Almost one year now...a reflection

[windycitywids 5]

Hi All,

It's been almost a year now and what a journey it has been for me. July 28th 2010 got my band all was ok there. 3 weeks later got a surgical site infection from the underwire of my bra ripping the beautiful scab, had a round of antibiotics and had to pack the infection site for almost two weeks. So then 8 weeks post-op my appendix had to come out. I still believe, even though 3 surgeons, the general surgeon and the 2 band surgeons said at the time there was no literature to back this up, that it was a direct result of the band surgery. Now, it's 12 weeks post band and my surgeons are happy at the healing and I schedule my first fill, 2cc's. I'm cool with that and happy to be on my way with my weight-loss journey.

I was back to work full time again about two weeks when I began to have little twinges of pain on my right side but didn't think anything about it. I got up from my chair to go to the fax machine and said to my co-worker "gee, I'm having a funny pain in my right side", and laughingly said "watch next it will be my gallbladder". Ha Ha Ha. That friday night we went to a city street fair and my side really started to hurt bad and I was feeling really bloated and sick so I stayed in bed all Saturday and when I woke up on Sunday, knew it was back to the ER for me where I had a ultrasound that showed, you guessed it, inflammation and gallstones. The tech showed me because I had asked to see what the scan looked like and since I am an employee of the hospital I went to and know almost everyone who works there, she did. She showed me all of the stones and where my gallbladder was inflamed.

Ok, I'm thinking great, I had to open my big mouth! Well the ER doc, whom I don't like at all, told me his diagnosis and said I would need to contact a surgeon to have it checked out. He diagnosed it as a lesser gallbladder problem of just stones instead of the with inflammation which indicates an infection and sent me home and said to contact the surgeon. I couldn't believe it! I was in such pain I almost couldn't stand it. I couldn't walk to the car and had to use a wheelchair. Anyway long story short because I was sent home. I called the surgeon's office the next moring and again because I wasn't admitted it was pre-determined by the office staff (before I spoke with my surgeon) that it wasn't an emergency and that I could schedule the surgery at my convienence so no one followed up with me for two days afterward and never told my surgeon that it was a priority. When I spoke to my surgeon he had told me that after reviewing my test results his diagnosis was Chronic Cholecystitis and that the gallbladder had to come out but again because I wasn't admitted at the time the Anesthesia dept didn't want to work me in to there already overloaded schedule. I waited 5 days in really bad pain to be able to get my surgery because of a misdiagnosis by the ED doc and miscommunication between my surgeon and his office. A few weeks later I went back to work and haven't had any more surgeries

My progress was stalled and my motivation went by the wayside after all that and I decided not to get any fills until after Thanksgiving but did have one, another 2cc's before Christmas. I ws losing but very slowly like 2 lbs every 6 weeks. Finally by the end of February I got some real restriction and started to lose a little more quickly but in April I was up to 9cc's and stalled. I went to talk with the doc in the band office and got some counseling on foods to eat and exercising and stuff and scheduled another appointment 5 weeks later that I cancelled because I was just starting to do my Water aerobics and the scale hadn't changed. I finally went back the beginning of this month and by chance saw my band surgeon instead of the FP doc there. I had lost 7 lbs in 10 weeks and he said let's tweak you a little and gave me .05 cc's for a total of 9.5 and that with the exercising has really started to work. I have lost 5 lbs sind the beginning of the month and have gone down another size in clothes. I've lost 40lbs now and can't believe it. I went shopping for clothes yesterday and am now in a size 16 pant and an 18/20 top. I am so amazed and happy to finally be closer to my goal which was 100 lbs total. I hope to lose another 20 by the end of the year. Thanks for reading my epic saga!

[TKW 501]

You got a little more than you bargained for. Mercy!

Here's wishing you nothing but good luck in the rest of your journey!

[Dave_NW 92]

Hi All,

It's been almost a year now and what a journey it has been for me.

Holey cow! That is quite a story! I'm SO sorry you had to go through all that. But it's great to read you're finally on track, and that things are working well for you. Hang in there, do what you can, and good luck with it all!

Dave