OCTOBER 2014

[Beni 1,484]

Girls, you all look amazing every single photo posted shows how your face no longer looks like a ballon that was overfilled. Your natural features are popping out. Your cheeks show the bones. Fantastic transformation and we are only 1 to 2 months post surgery. Imagine the difference at 6 months. Let's not forget to start a exercise program. It will makes feel and look even better. This is just so exciting. I cannot believe I didn't do this sooner. I was paralyzed with hypothetical fears that really were completely unwarranted. Yes, like any surgery it has risks but hello, look at us girls. We are improving as we age. We have found the "Fountain of youth."

You all rock my world. Cheers to the best WLS group ever.

[layknee 357]

I have to admit I was a bad girl around Thanksgiving I did have a couple sips of moonshine. Didn't have any repercussions but I wouldn't try more than what I had.

[CRMMFW 69]

HOLY MOLY Luna you look fantastic i definately feel the same way about the pics too great progress!!

[joankrie 126]

Outstanding Luna!!

You are very inspiring!

[Bronxmerci 312]

Hey ladies, I'm sorry I had you guys worried. I promise I won't die on you guys. I just signed myself out of the hospital they wanted me to live there and it was just too many days for me. I had an upper gi hemmorhage, got a ton of blood transfusion, now I have to get special Iron injections weekly. On the bright side I finally got a job as a teachers assistant so even though I was bummed out, I got the job I wanted. I feel better knock on wood, still tired and out of breath but I know its because of the blood loss. My son doesn't even like me anymore due to these complications. I definitely feel depressed and I'm hoping I can get help for it. My family has been practically raising my son since surgery and I feel very grateful for that. I am not allowed to work out because I don't have much oxygen in my blood. Shoot I don't have enough energy at all, I had to leave school and basically that's it. I love you all and thank you for your prayers, at one point I was really thinking that this was it and thought I was going to die, I couldn't even roll over without being out of breath and having chest pain. The doctors really advised me that I needed to stay but I made an executive decision to bounce. Now I just have to pray for the best and be prepared for the worst. You ladies look great by the way and sorry I didn't update sooner, I left without a phone charger and noone thought to bring me one. Thank you for your support.

[Beni 1,484]

So, today I lost 2 lbs in one day after a 4 day stall. I guess I was reloading for the loss. It reminds of when kids start to have growth spurts. Just before they put on a little weight and then have a slingshot like growth. I have never lost 2 pounds in one day except for that first week and that's because most of it was fluids from IV. Not complaining but I wonder if my workouts are helping. I makes me want to go workout some more.

Anyone else experienced rapid weight loss?

Edited December 12, 2014 by Beni

[amylynns 802]

@Bronxmerci---Thank God you're alright!!! My heart just goes out to you for all you've been through!! I'm sure your son has had quite a scare as well, even if he's too young to realize he's scared. Pulling away is the only way he knows to react. My now 8yr old did that when I was just away 5 days when she was 2yrs old. My mom watched her while I was gone and she didn't want anything to do with me when I got home. She snapped out of it in just a couple of days. I'm sure your sweet boy will come around too.

Congrats on the new job!!! What awesome news for you!!!! With all you've been through you deserved some good news!!

PLEASE, be careful though. With signing yourself out, keep a close tab on yourself so you know if you need to go back!!

But I'm praying NO MORE HOSPITAL Stays for you!!!

Are you eating then??

[Bronxmerci 312]

@@amylynns thank you! I hope he snaps out of it, because its just breaking my heart that he doesn't even want to give me a hug. While at the hospital I barely ate I was just so uninterested. They were tube feeding for 5 days because I really refused to eat, I'm guessing it has to do with my depression. I never got hungry and I just slept all day and cried at night and let me tell you I never cry but I just had no choice but to. Now that I'm home I made myself a concotion Protein Drink, I'm not hungry now either. I plan to just drink 2 Protein concs and maybe an oz of cheese until I feel like eating. I know that I have to try since I'm not hooked up to an iv anymore and I can get sick from not eating and drinking. I'm super happy about the job but I just hope I have the energy to perform. I'm glad I don't start until late january so maybe I'll be a new person by then.

[Jyoyonomore 319]

@@Bronxmerci So good to see your post we were all so worried. Glad to know they were able to diagnose & treat your GI bleeding.

Now that you've signed yourself out hope your going to see your primary soon to Followup. Maybe it would help to keep a daily journal of how your feeling & monitor your Recovery. Congrats on the new job what do they say about every cloud having a silver lining'. Re your Son give him a few days I'm sure he'll come around.

