Tracy W.
I am just starting this process. I am so encouraged by all the things I have read on this website. I am 37 years old and a single mom of two wonderful kids, ages 12 and 10. Everyone's stories of their journey that I have read have really helped me. Maybe if I post my journey, it will help someone else as they begin this process.
August, 2004 - Started thinking about having RNY. I have a friend that had the surgery last November, and she has lost 134 pounds, and looks great.
9/1/04 - First appointment with PCP to talk to her about surgery and get the referral to a surgeon. She said that I would probably be a good candidate for surgery. She is sending me to the lab for blood tests to have my cholesterol and thyroid checked, and make sure I don't have diabetes. I am being referred to Dr. Waldrep. I have read so many nice things about him on this website from former patients of his. I am very anxious to meet with him, but I am now waiting for approval from my insurance company for the consultation. Here we go......! :)
9/8/04 - Blood tests came back and everything is normal. Still waiting for insurance approval for initial consultation with surgeon.
9/14/04 - Received insurance approval today for consultations and group meeting. Now I have a packet of paperwork to fill out and take to the doctor's office by the end of the week. One step closer.......
9/21/04 - Group meeting scheduled for October 1.
10/1/04 - Attended group meeting and met the doctors. They were very thorough in explaining the procedure, side effects, possible complications, etc. Also had a good sense of humor. My mom attended the meeting with me and she liked them too. She has been a great support for me. She will be staying with me for a couple weeks during and after surgery. She is so awesome and I am so lucky to have her there by my side! After the meeting, my mom and I were even more convinced that this is the right decision for me. I am looking forward to completing my tests and evaluations, and getting a surgery date. I am shooting for the first week of December.
10/6/04 - Went to PCP and had EKG. It came out normal. She will be giving me my medical clearance, so I don't think I have to see a Bariatric Physician. Also went back to lab to have CBC and urinalysis because those tests weren't ordered when I went to the lab before. My chest x-ray and my ultrasound are scheduled for 10/18. I am going to be attending the group support meeting this Saturday. Still waiting for insurance approval to see a Dietician and get my Psych eval. Everything is moving right along. I am getting more excited and scared at the same time. I know that this is a good decision, and I can't help thinking of all the things I want to do when I lose this weight. One of the things that I really want to do is have a family portrait taken of my kids and I. I have always hated having my picture taken while overweight. I look forward to the day that I don't feel that way anymore.
10/7/04 - Received insurance approval for the Dietician and Psych evaluations. Will be making those appointments tomorrow.
10/9/04 - Attended WOW (Western Obesity Wellness) monthly group support meeting. Was interesting listening to people's stories. I was amazed at the number of people in that room. Dr. Waldrep was the guest speaker. Every time I attend a meeting like this, or talk to someone who has had the surgery, or read stories online, I feel more sure that this is the right decision for me. I am constantly thinking of all the things that I want to accomplish and do once I lose this weight. There are so many things that I want to do with my kids - like take them to a water park and not just sit under a tree while we are there. I will actually be able to put on a suit and play with them on the slides and in the water without embarrassment. So many things like that. My new life really will begin, and I know that I will be a happier, healthier person and mother. I can't wait!
10/18/04 - Completed ultrasound and chest x-ray.
10/21/04 - Had Psych evaluation with Dr. Rosie Amalfitano. Went well. She was nice. We talked for an hour, and then I took a 567 question test, which took a little over an hour.
The last task that I have to complete on my checklist is the meeting with the Dietician, and that is scheduled for Tuesday, 10/26. YEAH!! I am so ready to get my confirmed surgery date! So far, this process has gone smoothly. All tests have come out well and had no problems or health concerns.
10/26/04 - Had meeting with Dietician Randee Reidy today. She is in Dr. Hopkins office. She was very nice. I learned some things that I did not know. She said that she would have her report to Dr. Waldrep's office by the end of the week. That was the last step that I needed to complete on my check list! I am very excited to meet with Dr. Waldrep and get a surgery date.
10/28/04 - Received a call from Tara at Dr. Waldrep's office, and she said that my blood test showed high white blood cell count and my urine test showed bacteria. Have to retake those tests. She told me how to do a "clean catch" on my urine test, because if you don't, bacteria will show up. Well, no one at the lab gave me any instructions on the proper way to do it, so, of course, it is going to show up with bacteria. Anyway, I will go and retake both tests tomorrow.
10/29/04 - Had both tests retaken at the lab. Again, the woman just hands me a cup and points the way to the bathroom - no instructions - nothing! She didn't even give me a wipe this time. I told her that I was there to retake the test because my last test showed bacteria, and Tara said that I needed to ask how to perform a "clean catch". So she started to explain it and said that if you don't do it that way, it will have bacteria in it - DUH!!! I said that I needed a wipe, and I said that if someone had explained this procedure to me before, I probably wouldn't have to be doing this. I was very irritated. Anyway, it is over. Should have the results on Monday. If you are reading this and you have not yet taken the urine test, be sure that your lab technician tells you the proper way to collect it, or you will be back in there retaking that test, like me.
11/01/04 - Tara called me today and both tests came out fine. Back on track! Now waiting for them to receive the Psych eval, and I should be getting my surgery date soon! Can't wait!!
11/03/04 - Got the call I have been waiting for!! Katrina called and my surgery date is scheduled for December 14, 2004 at 7:15AM!! Yeah!! I have my one-on-one consultation with Dr. Waldrep on December 2. I am very excited, and a little scared too. I just told my daughter, and she started to cry. She is 10, and is worried about me. I reassured her and told her that mommy will be just fine, and if she wanted to be there that she absolutely could be. I will tell my son later today when he gets home. Wow - this is finally happening!! Anyone else scheduled for that date??
11/09/04 - Just heard that my insurance has approved the surgery, so I am good to go!! Yeah!! That is a BIG WEIGHT off my shoulders (now I get to have this BIG WEIGHT taken off the rest of my body too!!). HA! After all the tests and evaluations I have been through, I would be very upset if the insurance was denied. Since I don't have the $20,000+ to pay for the surgery myself, an insurance denial would have meant no surgery. I have PacifiCare and they have been awesome! All approvals have come very quickly. I feel very fortunate.
I meet with the surgeon on December 2, take a hospital tour on December 9 and my surgery date is Tuesday, December 14 at 7:15AM. I have to be at the hospital at 5:00AM. I will be in the hospital until Thursday or Friday of that week.
Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!! See you on the losers side!!! :) :) :) :)
12/02/04 - Had my one-on-one with Dr. Waldrep today. Very nice man. My mom went with me. We both feel very confident that I will be in good hands. Only one problem that I encountered today - my blood pressure was high, and I was running a fever of 100.4, which was news to me, because I certainly did not feel sick or under the weather at all. Well, that mixed with the problems of my white blood count being high in October could mean that surgery will have to be postponed. I have to retake the CBC blood test to recheck my white blood count, and come back on Tuesday, 12/7 to have my temperature and blood pressure rechecked. I am very upset!! I would be devastated if I was told that I could not have the surgery on the 14th. I weighed in at 230 today. Yikes! I assume that is my highest weight, but I never got on the scale before - too depressing. This is the weight that my doctor and I will be using as my start weight.
12/06/04 - Went back to the lab to have my blood drawn to have the complete blood count test run. Wish me luck!!
12/07/04 - Went to visit my PCP this morning because I wanted her to also take my temperature and blood pressure, and discuss with her what I do next if the CBC does not come out well and my surgery is postponed. My temperature was 99.0 and my blood pressure was a little high. I think that is stress related. I am in a pissy mood because of all this, plus the stress of preparing at work for being out for a few weeks, plus the Holidays and getting ready for that, etc., etc. Yes, I am sure that it is stress related!! She also looked up the CBC test results, and my white blood count is still slightly elevated. Now I am stressed more because I am just sure that they are going to tell me that I can't do it. :( I have my appointment at 1:30 back at Dr. Waldrep's office so they can also take my temperature and BP. We will see what they say.......
