Karen H.

Good for you! The water park was one of my challenges as well. We have lived near one for ten years and my kids have wanted to go forever. I just never felt like I could do it. We spent two days there last August and I had the time of my life. Thank you for your comments regarding the scale. You are right, why do we place so much emphasis on such an unreliable thing? Its silly, really! Wishing you continued success, Karen

Awesome! When the brain finally catches up with what the heart desires (power over food), the feeling is amazing. Here's to your continued success!

Wow, feeling overwhelmed at these responses!

You ladies are so sweet! I am only beginning to tap into the bounty of things God has in store for me. Have a blessed day!

Hi All! Its been too long since I popped into this site and I just wanted to say I am still really thrilled with my surgery. It has changed my life in so many ways. First of all I am down nearly 80lbs since May 10th of this year, I guess about 4 1/2 months. I feel amazing, my energy is through the roof and I am having fun for the first time in a long time. I don't regret this decision for one second and I find something new to be excited about all the time. I recently started back to school, working towards my Registered Nurse, and we bought a house. I also recently went on a religious retreat and accepted God as my Lord and Savior. So, its been a big year for me and I am so looking forward to all the new things that are bound to come my way as I continue on my weight-loss journey. I wish everyone on and connected to this site the very best that God's love has to offer and I pray for continued health and healing as well. Take care! Karen Here are a couple recent pictures. My husband kept telling me "your butt is disappearing!" and I didn't believe him until he took these! Lol

I'm with starshine!! Holy freakin ****! I am so jealous (yes, I said it!) , but so very proud and happy for you. Your loss is nothing short of amazing! Take care! Karen

This story brought a tear to my eye! I, too, am proud of you! What an accomplishment. A few years ago, while preparing for a possible RNY procedure, I saw my new (first visti) PCP and told him of my plans. The first thing he said was "Surgery will never work for you" and the second was "I hope they require a psych eval because you are crazy!" I left crying...and promptly changed doctors. I have never been treated so awfully! Its refreshing to hear of a doctor such as yours be proud of a patient. I bet he recommends this surgery to future patients because of your wonderful example! Take care, Karen

Thanks to everyone for the kind words!!

I think your progress is amazing! I so wish I had measured in the beginning myself! My husband 'jacked' my scale after watching me weigh myself everyday for the first 15 days post-op. I only weigh once a week and like some of the other posters already said, its much less drama!! Here's to your continued success! Karen

Woot! Woot! Congrats, you look beautiful and HEALTHY!!

Hiya! My name is Karen and I was sleeved on May 10th, by Dr. Nick Nicholson here in Dallas, TX. My recovery has been fairly uncomplicated and I have amazing support from my husband and family. I am a nurse and I went back to 12-hour shifts after two weeks. I still am not hungry and I have lost about 35lbs since pre-op. My husband jacked my scale and hid it from me because I was weighing myself everyday and I had a stall for about four days early on. I now weigh once a week (wednesdays) and I concentrate on the NSV's that seem to happen daily. The decision to have this surgery has totally changed my life and I am so thankful that it actually happened! I was a cash pay and there were many times when I doubted that my sleeve would ever happen. For anyone whose on the fence about this..get off on the right side and change your life for the better...forever. I am happier now than I have been in literally years! Here's a pic of me four days into my pre-op diet and one that I took this past Friday! ( I hope these pics load!!) Have a truly blessed day, my friends

Hey Bob! I just wanted to wish you all the luck in the world with your upcoming surgery, you'll do fine! I waited about two years for my surgery as well, and I can honestly tell you it was well worth the wait. Since my surgery on May 10th, I have never been happier. It truly has changed my life and I sincerly hope that it does for you! Take Care, Karen

Way to go...doesn't it feel amazing!! I am thrilled for you. Keep it up! Karen

I am having a tough time today! Just feeling mentally fatigued and run down. I am no where near getting all of my Protein and Water down. I am not sure if I still have some swelling or what the issue is. I can do about 2-3oz of Soup or Protein shake then I am so full, I think I might vomit. Maybe I am going to fast? It takes about 30 minutes or so to get that amount in. Yesterday morning I woke up feeling lightheaded and dizzy, but after some protein shake, I did feel better. Maybe my blood sugar was low? Most of my surgical pain is gone today. Except when I have to move around in bed, theres one incision (where he took my stomach out) that totally kills me! I am on tylenol only for pain. I have tried to walk up and down our driveway to get some exercise in. My husband has been amazingly supportive of me! I have lost about 9lbs since surgery so that makes me feel pretty freakin' good, at least! Glad to 'see' that everyone is doing so well Karen

I have taken three naps today! I don't feel the least bit guilty over it either! My nurse unhooked my PCA pump at 0600, so no more morphine for moi. I have only taken two pain pills today, and I have been walking up and down the halls every two hours or so. I am able to get my Water down and even some chicken broth. I can't wait to go home and see my kiddos tomorrow. I also have to give a shout out to all the staff here at Forest Park Medical Center. This is a top notch facility and I couldn't be happier with the care I have received. Have good night Karen

