LisaHillsinger
I spit an old stitch, and I mean OLD
Dec 28, 2007
At the beginning of summer, 2007, I developed a fluid pocket on my left hip. Eventually, it worked its way to the skin and drained. But it never would close up. It would either keep draining, or it would close up for a couple of days, swell, and drain again. It never seemed infected, fluid was usually clear, sometimes a little beige, sometimes a bit of blood. So I just kept it covered, clean, and went on with life.
Well, December 17, 2007. I had let it close up again. Figured that if I left it alone, even if it swelled, it would eventually reabsorb and go away. But it was really swollen. So I pushed on it just a little and it squirted at least 3 feet across the room. Dried the fluid off my leg and was patting the opening dry when I noticed a little dot at the center. So I pushed the skin AWAY from the opening and a loop of blue string poked out. At first it was only about 1/4 of an inch, so I thought I'd just pull it out. Kept pulling until the loop was about an inch. Stopped. Kind of nervous. But there was no sensation of pulling, like it was attached. So pulled it the rest of the way out. The 2 ends had lots of knots at the end. knotted together, it's the length of 2 joints of my pinky. I was shaking afterwards, but put a bandage on. By the next day, the hole was almost completely healed over and a week later it's all healed.
Well, December 17, 2007. I had let it close up again. Figured that if I left it alone, even if it swelled, it would eventually reabsorb and go away. But it was really swollen. So I pushed on it just a little and it squirted at least 3 feet across the room. Dried the fluid off my leg and was patting the opening dry when I noticed a little dot at the center. So I pushed the skin AWAY from the opening and a loop of blue string poked out. At first it was only about 1/4 of an inch, so I thought I'd just pull it out. Kept pulling until the loop was about an inch. Stopped. Kind of nervous. But there was no sensation of pulling, like it was attached. So pulled it the rest of the way out. The 2 ends had lots of knots at the end. knotted together, it's the length of 2 joints of my pinky. I was shaking afterwards, but put a bandage on. By the next day, the hole was almost completely healed over and a week later it's all healed.
My story, from the beginning.
Nov 18, 2007
WLS is something I have been considering for a long time. At first, I was sure I couldn't live the rest of my life as a post-op. Kept trying to lose weight on my own, but was never able to control my portions or choices, so put on another 30 pounds. Then in 2002 I went to a free seminar and after lots of thought and talking with my hubby, concluded that this was really the only option I had left.
Had to change insurance to get WLS covered. Then in 2003, saw the surgeon, got insurance approval, and had surgery on Tuesday, June 24, 2003. Before surgery I managed to lose 19 pounds, to 468.
My open RNY, plus a hernia repair, was uneventful.
that night I got out of bed and walked to the nurse's station and back.
Wednesday is kind of a blur. My hubby went home to take care of the kids (ages 7 and 6) and my mom came to be with me. All I really remember is taking little walks and sucking ice cubes. The bari-bed isn't really comfortable to me. I feel like I'm sliding down. To get out of the bed, the controls tilt you towards the foot of the bed until you can stand. But getting in, I couldn't seem to get high enough up the bed and was too sore to do much scooting.
Thursday, 2nd post-op day. Got my drain out and started liquids. SF jello, crystal lite, broth, and Ensure. One 30 cc (dinky) cup every 10 minutes, 8 in all for a meal. And you have to take a walk in between. So by the time breakfast was over, it was almost time for lunch. Got to take a shower before discharge. I have to say, the Fresno Surgery Center was amazing. The nurses were always right there, every room is private, there is even a sofa bed for your support person to stay the night.
So Thursday I was discharged in the afternoon. Because I live about three hours away, the doctor has you stay in town until your post-op appointment.
Friday thru Monday morning was spent walking back and forth the outside corridor at the hotel and getting down these tiny cups of liquid. I was very lucky to have my mom with me, helping out.
Monday, June 30, 2003. I've lost 16 pounds from my pre-op weight. This is unbelievable. And I got to go home.
July 8, 2003. I went back to work part-time today.
July 14, 2003. Back full-time to work.
July 23, 2003. Today was my 1 month appointment. Besides the weight loss, the thing I find most incredible is that my cholesterol has gone from 230 to 155!!!
August 24, 2003. I'm 2 months post-op today. I've discovered my favorite protein drinks are Nectar and Real Meals. I've been really cautious with pureed foods. Sometimes they stay down and other times not. And throwing up seems to leave my pouch irritated for the rest of the day, where I just do liquids.
Sept. 4, 2003. I've been throwing up most solids for the last 2 weeks. Even Cream of Wheat. So I called Dr. Frye's office and they will see me Monday, Sept 8.
Sept. 8, 2003. Well, happy birthday to me. My DH and I drove the three hours to Fresno and got to the docs office early. But his NP saw me right away and after some questions she phoned over to the hospital endoscope unit and they said if I could get there right away, they could work me in. So I got prepped and onto the table. Then they put something in my iv that knocked me out. The procedure was only supposed to take about 10 minutes, but the ballon they use to stretch out the scar tissue around the stoma kept breaking, the fourth one was the one that worked. But it took so long that I started waking up during all this. The tube was down my throat and I was totally gagging. Why I didn't rip the blasted thing out I'll never know. But all I could think was to keep breathing thru my nose, deep breaths, and they finally noticed I was waking up and put me back under. When I woke up after it was all over, it was just like being instantly awake, not that groggy feeling after surgery. The doctor said my stoma was almost closed. After getting some instructions on what not to do for the rest of the day, we went home. I had a super sore throat for the rest of the week. And, hey, I've rocketed into the Century Club.
Sept 28, 2003. My sister in law and her husband are visiting this weekend. I haven't seen them for three years and they are amazed at my progress. My SIL would benefit from this surgery and I have kept her updated on everything that goes on. But as I know from my own experience, you have to be in that place mentally where you know that this is your last option and are prepared to live the rest of your life by the rules.
And, now that my stoma has been dilated, I can report that solid foods are staying down. We went out for Chinese tonight (buffet) and it was fun to take literally one piece of a few things, proteins mostly, some veggies, and a piece of cantalope, plus some soup.
Oct 22, 2003. 4 month checkup. I've lost 124 since surgery. This is amazing to me. And my labs are looking good too. Cholesterol 167, and iron up to 35. The nurse practioner was so happy for me and said I'm really exceeding expectations, I'm a poster child for RNY. Another thing, their scale measures body fat and lean body mass and my lean mass was up 11 pounds, while body fat was down about 43. These days, I still have my Nectar drink for breakfast. It seems to be the best way to get the day going for me and insures I'm getting my protein in. Dinner can be like one fish stick or one taquito and some veggies or a slice of apple or pear (no skin). My mom and DH think this is funny, ONE fishstick.
1/1/2004 Happy New Years! Weighed on my scale today, and it said 303. Almost out of the threes! That's so exciting, I haven't been under 300 since the early 90's. Losing so much weight has made a huge difference in my life. My family went hiking the day after Christmas and my girls (6 and 7) were the ones pooping out, I didn't have to rest at every bench we saw. My DH was even asking me if it was too much, remember, we still had to walk back too. And I was fine. Someone at work asked how much more I wanted to loose, and couldn't believe me when I said hopefully about another 150. Clothes really can hide alot. And wearing the right size makes a huge difference, I'm enjoying wearing 2X leggings (major hanging belly issues) and shirts that are 16s as long as they are stretchy. It's so great to buy new undies too. I wore the old ones until they were almost falling off, then went from 14s into 11s. Wow, what a difference. Also, I can now buckle the seatbelt in my hubby's car and fit into movie theater seats without having to go to only places where the armrests go up.
We had Thanksgiving at out house and I did the turkey. It wasn't a big deal to not stuff myself and it's kind of nice to be the one who is popping back and forth to the kitchen to get stuff during dinner instead of being the unmoving lump.
My 7 month checkup is 1/21 and I promise to post results then.
I'm such a bad girl for not updating this sooner. I went for my 7 month check-up and on the doctor's scale it was 295. Yippee!! Out of the 300s!! Plus my blood work was good, cholesterol was 141. Today is March 10, 2004 and I weighed 279 on my scale this morning. I've been walking more, slacked off during the rainy season, but it feels good to get back at it. Did a 2 mile walk Sunday morning, without stopping. We're going to Yosemite over Easter break and I want to be in good walking shape. The last time we went on a real vacation, to Sequoia, I could barely get around and it wasn't much fun. This time will be better.
I seem to be running thru clothes sizes lately. The 2Xs that I could only dream about in October are falling off. And I bought the first underwire bra I've had in decades. And it's not uncomfortable either. It's even sexy, DH likes it alot.
The loose skin is really getting to me, tho. My arms are deflated, but the extra skin is keeping me from wearing a really cool shirt my sis got me for Christmas. It's a button-up-the-front style, so for me to be able to get it on is amazing. But I'm afraid the arms will burst out like the Incredible Hulk. Also, the "girls" have gone south, way south, my belly looks like a giant melted candle, and my inner thighs are just embarrassing in shorts. I know it's probably way too soon to plan for reconstructive surgery (no way is this "cosmetic"), but I feel like if I could just get this extra skin off, I'd be so close to goal.
But the great thing is that now that the weather has turned warm, I'm not dying of heat like last year. And I saw the secretary from my girls old school last night and she said I looked so much happier and healthier.
Hey, it's June 4th, 2004 already. Where has the time gone? There's so much more I can do now. In April we went on a week vacation to Yosemite and I was walking all over, to see the falls, which are roaring, the giant sequoia trees, and even though the altitude is about 6000 feet, I'm not pooping out. The weekend after that, I took my girls to a weekend Brownie camp. We went hiking, did projects, slept on matresses on the floor. I was able to "pass" for normal and it felt good. At mealtimes, I just had little bites of whatever was being served and did ok. The only time I didn't was at lunch one day, we had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. I didn't eat much of that, but I got really sleepy after lunch. Luckily we had an hour of free time, so I just relaxed, then ate part of a protein bar and felt better.
