fr1endly2
Well......i met with my surgeon for the first time back in february attending his seminar. I quickly the next day booked my appointment to meet with the surgeon and discuss WLS and ME!
I am 42 years old and reached my highest number of 310 at this consultation. I love Dr. Ahmad and I know he will be the right surgeon for me. His office people are caring and accomodating and right off the bat I love that. Calls returned and total care in all they do. I started my journey at a BMI of 51
I have to date 3/16 completed almost all my pre-op requirements just some cardiac tests tomorrow. Then i will make my 2nd appointment with the surgeon and book my DATE!!!
2/23/05.....Well things were going to smooth and too fast i imagine...and now i hit a little set back. Well I hope it will be a little set back. I was at my cardiologist hopeing to get my
clearance for the surgery when his test results caused concern. I may have a small blockage...maybe its my size causing shadowing on the nuclear stress test. But to be sure being i want such a major surgery they have to check this out more. So now monday i am set to go to stoney brook and have a Angiogram done....i am hopeing for no blockage and that my size caused the shadowing but if i do have a blockage i hope that the stents can fix right then and their. Not sure what this will mean for my weight loss surgery yet...just got to fix this then I will be ready to talk to my weight loss surgeon. So thats all for now hopefully i am still on target for surgery in MAY.....before the kids are out for summer break....so hoping on that.
3/28 After a long hard day at Stoney brook hospitol arriving at 8_30am and not having my procedure till 5 pm was a long hard nerve racking day. My procedure was botched I didnt get enough "HAPPY MEDS" and was in discomfort during the procedure and then just after...but the good news was "NO" blockage. The area is pretty bruised and i had alarming pain in the shower this morning but thats been check and is fine. I had a songoram looking for internal bleeding but otherwise fine.
3/30/05...Today i phoned Dr. Ahmads office and they were so helpful as always....we went over all my file to see what test reports they had and what they needed...and followed up with the pulmonary and ULTRA sound for gall bladder that seemed to be missing. I also booked my next appointment with the doctor for April 21, 2005. This is when we will schedule my appointment if all looks well!!! We also have applied for the insurance approval but with my BMI and EMPIRE we feel this will be smooth sailing....so this is where i am at. I have also made arrangements for Sheila (my stepmom) to come and be my hospitol advocate and here my first days home. Unfortunately, the care i got after my angiogram reminded me ill need more here to prevent me from doing. So far so good i want my surgery in MAY and i seem to be on schedule. YEAH ME!!!!! and thanks to all the great people of this site that supports me along the way.
April 5, 2005 - Well today the clearance was given to me by my Cardiologist who wrote me a precription to take one pill day before and day of my surgery. He worries my nerves will make my blood pressure go up and they wont give me surgery. Glad that is over with now. ALSO today i attended AMOS WLS support group for Suffolk Country, thanks to a friend i made on the site Stacy
i felt welcome and enjoyed going as a pre op person. I was WOWED by everyone in the room and their stories. Just shows me i can do this i can be a skinny girl. I am, however, very depressed and worried with my weight. I am not registering on the scale which tells me PMS and my nerves for the angigram and other home problems caused me to gain a bit. I also thing the IV from the angiogram put on some bloat...but its comeing down again and im back down 11 lbs. I am so worried Dr. Ahmad will not do my surgery cause i didnt loose enough. I cant have that happen. I am doing so good from now till the 21st and nothing will cause me to mess this up. Not after seeing the skinny girls at the meeting. It was really great.....samples of protein bars where shared, recipes...clothes were shared it was great! They meet monthly and this for sure will be a MUST for me. Going thru alot at home just now too which is makeing things a tad bit harder on me. Maybe its time the home also gets fixed along with the new me!!! Well thats all for today!!! THANK YOU all the great people who attended this support meeting at Stacy's house for the suffolk chapter of AMOS/WLS...you all motivated me beyond belief.
