LucieLady's Blog

So my journey starts

I have been thinking about doing this surgery for a long, long time. My problem started back in 1993 when I broke my back. Not being able to move around you end up just sitting in front of the television and eating chips and drinking soda. Then you wonder why you are not filled up on what used to be regular portions! It's because of all the junk your stomach has stretched and you have to eat more to fill it ! So I procrastinated and tried othermeansof losing weight....I.e. expensive diet plans (I don't listen to commercials anymore ). When I thought I had finally reached my decision , in 2008, I was hit with the news that I had breast cancer. So another delay, Ithought, as I underwent a double mastectomy and chemo then two reconstruction surgeries. Luckily I have a husband who is so supportive. He gave me hugs and encouraging "Don't worry....we'll get through this" words as I climbed from 125 lbs to 223 lbs. Both of our sons are out on their own, doing great, living in Chicago, with one married with two little boys. We remain in S. Florida and, after the loss of my Dad in 2010, my Mom has now moved here with us living in our guest house. I love having her here and making sure the rest of her life will be happy and cared for. She is 88 and still goes out in the yard to pull weeds !! So....finally....in July of 2012 I made the FINAL decision to get the ball rolling ! I called and inquired about the procedure . I had done my research online and talked to people who have had different surgeries and finally decided that the sleeve was the one for me. I was told about an orientation meeting where I would be given information and hear stories, meet surgeons and be able to ask questions ad nauseum. I must say I got a lot out of that first meeting but still felt I needed time to mull it over. By the end of October I had made the FINAL decision to do this. I called and scheduled a meeting with the nurse coordinator. I was then scheduled for the first of four meetings (one per month) with the nutritionist. My first meeting with the nutritionist was Dec. 15th. That's when we went over how I had been eating and how I should be changing my eating habits. I made faces at almost all her suggestions. I was horrified that I'd have to give up my chips and soda. Since ours is an Italian home I do all the cooking , and I am a good cook, and we DO NOT eat at fast food places. I never had yogurt pass these lips and was not a big fan of vegetables ! Plus when I saw the portion amounts I thought she had made a mistake and was showing me something for kids !! I told her that my parrots eat more than this at one sitting !! So home I went to start her suggestions and keep my food journal. Mind you.....Christmas was a couple of weeks away....remember? Italian ? It was a scary thought but I thought I would just pray for the strength to get through this. I returned to the nutritionist in January and she squealed with delight that, during the holidays, I had managed to lose 5 lbs !!! I was thrilled when I stepped on the scale and saw 218. My biggest challenge was changing my diet. So I am no longer eating white or Italian bread....only 100% whole wheat and I have to say I don't think I could go back to the other bread cause I like this so much. I have a whole wheat English muffin plus scrambled egg in the morning with my cup of hot tea with Splenda and a splash of milk. For the rest of the day I drinkCrystal Light. I like the pink lemonade. At lunch I have a sandwich on whole wheat. Snack is usually string cheese or Greek yogurt. I like the black cherry flavor a lot !! Dinner is pork chop or chicken cutlet or chicken thigh or salmon with asparagus or broccoli or baby spinach or green beans and a half baked potato ! My next visit was February 14th. where she informed me that I had lost another 7 lbs. and was now at 111 lbs. I have been diligently working on all the other requirements . I've had a stumbling block, or two, thrown in my way....like my long time family doctor all of a sudden deciding she was leaving to relocate out of our area. Luckily I was able to get her to write the medical necessity letter before she left and I have established with a new doctor. I've done the H Pylori (negative) and the complete Thyroid, went for the psych evaluation and that report was sent in, and now have my appointments for the cardiologist and pulmonologist March 18th. We are shooting for an April 15th surgery date. About ten days ago I ended up with the flu. Yes....we had our flu shots....oh, it was awful. Anyway I got on the scale yesterday and I'm now down to 205 !!!!!! That's a total of 18 lbs. so far !! My goal is 120-125. I would love to be back to myself. I'm hoping the high blood pressure I developed along with the neuropathy in my legs will go away with the excess weight. I will be using this blog as my journal. So glad I found this site and look forward to talking with people experiencing this, too ! Till next time..............

LucieLady

February 23, 2013

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