RJ'S/beginning

Sorry I sent that before I read all of the updates. Glad you went down a size and also grabbed another pr in blue. Hard for our heads to get around the fact we continually need to down size. Being a woman in this world is difficult in the size world. I run from a med. to a XXL in some brands of clothes. I never try them on it just frustrates me to no end to do that. So I buy what I think looks about right around my waste and then take it home and wear it..lol Slacks go from a 14 - 16 it is difficult to judge and I don't plan on ever trying them on in the store....Hate that......I also wear a size larger in shirts because of my center excess skin. It just makes me feel better thinking, hoping I'm hiding it a little anyway... My daughter tells me it is all in my head. But when I look in the mirror my middle is still huge to me.... Thanks for your thoughts.

I have always loved pink...Never wore it much because of the fluffiness I carried.

this is so true. i wasn't your weight, but even at 250 my body was breaking down. i couldn't wipe my butt. i smelled funny from all the folds i couldn't reach to clean. i was out of breath from talking. i waddled. take a look at my before pix. i was a bloated mess. i felt like crap. a single woman age 42. where was my life going? downhill. i kept gaining weight, i had thyroid problems and bad anxiety. i thought i was going to die any minute. now? this leak is temporary, and when it's healed, like rj, i will be free, i feel like a butterfly, not quite out of her cocoon... ready to fly. maybe by spring? maybe this summer i will hike and walk and swim and go out in public and buy a beautiful dress without feeling ashamed of my body. no maybes. it will happen. You will work hard for this and paid a huge price for it. It will mean a lot to you are each step unfolds....Great attitude Ana..That's the way to play it trust me!

Ana..I had one stent in for 6 weeks and then they placed another one in on top of that one for 6 weeks. 12 weeks of feeling horrible. it bothered me but not enough for me to lose it or beg for mercy. there are still a few things they can do if it does not heal.....your probably going to have a healed seal...At least I hope so!

Complications do happen but usually they are not as extreme as Ana and I have gone through. there is always a possibility of complications. But they are not common at all. When I went to my last appointment before my surgery my surgeon wanted me to know that I could die from this surgery because every surgery is a risk. Having your teeth removed is a risk. Since i was not living before I did not see the need to worry about it. Even when I almost did die. I felt the step was the right one for me because if I did live it would give me a chance to really live and that was what I wanted most of all. It is good to weigh the pros and cons regarding this surgery. Be sure you are willing to take the risks... You may and probably will be one that sails right through it. But me, I have no regrets about it at all. As far as the surgery and complications went. the changes in my life were the scariest for me....They still hurt quite a bit and I still cry about my so called friends....But I am moving forward and actually loving all the NSV I experience...... I think even though for me it was good, bad and ugly. I would do it again! I mean that too.....I am a live now I was not before the surgery...Too much pain. Could not walk far. Lower back issues. High blood pressure. and so on!

Tonight I went out and got a size smaller jeans. The pink ones were sliding down my butt....Got light blue and a mute designed ones. love em..... I love wearing jeans. It has been years since I would even consider wearing them.....

A friend of mine told me today that she is surprised how my color choices have changed. She said you used to wear black and blue and some brown....Now it is a rainbow of color my world! I agree Gman! Time to fly!

That was the only shirt I had that was long enough to not show my roll...lol....

When I flew in Nov. I was able to put the table down all the way in front of me too. The last time I flew I had to share my hubby's because I could not move it one inch! Same story with the extender...Room to spare and had hubby take pics of the table..I was so stoked..Wait you'll see what happens next............All good stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Green..now that sounds great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well the first time they had an emergency and so they had to cancel mine for someone else. I told the surgeon that I would hope that if I had an emergency that someone would be willing to cancel for me.... So then 3 weeks later I had to start again...when my time came a lot of people were cancelled for me because of how many times I had to go back to the OR...

thinking of picking up a pair of light blue ones as well...so summery you know!!!! Maybe orange...lol

Too funny! Thanks!!!!!!

Wow you are lucky. I had to drink 4 protein shakes a day for 2 weeks and the kicker was that I had to do it twice.....

slippers...oops forgot to put on nice shoes...lol

I might not look 20 years younger but when I slipped them on I felt a lot younger...lol

Thank you Darlin!!!!!!

I commented on the article on the CBC website. living here in Canada is a different situation. There are not a lot of Weight loss surgeons here. Waiting lists are long and the support is not so good. I waited 4 years before I was finally next on the list.... Then there is the reality of the rise in obesity everywhere. I felt like I had to tell them the reasons why some Canadians go other places and are willing to pay out of pocket. A person could die waiting 4 years for this life saving operation!

