KristyM

After lots of hard, hard work, some worrying, some tears (mostly happy ones), lots and lots of happiness, lots of new discoveries about the new me, lots of wonderful changes, I can finally say I have (almost) reached my weight loss goal. Only 2 more pounds to go! Wow, what an amazing journey this has been. I am so happy to be able to do things that ordinary, thin folks do all the time and take for granted: walk around a store without sweating and breathing hard, walk up a small flight of stairs without wanting to pass out, take a walking tour of an historic town on vacation and not have to stop and rest and wipe sweat, shop and try on clothes without being flustered, sweaty, and agrivated, etc. My energy level is out the roof and I have been able to get back into doing my favorite things: DIY projects and furniture refurbishing. My health had gotten so bad because of the weight, that I just didn't feel like or have the energy to tackle DIY projects, which I absolutely adore doing. It feels so good to have the energy and drive that I had lost because of the weight. I don't ever want to be robbed of another moment, for the rest of my life, by weight and health issues. Before I lost the weight, I always hid my hurt and uncomfortableness about my weight with humor---even if I was dying inside and hurt by other people's rude and hurtful comments, I would laugh and be self depracating. One of the things I always joked about, when it was windy and stormy outside, is that I almost didn't make it into the building because I almost got blown away (when you weight 285 pounds, that is funny, cause it would take one heck of a storm to blow away a 285 pound woman) Now, I literally have that exact thing said to me: "You are going to dry up and blow away if you lose any more weight". WOW! How ironic, huh? But, this journey has never been about being skinny. It has been ALL about being healthy, and Praise God, I am healthy!!!!! I am alive, I am still here, and I am better than ever!!! I must go now--a storm is coming and I've got to find something heavy to hold on to, should the wind actually blow me away....... Heheheeeeeheeeee Signed, Skinny Minny

I am a few days away from my 6 month anniversary of my Sleeve. I have lost 94 pounds and have about 12 pounds to go to reach my original goal. I have been hovering right at my current weight for about 2 weeks now, and I am fluctuating a pound up or down from my current weight. I am still eating right and exercising as much as before, but I just can't get past my current weight. Am I done losing??? I know 94 pounds is a lot of weight loss and everyone tells me I am looking and doing exceptionally well, but I really want to reach my goal of 12 more pounds. Am I being unrealistic about the 12 pounds? Should I just accept that 94 pounds lost might be it for me? I know 94 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, but up til now, I have been accustomed to stepping on the scale and seeing a loss in weight. It is freaking me out to see the same weight, and sometimes a pound more, especially knowing how hard I am trying. Signed, Not sure if I should be sad or glad...........

Definitely do the diet as planned, and keep your fingers crossed about the approval. If you have done everything the insurance company has asked you to do pre-op, and it sounds like you have, then you should have no problems getting approved. And, you definitely want to have the diet started when you get the approval notice. Otherwise, if you don't do the diet now and you get approved, you will have to reschedule your surgery for later. The worst that can happen if you don't get approved---you do the diet and lose a few pounds on the diet. Stay positive and best, best wishes to you!!

Although Insurance paid for my Sleeve, my doctor's private pay was $14,000.00 in Alabama. This covered anasthesia, all doctor's visits, the surgery, and the hospital stay. Best wishes!!

Yes, I have BCBS of AL and they paid 100% for my surgery!! I followed their pre-op 6 month plan to the letter, as they asked (Weight Watchers once a week, Doctor's appt once a month for seven visits, provided 3-5 years worth of weights from previous year's doctor's visits), and I was approved on the same day my doctor's office submitted my paperwork. Of course, my BMI was over 40, and BCBS of AL will pay for the surgery without co-morbid conditions if your BMI is over 40. If your BMI is 35-40, you must have 2 co-morbid conditions (diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, etc). If you have done exactly what they have asked and you meet the BMI and co-morbid conditions, then you should be approved. Please let me know when you get approved and BEST WISHES!!! This will be the absolute best thing you will ever do for yourself!!! Don't give up and if for some odd reason they don't approve you, keep trying and resubmit with an appeal letter.

Thanks everyone! I have been gauging my success by the scale for 6 months now, and I sometimes forget that I am healthy, active, happy, and don't have to shop in the plus size section anymore----I need to focus on these facts instead of the scale at this point. I am actually in the size clothes I thought I would be in after I lost weight, so I am happy, happy, happy about that. Scale schmale......

Best wishes to you!! It is natural to be scared, but YOU WILL HAVE NO REGRETS!! When the weight starts melting off, you will know you did the right thing. And you will be healthy!! Take care!

