Jodie R.
Almost 7 months out and a short update.
Nov 21, 2008
So.. it's been almost 7 months since my DS now.
I am just getting over a bout of pneumonia. Can you believe it? PNEUMONIA? Who gets pneumonia as a healthy 30-year-old adult? Right here, dude. My husband thinks it may be related to my gallbladder surgery last month. They didn't give me one of those incentive spirometer things to do breathing with.. and I didn't have one from the past anymore. I didn't even think of it. I was under general anesthesia and probably should have been using one. Anyway.. I am better now. I had 2 visits to the ER and one visit to my PCP in the space of a week. I must point out that I used to be deathly afraid of anything resembling a doctor, so this is a big deal for me. Haha.
As far as weight loss, I am stalled at just over 300 pounds right now. I have dropped many sizes in clothes, so I am good with it. I try not to get too crazy obsessed over the numbers. I was basically stagnant for an entire week because of being sick, so it makes sense that I lost no weight at all.
I have included a recent picture.. a self portrait taken in the kitchen before going out on a Saturday night. I am starting to see the hints of my collarbone. AWESOME!!
I am just getting over a bout of pneumonia. Can you believe it? PNEUMONIA? Who gets pneumonia as a healthy 30-year-old adult? Right here, dude. My husband thinks it may be related to my gallbladder surgery last month. They didn't give me one of those incentive spirometer things to do breathing with.. and I didn't have one from the past anymore. I didn't even think of it. I was under general anesthesia and probably should have been using one. Anyway.. I am better now. I had 2 visits to the ER and one visit to my PCP in the space of a week. I must point out that I used to be deathly afraid of anything resembling a doctor, so this is a big deal for me. Haha.
As far as weight loss, I am stalled at just over 300 pounds right now. I have dropped many sizes in clothes, so I am good with it. I try not to get too crazy obsessed over the numbers. I was basically stagnant for an entire week because of being sick, so it makes sense that I lost no weight at all.
I have included a recent picture.. a self portrait taken in the kitchen before going out on a Saturday night. I am starting to see the hints of my collarbone. AWESOME!!
Six months out.
Oct 25, 2008
I was 6 months out from my DS on 10/23/2008 and 9 days out from my gallbladder surgery.
Pictures say more than I ever could.
Me at about 6 months prior to surgery before losing a significant amount of weight:
Six months out from DS surgery and doing well at 50% excess weight lost:
The DS has saved my life. I will say it over and over. If you're thinking of surgery.. do it! Being on the other side of it, if I could talk to my preop self, I would kick myself in the butt and get surgery years sooner than I did. I am thankful that I decided to do it at all. I went from being deathly afraid of doctors to getting 2 surgeries in a 6-month time period and losing over 150 pounds. No words can describe the feelings of gratitude and happiness I feel on a daily basis at my improved quality of life. I participate in life now instead of being a spectator. It is still amazing to me and feels like a gift.
Unexpected.
Oct 18, 2008
I have to say that recuperating from gallbladder surgery has been a little tougher than my recovery from my DS surgery. I am a little surprised by that.
I am just taking things slow and trying not to overexert myself. It still feels like someone kicked me.
I did have some cider today though, and that did taste good. I skipped it last fall because I had just found out I was diabetic.
I am just taking things slow and trying not to overexert myself. It still feels like someone kicked me.
I did have some cider today though, and that did taste good. I skipped it last fall because I had just found out I was diabetic.
Gallbladder issues.
Oct 15, 2008
Last Friday, I had had about 2-3 days of what I thought was some pretty significant gas pain. It wasn't going away.. it was getting worse. I was hoping it would just go away on its own. I ended up calling my surgeon's office, and they sent me for some labs and an ultrasound of my gallbladder based on the symptoms I described and all. That was Friday afternoon at around 5pm.. the PA called me back and told me that my gallbladder was distended and had sludge and stones in it and would have to come out. Since it was the weekend and it really wasn't bad enough to warrant a truly emergent surgery (not bad enough for them, definitely painful for me), I had to wait until Tuesday to get it taken out. Dr. Kemmeter is on vacation, so another surgeon in his practice, Dr. Foote, did the removal for me. It went fine with no problems at all.
It's Thursday now, and I am going longer and longer between doses of pain medication. I was getting a little worried because I was feeling like I NEEDED the next dose before I was due for it. I am past that point now and going about 8 hours between doses. I just take it now so I can get comfortable enough to get some good rest.
At the time of my original duodenal switch surgery, Dr. Kemmeter had checked my gallbladder and it was perfectly healthy. I am truly an advocate now of getting it taken out at the time of DS if at all possible. This is not the worst thing to happen in my life, but it would have been nice to avoid this pain and time off work. If my gallbladder had been taken out before, this could have been avoided. I do understand that doctors can't just willy nilly remove organs and body parts that have no reason to be removed.. I just don't like it! Haha.
