Guest guest Posted August 4, 2001 Report Share Posted August 4, 2001 Hi everyone - Below, with permission, I have copied a post from Joe Frost. Some of you have seen the post already, but some of you have not received it yet. As you will see, Joe really needs all the positive thoughts, positive energy, prayers, and chicken swinging we can muster. In December and January, there were many of us that participated in a candlelight vigil for Joe Frost and anyone else who was having complications at that time. I am planning to start-up that vigil again -- each night at 10:00 p.m. EST. If you would like to join me in a nightly candlelight vigil with meditation, thoughts, prayers for Joe and others who are currently having problems, that would be fantastic. There is power in numbers, there's power in positive thinking and there's definitely power in prayer. The love of Joy and all the thoughts and prayers helped Joe pull through before, and I believe it can again. Rabecca still needs our thoughts and prayers, too, as she is healing from her complications. Sharon (goldenlady) is still in rehab, and if you could include her in the vigil, as well, that would be great. I'm sorry if I left anyone out -- it was not intentional and if you have someone you would like to be included in the candlelight vigil, please let us know. Another dear friend, Bonnie is having a lot of emotional turmoil right now (she's 14 months post-op) and I'm sure, would appreciate your thoughts as well. Thank you for those of you who choose to participate in whatever manner and belief you prefer. Love, Kris G Cincinnati, Ohio 5'7 " , 40 years old 8/22 - 283 - BMI 44.3 7/22 - 141 - BMI 22.1 Reached goal set by Dr. of 147 at 9 months/3 wks. ciao to 142 lbs. & 149.75 inches in 11 months Open BPD/DS 08/22/00 Bowel obstruction surgery 4/21/01 Dr. Maguire, Kettering OH HumanaFreedom Plus Plan iwillbefit@... http://www.newlifeteams.org [WLS_duodenalswitch] Where I Am Hi all. Joe Frost here. I generally have a problem, find a cure and then in a solemn manner announce to the groups how I've overcome adversity. But at the suggestion of a very dear friend and prayer partner (whom I've never met) I'm taking the risk of sharing this without having solved the problem. Why? I need prayer. Perhaps advice as well but I think that prayer is far more important at this time in my life. I'm in a really rotten place emotionally. I have just started taking Welbutrin which worked pretty well for me a while back and I hope it will work this time as well. I feel I'm between a rock and a hard place and intellectually know this too will pass but emotionally feel I will never get back to the world of the well. As many of you know I have developed a severe protein deficiency. This is partly due to the DS surgery itself which is designed to throw us into malnutrition until we loose our needed weight. Then as our body adjusts to the lesser absorption we reach a point of maintenance where we will stop losing weight and become healthy but at a much lower point. Great idea. But the major component of my illness is that I spent 5 weeks in ICU and 8 weeks on a feeding tube and was burning what carbs I could ingest for energy. That wasn't enough so I was also burning fat and finally protein. I lost lots of weight, 110 pounds to date. But I wound up with a protein level of 1.7. It is now back up to 2.0 with a suggested MINIMUM of 3.4. Dr. Welker put me on Creon which temporarily defeats the DS and causes me to absorb most of what I eat. I have gained 15 pounds but have since lost 10 of that. And my protein is coming up but very slowly. I have severe edema of my ankles and feet. I have running sores on both ankles, very serious on the right ankle. The Methodist Hospital Wound Clinic is putting compression wraps on my legs twice a week. It is hot and I smell bad as all I can take are sponge baths. And I am weak as a kitten and have no energy. It is all I can do to sit on my now bony ass and let my fingers do the walking and talking. Dr. Welker says that it is time for me to have my 10 " hernia without a name closed. The hernia has gotten significantly worse in the last few weeks. My entire guts hang out when I don't wear my binder. So I wear it 100% of the time I'm awake. Dr. Welker also wants to do a panniculectomy. But he can't do anything until I get the protein back up and the sores healed. There are several things that scare me to death. Interestingly death is not one of them. At times I feel that would be the " easy " way out. And it scares me that I feel that way. I owe Joy, all post-ops who have prayed for me and all the pre-ops more than that. I am very afraid that we will never be able to travel in our RV again. I absolutely love the travel but I haven't the strength to do the day to day stuff that is required. The growing list of repairs needed to the RV is absolutely overwhelming at the moment. Secondly I am afraid of never being able to SCUBA dive and do underwater photography again. I also love this and ache to think of losing it. But it also takes a substantial amount of effort and I just don't see getting back there again. I do believe we will be able to go to and enjoy figure skating competitions again if I just last long enough. Others do all the work and while walking from the hotel room to the busses and then to the arena seats is an effort I think I'll be able to do that. So in summary I can't get my protein up. I can't get my surgery done. I have no energy but that is fine because the doctors say I'm not supposed to exercise because of my swelling and am supposed to eat as much as I can. Where were those damned doctors when I wanted them? I am depressed over the perceived loss of much of my beloved life style. Any wonder? So please pray for me, that I come to know God's will for me at least. Thank you. Joe Frost, old gentleman, not old fart San , Tx., 60 years old Surgery 11/29/00 by Dr. Welker Lateral Gastrectomy with Duodenal Switch 340 Starting Weight, currently 225 http://www.duodenalswitch.com/Patients/Joe/joe.