Hello glorious board! Just wanted to share that I was sleeved yesterday (5-10) by Dr. Nicholson. The surgery was a breeze and now I am recovering in my spacious room here at Forest Park Medical Center. I am sore and tired but so far so good. I started on liquids this morning and so far, plain jane Water is the best. I just wanted to say 'thanks' to all of you that come and share you experiences on this board, I totally appreciate everyone's opinion! I feel like my eyelids are wanting to cloe! Have a wonderfu day everybody! karen

I am on Day 6 of my liquid diet. I am to have 5 Slim-Fast high Protein shakes or Meal Replacement bars. I can also have one meal a day consisting of 5oz lean protein and two cups of non-starchy vegetables. I have lost 8lbs since I started and hope to lose another 7 to make 15 gone forever before surgery. I have added a scoop of Protein powder to two shakes a day and a half teaspoon of Peanut Butter as my lone serving of fat. I am only drinking 3-4 shakes a day so I can stay within my calorie limit. And I have split up my protein and veggie allotment so I can have two small meals a day. This makes me feel human! I have also been eating my meals on tiny plates and it totally works. It looks like a huge amount of food and tricks my brain! I have noticed that my colon is on lockdown, and this is completely abnormal for me, so I am picking up some Miralax today. My energy level is very low and I can sleep long and hard whereas before I had trouble sleeping. My husband and kids brought home an early Mother's Day present on Friday for me: a Magic Bullet Blender!! I have been oogling one for a while and now its mine! It really is amazingly easy. I am so looking forward to my surgery on May 10th. I go to Dallas this Tuesday for my pre-op testing and admission. I am about 2 1/2 hrs away from Dallas, so I had to get the day off. My time off from work has been approved and I won't be missing any money (which is good since I am a self-payer). The only thing bothering me at the moment is that my daughter is having her first band concert on May 12th. I hope all goes well so that we can haul ass back to our hometown from Dallas in time to see it. I know she is counting on us to be there to see her play! Thanks for the topic.. Karen

I am so stinkin' excited I can hardly contain it!!! I made my pre-admit appointment today. I have purchased my lovely cases of Slim-Fast, memorized my pre-op diet choices and started my to-do list for the hubby. Its really gonna happen and I couldn't be happier. This is a total fluff topic, but I am the last one up in my house at the moment and I really wanna scream and jump around for joy! Yeahhhhh for me... Now I have only 28 more sleeps to get through! G'night! Karen

Wow~! So many replies...I am so thankful! I am definetly going to look into craigslist and ebay. And yes, I may need to up my budget to get a well-built sturdy machine. I sure don't want to have to replace it quickly... Thanks everyone! KAren

Hello! I am looking to buy a treadmill to have here at the house, but most of the ones I see are rated for no more than 250lbs. Unfortunately I weigh closer to 300lbs. Does anyone have any suggestions for a reasonably priced, yet well-built treadmill? I am looking to spend about $500. Thanks in advance for any comments... Karen

Hi there! I can see where you would feel strange! I am a nurse as well, and I always bump into my gyno doc on the floor and talk about cringe ! Awkward, party of two... I read about how your surgeon cancelled you and the aftermath of that, and I certainly get where you are coming from, but everyone makes mistakes and its what you do after that really tells you what you're made of. I can't help but think that after you go through what may be a period of awkwardness at your new job that things will be good. Just think about how you'll make each WLS surgery patient feel when they wake up to your thin face telling them they are gonna be fine! You'll have such a better perspective on what your pts are going through and even if you don't let on that you have been in their shoes, your care for them will show it! Best of luck to you... Karen

I am not there either (May 10th!)...and I agree with Fatbgone, its posts like these that really help. This forum is such a fountain of knowledge, and I am finding that I spend more time here than on facebook (gasp)! I so appreciate the experiences of each sleever that has come before me and I can only hope to be as helpful to those that come after. Lisa, thank you for your 'meltdown'! I know I have learned from it! Take Care, Karen

Hi Sarah I was wondering about this problem as well because I have very heavy cycles as well, or at least I did until yesterday. I had the NovaSure procedure yesterday at my gyno's office. It is an endometrial ablation procedure that completely eliminates menstruation in about 60% of women, for the other 40% there is some to slight menstrual bleeding monthly. I pray I am in the 60%! But even if my periods are only half as bad as they were, then I will call it a success. I wish I had just done it as an outpatient in the hospital so I could have had more sedation, but I made it through. I am pretty sore today. I had to switch gyno's to have it done, all my female gyn wanted to do was put me on the pill, which I don't need and I sure don't need the increase stroke risk with my weight. Hopefully my periods will be easier to handle when I get my sleeve on May 10th! Best of luck to you! Karen