slimagainsoon

Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!!!!
 
Hello all....as stated in my previous entries - I am still not smoking and very proud of myself! For the past two days I have had a lot of energy. Yesterday I went to my first post op appointment and previous to that I went to get my hair done. I was so busy moving around all day that I did not drink as much as I should have. The doctor checked my tongue and was able to tell....he said that the whiter it is ...the more fluid you need!!!! Other than that, the incisions are healing fine and I feel better and better every day. My blood pressure was 135/95 while at my doctor visit. I have not taken any of the medication for BP since the surgery so I crushed and took one when I got home. The last two days it has been in the normal range without additional medication. THIS IS WHY I AM SLEEVED. I already feel healthier and more energetic. Can you image when I become a pro at eating and drinking, fully healed, exercising, etc. WOW!!!
 
Today I went to early vote with my son! This is his first year being of voting age with a major election. It took all of 10 minutes and I was so proud of him for getting out there and exercising his right to vote. So after voting, I took my car into the shop to get some warranty work done before it expires...lol and routine maintenance. The good thing is that my dealership provides loaners so I didin't have to wait on it so I came back home and cleaned a bit......did a bit of laundry, made the bed, light work. ENERGY!!!!
 
Now what is really exciting to me is that on Saturday, I can start eating the cream and blended soups - I am looking forward to more flavor! I am not "afraid" to drink anymore and sometimes drink a little too fast and have to wiggle around for the slight discomfort to go away.
 
I bought a nutriblender (made by the magic bullet folks) a few weeks ago so I am looking forward to trying it out starting this weekend. My liquid diet and surgery happened so quickly that I have not been able to use it as initially planned. I will definitely post again once I use it and let you all know if it is something worth your while and if anyone reading this has one....let me know what you think about it.
 
It's time for bed but thanks for reading and allowing me to be a part of such a great community!

Tomorrow is the BIG day, surgery is at 9:30 and I'm scared to death. I've been a nervous wreak all day and I just cant calm down. OMG what the hell I'm I doing Lol, ok just calm down (this is so sad I'm talking to myself Lol).

Yesterday was Friday, I called the surgeon's office as he had requested to give an update on my abdominal pain. Of course I had to go through his nurse, ok, fine, well she puts me on hold then comes back and says doctor would be happy to call in a refill for Vicodin for me. I start to lose my patience and tell her I never finished the first prescription of Vicodin, I hate the way it makes me feel, I cannot function, I just pass out and then wake up in more pain! So, finally she puts the good doctor on the phone. He says, "Yes?", I relay, again, that I have not gotten any relief with the Celebrex, and I now I am having pain when I am NOT moving, and my heart feels like it is racing. I ask if he could order an MRI on my chest and abdomen to rule out any other complications such as herniation/abscess/microscopic leak/muscle tear/or whatever. He firmly states "You do not have a leak, a bleed, or an abscess. Your pain is musculo-skeletal. An MRI will show nothing that the CT did not already show. I have nothing more to offer you". Really? Wow. Wow. I thank him (don't know why) and hang up.
I know I was going out on a limb, but I called a chiropractor in town who specializes in neurological pain and "failed surgeries". He got me in within a couple hours. He sat at his desk, looking at my papers that I had completed regarding my history and my symptoms. He shook his head and said there was nothing he could do for me. But he did recommend I get a second opinion from a bariatric surgeon, if I could find someone who would see me. He confirmed that something is not right, and he believes it is a nerve that is damaged or injured as my pain is described as being a sharp stabbing pain. So I leave.
Today, Saturday, I have devised Plan B, tentatively. There is a bariatric surgeon in town, although he just started doing the sleeve, he has a lot of experience with RNY and bands. I will attempt to make an appointment on Monday and see what he thinks. It's a place to start. He is the surgeon that did my gallbladder surgery about 10years ago, I was very pleased with his work back then, he's a reputable doc, and I think as I'm a previous patient he will see me. So the saga continues.....and the pain...

Today is sunday, that means clear liquids all day. For a heart patient with a fluid restriction of 1000ccs or, 33 fl oz per day this is rather an impossible task.
 
