Dena ..
Stranded on a Plateau...
Jul 10, 2003
It has been a long time since I posted any new information here. Things have been going relatively well in terms of the weight loss. I do have to work to keep myself from being disappointed that I did not reach my goal weight in one year (perhaps unrealistic, but I had hoped that I could). I have lost an impressive amount of weight however, and have somewhere between 50 and 60 more pounds to go. Right now I am stuck on a big plateau (have not lost ANY weight in weeks!). Not happy about that....trust me. However, my internist thinks that I should be able to make it by the end of the year.
Everyone is very supportive and very happy for me. The strangest thing is that I have gone from wearing a 26....down to a Misses 16 (and even some 14's)!! Can you believe it?! God be praised!
Everyone is very supportive and very happy for me. The strangest thing is that I have gone from wearing a 26....down to a Misses 16 (and even some 14's)!! Can you believe it?! God be praised!
Almost 3 months out...
Nov 01, 2002
Three weeks until I hit the 3 month mark. To date I have lost 59 pounds. It is incredible. The funny thing is that my body looks the same to me. I can see that my face and hands and feet are thinner...but as for the rest of me...it looks exactly the same!
I am having a problem with gagging. Apparently the muscles in my throat were bruised when they had to call the code blue on me. The ENT said I was lucky that they just bruised the muscles. If I move around too much...or if I talk too much...I actually gag on my own throat. It feels like it is swollen and I have a golf ball stuck in there. Hopefully it will pass soon.
I find myself obsessing over my weight...I weigh myself twice daily. I probably should not...but at the moment I cannot help it...it is a compulsion. Oh well...there are worse things I could be doing!
I am having a problem with gagging. Apparently the muscles in my throat were bruised when they had to call the code blue on me. The ENT said I was lucky that they just bruised the muscles. If I move around too much...or if I talk too much...I actually gag on my own throat. It feels like it is swollen and I have a golf ball stuck in there. Hopefully it will pass soon.
I find myself obsessing over my weight...I weigh myself twice daily. I probably should not...but at the moment I cannot help it...it is a compulsion. Oh well...there are worse things I could be doing!
Horribly Sick Post DS...Nightmare Hospital!
Sep 18, 2002
It has been almost a month since my sugery. I wish I could say that I am one of those people who had a great experience and would do it all again, because I am not. Well....let me clarify a bit, the surgery itself went very well, it is just everything that transpired afterwards that made the experience horrible. Would I do the surgery again? Yes. Would I choose Dr. Elariny again? In a heartbeat. In fact Dr. Elariny is the only thing that I wouldn't change about this experience. Would I go to Fairfax Inova hospital again? NOT IF MY VERY LIFE DEPENDED UPON IT.
Inova Fairfax is without reservation the ABSOLUTE WORST HOSPITAL I HAVE HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO EXPERIENCE.
The surgeons may be skilled, but the staff physicians, the nurses, the residents and the support staff are abysmal. Horrid. Putrid.
They are short staffed, uncaring, patronizing, paternalistic and could really give less than a damn about their patients.
Everyone says that Inova Fairfax is a highly rated hospital. If this the the pinnacle of healthcare in northern
Virginia
, then remind me NOT to move to the area.
First off....if you are a person of color, expect less than adequate service and care.
They are short staffed. In the 10 days that I was a prisoner there, my mother is the one who had to help me get bathed. She even had to chase them down to change my dirty, bloody sheets. One resident had the audacity to tell me that that was the family's job. Last time I checked my mother was not an employee there.
The evening after my surgery I had an "incident". Initially I was told by several of the staff doctors that I had been over-medicated, and that I crashed and was found unresponsive and not breathing. I was given Narcan and luckily brought around. But lo and behold. After the "crisis" team had a chance to meet and discuss my case for SEVERAL DAYS, they then decided that I had an episode of sleep apnea. BUT GUESS WHAT? I DO NOT HAVE SLEEP APNEA! THEY WERE SIMPLY TRYING TO COVER THEIR ASSES.
Then I ended up with pneumonia. Ok this happens. But then...
One day I rang the nurse's bell because I was sick and in extreme pain. It took over FOUR HOURS for anyone to answer. Good thing it was not life threatening.