Take. It one step at a time- don't rush & you'll be fine. All the Best as you Heal & reclaim your Life!

attachment=50080:ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1418413981.242366.jpg]

[Jyoyonomore 319]

When I look in the mirror I still see the first pic. I don't believe that is me in the second pic. The first pic was last spring at 250 lbs, the 2nd pic is last week. My scrub pants fall off of me now but I still have 14 lbs before I get new ones.

@AuriP. You look amazing 15 years younger! Congrats!

[Getting-used-to-new-me 119]

@Bronxmerci:

I can really relate to your experience! I had the same thing: an upper GI bleed. (I have posted this in more detail in other threads under my user name.) This was after having complications and an extended hospital stay for the RNY surgery.

I was slowly bleeding to death that first month after surgery. I kept telling my health care team that something was wrong. (At the risk of TMI, I was only passing black goo.) But no one was listening.

I felt like my epitaph would read like that one on Boot Hill, "I told you I was sick!"

A month after surgery, I was getting up for work like I had been for a week before, and I felt too weak to continue. I told my wife I'd call in sick.

She took one look at me and said I was "cadaver yellow", in her words. She told me to lay down because she was calling 911. Within five minutes, five paramedics showed up at my house. They checked me out and told me I was going to the hospital by ambulance. My first ambulance ride. Yay.

At the hospital, they did an upper GI and cauterized the upper GI bleeders. I stayed in the hospital after that too.

Now I can almost laugh about it.

My health care team said it put me about a month behind a normal recovery. I'm still not sure about that. It might have been more.

But I'm healthy now. I don't have to take all the meds I used to. I'm not using CPAP. I'm not pre-diabetic anymore. Last September I even completed my first ever "half-century" (50 mile) bike ride--Spokefest 2014!

It does get better. Even for those of us who've had complications.

It will get better for you too.

[Bronxmerci 312]

@@Getting-used-to-new-me what gets me mad is that I was hospitalized the first time for a bloodclot, then the second time for bleeding because of the medicine for the bloodclot, and the second time they did an endoscopy and didn't find anything. A few days after being discharged I continue to poop black, and that night when I left my poop was bright red. So the 3rd time there, they are saying that they don't know how it wasn't detected and that they just don't get it. I'm like well if you don't know, I definitely don't know. That's what led me to sign myself out, I felt like we were all idiots lol. I was their test dummy for like 1.5 weeks. I'm not going back unless I have no choice, such as being unconscious and being taken by someone else. I'm ready to own this and deal with whatever. I'm glad you feel better, I hope I do too. This has left me severely anemic so I really look like my wall, very pale and with no energy. I also hope I don't get another menstrual because its that time and I know it will probably knock me out.

[amylynns 802]

@Beni---I've been losing pretty steady. Only had one stall, for about 4 days when I first started on mushy food. I'm shocked each time I get on the scale--which is about every 2-3 days---that I see a loss most every time!

I had lost 3 pounds in 1 day once, but that's when I had diarrhea for 3 days straight.

I don't want to get to the point where I "Expect" a loss every 2 days though. I know at some point it'll slow down.

My massage therapist last night asked me if I was anemic the moment I walked in. I have really dark circles under my eyes and I have a couple horrendous looking bruises. 3 on my legs and that one still on my arm from the IV going on 3 weeks ago. I don't know if I should worry about calling the Dr. to have it checked or not. But I do hate the dark circles under my eyes. Makes me look much sicker than I feel, LOL!

[Getting-used-to-new-me 119]

@Bronxmerci:

My complications immediately after the RNY were heart related. That kept me in the hospital for 4 days, instead of a day and a half.

I was there long enough to have a few BM's. They were black. The medical staff acted like that was nothing to worry about. I never had the red, which I'm told indicates a lower GI bleed. But I kept passing black for a whole month until I was too weak to get out of bed.

The second time in the hospital was for the "upper GI", in which they cauterized the bleeders. That kept me in the hospital for another three days.

So I hear you on your frustration with PRACTICING medical staff! Can't live without them. Can't live with them?

But since then it's been steady improvement. The heart problems, I've got a history of those, and related problems--eight co-morbidities in all, prior to the RNY. But that chapter is now closed, and those co-morbidities are gone, for the most part, thank the LORD!

My advice, is to stay with ALL those supplements, even the Iron. I know, we traded our meds for supplements, and in some cases new mental health meds too. But it's worth it!

I still don't recommend bariatric surgery to anyone, if there's even a small chance they can lose the weight by non-surgery means. I couldn't do it without the surgery. And if they can't, well my advice to them is to stay close to God, and do what the medical staff tell you.

I'm sure all of us here are hoping the same steady improvement for you, and everyone else on this journey!

[filmgal 45]

Bronxmerci- SO glad you are doing better... just take it slowly! I was scared for you too! TIME WILL HEAL YOU.