jimmyv
My story
Jun 21, 2007
10/16/03 Finally have a date with Dr Ikramuddin on November 20th I have also contacted my provider on pre approval only to find out that there is no pre-approval as long as your doctor deems it nessesary. that was great news. I have my psychology evaluation set up already and a quadrant ultrasound and I am already to go. hopefully in a couple of months. Thanks Jessica for all your help!!!!!
11/20/03 Went to the seminar and felt like it was kind of like a sales pitch but I finally did get to meet Dr I he seemed to be a nice man but I really didn't get to talk to him all that much. I had already done my phyc eval and my ultrasound so I was able to get a date faster so I recommend that to everyone getting the surgery. The unfortunate thing is Lynn who is Dr I's secretary left and that was a big disapointment. his new secretay was really confused and thought I wanted surgery next week and said that it was a 5 to 6 month wait for surgery a very depressing day.
12/01/03 got a call from Danette from Dr Buchwold's office she is Dr Buchwolds secretary and also a very nice lady. She actually first asked me what day in January that I wanted surgery and I told her because of work issues could I get a date in Feburary and she said no problem and gave me a day of 2/9/03 woo hoo now I have to work on losing 10 Lbs and waiting till 30 days before surgery and getting all my pre tests done.
12/31/03 Hard to believe that a whole year has gone by again. I am now starting the down turn so to speak for surgery on Feb 9th. My pulmonoligist actually made me come in and could not send me a letter. Sometimes I think its all about billing and revenue. I have a appointment with the the cardioligist to see if my heart is ok and know I should be OK because even though I have a weight problem I still exercise on a regular basis. then its my final check with my doctor for the final tests and my last checkup with Donna Dr I's nurse practitioner and wait for surgery. want to wish everyone a Happy New Year because I know mine will be after surgery.
11/7/03 Went to see an heart doctor on Monday thought I was going to be in the clear but he fooled me and scheduled an echo stress test for next friday so one more thing I need to do before surgery oh well I'll get my running shoes dusted off. Next week will be a very busy week for me. I have also decided to have lasik surgery for my eyes on monday, my pre op physical on Thursday and stress test on Friday. What the heck was I
thinking.
2/6/04 Sorry I havn't updated for a while have been busy with life and getting all my ducks in a row for surgery. I did pass the echo cardio with passing colors. All my final tests with my PCP went well except my colesterol was a little high 209 I can live with that because I know it will go down. My blood surger
was 103 which considering my parents both were type two diabetics was a welcome test!! I had my final meeting on the 27th with Donna and Joanie. It went well except I got my test results from my blood but did not have the final report from my doctor. I thought I was all done ugh!!! My doctor called and said that he had dictated it to the fairview system the night before my final appointment and we were able to hunt it down and it was finalized. Today I got a final call on my surgery time and where to go. I do have alot of anxiety because of never having been in a hospital or having surgery before.
I'm sure everything will go fine. would like to say a thanks to everyone for the well wish's will update when I return home from the hospital
2/19/04
Wow hard to believe it has been 10 days post-op. The time really fly's. On the 13th I went for my one week check up and was doing great. The only problem I was having is more of being weak and I think that comes from a lack of nutrition. when I did start on pureed foods on Monday and increased my protein intake I started to feel better yesterday. I am getting stronger and healing better each day today I walked a mile and tomorrow I will start back to work for a few hours. I was amazed that I lost 15lbs already in just little over a week. I know it won't keep coming off that fast but its a good start.
3/18/04
Wow hard to believe that I am already almost 6 weeks post op.
I had my one month check up and lost a whopping 40.2 lbs amazing!! notice the .2 I'm taking all I can get right now.
I have been having some problems with nausea every once in a while not sure why because I am eating nothing new but for some reason even though I have eaten that food many times before it doesn't seem to agree with me every once in a while I guess its just part of the healing process. I am having problems with water at certin points of the day it seems to sit kind of heavy and doesn't make me feel good so I am trying different fluids like gator-ade and tropicana even has a new orange juice that has less sugar and that is working well but I only have a lttle in the morning. I was great to try some solid meat I have been mixing it up with some cream soups and it has been going down well. I feel really lucky to go thru wls at this time because there are so many low carb foods and things to try but I am only re intoducing foods one at a time to see how they react before combineing them with other foods.
