Erika T.
From 2005 -2007
Jul 07, 2009
I'm 35 married with 3 children. 2 sons (Blake, 14 and Rian, 3) and 1 daughter (Rhiannon, 5). I've been obese for most of my life. I got bigger after each child. I'm 5'8 and weight 304. I'm just now really looking into the process and am trying to gather as much info as possible!
2005
2/5/05 WOW!!! Rene did a GREAT job sprucing up my profile!! I'm still looking into the surgery I'm going to go to Tampa General/Michel Murr Support Group meeting this Thursday. I need to get this ball rolling... I'm sick (and tired) of being sick (and tired) ALL the time!! I hate not fitting into the seat at a movie theater and getting winded walking from my car at work/the store. I just want to get where I have enough energy to play with my children and go to the beach! I always tell my friends I don't go to the beach because Mote Marine Laboratory may start tossing water on me and try to push me back into water! (btw for those who don't know who they are... they are a group in the tampa bay/sarasota area that helps rescue beached whales, amoung other things!) My husband is being supportive, but of course the rest of my family (my sisters and mother) doesn't think it's a great idea. I'm the youngest of 6 children. My mother, father, 1 sister, and 1 brother are morbidly obese and my other brother and 1 sister (who had a baby 18 months ago)is overweight. So out of 8 people in my family I have 1 sister that is a "normal" weight. A friend of mine is getting married in June and wants me to sing in her wedding... but I really don't want to be up there where everyone's eyes are on me!! How sad is that?!?! I'm so glad I found this website and read the profiles of SO many people who are just like me, with the same issues and insecurities, and the same hopes and desires!!! I'm Dreamin of a size 10 jean (which I haven't worn since 9th grade!)
03/22/05 - I have an appointment for all the preliminary stuff on 3/30/05 with Spectra Healthcare. I'm excited to get this ball rolling.
4/2/05 - Had my meeting at Spectra w/Dietician, Psychologist and General Docter, EKG, etc... all gave me the go ahead... so now my file is being transferred to the surgeon to meet with him and finish everything up and hopefully get a date!!!
4/7/05 Got a call from the surgeon's office (Dr. Murr) scheduled consult with him on 4/18.. WOO HOO!!!! I'm gonna be skinny yet!!! :)
4/18/05 Went to Dr. Murr's office today for a consult met with Dr. Nelson (a Bariatric Surgery Fellow), Dr Murr and Sandy, the insurance lady! It was a 2 1/2 hour wait... I was falling asleep!! Well, I have to get my sleep apnea squared away. I have a CPAP machine and have yet to be able to wear it all night, I've had it for 14 months now... I wake up with it off and don't even realize I've taken it off. So Dr. Murr said while we wait on all the insurance stuff, i am to go back to Dr. Feldman (my sleep docter) and see if we can get it under control. I want to be a full lung capacity for my surgery!!!
05/11/05 I'm APPROVED!!! Called Dr. Murr's office to check on status and they said they just submitted the request on 4/26, so I called the insurance company to make sure they received it and Mike told me that it was approved on 4/26. I couldn't believe it. I was so prepared for a fight, but didn't need to. I talked about my work schedule with my boss, she has 2 weeks off over the summer, but until Dr. Murr receives authorization from the insurance I can't schedule a date. But I'm SO excited!!! So now I'm just waiting for the letter from the insurance. I've gotten better with my CPAP. I wake up every morning with sore nostrils. UGH!!
05/17/05 I've got my date... it's 8/10/05 and I can't wait. I could have had it done on May 31st but that would have caused scheduling issue at work and they had no dates available in July... soooooo it's in August. I'm so excited!!!!
08/02/05 I'm one week away from the BIG day and can't hardly stand it. Tomorrow I go for all my Pre-Op stuff and am excited and just a tad nervous... I just want this to be over so I can start LIVING again! My date was scheduled for 8/10, but the dr's office called and wanted to bump it up to the 9th so... this time next week i'll be (God willing) in recovery and doing marvelous...