OK, I am now back from my appointment and in a much better mood!! My temperature was absolutely normal - right at 98.6!! Yeah!! My BP is still high, but, like I said, I am sure that is stress related. As I was driving to my appointment, my sister called my cell phone and said that she was just laid off her job!! She was crying and very upset, and got me upset also. How can companies do that just before the Holidays?!?! I think that sucks!! I tried to comfort her, but what can you say?!?! I am going to do what I can to try to get her a job at the company I work for. I felt so bad for her. But she is so smart and I really believe that she will be just fine. I told her that she has family that can help her out if she needs it. But, back to my appointment... I met with Mike (who is super-cute and sweet) and he said that since my temperature is normal and every other test that they ran on my blood came back fine, and my white blood count is only slightly elevated, surgery is ON!! YEAH!! Still scheduled for ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!! I have my hospital tour scheduled for this Thurdsday evening (12/9/04), then I will be checking into the hospital at 5:00AM on 12/14/04. I am excited, nervous, scared, etc. I have a lot of emotions, but mostly excited!
12/09/04 - Attended the hospital tour and I met most of the people that are having surgery next week. I really enjoyed the tour. Very informative. They gave us each a pillow to use while we are in the hospital to press against our stomach when we are forced to cough. Each pillow came with a pen, and the nurse said that everyone signs everyone's pillows - the nurses, Dr. Waldrep, other patients, etc.! I thought that was such a cute idea! I am excited about Tuesday. I will be glad when the actual surgery is over and I am awake and back in my hospital room. I will want to see my kids. I will post again when I get home from the hospital!!
12/14/04 - SURGERY DAY!!!
12/16/04 - Home from the hospital as of about 1:45 this afternoon. It is good to be home. Surgery went very well - no complications, very routine. That is the way we like it! The hospital was great! All the nurses and the hospital staff were so nice and helpful. My awesome surgeons came in once or twice a day to check on me. Now that I am home, I am in some pain, but not too bad. I have eaten jell-o, chicken broth, and have been drinking Propel water, all with no problems at all. I have not felt sick to my stomach at all, so I am very lucky. Haven't been on the scale yet - still too early. My parents are here to take care of me and the kids. They are so awesome! Don't know what I would do without them. My dad is so great. He got the kids up and ready for school, made them breakfast every day, drove them to school, then came to the hospital to spend time with me. Then he picked them up every day, made sure they did their homework, and got them dinner. Actually, two of my friends made dinners for my dad and my kids while I was in the hospital, so my dad didn't have to make dinner. They made the dinners and brought them over to my family. That was so sweet. I am so lucky to have wonderful, supportive family and friends. My mom spent most of her time with me at the hospital. I know my kids were in great hands, so that made me feel so much better.
12/21/04 - Had my one week checkup at Dr. Waldrep's office. The drain was finally pulled out and that was a huge relief. Mike pulled the drain out and it barely hurt at all. Just felt like menstrual cramps, and only for a few seconds. I have lost 18.5 pounds since being weighed on 12/2/04!! Yeah!! I feel great. I started eating full liquids yesterday and have had no nausea. I get a little tired out at times, but other than that, I am doing really well. I start on my vitamins and protein now. I am so thankful for this surgery and the tool to help me lose weight. I am so looking forward to this summer with my kids. We put a pool in the back yard last year, and this past summer I only went in it one time with my kids. I think this summer it will finally be used for a fun thing for all three of us to do together, not just for the kids.
12/26/04 - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I am looking forward to a wonderful New Year. Stepped on the scale this morning and have lost another 4 pounds!! I try to keep off the scale, because I don't want to get discouraged, but sometimes I can't help it!! Had my first real meal last night for Christmas dinner. I had a spoonful of mashed potatoes, a spoonful of broccoli casserole and a couple small bites of prime rib. I couldn't eat it all, but it tasted so good!! Chewed everything up really well, and still did not have any problems getting it down. Sometimes I can feel it going down, but if I wait a minute or two before I take the next bite, it seems to go down just fine. I have been very careful about chewing well, and eating slowly, taking my vitamins, and getting down as much protein as I can in a day. I feel really good. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
My son bought me a new sweater for Christmas. It is a Petite Medium. I can't wait for the day that I can get into it!
Oh, one more thing, my sister has been interviewing for the past couple weeks and she already found a new job and starts just after the new year!! Yeah!! She is even making more money than at her last job, so everything turned out great for her! I am really proud of her.
01/08/05 - Attended the support group meeting. I always feel so inspired by everyone's stories when I leave there, and I am always amazed at the number of people that go to the meeting. There were more than 100 people there, and maybe closer to 150. They are all at different phases of this journey - some just starting the process all the way to nine years post-op. It is very interesting to hear what everyone has to say. I have met a lot of nice people in these meetings.
01/28/05 - Had a doctor's appointment today for a check up. All is going well. I took all my vitamins and showed Mike exactly what I was taking, and apparently I am doing just what I should, so I felt better about that. I read the messsage board often, and I thought maybe I was taking too little iron and calcium, but it looks like I am right on target. My next appointment is in March, and at that point they check my protein and iron levels, so we will see what that shows. Other than that, things are going great. I feel good. I bought a size 14 jeans the other day, thinking that if they don't fit now, they will fit soon. When I got home I tried them on, and they fit great, and were actually a little loose on me!! YEAH!!, So, goodbye to size 18 and 16 jeans FOREVER!! I think I will have a lot of clothes to donate to the clothes exchange at February's support meeting! :) :) :)
02/14/05 - I am now in a size 12 jeans!! YEAH!! Bought a new (used) car over the weekend. The engine blew in my mini van, which was covered by warranty, so it wouldn't have cost anything to have it fixed, but while we were at the dealership I started looking at the Sorentos. I have been thinking about getting a small SUV for a while, because I am tired of dealing with chains when we go to Tahoe in the winter time, so I looked around and found a really nice used one with low miles. My mom says that I am getting a new, cute body, so I need a new, cute car to go with my new self!! I decided she was right! I bought a Kia Sorento 4WD. It is a really pretty color - two-tone with a deep, maroon color on the top and the bottom is a gold color. Beige, leather interior and fully loaded! Sunroof, 6-CD changer, seat warmers, power everything...very nice!
02/25/05 - OK, I am going through this weird "I miss food" stage. I guess that is what it is. I am not really sure. I have found that I no longer like cooking. Not that I really enjoyed it before, but at least I could eat what I made for my family. I can eat what I make now, but I don't ever feel like making dinner anymore, because I can eat so little, so I just don't feel like doing it. I don't want to go to a lot of the restaurants that we used to go to, because I know that I will eat about 1/4 of the meal, and even taking it home to eat the next day doesn't satisfy me, because I may only eat about another 1/4 of it and then I have spent money when I will only get to enjoy half of the meal between two days. My daughter and I split meals when we eat out, and that seems to work well, but still, it isn't the same. I don't know....what I am feeling is very weird. Maybe it is almost like "post-partum depression" when you have a baby (but VERY MILD). I am missing food, but then, I get on the scale, and I see another pound or two drop at a time, and I am elated! I don't know...........
04/04/05 - Everything is going great. Had my three-month appointment with Dr. Mike a couple weeks ago. My lab tests came out good and my blood pressure was normal. I am feeling good and am SO HAPPY that I had this surgery. I get compliments EVERY DAY from people about how good I look, which makes me feel great! Today I stepped on the scale and I had lost 65 lbs. total - I have another 45 lbs. to go to reach my goal of 110 pounds lost. I have my 20-year high school reunion at the end of September, so that is my goal. I am going to look GOOD!! :-)
04/25/05 - Seems like the weight loss is slowing a bit. I seem to slow down, and then have a jump start where I lose several pounds in a week. I am hoping that I have one of those 'losing' weeks soon! I am almost in the 150's, and I haven't weighed that in 13 years! I want out of the 'obese' category so badly!! Almost there!
