I'm a Research Fanatic

I'm a Google Head. 

I'm a Research Fanatic. 

I'm an Information Whore. 

I want to know everything there is to know about a subject that interests me and I'll continue reading from as many resources as I can find until I'm satisfied with the scope of information I've been able to gather. People who know me well, know this about me and just chuckle when I say, "I'll look it up."

So I thought I'd share a few resources with you in case you want to learn more about weight loss surgery.

Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies - This is an amazing book! It's written by a bariatric surgeon, a gastric bypass surgery patient and leading expert in the weight loss surgery industry. The combined knowledge of these three authors and the unbiased way they present information about WLS is outstanding. Not only does the book discuss in depth the various types of surgeries available (even obsolete ones) but it also walks you through what life is like before and after surgery. The section on choosing a hospital and surgeon and what questions to ask when interviewing them is especially valuable. There are sample meal plans and menus along with yummy sounding recipes and even tips on how to deal co-workers/friends/family who will question you about your decision and new lifestyle. I've read the book cover-to-cover and am now using it as a reference tool when I come across some morsel of information elsewhere and want to compare it to what these authors say. A MUST have resource for all weight loss surgery patients.

ObesityHelp.com - This website is a wealth of information. Not only can you research specific questions in the Q&A section or through their vast array of article, but you can also view statistics of surgeons in your area and what their patients say about them. I have found the profiles of members priceless - this gives me an insight into what difficulties I might face as well as making me aware of certain medical complications that might not have been covered elsewhere. And I don't just read the positive profiles, by reading the profiles of those who have suffered through many complications it brings this surgery into a stark reality for me. The message forums on this website are great too. You can connect immediately with people in your area or with those at the same stage in the process as you. What a great wealth of information and community here.

Gastric Bypass Information Central - This is a Yahoo Group with more than 3000 members. Although I've mostly been lurking there for the past few weeks, I've found the members to be helpful, knowledgeable and funny. I think this also gives a real-life picture of what gastric bypass patients are dealing with on a day to day basis.

Do you have another resource that I didn't mention here? Please feel free to share it in the "Comments" section so we can all learn from each other.

Talk to you soon!
~Pam

The Waiting Game

13 days and counting!

I have my initial consultation with my surgeon (Dr. Obeid) on September 12th and I'm starting to get antsy with the waiting. I wish I had something to do to fill up the time and make it go faster. (As if working full time, commuting 15 hours a week, running a business and dieting/exercising isn't enough to fill up the time! LOL!)

When I went to the informational seminar I was given a checklist of things I needed to do before my initial consultation. It's all done! I have contacted all my doctors and requested my medical records and complete their medical history form to be sent to Hurley. I have completed the 10-page questionaire from the hospital and it's ready to take with me on the 12th. I have completed my diet history records and created reports for everything all the books, websites and resources tell me I'm going to need. I've even scheduled my psych eval (which is September 20th). What's next?

I'm ready to roll! But still I wait.

~Pam

Inspired

The first step to unlocking your limitless potential is the willingness to change everything. 

This is the quote you see when you first open the website for Inspired: The Movie. Then as you watch the opening video and trailer for this documentary about weight loss, you realize the enormity that the word "potential" holds. To realize that the strength to succeed lies within me and nobody can walk my journey but me. To realize that I am strong enough. I have the limitless potential within myself to change the direction of my journey if that's what I choose to do. I won't allow self-doubt become an obstacle for the journey I want to take. I can lose the weight and I can become healthier and I can be happier than my wildest imagination. I have the potential to change everything.

The movie isn't due out until 2007, but I'm anxiously awaiting the opening day.

Thank you to Belle for pointing me in the direction of this website.

~Pam

A Wonderful Monday ...

My best friend and diet partner is in town this week. Normally we're 600 miles or 12 hours apart and talk only on the phone or online - it's so nice to hang out and see each other face-to-face for a change. We actually shared our first "live" meal together where we sat across the table from one another - not talking on the phone while we each ate in our own respective states. That was a fun experience. hehehe

We are officially OFF our diets this week. A visit to Frankenmuth last night and a family style dinner of the famous Zehnder's chicken and ribs was amazing. (If you're ever in Michigan, you must visit Frankenmuth!) We stuffed ourselves and still had a ton of leftovers. Guess what I'm having for lunches this week? LOL!

I'm looking forward to the dessert I won in a bet a few months ago - chocolate valcano from Don Pablos. Yum! This will be the first time I've had dessert in several months!

