Sharing my story. Sorry long.

I thought I would share my story on here finally so maybe someone else could learn from my mistakes.

I had an extended RNY  (open) on September 2, 2008,  it went pretty well, they had to do a bunch of Xrays right after the surgery to check how things were going thru etc and that was hard, standing up for that.

My biggest problem was I didn't want to walk like they told me too, it was HARD, and I was having a hard time eating anything.

I came home after about 3 or 4 days in the hospital. 

After I came home I stayed in bed a lot. :(  I also had two strictures.  My legs got weaker from not getting out of bed, not taking my vitimans, and not being able to eat.

At the end of November I fell in the bathroom and had to crawl to the bedroom to use the bed and my husband's help to be able to get up.  We had an appt with Dr. Schlesinger that morning to have an endoscopey for a stricture.  I was using a walker to get around and was on my way out to the car when I fell again in the garage.  We had to call the fire dept to come get me up.  The fire dept got me up and into the car and we went to the hospital and put me in a wheelchair. 

I couldn't get out of the wheelchair to get on the bed for the endoscopy, Dr. Schlesinger put me in the hospital and told me I was going to have to go to a nursing home to rehab.....I knew this was coming. 

They did the endoscopy the next day, they had to wheel my hospital bed to the surgery room and do it in the bed cuz i couldn't get out of it.

A couple of days later they moved me to a nursing home and I spent the entire month of December in a nursing home.  I did physical therapy and occupational therapy and did my best to be able to walk again.

At this point I have to say God Bless my husband for being there for me.  He came to see me everyday after he worked 10 hours for the fire dept.  He would sit by my side and literally fall asleep in the chair until I sent him home.  He was and still is the most wonderful man.

I came home on New Years Day usng a wheelchair when going out and a walker around the house.  I had in home Physical Therapy (which in my opinion wasn't that helpful) and in April that ran out and I started out patient PT. 

The out patient PT facality I currently go to is THE BEST EVER!  They are nice, caring and knowledgeable!  I have improved sooooooo much since I started there. 

When I first started there it would take me three tries to get out of the wheelchair and I would just cry!  Now I walk up to their office (elevator no stairs yet lol) with the walker.  In fact they just loaned me something called a hemi-cane to start trying.  I walk all over my house without the aid of anything and use the walker or cane when going out.  They tell me my legs are much stronger and a lot of it is balance issues now that we are currently working on.

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel for me, but I will tell you this and I say this for anyone who was ever like me, DO WHAT THE DOCTOR TELLS YOU.  Walk, take your vitimans, get your protien.

I am not perfect and still have some problems with vitimans and protien, but I am working hard on it.

I know ths was long, but if it keeps even one person from going thru what I went thru it's worth it.

I am so pleased with my surgery now, at first I was sick so much that I regretted ever having it, but now after almost 200 pounds gone and feeling so much better, I know it was the best thng I ever did and that Dr Schlesinger saved my life!  I was 469 at surgery and now I am at 276 and there is SUCH a difference.  I have a ways to go but I know that I will get there!

Thanks for listening everyone.
Robin

Ahhhhh Robin! 

Thanks so much for sharing Chapter ONE of your story!  Hopefully the "happily ever after" piece is found within every other chapter from here on.......

High Fives for your 200 pound weight loss!  WOW!!!!  .....and....that P.T. is a HUGE commitment!  Weigh 2 go!!! 

I'm glad that you have turned the corner!  And that is a huge weight loss.  The stronger you get, the better you will feel, and then you can do more, and get stronger, and feel better....it's a great circle, isn't it?  Instead of not feeling good and eating more, which makes us feel even worse,
It's a huge change, isn't it? 
congratulations, and thanks for the reminder....