Re: To Volley- Long Reply-Sorry

[Guest guest]

Jazzy, that is what we are here for. You are going to

be just fine. Be encouraged.

By the way, I love your name.

Pam Marsh

--- Wanda

wrote:

> Wow Pam what a beautiful story .I am similar to you

> only I am 5ft.3

> I have every thing you had and I weigh 221 now

> plus I take Insulin shots twice a day plus I have

> knee hip lower back and leg pain

> and I am 65 years old and hoping to get accepted

> and hope it happens for me like It did for you .I am

> so happy for you

> I want to get off the meds. and be healthy .I

> still have some things I want to do in life I want

> to live a long time .I am doing this for my self

> there are so many things I still want to do .

> thanks for sharing your beautiful story it has

> really encouraged me to not give up some day i will

> put my pictures on the board and share my story to

> encourage those behind me .

> Thank You

> Jazzy

>

> Pamela A Marsh wrote:

> About the 10%. It is a true that the number that

> shows on the scale at orientation is the weight they

> go by. Although this is true, NEVER let this

> discourage you from losing any weight, just be

> advised

> that the 10% loss does not count until the day of

> orientation or after they take your weight on

> orientation.

>

> My journey: I spoke to my PCP in October (middle of

> Oct 04) and that afternoon I got calls with

> appointments to see the psychologist and the

> nutritionist. Once done with that (this occurred

> the

> following week), my PCP sent the package via email

> to

> South San Francisco (Board) and two days later, she

> emailed me the approval letter. One or either two

> weeks later, the actual letter came to my house.

> The

> letter informed me not to call Richmond (your

> approval

> letter will or should tell you where you will be

> assigned) for at least three months, that they would

> contact me.

>

> Three weeks after getting my letter, I got my

> appointment for my orientation (Orientation was Nov.

> 16, 2004-group setting). It was two hours. We got

> the binder with all the program requirements, a

> presentation by one of the surgeons (it was Dr.

> Fisher

> for my orientation), a chance to ask questions and

> they explained the program. The last thing we did

> was

> get weighed. I then multiplied 10% x my weight

> which

> was 249.5 (I needed to lose 24 pounds). In mid

> December I had a second nutritionist apt (group

> setting) and got weighed (they did not record this,

> rather it was for my own information to see where I

> was) and I had lost 15 or so pounds. The last week

> of

> December, I called to let them know that I had

> gotten

> within 5 pounds of my goal weight and they scheduled

> me to see the surgeon which was on Jan 6th 2005 (I

> don’t think the within 5 pound rule applies

> anymore).

> On Jan. 6th, I weighed in right at 225 (I had lost

> 24.5 pounds and was at my 10% weight loss goal).

> She

> said congrats and gave me a lab slip to do my EKG

> and

> to go see the Bariatric team to get a surgery date.

> I

> went and had the EKG done right then and went over

> to

> get a date.

>

> My date was for February 14th 2005. I had my pre-op

> apt (group setting) two weeks later along with the

> nurse apt. (individual) and Anesthesiologist apt

> (individual). I got a call saying that my surgery

> date was moved to Feb 1st because someone canceled.

> That Friday before the surgery, I got a call

> canceling

> my surgery because a cancer patient needed to have

> emergency surgery and there was no room in the ER.

> I

> was upset but it turned out that later that

> afternoon,

> I got sick so they would have canceled me anyway (I

> caught a cold).

>

> So I waited one more week. I have to tell you that I

> struggled to keep my weight at goal. I would go up

> two pounds and then back down, up three and back

> down.

> The morning of surgery, I got 7 different readings

> on

> my home scale and panic set in. Richmond weighs you

> the morning of surgery and if you are not at goal,

> they will cancel your surgery. When I arrived, I

> weighed in at 221 (4 pounds under goal weight) and

> had

> surgery. I went home the next day. The only

> problem

> I had was gas and they would not give me anything

> for

> the gas but I found out that mint tea cure this

> problem, at least it did mines. Also, I found a

> scale

> just before I left the hospital and I just had to

> get

> on it. To my surprise, I was back at 247 (a 26

> pound

> gain) but this was due to the liquid they pump in

> you.

> The surgeon said it will come off. So my first two

> weeks instead of losing weight like a lot of people

> do, I spent that time losing those 26 pounds. Then

> the weight began to come off. I am down to 140 and

> have stayed there since Nov of 2005 (6 month stay)

> and

> I just had my plastic surgery done on April 19th

> (tummy tuck with abdominal muscles tightened, breast

> lift with saline implants) and all went well. I was

> out three weeks and I did not have any pain. Of

> course I was on valium and vicoden so who would feel

> any pain. It has been a great journey. I wear a

> size

> 8 but Robynn keeps telling me that I need to buy new

> clothes because they are too big. I have not lost

> anymore weight but I think because the extra skin is

> gone, I can go to a size 6. I don’t want to be

> smaller than an 8 (5 feet 2 inches) but will take

> what

> I get. I have not been good about working out. I

> have not worked out in almost 6 months and that is

> not

> a positive thing to tell a pre op but it’s the

> truth.

> I do my protein but on occasion if I want something

> that is classified as a no no food, I have some. I

> don’t deny myself, I just have a small bit and that

> satisfies me. I weight myself once a day (morning)

> just so I can keep tabs on things. I have been

> fortunate since it has been a year and 3 months and

> I

> am still at my same weight. I plan to start back

> working out after my follow-up apt with he plastic

> surgeon tomorrow (I am hoping she clears me for

> working out) since it will be six weeks now I

> believe.

> I want to work on toning now and trying to build up

> some muscle which I know will show up on the scale

> as

> a gain but that is okay as long as I am healthy and

> still wear the size I wear and even if I don’t who

> cares. All of my sickness are gone and I feel

> great.

> I had diabetes (double dose and was getting ready to

> start on the shot), high blood pressure(2 meds for

> this), acid reflux (one med) , asthma (3 meds for

> this) and high cholesterol (2 meds).

>

> The last time I took medication for anything was the

> day before surgery and that was one of my blood

> pressure pills. Now I a free. Free from sickness

> and

> meds but more importantly, free to be me again. I

> say

> again because I was always at 140 until kids and

> that

> is when my weight problem came about. I just got

> back

> to where I was in weight wise but I am smaller in

> size

> than I was before when I weighed this amount (I know

> it is due to the muscle loss).

>

> I have enjoyed this journey and met a lot of

> brilliant, beautiful, loving and caring people on

> here

> with a lot of knowledge. So stick around, there is

> lot that you will learn. Apply what will work and

> the

> rest discard it. Sometimes you won’t get the answer

> you wanted to hear but it will be the truth and that

> is all that really matters.

>

> It won’t be easy but it is doable. I think the

> hardest part for most is the10% but if you do the

> program, the weight will come off. I chose not to

> do

> the 1200 calorie plan but I suggest that you do it

> because it teaches you how you will be eating post

> surgery and others that followed it lost their 10%

> that way. My process took 3 and a half months from

> beginning to the day I had surgery which is quick.

>

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