05/14/05 - I attended the support group meeting today. It was very sad because one of our members (her name was Karen) just committed suicide due to depression. I didn't know her, but she was one of the founding members of the support group from four years ago, and many of the members did know her and love her very much. The meeting dealt with depression and ways to try to deal with depression. Apparently, many WLS patients deal with depression after surgery. People seem to think that "If I would just lose weight, everything would be great." and that is not the case. The problems that you had before, whether that be marital, financial, or other, are still a part of your life, and losing weight does not necessarily mean that other things get better. I was sitting between my friend Miki, who had just spent two weeks in a hospital dealing with her depression, and Karen's sister. I have not had to deal with depression in my journey. I think I suffered from a mild form of depression during my marriage. I was very frustrated and irritated all the time, and didn't feel I was being a good mom to my kids, and they are the most important part of my life. I was married for 15 years, and we divorced in 2003. Although that time in my life was very emotional, as divorce is a tough thing to go through for anyone, it was a good decision for me. I was very unhappy in my marriage, and when you get to the point where you roll your eyes when you hear him come through the door, it is time to move on. I think I got rid of my source of depression BEFORE my surgery. After the divorce, I spent time making a new home for me and my kids, and then I decided that it was time to do something about my weight. I joked with friends and family that I had already gotten rid of 175 pounds of dead weight (meaning my husband) and now it was time to get rid of the additional 115 pounds on my body! Since surgery, I have been loving life, and enjoying the compliments I receive on my weight loss, and becoming a more confident person. My kids and I are very close and we have a happy household. I have a good job that I enjoy, and it also gives me the flexibility to work part-time from home, so I can be there for my kids. I have such a supportive family who I love very much. Things are going really well for me. I am happier now than I have been in a very long time. I hope that things continue the way that they have been going.
05/23/05 - Out of the 'obese' category! Life is going well. I am so happy with the progress I am making. The only thing that has me upset is the amount of hair that I am losing. I had so much hair to start with, and my hair is very thick, so I am not afraid that I am going bald or anything, but it has been coming out for almost two months now, so I am hoping that it doesn't last much longer, and I start seeing new growth soon. I cut it shorter, and that seems to have helped a little bit. I am just tired of seeing it all over my bathroom floor and little pieces down my back (that my kids keep brushing off!). Other than that though, everything is awesome! I am very blessed. I have two awesome kids, a job that I enjoy, a nice home for us to live in, and I am happy being a single mom - for now. My focus, since my divorce two and a half years ago, has been my children, and I am happy because I know they are happy. I know that I will not be single all of my life, but this time in my life is for my kids, and to reflect on what things went wrong in my marriage, so I don't make the same mistakes again, and I know that next time will be forever. I will also never get this time back with my kids - I want to make the most of it now. Well, enough of that. Things are just going well for me, and I wanted to share!
06/03/05 - Well, my birthday is in two days. I turn 38 on June 5. Today I had to go and renew my driver's license. I was so happy to do this, because it means that I get to retake my picture! I HATED showing my driver's license, because the picture is so bad, and I look so much different now! I can't wait until I get my new one in the mail and I can cut up the old one! (It is the little things that matter so much - am I right?!?!) I am now under 150 pounds, and have about 30 more to go to hit goal weight of 115-120.
06/05/05 - Today is my 38th birthday. My kids and I drove from Sacramento to Fresno to pick up our new puppy. She is SO ADORABLE!! Her name is Baylee, and she is half maltese / half poodle, so she will stay pretty small. It has been a long time since I have had a dog, but I think she will be a perfect fit in our family.
07/08/05 - I am going to send in pictures to add to my profile. I have now lost close to 90 pounds, and about 80 inches off my entire body, which is amazing to me. The inches I have lost seem more incredible than the pounds! I had Curves measure me, and that is what they measured me as losing. Anyway, I am going to send in my pictures. I have a couple that were taken at Christmas time, just after surgery, and then I will send in the one that my daughter took this morning with our new puppy. I still have 20-25 pounds to lose to reach goal, and I am starting to believe that I truly will get there. If I lose that 20-25 pounds, I will be back to the same weight I was when I graduated high school, and I was not heavy in high school. I didn't start to gain weight until after I graduated and met my (now ex) husband. I am hoping to lose that 20-25 by the end of September, because I have my 20-year high school reunion, and I want to look GOOD!! :) I am really looking forward to seeing so many people. I hope a lot of my old friends attend. I graduated from high school in Dallas, so I will be flying back there for the reunion. It has been a long time since I have been back to Dallas.
08/08/05 - Well, I have completed a couple of my goals for the summer. I have taken my kids to Sunsplash in Roseville a couple times this summer, and we had the best time!! I rode all the slides with my kids and laid out in the sun in my new swimsuit, which, I look pretty good in, if I do say so myself!! We have also spent time in our backyard pool, and we have gone to the community pool a few times. We even attended a swim party at the community pool over this past weekend, and I DOVE off the diving board! I used to be a diver when I was a kid, and dove in competition. I haven't dove off the board in MANY years! I actually did a pretty good front dive! I wanted to try a front flip, but was a little too scared, plus it got chilly in the evening, so I decided not to get back in the pool. Maybe next time! I am down 95 pounds now, and I feel great! I will be attending my 20-year high school reunion next month in Dallas, and I am so excited about that! My goal is to weigh between 125-127 by that time, which puts me in the "normal" category for my BMI. I feel great though, and people are starting to say that I don't need to lose more weight. I won't be totally satisfied until I am in the normal category though. I don't want to even be "overweight" anymore by BMI standards. I feel I will get there.
Oh, I tried on the sweater that my son bought me for Christmas, and it now fits! :-) I am going to look great in it this winter!
08/22/05 - OK, I am totally bummed! Today when I weighed myself, I actually put on 1/2 pound, which puts me back up to 133. I GAINED weight this week! Yikes! Is this the end of my weight loss? Is my body stabilizing?! I want to lose 17 (now 18) more pounds to get to goal of 115, but more importantly, I want to lose another 3 pounds to hit the century club, and if I lost 6 pounds and got to 127, that puts me in the "Normal weight" category for BMI. That is really important to me - to hit those two goals. After that, if I lose the additional 10-12 pounds or so, that is just that much better. Several people have said that I look good at the weight I am now, and I feel like I look good, but those two goals are important to me. I think I will increase my protein shakes this week and see what that does. This wasn't a good way to start my day though!
08/29/05 - Well, I lost 5 pounds this week, but not because I increased my protein - I got food poisoning early in the week, and was very sick for about 36 hours! Yuck! I am much better now, but it was a rough couple days! BUT, I hit one of my goals, which was to break that century mark! Now I have ONLY ONE MORE POUND to lose to get into the "Normal" BMI category!! YEAH!! :-) What a blessing this surgery has been! I am loving my new life. Took the kids to Sunsplash again this weekend and we had a good time. We are headed to the State Fair this Friday. Last year we rode this really fun ride, but I had trouble fitting into the seat and had to sit sideways a little bit, and the seat squeezed me so tightly that my hips were sore the next day. This year we are going back on that ride, and I know I will not have any problems fitting into the seat! It is the little things that make a big difference. I was telling one of my friends that went with us to Sunsplash that even just being able to walk through a turnstyle without having to turn sideways is a big deal! It is so true! Those little things make a difference! I get so many compliments from people and that makes me feel good. It has been a fun year, and I am so looking forward to my high school reunion next month! Until next week.....
09/05/05 - Well, I had four awesome things happen in the past week. #1 - I hit the century mark (as of last Monday's weigh-in)! #2 - My hair is growing back in! #3 - I took my kids to the State Fair this weekend and I fit into the seat of a ride (with room to spare) that I had to sit sideways in last year! #4 - (and the best thing) I went past the century mark to hit 103 pounds lost, which puts me in the NORMAL category for my BMI!! I am no longer even considered 'overweight'! I have 9 pounds left to lose to reach my personal goal of 118. I know I will get there! What an incredible journey this has been!
10/03/05 - I attended my 20-year high school reunion over the past couple weeks and had a great time! I saw so many people that I had not seen in so long. Those that knew me as overweight couldn't believe how I looked now, and those that I had not seen since high school said things like I had hardly changed at all! I wasn't overweight in high school, and I didn't tell anyone what I had done recently, if they didn't already know. My family members that I visited knew about the surgery, but none of my friends that I saw knew, so I didn't say anything. I did look good, and had a great time seeing everyone! I even lost three more pounds during my trip, which was surprising. My mom thinks I need to stop losing. I am only 6 pounds from my personal goal of 118, but if I don't get there, that is fine. I am happy with the weight I am at now. I thank God, Dr. Waldrep, PacifiCare, etc for this surgery and for the chance at a new life. It has been a fun year, and will be a great life for me! I am loving life and enjoying the new me! This winter I plan on snow skiing with my kids, which I have not done in many years. Also, in November I am starting on a parent cheerleading squad. My daughter is a competitive cheerleader. The company she cheers for is starting a parent cheer squad, and we will be performing at the competition in San Diego in March. There are about 40 parents joining the parent cheer squad. When my daughter's coach asked if I would do this, I said that I would, and she said that was great, because they needed flyers!! That means that I will be one of those that is lifted in the air!! Now, I did this a couple years ago, and had a great time, but was definitely NOT a flyer! Now, I am at a weight (and only 5 feet tall) to where I am being asked to be a flyer!! Haha!! Should be fun!
