Susan L.

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Wow, can't believe it's been so long since I've posted!  20 months since surgery. Highest recorded weight 375; 312 the day of surgery. I'm 179 now. 24 lbs 'til goal. Was a size 34; now I'm a 14-16. Would love to get to a 10!! I'm very blessed; this surgery and new lifestyle has been such a blessing. I don't always make wise food choices and I don't exercise like I should. I'm working on that. My life has totally changed. For the first time in my life I feel like I'm an "average" size. I feel that I look "normal". Now I'm self-conscious about all the loose skin!!!! but I remind myself that it used to all be filled with fat! I want to be strong and fit and healthy!

 

Highest recorded weight: 375, so to see a ONE in front of a number has been my goal for a long time. So excited! 44 lbs 'til goal weight!! Added some new pics today!

I'm 7 months post-op and I just reached the 100 pount loss mark! I lost 62 lbs on my own before surgery, so 162 total loss! That's more than I'm gonna weigh in the end! I have 58 lbs more to loose to get to my goal weight of 155. I cannot believe I weighed 375!! I'm 213 today. At my largest, I was a size 34; today I'm in an 18 and XL. WOOHOO! I have always had long blonde hair, and I took the plunge and cut it all off and dyed it brown. I have lost SOOOO MUCH HAIR since surgery but it's getting better!!! I will go back to blonde eventually .,,,. everyone says that's my personality (not "dumb blonde" they say, but bubbly). A whole new life! Bariatric surgery is wonderful!!

Just so you know ... I've NEVER exercised before. NEVER. Ok, I've had my (somewhat legit) excuses: I have had persistent abdominal hernias (all stemming from overdoing it after a C-section almost 21 years ago). I've had the hernias repaired three times, and it's "come back" ... I need hernia surgery again. I got hospital-acquired MRSA staph infection TWICE from these surgeries, almost died, and was gutted and had to have a gigantic open wound for 5 months. If that's not enough, I have chronic back pain due to a herniated disc and back probs since I was in a bad car wreck 24 years ago. HOWEVER ...  at least I could have tried harder to walk, if nothing else. I didn't. WELLLLLLL ... I joined the Wellness Center at my local hospital on Friday and OMG I ACTUALLY LIKED IT!! I had a personal trainer who spent 90 minutes with me, planning out my exercises, length of each, order of each, and even wrote down where my most comfortable seat and levers adjustment positions were, along with # of reps, amount of the weights, etc. I shocked myself by kicking off the whole session with a 10-min. walk on the treadmill. Me? Walk 10 min. without having to sit down and be totally out of breath? Without my back killing me or my hernia hurting!? I did it! With ease! Then I did the rest of the cardio exercises (omg, the elyptical was TOUGH), then on to weights. I not only SURVIVED Friday's 90-min. session, but I was invigorated during and afterwards! I actually LIKED it. With my work schedule, combined with the hours they are open, the only time I could work out again/next was the next morning, Saturday; they close at noon, and are closed on Sunday. Right ... me give up a sleeping-in day? To WORK my body and sweat (God, I HATE sweating!), and to make myself ache?! Well, folks, I did it! I got there at 10:15 a.m. and spent 90 min. working out! I liked it! I'm so proud of myself! Weeeeeeeeee!! And I'm not even sore!!! I talked to my boss today and asked if I could work through lunch a couple of days a week (we get 30 min.), could I leave an hour earlier on Tuesdays (at 5 pm) to add a third day to my exercise regimen. He said yes! (I'm surprised; they're real anal about our hours here). I work almost an hour's drive from home/Wellness Center area, so I'll only have an hour to work out on Tuesdays before they close at 7, but that's better than nothing!! I'm going to try to bring my tennies and walk during lunch time Mon, Wed and/or Thurs.'s. Now that it's cool outside, it won't bother me (remember, I hate to sweat; I get real bitchy when I get hot and sweaty). I am enjoying this new lifestyle! Pray for me that I can keep up this momentum!

I hadn't ridden a horse since I was a kid. I was afraid. Not of falling off or being thrown. Afraid I would break the poor horse's back. Afraid I couldn't hoist my fat arse up half my height and then swing my leg over. Afraid I wouldn't fit in the saddle. Afraid everyone would laugh at me. Afraid they would be disgusted for the agony I was causing that poor horse. Well, Saturday was a red letter day. I rode two horses. I mounted them with ease. I fit in the saddle. Their backs didn't break. I had the time of my life! I cannot begin to express the joy I had riding those beautiful steads ... a real sense of accomplishment! Then I went paddleboat riding. It didn't sink when I sat down! It didn't tip when I stepped in! And I paddled tirelessly, my legs didn't give out and I didn't pant and sweat. What a great day!!

Ok, writing this and seeing it may help me. I am not getting my protein in. I'm not exercising. My hair is falling out in clumps. I'm not drinking enough water. I'm not eating right. I'm angry at myself. I'm almost halfway in my weight loss, and I've been lazy. I need to get my butt in gear and get serious about this. sighhhhhhhhhh

     

Yep, less than 1 week and back in the hospital again. Kidney stones, uggh. Composite: calcium. I have stopped taking my 3 daily calcium supplements until I can talk to the dr. again and have bloodwork done, I guess. I still have one stone in the left kidney that could be there awhile before making its way down, and I don't want it to grow anymore! Ever since the surgery, I sip water all day long but don't urinate much and it's always dark. Sigh.

I had an EGD with DILATION yesterday!  For weeks, I've been throwing up everything that's not a liquid, no matter how little and slowly I eat, and how well I chew it. I can't keep anything down, and it's getting worse daily, and I'm getting weak. I used to could eat scrambled Egg Beaters and broiled fish but throw even that up now.  Yesterday I had an EGD with dilation for a Gastrogastric Stricture. The surgeon did an endoscopic balloon dilation to stretch the stoma (the surgically created part that connects our new pouch to the intestine) with a balloon. I was dilated from a 6 mm (1/4 inch) opening to 18 mm (3/4 inch). It took about 3 hours from prep thru dismissal and I was put to sleep during the procedure. This is not an uncommon post-op problem. Sometimes the stoma just closes too tightly during healing and causes a Gastrogastric Stricture. Mine was scar tissue. These strictures occur in 5% to 10% of patients after roux-en-y gastric bypass. Follow-up dilations may be required (the nurse said 90% are resolved after one dilation). I sure hope I won't have to have any more!! I can't wait 'til tonight when I test my new stoma and finally eat something! Hope I can keep it down!!!

Today was my son's rebirth day! He had laproscopic RNY today, on the 5-week anniversary date of MY RNY. I'm SO happy for him and excited that we will be on this journey together! He's 20 years old and has a whole new life ahead of him! He is now 434 pounds and 6'3". Please keep him in your prayers! NOW we have to try to get this for my husband, his Dad! Mark is almost 300 lbs and is 5'10". He wants it really bad now (at first he wouldn't even talk about it, but he's seen how well I've done with it!). Hopefully, insurance will pay for it! They've changed plans mid-year and don't offer the surgery anymore, but my son and I were already in process, so they couldn't turn us down.