Archive for the Category »Project Fatass «

15
Aug
Who Knew I Would Lose Weight THERE?
Kelly

Everything is loose on me now. I’ve lost 45lbs since the surgery six weeks ago and I had no idea how big of an impact 45lbs would have, considering how much I have to lose. My clothes are swimming on my, my bra is holding nothing up anymore. It’s exciting but a little frustrating. I am in some sort of fat clothes limbo right now. I can’t quite fit into a new size but the old size is gallons too big.

I had a surprise side effect from the weight loss yesterday. Maybe side effect is the wrong word. I guess I lost weight in a place I didn’t expect.

My feet have been killing me. I don’t really know why. So I went to DSW. A super nice sales person was helping find me shoes that might not produce torture-like pain in my size of 11. I’ve worn a size 11 shoe since I was 12 years-old. Just for the hell of it, I asked for one of those silver feet measure-y things. I put my foot in and stood up. Imagine my shock and consternation at seeing my toes even with the WOMEN’S SIZE 9 wide  line. I looked at it for a few minutes, mildly amused and certain that this contraption was lying to me. I marched over to the clearance section and, sure that it was never going to happen, I shoved my foot into a ladies size 9W Addidas.

I showed my sister and we both stood there, thoroughly bewildered. I decided that something was probably wrong with this particular pair of shoes, and proceeded to try on about 30000000000000000 more pairs of 9-9.5 Ws.

I left the store with two pairs of shoes I wouldn’t have been able to fit my foot into 6 weeks ago.

Who knew??

Category: Project Fatass  One Comment
02
Aug
My Inner Bulimic Teenager is THRILLED
Kelly

I learned something very bad today. I learned it quite accidentally, mind you. I learned that my new stomach can be coerced into vomiting. Meaning, I was feeling really sick after I tried to eat something and I was leaning over the garbage can. While leaning, I coughed. So Feeling Sick + Leaning Over + Coughing = The Vomit.

I wish I could unlearn it. It’s dangerous to know this. All through high school, I wished that I was one of those people who could vomit on command. I know now how terrible that is for you, but I was 16. All I knew was I was tired of being the fat girl. The idea of bulimia was intriguing except for one little detail: I abhor vomiting so I could never bring myself to do.

Knowing that I only need to lean over and cough makes things much easier. I am not sure why this is even an issue since I had gastric bypass and have lost 37lbs in 34 days, but apparently the eating disorders die hard.

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22
Jul
Post Op Week Three – This is a Bit of a Rollercoaster Ride
Kelly

I’m here, I’m back, I’m technically fine. I had a minor setback last week. I was rehospitalized on the 14th for severe dehydration. I was so dehydrated it briefly affected my kidneys. As soon as I was rehydrated (they gave me 7 liters of fluid!) my kidney function returned to normal. All I do now is drink, drink, drink. I am drinking 3 liters of water every day to try to prevent the dehydration from happening again. It’s hard because The Vomitting™ has started. I’ve thrown up twice this week, which isn’t bad. I heard about a woman in the surgeon’s office who is all vomit all the time, so obviously, it could be worse. But since the focus is on staying hydrated, The Vomitting™ is obviously not helping that goal.

Oh, and also? There’s The Nausea™. Oh sweet lord, it is the most mind-bending nausea EVER, and it is often accompanied by physical pain which makes it that much more pleasant. Imagine, if you will, the sickest you’ve ever been. Perhaps a bout of food poisoning or a stomach flu. Then imagine someone parks a car on your chest and the tires of that car repeatedly stab you. That is what it feels like. I was supposed to start the Stage 4 bariatric diet yesterday, which is soft foods, but there is no way in hell. The Nausea™ is so bad when I eat something that I don’t even want to try.

These three phenomenon definitely go down in my Things I Wish I Had Known About the Surgery Before Having the Surgery book. Because really? I may have considered the lapband a little more if I had known that this part of the process was so rough.

In happier news, I have lost 31lbs in 3 weeks. I have to admit, that pretty much negates the trauma of The Vomitting™.

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06
Jul
Post-Op Week One: Dude, this is Harder than Expected.
Kelly

I’m back! Many thanks to everyone who inquired about the surgery and if I was OK. I am definitely OK. The surgery was as uneventful as those things can be. No complications or anything. The surgery itself was the easy part. The mental crap has been much harder.