11/14/05 - Haven't posted in a few weeks. Started cheerleading last night and had a good time. I am a flyer and did some stunts at practice last night. Little sore today!! ;-) Life is going well for me. Feel good, but am anxious to have my one-year labs done next month. Still losing weight, but slowly. I am down to 121 now. Don't really want to lose any more, but it is still coming off. I am no longer trying to lose weight. Our family portrait is scheduled for this weekend. Looking forward to that. Been 11 years since we have had a family portrait done. This one will be much better - #1 because I am much thinner, and #2 because my ex won't be in this picture!! OK, I know that is mean! ;-)
12/14/05 - Today is my one-year anniversary (birthday) of my surgery. Last week I had my first complication of this surgery. I had a bit of a reality check - a definite reminder that I did have this surgery. I started feeling sick last Monday night. I had bad stomach (pouch) pain, and I was throwing up all night long. On Tuesday morning I took my kids to school and called my surgeon, and he said to come to the ER. I drove to the ER, and they ran all kinds of tests. They discovered that I had a hernia, and half of my intestine had gone up into the hernia and was causing a bowel obstruction. Once the CT scan came back and revealed that, he wanted me in surgery within 15 minutes!! Scary!! I didn't go into surgery that fast because I had to call my kids at school and make arrangements for someone to pick them up, etc. They didn't even know that I was in the hospital. I didn't tell them because I didn't want them to worry. I figured I would go to the ER, they would figure out what the problem was, write me a prescription and send me on my way, and I would be back in time to pick them up from school. Didn't happen that way! I made a bunch of calls, and was wheeled into surgery right after that. Luckily, they were again able to do the surgery laparoscopically. My parents came down to stay with my kids. Did I mention how awesome they are?!?!? I was released from the hospital on Wednesday evening. I guess what happened is that there is skin or something that attaches your intestine to your abdominal wall (can't remember what it is called - starts with an "M"), and when they did the gastric bypass surgery they had to cut that to re-route the intestine. When they sewed it back up, it was full of fatty tissue, and now the fatty tissue is gone, so the stitches had nothing to hold onto anymore, and they pulled away and created the hernia. They did look around in there, and everything else looked good, including the pouch (no stretching). They also said that it looked like I have had the hernia for a while, and my intestine has probably been going through it for a while, but this time it got stuck and wasn't coming back out. Hopefully nothing like that will happen again. I am glad that it is over. I went in yesterday for my follow-up exam, and he said that it happens in 1-2 percent of gastric bypass patients, so it isn't real common, but also not uncommon, and he said that they have never had to repair that more than once, so hopefully it is repaired for good now! Anyway, it was scary, but it is over now. As of today, I weigh 120 pounds, which is a loss of 110 pounds! I did gain 7 pounds while I was in the hospital last week. What the hell do they put in those IV's - pure sugar?!?!? I took all 7 pounds off though, and am back down to 120. Other than that, this has been an awesome year! We did have our family portrait taken last month, and it turned out really good. I have sent it to OH, and asked them to post it on my profile, so I am sure it will be posted soon.
12/21/05 - Still losing weight. I am down to 119 now. It is coming off slowly, but still coming off, and I don't want to lose any more. I feel good though. Back to eating normally after my surgery a couple weeks ago.
01/06/06 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Had a nice Christmas and New Year with my family, but I am always relieved when all the chaos is over. This is the first year in almost 20 years that losing weight will NOT be a New Year's Resolution for me!! I did a crazy, spur of the moment thing this week - I joined Match.com. My friend did it a couple months ago (the same friend that I talked about in the first paragraph of my profile that also had WLS and lost 134 pounds), and she said she is having a lot of fun meeting and talking with different guys, so I thought, what the hell. I only joined for a month. I joined four days ago, and I have been communicating with a nice guy since the day I joined. We talked on the phone last night for the first time, and tonight we are meeting at Starbucks. I know, I know.... only meet in public places, be very careful.... etc. I heard all that stuff from my mom, dad, sister, friend, and BOSS already!! I will definitely be careful. We will see what happens! I posted my recent pictures, and guys have definitely responded! :) I am not looking to get married anytime soon - been there, done that. But it would be nice to have someone to go to dinner or to a movie with sometime. Someone nice to hang out with and have a good time. That is all I am looking for right now. Whatever develops after that is anyone's guess.....
03/06/06 - My weight has stabilized now. I fluctuate between 114 and 119. I weigh myself every day, as I do not want to go below 115, and don't want to go higher than 119 or 120. I am happy with the way that I look.
07/11/06 - Wow - haven't posted in a while. Life is going well. My weight is still around 120. I decided that 115 was too thin, and my face looked too thin. I have tried to keep it at 120-122, and I like that weight. Still dating and having a good time meeting new people.
07/31/06 - Lost another few pounds, and trying not to lose anymore. In fact, I would like to put on a few pounds - wow, what a switch that is!! I think my body likes the 115-120 range.
9/1/04 - First appointment with PCP to talk to her about surgery and get the referral to a surgeon. She said that I would probably be a good candidate for surgery. She is sending me to the lab for blood tests to have my cholesterol and thyroid checked, and make sure I don't have diabetes. I am being referred to Dr. Waldrep. I have read so many nice things about him on this website from former patients of his. I am very anxious to meet with him, but I am now waiting for approval from my insurance company for the consultation. Here we go......! :)
9/8/04 - Blood tests came back and everything is normal. Still waiting for insurance approval for initial consultation with surgeon.
9/14/04 - Received insurance approval today for consultations and group meeting. Now I have a packet of paperwork to fill out and take to the doctor's office by the end of the week. One step closer.......
9/21/04 - Group meeting scheduled for October 1.
10/1/04 - Attended group meeting and met the doctors. They were very thorough in explaining the procedure, side effects, possible complications, etc. Also had a good sense of humor. My mom attended the meeting with me and she liked them too. She has been a great support for me. She will be staying with me for a couple weeks during and after surgery. She is so awesome and I am so lucky to have her there by my side! After the meeting, my mom and I were even more convinced that this is the right decision for me. I am looking forward to completing my tests and evaluations, and getting a surgery date. I am shooting for the first week of December.
10/6/04 - Went to PCP and had EKG. It came out normal. She will be giving me my medical clearance, so I don't think I have to see a Bariatric Physician. Also went back to lab to have CBC and urinalysis because those tests weren't ordered when I went to the lab before. My chest x-ray and my ultrasound are scheduled for 10/18. I am going to be attending the group support meeting this Saturday. Still waiting for insurance approval to see a Dietician and get my Psych eval. Everything is moving right along. I am getting more excited and scared at the same time. I know that this is a good decision, and I can't help thinking of all the things I want to do when I lose this weight. One of the things that I really want to do is have a family portrait taken of my kids and I. I have always hated having my picture taken while overweight. I look forward to the day that I don't feel that way anymore.
10/7/04 - Received insurance approval for the Dietician and Psych evaluations. Will be making those appointments tomorrow.
10/9/04 - Attended WOW (Western Obesity Wellness) monthly group support meeting. Was interesting listening to people's stories. I was amazed at the number of people in that room. Dr. Waldrep was the guest speaker. Every time I attend a meeting like this, or talk to someone who has had the surgery, or read stories online, I feel more sure that this is the right decision for me. I am constantly thinking of all the things that I want to accomplish and do once I lose this weight. There are so many things that I want to do with my kids - like take them to a water park and not just sit under a tree while we are there. I will actually be able to put on a suit and play with them on the slides and in the water without embarrassment. So many things like that. My new life really will begin, and I know that I will be a happier, healthier person and mother. I can't wait!
10/18/04 - Completed ultrasound and chest x-ray.
10/21/04 - Had Psych evaluation with Dr. Rosie Amalfitano. Went well. She was nice. We talked for an hour, and then I took a 567 question test, which took a little over an hour.
The last task that I have to complete on my checklist is the meeting with the Dietician, and that is scheduled for Tuesday, 10/26. YEAH!! I am so ready to get my confirmed surgery date! So far, this process has gone smoothly. All tests have come out well and had no problems or health concerns.