Let me back up and tell you about what happened in 2009. I had graduated four days earlier with my Bachlor of Fine Art in Photography. I had everything lined up, a job, an apartment all those grown up things.I thought I'd come to visit home for a few days before going back to the place I was going to be working. At 9am in the morning at my mothers house I started to feel faint. Thank God there was a phone beside my bed but the numbers looked so foreign. All that got my mom on the end of the line was me remembering the pattern of her phone number. If not for that ... I wouldn't be typing this here now. She called an ambulance and came home right away.
 
After many tests and lots of pain the ER Doctor said I had heartfailure. An unknown virus had attacked my heart for what seemed like 1 or 2 years and as it slowly ate the muscle wall it caused my heart to jump up to 275bpm on that day.
 
Fast foward 2.5 years and here I am needing a new heart. However, I weigh to much to be put on the eligibility list. So my Cardiologist suggested that I have a Gastric Sleeve to loose weight rapidly to get on the list quicker because my time is short.
 
And that ladies and gentalman leaves me driving to memphis at 3am tomorrow morning to have this life saving gastric sleeve operation.
 
The liquid diet is killing me, I have horrable heartburn and my stomach is all messed up from the magnesium citrate I drank earlier. As miserable as I am I know that everything will be worth it in the end.
I can use all the support I can get, so please add me as a friend!
-G

Until recently, I thought that WLS was for the unmotivated or lazy. The more I researched I found that surgery is just like buying diet aids and spanx. It is a tool to help overweight people to reach their goal of good health.
 
I research both the lap band and the sleeve and concluded that the sleeve was the right procedure for me. On October 1, I went to Dr. Jayaseelen for a consultation. His staff was nice and he was there to discuss the procedure during that initial visit. They verified that my UHC benefits covered the procedure but I would have to get individual approval and provide a 5 year history of obesity. Now, this was not going to be hard because I've had the same doctor since moving to Texas 11 years ago, worked for the same company, and held the same insurance.....but I was still just going through the motions and tried not to get excited.
 
Well, on October 9th, I received a call from Dr. Jay's office stating that I was approved by my insurance and that I could select a surgery date.....my head was spinning! The nurse told me that I could schedule it as early as October 24th! Instead I opted for October 30th.
 
Now you must know that there was a lot to be done in a short amount of time. I had to attend a pre op surgery class, have the EGD procedure, pre-op meeting with the surgeon, blood work, ekg, stress test.....The doctor's office worked with me to get as much as possible done in one day so that I would not have to make several trips back and forth. That was very much appreciated.
 
I started my liquid diet on the 22nd of October and guess what happened on the 25th????? My doctor's office called me and asked....would you like to move your surgery up to tomorrow? Of course I was speechless and could only studder for a few seconds or so. I asked them to give me about an hour and I would call back with my decision. But since I knew my out of pocket costs and was ready to pay, had my short term disability started at my job, been to the grocery store and bought presurgery laxatives, liquid protein, gas x, b12, juices, crystal light, etc. - I decided to go for it because I was prepared!!!!
 
Well here I am on Sunday night, sitting in my family room 2 days after surgery and feeling quite nice. 5 lbs down.....

Dear food,
 
You have been a source of refuge and comfort for a long time, something to warm me on cold winter nights and to celebrate life's milestones. But sadly, our relationship is no longer working for me.
 
You've become an obsession, an unhealthy and unproductive millstone. So I've decided that it's time to say goodbye. There are some special mentions I'd like to make...good bye massive bowls of spaghetti, blocks of chocolate, cheesy pizza and my old friend, coke. Though over the coming days our parting will be difficult, and I will no doubt long for the days when I would indulge in you with impunity, I am excited to let you go.
 
I will get an opportunity to explore life beyond this obsession. So with sadness but absolute determination, fare thee well, old friends.
 
With no regrets, Lila
 
(I start my pre-op diet in the morning And I am actually feeling excited about it! Wish me luck!!)

I am so happy I made the decision to have the Sleeve surgery. I am living again!!!
I went to Kohls and bought me this cute dress. A size 2X!...! ME?!.... not 4x but a 2X?! I am so proud and happy!!
 
If you are still wondering if this surgery will get you results, wonder no more. DO IT!! get motivated, get ready to put in time and effort. Be ready to make real life changes for a better you. Really commit to follow the rules and guidelines that your medical team will put in place for you. Give it your all, and watch the magic happen babyyyy
 
I am so happy, I could cry!!!!!!