What mental crap? I think it is not shocking to find that anyone who is in a position to “need” gastric bypass probably has issues with food. Just because I had the surgery doesn’t mean my issues with food were magically erased, as much as I would have liked them to be. Instead, my issues with food have decided to rally together as one central force to drive me the rest of the way insane.

For instance, I learned last night that after my post-op surgeon’s visit tomorrow, I can have cottage cheese. I nearly cried. I thought I couldn’t eat anything for a few more weeks and then upon finding out that I can have something resembling food as soon as tomorrow? Seriously almost cried.

I should point out here that I am not hungry. Hungry isn’t something I have felt since the surgery. So my desire to chew and swallow is purely mental. Knowing this is like knowing Pandora’s box was just delivered to your home via UPS. How can you not open it?!?!

I don’t want to mess this up. I don’t want to be so enthralled by a container of cottage cheese that I lose my mind, eat the entire container while standing in front of the open fridge, and then my new stomach will explode and I’ll DIE all because I wanted cottage cheese!

And that is just a small sample of the “mental” crap and how hard my mind seems to be working against me right now. Surely, this too will pass, right?

Category: Project Fatass  5 Comments
27
Jun
You Do Not Need Surgery To Lose Weight – A Reply
Kelly

I read a great blog that y’all should check out.  The blog’s author, Tony, blogged today about not needing surgery to lose weight. Since accepting that surgery is the only solution for me at this time, I have received a lot of support from most people. But occasionally I get a grumble of, “Can’t you just stop eating and start exercising?” as if I am merely too lazy to lose weight in a conventional manner. Tony’s blog today sorta set me off, not at him personally, but at people who make assumptions about people who choose bariatric surgery.

I dare say that there are people in this world who do the opposite of what I have done. They see bariatric surgery as a quick fix and hop on the wagon train with little understanding as to what they are taking on. I thought about having weight loss surgery for years. I’ve spent hours and hours reading articles, web sites, medical journals, and books on the topic of bariatric surgery. I “investigated” my surgeon, checked his credentials, checked out his practice partner. I looked at mortality rates, success stories and failure stories. In short, I did not decide to have this surgery on a whim and I have more than done my homework.

The bottom line is that conventional weight loss methods will not work for me. I have tried changing my diet and exercising without seeing even the slightest result. I got myself an overpriced gym membership and busted my ass for 3 months, along with not eating a single thing that wasn’t an uncooked vegetable. You know what that got me? NOTHING. I didn’t lose a single pound. I sat in my doctor’s office and cried after I got off the scale.

There’s nothing wrong with my thyroid or anything else that the docs can think to run a test on, so the answer I have been given is this: I have sucky genes and I am a diabetic. When you are a diabetic, your body holds onto the weight a little harder, apparently, making it even more difficult to lose weight.

Where does that leave me? If conventional methods aren’t working because my body is doing its damnedest to hang onto the weight, where exactly does that leave me? It leaves me either stuck in a medical situation that will eventually kill me, or it leaves me with bariatric surgery.

I am having said surgery on Thursday, July 1st, 2010. I am optimistic, but scared. Mostly, I am tired of being fat. I am tired of people judging me based on my size, which is such a little part of who I am as a person. I am tired of being limited in my activities and what I can and cannot do. I’m tired of having to order my clothes from a catalog because stores don’t carry sizes big enough to fit me. I am tired of being made fun of for my size. I am also tired of people judging me for taking this route. Perhaps other weight loss methods work for you, but believe me when I say they do not work for me, so please don’t judge me for making the choice I HAD to make.

Category: Project Fatass  Tags: , ,  6 Comments
07
Jun
Save This Date
Kelly

I received approval from my insurance carrier. On June 28th, 2010, I will be having gastric bypass surgery.

I am totally stunned. I didn’t think I’d be approved that fast. Three weeks from today.

WOW.

Category: Project Fatass  Tags: ,  One Comment
17
May
So..Tired…Must…Blog…
Kelly

I am exhausted. Thoroughly and completely exhausted. I worked through my lunch today and an all tuckered out.

On the surgery front, I have finished all primary requirements and secondary requirements!!! I had the pulmonary tests performed, met with a dietitian, and attended the two hour pre-op seminar. All I need now is for the surgeon’s office to submit me to my insurance carrier for approval. YIPPEE!!!

And now, I am going to curl up with a book and then drift off to dream land.

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04
May
A Ton Down, Three to Go!
Kelly

I met with the surgeon. He is super nice. He is very reassuring.

I only have 3 more things to do before they will submit me to my insurance carrier for surgery approval (*SQUEEEEEEEE*).