In May, I had to go to Indianapolis for business. I was really dreading flying cross country. But the seats fit, didn't need a belt extender. When we are traveling, we get a set amount for our food every day, no matter how much or little we spend. I packed protein bars and powder and got a few meals at Arby's and Taco Bell, so I really cleaned up that way. Our class was on the third floor of an enormous building and we had to walk up ramps. I was one of the medium weight ladies. Sat near one lady who was probably 350 or so. The second day of class at break we were all talking about where we ate the night before, everyone is always on the lookout for good restaurants. People had gone to places like Steak and Shake or Outback. I said I just got a taco supreme from Taco Bell and ate the insides because I can't eat very much. Somebody asked why and I said I had WLS last year. My classmate immediately asked if I minded talking about it, which I don't, especially if it can help someone else. Her doctor had talked to her about having it, but she wasn't sure she could adjust to the post-op life. So I explained my story to her and gave her this website to check out. I hope she decides to do it, but you can't urge anyone to do this, they have to come to the decision themselves.
My mom came up for Memorial weekend, hadn't seen her since New Years. She was amazed. One of my cousins is getting married next October and I'd really like to go. Now that I know planes are doable, that's one less worry.
As far as clothes, I keep clearing the too-big stuff out of my closet, otherwise it gets too crowded. I'm down to an XL or 18 in most things. I'm too small for the women's department at places like Mervyn's now. But I feel like a fish out of water in the regular misses department. So many choices! I feel like I don't belong, that people can see I'd never fit anything in misses. Of course that's not true, my head just hasn't caught up with my body.
October 2, 2004. Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated my profile. I just recalculated my bmi, 38.5. I'm no longer MO, just SO (severely overweight). I joined a gym in August and have been going 3-4 times a week, at 5 a.m. on weekdays. Usually I do 25 minutes on the stairmaster, 2 miles on the treadmill, then a round of Nautilus machines. I can really see the difference in my shape, especially around the waist (yes, I have a waist). The weight loss has slowed, but I can feel that I'm exchanging fat for muscle, so that's ok. Bought new exercise shorts at Wally World last week, they say "L 12-14". Now, I know things are sized larger than years ago, but right now, I'm in a 12-14, it says so right on the label. LOL. Course, they're tight as a girdle. That's ok too.
I've been checking out info about reconstructive surgery. My arms are just ridiculously bat-winged. The "girls" hang, my belly has gone waaaay south, and don't get me started on my inner thighs. I feel like if a surgeon could just whack off all this excess skin, I'd be perfectly happy. Scars, who cares about scars? Not me. The surgeries are so expensive. I hope to find a surgeon who will at least put in for insurance coverage. The 2 I've seen won't.
I'm going to a wedding next week. One of my cousins in Colorado. So one of the things I had to do was get some decent shoes. I was able to walk into Payless and find a pair that fit. This is a first, my feet have been DD for so long. It's still very strange to walk into a store and be able to buy pretty clothes and find something that fits. I'm mostly a large now, quite a change from 5X.
December 15, 2004. So I have a lot of catching up to do. Let's see. I went to that wedding and it was really funny. Some of my relatives who had seen me a few years ago were astounded. One aunt I hadn't seen since I was a kid was just so glad I was there. And one of my cousins who I hadn't seen in like 15 years said he didn't recognize me because last time I had been blonde. I said Oh, yeah, that must be it, I was blonde. That probably sounds sarcastic, but it's not. It's just that people remember you from when they saw you last and hey, if I look like I looked at 20-something, and now I'm 44, that's cool. So the wedding and reception were really nice and it was so good to see everybody, all my mom's sisters and brothers were there. This is the first wedding I've gone to without my hubby, he stayed in Calif. with the girls, and I was really missing him post-reception time.
When I got home, I found I had lost 8 pounds on the trip. All the running around, not much eating.
Thanksgiving was good. I did all the cooking and had everybody over. Both our moms, my sister and her daughter. It's fun to be the one who's bouncing up getting stuff from the kitchen. Then the next 2 days I took my sister and niece around the area. We saw the elephant seals near San Simeon, shopped in Cambria and Harmony, did the Morro Bay Natural History Museum. And spent at least 3 hours just shopping in SLO the second day. And I wasn't exhausted. This is great.
Early December, the Girl Scouts were in the annual Christmas parade. They all dressed up as presents. We had to park waaay away from the staging area, walk over, wait about an hour for our turn, then walk the parade route, then back to the car. My feet were killing me, but not my back, hips, or knees. And the next day I was fully recovered from that.
I read Dr. Katzen's transcript from a chat he did on OH. He seems to have really good luck getting insurance to cover procedures. So I emailed his office, asking if it was time for me to go ahead with reconstruction. They emailed me back a couple of days later and I set up an appointment for Monday, 12/13/04.
Drove down the day before and stayed with my mom, who went with me to take notes and be an extra set of ears. We got to his office early, 8:00, for my 8:30 appointment (there's always paperwork to do). The door was locked and as we were looking down the hall to find a place to sit until somebody showed up, along comes this nice guy in scrubs who says he can open the door, and does, turns on the lights, and goes to the receptionists desk and askes who I am. Then he says "I'm Dr. Katzen". And he found me the new patient forms to complete. That totally clinched it for me. He's hired.
So in the exam room, he looked me over, showed me how he can lift the thighs, butt, inner thighs, boobs, arms. And I have this massive hernia low on my tummy that he says should have been fixed yesterday. So there shouldn't be a problem getting the insurance to at least cover that part of a body lift. Then his nurse took "those pictures". At least my head didn't get in any of the shots, but geez, be warned. Nekkid pictures. Not at all titillating. Found out that the last person he did who had lost over 200 pounds had 30 pounds of excess skin and tissue removed. So now we play the waiting game for insurance approval. He recommends doing everything in 2 stages. The first will be the all-the-way-around body lift with hernia repair and the inner thighs. My thighs he's going to do with an incision down the inside of my leg to about 2/3 down to the knees. And do a little lipo on the inner knees. I have really big knees with a big fat pocket. It's a genetic thing. The second operation will be the boob lift, and I'll have to get implants because there's just no tissue left in these empty sacks. And the Brachioplasty. Which will include the sides of my chest where I hang out of the sides of my bra.
So we're driving back to my mom's and it was kind of funny. Obviously it's been a looooong time since she saw me naked. Last month at Thanksgiving she had remarked that it was her opinion that at my age (44) and after 2 kids, I should just be happy wearing a good bra and to forget about getting a boob job, that she thought that was too much, live with my lack of perkiness. So on the way home she says now she "gets it" and I really do need the lift like I've been saying. Can I get an "I told you so?" And my hubby is intrigued at the thought of implants. But I told him and Katzen's nurse that I just want to be proportional, which to me means a C-cup, so get those visions of DD out of his mind. LOL
So I go to Fresno on January 3, 2005, for my 18 month check up. I've decided to really make an effort to get in lots of protein and get my iron levels up in preparation for these surgeries. I do pretty good already, but it can always be better. And I'll heal better if I do. Plus this gives me a chance to see how much more I could lose.
22 Aug. 2005 My goodness, it's been a loooong time since I updated. How embarassing. (If anybody actually reads this. LOL) So let's see, what's been going on with me. Dr. K's office in La Palma closed the month after my consult, and my file was the only one that got lost in the shuffle to his Beverley Hills office. Sigh. I got a cat scan of my belly to see the extent of my hernia. Seems there's 2, one small one at my bellybutton, and a big one lower, 6.7 centimeters, with both small and large intestine poking through. So then I had a second consult with Dr. Katzen and he took more hideous nekkid pix. Then his office submitted everything to insurance. They approved the hernia repairs, of course, and the skin removal on the belly (panni). But dis-allowed the rest of what makes a lower body lift (LBL), medial thighs, mastopexy (boob lift), and upper arms (batwings). The part of the LBL/hernia I will be responsible for is $5000, plus any hospital/anasthesia not covered by insurance. The 3 other surgeries will come to $21,000. Thank god for home equity accounts. Surgery is going to be Sept. 2, 2005.
Had my 2-year check-up with Dr. Frye. I was up 7 pounds from my 18-month mark, but their scale showed down 3 pounds of fat, up 10 pounds of lean mass (muscle). So they were happy. I've joined a gym, they have all sorts of Nautilus machines, treadmills, stairsteppers, ellipticals, pool, classes, etc. I'm doing 2 miles on the elliptical in about 33 minutes, then the Nautilus for about another 45 minutes. I could probably do more, but stuff like my job and family life get in the way. And I mean that in a good way. But boy, if I could just be retired and work out longer! As it is, I get to the gym at 5 AM. Sometimes go back home to breakfast with the family, get lunches together, then be at work by 8.
I can do so much I never dreamed. We've been to Soak City twice now. It's a water park next door to Knott's Berry Farm. I go down those tube slides, climb the stairs to the top no problem. Do it all day long. And we went to Disney Land and California Adventure last January. We were there for 3 days. The first two days in Disneyland - the weather was glorious. Remember, California had record rainfall that winter. We went on everything that was open (Space Mountain closed for refurbishment, Haunted Mansion for Christmas un-decorating). Used the Fast Pass for Indiana Jones. That is one wild ride. The Fast Pass gives you a time that you come back and go into a parrallel line that gets you to the front faster. So while you wait for your time, you can ride other rides with shorter lines. Did Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, no problem with the lapbars. The girls fave was Alice in Wonderland. The funny thing was that when we told them we were going, they didn't believe us because they would miss a couple days of the first week back to school after the break. And there went their perfect attendance record. Really.
Boy, I can't wait for my hernia/LBL. Had a pre-op with my PCP's office for a clearance/history/ekg. The nurse practitioner says "so, how long have you known about this heart murmur?" WTF?? Says it's probably nothing, since nobody has been concerned about it before, but they are going to do a EKG at the hospital to get a better idea. Sheesh. At least I didn't have to have another chest x-ray. Had one in March before my endometrial ablation. What a relief that was. Burns away the uterine lining, so no or super-light periods. Will take care of the anemia. I've been popping iron pills like they were tictacs or something. Dr. Katzen showed me my pictures when I saw him last week for the pre-op. Wow, do I really look like that from the back? Ugh. He says he will weigh and photo whatever he removes. I can't wait to see how much that will be. And I promise myself I will update this more often, now that the second half of my journey is here. TTFN
Nov. 14, 2005.
Boy, so much for keeping updated!