IT HAS BEEN FIVE MONTHS SINCE MY LIFE CHANGED!!
 
I walked in this morning wearing a new outfit. Complete chaos lol!!!! My "friend" started acting up again. Ever since my surgery, she started a crazy eating pattern and exercise day and night it seems like. She sat there and said NOTHING.
 
Once the other coworkers walked away, we started discussing the day and plans for the weekend. She found a new cool place and was thinking of going there Saturday night. I said awesome and then she said this: this is going to be fun, although I am not sure of "this" new you. You are no longer the beautiful SAFE friend. WTF?!?
I smiled and said " what you mean to say is, I am no longer the fat friend and you have seen nothing yet cupcake"
 
This is fuel for me. I am determine to be the beautiful, skinny, unsafe friend. Her and others that think like her, have no idea what's coming
P.S I learned today (from my NUT) it is important to keep my calories up above 600 calories. For my body to process protein properly and boost weight loss, my caloric intake have to be at a good level. From 600 to 800 but no higher than 1000 with exercise of course.

I'm finally in the 170's!!! I'm so relieved to see the 170's I can't tell you! My primary goal is 169 lbs, and my birthday is in 2 weeks. Today I weighed in at 177.9, which means I'm only 8 lbs away from my goal- most importantly my birthday is in 2 weeks!!!!! I want so badly to make my goal by my birthday, a present I've never really been able to give myself before. I have friends coming to visit me and I'd like to get dressed up in a fabulous tight dress and show everyone AND take pics!! I still haven't told the rest of my social world about my surgery (not really planning too) but I also haven't posted ANY pics since my weight loss started, and now every time someone see's me they kind of freak out a little bit. So I figure my birthday in two weeks is a great coming out party for weight loss pics, and even bigger motivator to get this last 8 lbs off! I can do this!
 
And my NSV this week? NSV... my skinny jeans/pants I bought in Nurnberg, Germany years ago on the Euro size chart at H&M... FIT! Like a glove. Hallelujia! About a size 9/10 on the American standard. Here is my before and after 2.5 months after surgery! Size 16 to size 9/10!!!! Check out the before and after below!!
 

 
Height: 5'9
 
Highest Weight: 216
 
1st Goal Weight: 169
 
 
Sleeved:
(8/17/2012): 216 lbs
 
Week 1 (8/24): 204.8 (-11.2)
Week 2 (8/31): 200.6 (-4.2)
Week 3 (9/7): 196.8 (-3.8)
Week 4 (9/14): 193.5 (-3.3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 9/17/12- 1 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog
Week 5 (9/21): 191.6 (-1.9)
Week 6 (9/28): 190.1 (-1.5)
Week 7 (10/5): 187.0 (-3.1)
Week 8 (10/12): 181.9 (-5.1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 10/17/12- 2 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog
Week 9 (10/19): 181.4 (-.5)
Week 10 (10/26): 177.9 (-3.5)

I am going to have to ring my nurse, i was told i would need to go into hospital the day before because of the diabetese been controlled by injections, but, on the letter that came today i am to be admitted at 11am on the day of my op.
It also said for the by pass and yet i told them i wanted the sleeve, am puzzled, but will have to wait until monday to talk to anyone seeing as it is 4.15 on a friday afternoon.
Had a very stressful morning with mom, still very confused, sat and listened to 5 hours of mixed up memories from mom, really hope these antibiotics get on top of the infection and she gets her mind back soon.
The hunger is under control more now, and i am able to stick to the 800 cals and ercord it with fitness pal, which is a great app on my tablet pc.
I am aware that i need to be sttrong over the weekend, and then it will be one week done, and one week to go.
Now i must sleep and relax, zzzzzz

I'm pretty much at the very beginning of my adventure...Had my first appointment last week, and have my psych. evaluation scheduled for next week. On Friday I received a letter in the mail, from the Company that I work for, stating that they will be changing insurance providers from Aetna to Blue Cross Blue Shield. This becomes effective January 1, 2013. Yikes!!! I'm honestly spazzing a little bit. Just when I finally get to a place where I can get it done (job stability, decent insurance, and a made up mind), this happens.
 