It's Thursday now, and I am going longer and longer between doses of pain medication. I was getting a little worried because I was feeling like I NEEDED the next dose before I was due for it. I am past that point now and going about 8 hours between doses. I just take it now so I can get comfortable enough to get some good rest.
At the time of my original duodenal switch surgery, Dr. Kemmeter had checked my gallbladder and it was perfectly healthy. I am truly an advocate now of getting it taken out at the time of DS if at all possible. This is not the worst thing to happen in my life, but it would have been nice to avoid this pain and time off work. If my gallbladder had been taken out before, this could have been avoided. I do understand that doctors can't just willy nilly remove organs and body parts that have no reason to be removed.. I just don't like it! Haha.
A small update and a new picture.
Oct 09, 2008
I calculated things today, and I am at 46% excess weight lost. That is about right on target since I will be 6 months out from surgery on the 23rd of October. The theory is that at 6 months out, you should be at 50% excess weight lost.
Things are going well. Nothing too spectacular to report. My mom did tell me how beautiful I was the other day.. that is the first time she has ever said that to me. That was nice to hear.
I am sure I will be updating at 6 months out!
A photo of me with my niece, Genna:
Five months out.
Sep 25, 2008
I am now just past being 5 months out from surgery.
Things are going very well. I am still having problems with headaches, but that has been more under control. I have recently had some issues with diarrhea, so I had to do 3 stool samples to bring in to have tested. Let me tell you, that is the most UNPLEASANT thing EVER. I waited about 72 hours from the onset of the trouble before contacting my surgeon's office. I figured it was just something I ate or maybe a small bug or something.. but it has hung on for some days now. I am waiting for the results of the samples.
My niece.. who is also my best friend.. got married this past weekend. I was the *shudder* matron of honor. I hate that word.. matron. I AM married.. but I don't feel as old as that makes me sound. Haha. I am starting to appreciate my energy level and capabilities of doing more and more. A year ago, I would have never been able to shop all day for things we needed for the wedding and stand on my feet all day for the wedding and reception. There is no way. Admittedly, I was tired after the 3-day weekend of nonstop going, going, going.. but I think anyone would be. It was awesome to be so much a part of everything as opposed to watching everything from sitting like I used to. There were people who hadn't seen me for months or even a couple years.. they were all telling me how great I looked. Members of my family didn't even recognize me when I got to the church for the wedding! My hair was looking AMAZING.. my niece's friend did her hair and mine for free for the day. She is in cosmetology school, and she is AWESOME at what she does. I was impressed. My SIL saw me get out of the car and was arguing with my nephew about whether it was me or not! Haha. Awesome. I felt great. The wedding was so beautiful, and the photos that we have gotten in preview so far are just gorgeous. My niece is so pretty on a normal day.. but the pictures from that day that we have seen are just spectacular. The reception was a relaxed time, and I think everyone had a good time. My parents came, and a few of my friends also came. I actually got up in front of everyone and gave TWO toasts.. and that was before having a drop to drink! Haha. I would have never done that before.. no way. It was no problem for me. I was excited about doing it.
I will include a couple of the pictures here of the wedding preview.. more to come later when we have them!
All in all.. I am thrilled with my surgery and the decision to have it, still. There have been some minor bumps in the road, but my quality of life is so improved.. I would not change it for the world.
My niece and best friend, Heather.. isn't she GORGEOUS here? Amazing.
The bouquet I made.. it turned out so pretty:
The couple together:
More pictures to come when we have them.. some actually do have me in them! Haha.
Things are going very well. I am still having problems with headaches, but that has been more under control. I have recently had some issues with diarrhea, so I had to do 3 stool samples to bring in to have tested. Let me tell you, that is the most UNPLEASANT thing EVER. I waited about 72 hours from the onset of the trouble before contacting my surgeon's office. I figured it was just something I ate or maybe a small bug or something.. but it has hung on for some days now. I am waiting for the results of the samples.
My niece.. who is also my best friend.. got married this past weekend. I was the *shudder* matron of honor. I hate that word.. matron. I AM married.. but I don't feel as old as that makes me sound. Haha. I am starting to appreciate my energy level and capabilities of doing more and more. A year ago, I would have never been able to shop all day for things we needed for the wedding and stand on my feet all day for the wedding and reception. There is no way. Admittedly, I was tired after the 3-day weekend of nonstop going, going, going.. but I think anyone would be. It was awesome to be so much a part of everything as opposed to watching everything from sitting like I used to. There were people who hadn't seen me for months or even a couple years.. they were all telling me how great I looked. Members of my family didn't even recognize me when I got to the church for the wedding! My hair was looking AMAZING.. my niece's friend did her hair and mine for free for the day. She is in cosmetology school, and she is AWESOME at what she does. I was impressed. My SIL saw me get out of the car and was arguing with my nephew about whether it was me or not! Haha. Awesome. I felt great. The wedding was so beautiful, and the photos that we have gotten in preview so far are just gorgeous. My niece is so pretty on a normal day.. but the pictures from that day that we have seen are just spectacular. The reception was a relaxed time, and I think everyone had a good time. My parents came, and a few of my friends also came. I actually got up in front of everyone and gave TWO toasts.. and that was before having a drop to drink! Haha. I would have never done that before.. no way. It was no problem for me. I was excited about doing it.