This is TMI, I know, but something has got to give!! Ok, I know this is not something we ladies like to discuss and being a private person makes this very uncomfortable, but I HAVE GOT TO HAVE SOME INPUT AND HELP! Since my surgery, I have had a yeast infection every month, without fail. Has anyone else experienced this???? If so, besides the normal medications/creams, what else did you do to help it? I have done some research on other sites, and a few folks have had this same issue. One said taking a probiotic helped, one said eating yogurt alot helps (and I do eat Greek yogurt at least 2 times a week), etc. I wonder if my body is in "shock" from all of the rapid changes and for some reason it is reacting this way???? Could it be a vitamin imbalance??? The first one started right after I came home, and I just marked it up to the catheter and antibiotics that I was given in the hospital---as we all know, it is totally normal to get a yeast infection from taking antibiotics, no big deal. But, the infections are returning with a vengence each month, and each one is worse than the month before. Any suggestions, similar experiences??? Signed, ON FIRE IN ALABAMA, AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY.

Yep, my infections are about a week before my period, too. I am glad to hear I am not the only one. I will start the probiotic today and my gyno is supposed to call in some diflucan today. Sorry to hear you have the same issue. Maybe someone on here has some answers as to why this is happening to us after surgery. Best wishes to you!!

Thanks for the info. My diet is about as clean as you can get, and my sugar consumption is almost nil. I definitely will begin taking a probiotic ASAP, though, and I have an appt with my gyno in a few weeks.

The only baby food I liked was a jar of chicken weenies (they look like vienna sausages). They are soft and easy to chew and taste decent. I was able to start eating these during week 2 after surgery. I did not like any of the baby food that looks like pureed meats in a jar---they were awful. I didn't try the fruits and veggies baby food, but you might be able to tolerate those at this stage, as long as they are the consistency of a runny pudding--add some skim milk to the baby food fruits and it shoud help you get it down better. Check the labels for the carb and sugar content to make sure you are staying within the less than 5 grams of Sugar and low carb. I was able to tolerate sugar free apple sauce about mid week during week one---this was my go to thing to eat, as I tolerated it well and it did not make me sick. Grits and my protein drink were the other 2 things I was able to eat during week one/liquid week. A mashed up banana is good during week 2, as well. Hope this helps!! Best wishes!

Awesome!! You've got this!

Yes, you will feel cold! Yippeeee!! I have sweated and overheated all my life, and I could not understand seeing normal sized people in sweaters in restaurants and all bundled up on cold days. They were in a scarf and sweater, and I was sweating with a short sleeved t-shirt on. But, I had my surgery on 12/26/12 and I haven't gotten warmed up yet. I do sweat when I exercise, but I can acutally walk around the mall and not stop to wipe sweat and not have to stop and sit down to cool off. If I do sweat occassionally now, it is a very small amount and not nearly as noticeable as before (my hair would literally be wringing wet and sweat rolling off my face just walking around a store). I know some folks wouldn't understand, but not sweating and being cold is one of the things I looked forward to happening to me after the weight came off. I am down 77 pounds and have 28 more to go, and the sweating has drastically decreased. So, look forward to a sweat free life, and be prepared to buy some sweaters and sweat shirts, Sista, because you are going to need them!! Best wishes!

Absolutely, 100% no!! The sleeve is not the easy way out. For folks like you, me, and every other human that struggles with morbid obesity, we CANNOT lose weight and keep it off without the sleeve/bypass/band. It is almost impossible to do. So, first you have to accept that as a fact. Trust me, sleeving is not easy, but it is a great tool that will help you succeed. If you have failed at every diet you have ever tried, are obese now, and cannot see a future that does not include you being overweight, then you really have no choice but to have this done. Considering your family history and the fact that you weigh 347 pounds, what are you waiting for? Take that step, have it done, and begin a BRAND NEW LIFE. I know it is scary, and I faced the same things and had the same questions and voices in my head, too. But, you know what scared me more: realizing I was headed for open heart surgery, stroke, or a diebet coma sometime in my future if the weight did not come off. The thought of having a heart attack and waking up with a ventilator down my throat scared me enough to finally make the decision to take my health seriously. The thought of all the horrible things that can happen to us that struggle with weight is way more scarier than a 30 minute sleeve surgery. What do you have to lose?? The weight, of course. You CAN DO THIS!!! Those voices of doubt you are hearing are the same voices that, if you listen to them and let them rule over you, will laugh at you when you DO have a heart attack---and as you stated in your blog, you are already being treated like you have had a heart attack. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't wait any longer. Get to your doctor now and get this process started. You cannot afford to wait. Please don't wait too much longer---the longer you wait, the more damage your obesity will do to your body. I urge you to confront your fears, find a support system/group, and get started on your new life. There is no way any doctor, considering your history, would not be on board with you losing weight and getting healthy---if they are not, then find another doctor. Best wishes to you!!!