Oh...and let us not forget that the so-called doctors there think they know a patient's body better than the patient does. I kept complaining that my throat and tongue were swelling and hurt. They ignored me for 4 days. By the time I finally convinced someone to look....I had a full blown case of thrush. Mouth, tongue and throat....totally infected.
I told them that my side hurt terribly at my drain site. And that my right side was extremely swollen, to the point that my skin was splitting and bleeding. They dismissed my complaints. When Dr. Elariny came to remove the drain tube and looked under the bandage, MY DRAIN SITE WAS EXTREMELY INFECTED AND OOZING YELLOW BLOODY PUS. Go figure. Trust me....he was not pleased.
I complained of explosive diahrrea. One rude, nasty resident by the name of Suny Kim thought he would embarass me by ordering a diaper. He thought I was being lazy when I told him I could barely walk a few feet without having the runs that I could not control. Well guess what? I had colitis. It took them DAYS TO FIGURE THAT OUT!
I am firmly convinced that had I stayed there any longer, I would not be here to fill out this review.
WHATEVER YOU DECIDE...PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT GO TO
INOVA
FAIRFAX
HOSPITAL
. If you do....hopefully you will at least live to regret it.
I want to be sure to say that Dr. Elariny did his utmost to care for me during my stay. But as we must all realize, your surgeon cannot be with you 24/7. As a surgeon, he relies on the other medical professionals participating in your care to do their part. I saw him regularly and he did his very very best for me. But unfortunately, when you are sick, and tired and on meds that whack you out, you cannot always remember to list every detail for your surgeon during his visits. One would think that the other medical professionals responsible for participating in your care would pass along what information they had. WRONG. In fact, Dr. Elariny was not informed of my code blue or me being given Narcan until the following afternoon. THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON! OVER 14 FULL HOURS AFTER THE INCIDENT. Shouldn't someone have called him??? Please, please, please...do not take any of my comments here to be against Dr. E for they are not. I was convinced (and still am) that he is the best man for this procedure. His is a surgical talent that is a blessing from God.
Dr. E has been very responsive since my release, he calls back when I page him (and I have paged him alot since I have had such a difficult recovery). He is patient, he listens...and I truly think he worries about me (as I am sure he does all of his patients). I have had to make several trips to the doctor since I have been at my parents house, and Dr. E even expressed a desire to talk to them so that he could bring them up to date on my condition. That to me is the mark of a Doc who cares.
I am staying with my parents because I still cannot fully take care of myself. I cannot talk or move about for more than a few minutes without gagging and retching, most times to the point of throwing up....and sometimes to the point of giving myself a nosebleed. Of course, no one can agree upon what is wrong with me...I just know that I am not functional like this and cannot live this way.
I just have to remind myself that the Lord did not bring me this far to leave me now.
Inova Fairfax is without reservation the ABSOLUTE WORST HOSPITAL I HAVE HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO EXPERIENCE.
The surgeons may be skilled, but the staff physicians, the nurses, the residents and the support staff are abysmal. Horrid. Putrid.
They are short staffed, uncaring, patronizing, paternalistic and could really give less than a damn about their patients.
Everyone says that Inova Fairfax is a highly rated hospital. If this the the pinnacle of healthcare in northern
First off....if you are a person of color, expect less than adequate service and care.
They are short staffed. In the 10 days that I was a prisoner there, my mother is the one who had to help me get bathed. She even had to chase them down to change my dirty, bloody sheets. One resident had the audacity to tell me that that was the family's job. Last time I checked my mother was not an employee there.
The evening after my surgery I had an "incident". Initially I was told by several of the staff doctors that I had been over-medicated, and that I crashed and was found unresponsive and not breathing. I was given Narcan and luckily brought around. But lo and behold. After the "crisis" team had a chance to meet and discuss my case for SEVERAL DAYS, they then decided that I had an episode of sleep apnea. BUT GUESS WHAT? I DO NOT HAVE SLEEP APNEA! THEY WERE SIMPLY TRYING TO COVER THEIR ASSES.
Then I ended up with pneumonia. Ok this happens. But then...
One day I rang the nurse's bell because I was sick and in extreme pain. It took over FOUR HOURS for anyone to answer. Good thing it was not life threatening.
