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According to my inconsistencies of journaling and logging down my weight it doesn't look like much, however my journey is anything but ordinary. My highest weight ever was 235lbs but I managed to tapper off at 218 where I stayed at for forever. There were other complications involved, I had a massive hernia that most of my small intestines were on the outside of my muscle wall - the tear was approximately 15 inches which covered most of my stomach. I never had it repaired because I never had the money or decent insurance coverage - I wasn't in pain so I let it go. The downside, I was carrying my small intestines on the outside of my muscle wall causing a huge, ghastly lump protruding my stomach - so no matter how much weight I would loose, you could see it in my face but the stomach remained the same. Well, after 10 years of this, I finally have decent insurance and so I went for it.
My 5 week pre-op appointment met with not only my general surgeon but a plastic surgeon who was to give me a tummy tuck to help hold in the hernia repairs. My plastic surgeon told me that I would have greater results with the more weight I lose - my once chance, I do not want to blow it so Atkins became my best friend. I stuck to it faithfully, at first it was the hardest thing but with this pending surgery staring down at me I didn't care. I managed to drop 20lbs in the 5 weeks so when I went in the doctors were so thrilled with how much I had lost.
This surgery was excrutiating - what was to be 2 hours turned into almost 6 hours, what was to be an overnight hospital stay turned into 5 days - I had a tube down my nose to my stomach, a catheter, drip bags, it shocked the doctors. The hernia was even bigger than they even expected (they even had to remove my herniated belly button - now I am akin to that old TV show Kyle XY). They are supposed to get you walking right away but that did not happen for my first 3 days. The plastic surgeon removed 10lbs off of me which I can feel the difference of it being tight around where the hernia repair is.
It has now been 5 weeks. I am still hurting but everything is coming along very well. My surgeon said that I am coming along so excellentlu that unless I need anything further his part in my surgery is over. I flucuate between 175 - 177. I am finally able to eat again, I have not gone back on Atkins, I don't go crazy over food but if there is a cookie, I eat it. My ultimate goal is 135lbs - 40 lbs. to go, I just have to get motivated again but I am tired, I haven't been able to exercise and I won't because I will not do anything to jeapordize this surgery - I couldn't go through this again (it's my 2nd stomach surgery). My doctor thold me to give myself a year to heal and then this time next year I can work on a 5K - another goal of mine.
After everything I have been through - nothing can stop me.
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