4/13/03
Its been a while since I have posted. It has been 8 weeks now and I am down 60lbs Wow!! the only problem that I have had seems to be a little acid reflux. I called Dr I's office and they put me on prilosic ot to see if that helps and it did big time. I have been increasing my exercise and have been feeling better each day.I have moved on to solid foods with no problems at all I have not tried Steak or pork yet but I will soon. I have been having some problems with Water, for some reason its still not agreeing with me so I have switched to gatorade and Tea with Splendia. For some reason I am having a problem with nutrasweet so I have been staying away from that. I have tried Light cran grape juice and some of the new light Tropicana orange juice which has a 3rd less sugar in it and it is very good I usally have about 3 oz in the morning while getting ready for work before I eat something for breakfast. thank goodness spring is here and it is finally warming up I am tired of working out at the club and would rather be out side.
6/23/04
Its been a while since I have posted here I guess we just get busy with everyday things and forget to post. It's hard to believe that it has been almost 18 weeks since I had surgery and I am down over 100 lbs it sure feels great but it has been hard on the pocket book with all the new clothes I have had to buy but I guess thats a great thing and a small price to pay for feeling better. I no longer have to take my blood pressure medicine and my sleep apnea has all but disapeared which I am loving and the best part post op is the acid reflex that was bothering me has disappeared and I no longer have to take the prilosec which I was concerned about so that is an even better thing :)I still have 70 lbs to go but I have started exercising everyday and am actually enjoying playing racquetball for the first time in many years. I am hoping that the intense exercise will keep my weight loss at a steady decline we will see as the summer goes along. As with everyone else I am so glad that I did this surgery but I am still struggling with the eating fast but its hard to correct 40 years of eating in 4 months. I even ate to fast two weeks ago and for the first time my lunch came back up but I did learn from this experience so all you can do is go on and learn from your mistakes. well we will see in August where I am at for my 6 month check up.
7/19/04
Boy its hard to believe that it is 5 months since I have had surgey and I am down 118 lbs already. Have been losing a consistent 3-5 lbs a week since surgery. went on vacation last week with my family and as usual it was a food fest. Man those people can eat. I guess I used to eat just as much as they did but not any more. This week was a good test for me and I did for the most part a pretty good job actually lost a pound. I was probably the only one who did. The only problem on vacation was I had a yogurt cone from the local Ice cream shop and it must of had alot of sugar because I did get sick from it. I guess you learn from your mistakes and it will be a while before I try that again. When I got back I went back to my eating and exercise routine so I was very happy about that. I actually feel much better after doing the cardio and weights. well my 6 month check up with Dr I will be in three weeks. so we will see what my results of my blood test is and if I am doing everything correctly. We'll see how it goes.
8/13/04 Wow its hard to believe that yesterday I had my 6 month Check-up with Dr I. It has been an amazing Journey in such a short time. I am down 125 lbs already and am still losing 2-4 lbs per week. I have went from a 54 inch waist to a 42 and a 3x shirt to a extra large or large depending on the label. I no longer use medicine for hypertension and my Acid Reflux went away about three weeks after my 3 month check-up. I feel very fortunate that my surgery went well and my recovery has pretty much gone on without a stich. I am looking forward to trying things like Kayaking and maybe if I'm brave enough roller blading. My goal was to be able to hike to a destination to do lanscape photography (my first love) with out having a heart attack. I also thank god for the wonderful people on this board like Sandy,Ginger,Lisa and Jessica who helped answer all my questions before during and after my surgery.
I will be looking so forward to meeting alot of you on Saturday. I did thank my surgeon yesterday for giving me back my life and probably saving my life. I have lost 100's and 100's of pounds only to regain them back and I have always been a much happier person as a thinner person because I love being outdoors and active.
10/8/04
WOW! hard to believe that on Saturday October 9th it has been 8 months since my surgery.
Its been an amazing journey!! I have lost a total of 150 lbs ad have gone from a 54 inch waist to a 36, a 4x shirt to a large/medium, an amazing feat in itself.
Today I went shopping at Marshall Fields and just for the heck of it tried on a medium shirt instead of a large and for some weird reason it fit I don't think I've ever fit in a medium shirt, at least not that I can remember. Its hard to believe what simple pleasures a person can have!
I do feel quilty sometimes because I have been so successful and have had few if any problems and I see people like Jessica O. (who had the same surgeon) have so may problems. Through this ordeal I have always followed the rules and tried to keep a positive attitude even during the early days when some foods didn't agree with me for several days at a time. I would also like to thanks all the great people on this board and the support they have given me answering my questions. I have always gotten alot of information although I really can't help give back with alot of the female issues sorry .