So in my brief time with my friend yesterday, I've come to realize something. Sometimes we can find ourselves in a state of mind where we are taking our friends for granted. They are always just "there" and easy to reach out to when we need them. Sometimes we forget how amazing a true friend can be. The visit this week is making me realize how very special our friendship is and how much I treasure the special times we share together.

So my advice to you today: Hug a special friend today and tell them how much they mean to you.

~Pam

Busy, busy, busy

I was a busy little bee yesterday! I tackled most of the paperwork that Hurley gave me and contacted my doctors to request my medical records. Not sure if I did it correctly, but I wrote a letter to both of my doctors (PCP and Gyn) telling them I am having gastric bypass surgery and asking them to 1) send a copy of my medical records 2) complete the form from Hurley about my medical/diet history and 3) write a letter of recommendation to aid in the insurance-approval process. I also included a copy of the complete diet history report that I produced in case they "forgot" some of the conversations we'd had over the years regarding my weight loss efforts. Right now my main concern with insurance approval is the requirement by BC/BS for 12 months of consecutive medically supervised weight loss efforts. Last year on August 1, 2005, I officially started my big diet. I say "big" because it is really the first really big effort I made toward long-term diet and exercise; really working hard at making a lifestyle change in my relationship with food. The reason I started that program a year ago was because I started thinking about gastric bypass surgery, but didn't want to do it. I wanted to know for sure that I had tried everything in my power to lose weight before I gave surgery any consideration. So I worked really hard. I was dedicated to the plan. I had a terrific diet partner and best friend who helped me stay on track and be accountable for everything I did. I was faithful to the diet and dedicated to the exercise program for 8 months. Then in March I cut back on the exercise. I went from 6 days per week of 35-45 minutes of walking down to 1-3 days per week. I stopped recording my food intake (which was steady at about 1400 calories/day). I still maintained a healthy eating lifestyle because I had changed my relationship with food over the past 8 months, but I didn't record every morsel of food that went into my mouth So you're asking why I claim to have been on this program for a year when it might appear to only be 8 months. Since March I've still remained active and still maintained a healthy diet. And when you compare my current lifestyle to what it was like before I stared a year ago - it is drastically different. I used to think a bowl of ice cream was an acceptable dinner. Or fast food was a sensible lunch. I never exercised unless it was cleaning the house or swimming in the pool with my nephew and niece (but that was normally lounging poolside and not actually swimming). So yes, even though I haven't been strict for the past 4 months, I still consider this a healthy diet program Want to know why I decided on WLS? In those hard 8 months of dieting and exercise I only lost 28 pounds. And that's taking into consideration that I was on a plateau for the last 4 months of that time. Then as soon as I dropped the exercise down a bit I started to gain again. It took me 8 months to take of 28 pounds but only 4 months to put it all back on... even while eating well and doing moderate exercise. What the heck is wrong with me? Oh sure I'm on medication that promotes weight gain, but I don't want to blame it on that right now. If I had maintained the pace I was going and actually continued to lose steadily like I had in the first 8 months - it would have taken me more than 5 years to lose the weight I need to lose. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know it took me a long time to get this heavy and it takes a long time lose it too. I know that WLS will help me lose the weight I need to and maintain it in a healthy manner. The statistics are stacked against me on this one .... I want to beat the weight in a way that it can't win. ~Pam

First Step Taken....

I've taken the first official step in my journey. Last night I attended the informational seminar at Hurley Bairatric Center for weight loss surgery. There were about 50 people all there to learn how to lose weight through surgery - quite amazing. I guess I didn't do enough research about this seminar, because I found out after it started that it was specifically geared toward the Lap-Band procedure. I had decided against this method and want to have the gastric bypass (Roux-En-Y) so at first I thought it was going to be a waste of time. However, it turned into a blessing in disguise. By learning more about the Lap-Band procedure I became reassured that I'd made the right decision to go with the RNY. Here are some of my reasons for choosing RNY over Lap-Band: ** Lap-Band has an expected weight loss of 30% to 65% of your excess weight. RNY is closer to 75% expectation. It's said that eventually the weight loss rate will equal out with both surgeries, but that balancing could take up to 3 years with the Lap-Band. RNY patients see a much faster rate of weight loss with most results coming within the first 18 months; Lap-Band patients lose weight at a much slower rate and it could take up to 3 years before you reach your goal weight. ** Lap-Band is only a "restrictive" surgery. You continue to absorb all the calories you eat. RNY takes advantage of both restriction and malabsorption. ** With RNY you experience the "dumping syndrome" which encourages you not to eat foods with excess sugar or that are high in fat. Lap-Band patients can eat whatever they want without the side effect of dumping - yes, even high calorie foods like milk shakes and soda which could cause weight gain. ** With the Lap-Band procedure you must return to the doctor for regular "fillings" of your band. A small amount of saline is injected through a port just under your skin to make the band tighter around your stomach. I don't want the commitment of having to go back to the doctor every couple months for these fillings. Although, the advantage of this control is that for special events/trips/pregnancy you could have all saline removed from the band to make the opening larger for a set period of time. ** I guess my greatest fear with the Lap-Band is that I'd sabotage myself. I don't like the fact that I'd be able to have high-sugar food without any adverse effects on my system. Oh sure, I love sweets as much as the next person. But I'm turning a corner here and I know that there are foods in my current life that I need to part ways with in order to achieve my goals. So I have set an appointment with the surgeon for September 12th. I have a ton of paperwork to fill out and need to contact each of my doctors to have them send my medical records to Hurley. I got a list of the criterial from BC/BS so I know what requirements I need to meet. My only concern is that I don't have 12 consecutive months of a documented clinical weight loss program. Sure I've talked to my doctors about my wieght loss programs in the past, I just hope they documented it in my medical records and that this isn't an issue. I'm excited that I'm moving forward. I feel good ~Pam