Well, I had my lower body lift, hernia repair, and mesh implant on Sept 2, 2005. Got to the hospital early to meet Dr. Katzen and get marked up. He really pulled the skin around to mark, so that he will take off the most possible. When surgery got started, hubby drove back home to relieve his mom from watching the girls. Then my sister and mom came in the afternoon, when surgery was almost done. It took about 8 hours. Dr. K told my mom he took off 15 pounds of skin and put in about 1,000 stitches to hold all the layers together. Everything went fine. He also implanted an On-Q morphine pump that will be filled later, plus I have the wonderful morphine button. Also, 4 drains coming out of my mons area. They're labled 1 through 4. 1 and 4 snake around to drain my back and 2 and 3 drain the left and right front. Oh, and a catheter, which can't be felt and saves me from having to use a bedpan. The first day, just slept for the rest of the day and that night.
The second day, had a liquid tray for breakfast. Was able to drink the broth, but wassup with the coffee and milk? Physical Therapy came by in the afternoon and helped to get me up. I was able to sit up and then stand. They came back in the evening and I was able to walk a couple of steps with a walker. Getting up from laying down is soooo painful. Roll on side, use bedrails, nurse helping pull up. Dinner tray was awful. Chicken was too dry. Then there was coffee, cookies, and roll. Had my sister go out and buy me a few protein bars, plus I had brought a couple of Power Protein cookies. So I had a few bites of that. But I can't eat very much. At least I can get my water down.
Third day. I think this was the day the catheter came out. I was able to walk out into the hallway with the walker. and the dietician came to visit and I explained about what post-WLS patients should and should not be eating. Like no coffee. So when lunch came, there was a chef salad, which was wonderful. And a slice of apple pie. Geez, hello...I'm not able to eat that. Had some oatmeal for breakfast, that was ok. By the end of the day, I was able to make a lap of the hallways around my room. Luckily, I'm in my own room. The room next door was having a party today. The way the hospital is set up, both our rooms open up to a outdoor patio area. The visitors for next door actually set up a big table, chairs, music, and a bunch of food. Lucky for them, the party broke up at 5. There was one little boy who banged on my patio door a couple of times. Never startle someone who's just had their abs tightened.
The last day, I did a couple of laps and was discharged by noon. Dr. K. is very pleased. So I was there a total of three nights. I probably could have gone home after 2, but that third night really helped. I'm staying with my mom for awhile, and she's in her 70's, so she can't haul me out of bed.
I stayed with my mom for about a week and a half, until I had a follow-up with Dr. Katzen. We walked around the neighborhood with walkers, going further everyday. Drains keep draining, eveything looks good. One day I even went shopping with my sister and neice. Managed, but was sure tired after.
Got home, was really good to see the kids, they had missed me big time. October, drains keep draining. I email Dr. Katzen my daily totals, so when I go down, it won't be a waste of a trip, a drain or two will be coming out. Went down on October 17th and got drain #4 pulled. The others are still draining too much. He flushed them with betadyne, which should help slow them down.
Finally, November 3rd, went down and got the other 3 drains pulled. What relief. Back in October, 2 of the drains had sort of pulled up into my body, so the stitches holding them in disappeared. Yikes. Dr. K. was able to retrieve them and just clipped them off. So after 62 days, I'm drain-free. This must be some sort of record. I read so much about other people getting drains pulled after a week or two. But at least I didn't get a seroma (fluid pocket).
Nov 5th - I zipped a pair of 16 pants. I haven't been a 16 since about 1989, and that was for about 5 minutes when I was on a liquid diet. My tummy looks so good, flat, and I had to buy new undies - 7s. And my butt - where did it go? It is flat too. Where do you buy pants when you have no butt? I've been playing azz-grab with myself, because I just can't believe it.
Nov. 7th, 2005. Went back to the gym today, just did 1.25 miles on the treadmill and weight machines at very low weights.
Jan 12, 2006 - Well, Happy New Year. I've been getting back into the Nautilus machines at the gym. I can do 50 pounds on the ab machine, and I'm doing lots of reps. It feels really good, but I took a long time to work up to that, and 50 is still less than I was doing before. But I'm getting there, don't want to pull anything. In late November, I had a pinched nerve on the right inner upper thigh, where it meets the torso. Hurt like the dickens for a couple of weeks, then one night it must have just resolved on its own, because the next morning it was all better.
I'm getting the medial (inner) thigh lift in 2 weeks, on the 26th. So I've also been concentrating at the gym on the leg machines, quads, hamstrings, and the abductor and adductor. The machine for the last two is really great and I'm hoping it will give me a good result with the surgery.
The other thing Dr. Katzen is going to fix during surgery is the scars from the old drain holes. The way 3 of them healed, it's like the skin pulled inward, so when I stand, it looks like there are big dimples, and dimples on the hoo-haw (that's a technical term) are not a good thing.
I can now get into a 14 in zip-up French Laundry pants from Mervyns. It will be interesting after I heal up from the thigh lift, already my pants need to be taken up in the hip area, when they fit perfect in the waist. I have a hard time with jeans, because mostly I find those low-rise styles out there, and at 45, I'm too old for that, plus when I sit in them, they're too low in the back. (Plumber impression going on)
Had my 2 1/2 year check up this week, went really well. Evelyn was pleased with my LBL scar, it's nice and flat. She couldn't believe Dr. Katzen used glue to close. My cholesterol was 140.
I just can't wait to get all the plastics done, the arms are the worst and they are also the last procedure. I was talking today with a co-worker about the surgeries and she said I didn't look so bad, but as I've said before, spandex is my friend.
March 17, 2006.
Well, Happy New Year, Valentine's, and St. Patrick's Days. I should have updated this earlier, but here goes.
I had my medial thigh lift on January 26, 2006. At first, it was scheduled to start at 6:00 a.m., but was rescheduled for noon, be there at 11. We thought this was probably a good thing, since I wouldn't have to get up so early. But it ended up not so good. It meant going longer without eating. And when you are not the first case of the day, any delays in other surgeries can push your own start time back. So my surgery didn't get started until 2:00, and I was starving. Dr. Katzen got me all marked up, then the nurses got me washed down with betadine while I stood on a plastic sheet. Betadine from the waist down, and I mean everywhere, all the nooks and crannys. Surgery itself went well, he took off 15 pounds of skin and tissue, some lipo. I remember seeing the clock the first time and it said 7:00 and I was being given some water. After a while, the nurses got me up to use the bathroom. I was stepping off the bed and onto the stool to get down, and suddenly I was sitting on the stool and they were saying "don't do that to us", like I had started passing out. Pottied, and started to get dressed, but since I couldn't get shorts over the legs, I just put on my long tshirt and they wrapped 2 blankets around me. About 9:00 p.m., it was time to go. Lance and my mom came in. They didn't look so happy. I was really cold. As the nurses were wheeling me through the door, one of the wheels ran over one of my j-p drain bulbs, which came off the tube, blood everywhere. The nurses spent about 20 minutes trying to get it back together, there was no spare. Imagine, a surgery center without a spare j-p. I was freezing the whole time, because I was in the doorway. Also felt lightheaded, and one of the employees, can't imagine a nurse would say this, said to keep my head up. Aren't you supposed to put your head down when you're lightheaded? Anyway, they finally seemed to have the drain back together, so got loaded in the car for the ride back to mom's house. Somehow got inside, and onto the recliner. Had some water and something to eat, but don't remember what. Not much, anyway. Slept until about 2:00 a.m., then needed to potty. Mom got up and helped me with the walker to the john. Finished, but felt really lightheaded again. Thought I better get back to the recliner quick. Got down the hall, and passed out cold. Luckily, my mom's foot got under my face and probably saved me from a broken nose. Bruised her foot. She called Lance, who was sleeping in the bedroom. My left arm had landed under my body, and it was sore the next couple of weeks. Lay there for a few minutes, thinking how to get up without messing up my legs. (How no stitches were torn is a mystery.) Using a chair, got back up and took about two steps and passed out again, this time landed on my back. So they called the paramedics. About 8 firefighters showed up, plus the ambulance crew. We rolled me onto a plastic tarp and they picked me up and onto the gurney. So off to Little Company of Mary Hospital we went.
The emergency room personnel were great. They got a bag of fluid going, did bloodwork (hematocrit down to 9, from 11 preop), rewrapped my legs. One nurse helped me twice with the bedpan. They even replaced the j-p that was messed up, and started working better once it was replaced. So I was there until about 6:00 a.m. Then Lance got me back home and into the recliner.
The reason Lance and my mom weren't happy had to do with the surgery center. When we got there, the finance person explained that I needed to have her hold my credit card, since if the operation went over, I was responsible for extra charges. But she tried to charge us for the time between when the operation was scheduled to start and when it actually did start. Lance was ballistic and wasn't going to pay for time we didn't use. She threatened to not release me and to call the cops. And tried to play my mom against Lance. Which didn't work. The real topper was a week later, she called and asked if we would bring back the blankets I had gone home with, as they were rented.
So I was starting to feel better. Dr. Katzen called to see how I was doing and I told him everything that happened. He said he has told the surgery center that charges for starting late are his responsibility and they are not supposed to bother patients about that at all. He has such a good bedside manner that even by telephone he makes you feel better.
So this was Friday the 27th. Our car had been in the shop from the day before due to the check engine light, something with the manifold. So Lance went and got it and went on home to take care of the girls (8 and 9). His mom had been taking care of them, but at her age, the weekend is hard. And the check engine light went on on the way home, so he dropped it at the Ford place and got a ride home. Turned out the Ford place near my mom's didn't do the job right, so they paid the Ford place in SLO to fix it.
I took it real easy the next few days, always using the walker, and mostly just getting up to potty. About Monday, I started taking very short walks outside. I had a followup on Tuesday, and we needed to be sure I could get to the car and up to the doctor's office and then home ok. Which I did. Everything looks good, and I have even not had much pain to speak of. Only a couple of doses of Lortab. Apparently, this is not normal, so if you are reading this and contemplating a thigh lift, be prepared for more pain than I had. The next day, Wed.,Feb 1st, mom and I drove home to SLO. It was sure good to be home. The drains are draining between 500-600 ccs per day. The drains come out just below my knees on the inner side ofthe calves. On Friday the third of Feb., the right one had just about stopped. I knew this was not normal, so called Dr. Katzen for advice. By this time, I was leaking around the drain hole. What ended up happening was my regular Dr., who is an internist, agreed to try the following. He took the bulb off the tube and with a syringe, injected about 5 ccs of hydrogen peroxide up the tube to dissolve the clot that was blocking the tube. For a few minutes it looked like nothing was happening, but with one last tweak on the tube, it started flowing again. I was relieved, and my doctor was pretty jazzed too, I don't think he ever did anything like that before. I drained about 100 ccs by the time I got home.
