Hello all I'm Keri, and I had weight loss surgery

I am 31 years old, and I have screamed "defeated", " i give up" and " I surrender"!

So my journey began the day I heard that our insurance started to allow the use of " lapband" for weight loss surgery. My husband who defends this country decided to change his job, and therefore after his training, we were moved to a new state. I decided to put WLS on the back burner and I would look up on it later in the year. I ballooned up to 280lbs.... yes 280! That is me with my hubby. I honestly didn't think I was that fat. Now that I look at the picture..... gosh wow. Those pants didn't fit....... and I don't know what made me think about that shirt.

I make the trek from Ft Drum NY to Georgia. I do this with 4 kids and a dog. ALONE...... SO of course it was eating on the road. Not good food, and lots of snacks soda and many other bad foods. We arrive to our new post, and get settled. I think about the kids, and get them enrolled in school. Begin some volunteering work and then decide it is time for me to go back to work. I begin the process of applications, and I get a call for an interview..................

I put on my best and only interview suit. It is a 22 and it was tight. I looked really bad. I am so glad I have not found the pic of that day. I looked fat and terrible. Thankfully my skills and my work history was enough for them to hire me.

January was an awaking time for me. I watched the biggest loser, and prayed for help. I remembered the WLS that I was pondering, and thought No, I will try this on my own. I lost about 40lbs and hit a wall. I was to my doctor back and forth for my thyroid levels, and we broached the Lap band talk. We talked and thought tried the adjustment of meds, and I would be careful and steady on my diet. About 3 months later........I went back and I explained about my hunger and would love to get rid of that nagging feeling. He prescribed a medication that wasn't covered by my insurance. I called my doctor and we felt it was time for a consult for the surgery. I got my referral the following week and I had my first group consult on 11 Sept. I met with Dr Steinberg about 2 weeks later. I was able to get a few of the consults out of the way. In this time I learned I am ADHD....... thank you Dr Ivy. And I have a great team to help me eat right. I have a great set of lungs, as per the PFT showed!! I had a few other consults to get done, and it was all submitted to my insurance the first week in oct, and on 8 oct I got the call that it was approved.

I went up a few weeks later...............signed the consent forms, and then waited for my surgery date. November 20th couldn't come fast enough.

The morning of my surgery was like any other morning. I was nervous excited and very happy that this day had come! I drove up......... I knew I had to be the person who drove. I was the one who made this decison....and I needed to be the one who took me. Dekalb medical was the hospital I had my surgery at. This place is amazing.........clean and the floor I was put on was for patients who had WLS.

So back to that morning......We get there, and got register. It isn't more than 10 minutes, and I am called back to pre op and get in to a gown, oh so flattering. LOL IV is started and I am given some antibiotics, and fluids. About 1pm I am wheeled in to the OR suite, and the last thing I remember was something going in my IV. I woke up about 3:45 and I was in Recovery. I wasn't feeling so good. That is typical for me. I have some dry heaving and nauseous. I get some Pheregan and I am back to sleep. I am in a groggy stupor and as I am wheeled to my room. I have a pain pump. AS a nurse I know I have to get up and move around, and get this gas to move out of me. As I call the nurse with the call button, She is walking in to ask me if I want to get up and walk. Of course.......... I get the deer in head lights look. I explain I am a nurse, and how I know I need to get up. I walk about 10 min, and I get back to my room and there is my tray. I don't feel like eating at all.......... but I need to try. So, I sip and it is just sipping..... Uh oh........ ok ummm not a good idea. I don't need to eat. Cause the heaves come back. Ouch.....!! But that passes, and I learn that the anesthia takes a while to get out of my system. I have a good night sleeping. The nurses were in and out checking my vitals. I had some really low pressures........ but I assumed my pain meds were the cause of that. So next time I am not going to use morphine. 89/49 is low.....!

I go home the day after my surgery, and I recoup the next week and through thanksgiving.

Today is my 35th day since the band. I hope that this blog was going to help me and others.......I am proud and sometimes scared of my decision. I am in a learning process.

Thank you for reading.