I will include a couple of the pictures here of the wedding preview.. more to come later when we have them!
All in all.. I am thrilled with my surgery and the decision to have it, still. There have been some minor bumps in the road, but my quality of life is so improved.. I would not change it for the world.
My niece and best friend, Heather.. isn't she GORGEOUS here? Amazing.
The bouquet I made.. it turned out so pretty:
The couple together:
More pictures to come when we have them.. some actually do have me in them! Haha.
My pill organizer.
Sep 04, 2008
I take a lot of pills and vitamins.. so I need help keeping track of them all. I like this organizer because of the pretty colors! Haha.
Update on migraines and weight loss.
Sep 04, 2008
I went to see my PCP on September 2nd. I have lost another 25 pounds! Sweet. I am now down a total of 136 pounds from my highest weight. That is really a whole person. It's no wonder I was tired all the time and could barely climb a flight of stairs without feeling like I was going to die. I was literally hauling an extra person around with me everywhere I went.
On the migraine issue.. ugh. I am still getting a couple per week. My doctor is more than willing to help me with whatever I need. She is the awesomest doctor ever. She prescribed a maintenance drug that has to be taken every day and also a "rescue" medication that is to be taken at the first onset of a migraine. The maintenance drug is Topamax.. which has a $50 copay. I am really not so much in the market for adding that into my budget, so I asked her about alternatives. She finally settled on verapamil. The other medication she prescribed was Imitrex.. which is also a very good migraine remedy.. and also has a $50 copay. She prescribed NINE PILLS.. for $50? You're kidding me, right? I called the insurance company to see what they would cover at a lower copay that was in the same class of drugs.. they gave me 2 names. Cafergot and Midrin. My doctor would not even entertain the thought of prescribing either of those for me.. she said they are highly addictive and she does not give them to her patients ever. Alright then. She decided to give me a prescription for more pills of the Imitrex with still the $50 copay.. but it would be about an 8-week supply. Well, I can do that. Her nurses were calling me all day on Tuesday to try to get things worked out for me, and then the doctor herself called me twice yesterday. She is honestly the best doctor I have ever had.. not that I have had many. She is honest and open, helpful, and it seems as though she genuinely cares about me. She congratulates me on my weight loss every time she sees me and is very encouraging. She is just awesome. It was because of her suggestion that I even considered weight loss surgery to begin with. It was by chance that I became her patient when I was hospitalized and was assigned to her because I needed someone to follow up with.
Interestingly, I had called my surgeon's office to find out if the return of my migraine headaches could somehow be related to weight loss. They said no. HOWEVER, after doing some of my own research and discussing it with my yet-again fabulous PCP, there could be connection between weight loss and migraines because estrogen is stored in the fat cells and is released as weight is lost. More hormones can mean migraines. This does make sense since the last time I had migraines was when I was a teenager and much thinner also. As I gained weight, I didn't have them. I would gladly trade having to manage these headaches for all the things I had to deal with at my higher weight though, for sure.
That is about it for now.. I have a followup with my surgeon next week to get 3-month lab results, though by that time I will really be almost 5 months out. Stay tuned for that update!
Four months out from surgery!
Aug 24, 2008
On 8/23/08, I was 4 months out from my DS surgery.
I am feeling fabulous! I am finally going down in sizes of clothing. People have given me a lot of clothes so I haven't had to buy much at all. Gwen that I met here on OH has given me.. literally.. a whole wardrobe of clothes. My friend's sister gave me like 10 pairs of jeans that don't quite fit yet and also some dressier pants and a couple pairs of khakis. Since I work at home, I don't need to dress up for work. I don't know how I would deal with that. It would be expensive, for sure. Goodwill has also been a great place.. I have gotten some comfortable running-type and knit pants for around the house for like $3 a pair. Awesome!
I have been able to do more and more. I can literally walk miles.. where before I would have to stop and rest ALL the time. So irritating. I am not limited by how far I have to walk to get somewhere or what style the tables and chairs are. I am definitely not skinny by any means.. but I am not bigger than every chair anymore either. It's a good, good feeling.
