February 2014 post op losers

[ryn2bthin 87]

Claire

I am shooting for August, I have vacation plans in June,July and December so i felt August would be best giving me also three months to fully recover. I had my hernia repaired during bypass surgery which i am thankful that i will not need to have that taken care of. I hear the Tummy Tuck is quite painful because of the muscles also being repaired. I am very nervous but, excited all at the same time. This is my last step in feeling sucessful from wls.

Too bad they didn't take care of your hernia during wls. Did they say why you would need 4-5 nights?.. I'm being told i go home the same day but with drains.

Best wishes

Deanna

[clairec 44]

Hi Deanna, I think that they would have dealt with the hernia if they thought that it was going to cause any immediate problems. I do sometimes have painful bursts of problems and it only goes away if I can lie down and stretch out, which is not always possible when you are out and about. It is almost as if everything has got into a twist, so maybe it has.

So dealing with it at the same time as the skin situation makes sense I suppose. He said I would have 6 or more drains and I might go home with a couple. I don't know anyone over here going home the same day, but a couple of nights seems to be normal. He wanted to do mine in a large hospital so that everything would be there in case I needed it, whereas my friend is being done in the smaller hospital. I think that my scar line will be more extensive and deeper, although I don't need anything to be sorted out around my back, which I think some people do. He said that involves turning people over in the operation.

It will be good to swop notes after your surgery in August. I know what you mean about it being the final step. I am paying for mine because I don't want the surgery to keep being cancelled as it can be when you have it done on the NHS. That makes it difficult for work. Also i need an ensuite bathroom so that i can remain as independent as possible. With my back problem I would need taking to the loo each time because it would probably be too far to walk. He said though that doing it on the NHS would be possible because it is a medical issue when you have lost this much, not a cosmetic one. The skin slippage has also made my back a lot worse so it needs sorting out for that reason too.

My weight loss has stopped and my weight is higher than most people but they warned me about that and I am ok with that. If I do lose any more by Feb it gives me time to do so, but I am not expecting to.

I saw on Erin's Facebook page that she has had an intestinal blockage due to scar tissue from the wls. I have sent her love and maybe she will come on here to say how she is etc.

So do keep in contact Deanna and let me know how it goes. I am sure that you will look just great.

Take care

Claire

[JanetteH 80]

WOW! You guys are making great progress! So happy to hear that Claire and Deanna have their tummy tucks all set up. Good luck! Hope there are as few problems as possible. I have not investigated this surgery yet - I'm still losing very slowly (down 104 lbs now/size 18) Enjoying buying clothes in "regular" XL sizes. My "apron" can be disguised in the right clothing - may try spanks or compression shorts.

[ryn2bthin 87]

Janette..that's amazing 104 down!! Whoot whoot.. who knew buying clothes could be fun again

[clairec 44]

Hi again,

We all seem to be doing well. I am buying different sorts of clothes, still bright colours but shorter and more fitted.

Take are all of you.

Claire

[DELILLIEFLOWER 13]

Glad to hear that you guys are preparing for loose skin surgery, however I am not ready for that yet. As you know I started out at 459lbs and I am now at 288lbs so I still have a lot to loose before I decide to have surgery. My doctor wants me to come back in September and see if I am ready then. Hopefully I can lose at least another 30 or so pounds by then before I make a decision but we will see.

My husband wants to have another baby and I told him, I would think about it when I reach 220lbs so I have a lot to consider

[clairec 44]

Glad to hear that you guys are preparing for loose skin surgery, however I am not ready for that yet. As you know I started out at 459lbs and I am now at 288lbs so I still have a lot to loose before I decide to have surgery. My doctor wants me to come back in September and see if I am ready then. Hopefully I can lose at least another 30 or so pounds by then before I make a decision but we will see.

My husband wants to have another baby and I told him, I would think about it when I reach 220lbs so I have a lot to consider

Wow haven't you done so incredibly well.

My heaviest weight was only 30 pounds under yours at 429. I did lose some weight before the surgery but it was going up again despite my best efforts and following Slimming World eating plan to the letter. So I was 379 in Feb 2014 when we all had surgery. I am now at 274 pounds but the weight loss has stopped really and I am not expecting any more really. So again I am only about 14 pounds less than you. Are you still losing at the moment?

You certainly do have a lot to think about with thinking about a baby as well. However, you have done so very well. I hope that you are delighted with all that you have achieved.

Take care

Claire

[PrincessErin 64]

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted. I guess I've been very busy. I did have an intestinal blockage and I will tell the very long story in this post. Thanks to Claire for keeping up with this thread and with me. She is the voice of our group and I adore her.

Claire, I am so excited for you to get your plastic surgery. I thought I saw you mention that the extra skin is causing some back pain. I hope this remedies the whole situation. I'm also hoping you have no complications.

I keep up with a few of you on Facebook and I am so proud of all of our wonderful results.

Personally, I had been maintaining my weight of 150 (sometimes 145) since December with no real weight loss happening. I was a little disappointed that I never got down to 125 but I also felt pretty good about the loss I had achieved.

I knew part of it was I was drinking the majority of my calories with these sugary energy drinks. (Java monsters).

Unfortunately, near the end of May, I began having terrible pain in my stomach. This particular day it wasn't just any regular pain. It really hurt. I had eaten a little bite of a breadstick without chewing well, and I thought perhaps it was stuck waaaaayyy Down low. I tried to make myself throw up to ease the pain and it did not work.

I laid down to take a nap, thinking maybe I was just tired and my bread needed to digest.

I woke up about 45 minutes later with increased pain. I took a tums and had a drink of Water. The water did not go down. It kind of sat on my belly and caused sharp pain.

I describing this in detail so you can be aware, should it happen to you.