I called my insurance coordinator at the Dr.'s office and she suggested that I call BCBS and see if they cover WLS. So I call them and they say that it's not listed in the plan, or at least the description that he saw on his screen. Now I have to speak with my Company's Benefits Administrator. Shall we pray!!!!!!!
 
The Coordinator at the Dr.'s office told me that even if they say "no", there's a way around it. I wonder what that's about.
 
Anywhoooo, I know I need to stay positive, so I'm going to try not to stress.

Called my employer, confirmed my LOA extension until Nov 8. Feel like some pressure off, not worrying about having to get back to work in less than a week. However, the pain continues. Slept in recliner again, but even getting out of that chair is becoming painful. Pain seems to have moved to more central upper abdomen, just above belly button. I am taking ES tylenol every 6 hours and wearing my abdominal binder to make it tolerable. I still cannot bend over, or lean to one side or the other, or sleep in my own bed. I did sneeze and I did not feel like my stitches were ripping out-so that's an improvement. It's hard to look to the future when I will feel better. I recall thinking of how much better I would feel, how much more I could do after losing the weight, how young I would feel; yea, that's not happening yet. I can't even stand up straight for pete's sake!
23 days postop....it just not fair,...(but what is? )

Yep, it's been a while... a crazy month but here I am... almost a month since my last post and a full week post-op! So, I'm going to try to give the short version of my month because I'll be up typing all night if I don't (it's currently midnight!).
 
In my last blog, I believe everything had just been submitted... I got denied twice! Yep you read it right... twice! I guess those idiots didn't know who they were saying no to! They tried to tell me that I wasn't sick enough and that I didn't do my nutrition... blah blah blah... at one point I actually cited Maryland law which requires them to cover the procedure based on my issues . I am known as the queen of arguing but they didn't know that... neither did the chic from my doc's office that kept givin me the run around til I emailed her boss LOL. Long story short... I was sleeved on the 16th even with two denials!
 
So... after my approval... I tried to do my pre-op diet... really I did, but I had less than two weeks between approval and surgery and I seriously worked over 80 hours a week to make sure everything I was responsible for was done before I went out and the stress of that combined with no food caused major migraines so I ate. I ate significantly less, but I ate.
 
One week to the day before surgery, I had a miscarriage... I didn't know I was pregnant until I lost it (I have an IUD so this was not supposed to happen)... I also didn't know you could mourn a child you didn't know you were pregnant with (I learned several things that week)... A visit to the ER explained that my IUD slipped out (it's in but out so not providing protection which is how I got pregnant) and I have a major fibroid .
 
The miscarriage only caused minor problems with my sugery (the anesthesiologist refused to move forward due to my positive preg test from the week prior even after I explained the miscarriage - the staff OB/GYN cleared me for surgery and we moved on). I was terribly stressed prior to surgery due to some of the things people have posted on here... I cried all through pre-surg prep b/c of this. Apparently my surgery was text book despite my having failed miserably at the pre-op diet... do not use this as your idicator though... I believe I got lucky (God feeling I've had a bad enough month)... I did not get a pain pump post-op and the first nurse was being stingy with drugs. Also, my body does not like to pee after anesthesia so I could not go without pushing which was not fun... especially with limited pain meds. I also kept getting horrible hiccups that made me want to die but I survived the night. I didn't sleep much yet the time passed. I left the hospital the next day around 3 p.m. My post-op diet involved 2 days of clears and now I'm on full liquids. I've been healing well so I'm tolerating shakes, yogurt, soups, and I'm hungry pretty quick. From posting and reading, I know this is normal but that doesn't make it suck any less . As for the TMI section of this... farting post op was really hard to do! It really helped to walk to move the gas and to get on all fours if it wouldn't pass (sounds weird but I found this on google when it was hurting bad and it worked LOL). I'm a week out and I still haven't done anything beyond pee in the toilet... tonight I drank a laxative tea and am hoping it works... I know I'm putting stuff in there but I'm wondering what's happening to it .
 
Last thing and I'm signing off... It's 12:20 now so I'm doing awesome! I know I've lost weight... I've weighed myself and I've already seen one physical change. I have my first official post op appointment tomorrow though so I'm going to wait until then to update my weight on here so stay tuned. I'm also hoping to get to move on to mushies early tomorrow since I'm starving and tolerating things so well (he said it was a possibility before the sugery).
 