Oh...and let us not forget that the so-called doctors there think they know a patient's body better than the patient does. I kept complaining that my throat and tongue were swelling and hurt. They ignored me for 4 days. By the time I finally convinced someone to look....I had a full blown case of thrush. Mouth, tongue and throat....totally infected.
I told them that my side hurt terribly at my drain site. And that my right side was extremely swollen, to the point that my skin was splitting and bleeding. They dismissed my complaints. When Dr. Elariny came to remove the drain tube and looked under the bandage, MY DRAIN SITE WAS EXTREMELY INFECTED AND OOZING YELLOW BLOODY PUS. Go figure. Trust me....he was not pleased.
I complained of explosive diahrrea. One rude, nasty resident by the name of Suny Kim thought he would embarass me by ordering a diaper. He thought I was being lazy when I told him I could barely walk a few feet without having the runs that I could not control. Well guess what? I had colitis. It took them DAYS TO FIGURE THAT OUT!
I am firmly convinced that had I stayed there any longer, I would not be here to fill out this review.
WHATEVER YOU DECIDE...PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT GO TO
I want to be sure to say that Dr. Elariny did his utmost to care for me during my stay. But as we must all realize, your surgeon cannot be with you 24/7. As a surgeon, he relies on the other medical professionals participating in your care to do their part. I saw him regularly and he did his very very best for me. But unfortunately, when you are sick, and tired and on meds that whack you out, you cannot always remember to list every detail for your surgeon during his visits. One would think that the other medical professionals responsible for participating in your care would pass along what information they had. WRONG. In fact, Dr. Elariny was not informed of my code blue or me being given Narcan until the following afternoon. THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON! OVER 14 FULL HOURS AFTER THE INCIDENT. Shouldn't someone have called him??? Please, please, please...do not take any of my comments here to be against Dr. E for they are not. I was convinced (and still am) that he is the best man for this procedure. His is a surgical talent that is a blessing from God.
Dr. E has been very responsive since my release, he calls back when I page him (and I have paged him alot since I have had such a difficult recovery). He is patient, he listens...and I truly think he worries about me (as I am sure he does all of his patients). I have had to make several trips to the doctor since I have been at my parents house, and Dr. E even expressed a desire to talk to them so that he could bring them up to date on my condition. That to me is the mark of a Doc who cares.
I am staying with my parents because I still cannot fully take care of myself. I cannot talk or move about for more than a few minutes without gagging and retching, most times to the point of throwing up....and sometimes to the point of giving myself a nosebleed. Of course, no one can agree upon what is wrong with me...I just know that I am not functional like this and cannot live this way.
I just have to remind myself that the Lord did not bring me this far to leave me now.
APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!
Jul 14, 2002
I got my approval today. Can you believe it??? FINALLY!!!!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
The Big Wait..
Jun 25, 2002
The waiting is killing me! Patience has not been among the chief of my virtues (well...that is assuming I have any virtues!). I spoke with Shaunte from Dr. Elariny's office today. Someone should give that woman a medal. I know she is very busy, and that patients most likely bug the you-know-what out of her, but as always she was sweet and helpful. God bless people who do jobs like hers....I am not sure I could do it.
Consult with the DS Guru!!
Jun 13, 2002
I just returned from
Virginia
for my surgical consult with Dr. Elariny. Met some wonderful people in his waiting room too! Sometimes we make friends in the strangest places :)
He takes an interesting approach to weight loss surgery. First you must attend a lecture he gives at
Northern
Virgina
Community
Hospital
to learn about the various options. I enjoyed it in that since he does several surgeries, he is not partial to any one approach. He gives the pros and cons of each, tells you what type of person/eater each is best for, and arms you with the information to make an informed decision. Following the lecture, you have a one on one scheduled with him in which you must elucidate your choice and the reasons supporting it. Dr. E will then offer his opinion of your reasoning/choices. However, you should realize that he will not make the choice for you. I liked that about him. He respects his patients intelligence.
Oh...a side note. If you choose Dr. Elariny there are a few things you should know. He is dedicated, intelligent and very caring about his patients. But, this also makes him incredibly popular. So...be prepared to wait. If surgery runs long (as it often does)...be prepared to wait. And...his waiting room is small...and I mean small! Doc...you are getting too popular...I think it is time for an upgrade!
I have chosen the BPD/DS with a sleeve gastrectomy. After all of my own research and listening to the lecture, I know that this is the best choice for me.