Seriously??? Did that happen to ME?? Three co-workers called me skinny yesterday. I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER, EVER, EVER been called skinny in my entire life. I am still trying to process the new me. It has taken some adjustments, especially trying to shop for clothes. I don't know what size to buy anymore---I find myself gravitating naturally toward the plus sizes. I still feel like and see myself as the fat girl, and it shocks the heck out of me to see a picture of myself. This is so bizarre, but totally bizarre in a wonderful, surreal way. I decided to have the sleeve for better health, and before the surgery, being thinner was not the biggest motivation for me. I have never been thin, and I had no plans or big ideas about what I would look like after losing weight; I just wanted to be healthy. I thought I was so prepared emotionally and mentally, but I just can't comprehend this new person I see in the mirror. I am very grateful that the weight is coming off, and having met my goal of being healthy has been great. But, I don't know how to deal with all of the attention I am getting. Part of me, of course, likes to hear the compliments. But, a great part of me is kind of embarrassed, shy, and feeling a bit overwhelmed with the questions: how are you doing this, give me some pointers, show me what you are doing, etc. Until I saw a recent picture of myself and compared it to my before picture, I just didn't realize the change in my body---I look in the mirror every day, so I don't see the changes as much. I have not shared how I am losing weight with a lot of people, so the questions of how I am losing weight is a bit difficult for me to answer. My standard answer on how I am losing weight is HARD WORK! I sometimes feel deceitful when people ask me how I am losing weight, but hard work it is!! I tell them I am on a high protein, low carb diet, and that I exercise at least 4 times a week. And that is the absolute truth! Does anyone else feel bad for not sharing the whole story when people ask you how you are losing weight?

Allow me to introduce myself. I am 38, happily married, a Christian, and I work in Accounting and Finance for a faith-based, non-profit organization that provides permanent homes and vocational rehabilitation for developmentally disabled adults. My work is extremely rewarding, but my job is sedentary. Sitting at a desk crunching numbers for over 10 years had definitely contributed to my weight gain. About 2 years ago, my health began to deteriorate (high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart valve issue due to the sleep apnea, foot and joint pain), and I made a decision to LIVE! I knew that if I didn't make a life change, I would not live to be an old woman. After close to 2 years of careful prayer, consideration, and loads of research and seminars, I decided to have the sleeve (I would have done it sooner, but insurance was an issue until recently). Today is my 3 month anniversary since the sleeve, and I have lost 62 pounds! I have turned into a healthy eating, exercising machine. I look in the mirror at this work out gear wearing woman and think, "Ok, who are you, how did you get inside my mirror, and what have you done with Kristy's body"? I have had no post surgery issues----no nausea, no vomiting, no food intolerances. The only food issue I have had is a dislike for eggs, no matter how I prepare them, I just don't like them anymore. My experience has been great and I have done exceptionally well. I have been blessed, and I contribute all this to my faith, the support of my husband/my rock, and the wonderful care I have received from my doctor and his staff. Being totally prepared has been a tremendous help, as well. The weight loss has slowed down just a bit now, but I am feeling so great that if I don't lose another pound, it has all been worth it. ALL of my previous health issues are gone and I feel like a new woman. I have no regrets, and I am looking forward to a healthy, better, and well adjusted long life. Being thin has never been my goal----being healthy is the most important thing to me. Even when I reach my goal weight, I will still be a plus sized person, and I am totally ok with that. I will be a healthy, plus sized person. Thanks for listening, and I wish everyone much success and many blessings! Have a great day.

Yes, it is realistic to not tell anyone. I told the same thing about the hernia, which was absolutely true---the hernia was planned to be fixed during my sleeve. You will get a lot of questions when the weight starts coming off. But, you will be able to walk during that 6 weeks, so you will truthfully be exercising. I just posted a blog about this same thing a few minutes ago. I get asked, almost on a daily basis, how I am losing the weight. My standard answer is HARD WORK! Everyone wants to know what "kind of diet" I am on. I tell them I am on a high protein, low carb, and exercise program. And that is the absolute truth. I have not had anyone right out ask me if I had WLS. I have decided, if they do, to say "How rude. Why would you ask something so personal as that?" and walk away immediately. It is your body, your business, and you don't owe anyone an explanation about your body. Yes, they will be curious and yes you will get questions (ALL THE TIME), stares, and nosey folks all up in your business. But, you absolutely do not have to divulge anything that you do not want to. Just state that you made a life changing decision to be healthy and that you are sticking with it this time! Best wishes to you! If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I will be happy to share!