macadamia

I weighed in at the doctor's office and I'm down to 345.1! That makes 38.8 pounds lost since June 29, 2018. I'm uploading a screenshot of the trend from the LoseIt! app. As you can see, I had a big uptick in weight in late July and mid-August and it took a bit to re-lose that same weight again.

So, I've had my surgery time changed now three times for tomorrow. It started at 10:30 am, then at 10 am, and now I'm scheduled as the first procedure at 7:30 am.

Oh, I don't know.. I've never been described as hot, let alone flaming hot! (-:

Thank you very much. I appreciate it. You are welcome!

Holy crap! I'm 52! I hope that nothing like that happens tomorrow or during my stay. I'm sorry to hear about your mom's troubles and her passing. There was not much the doctors could do with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis back in the 80s and 90s. Things are a bit better with better drugs and additional drug choices, as well as better surgical techniques. My brother has had a couple of infections that have kept him in the hospital for long periods of time. So far, I have not experienced (knock wood) any infections while I've been hospitalized.

That is the $128k question! I asked to have a panniculectomy at the same time so my stomach would be flatter and the scar tissue in the middle would be removed. Both the bariatric surgeon and the colo-rectal surgeon highly suggested that we not do that. They agree that I should wait until I get close to my goal weight and then re-evaluate. It is likely that it will have to be moved again. If it is, it will be done in conjunction with a panniculectomy / tummy tuck. It will be coded as a panniculectomy so my insurance will cover it. Tummy tucks are considered cosmetic and are not covered.

Thank you and you are welcome! I'll post as much as I can, depending on how I feel after.

I suppose so, thank you for saying so. There is nothing I can really do about it, so I choose to be mostly positive. I still get cranky when I am either very tired or not feeling well. Except for the three small bowel obstructions I have had since I had the surgery last August, I've felt pretty well. (-:

I made it! I’m at my appointment, waiting for the ostomy nurse to come and mark placement of my new stoma location.

I’m heading south. I should be in Salt Lake City by 3pm. ROAD TRIP!!! 😎

Awesome!

Well, it was not all push-ups for me, although there were some days that I thought my arms were going to fall off... I was in the boot camp band, so all we did basically the whole time was march around and practice. I lost my weight by not being able to graze and by cutting out sugary drinks. I gained a lot after I got out of boot camp and was able to pick up my old habits again.

Thank you! Next summer, I will be traveling to Albany, NY to attend my commencement ceremony at Excelsior College. I look forward to the possibility of meeting you in person while I'm there. (-:

Ok, I'll remain optimistic. It will be interesting to see what I look like when I meet my goal. The last time I weighed close to 200 pounds was when I joined the Navy. I entered boot camp at 196 pounds with a size 37" waist and left boot camp 10-weeks later at 196 pounds, but with a 34" waist.

Wow, you've had a tough road too! It would be nice if my stretch marks went away, but I doubt they will. I've lost weight in the past and they never did. We'll see about this time, but I think they are here to stay. Thank you for saying so! {{{hugs}}}

Binging pre-op - yes, I have. My surgery is tomorrow, so I'll have to get back to you about binging after surgery. At this point, I sure hope not.

Thank you! Prednisone is the worst drug I've ever had the misfortune of taking. If you look at the photos, all of the stretch marks are because of Prednisone. When it was first prescribed, I was on an ultra-high dose. I gained over 75 pounds in about three weeks. My skin never recovered. A couple of years later when the doctor said I needed to take it again, I said no way. That was when I opted for the first surgery back in 1995. It is the only drug that has ever made me rage. I was a mess when I was on it. Aside from the weight gain, I was so short-fused no one could stand to be around me. Once I stopped taking it, that all went away. IMHO, Prednisone is evil, plain and simple... As for the keto diet, I've tried it and the high fat made me ill and gave me acne really bad. I'm basically doing a modified keto, modified Atkins, which is high protein and low carb. It has helped so far.

Oh, if only... you know I will...

Thank you! If the bariatric surgeon can do it laparoscopically, great! However, if he cannot, at least the skin he will be cutting through has never been cut through before. My upper abdomen is virgin when it comes to surgery. This will make for an easier recovery than the lower abdomen, where I have been opened three times prior and have a lot of scar tissue. And, the bariatric surgeon really does not want to do it open. He says it makes his job much more difficult. They have perfected the surgery to be done laparoscopically and the tools work much better when used that way. They do not work as well when they are not locked within a trocar

Thank you! I am confident they will and I will be much better off for going through with them.

Thank you very much! I appreciate it!

Thank you for saying so! You have been such an inspiration to me since I came here. Your posts are always informative and well written. I appreciate what you bring to this forum. (-:

I know me so I know exactly when I can eat pizza again... never. Pizza for me is one serving size - the whole thing. It does not matter what size it is, I will eat all of it. It is one of my trigger foods, so I will avoid it at all costs. I'm not going through all of this to keep eating what got me here.

You are very welcome. Thank you very much. I will keep sharing as long as people want to read what I have to say.

Crohn's manifests itself in different people in very different ways. I never really had issues with what I ate, except for nuts and raw veggies. It seemed that no matter how much I chewed them, they would cause an obstruction. Some people cannot eat anything spicy, fried, or raw. I never had those issues, except with raw veggies, like I said. My biggest symptom is fatigue and pain from all of the intestinal ulcers.