Yes it has been quite a trip...lol But I know more about who I am and who I can depend on as well. And since I almost died I have no time for crap from any of the so called friends I had... The pain meds should help a lot. Try to stick with it Ana. The longer it is in the better chance you have of it healing over. Foaming and throwing up while that was going on I think I invented it!!!LOL I am so hoping that this will be the end of it for you and you will be on your way to a happier healthier you! Keep me posted...K

Will try again...sorry!

Hi guys; Was out last night shopping and found a pair of pink jeans.... I went back and forth about buying them.....Am I too old? Do I look dumb? you know the usual! What do you think!

Try complex carbs....Like Laurabars..I know I spelled that wrong but they have the natural sweetness of fruit and Protein. They seem to help me when I am needing sweets..... There are lots of recipes on Pintrest as well for them......Don't know what is wrong with my spelling today...oops! Eating refined sugar only makes the problem continue. I know I am still eating refined sugar at times....

Most of your digestion is done in the small intestine anyway. Your stomach is a pouch that holds your food and starts the breaking down process by adding acid to it. You can live easily without a stomach if need be. Not good to hear but true..... I have 12 tubes in a circle around my stomach and it was really painful. Every day they changed to bandages as it would break through and the poison would ooze. One by one they healed and the tubes were removed and I celebrated each one as if it were a massive achievement..lol. I was later allowed to eat with the stents but the food would find its way into the sacks that held the infection and then they would know that yup that didn't work either. There were days when i just closed down and would not talk to anyone. i felt helpless and raw. I could not walk or even get up. Not to mention the incredible pain of the bed sore. But I kept on trucking most of the time and really started to appreciate most of the staff. I came hone after 5 1/2 months with nursing care for the holes in my chest. They were feeding me Protein drinks several times a day and finally i could not swallow one more. Then they talked me into yogurt and I went for that until I discovered they put Protein powder in that. Oh my favorite was mac and cheese. It stuck together in a big lump and I could not even pull it apart....lol. that did not go well. One thing for sure Ana is that you still have options if the stent does not work. It is not over you know. For me the tissue kept dying around the staples. So they finally had one last option. Attach the intestine to the leak and it worked...... I gagged too. a lot but never forced myself and faced it head on.....They got so used to me throwing up that sometimes they did not even come to help me......I was really ready to go but still needed to learn to walk and stand and eat and go to the potty by myself.....It was a long time i spent a lone in that hospital with no friends to support me. It devastated me to the core. Your doing great kid...Keep up the happy face it helps you heal faster okay!

My treatments are over. I am on the healing end of things now. After the stents they tried clamping my leak shut and could not do it so that was that. the last and final recommendation was to have my small intestine connected to my sleeve around the leak. it is still there to this day. It is a up side down y. The trouble I have now is due to the complications of the septic situation I had. I was put into a coma for 19 days which caused me to lose all muscle. Also while in a coma I got a category 5 bed sore on my tail bone and it has finally closed but not healed a year later. Now I am well enough to be working with a trainer to rebuild my core and get stronger. It is time consuming but it has all been worth it for me....Like I said so many times... I was dead before and now I am a live!!!!!!!

Ana.....So you have to keep the stent in for 6 weeks. That is the standard time frame for this. Look you are not sore from anxiety. Your sore from the damn stent. It hurts like the devil. I know like I told you I had 2 one on top of the other. i felt like my chest and stomach and back were on fire. I did get addicted to 2 different medications while going through the stents. Now I am only allowed Tylenol for the rest of my days... Tell them not to float you when they take the stent out but to put you under. When they took mine out I woke up as they were pulling them out and I groaned. I heard swearing and then I did not see light for 7 hours after that. Night mare....lol It only takes a second to remove it...Trust me! Hopefully your leak will have healed by then. most of them do. Mine did not....But like I said most of them do. I told you not to stick your fingers down your throat to gag...You could cause another stricture and they could end up doing the next surgery if you are not careful. I threw up constantly when the stents were in....They were always wiping my face with a cold towel and helping me a long the way. No one knows how uncomfortable this can be until they put it in your stomach..... I was able to suck on ice and even bite it but could not swallow it. it helped with the dryness in my mouth. But I got used to not eating and when everything was finally over I had to spend time with my Nut to learn to chew again. It is amazing how fast your body forgets to do something that is natural for us.... Attitude is a big part of getting better. And you are going forward! Keep us posted..your journey is somewhat like mine so I understand the pain and frustration of all of it and more.... Chin up and remember one step at a time. One day at a time!!! K