I wish everyone great continued success in their own journeys!
12/10/04
Wow!! It's hard to believe that it has been 10 months since I had my surgery. I like most peole am so glad that I had this surgery. It truly has been am amazing journey. When I started I was 374 lbs wore a 4x shirt and had 54 inch waist. Today I wear a medium to large shirt and have a 36 inch waist. I have lost a total of 162 lbs. My high blood pressure no longer exsists and all my blood work in October was all in the normal range. I remember how stressed out I was once I made the choice to have this surgery and all the hoops you have to jump through as a pre-op. but you know what it makes this journey all the much sweeter. My only advice to pre-ops is to take it slow and make sure that you pick a good surgeon even if you have to wait a little longer. In ten months I have discoverd a new me as well as meeting a lot of wonderful people on this board and at renewal. Thanks to all of you for your support and frienship. Remember we are all in this together and untill you experience this you can never truly understand it. May each and everyone of you have a wonderful holiday season.
2/10/05
Today I had my one year Check-up with Dr I. Donna said I was a poster child for this surgery. I have lost 170lbs and have gone from a size 54 waist to a 34!! 20 inches!!! From a 4x shirt to a medium, large. I have had an amazing journey in the last 12 months and its all good!!. I am one of the fortunate ones that had no complications with the surgery and have lost all my weight on a consistent basis (Sorry Ladies I do feel guilty). I have followed the rules and have stayed away from alcohol except for a few beers which didn't make my tummy feel so good, so why do it!! being of the male gender my weight loss has been consistent for the last year and just the last two months I have started to eat more carbs just to slow my pace down. I am going to meet with Dr Carey to get a better grip on what weight I should be at. If you are Pre-op and live in the Twin Cities think about getting into Dr Careys study because in the long run it will help you determine your goal and where you should be. I also want to thank all the wonderful people that I have met thru renewal and this board. I have always lived my life with the theory that the person that has the most friends when he or she dies wins!! I was also thinking as I was running my 2 miles last night (thats right two miles!!). I thought about this past year and what this surgery has done for me as well as all the new friends I've made. All I can say is thank you to everyone, in some small way either on this board or at renewal you have all touched me with your great attitude's and willingness to change your life (what I would have given to have had this tool when I was in my 20's) because like me you were tired of the yo yo diets and being miserable. We are all given another chance at regaining our lives and its up to us on which way we want to go. Good luck to each and everyone of you on your journey.
Over and Out!!!
Jim
374/204/?
11/20/03 Went to the seminar and felt like it was kind of like a sales pitch but I finally did get to meet Dr I he seemed to be a nice man but I really didn't get to talk to him all that much. I had already done my phyc eval and my ultrasound so I was able to get a date faster so I recommend that to everyone getting the surgery. The unfortunate thing is Lynn who is Dr I's secretary left and that was a big disapointment. his new secretay was really confused and thought I wanted surgery next week and said that it was a 5 to 6 month wait for surgery a very depressing day.
12/01/03 got a call from Danette from Dr Buchwold's office she is Dr Buchwolds secretary and also a very nice lady. She actually first asked me what day in January that I wanted surgery and I told her because of work issues could I get a date in Feburary and she said no problem and gave me a day of 2/9/03 woo hoo now I have to work on losing 10 Lbs and waiting till 30 days before surgery and getting all my pre tests done.
12/31/03 Hard to believe that a whole year has gone by again. I am now starting the down turn so to speak for surgery on Feb 9th. My pulmonoligist actually made me come in and could not send me a letter. Sometimes I think its all about billing and revenue. I have a appointment with the the cardioligist to see if my heart is ok and know I should be OK because even though I have a weight problem I still exercise on a regular basis. then its my final check with my doctor for the final tests and my last checkup with Donna Dr I's nurse practitioner and wait for surgery. want to wish everyone a Happy New Year because I know mine will be after surgery.
11/7/03 Went to see an heart doctor on Monday thought I was going to be in the clear but he fooled me and scheduled an echo stress test for next friday so one more thing I need to do before surgery oh well I'll get my running shoes dusted off. Next week will be a very busy week for me. I have also decided to have lasik surgery for my eyes on monday, my pre op physical on Thursday and stress test on Friday. What the heck was I
thinking.