08/12/05
I'm home and have to say I was very lucky and had a great experience. All the staff at Tampa General that I came in contact with were SUPERB!! I came out of anesthesia in the recovery room in a lot of pain (from what I can recall) but then I was out again and woke up in my hospital room with just a bit of soreness and achy. I was up walking to the bathroom the next day (slowly and hunched over holding my belly!). Had the surgery on Tuesday evening, I was originally scheduled to have surgery at 11 am but got a call on Monday that they were bumping me back to 1 pm. So I got there and was all set to go when lo and behold Dr. Murr was having complications with his current surgery so I didn’t go in until 3 pm. Which kinda sucked my husband had to leave to go pick up the kids from school and was hoping he would get to see me off but he had just gotten on the Gandy Bridge when the nurse called and said they came to get me… The nurse yelled down the hall to me “HE LOVES YOU!” The staff all had a great sense of humor and bedside manner. Dr. Shaw (anesthesiologist) and his team were great. I got some “milk of amnesia” and that was all she wrote… don’t remember dreaming don’t remember anything except taking a couple of deep breathes of oxygen and then a vague memory of waking up briefly in the recovery room. The days in the hospital passed relatively easy but did I ever start to hate the smell of broth… I think I was most annoyed with the line in my neck. It wasn’t painful, I was just very aware that it was going directly into an arterial vein!! So I would find myself waking up if my head started bobbing to the right!! Okay and the removal of the drain tube… it HURT!! It wasn’t an odd feeling it just hurt! It was brief but I was not expecting any pain associated with that…. I guess everybody is different. I’m glad to be home and it to be over… But now my kids (4 and 5 years old) are becoming a problem trying to keep them from hugging or jumping on me has become a chore for everybody. I’ve gotten to the point where I have to lock myself in my bedroom but then have to hear the kids crying for me… which sucks cause they haven’t seen me in 3 days… anyway…. My journey has begun and I’m anticipating where it leads me….
3/8/06 WOW!!! What a ride this has been... so far I've lost 108lbs. Although there have been some down sides to this weight loss. The break up of my marriage... I think my husband didn't like the attention I was getting from people, not just men but the compliments and praise from women as well. But then my self esteem and confidence is soaring... I'm in a size 18 (and they are loose)!!! This has been the best thing I could have done for myself and my kids... I have more energy and I actually spend time at the park with my kids... I'll try to post a newer pic of me...
3-5-07 Almost a year since my last update! Where does the time go! I now weigh 142 lbs. I'm actually in a size 8 which I have never been in since MAYBE middle school! I've been dating the most wonderful man for 3 months now and I'm the happiest I think I've ever been. I'm riding motorcycles now, something I would have never done before. I go for my license this week. I'm also going to start SCUBA diving classes this summer. I feel like I have been given my life back and I want to enjoy every moment of it... My son (who is 16) has actually stated that he thinks I'm too skinny. I almost died laughing... I weigh less then him... but he is 6' 4". I will again try to update more later... until then I'm going to create more adventures for my life and enjoy every minute of it!
0 comments
2/5/05 WOW!!! Rene did a GREAT job sprucing up my profile!! I'm still looking into the surgery I'm going to go to Tampa General/Michel Murr Support Group meeting this Thursday. I need to get this ball rolling... I'm sick (and tired) of being sick (and tired) ALL the time!! I hate not fitting into the seat at a movie theater and getting winded walking from my car at work/the store. I just want to get where I have enough energy to play with my children and go to the beach! I always tell my friends I don't go to the beach because Mote Marine Laboratory may start tossing water on me and try to push me back into water! (btw for those who don't know who they are... they are a group in the tampa bay/sarasota area that helps rescue beached whales, amoung other things!) My husband is being supportive, but of course the rest of my family (my sisters and mother) doesn't think it's a great idea. I'm the youngest of 6 children. My mother, father, 1 sister, and 1 brother are morbidly obese and my other brother and 1 sister (who had a baby 18 months ago)is overweight. So out of 8 people in my family I have 1 sister that is a "normal" weight. A friend of mine is getting married in June and wants me to sing in her wedding... but I really don't want to be up there where everyone's eyes are on me!! How sad is that?!?! I'm so glad I found this website and read the profiles of SO many people who are just like me, with the same issues and insecurities, and the same hopes and desires!!! I'm Dreamin of a size 10 jean (which I haven't worn since 9th grade!)
03/22/05 - I have an appointment for all the preliminary stuff on 3/30/05 with Spectra Healthcare. I'm excited to get this ball rolling.
4/2/05 - Had my meeting at Spectra w/Dietician, Psychologist and General Docter, EKG, etc... all gave me the go ahead... so now my file is being transferred to the surgeon to meet with him and finish everything up and hopefully get a date!!!
4/7/05 Got a call from the surgeon's office (Dr. Murr) scheduled consult with him on 4/18.. WOO HOO!!!! I'm gonna be skinny yet!!! :)
4/18/05 Went to Dr. Murr's office today for a consult met with Dr. Nelson (a Bariatric Surgery Fellow), Dr Murr and Sandy, the insurance lady! It was a 2 1/2 hour wait... I was falling asleep!! Well, I have to get my sleep apnea squared away. I have a CPAP machine and have yet to be able to wear it all night, I've had it for 14 months now... I wake up with it off and don't even realize I've taken it off. So Dr. Murr said while we wait on all the insurance stuff, i am to go back to Dr. Feldman (my sleep docter) and see if we can get it under control. I want to be a full lung capacity for my surgery!!!
