seechelle2
Three Month Anniversary
Aug 10, 2004
As of this morning, according to my home scale, I have lost 64 pounds. I have gone from a BMI of 54.7 – Super Obese, to 44.1 – Morbidly Obese. It's really hard to believe that I've lost that much so quickly. This surgery is a miracle.
I cannot explain how happy I am that I had this surgery, even with some of the not-so-pleasant side effects. I think the best way to do it is to tell you how my life has changed in big and little ways.
Happy Dance inducing changes:
I've gone from a tight size 26 to being able to wear a lot of my 22s that I grew out of. The only clothing I've purchased since surgery is a blouse in size 18/20
At my last doctor's appointment, my blood pressure and sugar levels were no longer at borderline levels.
I've had to readjust my car seat because I lost so much back fat that I could no longer reach the steering wheel. At only 5'5" I originally had to drive with the seat all the way back.
I can now put on pants while standing up. At my highest weight, I couldn't balance on one foot long enough to put the other foot through the leg hole.
I now enjoy catching a glance of myself in a mirror or window. I no longer scowl when I see my reflection from the neck down.
My boobs are now bigger than my stomach making a nicer silhouette in clothing.
I feel more like a human being than a big blob. I walk down the street with confidence instead of a posture that says "excuse me for existing"
People are really starting to notice. At least two people have noticed that I look better, when I said I lost weight, they were like, no . . . it's something different than that. Your face is glowing. LOL
Things that require some getting used to:
I miss being able to go to buffets and "get my money's worth"
I miss drinking alcohol (but I'm getting used to that, I usually ask the bartender for cranberry juice and pineapple juice mix when I feel the need for a cocktail)
I can't eat more than a couple of bites of bread, noodles or tortillas; they fill me up too quickly and make me feel nauseous (but I have found that whole wheat work better than white)
I am becoming more self-conscious about being unclothed. I used to not care . . . but now I'm kind of nervous about when/if I get a new boyfriend and it comes to that stage.
I can no longer rush my mornings. My bowel habits take their own sweet time, and if I leave the house before the second or third one comes, I get the urge halfway to work and that makes for quite an uncomfortable journey.
If I eat too much, I throw up.
If I eat the wrong thing, i.e. too much carbs, sugar or fat, I have gas or bathroom issues worse than usual. One time I had gas really bad and I was at a play in a very small theatre (about 50 seats in the audience). I tried to hold the gas in because in a place that small and as much gas as I had the sound and the smell would have cleared out the place! So at intermission I ran to the bathroom and let out one that lasted a full seven seconds (1-missisipi 2-missisipi etc). And it was FOUL! I was afraid to come out of the stall, 'cause I know someone had to hear or smell that regardless of the several courtesy flushes! Note to self: get some acidophilus . . . NOW!!
Things that have gotten better over time:
I can definitely eat and drink more than I could. At first I couldn't drink more than two swallows at a time, now I can go about 4 or 5 and that's sufficient for me
Stools are more formed (unless I eat too much of something bad)
My energy level is back to normal. At first I could barely stay awake past 8 or 9 pm, but after about 6 weeks post op I was able to do something after work other than lay on the couch
And Last But Not least:
I DON'T HAVE TO WEAR THE BINDER ANYMORE! (Well, I actually stopped wearing it regularly about two weeks ago, now I just don't have to feel guilty about not wearing it)
Changed Insurance Company
Dec 03, 2003
A lot has happened since I last posted. I changed my insurance to Blue Cross/Blue Shield, but that won't be effective until January 11. I chose them because they have reclassified the Duodenal Switch (DS) procedure as approved (according to a newsletter on their website), which is the one that I want to have.
After a lot of research, I've decided to pursue the DS procedure for a number of reasons. Without going into the details of the surgery (if you are reading this and you don’t know, you can find that at duodenalswitch.com or elsewhere on this site) I am interested in the DS for the following reasons:
1. I want to have eating habits that are as "normal" as possible after surgery. One of my main issues with being over 300 pounds is that I am not a normal body size. Other types of surgeries have what I consider abnormal requirements such as not being able to eat any sugar products because of "dumping." I guess I just don't want to trade in one problem for another. Nor do I want to be "taught" how to eat by aversion therapy (i.e. sugar makes me sick, therefore I no longer want sugar . . . . what am I a lab rat?)
2. One of the main reasons I haven't been successful with dieting is that I am a person who will "get around" the diet any way I can. For example, the Weight Watcher program with the points (and before that the exchanges) allowed me to be slick and rationalize food any way I could. Then I would wait until the day before weigh in and starve so that I could show a loss. The DS procedure seems to account for that by restricting the amount of food I do eat (thank goodness), but also the mal-absorption portion of it will be a Plan B. There's no way around doing the right thing. My research has shown that there are a number of ways to "get around" the RNY procedure, I know myself, therefore I don't want to even have the temptation
So on that note, I've chosen a surgeon and scheduled a consultation. The surgeon I chose is the only one in my area who does this procedure (Dr. Elariny), and comes highly recommended on this site and others. If everything goes smoothly I'll be on my way to a new life very soon.
I also went to for the Thanksgiving weekend. Oh . . . . My . . . . God!!! Jamaican men LOVE fat girls!! I've decided that if something happens and I can't get the surgery, I'm just moving there and staying fat! LOL!!! On the serious side, it felt sooooo good to just be a person and not a fat girl. Somehow the decision to have this surgery allowed me freedom to be me. I wasn't so shy about wearing a swimsuit. I even spent some time out on the nude beach!!! (((blush)))
So I'll be going to Dr. E's group informational meeting on December 9, then I have a meeting scheduled with his nutritionist and physician's assistant on December 29, and finally my consultation is scheduled on January 14. The ball is definitely rolling!!!!
