4 months post op appt

Well, today was my 4 month post op appointment with the surgeon. It was a great appointment which started out with him telling me how great I look. I didn't expect that! I must admit I have been very angry and frustrated with him regarding how my inability to eat was handled (or not handled). While there today, he admitted to being really frustrated with not being able to get me feeling better. He did say that out of his 4000+ surgeries performed, he has had about 10 times where women of my age also experienced severe nausea similar to what I went through. He said they are beginning to investigate why it happens to a select few (they are thinking it's hormonal). I appreciated his honesty about his frustration and we shared our frustration but also our excitement about where I am now.
"Melissa, if someone had told me 2 months ago that at 4 months out you would have lost 60 pounds, I would have told them they were nuts!" Those were his exact words. I'm pleased that he feels as though I have exceeded his expectations so far. He also explained that he loves doing this surgery on people like me because we have no underlying limitations that prevent us from doing well. "The sky is the limit Melissa. You can get yourself where you've always dreamed of being."   I left that appointment feeling refreshed and invigorated to keep going. I don't see him again until December 17th (which happens to be my 1 year surgiversary). I look forward to him seeing a new and improved Melissa. He also gave me 3 pages of lab reqs to be drawn a few weeks before my appointment. 13 tubes or so, according to the good doc.
 

I am so glad you had a good appointment with Dr. E.  I just love him!  He told me he was going to make arrangements to come and speak at our support group sometime this summer. 

He told me that he is a firm believer in putting pre ops at ease by answering questions in an environment where they don't feel as threatened or intimidated as in the large seminar settings where no one knows anyone else.  He's trying to make every support group in the State this year. 

And he's so very right.  You can get yourself where you've always dreamed of being.

I don't see him again either till my 1 year surgiversary.  I sure hope I'm in Onederland by then!!!  25 pounds to go to Onederland.  It still seems so very far away.  I haven't been there in 20 years.

Oh and PS - I got the same long laundry list of labs to have done.

Hey - I got an idea!!  Let's go get 'em done the same day, and spend the rest of it shopping!!  That's the ticket!  We'll both be smaller and gorgeous!

Hugs!!

PS:  I am looking so forward to Monday night's cooking class!!!  I took Monday off work - we can ride together if you want, and get dinner before we go.  I'll PM you this weekend.

Christie, I'm totally up for shopping before getting our labs drawn. We can buy sexy dresses for the Christmas party!

Monday will be great! Can't wait to go and we can discuss dinner and everything soon! Looking forward to it!

Melissa

glad your 4 month appt. went great.   OOOH and they doo take lots of blood out in those labs!!! although I had some done at 6 months and then at one year and I thought I was gonna have to have a blood transfusion at the one year labs LOL. I was able to have them done here at my little hosp. in my town and they were liked over whelmed at it. I was in there for at least an hour after checking into the lab part of the hospital LOL i just laughed and said I didnt care, as long as they were getting it right.  They just kept double checking cuz there was so much stuff that they weren't used to taking.  It was around 13 tubes to be exact lol but it isnt so bad, as long as I can say Im HeAlthy NOW!!!!!

Congratulations Melissa,

I am so proud of you.  You have been through a lot and now you are down 60 pounds - a lot to be proud of.  You are doing fantastic.  Keep up the good work.

Lisa

You are doing wonderful sweetie
Im so glad you are feeling better.
You and Christie have fun at the cooking class

Melissa honey, so proud of you!  I think you are doing fabulous!  Tomorrow I'll be taking my 4-month out picture.  Can't believe it!  How are you feeling these days?  Are you able to handle food any better?  I will see the nurse practitioner at Dr. Gupta's office on June 1 and then not until 1 year out.  Maybe mine will be on my surgiversary too!  We've come a long way baby!  Maybe I'll see you at the clothing exchange. 
Sending hugs!  

YAY Melissa!

I'm  glad you've rounded the corner and are doing so well.  Your new pics are fantastic!  Your face has slimmed down so much...and you have beautiful skin, lucky girl.

It's a good thing you mentioned the cooking class tomorrow night.  With mom's surgery, I'd forgotten about those plans!  PM me and give me the low down.   I'm excited to see you and Christie.

Michelle

Congrats Melissa!!

I know you haven't been around since my journey but I want to tell you that I went through the nausea, vomiting thing for the first 6 months constantly and still nausea after that for a while. During that time I had an ulcer and 3 strictures and I didn't even eat anything orally by mouth the first 6 months hardly. I was being fed via a PICC line for 2.5 months and then a G-tube for 8 months. My surgeon was also very frustrated with what happened to me and although she tried to figure it out I was frustrated also, it did eventually go away for the most part but about 11 months out it was back but we figured out the problem that time and it was fixed and I've been doing well since. The good news is it really does go away it just takes some time.

I'm so glad that you have come through your issues doing well though. You've done excellent and I'm soo excited for you. I know I haven't been around much to be supportive and I'm sorry to you for that for not being able to give you some encouragement during your storm but if you ever need to talk from here on out if I don't catch a thread just PM me. :) 

Misty