Letricia S.
My Weight Loss Surgery Journey
Oct 26, 2006
5-22-00 I have been approved by kaiser. I see my surgeon June 6, 2000 to schedule the surgery.
11-2-00 I saw the Kaiser surgeon in June and had another appointment with him in August. I moved out of the Kaiser service area by 10 miles and they terminated my Kaiser coverage. I had to find another surgeon who would take my Medi-Medi insurance coverage. I made an appointment to see Dr. wolfe at UCD in Sacramento. I saw Dr. Goldman one of the surgeons on October 25th. He recommended I lose 40 lbs before my surgery so I have a chance to have the lap operation. Also the more I lose before hand makes it safer for me since my BMI is 61. I am trying hard. I see him again on Jan.10,2001. I am trying to be patient.
1-10-01 I saw Dr. Goldman today at UCDavis in Sacramento, I also saw the nurse Practitioner and the nutritionalist too. They were both very nice and I finally have a date for my operation. I am overwelmed with all the emotions. I didn't think I would ever get a date. I go in for a pre-op appointment on Feb. 22,2001 and my surgery is set for March 2, 2001. I didn't lose the 40 lbs(Too much Holiday food!) so it looks like I will be having the open instead of the lap surgery. Still the hard part. M O R E W A I T I N G !!!!!!
4-7-01 At my pre-op appointment I weighed in at 386lbs and now I am 346lbs. I am 5 weeks post-op and have lost 40lbs so far.
I had my surgery and everything went well. I had an epidural so I didn't feel much pain until they took it out just before I came home from the hospital. I have had my good days and bad days since. I haven't had any vomiting, but I get dizzy if I stand up too long. I am tired and weak. I am on a soft diet and am trying new foods all the time. I am able to eat almost any meats that are lean and tender. I hate all those protien drinks and bars they all give me gas, so I think I'll stick to real food.
5-10-01 It's been a little over two month since the surgery. I have lost 59lbs and weigh 329lbs now. Still a lot to go,but a good start. I had been very tired all the time, so my doctor did labs and found out I was very low on potassium. Since taking the potassium pills I am feeling much better and have a lot more energy. Thank goodness the surgery part is over and now I am losing weight. I have already had to give most of my clothes away so now it's hard to find anything to wear. I must get started sewing up some skirts with elastic that I can take up when I lose weight.
7-7-01 I weigh 306lbs and have lost 80lbs now, it's been 4 months since the surgery. This is the best I have felt since the surgery. I had a problem with my kidneys for about a month. I got dehydrated and one of my medications may have been causing me some problems. I am so glad to be feeling better. I almost was regretting having the surgery. I love the weight comming off, but I didn't like feeling sick all the time. I still drink my protein shakes in the morning and I can eat just about anything I want in small portions. I have to try hard to get my water.
8-28-01 I am down to 290 now and have lost 96lbs. Just 4 more until I hit the century mark. I still would like to lose another 136lbs. That seems a long ways from now. It's been almost 6 months now and I don't have any regrets. It's been hard at times and I still need to exercise more. I have been lifting weights trying to firm up the sagging skin on my arms and stomach. My doctor is talking about knee replacement and right now I don't even want to think about another surgery. It would be good if it will help me get around better. I still need to lose some more weight before I think to hard about that. It sure feels good to be able to go to a thirft store and find clothes that fit me. I could never do that before. It feels great!
12/03/01 It's been 9 months now and I now weigh 254lbs, that's 132lbs lost forever. I am doing really well now. I still have 104lbs to go,the weight doesn't come off as fast now, but I am still losing. I still need to exercise more. I find I keep putting exercise off. I am doing so much more now and I can have a bit of fun on shopping trips now instead of walking for about 5 minutes and than having to sit down. I can eat pretty much anything in very small quanities. I tend to eat a lot of low fat cheese,because it is easy to eat on the run. The thirft shop is my favorite place to shop, because I find alot of outfits for little money. It doesn't pay to buy new when next month it will not fit anymore.That sure feels good when it is too big rather than too small!
1/10/02 Wow! I can't believe it I feel so much better. I've lost 148 lbs now and going shopping is fun now. I remember not being able to walk to the back of Walmart with out having to sit down somewhere on the way. Now I can walk all over the store and actually shop.
I had to go back to drinking protein shakes, because I was not getting enough protein. My hair has been falling out. I had a lot of hair, but now it is getting thin. It's a small price to pay for the lost of weight.
