Tomorrow or 10/25 will be my surgeryversary
October 24, 2006, my DH and I were celebrating his birthday on our way to Shreveport LA. We arrived in LA late, so instead of checking into a hotel, we slept in our van outside of the hospital. At five the next morning, we went into the hospital and they allowed me the use of the shower so that I could shower before surgery. The anesthesiologists came into the pre-surgery waiting area and tried to start my IV but couldn’t so two or three others came and tried and no one could manage to start it. They took me into OR without the pre surgery meds or the IV. While the surgeon stood by, four doctors tried starting my IV and they were preparing to do a central line when one doctor got a small line in and he said it’s enough to knock her out. The anesthesia began entering my vein and I kept thinking how awful that they couldn’t start my IV and even worse how horrible the vein was burning. Later that morning, I was in the OR and they were waking me up and I felt like I was drowning. Then they called a lung guy in and the anesthesiologists said, “we’re putting the tube back in, you are not breathing. Relax.” I spent the next day or so in ICU with a tube in my lungs and a machine breathing for me. I kept thinking that I was never going to breathe on my own again and that I was going to die.
I didn’t die, and was soon on my way to recovery. Since surgery, I lost weight really fast and though I had some really serious complications that required me to have a revision to give me more absorption and remove the ulcerated pouch, I am still so happy with how my life runs now. I wear very small clothes and people refer to me as being so tiny. I go everywhere and run and do yoga and dance and hike and ride a bike and get up and down in the floor and I mow the lawn and there is not limit to how far I can walk.
I still feel a sense of pride when I slide into a booth with plenty of room to spare and I still go straight to the plus size clothes even though I know that I am several sizes below the smallest plus size. Sometimes I think I am fat and I look in the mirror and still see a fat woman but then I put my pants on and remind myself that fat people do not wear single digit clothing. I still eat out of a small saucer and I still cannot eat sweets or high fat meats and beef still feels me up after two or three bites. The other night, I dreamed that I was over 400 pounds and my heels were all cracked and I was wearing an awful big flowered moomoo. My DH woke me up and said, babe, what’s wrong. It’s okay. I said, I dreamed I was super morbidly obese and my heels were had those awful fissures. He said, it’s okay…you are not fat and your feet are still beautiful.
So, Thursday, 10/25 will be my surgiversary and I have never been happier. I’d do it again in a New York minute. To all of you pre surgicals, keep after the doctors and look past the hurdles to the prize. The best thing about WLS is that it gives us back our lives.
I have to agree with you that this WLS was life changing in so many many ways. I, too, never go directly to the small or petite clothes, but have to mentally remind myself that I am no longer a 3X, but actually usually a small, 8 to 10 pants and skinny dresses. I started at 325 and today six years later I weigh in the 140's. I am 5'11" tall. I am more than thankful....I am joyful!!
There were a lot of us who posted back then, and I miss so many of you. I do come in and read a lot, but don't often get the urge to respond....but for you, I had to come and say say CONGRATULATIONS, FRIEND.......YOU DID AN AWESOME JOB!!
Keep up the good work, and stay in touch.
Aloha nui loa,
Maui Karen
Karen,
I, too, miss those days when we were all pre and immediately post op. I remember every single day learning something knew from Darlene and some of the others who were the old timers at that time. I remember not ever drinking coffee because I thought it would hurt me and one of the sisters said, drink coffee. That was music to my ears.
We should make a pledge to meet on one particular day each month just to post a remember when or things I do post. I think it will be a good way to keep in touch without committing to an every single day post.
I miss you so much and the other day was telling my DH that we need to take a trip your way. If I weren't heading to the MIddle East, I'd come and have lunch with you.
I love, love, love wearing jeans and every time I snap and zip I smile. It's the little things that when I was thin before I gained so much weight that I took forgranted and missed so much when I couldn't do those things. Well, there are a few things that make me so happy like zippers, booths, pretty bras, bikini panties, ….
Let's pick a day to meet and run a post.
Annette 