10/26/04 - Had meeting with Dietician Randee Reidy today. She is in Dr. Hopkins office. She was very nice. I learned some things that I did not know. She said that she would have her report to Dr. Waldrep's office by the end of the week. That was the last step that I needed to complete on my check list! I am very excited to meet with Dr. Waldrep and get a surgery date.
10/28/04 - Received a call from Tara at Dr. Waldrep's office, and she said that my blood test showed high white blood cell count and my urine test showed bacteria. Have to retake those tests. She told me how to do a "clean catch" on my urine test, because if you don't, bacteria will show up. Well, no one at the lab gave me any instructions on the proper way to do it, so, of course, it is going to show up with bacteria. Anyway, I will go and retake both tests tomorrow.
10/29/04 - Had both tests retaken at the lab. Again, the woman just hands me a cup and points the way to the bathroom - no instructions - nothing! She didn't even give me a wipe this time. I told her that I was there to retake the test because my last test showed bacteria, and Tara said that I needed to ask how to perform a "clean catch". So she started to explain it and said that if you don't do it that way, it will have bacteria in it - DUH!!! I said that I needed a wipe, and I said that if someone had explained this procedure to me before, I probably wouldn't have to be doing this. I was very irritated. Anyway, it is over. Should have the results on Monday. If you are reading this and you have not yet taken the urine test, be sure that your lab technician tells you the proper way to collect it, or you will be back in there retaking that test, like me.
11/01/04 - Tara called me today and both tests came out fine. Back on track! Now waiting for them to receive the Psych eval, and I should be getting my surgery date soon! Can't wait!!
11/03/04 - Got the call I have been waiting for!! Katrina called and my surgery date is scheduled for December 14, 2004 at 7:15AM!! Yeah!! I have my one-on-one consultation with Dr. Waldrep on December 2. I am very excited, and a little scared too. I just told my daughter, and she started to cry. She is 10, and is worried about me. I reassured her and told her that mommy will be just fine, and if she wanted to be there that she absolutely could be. I will tell my son later today when he gets home. Wow - this is finally happening!! Anyone else scheduled for that date??
11/09/04 - Just heard that my insurance has approved the surgery, so I am good to go!! Yeah!! That is a BIG WEIGHT off my shoulders (now I get to have this BIG WEIGHT taken off the rest of my body too!!). HA! After all the tests and evaluations I have been through, I would be very upset if the insurance was denied. Since I don't have the $20,000+ to pay for the surgery myself, an insurance denial would have meant no surgery. I have PacifiCare and they have been awesome! All approvals have come very quickly. I feel very fortunate.
I meet with the surgeon on December 2, take a hospital tour on December 9 and my surgery date is Tuesday, December 14 at 7:15AM. I have to be at the hospital at 5:00AM. I will be in the hospital until Thursday or Friday of that week.
Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!! See you on the losers side!!! :) :) :) :)
12/02/04 - Had my one-on-one with Dr. Waldrep today. Very nice man. My mom went with me. We both feel very confident that I will be in good hands. Only one problem that I encountered today - my blood pressure was high, and I was running a fever of 100.4, which was news to me, because I certainly did not feel sick or under the weather at all. Well, that mixed with the problems of my white blood count being high in October could mean that surgery will have to be postponed. I have to retake the CBC blood test to recheck my white blood count, and come back on Tuesday, 12/7 to have my temperature and blood pressure rechecked. I am very upset!! I would be devastated if I was told that I could not have the surgery on the 14th. I weighed in at 230 today. Yikes! I assume that is my highest weight, but I never got on the scale before - too depressing. This is the weight that my doctor and I will be using as my start weight.
12/06/04 - Went back to the lab to have my blood drawn to have the complete blood count test run. Wish me luck!!
12/07/04 - Went to visit my PCP this morning because I wanted her to also take my temperature and blood pressure, and discuss with her what I do next if the CBC does not come out well and my surgery is postponed. My temperature was 99.0 and my blood pressure was a little high. I think that is stress related. I am in a pissy mood because of all this, plus the stress of preparing at work for being out for a few weeks, plus the Holidays and getting ready for that, etc., etc. Yes, I am sure that it is stress related!! She also looked up the CBC test results, and my white blood count is still slightly elevated. Now I am stressed more because I am just sure that they are going to tell me that I can't do it. :( I have my appointment at 1:30 back at Dr. Waldrep's office so they can also take my temperature and BP. We will see what they say.......
OK, I am now back from my appointment and in a much better mood!! My temperature was absolutely normal - right at 98.6!! Yeah!! My BP is still high, but, like I said, I am sure that is stress related. As I was driving to my appointment, my sister called my cell phone and said that she was just laid off her job!! She was crying and very upset, and got me upset also. How can companies do that just before the Holidays?!?! I think that sucks!! I tried to comfort her, but what can you say?!?! I am going to do what I can to try to get her a job at the company I work for. I felt so bad for her. But she is so smart and I really believe that she will be just fine. I told her that she has family that can help her out if she needs it. But, back to my appointment... I met with Mike (who is super-cute and sweet) and he said that since my temperature is normal and every other test that they ran on my blood came back fine, and my white blood count is only slightly elevated, surgery is ON!! YEAH!! Still scheduled for ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!! I have my hospital tour scheduled for this Thurdsday evening (12/9/04), then I will be checking into the hospital at 5:00AM on 12/14/04. I am excited, nervous, scared, etc. I have a lot of emotions, but mostly excited!
12/09/04 - Attended the hospital tour and I met most of the people that are having surgery next week. I really enjoyed the tour. Very informative. They gave us each a pillow to use while we are in the hospital to press against our stomach when we are forced to cough. Each pillow came with a pen, and the nurse said that everyone signs everyone's pillows - the nurses, Dr. Waldrep, other patients, etc.! I thought that was such a cute idea! I am excited about Tuesday. I will be glad when the actual surgery is over and I am awake and back in my hospital room. I will want to see my kids. I will post again when I get home from the hospital!!
12/14/04 - SURGERY DAY!!!
12/16/04 - Home from the hospital as of about 1:45 this afternoon. It is good to be home. Surgery went very well - no complications, very routine. That is the way we like it! The hospital was great! All the nurses and the hospital staff were so nice and helpful. My awesome surgeons came in once or twice a day to check on me. Now that I am home, I am in some pain, but not too bad. I have eaten jell-o, chicken broth, and have been drinking Propel water, all with no problems at all. I have not felt sick to my stomach at all, so I am very lucky. Haven't been on the scale yet - still too early. My parents are here to take care of me and the kids. They are so awesome! Don't know what I would do without them. My dad is so great. He got the kids up and ready for school, made them breakfast every day, drove them to school, then came to the hospital to spend time with me. Then he picked them up every day, made sure they did their homework, and got them dinner. Actually, two of my friends made dinners for my dad and my kids while I was in the hospital, so my dad didn't have to make dinner. They made the dinners and brought them over to my family. That was so sweet. I am so lucky to have wonderful, supportive family and friends. My mom spent most of her time with me at the hospital. I know my kids were in great hands, so that made me feel so much better.
12/21/04 - Had my one week checkup at Dr. Waldrep's office. The drain was finally pulled out and that was a huge relief. Mike pulled the drain out and it barely hurt at all. Just felt like menstrual cramps, and only for a few seconds. I have lost 18.5 pounds since being weighed on 12/2/04!! Yeah!! I feel great. I started eating full liquids yesterday and have had no nausea. I get a little tired out at times, but other than that, I am doing really well. I start on my vitamins and protein now. I am so thankful for this surgery and the tool to help me lose weight. I am so looking forward to this summer with my kids. We put a pool in the back yard last year, and this past summer I only went in it one time with my kids. I think this summer it will finally be used for a fun thing for all three of us to do together, not just for the kids.
12/26/04 - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I am looking forward to a wonderful New Year. Stepped on the scale this morning and have lost another 4 pounds!! I try to keep off the scale, because I don't want to get discouraged, but sometimes I can't help it!! Had my first real meal last night for Christmas dinner. I had a spoonful of mashed potatoes, a spoonful of broccoli casserole and a couple small bites of prime rib. I couldn't eat it all, but it tasted so good!! Chewed everything up really well, and still did not have any problems getting it down. Sometimes I can feel it going down, but if I wait a minute or two before I take the next bite, it seems to go down just fine. I have been very careful about chewing well, and eating slowly, taking my vitamins, and getting down as much protein as I can in a day. I feel really good. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
My son bought me a new sweater for Christmas. It is a Petite Medium. I can't wait for the day that I can get into it!