Good night fellow sleevers and those lurking as I once was .

Well, it looks like there's a chance I could get referred to surgery sooner than I expected!!! I had been planning on having surgery at the beginning of next year, but I saw my doctor today and he said he was going to submit the referral this week and see what they say!
 
My insurance requires a 3 month supervised diet, but my MD doesn't have a scale that can weigh me, so he's gonna see if we can bypass that requirement and get me referred now. If not, I only have another 5 weeks until my 3 months would be up anyway, so it's not that far off if it gets rejected. He said I shouldn't have a problem at the 3 month point, but he'll see what he can do to speed it up. :D :D Oh em gee!
 
I still don't know exactly what happens next. I guess I'll find out, though. This is getting kinda exciting! Ever since I left the Drs office, I've been daydreaming. A friend of mine is going to a Halloween party tonight and I was invited to this party but declined. I don't have the self confidence to meet strangers anymore, much less the confidence to put on a costume and let people look at me! But this time next year could be totally different! EEEEEEEEEKKKKKK!!
 
I'll let ya know if the referral goes through! Wish me luck!

So.....this is me and my journey of what brought me to where I am today.... This blog may make you laugh, smile and even cry.. but I just want everyone to see who I am and what brought me to this amazing experience...
 
As of today I am 29 years old and 35 pounds lighter than I was a month ago... but what got me to the point of having to have the sleeve? Well let me lay it out for you...
 
I have always been fat...from the day I was came into this world I always had more padding than was needed! My parents and sisters are both extra fluffy as well so growing up I didn't realize how different I was or what I was missing out on or not doing because of my weight because being around my family I seemed normal...I never really got teased in school for my weight, there were occasional times where kids would tease me..one time I walked past a girls desk and she started shaking like there was an earthquake. I grew up in Arizona where there aren't earthquakes, the thing is she was the same size as me so I tried not to let it bother me.
 
Then there was the time when I wore a red shirt and kids called me the kool-aid man. After that I started wearing blacks, grays, browns, darker colors that never really brought attention to myself.. wow I just realized as I wrote that why I tend to still to this day wear those colors and shy away from anything bright!
 
In middle school my mom had me do weight watchers in the summer, I lost a good amount of weight, but I was still chunky, by the end of the school year I had gained it all back and then some. The thing is, I still wasn't bothered by my weight. Boys were interested in me and had been since the 4th grade, but that probably was because I was the only 4th grade girl that was already a full B cup..
 
In high school I always had a boyfriend, it seemed that was not an issue that my weight let get in the way. There were even times when I had a few boys interested in me at once, by the end of high school I was already in a size 18/20. But that didn't seem to bother me or stop me from doing anything. My weight was something I felt would never stop me from doing what I wanted. I was happy and that is all that mattered.
 
I started college and the same thing, still had boys interested in me. Met boys in classes and made me feel like there wasn't anything wrong with my weight. I always heard people say oh boys won't like you because of your weight, but to me it wasn't an issue. I seemed to be the serial fat girl dater. After a few years of the college life I decided to move away from my family and all I knew in Arizona. It was time to branch out and I felt as though I was going no where in this town...
 
So I packed up my car and moved to San Diego at the age of 21. A city that I loved, though didn't know a single soul in. A big move for this girl who actually was shy! You wouldn't have guessed that with all that you've read so far, I bet So I started a new job, had my own place and that's when I realized that being fat, was being fat and there was nothing good about it. Living in California and a beach city to top it off there were beautiful girls everywhere.
 
Going to the beach I felt like a beached whale and that everyone stared at me... but then again I started meeting men.. they were interested in me and I thought wow if they are interested in me and there are those barbie girls out there then I am doing ok. I did start to work out and eat a little healthier, tried to get into the California lifestyle.. But even working out and eating right didn't seem to matter my weight stayed the same and eventually I gained more and more.
 
I had a few serious relationships, one right after another and they all loved me for me and thought I was beautiful no matter what size I was. I was always told I had such a pretty face, so again never let my weight get to me. I've done walks and the more weight I gained the more the simple things became harder...
 