And so glad everyone was honest, open, sharing pictures it was the best. Even those with complications...its nice to hear it still turned out positively for you! thanks my NEW friends!
bye for today......on the 12th i go to my surgeons support group meeting.........so great to have all this when making a major change in my life like this! And i love this quote and must use it more and think it more: NOTHING TASTES as GOOD as THIN FEELS!
(yep stacy I will keep that in my mind while i start my journey)
April 12, 2005....Right now I have two dates...I of course want the earlier one but it depends on how soon my insurance responds. Either May 18th or May 25 th. Im so excited that Sima phoned and gave me these dates knowing how much i needed MAY as the latest date. I want to be up and feeling strong when my older kids are out for summer break. I run a daycare and if im a little tired the first weeks post op i can relax when the small kids nap. Once summer is here and i have all day school age kids i cant so for that i really want the MAY surgery dates.
Also tonight i attented my doctors support meeting at MATHER. WOW, it was great to hear all the good words from the patients of my selected surgeon. I knew I liked him but to hear the others reassures me. We had a plastic surgeon speak which at this stage is not important to me just yet...and then after
we had a personnal support group meeting. WAS great even a nurse from the hospitol was their and i know the staff at MATHER really takes pride and good care of the bariatric patients. I learned that Dr. Ahmad keeps himself on call for the nurses 24/7 after surgeries...so i feel so comfortable...I had a bad experience with my angiogram at Stoney Brook. And now i am having burning pains in the leg and i feel my cardiologists blew off my call and just said "ITS healing" and i said but the pain is worsening this week not improving..oh well on that for now.
April 20, 2005....TODAY in the mail was my insurance Approval letter....yeah me! The letter has dates on it that im approved for May 16 and 17...not sure why...but hope means mid month surgery for me!!! YEAH!!!!
April 21, 2005 - Well i have my date yet I am not very happy at all. THOUGHT i would be on my roof hollaring i got my date. However, he harped on the importance of me looseing the required 10 percent of weight...i lose 12 pounds and have 13 more to go.
He is so concerned of my enlarged liver and how i carry my weight. ALL IN THE MIDDLE, typical spare tire. He gave me a May 25th date, and said if i dont loose weight he will cancel it.
Its so hard i need to make arrangements for a family member to fly in to NY to help with my kids and knowing i may not get my date scares me. I read on the board of liquid diets maybe this is what i should do to reduce liver side. My doctor does not require the liquid diet but maybe thats what i need. IM more nervous then ever being he wants to only due me on his surgery day i am scheduled with his best assistant........why am i so different...IM STRESSED NOW!
April 26, 2005 Well I have been on the liquid protein shakes for a total of 3 days in a row. Drinking tons of water, sugar free jello, broth and as of today on the scale with no close on
I was down 8 lbs since i saw my surgeon THRUSDAY. I am so happy that im in control of the scale. I have 5 more lbs to loose so that doctor ahmad doesnt cancel my surgery. I do hope to even loose a few more lbs for the safety of me during this procedure.
THANKS everyone on the AMOS board for supporting me!
April 30, 2005 Well this week was good as far as loosing weight for my sugery i am down a new lo this am 187.5. That means 2 lbs to meet Dr. Ahmads want...i will try to loose more too. Unfortuantely as sad as it makes me and angry my surgery is being moved out a week being no one is available to help. I hope only to move 1 week waiting confirmation from the surgeons office on this. SO hard. hate to move this but its out of my control at this point. Will update soon bye
MAY 5, 2005
WELL today i returned to DR. AHMADS office after working hard to
loose the pounds i dropped another 11 pounds and the surgeon was so happy with my progress. I was too and im so motivated now. I hope everything goes this smoothly! MY NEW SURGERY DATE is JUNE 1 , 2005!!!!! Cant wait to be on the loosing side...and to start melting away
MAY 12,2005....waiting and waiting for my date to near. I dont think im nervous I more am ansxious to be on the otherside up and recovered. I have my last appointment with my surgeon on the 19th before surgery, then my hospitol pre op testing on the 26th. I will visit my PCP on the 31st of MAY and be set for my surgery on JUNE 1. Little tricky with the holiday just before but seems to be working well for me. The less time i have to take off work before the better. Well thats all i have to add im still dieting strong yet the scale is holding on to my weight. I find that very common after loosing well for 3 weeks that the 4 -6 weeks ur body is adjusting and slos down.....such is life. I konw after surgery i will have many more pounds off!!