Oh, one more thing, my sister has been interviewing for the past couple weeks and she already found a new job and starts just after the new year!! Yeah!! She is even making more money than at her last job, so everything turned out great for her! I am really proud of her.
01/08/05 - Attended the support group meeting. I always feel so inspired by everyone's stories when I leave there, and I am always amazed at the number of people that go to the meeting. There were more than 100 people there, and maybe closer to 150. They are all at different phases of this journey - some just starting the process all the way to nine years post-op. It is very interesting to hear what everyone has to say. I have met a lot of nice people in these meetings.
01/28/05 - Had a doctor's appointment today for a check up. All is going well. I took all my vitamins and showed Mike exactly what I was taking, and apparently I am doing just what I should, so I felt better about that. I read the messsage board often, and I thought maybe I was taking too little iron and calcium, but it looks like I am right on target. My next appointment is in March, and at that point they check my protein and iron levels, so we will see what that shows. Other than that, things are going great. I feel good. I bought a size 14 jeans the other day, thinking that if they don't fit now, they will fit soon. When I got home I tried them on, and they fit great, and were actually a little loose on me!! YEAH!!, So, goodbye to size 18 and 16 jeans FOREVER!! I think I will have a lot of clothes to donate to the clothes exchange at February's support meeting! :) :) :)
02/14/05 - I am now in a size 12 jeans!! YEAH!! Bought a new (used) car over the weekend. The engine blew in my mini van, which was covered by warranty, so it wouldn't have cost anything to have it fixed, but while we were at the dealership I started looking at the Sorentos. I have been thinking about getting a small SUV for a while, because I am tired of dealing with chains when we go to Tahoe in the winter time, so I looked around and found a really nice used one with low miles. My mom says that I am getting a new, cute body, so I need a new, cute car to go with my new self!! I decided she was right! I bought a Kia Sorento 4WD. It is a really pretty color - two-tone with a deep, maroon color on the top and the bottom is a gold color. Beige, leather interior and fully loaded! Sunroof, 6-CD changer, seat warmers, power everything...very nice!
02/25/05 - OK, I am going through this weird "I miss food" stage. I guess that is what it is. I am not really sure. I have found that I no longer like cooking. Not that I really enjoyed it before, but at least I could eat what I made for my family. I can eat what I make now, but I don't ever feel like making dinner anymore, because I can eat so little, so I just don't feel like doing it. I don't want to go to a lot of the restaurants that we used to go to, because I know that I will eat about 1/4 of the meal, and even taking it home to eat the next day doesn't satisfy me, because I may only eat about another 1/4 of it and then I have spent money when I will only get to enjoy half of the meal between two days. My daughter and I split meals when we eat out, and that seems to work well, but still, it isn't the same. I don't know....what I am feeling is very weird. Maybe it is almost like "post-partum depression" when you have a baby (but VERY MILD). I am missing food, but then, I get on the scale, and I see another pound or two drop at a time, and I am elated! I don't know...........
04/04/05 - Everything is going great. Had my three-month appointment with Dr. Mike a couple weeks ago. My lab tests came out good and my blood pressure was normal. I am feeling good and am SO HAPPY that I had this surgery. I get compliments EVERY DAY from people about how good I look, which makes me feel great! Today I stepped on the scale and I had lost 65 lbs. total - I have another 45 lbs. to go to reach my goal of 110 pounds lost. I have my 20-year high school reunion at the end of September, so that is my goal. I am going to look GOOD!! :-)
04/25/05 - Seems like the weight loss is slowing a bit. I seem to slow down, and then have a jump start where I lose several pounds in a week. I am hoping that I have one of those 'losing' weeks soon! I am almost in the 150's, and I haven't weighed that in 13 years! I want out of the 'obese' category so badly!! Almost there!
05/14/05 - I attended the support group meeting today. It was very sad because one of our members (her name was Karen) just committed suicide due to depression. I didn't know her, but she was one of the founding members of the support group from four years ago, and many of the members did know her and love her very much. The meeting dealt with depression and ways to try to deal with depression. Apparently, many WLS patients deal with depression after surgery. People seem to think that "If I would just lose weight, everything would be great." and that is not the case. The problems that you had before, whether that be marital, financial, or other, are still a part of your life, and losing weight does not necessarily mean that other things get better. I was sitting between my friend Miki, who had just spent two weeks in a hospital dealing with her depression, and Karen's sister. I have not had to deal with depression in my journey. I think I suffered from a mild form of depression during my marriage. I was very frustrated and irritated all the time, and didn't feel I was being a good mom to my kids, and they are the most important part of my life. I was married for 15 years, and we divorced in 2003. Although that time in my life was very emotional, as divorce is a tough thing to go through for anyone, it was a good decision for me. I was very unhappy in my marriage, and when you get to the point where you roll your eyes when you hear him come through the door, it is time to move on. I think I got rid of my source of depression BEFORE my surgery. After the divorce, I spent time making a new home for me and my kids, and then I decided that it was time to do something about my weight. I joked with friends and family that I had already gotten rid of 175 pounds of dead weight (meaning my husband) and now it was time to get rid of the additional 115 pounds on my body! Since surgery, I have been loving life, and enjoying the compliments I receive on my weight loss, and becoming a more confident person. My kids and I are very close and we have a happy household. I have a good job that I enjoy, and it also gives me the flexibility to work part-time from home, so I can be there for my kids. I have such a supportive family who I love very much. Things are going really well for me. I am happier now than I have been in a very long time. I hope that things continue the way that they have been going.
05/23/05 - Out of the 'obese' category! Life is going well. I am so happy with the progress I am making. The only thing that has me upset is the amount of hair that I am losing. I had so much hair to start with, and my hair is very thick, so I am not afraid that I am going bald or anything, but it has been coming out for almost two months now, so I am hoping that it doesn't last much longer, and I start seeing new growth soon. I cut it shorter, and that seems to have helped a little bit. I am just tired of seeing it all over my bathroom floor and little pieces down my back (that my kids keep brushing off!). Other than that though, everything is awesome! I am very blessed. I have two awesome kids, a job that I enjoy, a nice home for us to live in, and I am happy being a single mom - for now. My focus, since my divorce two and a half years ago, has been my children, and I am happy because I know they are happy. I know that I will not be single all of my life, but this time in my life is for my kids, and to reflect on what things went wrong in my marriage, so I don't make the same mistakes again, and I know that next time will be forever. I will also never get this time back with my kids - I want to make the most of it now. Well, enough of that. Things are just going well for me, and I wanted to share!
06/03/05 - Well, my birthday is in two days. I turn 38 on June 5. Today I had to go and renew my driver's license. I was so happy to do this, because it means that I get to retake my picture! I HATED showing my driver's license, because the picture is so bad, and I look so much different now! I can't wait until I get my new one in the mail and I can cut up the old one! (It is the little things that matter so much - am I right?!?!) I am now under 150 pounds, and have about 30 more to go to hit goal weight of 115-120.
06/05/05 - Today is my 38th birthday. My kids and I drove from Sacramento to Fresno to pick up our new puppy. She is SO ADORABLE!! Her name is Baylee, and she is half maltese / half poodle, so she will stay pretty small. It has been a long time since I have had a dog, but I think she will be a perfect fit in our family.
07/08/05 - I am going to send in pictures to add to my profile. I have now lost close to 90 pounds, and about 80 inches off my entire body, which is amazing to me. The inches I have lost seem more incredible than the pounds! I had Curves measure me, and that is what they measured me as losing. Anyway, I am going to send in my pictures. I have a couple that were taken at Christmas time, just after surgery, and then I will send in the one that my daughter took this morning with our new puppy. I still have 20-25 pounds to lose to reach goal, and I am starting to believe that I truly will get there. If I lose that 20-25 pounds, I will be back to the same weight I was when I graduated high school, and I was not heavy in high school. I didn't start to gain weight until after I graduated and met my (now ex) husband. I am hoping to lose that 20-25 by the end of September, because I have my 20-year high school reunion, and I want to look GOOD!! :) I am really looking forward to seeing so many people. I hope a lot of my old friends attend. I graduated from high school in Dallas, so I will be flying back there for the reunion. It has been a long time since I have been back to Dallas.