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WLS-12StepRecovery Post message: WLS_duodenalswitch (AT) onelist (DOT) com Subscribe: WLS_duodenalswitch-subscribe (AT) onelist (DOT) com Unsubscribe: WLS_duodenalswitch-unsubscribe (AT) onelist (DOT) com List owner: WLS_duodenalswitch-owner (AT) onelist (DOT) com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2001 Report Share Posted August 4, 2001 Hi everyone - Below, with permission, I have copied a post from Joe Frost. Some of you have seen the post already, but some of you have not received it yet. As you will see, Joe really needs all the positive thoughts, positive energy, prayers, and chicken swinging we can muster. In December and January, there were many of us that participated in a candlelight vigil for Joe Frost and anyone else who was having complications at that time. I am planning to start-up that vigil again -- each night at 10:00 p.m. EST. If you would like to join me in a nightly candlelight vigil with meditation, thoughts, prayers for Joe and others who are currently having problems, that would be fantastic. There is power in numbers, there's power in positive thinking and there's definitely power in prayer. The love of Joy and all the thoughts and prayers helped Joe pull through before, and I believe it can again. Rabecca still needs our thoughts and prayers, too, as she is healing from her complications. Sharon (goldenlady) is still in rehab, and if you could include her in the vigil, as well, that would be great. I'm sorry if I left anyone out -- it was not intentional and if you have someone you would like to be included in the candlelight vigil, please let us know. Another dear friend, Bonnie is having a lot of emotional turmoil right now (she's 14 months post-op) and I'm sure, would appreciate your thoughts as well. Thank you for those of you who choose to participate in whatever manner and belief you prefer. Love, Kris G Cincinnati, Ohio 5'7 " , 40 years old 8/22 - 283 - BMI 44.3 7/22 - 141 - BMI 22.1 Reached goal set by Dr. of 147 at 9 months/3 wks. ciao to 142 lbs. & 149.75 inches in 11 months Open BPD/DS 08/22/00 Bowel obstruction surgery 4/21/01 Dr. Maguire, Kettering OH HumanaFreedom Plus Plan iwillbefit@... http://www.newlifeteams.org [WLS_duodenalswitch] Where I Am Hi all. Joe Frost here. I generally have a problem, find a cure and then in a solemn manner announce to the groups how I've overcome adversity. But at the suggestion of a very dear friend and prayer partner (whom I've never met) I'm taking the risk of sharing this without having solved the problem. Why? I need prayer. Perhaps advice as well but I think that prayer is far more important at this time in my life. I'm in a really rotten place emotionally. I have just started taking Welbutrin which worked pretty well for me a while back and I hope it will work this time as well. I feel I'm between a rock and a hard place and intellectually know this too will pass but emotionally feel I will never get back to the world of the well. As many of you know I have developed a severe protein deficiency. This is partly due to the DS surgery itself which is designed to throw us into malnutrition until we loose our needed weight. Then as our body adjusts to the lesser absorption we reach a point of maintenance where we will stop losing weight and become healthy but at a much lower point. Great idea. But the major component of my illness is that I spent 5 weeks in ICU and 8 weeks on a feeding tube and was burning what carbs I could ingest for energy. That wasn't enough so I was also burning fat and finally protein. I lost lots of weight, 110 pounds to date. But I wound up with a protein level of 1.7. It is now back up to 2.0 with a suggested MINIMUM of 3.4. Dr. Welker put me on Creon which temporarily defeats the DS and causes me to absorb most of what I eat. I have gained 15 pounds but have since lost 10 of that. And my protein is coming up but very slowly. I have severe edema of my ankles and feet. I have running sores on both ankles, very serious on the right ankle. The Methodist Hospital Wound Clinic is putting compression wraps on my legs twice a week. It is hot and I smell bad as all I can take are sponge baths. And I am weak as a kitten and have no energy. It is all I can do to sit on my now bony ass and let my fingers do the walking and talking. Dr. Welker says that it is time for me to have my 10 " hernia without a name closed. The hernia has gotten significantly worse in the last few weeks. My entire guts hang out when I don't wear my binder. So I wear it 100% of the time I'm awake. Dr. Welker also wants to do a panniculectomy. But he can't do anything until I get the protein back up and the sores healed. There are several things that scare me to death. Interestingly death is not one of them. At times I feel that would be the " easy " way out. And it scares me that I feel that way. I owe Joy, all post-ops who have prayed for me and all the pre-ops more than that. I am very afraid that we will never be able to travel in our RV again. I absolutely love the travel but I haven't the strength to do the day to day stuff that is required. The growing list of repairs needed to the RV is absolutely overwhelming at the moment. Secondly I am afraid of never being able to SCUBA dive and do underwater photography again. I also love this and ache to think of losing it. But it also takes a substantial amount of effort and I just don't see getting back there again. I do believe we will be able to go to and enjoy figure skating competitions again if I just last long enough. Others do all the work and while walking from the hotel room to the busses and then to the arena seats is an effort I think I'll be able to do that. So in summary I can't get my protein up. I can't get my surgery done. I have no energy but that is fine because the doctors say I'm not supposed to exercise because of my swelling and am supposed to eat as much as I can. Where were those damned doctors when I wanted them? I am depressed over the perceived loss of much of my beloved life style. Any wonder? So please pray for me, that I come to know God's will for me at least. Thank you. Joe Frost, old gentleman, not old fart San , Tx., 60 years old Surgery 11/29/00 by Dr. Welker Lateral Gastrectomy with Duodenal Switch 340 Starting Weight, currently 225 http://www.duodenalswitch.com/Patients/Joe/joe.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WLS-12StepRecovery Post message: WLS_duodenalswitch (AT) onelist (DOT) com Subscribe: WLS_duodenalswitch-subscribe (AT) onelist (DOT) com Unsubscribe: WLS_duodenalswitch-unsubscribe (AT) onelist (DOT) com List owner: WLS_duodenalswitch-owner (AT) onelist (DOT) com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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