1 week post op

So today makes 1 week that I had my surgery. Panniculectomy for those that are just now starting to read. They removed 20 lbs of skin from my stomach. That is a hell of a lot of weight to carry around for no reason. I am not sure if it will help my back pain or at lease minimize it. I can't tell just yet. When I heal more and become more active we shall see. I had my first post op visit yesterday. The dr took out 2 of the 4 drains I had and he took the dressing off my incision said I didn't need to wear it and I could now take a normal shower. I have been craving meat and proteins alot this past week. I asked the dr about it he said its normal and my body is just trying to heal itself. It does feel weird when I stand and my hand automatically touches my thigh. I believe it was the best decision I could make due to the pain in my back and I hope it helps. I still need, my legs, and chest and arms done but one thing at a time...Yesterday was also the first time I put on underwear since surgery and when i felt that my belly no longer stuck out the leg holes I cried..Time for some cute panties!!

Surgery in 6 days!

The past few weeks have been full of anxiety for me every since my insurance approved my surgery it all went downhill from there. Most people say I should be excited.. and I am.. but the anxiety over rides that excitement. The excitement of how much better I will feel to be free of another 25-30 lbs of excess skin from my waist. What is causing me the most anxiety is the thought of being stitched from one hip to the other. I tried to get something for anxiety from my pcp but he gave me everything but, he gave me ambien, he gave me paxil... I'm changing him once I'm done with all this. I need a doctor who listens to what my problems are not one who prescribes whatever he feels like giving me.. Next week on Tuesday, Sept 20, 2011 I will be having surgery... wow 6 days away. I'm going to stop thinking about it now.. before I start freaking out.

My letter to the insurance company

To whom it may concern:

I am a 35 year old female. At my highest weight I was 700 lbs. I suffered from congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, and severe obstructive sleep apnea.
I was put on medications and a high protein low carb diet and managed to lose weight down to 564 lbs.

For years I had struggled to find a way to have Gastric bypass surgery. Then finally I succeeded.
I found an experienced doctor who was more than willing to help me. At the time of surgery I weighed 564 lbs. The surgery was a success.
I was on my way to a new life, within the first 3 months I lost 106 lbs. I was ecstatic and feeling better than I had in years.
I was very compliant to my new lifestyle, after the first year I had lost 176 lbs bringing me down to 388 lbs. The more weight I lost the more excess skin I had.

Which brings me to the last 2 or so years of my life. I got down to my lowest weight of 285 lbs. Making it a total of 420 lbs lost from my
highest weight. I've regained about 50 lbs or so which disappoints me, but it is within reason. The more weight I lost
the more excess skin hung from my body. The main issue I have at the moment is the 25 to 30 lbs if not more of excess skin that hangs
from my waist. As you can probably imagine this does affect my every day life. From my endurance to perform normal every day tasks:
sitting for too long, standing, walking, bathing, dressing, pretty much anything you can think of. It takes a toll on my back and causes
me pain 95% of my day.

I have tried alternate methods of treatment for this back pain issue. I have done physical therapy for 2 months with no success.
I have tried cortisone shots in my back with no success. I have been going to pain management for several months and have to take
pain killers on a daily basis in order to function. I attempted going to the gym but sometimes the pain that I feel in my back due
to pinched nerves, arthritis and bulging discs is too much for me to bare. Hygiene is also an issue, I am a very clean person, I do bathe
daily but the summer months can be very difficult due to rashes under my pannus. I get ulcerations, skin tears and it is very painful. For these reasons
surgery is very important to my health and well being.

Please take all the above into consideration when making your decision for my approval. It would not only improve my quality of life but also
help me lose additional weight that I need to lose to meet my personal goal. I inserted a picture of myself in this letter to give you some idea of what I'm dealing with.

Thank you in advance
Sincerely


Rachel Perez

Transformation slideshow

Post I found on my facebook

Thinking

by Rachel Perez on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 1:21pm

So I'm considering writing again... not poetry not that I don't feel inspired or have a muse it's just not what I feel like writing right now... I've been thinking a lot of how far I have come and how far I haven't come.... I know that a lot of people say I have so much to be grateful for and this I do.

I had my surgery in Nov of 2007 after about 7 years of struggling to find a way to get medical coverage to do it. It took me moving to another state and going through much testing and 3 doctors and be in the hospital drowning in my own fluids for reality to hit the healthcare system that hey this woman needs help. I have always been overweight, then obese, then morbildy obese then super morbidly obese. I weighed 700+ lbs at one time. Yes my family was always on my back about my weight and that just made me want to not try. You know when someone constantly bugs you about something and it makes you not want to do it? yeah that was me...

So at 28 years old I was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, and very severe sleep apnea so much as to I stopped breathing 59 times in 1 hour. No wonder I was waking up with massive lack of oxygen headaches. The day I had surgery I weighed in at 564 lbs. After the first 3 months I had lost 103 lbs.. I was ecstatic yes feeling better and more alive each day. After the first year I lost 176 lbs making it a total of 312 lbs lost.. I got as high as 420 lbs lost but I have since I was at my lowest of 285 lbs gained about 50 or so.. I keep gaining and losing the same 5 to 10 lbs due to water retention if I don't take my water pill.. Today I weighed in at 343 lbs.. yes I finally admitted it.. I am not perfect I am human.. I've been hiding in the shadows for a while now for the past few months due to the shame, feeling like a failure, but I know that there are so many in my same place in the same situation struggling.... I just get up again each day and try harder. I am going to physical therapy for pinched nerves and trying to work excercise into my life and hopefully that will help. Now that I got all this off my chest I feel a bit better and maybe this will keep me more on track and I will have more people to encourage me.. :) Thank you for whoever is reading this, thank you for listening...

Nerves are kicking in..

So I have a surgery date of August 3, 2011. Today I got the call for the date of my pre op testing... yeah... now is when the nerves kick in... 

I know that this surgery will make me feel better, my back in general. If you have ever been pregnant then you know what a strain that it takes on your back no I'm not pregnant lol... I just have 25+lb of excess skin hanging off my waist. I'm also not looking forward to the weeks of pain... I am pretty much always in pain but... I don't know how different this will be... 

All those lies

 

All these years, All those lies... How can you say 'I love you' as you look in to my eyes? How can you sit there and cry as if you really mean those words you say, when inside you are laughing at this game that you play... Even though I didn't totally trust you, I gave you my heart... but you didn't care with your lies you tore it apart. The lying and the cheating, saying you'd always be mine. So many others, I don't even know how you found the time. All the emotions you've played with, all the hearts that you've broken. Telling me things that to another you've already spoken. What did I ever do to deserve what you've done? To be used and abused all for your fun. It's not what you've done, but the lies that you've told. You've done nothing but hurt me, yet you act so cold. Now that your fun has come to an end and the game you've been playing is lost... You'll realize one day when your crying and alone, that you're the one who's paying the cost. By Poet730   (About Poet730)