Domique's weight loss journey

[Hazeleyez79]

Hi everyone,

My surgery was February 5th 2013. When I attended the mandatory weight loss seminar I was 244lbs. The maximum weight I've been was 254lbs. I have struggled with my weigh from ever since I can remember. I was even in the US Army reserves for 10 years and struggled with my weight even then. I was always on their weight control programs. After returning from a deployment in Iraq I was discharged from the Army and that was when my weigh got even more out of control. I have tried many different weight loss programs and nothing worked long term. I even lost 25lbs on weight watchers once but went on a cruise and broke loose. I gained it all back plus some and was never able to get back on the weight watchers track after that.

Initially, I was interested in having the lap band but was somewhat talked out of it at the seminar. Apparently there are a lot of complications associated with the lap band such as slippage and erosion and you have to get the band tightened ever so often. I was told that a lot of people who have had the lap band eventually had it removed and had either the sleeve or gastric bypass done. Gastric bypass was never an option for me though. I felt like it was too invasive.

I chose weight loss surgery (WLS)mainly because of my health. Plus I was tired of always being "the FAT one." After I gained all the weight I developed hypertension (HTN) and I was scared that I'd eventually become diabetic because I have an aunt who is diabetic due to her weight. The only reason I qualified for the surgery was because of my comorbidity which is the HTN, because my BMI was only about 38 and I was only about 88lbs over weight for my height of 5ft 7in. I say this because the qualification requirements for the surgery to be covered by the insurance were: you had to be at least 100lbs over weight; have a BMI of 40 or above; or have a BMI of 35 or above in conjunction with at least one comorbidity such as HTN or diabetes and so on.

So, in order for my surgery to be covered by my insurance I had to see a nutritionist for 6 months for medically supervised weight loss. Mind you, I only lost about 1-4lbs during that time frame. Then, I had to have and upper GI endoscopy done, I had to see a cardiologist to have an EKG done, I saw a psychiatrist I guess to make sure I didn't have body dysmorphic disorder and to make sure I was doing it for a legitimate reason, I had to have a gallbladder US done plus a ton of blood work, and finally, I had to be cleared by my primary physician for the surgery.

Two weeks prior to the surgery I was placed on a pre-surgery diet. I was given 2 choices: 5 protein shakes per day ONLY or 3 protein shakes per day plus two light meals of meat and vegetable only. I chose to do the 5 protein shakes per day. The purpose of the pre-surgery diet is to shrink your liver in preparation for the surgery so that it is easier to retract the liver with the laparoscopic instruments during surgery plus its also a good idea in general cardiac wise to lose weight before a surgery.

The day before surgery I was on an all liquid diet which I was already used to because I did the all liquid diet for 2 weeks. Then, the night before the surgery I had to be NPO (nothing by mouth) after midnight. On the day of surgery I was 228lbs. I lost a total of 16lbs on the pre-surgery diet. My surgery was scheduled for 10am. I was extremely nervous because with all surgeries there a risks. I went to ambulatory surgery and registered. Got placed in a room, gave a urine sample, had some more bloods drawn, an IV was started and then maybe an hour later I was rolled in to the OR. According to my mother, I returned from the OR in a little under an hour.

When I woke up I was in a lot of pain. They gave me PCA (patient controlled analgesia) morphine which I personally think did not help my pain, all it did was make me woozy. I'm an RN so I know a little bit about pain meds so I asked the nurse if I could get Toradol instead. It's a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), the same classification as ibuprofen but way stronger. It can either be given through the IV or as an injection and it doesn't make you drowsy. It worked wonders for me. In addition, they gave me prophylactic antibiotics. It's normal to be given antibiotics after surgery to prevent infections.

I received a total of 5 laparoscopic incisions. I was constantly in pain so they gave me the Toradol around the clock, but my main problem was the gas pains. The first night after the surgery they kept me on bed-rest. The next day they got me out of bed and I had to have a radiology test called an upper GI series which is an X-ray of the stomach to see if the stomach is leaking. It involved standing in front of an X-ray machine and drinking some contrast such as barium or gastrografin so that as you swallow they can see it on the x-ray. This was the first thing I had by mouth since the day before surgery. I was gagging and almost threw up on the X-ray machine because it was so disgusting.

When I returned to my room I received breakfast. My first meal with my new stomach. It was all liquid. Hot tea no sugar, unsweetened iced tea, low fat chicken broth, and fat free jello...GROSS! They gave me to some 30ml medicine cups and said drink one every 20 mins. I was only able to drink three. I did not experience any nausea or vomiting but it was very painful.