Anyway...my letter is off to the insurance company now I begin the big wait. I have my psych consult scheduled, and an appointment with my PCP to get the list of tests completed that Dr. Elariny wants done. I am probably looking at a surgery date in August. I wish it did not have to take so long. If only I had done this sooner! But in the past, everytime I brought up weight loss surgery, a friend or family member talked me out of it. It was not until now that I had the strength to pursue it, regardless of their acceptance. Funny thing is that this time....my parents have come around and are behind me 200%!! The Bible says....everything in it's own season...perhaps this is my season.
He takes an interesting approach to weight loss surgery. First you must attend a lecture he gives at
Oh...a side note. If you choose Dr. Elariny there are a few things you should know. He is dedicated, intelligent and very caring about his patients. But, this also makes him incredibly popular. So...be prepared to wait. If surgery runs long (as it often does)...be prepared to wait. And...his waiting room is small...and I mean small! Doc...you are getting too popular...I think it is time for an upgrade!
I have chosen the BPD/DS with a sleeve gastrectomy. After all of my own research and listening to the lecture, I know that this is the best choice for me.
Anyway...my letter is off to the insurance company now I begin the big wait. I have my psych consult scheduled, and an appointment with my PCP to get the list of tests completed that Dr. Elariny wants done. I am probably looking at a surgery date in August. I wish it did not have to take so long. If only I had done this sooner! But in the past, everytime I brought up weight loss surgery, a friend or family member talked me out of it. It was not until now that I had the strength to pursue it, regardless of their acceptance. Funny thing is that this time....my parents have come around and are behind me 200%!! The Bible says....everything in it's own season...perhaps this is my season.
How Do I tell Everyone?
May 15, 2002
Well, I just spent the last couple of weeks trying to explain to my family and friends why I want to have WLS. My Mom is very hesitant, and my Dad...well he has not said much of anything about it at all. One of my best friends Betsy is very concerned with my decision to do this. She asked me if I couldn't just try one more time to lose weight some other way. I know she means well.....but that just hurt my feelings. It is not as if I have not tried....and tried....and tried. And everytime I try, I lose....then gain even more than I lost. But Betsy loves me, and is worried about what might happen to me if something goes wrong. And I know that I am blessed to have someone who cares that much.
My other close friends are more accepting. Richard (have known him since grad school) is all for it....extremely supportive (but then again he is a psychologist too...maybe that is why he can empathize with my pain). Pamela was so great about it when I told her, she understands my pain (she has some weight issues of her own), and she will be behind whatever decision I make. Thomas (friend from college) is wary...but he is a health/workout nut (and totally beautiful with an amazing body) so it might be harder for him to relate. And then there is Scott. He had lots of technical questions (he is a pharmacist, so perhaps that is natural), but in the end he was 100% supportive.
I told my friend Larry, and he was a tinch skeptical it seemed...but hopefully he will come around.
Part of me is thinking that maybe I will just send out a mass email to my family and friends....it would be easier.
My other close friends are more accepting. Richard (have known him since grad school) is all for it....extremely supportive (but then again he is a psychologist too...maybe that is why he can empathize with my pain). Pamela was so great about it when I told her, she understands my pain (she has some weight issues of her own), and she will be behind whatever decision I make. Thomas (friend from college) is wary...but he is a health/workout nut (and totally beautiful with an amazing body) so it might be harder for him to relate. And then there is Scott. He had lots of technical questions (he is a pharmacist, so perhaps that is natural), but in the end he was 100% supportive.
I told my friend Larry, and he was a tinch skeptical it seemed...but hopefully he will come around.
Part of me is thinking that maybe I will just send out a mass email to my family and friends....it would be easier.
PCP and Me
May 12, 2002
Met with my PCP today. He was COMPLETELY supportive of my desire for WLS. He told me that he believes that I will make an excellent candidate. We discussed my worries about having children (have not had any yet...grad school/career took up my time). He said it would be easier for me to have a healthy pregnancy after the WLS and loosing weight than it would be being so overweight. He has several WLSers in his care....no problem!
Do I really want to do this??
May 02, 2002
Although I live in
About Me
Cleveland Heights, OH
Location
33.7
BMI
Surgery
08/20/2002
Surgery Date
May 05, 2002
Member Since
