You have done so wonderful JiffyPop, and you are so close to yet another milestone. I am rootin you on girl. You CAN do this! I want to throw a party for you!! You deserve it!
you folks are a great cheering section!!!!! thank you so very very much...
and bella, i've been trying the entire day to answer your question, but work interferes all the time!!!
i do not recommend the route i took. it was a desperate, last ditch effort for survival, quite literally.
i was hospitalized last summer for 8 weeks because i was not carrying oxygen in my body, in part due to a doc who ignored a lot of lung problems. because of my weight, i wasunable to get my damaged lungs to work without oxygen.
i won't bore you with the details, but i'm lucky to be alive.
they corrected my sleep apnea, and, because i wasfinally getting oxygen, i developed a metabolism [according to the docs], and lost 75 pounds in 10 weeks.
and then, i had a roux en y gastric bypass on january 29 2002. i had lost 97 pounds before the surgery directly because of the sleep apnea cure, and, well, you can do the math. mybrain's too tired.
so if any and all of you can lose your weight through diet and exercise [which never worked for me for very long], i'm with you all the way. i will do ANYTHING i can to help anyone avoid this fate.
don't get me wrong, it was the right thing for me to do, but i wish with all my heart that i could have avoided it.
Hmmmm...that's interesting, Jiffypop. My husband also suffers from sleep apnea, although he refuses to seek treatment. There have been nights where he won't breathe for 20 or 30 seconds and I have to elbow him to get him to wake up and breathe. It scares the piss out of me, and it makes me angrier to know he won't go to the doctor.
Anyhow, he's about 40 lbs. overweight, and I wonder if his apnea has anything to do with it? I will INSIST he go to the doctor and find out!
CONGRATULATIONS on your HUGE weight loss! It keeps me motivated.
all the support on 3fc is just incredible. and the folks on this board just UNDERSTAND all the misery, problems, grief, agita, etc etc etc that comes with having SO much weight to lose. it's a beautiful thing.
and jennifer, thank you for being proud of me. despite everything, i'm not very proud of myself. i didn't take care of myself for years, and that's one reason i got into this mess. that's not something to be proud of. oh, yes, i've stayed on track and done all the work and gone from being unable to stand for more than 10 seconds with someone holding me up and trailing an oxygen line to walking a half mile.
but i shouldn't have gotten so sick in the first place.
and, i am definitely ready for a party!!!!!! between this board and the low carb ladies, it'll be a blowout gabfest!!!!!!
and jennelle, yes. absolutely get your husband to a sleep specialist. the weight can cause the apnea. the apnea can cause a weight gain. because he stops breathing, the blood stops circulating, which means that he's at extremely high risk of having a blood clot [which is something that happens when blood doesn't move]. and a blood clot means a heart attack, a stroke, and other things. he can die from this. does he REALLY want you to be a rich young widow???????
Please forgive me for not congratulating you before this!! I missed this whole thread! I understand why you don't feel proud of yourself, but you should be. I'm happy for your loss. I also agree that this was the right thing for you to do. Don't be too hard on yourself. Good luck.
Adding my congrats to the long list!! It is certainly impressive to hear 200 pounds! I know a lot of people from work who've had the surgery and most say they wish they couldve done it w/o it. You still have to take care of yourself and eat right, etc..
AND just like anyone who loses it can and will come back if you dont watch it. I know several who had surgery lost a ton of weight and gained most back due to overeating. Its a never ending drama, huh??
I dont want to be a downer just maybe a dose of reality to those who think it's a quick fix-cause it isnt.
congrats again and let us know when you make 200!!
you are both so very kind. and lorelei, you're so right about the potential for weight gain. it's very real, and it scares me to death!! this first year is apparently so very critical, taking care of the pouch so that it doesn't expand too much and become useless.
about 10-15% of the people who have this done regain their weight. it's a lifelong commitment, but at least there's a set of rules that we can follow and that work!!! that's always been the problem... i'd follow 'the rules' and nothing worked!!
so, i wig out with guilt over two M&Ms and a couple of pretzels. the surgeon just shook his head at that.. he's pretty strict, but sensible. and he KNOWS i'm doing everything else right
Hi jiffypop!
I am glad what I wrote didnt upset you about possible regaining of the weight. I am glad that you know it can happen so you are being careful! Yeah a few m&m's arent gonna kill anyone! I think some people just keep eating "just a little too much" at their meals and keep doing it on a regular basis and then boom! the stomach stretches more and more, etc... My poor sup at work is only 5'1 and weighed 350. She had it done, lost 150 the last time she told us (so she was about 80 pounds from goal) and then we started noticing that she quit losing and it looked like she was gaining. Nobody said anything to her but we do discuss that it's a shame that she seems to have regained about half of what she lost now. To go so extreme to have the surgery only to regain most of what she lost is tragic to me.
I wish the best for you and it seems like you have a great head on your shoulders!! We are all rooting for your sucess--Take care!!
only 9 pounds to go!!!