08/08/05 - Well, I have completed a couple of my goals for the summer. I have taken my kids to Sunsplash in Roseville a couple times this summer, and we had the best time!! I rode all the slides with my kids and laid out in the sun in my new swimsuit, which, I look pretty good in, if I do say so myself!! We have also spent time in our backyard pool, and we have gone to the community pool a few times. We even attended a swim party at the community pool over this past weekend, and I DOVE off the diving board! I used to be a diver when I was a kid, and dove in competition. I haven't dove off the board in MANY years! I actually did a pretty good front dive! I wanted to try a front flip, but was a little too scared, plus it got chilly in the evening, so I decided not to get back in the pool. Maybe next time! I am down 95 pounds now, and I feel great! I will be attending my 20-year high school reunion next month in Dallas, and I am so excited about that! My goal is to weigh between 125-127 by that time, which puts me in the "normal" category for my BMI. I feel great though, and people are starting to say that I don't need to lose more weight. I won't be totally satisfied until I am in the normal category though. I don't want to even be "overweight" anymore by BMI standards. I feel I will get there.
Oh, I tried on the sweater that my son bought me for Christmas, and it now fits! :-) I am going to look great in it this winter!
08/22/05 - OK, I am totally bummed! Today when I weighed myself, I actually put on 1/2 pound, which puts me back up to 133. I GAINED weight this week! Yikes! Is this the end of my weight loss? Is my body stabilizing?! I want to lose 17 (now 18) more pounds to get to goal of 115, but more importantly, I want to lose another 3 pounds to hit the century club, and if I lost 6 pounds and got to 127, that puts me in the "Normal weight" category for BMI. That is really important to me - to hit those two goals. After that, if I lose the additional 10-12 pounds or so, that is just that much better. Several people have said that I look good at the weight I am now, and I feel like I look good, but those two goals are important to me. I think I will increase my protein shakes this week and see what that does. This wasn't a good way to start my day though!
08/29/05 - Well, I lost 5 pounds this week, but not because I increased my protein - I got food poisoning early in the week, and was very sick for about 36 hours! Yuck! I am much better now, but it was a rough couple days! BUT, I hit one of my goals, which was to break that century mark! Now I have ONLY ONE MORE POUND to lose to get into the "Normal" BMI category!! YEAH!! :-) What a blessing this surgery has been! I am loving my new life. Took the kids to Sunsplash again this weekend and we had a good time. We are headed to the State Fair this Friday. Last year we rode this really fun ride, but I had trouble fitting into the seat and had to sit sideways a little bit, and the seat squeezed me so tightly that my hips were sore the next day. This year we are going back on that ride, and I know I will not have any problems fitting into the seat! It is the little things that make a big difference. I was telling one of my friends that went with us to Sunsplash that even just being able to walk through a turnstyle without having to turn sideways is a big deal! It is so true! Those little things make a difference! I get so many compliments from people and that makes me feel good. It has been a fun year, and I am so looking forward to my high school reunion next month! Until next week.....
09/05/05 - Well, I had four awesome things happen in the past week. #1 - I hit the century mark (as of last Monday's weigh-in)! #2 - My hair is growing back in! #3 - I took my kids to the State Fair this weekend and I fit into the seat of a ride (with room to spare) that I had to sit sideways in last year! #4 - (and the best thing) I went past the century mark to hit 103 pounds lost, which puts me in the NORMAL category for my BMI!! I am no longer even considered 'overweight'! I have 9 pounds left to lose to reach my personal goal of 118. I know I will get there! What an incredible journey this has been!
10/03/05 - I attended my 20-year high school reunion over the past couple weeks and had a great time! I saw so many people that I had not seen in so long. Those that knew me as overweight couldn't believe how I looked now, and those that I had not seen since high school said things like I had hardly changed at all! I wasn't overweight in high school, and I didn't tell anyone what I had done recently, if they didn't already know. My family members that I visited knew about the surgery, but none of my friends that I saw knew, so I didn't say anything. I did look good, and had a great time seeing everyone! I even lost three more pounds during my trip, which was surprising. My mom thinks I need to stop losing. I am only 6 pounds from my personal goal of 118, but if I don't get there, that is fine. I am happy with the weight I am at now. I thank God, Dr. Waldrep, PacifiCare, etc for this surgery and for the chance at a new life. It has been a fun year, and will be a great life for me! I am loving life and enjoying the new me! This winter I plan on snow skiing with my kids, which I have not done in many years. Also, in November I am starting on a parent cheerleading squad. My daughter is a competitive cheerleader. The company she cheers for is starting a parent cheer squad, and we will be performing at the competition in San Diego in March. There are about 40 parents joining the parent cheer squad. When my daughter's coach asked if I would do this, I said that I would, and she said that was great, because they needed flyers!! That means that I will be one of those that is lifted in the air!! Now, I did this a couple years ago, and had a great time, but was definitely NOT a flyer! Now, I am at a weight (and only 5 feet tall) to where I am being asked to be a flyer!! Haha!! Should be fun!
11/14/05 - Haven't posted in a few weeks. Started cheerleading last night and had a good time. I am a flyer and did some stunts at practice last night. Little sore today!! ;-) Life is going well for me. Feel good, but am anxious to have my one-year labs done next month. Still losing weight, but slowly. I am down to 121 now. Don't really want to lose any more, but it is still coming off. I am no longer trying to lose weight. Our family portrait is scheduled for this weekend. Looking forward to that. Been 11 years since we have had a family portrait done. This one will be much better - #1 because I am much thinner, and #2 because my ex won't be in this picture!! OK, I know that is mean! ;-)
12/14/05 - Today is my one-year anniversary (birthday) of my surgery. Last week I had my first complication of this surgery. I had a bit of a reality check - a definite reminder that I did have this surgery. I started feeling sick last Monday night. I had bad stomach (pouch) pain, and I was throwing up all night long. On Tuesday morning I took my kids to school and called my surgeon, and he said to come to the ER. I drove to the ER, and they ran all kinds of tests. They discovered that I had a hernia, and half of my intestine had gone up into the hernia and was causing a bowel obstruction. Once the CT scan came back and revealed that, he wanted me in surgery within 15 minutes!! Scary!! I didn't go into surgery that fast because I had to call my kids at school and make arrangements for someone to pick them up, etc. They didn't even know that I was in the hospital. I didn't tell them because I didn't want them to worry. I figured I would go to the ER, they would figure out what the problem was, write me a prescription and send me on my way, and I would be back in time to pick them up from school. Didn't happen that way! I made a bunch of calls, and was wheeled into surgery right after that. Luckily, they were again able to do the surgery laparoscopically. My parents came down to stay with my kids. Did I mention how awesome they are?!?!? I was released from the hospital on Wednesday evening. I guess what happened is that there is skin or something that attaches your intestine to your abdominal wall (can't remember what it is called - starts with an "M"), and when they did the gastric bypass surgery they had to cut that to re-route the intestine. When they sewed it back up, it was full of fatty tissue, and now the fatty tissue is gone, so the stitches had nothing to hold onto anymore, and they pulled away and created the hernia. They did look around in there, and everything else looked good, including the pouch (no stretching). They also said that it looked like I have had the hernia for a while, and my intestine has probably been going through it for a while, but this time it got stuck and wasn't coming back out. Hopefully nothing like that will happen again. I am glad that it is over. I went in yesterday for my follow-up exam, and he said that it happens in 1-2 percent of gastric bypass patients, so it isn't real common, but also not uncommon, and he said that they have never had to repair that more than once, so hopefully it is repaired for good now! Anyway, it was scary, but it is over now. As of today, I weigh 120 pounds, which is a loss of 110 pounds! I did gain 7 pounds while I was in the hospital last week. What the hell do they put in those IV's - pure sugar?!?!? I took all 7 pounds off though, and am back down to 120. Other than that, this has been an awesome year! We did have our family portrait taken last month, and it turned out really good. I have sent it to OH, and asked them to post it on my profile, so I am sure it will be posted soon.
12/21/05 - Still losing weight. I am down to 119 now. It is coming off slowly, but still coming off, and I don't want to lose any more. I feel good though. Back to eating normally after my surgery a couple weeks ago.