05/11/05 I'm APPROVED!!! Called Dr. Murr's office to check on status and they said they just submitted the request on 4/26, so I called the insurance company to make sure they received it and Mike told me that it was approved on 4/26. I couldn't believe it. I was so prepared for a fight, but didn't need to. I talked about my work schedule with my boss, she has 2 weeks off over the summer, but until Dr. Murr receives authorization from the insurance I can't schedule a date. But I'm SO excited!!! So now I'm just waiting for the letter from the insurance. I've gotten better with my CPAP. I wake up every morning with sore nostrils. UGH!!
05/17/05 I've got my date... it's 8/10/05 and I can't wait. I could have had it done on May 31st but that would have caused scheduling issue at work and they had no dates available in July... soooooo it's in August. I'm so excited!!!!
08/02/05 I'm one week away from the BIG day and can't hardly stand it. Tomorrow I go for all my Pre-Op stuff and am excited and just a tad nervous... I just want this to be over so I can start LIVING again! My date was scheduled for 8/10, but the dr's office called and wanted to bump it up to the 9th so... this time next week i'll be (God willing) in recovery and doing marvelous...
08/12/05
I'm home and have to say I was very lucky and had a great experience. All the staff at Tampa General that I came in contact with were SUPERB!! I came out of anesthesia in the recovery room in a lot of pain (from what I can recall) but then I was out again and woke up in my hospital room with just a bit of soreness and achy. I was up walking to the bathroom the next day (slowly and hunched over holding my belly!). Had the surgery on Tuesday evening, I was originally scheduled to have surgery at 11 am but got a call on Monday that they were bumping me back to 1 pm. So I got there and was all set to go when lo and behold Dr. Murr was having complications with his current surgery so I didn’t go in until 3 pm. Which kinda sucked my husband had to leave to go pick up the kids from school and was hoping he would get to see me off but he had just gotten on the Gandy Bridge when the nurse called and said they came to get me… The nurse yelled down the hall to me “HE LOVES YOU!” The staff all had a great sense of humor and bedside manner. Dr. Shaw (anesthesiologist) and his team were great. I got some “milk of amnesia” and that was all she wrote… don’t remember dreaming don’t remember anything except taking a couple of deep breathes of oxygen and then a vague memory of waking up briefly in the recovery room. The days in the hospital passed relatively easy but did I ever start to hate the smell of broth… I think I was most annoyed with the line in my neck. It wasn’t painful, I was just very aware that it was going directly into an arterial vein!! So I would find myself waking up if my head started bobbing to the right!! Okay and the removal of the drain tube… it HURT!! It wasn’t an odd feeling it just hurt! It was brief but I was not expecting any pain associated with that…. I guess everybody is different. I’m glad to be home and it to be over… But now my kids (4 and 5 years old) are becoming a problem trying to keep them from hugging or jumping on me has become a chore for everybody. I’ve gotten to the point where I have to lock myself in my bedroom but then have to hear the kids crying for me… which sucks cause they haven’t seen me in 3 days… anyway…. My journey has begun and I’m anticipating where it leads me….
3/8/06 WOW!!! What a ride this has been... so far I've lost 108lbs. Although there have been some down sides to this weight loss. The break up of my marriage... I think my husband didn't like the attention I was getting from people, not just men but the compliments and praise from women as well. But then my self esteem and confidence is soaring... I'm in a size 18 (and they are loose)!!! This has been the best thing I could have done for myself and my kids... I have more energy and I actually spend time at the park with my kids... I'll try to post a newer pic of me...
3-5-07 Almost a year since my last update! Where does the time go! I now weigh 142 lbs. I'm actually in a size 8 which I have never been in since MAYBE middle school! I've been dating the most wonderful man for 3 months now and I'm the happiest I think I've ever been. I'm riding motorcycles now, something I would have never done before. I go for my license this week. I'm also going to start SCUBA diving classes this summer. I feel like I have been given my life back and I want to enjoy every moment of it... My son (who is 16) has actually stated that he thinks I'm too skinny. I almost died laughing... I weigh less then him... but he is 6' 4". I will again try to update more later... until then I'm going to create more adventures for my life and enjoy every minute of it!
About Me
Homosassa, FL
Location
23.6
BMI
Surgery
08/09/2005
Surgery Date
Jan 08, 2005
Member Since