I would determine if I would go somewhere based on how far I had to walk, if there were stairs, how crowded it was. I wouldn't go to a restaurant unless I knew there were tables instead of booths for the fear of not being able to fit into a booth.. Now I mention that the men I date were not fat, they were in good shape some in great shape with six packs!
 
I really started to become self conscious of who I was, what I looked like and who I had let myself become. My older sister had the lapband, lost a lot of weight but then had issues with the band and is slowly gaining the weight back. I started doing boxing and kickboxing at a boxing gym and loved it. I struggled but made it through every single hour long class!
 
Weight loss surgery has been something that I've thought about, but always thought I know I can lose the weight without it.. it will be my last resort! Then I met this new guy,... and we fell in love and got married! Going on just over a year right now. He is amazing, but he is fit, very active and health minded. That didn't seem to bother him, he always told me I was beautiful and loved me no matter what..
 
Then we decided we wanted to have children.. the thing is I hadn't had a period in years... I mean probably since I was in high school and college... and now I was 27 years old. I know what needs to happen to have babies... I was scared to tell him that I didn't have one and that I knew right now I would not be able to get pregnant. I so went to my OBGYN and started talking to her. She put me on medication to force me to have periods every 3 months... it worked, but still I was not ovulating. So she sent me to an endocrinologist.. and there is where I realized for one of the very first times in my life being fat is taking something from my life that I wanted so badly.
 
So they found out I had PCOS, a condition you get being overweight that causes you to resist insulin, you don't ovulate you don't get your monthly cycle. I felt like I was the only woman in the world who wanted to have regular periods every month! So they put me on medication for it to help me lose weight and get my cycles back.. well I never happened. I was thinking about weight loss surgery again, after all it would get me in the best position to have children the fastest. But I was worried too.. what if it doesn't work? Then I have tried every option possible and I am still left fat and childless... then will my husband still love me?
 
Then the true nightmare began... as I mentioned my entire family was over weight. Well as the years went on my mother was extremely overweight. She was 55 and struggling so much she was in a scooter..... my mother became very ill very fast.. she went to work on A thursday and became so ill that Saturday my dad took her to the ER. By the time I got into town, I knew I was going to lose my mother. Sunday morning at about 5 am my mother passed away. Her weight was the factor, they thought she had arthritis, which is why her back hurt and she had a scooter. Turns out it was kidney failure, and my mother had an infection and became septic. There was nothing that they could do for her in the hospital.
 
My sister and I lost our mother, our father lost his wife, my grandmother lost her daughter and her siblings lost their sister.. because of weight. That scared me because I was heading down the same path.. was that could to be me in 30 years? This happened June of 2012..
 
Then I had a dream a few night later... We were all back at the hospital and my mom was laying on the bed, she suddenly woke up and said, " Now that I'm ok, we all need to work on getting healthy". That was my breaking point, my vow to do whatever I had to do to live a long healthy life.
 
So I went to my Dr and said I want to do surgery, I went to the seminars and decided that I wanted to do the vertical sleeve. It was the best option and I have a little over 200 pounds to loose.. I was ready and willing to sacrifice anything to get my life on track. Being that I had already been going to the weight loss center I only had 2 more months until I could qualify through insurance since they required 6 months of visits..
 
So two months later my surgery date was set for Sept 14th, 2012. And I was ready. Insurance approval went through easy and I was set! Surgery day came and I still didn't feel like it was going to happen. My surgery went amazing, no complications I was on the table an hour. My recovery was just as great, I was discharged the next day by noon. I was at one of the best hospitals possible so I knew the care I was getting was what I needed.
 
Now here I am almost 4 weeks later and 35 pounds lighter. THis was the best decision of my life and I don't regret it. The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner. Maybe even sooner so maybe my mom would get to see how life changing it was and maybe make the decision to do something about it herself.. then maybe just maybe I would still have a mom... As today marks 4 months from the day she was taken from us all too soon..
 
So next time I think that being fat doesn't mean anything, I will think again because to me fat is no longer an option or a lifestyle.. it is going to be the old me, the me who really didn't think about what it was doing to me or my family.. Fat made me who I am today and without being this way I probably wouldn't have met my husband, but it also took my mother from me...
 
So here is to the start of the new non-fat me... seeing where this journey takes me. I know that wherever it does I will not be needing to ask for a seatbelt extender any longer