SxySalsa
My WLS journey began in 2002 after doing the research for 6 months and I made my decision to make my first appointment for consultation. I've asked alot of questions, reading the messege boards from the Post Op people so I can learn something from them and know what to expect with the surgery.
10-25-02 I already had my consulation with Dr. Choban in Sept 02. and now I am waiting for my bloodwork results so my Family DR can send in paperpwork to my insurance. I am very hopeful as I seen my insurance listed on here and they are pretty good at approving after first letter! Pray for me!
10-31-02 Well I got a phone call from my PCP about the bloodwork test I had done on 25th. I don't even like the news, I was told I have low thyroid (mild case) and will be put on Synthroid med. Up to this point, I had never had the thyroid tested until my insurance wants a result and that's when I made request to my PCP about getting tested for thyroid. I will need to get another bloodwork done in 2 mos. I guess the thyroid had caused the weight gain over the years.....*sighs* I'm so sad now...
11-6-02 I had to get sleep study done per Dr. Choban's request. The sleep study results showed that I have severe sleep apnea....at one point I had stopped breathing 25 times during the night and that's not good! Then later on, I had another sleep study done with CPAP on. It shows I need the setting of 12. Hopefully it's a temporary thing...Pretty soon Ill call about the insurance updates.
11-22-02 Still waiting to find out about approval. *twiddling my fingers*
12-1-02 The best NEWS!!!! Wow, I've been approved for the surgery five days before my birthday!!!! The best birthday peresent I ever got! My insurance sent a letter that the surgery has been approved. When I opened that letter in my car, I cried and it took me good 10 mins to calm down so I can go to my parents and tell them. Today was the day when I told my parents that I got approved. My mom's eyes got watery when I told her that I've been approved. She didnt think my insurance would. Now you can see why I put off telling her this, she always thinks the negative thoughts. Now, I'm calling in the morning to find out about the pre-op testing and surgery date! Another "waiting period" I'll have to go thru. I NEED an ANGEL!!!! Will you be my Angel???
12-10-02 ****DECEMBER 24th**** Christmas Eve Day is My Surgery date!!!! OMG!! I'm spending my Christmas at the BTC!! My parents got so quiet after telling them when is the big day. We've always celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. So I think they are begining to get worried since it's becoming a reality.....Looks like we'll have to put up a mini xmas tree up in my hospital room. My pre-admission testing is this Friday the 13th. I have to be there at 7:15am, that's a two hour drive and I work on 2nd shift! Arrgghhh~~~
12-13-02 Can you believe this? On the day of my pre-testing, on the way there (2 hrs away), I left home at 3:30am and I have to be there by 6am.... I HIT a deer!!!! And being Friday the 13th, I'm NOT letting ANY bad luck stopping me from getting that surgery done!!! Luckily the deer didn't break the driver's side window when he slammed his head there and boy did I screamed! I pulled over and it was so hard to see in the dark for me to check out the damage on my car! So I had to drive slowly along the shoulder with the window down to see if I hear any strange noise. There wasn't any... So I drove off....then pulled into the parking lot of the store.... come to find out the driver's side mirror was broken!
12-24-02 Christmas Eve...the big day! Everything happened so fast, the moment I said goodbyes to my family, I was in holding area getting prep for OR. My surgery took longer than expected about 3 hours. Dr. Choban found that my gallbladder was all twisted and up into my liver. So she had to remove that. I remember waking up in recovery room (no ng tube left in me, whew!) I was so groggy and ohhhhh my belly felt like it was on fire!! The nurse asked me how was my pain, I said 10 dammit 10! Then fell back asleep...they brought me back into my room and I opened my eyes briefly to see my 2 kids, my mom and my aunt and then I was out again. They gave me some ice chips... whoops, not so good, I was dry heaving,feeling very sick wanting to puke. I was in tears because of my belly hurting when "heaving". It happened everytime I got ice chips...Around 9pm, I went for my first walk...my god, getting out of the bed was pain!!!
12-25-02 Christmas morning, about 3:30am I went for a walk again (not my choice at this time of the night LOL) another patient came up to me and gave me an Angel she made and said Merry Christmas.. oh bless her heart, she made me smiled despite how much pain I was in. Ughhh the leak test...I puked right after it...yuck! I was very nausea. My family couldnt come down to see me for Christmas because there was snowstorm that dumped 12 inches! I cried cause it was my first time away from my family during Christmas.
