p77tmey

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]My story.....[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]I ate my way to 306 pounds. And didn't care much for exercise. I had previously lost a ton of weight on a low carb diet; however, as you know if you eat carbs again you will gain it all back.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]On a whim, I decided to check into WLS. I made an appt with the surgeon, and two weeks later I had surgery. I didn't have to see a counsel or a nutritionist, because I was self pay - I think that was a huge disservice to me.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]12/18/09 I went under the knife. I was very scared. Scared like I've never been before! The surgery itself went fine; he found some suspicious spots on my liver and biopsied them, but they came back normal.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]Post op, I had HORRIBLE nausea. It was like nothing I've experienced before or care to experience again. It came in waves, and I couldn't move, talk, breath when it came on. It made my heart race so fast that nurses came running in every time it happened. I tried several antinausea meds and finally a suppository was what helped. I gained a bit of water weight in the hospital from the IV fluids. The JP drain must've been hitting some sort of nerve, because it was causing unbearable pain in my left shoulder. The minute the drain was pulled, the pain subsided.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]When I got home, I could barely drink anything. It took me an hour to drink 2oz. Long story short, 1/2/10 I landed in the ICU with blood clots in both legs and a massive clot sitting in both my lungs. I had collapsed at home, two days in a row, and 4 different docs told me that when I collapsed I should have been dead. The end result of not drinking when I got home was dehydration and clots because of it.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]I was on blood thinners for seven and a half months. Then, ten months later, I fell down my basement steps (never ever carry a large comforter down the steps!!) and developed a blood clot in my left leg. Blood thinners again for another six months. Luckily, I had $2,000 worth of blood tests and do NOT have a clotting disorder. So I just need to stay hydrated and be careful not to expose myself to the possibility of another blood clot. I have an IVC filter from the first incident.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]The first several weeks post op, I still had nasty bouts of nausea. It was almost unbearable. I also found that I could not eat rice and warm bread, and couscous. I still do not eat rice or couscous, three years later. The feeling of something being stuck is so bad and painful that I think I'm scared to death of it happening again.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]I am almost three years post op and am not at my ideal weight. Over the years I've allowed myself to eat lots of munchies. I love munchies. Anyway, with poor eating habits I've only maintained my weight for the last year and a half. This is why I am back on here; I need support and inspiration to keep me going. I have the small stomach, and I need to re-learn better life habits so that I can succeed some more.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=4][color=#A52A2A]I hope to connect with others that can keep me going in the right direction. I need it badly, as I am soon to be going through a divorce and food is my comfort![/color][/size][/font]