7/19/02 It's been awhile since I've updated my information. Let's see so much has happened. I still have some complications from the surgery. I have been in the hospital twice. once in April for dehydration and in June for a bowel blockage. I am still losing weight,but it isn't as fast now. I weigh 198lbs. That is a long ways from the 386lbs I started with back in March of 2000. I am still thankful for the weight loss. Even with the complications. My surgeon says they are planning to fix my hernia soon. I see them next month and I think they will schedule my surgery. I have already seen the plastic surgeon to remove the excess skin. They are going to do both together. My hernia is getting bigger, it looks like I'm about four months pregnant. I just want to get the surgery over with.
8/19/02 A month has passed and I still don't have a date for my hernia repair and tummy tuck. I have to have a CAT Scan wednesday , because they are seeing some kind of mass in my pancrease. I am a little bit scared. Hopefully everything will come out fine. I have been tired alot and I am constantly getting dehydrated. Both times I went to the hospital they had to give me a lot of fluid (IV) to bring me back to normal. I wake up every two hours at night very thirsty. I am praying everything is ok. I have lost down now to 196 that is only 2 pounds since last month. But It's exactly 190 pounds total now. Wow! I can't believe it. I look down and still see a large belly though. It's all that excess skin, I can't wait for that to be gone. I wonder how much that weighs too.
9/19/02 I finally have a date for my hernia and tummy tuck. I leave in about an hour for my pre-op my surgery is next thursday.9/26/02. I am so nervous, it seems I am more nervous about this operation than the first one, I don't know why. I weighed yesterday and I am at 188 lbs. That is a long ways from the 408 lbs I was three years ago. I am so happy, I just want to feel good though. I have had a lot of pain from the hernia and a small bowel block back at the end of June. My surgeon says it should be a lot better after I heal from the operation. I am praying a lot and getting more nervous by the hour.
11/9/02 Wow. It's been six weeks since my operation. They fixed my hernia and did a paniculectomy. They removed 13 1/2 lbs of skin and fat from my abdominal area. I am now only 18 lbs from my goal weight of 150lbs. I can't believe it's been less than two years, since I weighed 215lbs more than I do now. I am since healing from the last surgery though. I had to have drains in for three weeks and go back to have drainage removed. Now my incision has opened up about 1 cm. so I have to keep bandages on it until it heals from the inside out. I am still tired alot too. I want to have more energy to do things. I guess my body has gone through alot in the last 19 months. It will take sometime to heal. My surgeon says we will talk about getting rid of the excess skin on my arms next. I hate the bat wings that I have.
1-16-03 Wow. I feel so good. I have healed well from the surgery and all the swelling has gone down. I put on a pair of size 12 jeans and they look good on me. I went horse back riding with my sister last month too. I haven't done that for 30 years. I was just a child then. I am so happy I just lack 15 lbs to get to my 150 lbs now. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I saw my plastic surgeon on the 9th. He took pictures of my arms to send them to the insurance for approval. They will call me when they know anything. I hope I can get my arms done before summer.
2-10-03 I got approval for getting my arms done. The surgery is tommorrow. I went to my pre-op on the 7th. I am getting a little nervous. I have been through so much in the last two years that I know that this surgery will be easy. I really didn't even think about not being able to use my arms for a little while until the nurse was telling me my instructions at my pre-op. I am not looking forward to the pain. But I will be happy in a month or two, when I will be able to wear short sleeves again. I can't wait until summer now!
3-15-03 I had my arms done on Feb.11th. I am doing well I think I have a small fluid build up that might have to be drained. I have been a little tired since the surgery. I might be suffering from some depression. I seem to after each surgery. I am happy to have the bat wings removed. I weigh 163lbs now. It is really hard to lose any more. I need to lose 13 more pounds. Oh well I should be happy I no longer weigh 408 lbs like I did several years ago.
7-23-03 I am doing well, I recovered from my arm surgery and I am now waiting to have my thighs done. I see Dr. Sommerhaug in September and we will set the date then. I went to college for the summer semester and it was great. I am trying to go through a rehab program to become employed again. I need prayers. This surgery has changed my whole life and I am ready to start someplace. I have always wanted to teach school, but my weight and self confidence was never there. I want to embark on my education to do what I want to do. Going to school this summer has motivated me to exercise too. I took a P.E course and worked out on the weight machines. I never before had so much energy. I still get tired, but I feel like I have accomplished something now. No more struggling to get my breath after turning over in bed.