1-7-03 I got home on 27th, I was having a hard time getting fluids in....I just dont feel thristy. Well, today was the day for my 2 week check up. I lost 27 pounds in 14 days. I was stunned, I didn't think I lost that much. WooWoo!!!
1-13-03 I had complications now (20 days Post Op). On Saturday, I was running a temp and had chills, then last night about 11:30pm, I was getting pains on my stomach and my incision site felt very tender....so I lift my binder to see and was shocked to see the dressing was all yellow on bottom of my incision. Well my mom took the dressing off and we saw that on the bottom about 4 inches long is all red, tender and drainage was coming out....My mom called the doctor and he said for me to come in first thing in the morning....it's a good thing because my dad has an appt in Columbus. Both of my kids went along so my daughter can be with me while my parents go to another place for other appt. I started throwing up just when we were ready to go..... Man the office visit was hell, it turns out I have infection in my wound...I was crying while the DR worked on my wound...I cannot even describe what he did. My daughter was holdin my hand while I was whimpering & in tears.....DR gave me antibiotic and I have to have a home health nurse to come twice a day to change the dressings. Right now, I feel like I'm getting worse... I had to get my outside dressing changed because it soaked thru and went thru my binder as well....I just threw up again (twice within 15 min span). I don't know what's going on with me now, I just hope the infection doesnt get worse... but it seems like its making me sick.....I'm so scared...Right now I need all the prayers I need
4-23-03 Wow, 4 months Post Op already!!!! Drum roll!! I lost 90# Ten more pounds to get on century club!! wow wow!!!! I feel great! Check out my pics!!!!
5-31-03 Another month went by....I lost 110#. I've reached the century club!!! Woowoo!
11-12-03 WOW!!!!! almost 6 mos has passed! I have lost 140#!!!! Wooo hoo... Im down to size 14-16 "stretch jeans" Right now Im having pains from incisional hernia..... I'm having a surgery done on Dec 18th. They said my hernia is big as large grapefruit.. ouch!
12-19-03 I had my surgery yesterday. It was to repair the incisional hernia. Dr Yoder told me he found I have THREE hernias!! I'm on percocet and trying to deal with the pain.... it's like having gastric bypass all over again LOL I still have to same restrictions like the gastric bypass. I go back to my doc for a 10 day follow up and to remove staples.
12-24-03 ONE YEAR Anniversary!!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!! Time sure flies!!!! It seems like yesterday I just had my gastric bypass. I have lost 150# in one year.... just 10# more than what my surgeon predicted for one year. I'll tell ya that I felt 100% much better healthwise and phycically too! Tonight, I had my pics taken by the Christmas tree just as I had done last year and to see the difference in the new pic and last year's... it made me cried....I just could not believe I was that heavy last year. The result of my surgery is just amazing. My neck size had went from 19 inches to 16 inches!!! I have about 50-65# more to lose. It seems like it'll take forever for me to reach my goal... I sure hope by summer I will!
8-21-2004 Twenty months out and I have lost 165#!! Things had changed since my last posting. Since October 2003, I have been currently TTC (trying to concieve) and even with the fertility drug Clomid hasnt help. My GYN referred me to Fertility Specialist. This makes me wonder if my WLS has made me become infertile.
12-20-04 Wow!! I can't believe 2 years has passed since my sugery! I've changed ALOT! My weightloss has been creeping, so its very slow and I need 40# more to lose!! I have went from size 32 to a 13 juniors in jeans! My goal is size 9/10 or 11/12 size....but my tummy is getting in a way! I'm still too scared to try sugar (to see if I can tolerate it) so I just stick with the sugarfree stuff. I definately will need a tummy tuck done. I want to congrats to my December peers and keep up the good work!
7-4-06 Omigod!! I noticed I didnt update my profile for almost 2 yrs! Alot has changed since then! In Spring of 2004, I went ahead and got peircings.....that made me look ALOT younger! I had a new addition to our family... a baby girl who was born nearly 3 yrs post-op! She was born on Dec. 20, 2005 weighing 6# & 11oz, 19" long. I had a real rough pregnancy and was in hopsital 3 times and with last time, I had to be on bedrest til the baby arrived. I still have not reached my goal yet. Its so hard to break under the 200# mark....186# was my lowest I went since the WLS.