2/6/04 Sorry I havn't updated for a while have been busy with life and getting all my ducks in a row for surgery. I did pass the echo cardio with passing colors. All my final tests with my PCP went well except my colesterol was a little high 209 I can live with that because I know it will go down. My blood surger
was 103 which considering my parents both were type two diabetics was a welcome test!! I had my final meeting on the 27th with Donna and Joanie. It went well except I got my test results from my blood but did not have the final report from my doctor. I thought I was all done ugh!!! My doctor called and said that he had dictated it to the fairview system the night before my final appointment and we were able to hunt it down and it was finalized. Today I got a final call on my surgery time and where to go. I do have alot of anxiety because of never having been in a hospital or having surgery before.
I'm sure everything will go fine. would like to say a thanks to everyone for the well wish's will update when I return home from the hospital
2/19/04
Wow hard to believe it has been 10 days post-op. The time really fly's. On the 13th I went for my one week check up and was doing great. The only problem I was having is more of being weak and I think that comes from a lack of nutrition. when I did start on pureed foods on Monday and increased my protein intake I started to feel better yesterday. I am getting stronger and healing better each day today I walked a mile and tomorrow I will start back to work for a few hours. I was amazed that I lost 15lbs already in just little over a week. I know it won't keep coming off that fast but its a good start.
3/18/04
Wow hard to believe that I am already almost 6 weeks post op.
I had my one month check up and lost a whopping 40.2 lbs amazing!! notice the .2 I'm taking all I can get right now.
I have been having some problems with nausea every once in a while not sure why because I am eating nothing new but for some reason even though I have eaten that food many times before it doesn't seem to agree with me every once in a while I guess its just part of the healing process. I am having problems with water at certin points of the day it seems to sit kind of heavy and doesn't make me feel good so I am trying different fluids like gator-ade and tropicana even has a new orange juice that has less sugar and that is working well but I only have a lttle in the morning. I was great to try some solid meat I have been mixing it up with some cream soups and it has been going down well. I feel really lucky to go thru wls at this time because there are so many low carb foods and things to try but I am only re intoducing foods one at a time to see how they react before combineing them with other foods.
4/13/03
Its been a while since I have posted. It has been 8 weeks now and I am down 60lbs Wow!! the only problem that I have had seems to be a little acid reflux. I called Dr I's office and they put me on prilosic ot to see if that helps and it did big time. I have been increasing my exercise and have been feeling better each day.I have moved on to solid foods with no problems at all I have not tried Steak or pork yet but I will soon. I have been having some problems with Water, for some reason its still not agreeing with me so I have switched to gatorade and Tea with Splendia. For some reason I am having a problem with nutrasweet so I have been staying away from that. I have tried Light cran grape juice and some of the new light Tropicana orange juice which has a 3rd less sugar in it and it is very good I usally have about 3 oz in the morning while getting ready for work before I eat something for breakfast. thank goodness spring is here and it is finally warming up I am tired of working out at the club and would rather be out side.
6/23/04
Its been a while since I have posted here I guess we just get busy with everyday things and forget to post. It's hard to believe that it has been almost 18 weeks since I had surgery and I am down over 100 lbs it sure feels great but it has been hard on the pocket book with all the new clothes I have had to buy but I guess thats a great thing and a small price to pay for feeling better. I no longer have to take my blood pressure medicine and my sleep apnea has all but disapeared which I am loving and the best part post op is the acid reflex that was bothering me has disappeared and I no longer have to take the prilosec which I was concerned about so that is an even better thing :)I still have 70 lbs to go but I have started exercising everyday and am actually enjoying playing racquetball for the first time in many years. I am hoping that the intense exercise will keep my weight loss at a steady decline we will see as the summer goes along. As with everyone else I am so glad that I did this surgery but I am still struggling with the eating fast but its hard to correct 40 years of eating in 4 months. I even ate to fast two weeks ago and for the first time my lunch came back up but I did learn from this experience so all you can do is go on and learn from your mistakes. well we will see in August where I am at for my 6 month check up.
7/19/04
Boy its hard to believe that it is 5 months since I have had surgey and I am down 118 lbs already. Have been losing a consistent 3-5 lbs a week since surgery. went on vacation last week with my family and as usual it was a food fest. Man those people can eat. I guess I used to eat just as much as they did but not any more. This week was a good test for me and I did for the most part a pretty good job actually lost a pound. I was probably the only one who did. The only problem on vacation was I had a yogurt cone from the local Ice cream shop and it must of had alot of sugar because I did get sick from it. I guess you learn from your mistakes and it will be a while before I try that again. When I got back I went back to my eating and exercise routine so I was very happy about that. I actually feel much better after doing the cardio and weights. well my 6 month check up with Dr I will be in three weeks. so we will see what my results of my blood test is and if I am doing everything correctly. We'll see how it goes.