I took the next week off work, and went back the following week. Still with drain tubes, they were still around 500. By late Feb, the right one was halfway worked out. The left one the stitches had torn loose, but was still in ok. Went down to see Dr. Katzen. He pulled the right one, and restitched the left one. This was on a Tuesday. By Friday, the stitches had torn out again, so I was taping the tube to keep it in place as much as possible. The right leg, since the tube had worked out too early, swelled. Not exactly a seroma, since it was general swelling, not in one specific spot. But 3 spots along the incision have opened up and are draining. So I tape sanitary pads over the spots and then wrap ace bandages. Today, March 17th, they are getting better. But it was pretty gross. One spot had some I don't know what work it's way out. It looked like hard boiled egg yolk. At first I didn't even want to touch it. It was worm shaped. Finally, there was some just hanging out of the hole and I was able to get hold of it with a kleenex and remove it. Bleech. I think it must have been fat. It didn't have a blood supply. Also, at the end of work today, the left drain had worked itself about halfway out, so I just slid it the rest of the way out. I hadn't been getting much in the bulb, since the suction was gone. So I have a pad over the hole. And Monday I see Dr. Katzen again, this time in his Santa Barbara office. Can't wait for these holes to heal.
July 15, 2006
Time for this slacker to update her profile!
Well, it took probably another 3-4 weeks for the holes to totally close up. I kept then covered with Kotex pads, then Ace bandages. Changing these pads at work was not fun, but I managed. At night and in the mornings, when I was changing the pads, I would press on the sides of the holes to try and get out as much fluid as possible before putting on the pads. They never seemed infected, but I would sometimes get little white bits of stuff out. One night I was pushing and two pieces of hard white stuff, very small, shot out and hit my wrist. I don't know for sure that this was what was keeping me from healing, but my leg just seemed lighter immediately afterwards, and the holes started closing faster after that.
The week that school got out, Claire's Girl Scout troop took a trip to Sacramento. They left on a Thursday. The rest of us drove up on Friday, took us until 5:00 to get there. We waded in the American river, then found the troop and checked that they were having a good time, and no problems. All was fine, so we went on to out hotel, the Jackson Lodge in the tiny town of Jackson. We stayed in a cabin, so we had our own kitchen and there was a separate bedroom from the living room. Very nice. The next morning we went swimming, breakfasted, then drove to meet the troop at the site of the first gold discovery. It was about an hour away. James Marshall State Park. Our check engine light came on, and at one point we smelled a weird smell, which I think was from the brakes. Our car is a 1996 Windstar, so it's old and we've been in the shop with it more than I care to think. We thought we were going to be late meeting the girls, but we actually beat them there. We saw the spot of the mill race where gold was found, went through the little museum, saw a video, and waded in the river. After lunch, the troop and us drove back towards Jackson and toured Sutter's Mine, which was a real working gold mine back in the late 1980's. The highlight for the girls was doing some panning for gems. The gold panning is a lot harder. By this time, it was getting to be near dinner time. We took Claire and went to have a family dinner. The troop drove back to SLO that night, diddn't get in until about 1:00 a.m. The next day, we went to California Cavern, which is a walking tour, and Moaning Cavern, which has a 100 foot tall spiral staircase down into the cavern. That was a little scary. Then it took us about 5 hours to get home. When we got close to home, the ABS brake light also came on, so I was pretty freaked.
The next day, Monday, Lance took my car to the dealer. It ended up costing $1000 dollars. This is the last repair on the car. Drove the thing home and the check engine light came on again, but it turned out to be a loose hose, so that was a free fix. But 2 weeks later, check engine again. This time it was a solinoid on the intake manifold and was going to be $400 to fix. The service guy said I could drive it for awhile without the fix. So I did and researched new minivans. We decided on a Toyota Sienna and ended up getting the LE model, it was the only minivan on the lot and there was a sale going on. I'm really enjoying it, so quiet.
And now it's time for the next step in the plastic surgery portion of my journey. Dr. Katzen is going to do my arms and breast lift together. And he's going to do them in his Santa Barbara office's surgical suite. I had my pre-op on the 10th, with Dr. Hestrin, who is the anasthesiologist,medical director for this group, plus he's an emergency room doc. So I also feel very comfortable with him. This operation is costing $18,315. I'm getting gummy bear implants, probably about 400 cc's. The nurse measured me, plus she said that when I am under and they have made the pockets for the implants, they will put in sizers, sit me up, and the 4 of them will vote. They all know my preferences, so I trust them not to turn me into a Dolly Parton. I report at 6:45 on Monday July 24th, so it should be done by early afternoon. Then I'm going to stay in a hotel overnight with either my mom or my DH, depending on how I'm feeling. (After the last nightmare, this is the part I worry about.) Then an 8:00 appt. the next morning, and home to recover. I'm so happy to be recovering at home this time. And they tell me no drains. After my battles with drains, that's great to look forward to. My mom is going to stay probably until Friday, and I am planning to go back to work on Monday Aug. 7th. I think the arm surgery is the one I have most looked forward to, my arms are absolutely hideous. I know we all say or think that about ourselves, at least to some extent, but in my case, well, I'm expecting my arms to be about half their present size. Then come wintertime, probably, we'll think about a thigh revision. There's room for more skin to come off, and Dr. Katzen brought up the idea, so yeah.
July 27, 2006
Well today is Thursday, and I had the arms and boob lift with implants on Monday with Dr. Katzen in Santa Barbara. Got there at 6:45, changed into a gown, had pictures taken and body parts marked. Then it was time to get the iv put in. Since my arms are being worked on, you can't have an iv there. So the next choice is the feet. Can we say ouch? OMG, the nurse and anesthesiologist tried twice in each foot, but it didn't work. So they went for my neck, which was a lot less painful than the feet. Then it was off to sleepytown. Not only did he do arms and boobs, but he also took a lipoma off my shoulder and re-did my mons, removing some scar tissue and some skin. Anyway, it was dark when I woke up. I was able to get my bearings at my own pace, not like the thigh experience, then got my shorts on, plus the gown and bandages, and got wheeled to the car. We got to borrow the wheelchair overnight, which was so cool. I got settled on the bed and slept, got up about 3-4 times to pee. No passing out, this is good. Next morning, we went back to the office for an appointment just to be sure all was well, then drove home. My hands are really swollen, so I'm keeping them as elevated as possible. My mom is staying with us and is a help, bringing water and food. I'm just watching lots of tv, boring. Have another appt. with Dr. K on Monday. Hopefully he will remove bandages and I can get a look.
Aug 1, 2006. Had a 1-week appt with Dr. K. He removed all the bandages, felt like a good 10 pounds. You would not have believed how much my lower arms were wrapped to keep them from swelling. It worked, but it has been so stinkin hot this last week. Everything is healing up very well. Arms look amazing, I can't believe that all that flapping skin is gone. Boobs are loking good too. The implants haven't dropped yet, so the shape is a little weird, but we'll get there. Hubby's new catchphrase is "they're still big". Got to put on a regular bra, along with some gauze to keep straps from rubbing, and gauze under some mesh on the arms, just to protect the incisions from rubbing. Mons re-do looks good too. The spot on my hip that opened up a couple of weeks ago is still oozing, so he numbed it and dug around until he removed an old stitch from the LBL. Bandaged that up. It bled a little bit again this morning. But everything looks really good. I come back to get stitches out in two weeks, Dr. K. is going on vacation. Measured my upper arm, it has gone from 19 to 14 inches. As for numbness, the lower side of my forearms has areas of numbness, and one nipple, but the other one is the opposite of numb. And after spending a week with my feet up, my calves have gone WAY down as far as swelling.
August 16, 2006
Yesterday I got my stitches out. Boobs are looking really good, especially with all the scabs off. Arms are healing well too, but I still have some oozy spots near elbows. Dr. K. put on some cream, silver sulfa-something that is supposed to be really good helping to get things healed.
1 October, 2006
Well, after I got home from the above appointment, I noticed some bits of stitches still in my arms, especially under scabs as they came off, the stitches were blue, so easy to spot, and I finally got all of them out. I also saw some that seem to be made from fishing line, LOL. So at my early September appointment, Dr. K removed all we could spot. Including one in my mons that hurt when I tried to pull it out myself. Amazingly, that one didn't hurt a bit and it was causing the most anxiety. After that appointment, I still found a couple of the fishing line stitches, and got all but one. One was in my armpit, and about 6 inches long. Kind of freaky to see it keep coming. Also, I have a small seroma in the right elbow. Dr. K. has drained that twice so far. The first time, he got about a quarter cup of fluid, the second time, 25 ccs. At my last appointment, he got the last bit of fishing line, it was under my right breast, in a little open spot. I also have a couple of pencil eraser size spots under the left breast. Got a scrip for antibiotic gel. Dr. K. said this would clear up any starting infection, and then the spots would close. He said that it would take the usual patient 2 weeks on the left, 3 on the right, but since it was me, it would probably be 1 week and 2 weeks. LOL. Actually, it was 1 week on the left, and 12 days on the right. See, protein loading is a good thing. He also asked, as he always does, if I needed any pain meds. And as I always reply, hey, it's ME. Barely took any. Then, did I need a note for my work? Hey, I went back to work after 2 weeks. Slacker, he says with a smile. Gotta love a doc you can joke around with.
Went back to the gym about 2 weeks ago. Going easy on the arms, especially the pull-up machine, which really can stretch your arms fully. I think it's hilarious that I can stand around in my undies, drying my hair, arms overhead with the dryer, and nobody seems to notice any scars. My theory is that being undressed in front of relative strangers makes people selectively blind. We can't see anything below the neck.
I also have to note that the implants, Mentor gummies, 450 and 500 ccs, have settled into place and I think they look hot. And proportioned to my frame, which is what we were aiming for.