01/06/06 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Had a nice Christmas and New Year with my family, but I am always relieved when all the chaos is over. This is the first year in almost 20 years that losing weight will NOT be a New Year's Resolution for me!! I did a crazy, spur of the moment thing this week - I joined Match.com. My friend did it a couple months ago (the same friend that I talked about in the first paragraph of my profile that also had WLS and lost 134 pounds), and she said she is having a lot of fun meeting and talking with different guys, so I thought, what the hell. I only joined for a month. I joined four days ago, and I have been communicating with a nice guy since the day I joined. We talked on the phone last night for the first time, and tonight we are meeting at Starbucks. I know, I know.... only meet in public places, be very careful.... etc. I heard all that stuff from my mom, dad, sister, friend, and BOSS already!! I will definitely be careful. We will see what happens! I posted my recent pictures, and guys have definitely responded! :) I am not looking to get married anytime soon - been there, done that. But it would be nice to have someone to go to dinner or to a movie with sometime. Someone nice to hang out with and have a good time. That is all I am looking for right now. Whatever develops after that is anyone's guess.....
03/06/06 - My weight has stabilized now. I fluctuate between 114 and 119. I weigh myself every day, as I do not want to go below 115, and don't want to go higher than 119 or 120. I am happy with the way that I look.
07/11/06 - Wow - haven't posted in a while. Life is going well. My weight is still around 120. I decided that 115 was too thin, and my face looked too thin. I have tried to keep it at 120-122, and I like that weight. Still dating and having a good time meeting new people.
07/31/06 - Lost another few pounds, and trying not to lose anymore. In fact, I would like to put on a few pounds - wow, what a switch that is!! I think my body likes the 115-120 range.
10/30/06 - Went and saw a plastic surgeon a couple weeks ago and have decided to have an abdominoplasty and breast augmentation. I told the doctor that I don't want to walk out of surgery looking like Dolly Parton, but SOMETHING up there would be nice! I have never had much of a chest to speak of, but since losing all this weight, it is almost non-existant! So, I decided that I want to go to a full-B cup, and that would look proportionate with my height and weight. Also, don't have a whole lot of loose skin in my abdomen area, but I figure, I have come this far in this journey, why not go all the way and be really happy with the way that I look? So, I am going to do it!! My surgery is scheduled for January 9, 2007!! Hopefully, this will be my last surgery for many years to come! This will be my sixth surgery on my abdomen. Two ceseareans, tubal ligation, gastric bypass and hernia and bowel obstruction repair, and now plastic surgery. So, hopefully this will complete my journey and be the end of it..... Life has been a helluva ride the past four years!! :)
12/15/06 - Yesterday (12/14/06) was my WLS two-year anniversary, and amazingly, I never even thought about it, or realized it, until I got an e-mail from ObesityHelp wishing me a Happy Anniversary. I guess having a new love in my life (Dan), plus the Holidays, kind-of puts the thoughts of this on the back burner. However, my life is as wonderful as it is, due in part, to WLS, and I am so thankful every day that I was able to have this done. When I think about my life and all the changes that I have made over the past four years, I am blown away. Separation and divorce in 2003, moving into a new home, adjusting to life being a single mom, WLS in December, 2004, losing 115 pounds in 2005, starting to date in 2006, and now, finding a very special man to share my life with..... unbelievable!! Now, I have my abdominoplasty and breast augmentation to look forward to to complete my journey. That is still scheduled for January 9, 2007. I am looking forward to it, but will be glad when it is over. I am loving my life! It has been quite a journey!!
02/06/07 - Well, I had an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and breast augmentation on Tuesday, January 9, which was four weeks ago today. All went very well. I had my four-week check-up today, and everything looks good. Incisions are healing well, and I am very happy with the results. My breasts are a good size in proportion to the size of my body. I did not want to be too big, as I have never really had much of a chest to begin with, but after losing 115 lbs, I had virtually nothing up there! I am now a 34C, so I am very happy with the size and think it looks good. My stomach is so flat!! It has been over 20 years since I had a flat tummy!! I love it!! This finally completes my journey, and I am truly happy with the way that my body looks. Dan says that he is going to have to hit the gym because I now have the body of a 20 year old!! (Actually, I think he looks pretty good!!) :-) As I said before, I am loving life!!
12/02/04 - One on One with Dr. Waldrep - START WT 230 POUNDS - HEIGHT 5' 0"
12/14/04 - 224 - Minus 6 pounds - SURGERY DAY!!
12/21/04 - 211.5 - Minus 18.5 lbs. total
12/26/04 - 207.5 - Minus 22.5 lbs. total
01/03/05 - 204 - Minus 26 lbs. total - Officially NO LONGER morbidly obese!! :) HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
01/10/05 - 200 - Minus 30 lbs. total
01/17/05 - 197 - Minus 33 lbs. total
01/24/05 - 196 - Minus 34 lbs. total
01/31/05 - 192 - Minus 38 lbs. total
02/07/05 - 186 - Minus 44 ibs. total
02/14/05 - 184 - Minus 46 ibs. total - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!
02/21/05 - 183 - Minus 47 lbs. total
02/28/05 - 178 - Minus 52 ibs. total - Officially NO LONGER severely obese!! :)
03/07/05 - 174 - Minus 56 lbs. total
03/14/05 - 174 - Minus 56 lbs. total
03/21/05 - 172 - Minus 58 lbs. total
03/28/05 - 170 - Minus 60 lbs. total
04/04/05 - 165 - Minus 65 lbs. total
04/11/05 - 165 - Minus 65 lbs. total
04/18/05 - 162 - Minus 68 lbs. total
04/25/05 - 161 - Minus 69 lbs. total
05/02/05 - 157 - Minus 73 lbs. total
05/09/05 - 156 - Minus 74 lbs. total
05/16/05 - 154 - Minus 76 lbs. total
05/23/05 - 152 - Minus 78 lbs. total - Officially NO LONGER obese AT ALL!! :) Just considered 'overweight'!!
05/30/05 - 150 - Minus 80 lbs. total - I FINALLY weigh what my driver's license says that I weigh!! ;-)
06/06/05 - 148 - Minus 82 lbs. total - Had to renew my driver's license because my birthday was yesterday - got to retake my picture and change the weight!
06/13/05 - 147 - Minus 83 lbs. total
06/20/05 - 144 - Minus 86 lbs. total - Only 24-29 pounds to go to hit GOAL!! (Lifetime goal is to weigh between 115-120)
06/27/05 - 144 - Minus 86 lbs. total
07/04/05 - 143 - Minus 87 lbs. total - Seems to be coming off much slower now, but still haven't gained
07/11/05 - 140 - Minus 90 lbs. total - Ten pounds from the century club! I know I will get there!
07/18/05 - 139 - Minus 91 lbs. total
07/25/05 - 136 - Minus 94 lbs. total
08/01/05 - 135 - Minus 95 lbs. total - Five pounds from the century club!! Eight pounds from the "normal" category for my BMI!!
08/08/05 - 135 - Minus 95 lbs. total - Am I EVER going to get below 135?
08/15/05 - 132 - Minus 98 lbs. total
08/22/05 - 133 - Minus 97 lbs. total - Wrong way! This is the first time I put on weight for my Monday weigh-in.
08/29/05 - 128 - Minus 102 lbs. total!!! Yeah! I am in the Century Club!! :-)
09/05/05 - 127 - Minus 103 lbs. total!!! That puts my BMI in the NORMAL category! I am no longer even overweight anymore!! AWESOME!
10/03/05 - 124 - Minus 106 lbs. total
11/14/05 - 121 - Minus 109 lbs. total - This is a good weight for me
12/14/05 - 120 - Minus 110 lbs. total - Hopefully I won't lose (or gain) any more. I am really happy at this weight.
12/21/05 - 119 - Minus 111 lbs. total
01/06/06 - 117 - Minus 113 lbs. total - HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Still losing........
01/17/06 - 115 - Minus 115 lbs. total - I have now OFFICIALLY lost HALF my starting body weight. Started at 230 - now weigh 115.
03/06/06 - 114 - Minus 116 lbs. total
07/11/06 - 120 - Minus 110 lbs. total from start weight
07/31/06 - 117 - Minus 113 lbs. total from start weight
10/30/06 - 118 - Minus 112 lbs. total from start weight (Holding steady btwn 115 and 119 for almost a year now. Very happy with that weight range.)
02/06/07 - 115 - Minus 115 lbs. total from start weight