Support Group Meeting

I attended a local WLS Support Group meeting and got to meet several women who are in varying stages of their weight loss surgery. Some were a few years out, some just a few weeks and one other lady besides myself hadn't had surgery yet. It was nice to chat with others who were once in the same position I am in with this journey. ~Pam

A Day at the Beach...

The beach where I sat to decide if WLS was right for me.

There's a roadside park just outside Port Austin, Michigan that allows the traveler access to the shore of Lake Huron. I stopped at the park on my way home from a day exploring the little towns in Michigan's "Thumb Area" - just to see what it was like. Today the sky was a brilliant blue without a cloud in sight; the gentle breeze was refreshing against my sunburnt skin and the sand of the lakeshore was warm under my toes.

As I walked along the water this afternoon, I was deep in thought. I hadn't brought my beach chair or my new Nora Roberts book to keep me company; I was alone with myself and enjoying the solitude. I came upon a log that had washed up onto shore long ago and was bleached by the sun. The perfect place to sit and watch the water lap on the sand just a few feet in front of me.

I've been doing some research about gastric bypass surgery over the past several months. I knew all I needed to know to make an educated decision about whether or not I wanted to have the surgery. I understood the risks involved and knew the changes I'd need to make in my life. I had even made a 3-page list of all my doubts and fears and if they were valid enough to stop me from having the surgery. I had personal experiences with weight loss surgery because both my younger sister and mother had the procedure with great success.

But something was holding me back from making the decision; of saying "yes" or "no". I think that "thing" that was holding me back was time. Time to sit alone in silence and think about my life. I'd done all the research and let my mind be filled with the possibilities, but I hadn't taken the time to really contemplate if I wanted to go through with it or not.

Sometimes our lives are so hectic and travel so fast that we don't take the time to meditate about our life and what decisions we want to make. Too often we make major life-altering decisions on the fly because we have no other option since life is moving so quickly.

I didn't want to be hasty in this decision. It is too important of a change to make without serious soul-searching.

As I sat on the beach this afternoon, whittling away at a stick I picked up from the sand, I had the silence and time I needed to decide. Time to think about what I liked about my life as it was and how it might change if I was at a normal weight. Time to think about the health problems that have plagued me over the past 5 years and what things would be like if they were gone. Time to decide if I was really strong enough to make the changes I knew would be necessary. I sat on that log for nearly 2 hours.

Searching my soul for the answers until I was firm in the decision that came to me... I will have gastric bypass surgery. I want my health back. I am tired of being the fat girl. I'm tired of being sick. I want to be in control. I will make the changes in my life that are necessary to be the person I want to be. I am strong enough. I feel at peace with my decision.

So I'm starting this online journal for myself. As a way to keep myself accountable, a way to keep track of my thoughts and feelings. But most of all to have a tangible way to see my progress, the obstacles I've overcome and the amazing strides I'll take on my journey. Some might think this is too public of a venue for such a private journey. But I know myself and know that when I state my goals out loud - to someone or just to the universe in general - I am more apt to stick with it, more motivated to realize my goal and more driven to be successful. So this journal is as much for me as it is for those who read it.

I'm also writing this journal for others who might be making the decision too and I hope that some of the lessons I learn, the doubts & fears I overcome or the triumphs I'll realize might help others as they are starting their journey through weight loss surgery.

~Pam