WEIGHT LOSS RECORD
Highest weight 487 Pounds Lost
At consultation 476 11
pre-op (6/16/03) 468.5 18.5
1 wk post-op (6/30/03) 452.5 34.5
1 mo p-o (7/23/03) 425.0 62.0
10 wks p-o (9/8/03) 376.0 111.0
4 mo p-o (10-22-03) 344.0 143.0
6 mo p-o (1-1-2004) 303.0 184.0
7 mo p-o (1-21-2004) 295.0 192.0
8.5 mo p-o (3-10-04) 279.0 208.0 (double century)
11 mo p-o (6-1-2004) 259.0 228.0
15 mo p-o (10-2-2004) 246.0 241.0 (I'm mostly 1/2 gone)
27 mo p-o (8-22-05) 258.0 229
31 mo p-o (1-11-06) 245.0 242
Had to change insurance to get WLS covered. Then in 2003, saw the surgeon, got insurance approval, and had surgery on Tuesday, June 24, 2003. Before surgery I managed to lose 19 pounds, to 468.
My open RNY, plus a hernia repair, was uneventful.
that night I got out of bed and walked to the nurse's station and back.
Wednesday is kind of a blur. My hubby went home to take care of the kids (ages 7 and 6) and my mom came to be with me. All I really remember is taking little walks and sucking ice cubes. The bari-bed isn't really comfortable to me. I feel like I'm sliding down. To get out of the bed, the controls tilt you towards the foot of the bed until you can stand. But getting in, I couldn't seem to get high enough up the bed and was too sore to do much scooting.
Thursday, 2nd post-op day. Got my drain out and started liquids. SF jello, crystal lite, broth, and Ensure. One 30 cc (dinky) cup every 10 minutes, 8 in all for a meal. And you have to take a walk in between. So by the time breakfast was over, it was almost time for lunch. Got to take a shower before discharge. I have to say, the Fresno Surgery Center was amazing. The nurses were always right there, every room is private, there is even a sofa bed for your support person to stay the night.
So Thursday I was discharged in the afternoon. Because I live about three hours away, the doctor has you stay in town until your post-op appointment.
Friday thru Monday morning was spent walking back and forth the outside corridor at the hotel and getting down these tiny cups of liquid. I was very lucky to have my mom with me, helping out.
Monday, June 30, 2003. I've lost 16 pounds from my pre-op weight. This is unbelievable. And I got to go home.
July 8, 2003. I went back to work part-time today.
July 14, 2003. Back full-time to work.
July 23, 2003. Today was my 1 month appointment. Besides the weight loss, the thing I find most incredible is that my cholesterol has gone from 230 to 155!!!
August 24, 2003. I'm 2 months post-op today. I've discovered my favorite protein drinks are Nectar and Real Meals. I've been really cautious with pureed foods. Sometimes they stay down and other times not. And throwing up seems to leave my pouch irritated for the rest of the day, where I just do liquids.
Sept. 4, 2003. I've been throwing up most solids for the last 2 weeks. Even Cream of Wheat. So I called Dr. Frye's office and they will see me Monday, Sept 8.
Sept. 8, 2003. Well, happy birthday to me. My DH and I drove the three hours to Fresno and got to the docs office early. But his NP saw me right away and after some questions she phoned over to the hospital endoscope unit and they said if I could get there right away, they could work me in. So I got prepped and onto the table. Then they put something in my iv that knocked me out. The procedure was only supposed to take about 10 minutes, but the ballon they use to stretch out the scar tissue around the stoma kept breaking, the fourth one was the one that worked. But it took so long that I started waking up during all this. The tube was down my throat and I was totally gagging. Why I didn't rip the blasted thing out I'll never know. But all I could think was to keep breathing thru my nose, deep breaths, and they finally noticed I was waking up and put me back under. When I woke up after it was all over, it was just like being instantly awake, not that groggy feeling after surgery. The doctor said my stoma was almost closed. After getting some instructions on what not to do for the rest of the day, we went home. I had a super sore throat for the rest of the week. And, hey, I've rocketed into the Century Club.
Sept 28, 2003. My sister in law and her husband are visiting this weekend. I haven't seen them for three years and they are amazed at my progress. My SIL would benefit from this surgery and I have kept her updated on everything that goes on. But as I know from my own experience, you have to be in that place mentally where you know that this is your last option and are prepared to live the rest of your life by the rules.
And, now that my stoma has been dilated, I can report that solid foods are staying down. We went out for Chinese tonight (buffet) and it was fun to take literally one piece of a few things, proteins mostly, some veggies, and a piece of cantalope, plus some soup.
Oct 22, 2003. 4 month checkup. I've lost 124 since surgery. This is amazing to me. And my labs are looking good too. Cholesterol 167, and iron up to 35. The nurse practioner was so happy for me and said I'm really exceeding expectations, I'm a poster child for RNY. Another thing, their scale measures body fat and lean body mass and my lean mass was up 11 pounds, while body fat was down about 43. These days, I still have my Nectar drink for breakfast. It seems to be the best way to get the day going for me and insures I'm getting my protein in. Dinner can be like one fish stick or one taquito and some veggies or a slice of apple or pear (no skin). My mom and DH think this is funny, ONE fishstick.
1/1/2004 Happy New Years! Weighed on my scale today, and it said 303. Almost out of the threes! That's so exciting, I haven't been under 300 since the early 90's. Losing so much weight has made a huge difference in my life. My family went hiking the day after Christmas and my girls (6 and 7) were the ones pooping out, I didn't have to rest at every bench we saw. My DH was even asking me if it was too much, remember, we still had to walk back too. And I was fine. Someone at work asked how much more I wanted to loose, and couldn't believe me when I said hopefully about another 150. Clothes really can hide alot. And wearing the right size makes a huge difference, I'm enjoying wearing 2X leggings (major hanging belly issues) and shirts that are 16s as long as they are stretchy. It's so great to buy new undies too. I wore the old ones until they were almost falling off, then went from 14s into 11s. Wow, what a difference. Also, I can now buckle the seatbelt in my hubby's car and fit into movie theater seats without having to go to only places where the armrests go up.
We had Thanksgiving at out house and I did the turkey. It wasn't a big deal to not stuff myself and it's kind of nice to be the one who is popping back and forth to the kitchen to get stuff during dinner instead of being the unmoving lump.
My 7 month checkup is 1/21 and I promise to post results then.
I'm such a bad girl for not updating this sooner. I went for my 7 month check-up and on the doctor's scale it was 295. Yippee!! Out of the 300s!! Plus my blood work was good, cholesterol was 141. Today is March 10, 2004 and I weighed 279 on my scale this morning. I've been walking more, slacked off during the rainy season, but it feels good to get back at it. Did a 2 mile walk Sunday morning, without stopping. We're going to Yosemite over Easter break and I want to be in good walking shape. The last time we went on a real vacation, to Sequoia, I could barely get around and it wasn't much fun. This time will be better.
I seem to be running thru clothes sizes lately. The 2Xs that I could only dream about in October are falling off. And I bought the first underwire bra I've had in decades. And it's not uncomfortable either. It's even sexy, DH likes it alot.
The loose skin is really getting to me, tho. My arms are deflated, but the extra skin is keeping me from wearing a really cool shirt my sis got me for Christmas. It's a button-up-the-front style, so for me to be able to get it on is amazing. But I'm afraid the arms will burst out like the Incredible Hulk. Also, the "girls" have gone south, way south, my belly looks like a giant melted candle, and my inner thighs are just embarrassing in shorts. I know it's probably way too soon to plan for reconstructive surgery (no way is this "cosmetic"), but I feel like if I could just get this extra skin off, I'd be so close to goal.
But the great thing is that now that the weather has turned warm, I'm not dying of heat like last year. And I saw the secretary from my girls old school last night and she said I looked so much happier and healthier.
Hey, it's June 4th, 2004 already. Where has the time gone? There's so much more I can do now. In April we went on a week vacation to Yosemite and I was walking all over, to see the falls, which are roaring, the giant sequoia trees, and even though the altitude is about 6000 feet, I'm not pooping out. The weekend after that, I took my girls to a weekend Brownie camp. We went hiking, did projects, slept on matresses on the floor. I was able to "pass" for normal and it felt good. At mealtimes, I just had little bites of whatever was being served and did ok. The only time I didn't was at lunch one day, we had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. I didn't eat much of that, but I got really sleepy after lunch. Luckily we had an hour of free time, so I just relaxed, then ate part of a protein bar and felt better.
In May, I had to go to Indianapolis for business. I was really dreading flying cross country. But the seats fit, didn't need a belt extender. When we are traveling, we get a set amount for our food every day, no matter how much or little we spend. I packed protein bars and powder and got a few meals at Arby's and Taco Bell, so I really cleaned up that way. Our class was on the third floor of an enormous building and we had to walk up ramps. I was one of the medium weight ladies. Sat near one lady who was probably 350 or so. The second day of class at break we were all talking about where we ate the night before, everyone is always on the lookout for good restaurants. People had gone to places like Steak and Shake or Outback. I said I just got a taco supreme from Taco Bell and ate the insides because I can't eat very much. Somebody asked why and I said I had WLS last year. My classmate immediately asked if I minded talking about it, which I don't, especially if it can help someone else. Her doctor had talked to her about having it, but she wasn't sure she could adjust to the post-op life. So I explained my story to her and gave her this website to check out. I hope she decides to do it, but you can't urge anyone to do this, they have to come to the decision themselves.
My mom came up for Memorial weekend, hadn't seen her since New Years. She was amazed. One of my cousins is getting married next October and I'd really like to go. Now that I know planes are doable, that's one less worry.
As far as clothes, I keep clearing the too-big stuff out of my closet, otherwise it gets too crowded. I'm down to an XL or 18 in most things. I'm too small for the women's department at places like Mervyn's now. But I feel like a fish out of water in the regular misses department. So many choices! I feel like I don't belong, that people can see I'd never fit anything in misses. Of course that's not true, my head just hasn't caught up with my body.