At that point, I knew in my heart something was wrong and I was quite sure it was a blockage. At this point I was thinking the blockage was my breadstick, stuck in my stoma.

I give it another hour to digest, the pain gets pretty intense, and I go to the ER. ****this ER is the closest to my home but has NO bariatric unit***

They give me meds for the pain and do a CT scan. No blockage. I just have a stomach flu. They send me

Home with pain meds I can't swallow and wish me luck.

That night, it took me about 5 times to take a pain pill before it finally dissolved enough to get in my blood stream and help. I would try to drink a sip of water, and it would cause intense sharp pain. I would vomit a horrible, very foul tasting bile that smelled just terrible. It was truly a nightmare. The vomiting, as bad as it was, would relieve the pain a little for a short period of time. I basically laid in an empty bathtub for the night, vomiting this bile every hour or so.

The next day I went right back to the same ER and begged them to look at the scan again. I told them what happened during the night and that maybe the radiologist and dr weren't aware of my bypass and they were missing something. I was told to go home and take my pain meds (can't swallow anything!).

At this point I haven't kept down a drop of water, I am in misery and the pain is severe.

I do my best throughout the night. Basically the same scenario. It wasn't worth trying to take the pain pill because it wouldn't stay down and would cause me to go into fits vomiting that horrible bile.

The next morning I call my daughter who is at work and tell her she has to come get me or I'm calling 911. I was past the point of coherent thoughts and I was pretty sure death was close.

I have her take me to the hospital I had my lap band surgery. It is an hour closer than my gastric hospital and my dr is no longer practicing anyway.

I know this hospital has a bariatric unit and I am thinking they have to help me. It's an hour away and I am in so much pain I'm having panic Attacks to the point that my hands atrophied. I've never in my life been so scared.

They help me fairly quickly, mostly because I am demanding it and causing a scene in the waiting room. I nearly passed out and they rushed me back. I literally was past the point of even being able to reason. My poor daughter said someone has to help me because she has never seen me like this.

I get a CT scan and some IV pain meds that do not even touch the pain. Yup. Intestinal blockage. And now I have a fever.

I receive dilaudid about every two hours until the pain begins to subside and I can rest. I get some IV fluids and a room. I had emergency surgery the next morning.

I had over a foot of intestine removed because it died during that 3 day wait. I was septic and had to stay an additional 6 days to fight the infection and fever.

The blockage was lower, at the part where the small intestine is rerouted and reattached.

My dr told me it was good I came when I did and that I had no idea how sick I really was. I disagree. I knew it was bad and it was honestly all my emotional, mental and physical strength to make it through those days.

I spent the next week in a very bad drug induced fog.

I lost about 23 pounds very quickly because it and I also got 26 staples down the center of my abdomen.

I also found out I am severely anemic and I have to find a blood dr who will help me now that my surgeon is not an option.

I am now 127 pounds and everyone tells me I look sick. It is because I lost the weight due to actually being sick.

It's been quite a journey. I don't regret the bypass and there is nothing I could do to prevent the blockage but it just was a very big setback. I missed 3 weeks of work and had to withdraw from my classes in college.

I'm feeling much better now. I am going on a cruise next week. My very first one.

I hope others update as well!!!

[clairec 44]

Oh Erin,

You poor poor thing, how terrible. I thought from your own Facebook page that you had not been at all well and had needed emergency surgery, but this sounds so very dangerous. Why don't people listen when you tell them how you can't keep anything down because tablets won't work? Why don't they listen when you say how ill you are? You shouldn't have had to cope with all that on top of being so ill.

I wonder why the blockage happened. We are so out of control when things like this happen. As you say it is good for us all to know in case, God forbid,that it happens to any of us too. It sounds like you are recovering now and the cruise sounds fantastic. I really hope that you have a fantastic time.

Thanks for posting the level of detail that you have, it is so helpful. It sounds so frightening, so dreadful and so worrying. Thanks goodness you are now recovering. Tou must be exhausted though, with or without the anaemia.

Take care and have a lovely holiday and do keep in touch. I am not brilliant at looking at facebook, except at certain alerts I get.

Claire

[ryn2bthin 87]

Erin

So sorry this happened to you. I'm happy to hear you are better now. That had to be the scariest moment ever.

Thank you for sharing this!

[JanetteH 80]

Hi Erin

So glad to hear you're feeling better - that was not a good way to get down to your goal weight

I have been so fortunate in that I haven't had any problems so far - I will take your description of the symptoms very seriously just in case something like that happens to me. Thanks for posting.

I can't believe the emergency room doctors let it go so long until things became life threatening. Horrible!

Anyway, glad it's all in the past - enjoy your cruise - you deserve it so much.

Janette

[PrincessErin 64]

I met my goal weight of 125 and I've managed to hold steady. Here is a picture of me on the day of surgery and now. This is almost 18 months out.

[clairec 44]

Hi Erin,

Oh my goodness don't you look absolutely great! I do hope that you are totally recovered from your dreadful time a few weeks ago. It sounds so frightening.

Take care and thanks for sharing the photos.

Claire

[kimr 37]

Erin, I've seen that pic on FB, but hadn't seen the before. So amazing!!!

I've still got about 20 lbs I want to lose. I'm also pursing the plastic surgery and hearing I'll lose about 15lbs from the skin removal around my torso. That's nice!

[JanetteH 80]

ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1438238531.567416.jpg

I met my goal weight of 125 and I've managed to hold steady. Here is a picture of me on the day of surgery and now. This is almost 18 months out.

Congratulations Erin! You look fabulous - so smart to get the surgery when you're young - you have the whole of the rest of your life to enjoy being "skinny" I haven't reached my goal weight but I'm holding steady at about 20 lbs over (lost 105lbs) - not bad for a grandma.