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From: Judi <skinnymini2b@yahoo.com> Date: Sun Jun 5, 2005 5:09pm Subject: Today is my 2 year birthday!!! 2 years and 135 pounds later skinnymini2b Hi Everyone-Today is my 2 year birthday. I really started living just 2 years ago. Two years ago on June 5th 2003, I had the MGB in Statesville,NC My life has changed so much in those 2 years. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about how much life is different for me. I have stayed on this board for 2 years for 2 reasons.: #1. I am addicted to reading the posts. # 2. I feel that it is a ministry to help others find a answer to their obesity problems. I want to "Pay it forward". Somebody took their time to help me and I want to reciprocate! I started out at 309 on the day of surgery but that was not my highest weight. I now weigh 174. I have actually lost just 10 pounds in the past year. My first year out, I had lost 125 pounds. I used to joke and say: "You know you've got to lose weight when . . . you go into a big women's store and everything is too small!" I suppose I was a size 28 or 30. I am not a skinny Minnie but I wear size 14 now. BUT I am healthy. (and happy) I can go into almost any store and purchase clothes off the rack without trying them on. I have been in stores that I would not have even attempted to go into 2 years ago. For instance I just purchased clothing this week at Banana Republic and Eddie Bauer's. I just had my 2 year labs and nothing was really out of whack. Some things were a tenth over or below the normal range. For instance my B-12 was a tenth high, but I take (3) B-12 sub-lingual tablets a day. I will now cut that back to (2) B-12 per day. My calcium was a tenth low, but sometimes I forget to take my Viactim carmel chews every day. That will get me back on track to remember to take them regularly on a daily basis. I am happy to report that my diabetes is gone FOREVER! On the day of surgery my glucose level of 368. On my 2 year labs it was 88. My A1c was 7.4 pre-op, and 3.9 last week. (average of glucose levels over 90 days) I am pleased with my success but still would like to lose another 25 pounds. I really would like to weigh under 150 pounds by the end of the year. One of my most significant accomplishments is that I have not been sick one day since I had surgery. Not once in two years! I have never taken (nor even tempted) to take any medications-not even an aspirin. I attribute my good health to the MGB. Never have I been so consciences of supplements and what I have put in my mouth in my life. I pretty much follow the manual. Except I do not drink Gatorade anymore. It is just too sweet. I do drink the V8. I have never had at any time been light-headed. I only had a sip of soda one time when I was so thirsty that I thought I was dehydrated. I have to admit that it seemed way too sweet for me. I am now 2 years post-op and I am about 4/5 to my goal. I have lost 135 lbs. I have not had any problems with foods. I have never experienced what is known as “dumping”. In addition, I can tolerate any foods that I want. Just in smaller portions. I probably eat ¼ of what I used to eat. Now I can eat half a sandwich. I used to eat 2 sandwiches at a time. I still put too much on my plate. This is such a learning adjustment. Years of overeating are difficult to change overnight. The beauty of this surgery is that you CAN’T overeat. If you overeat there is intense pain and it is very scary. I had that a few times within my first 2 months but I have learned now to stop when I am full. I do not eat ONE MORE BITE or I will be miserable!! I have wasted a lot of food over the past 2 years. I eat protein first, then veggies, lastly starches. The only thing that has given me any problems is too many fats or ice cream. They do not hurt when I eat them, but I get terrible gas pains shortly after wards. The best thing for me to do when we are eating out is to share a meal with someone. Otherwise, I will bring food home or give it to my husband. Unfortunately my husband does not need to eat it either. So, we try to share whenever we want the same thing to eat. It helps both of us when we do this. No leftovers and both of us eat a lot less. Restaurants serve way too much food for one person. It’s not surprising that over 50% of Americans are obese. We were sabotaged! I started experiencing hair loss at 3 months. I really seemed to notice it when I was washing my hair. I have increased up my vitamins and have started using a Biotin Shampoo by Nexxus that is supposed to help in that area. This does not alarm me. I had heard that this may be a side effect for several months after surgery. This is the worst thing that has happened to me as a result of the surgery. I knew going into to this that this was a side effect from the surgery. I have had previous surgeries and hair loss was a problem with them as well. It will turn around. It is from the shock of the surgery, hormonal changes, and the anesthesia that we go under. I used to work for Anesthesiologists. It is a known fact that the longer we are under anesthesia, the worse hair loss becomes. I am so thankful that the MGB has a short surgery time. I could be a LOT worse!! I already have a lot of new hair coming back in. My hair is really long (to my waist). So, it will be a long time before it is thick again. That’s OK; it’s just a minor inconvenience compared to what my health would have been! Lots of new hair is now coming in but because my hair is so long, it will be a long time before it makes a lot of difference. IT’S ALL GOOD! So, how has my life changed? Well, for one thing, I am much more confident in