May 18, 2005 Last night at 11:30 pm i got the news my dad passed away....he had been sick for a year and put up a great fight. He is at peace now. no more to say today, two weeks pre op.
MAY 19, 2005 Went to see surgeon for final consult before surgery. This is two days after the passing of my dad....my blood pressure is very high 184/94 if i dont bring it down i can loose my surgery date. Dr. Ahmad wants me to see my regular doctor.
May 21, 2005 blood pressure 160/94 Dr. Shah put me on meds to bring down and some as needed antidepressants.
May 24, 2005 I went to CVS and checked my blood pressure and its down to 128/90. So i hope this is good and i dont loose my june 1 sugery date.
JUNE 1, 2005 was my big day. On this morning i weighed in at 282 exactly. couldnt sleep was up at 2 am....also had bathroom issues from the citrate magnisium keeping me up. I reported to the hospitol and 6 am and my surgery began on time....My surgery went fine, LAPRISCOPIC, was in recovery by 11:00 am and in a room by 2:30. WOW...things went great but i did have problems with the pusle-ox machine sounding and not being able to sleep at all. FIRST guess was sleep APENA and they brought me a machine for that however, the mask was huge and i felt suffocated
and couldnt do that...so i choose to get no sleep. I found i had to be up every hour toooo PEEE....all he fluids they gave me. I love the staff at mather they couldnt do enough to ensure my great recovery.....I got released SATURDAY at 1:30.
I saw my surgeon on tuesday and weighed in the folowing:
First meeting w/ surgeon 310
SURGERY WEIGHT 283
June 7 1 week post op 273
June 9 269
June 20 262
1 month post op (6/30 256
July 16 245
2 months post op 239
3 months post op 229
September 12 224
October 1 216
NOV 1 207
DEC 1 198
JAN 1 187
Feb 1 182
March 1 177
APRIL 1 174
MAY 1 172
June 1 167
Today was my 3 months post op visit. ALL is great. DOCTOR took me off the asprin a day thing the cardiologist wanted me on.....my blood work came back clean as a whistle......even normal cholestrol
a first in many years for me. WOW im getting healthy now. SO cool and i thank Dr. AHMAD for this gift. Its time however to start getting into more working out. I am cleared to go back to the gym and i will start...need to tone up this body anyway. But im so happy. THE doctor feels im on the ABOVE average side for looseing
and im so happy. THEY feel im about 20 lbs ahead of schedule!
so neat.
Soon i will update my weight and inches gone on NOVEMBER first but today i saw this and i want to have this list on hand for future
reference for me or others:
DRUGS THAT CAN DAMAGE THE POUCH
Advil.............
Aleve............
Amigesic............
Anacin............
Anaprox................. Ansald................
Anthra-G.............. Arthropan.............
Ascriptin.............. Aspirin................
Asproject............... Azolid............... Bextra ................
Bufferin............
Butazolidin...........
Celebrex........... Clinorial................
Darvon compounds................. Disalcid.................
Dolobid............... Erythromycin............
Equagesic................ Feldene..............
Fiorinal.............. Ibuprofin.............. Indocin...............
Ketoprofen.............. Lodine................
Meclomen...............
Midol..............
Motrin................. Nalfon...............
Naprosyn.............
Nayer...............
Orudis................
Oruval..............
Pamprin-IB............... Percodan..............
Ponstel................... Rexolate..............
Tandearil............. Tetracycline..........
Tolecin.............
Uracel............