I am getting used to lots of attention. If people haven't seen me in awhile, they are just flabbergasted. I know that I look different.. but I am with myself every day. When someone sees me.. they cannot believe the loss and the changes in me. I have not only had physical changes, but I have also had changes with my personality and attitude too. I am sure some of it has to do with the medication I take now (thank goodness for it, really), but a lot also has to do with life just being BETTER. My job is 100% sedentary, so when I have days off.. I am out and about doing things all day. Before, 1 day of activities would be too much.. I would be wiped out for a week. You don't realize how limited your life gets with the extra weight until you experience things again, I don't think. I had let my life get so small as I got bigger.
Things don't affect me the way they used to either. I think I developed a LOT of anxiety.. whether I knew it or not. I was too overweight to drive safely, so I drove less and less. I have recently started driving EVERYWHERE.. including the highway. That is a big deal for me. I didn't drive.. maybe but once or twice a year. Sad, right? I didn't even consciously do it.. it just gradually happened. I think I also was way emotional about everything because I felt so out of control. I hated myself.. really hated myself. I thought it was hopeless and that I wasn't worth anything. I am sure it was so hard for John to be with me.. he loves me so much.. and I hated myself so much. I am so glad he stuck with me.. for better or worse, as they say. He has seen the worst. Hindsight is definitely 20/20.
Things are only getting better now.. the weight just seems to melt off. I don't know what my weight is currently. I see my surgeon's office on 9/9/08, so I will get an official weight then.
I have had some issues with migraine headaches for the first time in like 15 years. It's not out of control, but when one is coming on.. it's a killer. I will be seeing my PCP to hopefully see about a maintenance migraine drug to prevent them.
I think that's about it for my 4-month update. If you're considering the DS.. do it!
I am feeling fabulous! I am finally going down in sizes of clothing. People have given me a lot of clothes so I haven't had to buy much at all. Gwen that I met here on OH has given me.. literally.. a whole wardrobe of clothes. My friend's sister gave me like 10 pairs of jeans that don't quite fit yet and also some dressier pants and a couple pairs of khakis. Since I work at home, I don't need to dress up for work. I don't know how I would deal with that. It would be expensive, for sure. Goodwill has also been a great place.. I have gotten some comfortable running-type and knit pants for around the house for like $3 a pair. Awesome!
I have been able to do more and more. I can literally walk miles.. where before I would have to stop and rest ALL the time. So irritating. I am not limited by how far I have to walk to get somewhere or what style the tables and chairs are. I am definitely not skinny by any means.. but I am not bigger than every chair anymore either. It's a good, good feeling.
I am getting used to lots of attention. If people haven't seen me in awhile, they are just flabbergasted. I know that I look different.. but I am with myself every day. When someone sees me.. they cannot believe the loss and the changes in me. I have not only had physical changes, but I have also had changes with my personality and attitude too. I am sure some of it has to do with the medication I take now (thank goodness for it, really), but a lot also has to do with life just being BETTER. My job is 100% sedentary, so when I have days off.. I am out and about doing things all day. Before, 1 day of activities would be too much.. I would be wiped out for a week. You don't realize how limited your life gets with the extra weight until you experience things again, I don't think. I had let my life get so small as I got bigger.
Things don't affect me the way they used to either. I think I developed a LOT of anxiety.. whether I knew it or not. I was too overweight to drive safely, so I drove less and less. I have recently started driving EVERYWHERE.. including the highway. That is a big deal for me. I didn't drive.. maybe but once or twice a year. Sad, right? I didn't even consciously do it.. it just gradually happened. I think I also was way emotional about everything because I felt so out of control. I hated myself.. really hated myself. I thought it was hopeless and that I wasn't worth anything. I am sure it was so hard for John to be with me.. he loves me so much.. and I hated myself so much. I am so glad he stuck with me.. for better or worse, as they say. He has seen the worst. Hindsight is definitely 20/20.
Things are only getting better now.. the weight just seems to melt off. I don't know what my weight is currently. I see my surgeon's office on 9/9/08, so I will get an official weight then.
I have had some issues with migraine headaches for the first time in like 15 years. It's not out of control, but when one is coming on.. it's a killer. I will be seeing my PCP to hopefully see about a maintenance migraine drug to prevent them.
I think that's about it for my 4-month update. If you're considering the DS.. do it!
Haircut pics!
Aug 19, 2008
Just a quick post to put up some pictures of my haircut.. I love it! Easy to take care of and really makes the hair loss not as much of an issue. It has taken no time at all to get used to the shorter hair!
Complete with crazy sunburn from the beach trip the other day.. note my nose and hairline. Red and peeling. Not cute.
About Me
Grand Rapids, MI
Location
39.0
BMI
Surgery
04/23/2008
Surgery Date
Feb 04, 2008
Member Since