The nurses encouraged me to ambulate, which I did because walking is supposed to help with the gas pain. I was walking all the time but the gas did not go away. I think the gas pains were actually worse than the pain of the surgery itself. I was discharged home on day three. They sent me home with liquid Lortab for pain which tasted horrible and Omeprazole to aid in the healing of the stomach wall.

The first two weeks after surgery I literally felt like I was going to die. I personally think I wasn't passing gas adequately. Whenever I burped it felt like instead of the air coming out of my mouth it went back down into my stomach or somewhere else so it just kept building up. Gas was trapped in my left rib cage area to the point where I felt as if I had a fractured rib. It started putting pressure on my lung and made me short of breath. Also, I wasn't meeting my daily fluid intake because it would take me 2-3 days to finish a 16oz bottle of water because it was so painful to swallow. I lost 14lbs in my first week because I was having difficulty eating.

So, a week after surgery I ended up in the ER with dehydration and shortness of breath (SOB). They thought I had either pneumonia or a pulmonary embolism so they drew a bunch of blood work, I had a chest X-ray done and CT scan of my lungs with IV contrast and more of that nasty gastrografin...Eww! At the same time they gave me IV fluids to rehydrate me. Fortunately, all the tests came back negative. As it turns out, it WAS the build up of GAS in my rib cage that was putting pressure on my lungs that cause the pain and SOB. After the IV fluids were finished, they sent me home.

Week 2 was a little better. I still had the gas pains and still wasn't adequately passing gas but I was tolerating the liquids more and was able to drink at most, half of the daily required amount and I never got dehydrated again. The one thing I remember like it was yesterday was the first time I let out a real burp. It was as if I was in heaven. It was a nice big, long burp and I yelled out to myself, "that's it, that's a real one." Ever since that moment I could feel the pressure in my rib cage slowing going away with each effective burp.

By week three I was pain free and gas free and started puréed foods. Couldn't tolerate anything heavier than the consistency of broth though, so I stuck with the clear liquids for a while. I became worried though that I wasn't meeting my protein requirements. So my nutritionist told me about this protein drink called Isopure. I drank that instead of the protein shakes. It was disgusting but I had to do what I had to do. I stuck with liquids for a longer time than I should have though. It took me a while to start tolerating solid food so I kept drinking protein shakes once I was able to tolerate them.

It has now been over 5 and 1/2 months since my surgery. To date I have lost a total of 72lbs to include the weight I lost during the pre-surgery diet. I was a size 18, I am now a size 10. I fit into small and medium clothing. My blood pressure has stabilized to the point where my doctor changed my meds to a lower dose that I only take every other day. On my next visit I think she may completely take me off the blood pressure medication.

All in all, I think this was the best decision I have ever made and the best thing I have ever done for myself. I have so much energy and feel like a new person. Whenever people ask, I tell them I feel like I could run a marathon. I do however, still have a difficult time tolerating carbohydrates. Rice, potatoes, and bread are not a part of my diet because they feel very heavy on my stomach and make me feel bloated when I eat them so I focus on eating just meat, vegetables and fruits. I go to the gym at least 3-4 times per week for 1-2 hours. I get board with the gym easily so I have been going to aerobics classes such as Zumba and kickboxing which are lots of fun and I also go to the pool and swim for about an hour per week. My only concern now is the loose skin and that's a topic I plan to discuss with the doctor when I go for my 6 month follow up. It wasn't a smooth journey but it paid off and I hope my story inspires someone who is contemplating the surgery.

My current weight is 172. My goal is 156. Wish me luck and good luck to all of you.

Thanks for taking the time to read my long story about my weight loss journey. I am on twitter @hazeleyez79_DRW if anyone has questions.

[nurse89]

Well done! I am an RN as well. I started at 245 so I can only hope I have the same results as you. Can't wait til you reach your goal!

[Hazeleyez79]

Thanks and best of luck to you as well.

[Chibs]

There are many parallels between our lives. Your story was inspirational. Thank you for sharing.

[CidCherise]

Fantastically written, it was like I was reading my journey as well!! Congrats on all your accomplishments.. you will reach goal with a successful smile on your face! Your post made me smile and one that I can guide others to read when they are struggling, or feeling down.

[perkymander]

Thanks Dominque, your story was very helpful. Although it's scary to read what you went thru, it is helpful if I do have issues. Never having had ANY surgeries before, I am definitely nervous.

[Hazeleyez79]

Good luck with your surgery today.

[Hazeleyez79]

I have had surgeries before this one and I was still nervous. It's natural to be nervous. Wishing you all the best for your surgery. Yes, I went through a lot in the first 2 weeks post-op but I have no regrets.