Vioxx........
Voltaren............
ALL "NSAIDS"
DRUGS THAT ARE CONSIDERED SAFE..........
Bendaryl...................
Tylenol ..............
Dimetap..............
Robitussin..........
Safetussin............
Sudafed..........
Triaminics (All).........
Tylenol (cold products).......
Tylenol Ex Strength..........
Gas-X ..........
Phazyme...........
Imodium Ad..........
Colace.......
Dulcolax-Suppositories.........
Fleet Enema..........
Glycerin-Suppositories..........
Milk of Magnesia.........
Peri-Colace...........
Well its JAN 1 2006, and im very happy. YESTERDAY i bought a size 13 jrs. jeans from KOHLS. I am down 123 pounds and feeling well. In december i had a horrible stomach virus with the runs that knocked me for quite a loop but im feeling better. I am happy where i am in good health and tolerate most foods fine.
Breaking Plateaus:
Do this for 10 days to break plateau
1) Drink 2 quarts of water a day
2) You must have 45 grams of protein supplement and all your vitamin & mineral supplements each day
3) you may consume up to 3 oz. of the following high-protein foods, 5 times a day:
• beef
• pork
• chicken
• turkey
• lamb
• fish
• eggs
• low-fat cheese
• cottage cheese
• plain yogurt or artificially sweetened
• peanut butter
• beans/legumes
You may also have:
• sugar free Popsicles
• tea or coffee
• sugar free sodas
• sugar free Jell-O
• broths and bullions
• Crystal Lite drinks
4) IF IT IS NOT ON THE LIST YOU CANNOT HAVE IT FOR 10 DAYS
5) Keep a food diary and get up to 30 minutes of exercise daily.
Good luck - and don't forget the water AND exercise part of this!!
Learning to care for your new plumbing
Time your meals to be no longer than five hours apart to avoid excess hunger and resulting snacking or overeating at the next meal.
The optimum meal consists of meat which has been very finely cut and raw or slightly cooked vegetables.
Consume all meals within a 15 minute time period.
Do not drink any liquids until at least 1½ hours after each meal. Then, after that time, start sipping water and increase the quantities over a three-hour period.
After three hours, increase the quantity of water or fluids to as much as you can comfortably handle.
About 15 minutes before your next meal, practice “water loading”, which is drinking as much water as possible as quickly as possible. Note that water loading will not have the desired effect if you haven’t been following the previous step of drinking water during the period between meals.
Remember that the pouch rules don’t really go into effect for the first six months or so after the procedure. That’s because it’s a waste of time to practice hunger management techniques when you’re not hungry. After the healing process is over, and the hunger pains return, reach for this article again. You’ll need it.the hair loss is from ketosis. The "waste" from your body burning off so much fat so quickly are something called ketones. These are toxic to the body. The only way to avoid a large build-up is to pee them out. The only way to pee them out is to drink lots of water. haven't come across a pateint ever that has not experienced some form of hair loss - whether it is mild or great... but to prevent a great loss I would suggest to get all of your protein in and lots of water... I was losing so quickly in the beginning that I also cut off 7" of my hair so it wasn't so heavy... hope this helps, and good luck!
FIRST YOU IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM *you have done that!
SECOND YOU FORMULATE A PLAN OF ACTION! WRITE IT DOWN not just thinking about it!
THIRD you post it here so we can support you (Being accountable to someone outside of self helps!) *or on the offtrack group!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW MY PLAN was it takes about 3 days to overcome the HORRID/VICIOUS carb addiction cycle for MOST (the physical aspect that is)...I call it the CArb monster!
SO STEP ONE:
I detoxed my house of all foreseeable triggers/carbs. (Join me pitchIN and ditchIN)
STEP TWO:
I loaded my home with things allowable such as cheese sticks, pepperoni, jerky, eggs (hardboiled a few ahead), sandwich meats, stocked up on shakes so I had variety for the 3-5 a day I could use, low carb veggies etc.....