8/13/04 Wow its hard to believe that yesterday I had my 6 month Check-up with Dr I. It has been an amazing Journey in such a short time. I am down 125 lbs already and am still losing 2-4 lbs per week. I have went from a 54 inch waist to a 42 and a 3x shirt to a extra large or large depending on the label. I no longer use medicine for hypertension and my Acid Reflux went away about three weeks after my 3 month check-up. I feel very fortunate that my surgery went well and my recovery has pretty much gone on without a stich. I am looking forward to trying things like Kayaking and maybe if I'm brave enough roller blading. My goal was to be able to hike to a destination to do lanscape photography (my first love) with out having a heart attack. I also thank god for the wonderful people on this board like Sandy,Ginger,Lisa and Jessica who helped answer all my questions before during and after my surgery.
I will be looking so forward to meeting alot of you on Saturday. I did thank my surgeon yesterday for giving me back my life and probably saving my life. I have lost 100's and 100's of pounds only to regain them back and I have always been a much happier person as a thinner person because I love being outdoors and active.
10/8/04
WOW! hard to believe that on Saturday October 9th it has been 8 months since my surgery.
Its been an amazing journey!! I have lost a total of 150 lbs ad have gone from a 54 inch waist to a 36, a 4x shirt to a large/medium, an amazing feat in itself.
Today I went shopping at Marshall Fields and just for the heck of it tried on a medium shirt instead of a large and for some weird reason it fit I don't think I've ever fit in a medium shirt, at least not that I can remember. Its hard to believe what simple pleasures a person can have!
I do feel quilty sometimes because I have been so successful and have had few if any problems and I see people like Jessica O. (who had the same surgeon) have so may problems. Through this ordeal I have always followed the rules and tried to keep a positive attitude even during the early days when some foods didn't agree with me for several days at a time. I would also like to thanks all the great people on this board and the support they have given me answering my questions. I have always gotten alot of information although I really can't help give back with alot of the female issues sorry .
I wish everyone great continued success in their own journeys!
12/10/04
Wow!! It's hard to believe that it has been 10 months since I had my surgery. I like most peole am so glad that I had this surgery. It truly has been am amazing journey. When I started I was 374 lbs wore a 4x shirt and had 54 inch waist. Today I wear a medium to large shirt and have a 36 inch waist. I have lost a total of 162 lbs. My high blood pressure no longer exsists and all my blood work in October was all in the normal range. I remember how stressed out I was once I made the choice to have this surgery and all the hoops you have to jump through as a pre-op. but you know what it makes this journey all the much sweeter. My only advice to pre-ops is to take it slow and make sure that you pick a good surgeon even if you have to wait a little longer. In ten months I have discoverd a new me as well as meeting a lot of wonderful people on this board and at renewal. Thanks to all of you for your support and frienship. Remember we are all in this together and untill you experience this you can never truly understand it. May each and everyone of you have a wonderful holiday season.
2/10/05
Today I had my one year Check-up with Dr I. Donna said I was a poster child for this surgery. I have lost 170lbs and have gone from a size 54 waist to a 34!! 20 inches!!! From a 4x shirt to a medium, large. I have had an amazing journey in the last 12 months and its all good!!. I am one of the fortunate ones that had no complications with the surgery and have lost all my weight on a consistent basis (Sorry Ladies I do feel guilty). I have followed the rules and have stayed away from alcohol except for a few beers which didn't make my tummy feel so good, so why do it!! being of the male gender my weight loss has been consistent for the last year and just the last two months I have started to eat more carbs just to slow my pace down. I am going to meet with Dr Carey to get a better grip on what weight I should be at. If you are Pre-op and live in the Twin Cities think about getting into Dr Careys study because in the long run it will help you determine your goal and where you should be. I also want to thank all the wonderful people that I have met thru renewal and this board. I have always lived my life with the theory that the person that has the most friends when he or she dies wins!! I was also thinking as I was running my 2 miles last night (thats right two miles!!). I thought about this past year and what this surgery has done for me as well as all the new friends I've made. All I can say is thank you to everyone, in some small way either on this board or at renewal you have all touched me with your great attitude's and willingness to change your life (what I would have given to have had this tool when I was in my 20's) because like me you were tired of the yo yo diets and being miserable. We are all given another chance at regaining our lives and its up to us on which way we want to go. Good luck to each and everyone of you on your journey.
Over and Out!!!
Jim
374/204/?
