with all those things in place, and my crazy awful pictures, how can they say no!!! 

Please keep your fingers crossed for me, and I will let you know how it goes!!!!