Kelli S
My Story thus far.....
Jul 18, 2007
I started this journey back in December 2004, when a friend introduced me to someone who had weight loss surgery. After talking to her, I did more research and finally made the call for a consult in February. I could not get an appointment until April 19th and it was a long wait. I met with Dr. Reardon and both my Mother and I were very impressed. My Mom was not really onboard with the idea of surgery until that meeting and I was very glad she ended up going with me. We met a doctor in the waiting room who was going to see him for the same reason and my Mom was really sold on Dr. Reardon after that. That visit was followed by a visit to a therapist and nutritionist in the following weeks. All of my paper work was turned into the insurance on May 19th the WAIT began. See my insurance comments for more on that but while we have good coverage and most of the people I spoke with were nice too many were clueless. I finally got a approved and my surgery date scheduled for August 5th, 2005!
August 2nd- I am 3 days away from surgery and pretty much freaking out. I have been talking to a really great friend I met on here whose 2 year anniversary is the same date as my surgery. I happened upon Yvonne's profile and because we had the same date, I had to email her. It has grown from there and I am so fortunate to have her to "talk" to. I also have chatted with my Angel,(the longest post-op) on the phone and that was very helpful. Thanks to everyone on here for their insight and support.
August 18th- Well the journey continues. Surgery on the 5th was a lot more than I had imagined it would be and the hospital stay was not so great. I am so thankful I had my Mom with me (she is a nurse) that made things a lot more bearable. I am now 13 days out and am down 10 pounds by my scales. It is hard not to get frustrated and compare to others but I do even though I have been told not to! I have been kind of a in a funk since I have been home but I am told this too will past. I am not generally Pollyanna so it is hard for me not to be negative. I do not regret my decision thus far and am looking forward to living life more weighing less. Thanks to those who have been supportive, especially Yvonne! She is a great inspiration.
September 7th- I saw doctor yesterday, no I saw one of the residents again which I have to say is just not right. The doctor who actually does the surgery SHOULD see the patient aftewards. Anyway I was down 19 lbs in the office yesterday (my scales said more!) I was told is in the range of "normal' (15 to 30 lbs first month) but it still is alot slower than most people I talk to. I am tired ALOT and they are doing bloodwork to see what is up with that. I also asked about the 13 lbs I gained in the hospital and then it took me a week to lose the week I came home and was told that does not count towards my loss! Anyway people who know and do not know about surgery have said they can see a difference and my clothes are ALOT loser so all in all things are going pretty well.
October 11th- Been awhile since I have been here but all is going fairly well. I am exercising on a regular basis and was down 32 pounds as of the 6th. I am somewhat frustrated with my progress though I know I need to work harder on getting in all of my protein and my water on a daily basis. I am going down sizes (though I refuse to buy anything new) and people are always telling me what a big difference they see. I am not one to take compliments very well so it is hard to be "in the spotlight" so to speak. I keep on going just like the turtle, slow but steady. I feel like while my goal is nowhere in sight, I have what it takes to get me there. Special thanks to Yvonne for being my guru through this all!
November 11th- Another month bites the dust. I am now down 44 pounds and while it still seems to be so much slower than others who started out with me, I am happy with my progress. More people making comments and noticing my loss but it is still very hard to just say thank you and move on. I really feel like I will be able to achieve my goal and surgery truly was the tool I needed to get me where I want to be. I continue to get support from Yvonne whose 2 year anniversary was my surgery date and from Dana on the Texas board. I appreciate all their help and can't say thanks enough!
December 8th- I finally made it down 50 pounds! Even though my loss seems slow in comparison to others (yes I know I should not compare but I do all the time!) I have never lost this much in this period of time. I am exercising more and seeing a big difference in my face and in my clothes. Thankfully I have clothes of all sizes in my closet because I am really not wanting to buy new things. I continue to struggle to get in all my protein daily but in general food is not an issue of any kind. I do occasionally take a bite of something that is not a good choice but that is all it is, just a bite. Taking the surgery route is not an easy choice but it has been worth the struggles to get to where I am right now.
January 13th- I am now down 60 pounds. I am working out more than ever but it has not seemed to have sped up my weight loss but guess the inches count too. More and more people making comments and noticing and that does help me stay very motivated. I have so much more energy and it is really amazing that my mindset has really changed. I still ofcourse compare and wish the pounds were dropping off of me like they do off of some people. I am very glad I had this surgery and have the feeling 2006 is going to be a great year.