STEP THREE: I was following the south beach phase 1 plan (adding shakes as above), so I had the book and there is a document explaining the reason it works/the plan in the files under http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OSSG_Off_track/files/ first folder back on track tips and plans..
I KEPT IT HANDY TO READ/REREAD in times of crisis.
STEP FOUR: Place motivational sayings all over, on computer on fridge (like nothing tastes as good as healthy & thin feels), you can do this, its only a craving and will pass in a few minutes!
STEP FIVE: List a bunch of things to do to pass time when a craving happens (it will happen and it will pass!) take a walk, drink a cup of water, have a shake, call a friend, email a friend, email the group, brush your teeth, listen to music, pet an animal (walk the dog), journal your feelings, give self a mani/pedicure, deep breathing/relaxation, go for a ride (bike or car) chew gum, have a sf hard candy. HAVE IT HANDY, as when we are impulsive it’s hard to think so go to the list not everything will work all the time but it helps delay!
STEP SIX: MUST PLAN, plan meals, prepare!!! take fluid and food with you, if you fail to plan you plan to fail as we say on off track. THIS is about progress, NOT perfection so don’t beat self up, know that things improve with each passing day u get the refined carbs outta your body. It really gets easier cause if you don’t put the junk in our body, the hunger really decreases it is amazing!>>>>Again south beach worked for me...took me 1 mo to lose my 10# regain following this it was the hardest week 1, after that hunger was minimal and my willpower could handle the HEAD cravings (it couldn’t handle the physically driven ones from how I was eating...bread=hunger kinda thing)...
STEP SEVEN: WRITE IT DOWN if it goes in your mouth, at least week one...then tell us how u r doing, many use www.fitday.com and I also recommend exercise of some way shape or form for the body soul and mind! TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS! IT is hard, but you just gotta do it....READY SET GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another saying we have is its WHAT U DO 90% of the time that matters, this strict carb reduction isn’t forever, you can reintroduce things at a later date, for now it is no carbs like bread & crackers cause they aren’t your friend, they give lots of calories and little nutritional value and well they make u hungry sooner with NO satiety (full feeling) I agree a burger or a pork chop sits with me for hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do not say to diet I say we need a plan for life! For me it is eating the way the South beach recomends, going from phase to phse as my life changes! Whatever works for you and u can do forever is good!
Well had a big scare on Wed July 19...i had some bathroom matters that i didnt really concern of..sometimes food does that....
but by 10:00 am I started vomitting...first 3 times were normal
but then it changed to black which alarmed me as did the taste
as well. FRIENDs told me to phone the surgeon right away.
I phoned Dr. AHmads office and got a call back in little over
an hour. I knew this was Dr. Ahmads morning of surgery so
knew a small wait. THE good thing was by noon my nausaus
completely stopped and i black puking stopped. I told Dr. AHmad
of my trouble told me to get prolesec OC for today and his office
would call me back to schedule a scope in the AM on the following day. SO i went in for the scope and as Dr. AHmad projected
the day before i had a stomach ulcer. THE ulcer was small, and healing and proly the virus (i later learned when of my kids took ill after) proly caused it to bleed. SO im on 8 weeks of nexium and
all should be fine! ONCE again Dr. AHMAD was quick to return calls and treat me...GOT to love Dr. AHMAD always makes me feel like
im a personal friend when it comes to the care he gives me!
So im fine now and feel i have had this for some time....and
found that when my pouch was empty i felt icky so i tended to
eat more....frequently. SO now i think i will be successful in eating
less now to loose the last pounds i want off.
June 15, 2016 i had a very bad hiatel hernia so being i had to have surery i decided to help curb my appetitite like early surgery days to put a gastric band around my stomach now to loose the 50 lbs i have regained. As of July 9, 2016 i have already dropped 20 lbs and happy and on my way to my goal again! Many things happened in my last years i divorced my husband of 25 years and got remarried in 2015 to Sonny Hale~