October 2, 2004. Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated my profile. I just recalculated my bmi, 38.5. I'm no longer MO, just SO (severely overweight). I joined a gym in August and have been going 3-4 times a week, at 5 a.m. on weekdays. Usually I do 25 minutes on the stairmaster, 2 miles on the treadmill, then a round of Nautilus machines. I can really see the difference in my shape, especially around the waist (yes, I have a waist). The weight loss has slowed, but I can feel that I'm exchanging fat for muscle, so that's ok. Bought new exercise shorts at Wally World last week, they say "L 12-14". Now, I know things are sized larger than years ago, but right now, I'm in a 12-14, it says so right on the label. LOL. Course, they're tight as a girdle. That's ok too.
I've been checking out info about reconstructive surgery. My arms are just ridiculously bat-winged. The "girls" hang, my belly has gone waaaay south, and don't get me started on my inner thighs. I feel like if a surgeon could just whack off all this excess skin, I'd be perfectly happy. Scars, who cares about scars? Not me. The surgeries are so expensive. I hope to find a surgeon who will at least put in for insurance coverage. The 2 I've seen won't.
I'm going to a wedding next week. One of my cousins in Colorado. So one of the things I had to do was get some decent shoes. I was able to walk into Payless and find a pair that fit. This is a first, my feet have been DD for so long. It's still very strange to walk into a store and be able to buy pretty clothes and find something that fits. I'm mostly a large now, quite a change from 5X.
December 15, 2004. So I have a lot of catching up to do. Let's see. I went to that wedding and it was really funny. Some of my relatives who had seen me a few years ago were astounded. One aunt I hadn't seen since I was a kid was just so glad I was there. And one of my cousins who I hadn't seen in like 15 years said he didn't recognize me because last time I had been blonde. I said Oh, yeah, that must be it, I was blonde. That probably sounds sarcastic, but it's not. It's just that people remember you from when they saw you last and hey, if I look like I looked at 20-something, and now I'm 44, that's cool. So the wedding and reception were really nice and it was so good to see everybody, all my mom's sisters and brothers were there. This is the first wedding I've gone to without my hubby, he stayed in Calif. with the girls, and I was really missing him post-reception time.
When I got home, I found I had lost 8 pounds on the trip. All the running around, not much eating.
Thanksgiving was good. I did all the cooking and had everybody over. Both our moms, my sister and her daughter. It's fun to be the one who's bouncing up getting stuff from the kitchen. Then the next 2 days I took my sister and niece around the area. We saw the elephant seals near San Simeon, shopped in Cambria and Harmony, did the Morro Bay Natural History Museum. And spent at least 3 hours just shopping in SLO the second day. And I wasn't exhausted. This is great.
Early December, the Girl Scouts were in the annual Christmas parade. They all dressed up as presents. We had to park waaay away from the staging area, walk over, wait about an hour for our turn, then walk the parade route, then back to the car. My feet were killing me, but not my back, hips, or knees. And the next day I was fully recovered from that.
I read Dr. Katzen's transcript from a chat he did on OH. He seems to have really good luck getting insurance to cover procedures. So I emailed his office, asking if it was time for me to go ahead with reconstruction. They emailed me back a couple of days later and I set up an appointment for Monday, 12/13/04.
Drove down the day before and stayed with my mom, who went with me to take notes and be an extra set of ears. We got to his office early, 8:00, for my 8:30 appointment (there's always paperwork to do). The door was locked and as we were looking down the hall to find a place to sit until somebody showed up, along comes this nice guy in scrubs who says he can open the door, and does, turns on the lights, and goes to the receptionists desk and askes who I am. Then he says "I'm Dr. Katzen". And he found me the new patient forms to complete. That totally clinched it for me. He's hired.
So in the exam room, he looked me over, showed me how he can lift the thighs, butt, inner thighs, boobs, arms. And I have this massive hernia low on my tummy that he says should have been fixed yesterday. So there shouldn't be a problem getting the insurance to at least cover that part of a body lift. Then his nurse took "those pictures". At least my head didn't get in any of the shots, but geez, be warned. Nekkid pictures. Not at all titillating. Found out that the last person he did who had lost over 200 pounds had 30 pounds of excess skin and tissue removed. So now we play the waiting game for insurance approval. He recommends doing everything in 2 stages. The first will be the all-the-way-around body lift with hernia repair and the inner thighs. My thighs he's going to do with an incision down the inside of my leg to about 2/3 down to the knees. And do a little lipo on the inner knees. I have really big knees with a big fat pocket. It's a genetic thing. The second operation will be the boob lift, and I'll have to get implants because there's just no tissue left in these empty sacks. And the Brachioplasty. Which will include the sides of my chest where I hang out of the sides of my bra.
So we're driving back to my mom's and it was kind of funny. Obviously it's been a looooong time since she saw me naked. Last month at Thanksgiving she had remarked that it was her opinion that at my age (44) and after 2 kids, I should just be happy wearing a good bra and to forget about getting a boob job, that she thought that was too much, live with my lack of perkiness. So on the way home she says now she "gets it" and I really do need the lift like I've been saying. Can I get an "I told you so?" And my hubby is intrigued at the thought of implants. But I told him and Katzen's nurse that I just want to be proportional, which to me means a C-cup, so get those visions of DD out of his mind. LOL
So I go to Fresno on January 3, 2005, for my 18 month check up. I've decided to really make an effort to get in lots of protein and get my iron levels up in preparation for these surgeries. I do pretty good already, but it can always be better. And I'll heal better if I do. Plus this gives me a chance to see how much more I could lose.
22 Aug. 2005 My goodness, it's been a loooong time since I updated. How embarassing. (If anybody actually reads this. LOL) So let's see, what's been going on with me. Dr. K's office in La Palma closed the month after my consult, and my file was the only one that got lost in the shuffle to his Beverley Hills office. Sigh. I got a cat scan of my belly to see the extent of my hernia. Seems there's 2, one small one at my bellybutton, and a big one lower, 6.7 centimeters, with both small and large intestine poking through. So then I had a second consult with Dr. Katzen and he took more hideous nekkid pix. Then his office submitted everything to insurance. They approved the hernia repairs, of course, and the skin removal on the belly (panni). But dis-allowed the rest of what makes a lower body lift (LBL), medial thighs, mastopexy (boob lift), and upper arms (batwings). The part of the LBL/hernia I will be responsible for is $5000, plus any hospital/anasthesia not covered by insurance. The 3 other surgeries will come to $21,000. Thank god for home equity accounts. Surgery is going to be Sept. 2, 2005.
Had my 2-year check-up with Dr. Frye. I was up 7 pounds from my 18-month mark, but their scale showed down 3 pounds of fat, up 10 pounds of lean mass (muscle). So they were happy. I've joined a gym, they have all sorts of Nautilus machines, treadmills, stairsteppers, ellipticals, pool, classes, etc. I'm doing 2 miles on the elliptical in about 33 minutes, then the Nautilus for about another 45 minutes. I could probably do more, but stuff like my job and family life get in the way. And I mean that in a good way. But boy, if I could just be retired and work out longer! As it is, I get to the gym at 5 AM. Sometimes go back home to breakfast with the family, get lunches together, then be at work by 8.
I can do so much I never dreamed. We've been to Soak City twice now. It's a water park next door to Knott's Berry Farm. I go down those tube slides, climb the stairs to the top no problem. Do it all day long. And we went to Disney Land and California Adventure last January. We were there for 3 days. The first two days in Disneyland - the weather was glorious. Remember, California had record rainfall that winter. We went on everything that was open (Space Mountain closed for refurbishment, Haunted Mansion for Christmas un-decorating). Used the Fast Pass for Indiana Jones. That is one wild ride. The Fast Pass gives you a time that you come back and go into a parrallel line that gets you to the front faster. So while you wait for your time, you can ride other rides with shorter lines. Did Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, no problem with the lapbars. The girls fave was Alice in Wonderland. The funny thing was that when we told them we were going, they didn't believe us because they would miss a couple days of the first week back to school after the break. And there went their perfect attendance record. Really.
Boy, I can't wait for my hernia/LBL. Had a pre-op with my PCP's office for a clearance/history/ekg. The nurse practitioner says "so, how long have you known about this heart murmur?" WTF?? Says it's probably nothing, since nobody has been concerned about it before, but they are going to do a EKG at the hospital to get a better idea. Sheesh. At least I didn't have to have another chest x-ray. Had one in March before my endometrial ablation. What a relief that was. Burns away the uterine lining, so no or super-light periods. Will take care of the anemia. I've been popping iron pills like they were tictacs or something. Dr. Katzen showed me my pictures when I saw him last week for the pre-op. Wow, do I really look like that from the back? Ugh. He says he will weigh and photo whatever he removes. I can't wait to see how much that will be. And I promise myself I will update this more often, now that the second half of my journey is here. TTFN
Nov. 14, 2005.
Boy, so much for keeping updated!
Well, I had my lower body lift, hernia repair, and mesh implant on Sept 2, 2005. Got to the hospital early to meet Dr. Katzen and get marked up. He really pulled the skin around to mark, so that he will take off the most possible. When surgery got started, hubby drove back home to relieve his mom from watching the girls. Then my sister and mom came in the afternoon, when surgery was almost done. It took about 8 hours. Dr. K told my mom he took off 15 pounds of skin and put in about 1,000 stitches to hold all the layers together. Everything went fine. He also implanted an On-Q morphine pump that will be filled later, plus I have the wonderful morphine button. Also, 4 drains coming out of my mons area. They're labled 1 through 4. 1 and 4 snake around to drain my back and 2 and 3 drain the left and right front. Oh, and a catheter, which can't be felt and saves me from having to use a bedpan. The first day, just slept for the rest of the day and that night.
The second day, had a liquid tray for breakfast. Was able to drink the broth, but wassup with the coffee and milk? Physical Therapy came by in the afternoon and helped to get me up. I was able to sit up and then stand. They came back in the evening and I was able to walk a couple of steps with a walker. Getting up from laying down is soooo painful. Roll on side, use bedrails, nurse helping pull up. Dinner tray was awful. Chicken was too dry. Then there was coffee, cookies, and roll. Had my sister go out and buy me a few protein bars, plus I had brought a couple of Power Protein cookies. So I had a few bites of that. But I can't eat very much. At least I can get my water down.