March 14th- Wow I missed the February update. I am now down 74 pounds which is okay and the rate of loss seems to be picking up again. I am still exercising and trying to make the right food choices. I occasionally go for a carb when I should not but am determined to stay on track. My hair is soooo thin but it seems to have stopped falling out at such a fast rate. I am under 200 pounds for the first time in ages and that feels pretty good. I am not sure about an acutal goal but as long as the number on the scale is going down I am good!
August 2nd- I am 3 days away from surgery and pretty much freaking out. I have been talking to a really great friend I met on here whose 2 year anniversary is the same date as my surgery. I happened upon Yvonne's profile and because we had the same date, I had to email her. It has grown from there and I am so fortunate to have her to "talk" to. I also have chatted with my Angel,(the longest post-op) on the phone and that was very helpful. Thanks to everyone on here for their insight and support.
August 18th- Well the journey continues. Surgery on the 5th was a lot more than I had imagined it would be and the hospital stay was not so great. I am so thankful I had my Mom with me (she is a nurse) that made things a lot more bearable. I am now 13 days out and am down 10 pounds by my scales. It is hard not to get frustrated and compare to others but I do even though I have been told not to! I have been kind of a in a funk since I have been home but I am told this too will past. I am not generally Pollyanna so it is hard for me not to be negative. I do not regret my decision thus far and am looking forward to living life more weighing less. Thanks to those who have been supportive, especially Yvonne! She is a great inspiration.
September 7th- I saw doctor yesterday, no I saw one of the residents again which I have to say is just not right. The doctor who actually does the surgery SHOULD see the patient aftewards. Anyway I was down 19 lbs in the office yesterday (my scales said more!) I was told is in the range of "normal' (15 to 30 lbs first month) but it still is alot slower than most people I talk to. I am tired ALOT and they are doing bloodwork to see what is up with that. I also asked about the 13 lbs I gained in the hospital and then it took me a week to lose the week I came home and was told that does not count towards my loss! Anyway people who know and do not know about surgery have said they can see a difference and my clothes are ALOT loser so all in all things are going pretty well.
October 11th- Been awhile since I have been here but all is going fairly well. I am exercising on a regular basis and was down 32 pounds as of the 6th. I am somewhat frustrated with my progress though I know I need to work harder on getting in all of my protein and my water on a daily basis. I am going down sizes (though I refuse to buy anything new) and people are always telling me what a big difference they see. I am not one to take compliments very well so it is hard to be "in the spotlight" so to speak. I keep on going just like the turtle, slow but steady. I feel like while my goal is nowhere in sight, I have what it takes to get me there. Special thanks to Yvonne for being my guru through this all!
November 11th- Another month bites the dust. I am now down 44 pounds and while it still seems to be so much slower than others who started out with me, I am happy with my progress. More people making comments and noticing my loss but it is still very hard to just say thank you and move on. I really feel like I will be able to achieve my goal and surgery truly was the tool I needed to get me where I want to be. I continue to get support from Yvonne whose 2 year anniversary was my surgery date and from Dana on the Texas board. I appreciate all their help and can't say thanks enough!
December 8th- I finally made it down 50 pounds! Even though my loss seems slow in comparison to others (yes I know I should not compare but I do all the time!) I have never lost this much in this period of time. I am exercising more and seeing a big difference in my face and in my clothes. Thankfully I have clothes of all sizes in my closet because I am really not wanting to buy new things. I continue to struggle to get in all my protein daily but in general food is not an issue of any kind. I do occasionally take a bite of something that is not a good choice but that is all it is, just a bite. Taking the surgery route is not an easy choice but it has been worth the struggles to get to where I am right now.
January 13th- I am now down 60 pounds. I am working out more than ever but it has not seemed to have sped up my weight loss but guess the inches count too. More and more people making comments and noticing and that does help me stay very motivated. I have so much more energy and it is really amazing that my mindset has really changed. I still ofcourse compare and wish the pounds were dropping off of me like they do off of some people. I am very glad I had this surgery and have the feeling 2006 is going to be a great year.
March 14th- Wow I missed the February update. I am now down 74 pounds which is okay and the rate of loss seems to be picking up again. I am still exercising and trying to make the right food choices. I occasionally go for a carb when I should not but am determined to stay on track. My hair is soooo thin but it seems to have stopped falling out at such a fast rate. I am under 200 pounds for the first time in ages and that feels pretty good. I am not sure about an acutal goal but as long as the number on the scale is going down I am good!