11-2-00 I saw the Kaiser surgeon in June and had another appointment with him in August. I moved out of the Kaiser service area by 10 miles and they terminated my Kaiser coverage. I had to find another surgeon who would take my Medi-Medi insurance coverage. I made an appointment to see Dr. wolfe at UCD in Sacramento. I saw Dr. Goldman one of the surgeons on October 25th. He recommended I lose 40 lbs before my surgery so I have a chance to have the lap operation. Also the more I lose before hand makes it safer for me since my BMI is 61. I am trying hard. I see him again on Jan.10,2001. I am trying to be patient.
1-10-01 I saw Dr. Goldman today at UCDavis in Sacramento, I also saw the nurse Practitioner and the nutritionalist too. They were both very nice and I finally have a date for my operation. I am overwelmed with all the emotions. I didn't think I would ever get a date. I go in for a pre-op appointment on Feb. 22,2001 and my surgery is set for March 2, 2001. I didn't lose the 40 lbs(Too much Holiday food!) so it looks like I will be having the open instead of the lap surgery. Still the hard part. M O R E W A I T I N G !!!!!!
4-7-01 At my pre-op appointment I weighed in at 386lbs and now I am 346lbs. I am 5 weeks post-op and have lost 40lbs so far.
I had my surgery and everything went well. I had an epidural so I didn't feel much pain until they took it out just before I came home from the hospital. I have had my good days and bad days since. I haven't had any vomiting, but I get dizzy if I stand up too long. I am tired and weak. I am on a soft diet and am trying new foods all the time. I am able to eat almost any meats that are lean and tender. I hate all those protien drinks and bars they all give me gas, so I think I'll stick to real food.
5-10-01 It's been a little over two month since the surgery. I have lost 59lbs and weigh 329lbs now. Still a lot to go,but a good start. I had been very tired all the time, so my doctor did labs and found out I was very low on potassium. Since taking the potassium pills I am feeling much better and have a lot more energy. Thank goodness the surgery part is over and now I am losing weight. I have already had to give most of my clothes away so now it's hard to find anything to wear. I must get started sewing up some skirts with elastic that I can take up when I lose weight.
7-7-01 I weigh 306lbs and have lost 80lbs now, it's been 4 months since the surgery. This is the best I have felt since the surgery. I had a problem with my kidneys for about a month. I got dehydrated and one of my medications may have been causing me some problems. I am so glad to be feeling better. I almost was regretting having the surgery. I love the weight comming off, but I didn't like feeling sick all the time. I still drink my protein shakes in the morning and I can eat just about anything I want in small portions. I have to try hard to get my water.
8-28-01 I am down to 290 now and have lost 96lbs. Just 4 more until I hit the century mark. I still would like to lose another 136lbs. That seems a long ways from now. It's been almost 6 months now and I don't have any regrets. It's been hard at times and I still need to exercise more. I have been lifting weights trying to firm up the sagging skin on my arms and stomach. My doctor is talking about knee replacement and right now I don't even want to think about another surgery. It would be good if it will help me get around better. I still need to lose some more weight before I think to hard about that. It sure feels good to be able to go to a thirft store and find clothes that fit me. I could never do that before. It feels great!
12/03/01 It's been 9 months now and I now weigh 254lbs, that's 132lbs lost forever. I am doing really well now. I still have 104lbs to go,the weight doesn't come off as fast now, but I am still losing. I still need to exercise more. I find I keep putting exercise off. I am doing so much more now and I can have a bit of fun on shopping trips now instead of walking for about 5 minutes and than having to sit down. I can eat pretty much anything in very small quanities. I tend to eat a lot of low fat cheese,because it is easy to eat on the run. The thirft shop is my favorite place to shop, because I find alot of outfits for little money. It doesn't pay to buy new when next month it will not fit anymore.That sure feels good when it is too big rather than too small!
1/10/02 Wow! I can't believe it I feel so much better. I've lost 148 lbs now and going shopping is fun now. I remember not being able to walk to the back of Walmart with out having to sit down somewhere on the way. Now I can walk all over the store and actually shop.
I had to go back to drinking protein shakes, because I was not getting enough protein. My hair has been falling out. I had a lot of hair, but now it is getting thin. It's a small price to pay for the lost of weight.