Third day. I think this was the day the catheter came out. I was able to walk out into the hallway with the walker. and the dietician came to visit and I explained about what post-WLS patients should and should not be eating. Like no coffee. So when lunch came, there was a chef salad, which was wonderful. And a slice of apple pie. Geez, hello...I'm not able to eat that. Had some oatmeal for breakfast, that was ok. By the end of the day, I was able to make a lap of the hallways around my room. Luckily, I'm in my own room. The room next door was having a party today. The way the hospital is set up, both our rooms open up to a outdoor patio area. The visitors for next door actually set up a big table, chairs, music, and a bunch of food. Lucky for them, the party broke up at 5. There was one little boy who banged on my patio door a couple of times. Never startle someone who's just had their abs tightened.
The last day, I did a couple of laps and was discharged by noon. Dr. K. is very pleased. So I was there a total of three nights. I probably could have gone home after 2, but that third night really helped. I'm staying with my mom for awhile, and she's in her 70's, so she can't haul me out of bed.
I stayed with my mom for about a week and a half, until I had a follow-up with Dr. Katzen. We walked around the neighborhood with walkers, going further everyday. Drains keep draining, eveything looks good. One day I even went shopping with my sister and neice. Managed, but was sure tired after.
Got home, was really good to see the kids, they had missed me big time. October, drains keep draining. I email Dr. Katzen my daily totals, so when I go down, it won't be a waste of a trip, a drain or two will be coming out. Went down on October 17th and got drain #4 pulled. The others are still draining too much. He flushed them with betadyne, which should help slow them down.
Finally, November 3rd, went down and got the other 3 drains pulled. What relief. Back in October, 2 of the drains had sort of pulled up into my body, so the stitches holding them in disappeared. Yikes. Dr. K. was able to retrieve them and just clipped them off. So after 62 days, I'm drain-free. This must be some sort of record. I read so much about other people getting drains pulled after a week or two. But at least I didn't get a seroma (fluid pocket).
Nov 5th - I zipped a pair of 16 pants. I haven't been a 16 since about 1989, and that was for about 5 minutes when I was on a liquid diet. My tummy looks so good, flat, and I had to buy new undies - 7s. And my butt - where did it go? It is flat too. Where do you buy pants when you have no butt? I've been playing azz-grab with myself, because I just can't believe it.
Nov. 7th, 2005. Went back to the gym today, just did 1.25 miles on the treadmill and weight machines at very low weights.
Jan 12, 2006 - Well, Happy New Year. I've been getting back into the Nautilus machines at the gym. I can do 50 pounds on the ab machine, and I'm doing lots of reps. It feels really good, but I took a long time to work up to that, and 50 is still less than I was doing before. But I'm getting there, don't want to pull anything. In late November, I had a pinched nerve on the right inner upper thigh, where it meets the torso. Hurt like the dickens for a couple of weeks, then one night it must have just resolved on its own, because the next morning it was all better.
I'm getting the medial (inner) thigh lift in 2 weeks, on the 26th. So I've also been concentrating at the gym on the leg machines, quads, hamstrings, and the abductor and adductor. The machine for the last two is really great and I'm hoping it will give me a good result with the surgery.
The other thing Dr. Katzen is going to fix during surgery is the scars from the old drain holes. The way 3 of them healed, it's like the skin pulled inward, so when I stand, it looks like there are big dimples, and dimples on the hoo-haw (that's a technical term) are not a good thing.
I can now get into a 14 in zip-up French Laundry pants from Mervyns. It will be interesting after I heal up from the thigh lift, already my pants need to be taken up in the hip area, when they fit perfect in the waist. I have a hard time with jeans, because mostly I find those low-rise styles out there, and at 45, I'm too old for that, plus when I sit in them, they're too low in the back. (Plumber impression going on)
Had my 2 1/2 year check up this week, went really well. Evelyn was pleased with my LBL scar, it's nice and flat. She couldn't believe Dr. Katzen used glue to close. My cholesterol was 140.
I just can't wait to get all the plastics done, the arms are the worst and they are also the last procedure. I was talking today with a co-worker about the surgeries and she said I didn't look so bad, but as I've said before, spandex is my friend.
March 17, 2006.
Well, Happy New Year, Valentine's, and St. Patrick's Days. I should have updated this earlier, but here goes.
I had my medial thigh lift on January 26, 2006. At first, it was scheduled to start at 6:00 a.m., but was rescheduled for noon, be there at 11. We thought this was probably a good thing, since I wouldn't have to get up so early. But it ended up not so good. It meant going longer without eating. And when you are not the first case of the day, any delays in other surgeries can push your own start time back. So my surgery didn't get started until 2:00, and I was starving. Dr. Katzen got me all marked up, then the nurses got me washed down with betadine while I stood on a plastic sheet. Betadine from the waist down, and I mean everywhere, all the nooks and crannys. Surgery itself went well, he took off 15 pounds of skin and tissue, some lipo. I remember seeing the clock the first time and it said 7:00 and I was being given some water. After a while, the nurses got me up to use the bathroom. I was stepping off the bed and onto the stool to get down, and suddenly I was sitting on the stool and they were saying "don't do that to us", like I had started passing out. Pottied, and started to get dressed, but since I couldn't get shorts over the legs, I just put on my long tshirt and they wrapped 2 blankets around me. About 9:00 p.m., it was time to go. Lance and my mom came in. They didn't look so happy. I was really cold. As the nurses were wheeling me through the door, one of the wheels ran over one of my j-p drain bulbs, which came off the tube, blood everywhere. The nurses spent about 20 minutes trying to get it back together, there was no spare. Imagine, a surgery center without a spare j-p. I was freezing the whole time, because I was in the doorway. Also felt lightheaded, and one of the employees, can't imagine a nurse would say this, said to keep my head up. Aren't you supposed to put your head down when you're lightheaded? Anyway, they finally seemed to have the drain back together, so got loaded in the car for the ride back to mom's house. Somehow got inside, and onto the recliner. Had some water and something to eat, but don't remember what. Not much, anyway. Slept until about 2:00 a.m., then needed to potty. Mom got up and helped me with the walker to the john. Finished, but felt really lightheaded again. Thought I better get back to the recliner quick. Got down the hall, and passed out cold. Luckily, my mom's foot got under my face and probably saved me from a broken nose. Bruised her foot. She called Lance, who was sleeping in the bedroom. My left arm had landed under my body, and it was sore the next couple of weeks. Lay there for a few minutes, thinking how to get up without messing up my legs. (How no stitches were torn is a mystery.) Using a chair, got back up and took about two steps and passed out again, this time landed on my back. So they called the paramedics. About 8 firefighters showed up, plus the ambulance crew. We rolled me onto a plastic tarp and they picked me up and onto the gurney. So off to Little Company of Mary Hospital we went.
The emergency room personnel were great. They got a bag of fluid going, did bloodwork (hematocrit down to 9, from 11 preop), rewrapped my legs. One nurse helped me twice with the bedpan. They even replaced the j-p that was messed up, and started working better once it was replaced. So I was there until about 6:00 a.m. Then Lance got me back home and into the recliner.
The reason Lance and my mom weren't happy had to do with the surgery center. When we got there, the finance person explained that I needed to have her hold my credit card, since if the operation went over, I was responsible for extra charges. But she tried to charge us for the time between when the operation was scheduled to start and when it actually did start. Lance was ballistic and wasn't going to pay for time we didn't use. She threatened to not release me and to call the cops. And tried to play my mom against Lance. Which didn't work. The real topper was a week later, she called and asked if we would bring back the blankets I had gone home with, as they were rented.
So I was starting to feel better. Dr. Katzen called to see how I was doing and I told him everything that happened. He said he has told the surgery center that charges for starting late are his responsibility and they are not supposed to bother patients about that at all. He has such a good bedside manner that even by telephone he makes you feel better.
So this was Friday the 27th. Our car had been in the shop from the day before due to the check engine light, something with the manifold. So Lance went and got it and went on home to take care of the girls (8 and 9). His mom had been taking care of them, but at her age, the weekend is hard. And the check engine light went on on the way home, so he dropped it at the Ford place and got a ride home. Turned out the Ford place near my mom's didn't do the job right, so they paid the Ford place in SLO to fix it.
I took it real easy the next few days, always using the walker, and mostly just getting up to potty. About Monday, I started taking very short walks outside. I had a followup on Tuesday, and we needed to be sure I could get to the car and up to the doctor's office and then home ok. Which I did. Everything looks good, and I have even not had much pain to speak of. Only a couple of doses of Lortab. Apparently, this is not normal, so if you are reading this and contemplating a thigh lift, be prepared for more pain than I had. The next day, Wed.,Feb 1st, mom and I drove home to SLO. It was sure good to be home. The drains are draining between 500-600 ccs per day. The drains come out just below my knees on the inner side ofthe calves. On Friday the third of Feb., the right one had just about stopped. I knew this was not normal, so called Dr. Katzen for advice. By this time, I was leaking around the drain hole. What ended up happening was my regular Dr., who is an internist, agreed to try the following. He took the bulb off the tube and with a syringe, injected about 5 ccs of hydrogen peroxide up the tube to dissolve the clot that was blocking the tube. For a few minutes it looked like nothing was happening, but with one last tweak on the tube, it started flowing again. I was relieved, and my doctor was pretty jazzed too, I don't think he ever did anything like that before. I drained about 100 ccs by the time I got home.
I took the next week off work, and went back the following week. Still with drain tubes, they were still around 500. By late Feb, the right one was halfway worked out. The left one the stitches had torn loose, but was still in ok. Went down to see Dr. Katzen. He pulled the right one, and restitched the left one. This was on a Tuesday. By Friday, the stitches had torn out again, so I was taping the tube to keep it in place as much as possible. The right leg, since the tube had worked out too early, swelled. Not exactly a seroma, since it was general swelling, not in one specific spot. But 3 spots along the incision have opened up and are draining. So I tape sanitary pads over the spots and then wrap ace bandages. Today, March 17th, they are getting better. But it was pretty gross. One spot had some I don't know what work it's way out. It looked like hard boiled egg yolk. At first I didn't even want to touch it. It was worm shaped. Finally, there was some just hanging out of the hole and I was able to get hold of it with a kleenex and remove it. Bleech. I think it must have been fat. It didn't have a blood supply. Also, at the end of work today, the left drain had worked itself about halfway out, so I just slid it the rest of the way out. I hadn't been getting much in the bulb, since the suction was gone. So I have a pad over the hole. And Monday I see Dr. Katzen again, this time in his Santa Barbara office. Can't wait for these holes to heal.
