Recent Posts
Hi,
Was wondering if I can get somebody to help me . . . I had WLS completed in Bogota, Colombia by Doctors: Andres Silva & Dr. Valencia in March of 2010 - I would like to contact them to obtain a copy of my medical records for the States. I don't know where they went or if they are still in business. Their website (affordable Bariatrics.com) is no longer working?? If anybody out there had their WLS completed by these doctors and you have a phone number or better yet an e-mail address to contact them I would appreciate you sharing that information with me.
I paid for RNY stomach by-pass surgery and the doctors in the states are telling me that I did not have that procedure done, I am now having complications and need to contact the doctors in Bogota, Colombia - Anybody's help is greatly appreciated.
Bad (well, not as good) news is that I have been in the same five pound range (340-355) since early November and am currently at the high end of that range. Although my initial goal was to get under 300, I've adjusted and set my goal at 325 (before any plastic surgery which given the amount of skin I could lose should be at least another 10-15 pounds.
In order to get back on track - I have started my first go-around on the Five Day Pouch Test this morning. Anyone else tried this yet? Any suggestions?
I'm glad we have got in touch with each other, as we seem to have a lot in common.
We even have the same middle name, Stall, lol... At least you are under the 200 lb mark. I still have about 10 more pounds to go to get there. I really want to get to a "normal" weight which would be 168 for my height. I have never been under 190 as an adult so I have no idea what to expect and am extremely fearful of the unknown. I was obese as a child so my weight has always protected me from the world so as I shed more and more weight, I feel more and more vulnerable. No one understands that fear so it is something I never talk about. I don't think anyone that hasn't experienced a life of obesity can understand that thought process. I don't have any friends that are obese or even overweight so sometimes I feel alone in my struggle. While I can't wait to be normal I am afraid and think that is why I don't put more effort into "watching" what I eat. A sort of self sabotage.
As far as kids, don't wait till your ready or you will never have them. I have a 13 year old stepson, and 11 year old step daughter, two daughters of my own 9 & 6, and 2 year old twin boys. They are the joy of my life. I support my family on a meager teacher's salary and although sometimes we don't have enough money to last from paycheck to paycheck, they make life worthwhile.
I love to run too, because now I can! I am working on stamina and endurance because I have very little of either one.
Glad to hear from you and hope we can keep in touch, because this board is dead.
You made a powerful statement, about not just taking a break from being obese. That one idea floats in the back of my head, and fills me with both dread and determination. It's the main reason I do measure and record everything. At times, it's the one thing I think is under my control when life gets crazy.
I, too, can eat anything...as long as it's not too much. The idea of just about everything going down depresses me. What I wouldn't do to have the issues with certain foods again!!!
I also love exercise. Running has become my savior on days when the job or the husband have driven me crazy. Kudos to you on being the sole provider. I can imagine the stress you are under. But for this surgery, it may not have been possible to have dealt with your obesity alone.
My husband wants children so bad; I am in so much fear to have children. We aren't financial well-off. I make more than my husband. And with looming federal shut-downs...I don't know if I will have a job come Friday.
I'm losing at a record SLOW pace. Stall is my middle name. I stall frequently. I don't really mind it; I figured the bulk of my job is done. I don't mind taking the next year, even 2, to get the rest off. I have decided to use year two to learn healthier habits that will get the rest off, and keep it off. However long that takes, I look at it as an investment...that I don't mind.
In fact I worry so much about regain that I am scared to throw my old clothes out. Ugh. I don't want this to just be a break from being obese, but I know if I don't commit to eating healthy I am headed back down the same road.
I love to work out. It is my way to get away from stress and is my transfer addiction. I feel lost without it and feel elated when I can push my body to the max at the gym or on the track.
On the other hand, I have four kids and a husband that compete for my time and attention and right now I am the sole financial provider for a family of six so my biggest nemesis is STRESS.
I think counseling would be a great help to me to sort through all the reasons I became obese to begin with, but right now its not feasible with my current financial situation.
Are you still losing? I am but very slowly and I seem to stall frequently.
I am sad to hear that your surgery did not go without complications.
I see that you don't track what you eat. Are you concerned about possible regain? Or do you make good food choices despite not tracking?
It looks like you stay very very busy, and are vigilant about the gym, which is something I really try to vigilantly do.
How much weight have you lost?
I've lost about 100 pounds since my surgery date, 120 in all.
How much can you eat?
Unfortunately, I seem to eat a lot. I don't track anything but know I should.
Do you exercise, and if so, what activity/activities do you engage in?
I exercise 5-7 days a week at the gym. Usually treadmill, stairclimber, or elliptical and then strength training.
Did life change for you?
No life is still the same in every way. I am still super busy and always struggling to make ends meet. My weight has never defined who I am, but I feel more active and less tired most of the time. My WLS was complicated and I almost died so I appreciate life more now and am trying to savor every moment.
Making the decision to have the sleeve was probably the best decision of my life. I couldn't be happier. My life has completely changed--but that is because I wanted to change and I made the positive changes happen for me. I highly recommend psych counseling with a bariatric specialist ASAP after surgery. I met with one 2 weeks after surgery and I think it's been the foundation of my success. I also joined a support group immediately after surgery.
I know I will lose the remaining 11 lbs. I've come too far (122lbs lost total, 92 lbs. since March 2010 to not succeed and reach my goal. One day at a time...