7/19/02 It's been awhile since I've updated my information. Let's see so much has happened. I still have some complications from the surgery. I have been in the hospital twice. once in April for dehydration and in June for a bowel blockage. I am still losing weight,but it isn't as fast now. I weigh 198lbs. That is a long ways from the 386lbs I started with back in March of 2000. I am still thankful for the weight loss. Even with the complications. My surgeon says they are planning to fix my hernia soon. I see them next month and I think they will schedule my surgery. I have already seen the plastic surgeon to remove the excess skin. They are going to do both together. My hernia is getting bigger, it looks like I'm about four months pregnant. I just want to get the surgery over with.
8/19/02 A month has passed and I still don't have a date for my hernia repair and tummy tuck. I have to have a CAT Scan wednesday , because they are seeing some kind of mass in my pancrease. I am a little bit scared. Hopefully everything will come out fine. I have been tired alot and I am constantly getting dehydrated. Both times I went to the hospital they had to give me a lot of fluid (IV) to bring me back to normal. I wake up every two hours at night very thirsty. I am praying everything is ok. I have lost down now to 196 that is only 2 pounds since last month. But It's exactly 190 pounds total now. Wow! I can't believe it. I look down and still see a large belly though. It's all that excess skin, I can't wait for that to be gone. I wonder how much that weighs too.
9/19/02 I finally have a date for my hernia and tummy tuck. I leave in about an hour for my pre-op my surgery is next thursday.9/26/02. I am so nervous, it seems I am more nervous about this operation than the first one, I don't know why. I weighed yesterday and I am at 188 lbs. That is a long ways from the 408 lbs I was three years ago. I am so happy, I just want to feel good though. I have had a lot of pain from the hernia and a small bowel block back at the end of June. My surgeon says it should be a lot better after I heal from the operation. I am praying a lot and getting more nervous by the hour.
11/9/02 Wow. It's been six weeks since my operation. They fixed my hernia and did a paniculectomy. They removed 13 1/2 lbs of skin and fat from my abdominal area. I am now only 18 lbs from my goal weight of 150lbs. I can't believe it's been less than two years, since I weighed 215lbs more than I do now. I am since healing from the last surgery though. I had to have drains in for three weeks and go back to have drainage removed. Now my incision has opened up about 1 cm. so I have to keep bandages on it until it heals from the inside out. I am still tired alot too. I want to have more energy to do things. I guess my body has gone through alot in the last 19 months. It will take sometime to heal. My surgeon says we will talk about getting rid of the excess skin on my arms next. I hate the bat wings that I have.
1-16-03 Wow. I feel so good. I have healed well from the surgery and all the swelling has gone down. I put on a pair of size 12 jeans and they look good on me. I went horse back riding with my sister last month too. I haven't done that for 30 years. I was just a child then. I am so happy I just lack 15 lbs to get to my 150 lbs now. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I saw my plastic surgeon on the 9th. He took pictures of my arms to send them to the insurance for approval. They will call me when they know anything. I hope I can get my arms done before summer.
2-10-03 I got approval for getting my arms done. The surgery is tommorrow. I went to my pre-op on the 7th. I am getting a little nervous. I have been through so much in the last two years that I know that this surgery will be easy. I really didn't even think about not being able to use my arms for a little while until the nurse was telling me my instructions at my pre-op. I am not looking forward to the pain. But I will be happy in a month or two, when I will be able to wear short sleeves again. I can't wait until summer now!
3-15-03 I had my arms done on Feb.11th. I am doing well I think I have a small fluid build up that might have to be drained. I have been a little tired since the surgery. I might be suffering from some depression. I seem to after each surgery. I am happy to have the bat wings removed. I weigh 163lbs now. It is really hard to lose any more. I need to lose 13 more pounds. Oh well I should be happy I no longer weigh 408 lbs like I did several years ago.
7-23-03 I am doing well, I recovered from my arm surgery and I am now waiting to have my thighs done. I see Dr. Sommerhaug in September and we will set the date then. I went to college for the summer semester and it was great. I am trying to go through a rehab program to become employed again. I need prayers. This surgery has changed my whole life and I am ready to start someplace. I have always wanted to teach school, but my weight and self confidence was never there. I want to embark on my education to do what I want to do. Going to school this summer has motivated me to exercise too. I took a P.E course and worked out on the weight machines. I never before had so much energy. I still get tired, but I feel like I have accomplished something now. No more struggling to get my breath after turning over in bed.