myself. It is amazing how you can have a procedure done on your stomach and it turn into a brain transplant. In 2004, I was elected President of the South Carolina Healthcare Managers Association. (I am an Practice Manager for a group of Physicians) I was recently nominated for the “South Carolina Governors Award for Excellence”, and I received “Member of the Year” award which is voted upon by the members of the organization. I can take the steps up 6 flights to my office instead of using the elevator. This is someone who used to have to stop and catch my breath just walking a block on flat ground. I recently flew on an airline and did not have to use a seat belt extension. Not only did I not need an extension, but I also had a 12” tail on my seatbelt! I can cross my legs. I can get on my horse without using a table or chair to boost myself up. My rings slide around on my fingers. Surprisingly enough, I have noticed that chairs are getting wider. I can pull on or lace up my own pair of boots. I can hold my wrists behind my back. Hubby and I can snug up closely and not lose my breath. We went on a cruise In January 2004. I had such a wonderful time doing things that I could not have done over 100 pounds ago. I swam with the stingrays in the Cayman Islands. I hiked through the rain forest in Belize, Central America. I went Cave tubing in Belize. My husband is a hot-air balloon pilot and I can now help manipulate the balloon when we are inflating it with air. This takes a tremendous amount of strength. For Mother’s Day last year, I received a set of golf clubs. I have been joining my husband on the golf course for the past few months. He says I have great potential! Nancy Lopez, you’d better watch out! I could go on and on about the additional benefits. I feel like I am a new person! Oh, and crossing my legs is so sweet. The little things excite me now! HALF THE FUN OF A TRIP IS THE EXCITEMENT OF GETTING READY FOR THE JOURNEY! This is the story of my MGB miracle. Would I do it again? The answer is resounding: “In a skinny-minute!” If I can be of further assistance to you, do not hesitate to contact me. My email is skinnymini2b@... . Most people remember my email address before they remember my name. That is fine with me. If you prefer to contact me in person you may call me direct at 864-967-8598. I will be happy to honestly answer any and all questions or concerns that you have. Remember, I do not work for Dr. Rutledge or the Center for Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery (CLOS) nor am I compensated in any way for the information that I have provided to you. As I said earlier in this letter, this is a ministry for me. I want to help others, just as others helped me. I consider this a ministry. It is my way of “Paying it Forward”. I encourage you to do the same should you decide and proceed to have the surgery. You will not be disappointed in helping others. It gives me a deep sense of personal satisfaction knowing that others may have a healthier and happier life because of what I have shared with them. If I have helped one person free himself or herself from this prison called fat, then I have will have completed my mission. Remember, half of the fun of going on a vacation or a trip is the excitement of getting ready for the journey. The planning. . . (Where are you going to have surgery?, the surgeon?, the procedure?), getting out the maps. . . (The MGB manual, or researching the Internet for answers), looking for excursions or attractions . . . (Checking out vitamins), researching the area . . . (checking out your options), the expectations . . . (How will my health improve? How much will I lose?), the hopes . . . (I want to improve my blood sugar or I want to weigh ___), and the dreams . . . (Picture yourself at your goal weight, doing something you have not been able to do for years, and wearing something you could not have worn). So remember: The same is with the MGB . . . ENJOY the journey! If you live in the Upstate of South Carolina, Lower State of North Carolina, or Upstate of Georgia, I would like to invite you to join us for our monthly Greenville support meeting. We meet on the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:30 PM. The place changes each month to various restaurants. (Yes, we still love to eat! And the pre-ops like to see what we are eating!) Email me if you are interested in joining us. We have a group of over 60 people in our support group. We have people in all stages of the MGB. Some are new, just inquiring about the procedure. Some are recent post-ops, 4 mo, 6 mo, 8 mo, 1 year, and even 3+ years post-op. We encourage and lift each other up when we are going through plateaus or have questions regarding issues. We have a variety of speakers including plastic surgeons, exercise personal trainers, etc. Our next meeting is June 11th at Portofino’s in Greenville, SC. Please come join us if you live within a few hours drive. It will be worth it…I PROMISE! Here are my stats for the past 2 years: Weight lost 135 pounds Breast lost 22 inches Waist lost 21.5 inches Hips lost 20 inches Thighs lost 16 inches Calves lost 8 inches Upper Arms lost 14 inches Wrists lost 3 inches Neck lost 4 inches Foot lost 4.5 inches Total inches lost 113!!! God is good . . . all the time! I thank God for leading me to the MGB and Dr. Rutledge! I have made such wonderful people through the net of CLOS friends (CLOS.net) on this on-line support group! {{ H U G S }} Judi in SC (PS Sorry to be so long-winded! I get excited when I talk about the MGB It makes me want to talk to every overweight person that I see.) |
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