  • I have to have a pulmonary test performed. It is scheduled for this Friday @ 2:00pm
  • I have to meet with a dietitian (which is free) for 30 minutes. I am scheduling that tomorrow.
  • I have to attend a 2 hour seminar on bariatric surgery (this is required by the hospital where the surgery will be performed. I am attending the seminar on 5/12 @ 5:pm.

The lady that handles all of the insurance wrangling in the surgeon’s office said I could have my surgery as soon as June, depending on how long it takes for my insurance to respond to the pre-certification (they have to respond within 30 days of the request).

I’M SO EXCITED!!!!

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03
May
Stopping by the Butcher Shop. Want Anything?
Kelly

***Cross-posted from Kelifornia.com***

Tomorrow I have my first consultation with the surgeon for the bariatric surgery. Normally, you meet with the doctor and he tells you all the steps you need to complete to meet insurance requirements and any requirements of his own. However, my doctor knew all of the requirements and I completed them already.

  • Psych evaluation – Check!
  • 6 months of physician supervised weight loss – Check!
  • Sleep study – Check!
  • Blood work – Check!

    • So, tomorrow I will meet with the surgeon and hopefully get all my paper work submitted to the insurance. Once they approve me, then I will get a surgery date.

    I’m excited, nervous, scared, excited, ready, not ready, excited…did I mention excited?

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    18
    Apr
    How Would You Like Your Stomach? Banded, Sleeved, or Bypassed?
    Kelly

    I’m having bariatric surgery. Which surgery, I am still not full decided, but I am definitely having something.

    I’ve actually been working on having this surgery since last August. The only reason this is even a possibility for me is that my insurance is going to pay for it. Before they pay for it though, there’s sixteen rings of fire you have to jump through.

    First, I had to complete 6 months of physician supervised weight loss and nutrition classes. Then, I had to have a sleep study (that was the weirdest experience ever). Next, I had to have a psych evaluation to make sure I don’t have body dysmorphic disorder or something like that. Then I had to attend a 2 hour seminar all about the surgery and its different forms.

    LAPBAND and the Stomach

    Originally, I thought I was going to go for the LAPBAND®. It’s the least invasive, performed laproscopically, reversible, and has the quickest recovery time (about 1 week and the surgery is usually outpatient). Basically what happens with LAPBAND surgery is a smallish ring with a balloony center is placed around the top of the stomach. There’s a long cord attached to the ring, which is call the port. The port is underneath the skin near the rib cage. As you lose weight, the band needs to be tightened to control food intake and appetite. Saline is injected into the port and the balloony portion of the ring expands to decrease intake and appetite. There’s no cutting of organs or re-routing of the bowel.

    My second possibility is a relatively newish procedure called Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Basically, that’s a fancy way of saying that 90% of the stomach is removed and one is left with a sort of banana shaped stomach that can hold approximately 150ccs of food. Some people see this option as a mid-point between the band and the full bypass. There’s no re-routing of the bowel with the sleeve. Weight loss is more rapid than with the band, but not at quick as the bypass. It is permanent and not reversible. Recovery time is about 3 weeks.

    Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

    Last but not least is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. With GB, the stomach is cut in 2. A small piece of the stomach is converted into something called the “proximal pouch.” The pouch essential becomes the new stomach and is about the size of your thumb. A small portion of the bowel is re-routed so that food is not full digested because it is “bypassing” the duodenum. So, they make your stomach really really small and then they make it so you don’t absorb most of what you eat. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is considered the most invasive, although it is performed laproscopically. The recovery time is about 4-6 weeks. It is permanent, and after having the bypass, one must take a multivitamin and B12 pills for life.

    Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

    I have an appointment with my surgeon on May 4. Hopefully, he can provide some advice on which procedure is the best for me. I was so certain I wanted the band, but the more I started thinking about it, the more unsure I became.

    Everyone keeps describing bariatric surgery as a weight loss “tool.” If that’s the case, shouldn’t I get the biggest, most helpful tool there is?

    I’ve never had any kind of surgery before, so yeah that freaks me out (I’ve never even had a cavity). I also hate hospitals and cringe at the thought of being in one for a few days. In the end, it will all be worth it, I just am not sure how to choose the procedure for me.

    Whatever I decide, I hope my surgery is scheduled soon. I feel like I have been working on getting everything completed for about a hundred years. I am totally ready to get this show on the proverbial road.

    Category: Project Fatass  Tags: , , , , , ,  3 Comments