July 15, 2006
Time for this slacker to update her profile!
Well, it took probably another 3-4 weeks for the holes to totally close up. I kept then covered with Kotex pads, then Ace bandages. Changing these pads at work was not fun, but I managed. At night and in the mornings, when I was changing the pads, I would press on the sides of the holes to try and get out as much fluid as possible before putting on the pads. They never seemed infected, but I would sometimes get little white bits of stuff out. One night I was pushing and two pieces of hard white stuff, very small, shot out and hit my wrist. I don't know for sure that this was what was keeping me from healing, but my leg just seemed lighter immediately afterwards, and the holes started closing faster after that.
The week that school got out, Claire's Girl Scout troop took a trip to Sacramento. They left on a Thursday. The rest of us drove up on Friday, took us until 5:00 to get there. We waded in the American river, then found the troop and checked that they were having a good time, and no problems. All was fine, so we went on to out hotel, the Jackson Lodge in the tiny town of Jackson. We stayed in a cabin, so we had our own kitchen and there was a separate bedroom from the living room. Very nice. The next morning we went swimming, breakfasted, then drove to meet the troop at the site of the first gold discovery. It was about an hour away. James Marshall State Park. Our check engine light came on, and at one point we smelled a weird smell, which I think was from the brakes. Our car is a 1996 Windstar, so it's old and we've been in the shop with it more than I care to think. We thought we were going to be late meeting the girls, but we actually beat them there. We saw the spot of the mill race where gold was found, went through the little museum, saw a video, and waded in the river. After lunch, the troop and us drove back towards Jackson and toured Sutter's Mine, which was a real working gold mine back in the late 1980's. The highlight for the girls was doing some panning for gems. The gold panning is a lot harder. By this time, it was getting to be near dinner time. We took Claire and went to have a family dinner. The troop drove back to SLO that night, diddn't get in until about 1:00 a.m. The next day, we went to California Cavern, which is a walking tour, and Moaning Cavern, which has a 100 foot tall spiral staircase down into the cavern. That was a little scary. Then it took us about 5 hours to get home. When we got close to home, the ABS brake light also came on, so I was pretty freaked.
The next day, Monday, Lance took my car to the dealer. It ended up costing $1000 dollars. This is the last repair on the car. Drove the thing home and the check engine light came on again, but it turned out to be a loose hose, so that was a free fix. But 2 weeks later, check engine again. This time it was a solinoid on the intake manifold and was going to be $400 to fix. The service guy said I could drive it for awhile without the fix. So I did and researched new minivans. We decided on a Toyota Sienna and ended up getting the LE model, it was the only minivan on the lot and there was a sale going on. I'm really enjoying it, so quiet.
And now it's time for the next step in the plastic surgery portion of my journey. Dr. Katzen is going to do my arms and breast lift together. And he's going to do them in his Santa Barbara office's surgical suite. I had my pre-op on the 10th, with Dr. Hestrin, who is the anasthesiologist,medical director for this group, plus he's an emergency room doc. So I also feel very comfortable with him. This operation is costing $18,315. I'm getting gummy bear implants, probably about 400 cc's. The nurse measured me, plus she said that when I am under and they have made the pockets for the implants, they will put in sizers, sit me up, and the 4 of them will vote. They all know my preferences, so I trust them not to turn me into a Dolly Parton. I report at 6:45 on Monday July 24th, so it should be done by early afternoon. Then I'm going to stay in a hotel overnight with either my mom or my DH, depending on how I'm feeling. (After the last nightmare, this is the part I worry about.) Then an 8:00 appt. the next morning, and home to recover. I'm so happy to be recovering at home this time. And they tell me no drains. After my battles with drains, that's great to look forward to. My mom is going to stay probably until Friday, and I am planning to go back to work on Monday Aug. 7th. I think the arm surgery is the one I have most looked forward to, my arms are absolutely hideous. I know we all say or think that about ourselves, at least to some extent, but in my case, well, I'm expecting my arms to be about half their present size. Then come wintertime, probably, we'll think about a thigh revision. There's room for more skin to come off, and Dr. Katzen brought up the idea, so yeah.
July 27, 2006
Well today is Thursday, and I had the arms and boob lift with implants on Monday with Dr. Katzen in Santa Barbara. Got there at 6:45, changed into a gown, had pictures taken and body parts marked. Then it was time to get the iv put in. Since my arms are being worked on, you can't have an iv there. So the next choice is the feet. Can we say ouch? OMG, the nurse and anesthesiologist tried twice in each foot, but it didn't work. So they went for my neck, which was a lot less painful than the feet. Then it was off to sleepytown. Not only did he do arms and boobs, but he also took a lipoma off my shoulder and re-did my mons, removing some scar tissue and some skin. Anyway, it was dark when I woke up. I was able to get my bearings at my own pace, not like the thigh experience, then got my shorts on, plus the gown and bandages, and got wheeled to the car. We got to borrow the wheelchair overnight, which was so cool. I got settled on the bed and slept, got up about 3-4 times to pee. No passing out, this is good. Next morning, we went back to the office for an appointment just to be sure all was well, then drove home. My hands are really swollen, so I'm keeping them as elevated as possible. My mom is staying with us and is a help, bringing water and food. I'm just watching lots of tv, boring. Have another appt. with Dr. K on Monday. Hopefully he will remove bandages and I can get a look.
Aug 1, 2006. Had a 1-week appt with Dr. K. He removed all the bandages, felt like a good 10 pounds. You would not have believed how much my lower arms were wrapped to keep them from swelling. It worked, but it has been so stinkin hot this last week. Everything is healing up very well. Arms look amazing, I can't believe that all that flapping skin is gone. Boobs are loking good too. The implants haven't dropped yet, so the shape is a little weird, but we'll get there. Hubby's new catchphrase is "they're still big". Got to put on a regular bra, along with some gauze to keep straps from rubbing, and gauze under some mesh on the arms, just to protect the incisions from rubbing. Mons re-do looks good too. The spot on my hip that opened up a couple of weeks ago is still oozing, so he numbed it and dug around until he removed an old stitch from the LBL. Bandaged that up. It bled a little bit again this morning. But everything looks really good. I come back to get stitches out in two weeks, Dr. K. is going on vacation. Measured my upper arm, it has gone from 19 to 14 inches. As for numbness, the lower side of my forearms has areas of numbness, and one nipple, but the other one is the opposite of numb. And after spending a week with my feet up, my calves have gone WAY down as far as swelling.
August 16, 2006
Yesterday I got my stitches out. Boobs are looking really good, especially with all the scabs off. Arms are healing well too, but I still have some oozy spots near elbows. Dr. K. put on some cream, silver sulfa-something that is supposed to be really good helping to get things healed.
1 October, 2006
Well, after I got home from the above appointment, I noticed some bits of stitches still in my arms, especially under scabs as they came off, the stitches were blue, so easy to spot, and I finally got all of them out. I also saw some that seem to be made from fishing line, LOL. So at my early September appointment, Dr. K removed all we could spot. Including one in my mons that hurt when I tried to pull it out myself. Amazingly, that one didn't hurt a bit and it was causing the most anxiety. After that appointment, I still found a couple of the fishing line stitches, and got all but one. One was in my armpit, and about 6 inches long. Kind of freaky to see it keep coming. Also, I have a small seroma in the right elbow. Dr. K. has drained that twice so far. The first time, he got about a quarter cup of fluid, the second time, 25 ccs. At my last appointment, he got the last bit of fishing line, it was under my right breast, in a little open spot. I also have a couple of pencil eraser size spots under the left breast. Got a scrip for antibiotic gel. Dr. K. said this would clear up any starting infection, and then the spots would close. He said that it would take the usual patient 2 weeks on the left, 3 on the right, but since it was me, it would probably be 1 week and 2 weeks. LOL. Actually, it was 1 week on the left, and 12 days on the right. See, protein loading is a good thing. He also asked, as he always does, if I needed any pain meds. And as I always reply, hey, it's ME. Barely took any. Then, did I need a note for my work? Hey, I went back to work after 2 weeks. Slacker, he says with a smile. Gotta love a doc you can joke around with.
Went back to the gym about 2 weeks ago. Going easy on the arms, especially the pull-up machine, which really can stretch your arms fully. I think it's hilarious that I can stand around in my undies, drying my hair, arms overhead with the dryer, and nobody seems to notice any scars. My theory is that being undressed in front of relative strangers makes people selectively blind. We can't see anything below the neck.
I also have to note that the implants, Mentor gummies, 450 and 500 ccs, have settled into place and I think they look hot. And proportioned to my frame, which is what we were aiming for.
WEIGHT LOSS RECORD
Highest weight 487 Pounds Lost
At consultation 476 11
pre-op (6/16/03) 468.5 18.5
1 wk post-op (6/30/03) 452.5 34.5
1 mo p-o (7/23/03) 425.0 62.0
10 wks p-o (9/8/03) 376.0 111.0
4 mo p-o (10-22-03) 344.0 143.0
6 mo p-o (1-1-2004) 303.0 184.0
7 mo p-o (1-21-2004) 295.0 192.0
8.5 mo p-o (3-10-04) 279.0 208.0 (double century)
11 mo p-o (6-1-2004) 259.0 228.0
15 mo p-o (10-2-2004) 246.0 241.0 (I'm mostly 1/2 gone)
27 mo p-o (8-22-05) 258.0 229
31 mo p-o (1-11-06) 245.0 242
November 19, 2007
Nov 18, 2007
Wow, I haven't updated my profile for over a year. My bad! So let's see if I can catch myself up. My arm scars have faded pretty nicely, tho you can still tell they're there. The "girls" are still amazing. Life just keeps chugging along, that's probably why alot of us oldtimers don't update so much. I'm going to try to upload a couple of photos, give the world a bit of before and after. BTW, Dr. Katzen gave me a cd with all the pictures he's taken of me, even pix of the skin he removed during the LBL and arms. I'm not posting those at this time, they're pretty disgusting.
