Lisa's Story - Page 40 - ThinnerTimes

LisaBoston · 04-02-2007, 10:44 AM

As many of you know, I manage a wave pool and recreation centre. I still have to keep up my lifeguarding and teaching awards, thus going into exam situation about every 2 years. Last time I did my lifeguard exam, I was over 300 pounds. Saturday I did my exam as a 170lb person...wow what a difference.

I found that I don't float like I used to, so when packing out people who weigh more than me, its more of a challenge. I used to be able to put my weight behind the activity and breeze through it. I now weigh LESS than some people in my class, so I am lifting more than my own body weight. I have lost strength in my arms and although I didn't struggle with any of the skills, my body took a beating! I couldn't even sit in the recliner yesterday as my butt cheeks hurt SO MUCH. My legs are sore and according to my daughter I have a big bruise at the crack of my ass! Nice eh! I have bruised knees, swollen knees and ankles, spending 9 hours straight in the pool.............ok enough sniffling.

How nice it is to not be the only fat girl in a bathing suit, running all over the deck and others willing to be your partner. I was strapped to a spineboard and didn't have to wonder if they would be able to lift me out, or drop me. I was a normal person....with the exception of the flapping of skin. I was normal! I still had thoughts throughout the exam of, "Oh, no they have to remove me from the pool" - but hey, at 170lbs, It was ok for them. One of my partners was a 200lb guy with very little body fat...people liked getting me out instead of him...I weighed less.

Maybe its hard for others to understand the impact of this day, but feeling so normal.........or better than normal - well its priceless.....and I will take all the bruises and pains to have another day like this.

On the weight and eating front, things are going about the same. I need to continue to make sure that if I have a snack, its just a snack...not permission to graze all afternoon. These are habits that I had pre-op and adding in the snacks is a struggle...I think I will go back to my 3 meals and thats it, until I get my head around it.

Back walking outside again, and although it was minus 15 today with light snow, most of the heavy ice build up is melting. I so want spring/summer to be here. I will be home from work the entire month of June, healing from panni, and I want to enjoy every minute of it.

chilmoe · 04-02-2007, 12:42 PM

what an incredible experience Lisa, so happy for you and so proud of you hun! keep up the good work, and i cant wait to meet you in June!

AlabamaChick · 04-02-2007, 03:22 PM

Lisa, reading your post gave me chills and I had a smile on my face almost the whole time! I am so happy for you and so happy you had that experience. I know exactly how you felt in your head about worrying about other people having to deal with your weight. I never wanted to impose on anyone with my obesity and it will be a huge change to not have the same fears I have always had.

JenBear7 · 04-02-2007, 04:36 PM

That was very touching.. How awesome for you. I could feel how good it felt to you in the way you wrote that!

hummingbird5953 · 04-03-2007, 06:55 AM

Lisa,
Thank you for not only posting your story but also going through all of the work to put it all in one place. I have appointments w/ my surgeon this week and PCP next week to really try to get this ball rolling and I'm a wreck! I would like to just be able to blink and be through the whole insurance approval process...it's driving me crazy not knowing if I'm going to be approved or not. I'm trying to think positively though and feel pretty confident that I will be able to have the surgery...just not as soon as I would like (like tomorrow!

).
Anyway, I read through your entire thread yesterday and it was wonderful to be able to see both the ups and the downs of GBS. I feel like, with all of the great info on the board, that I am making an educated decision to pursue this opportunity.
Thanks again!

LisaBoston · 04-03-2007, 01:19 PM

Jen, glad my story helped you and others. In many ways its hard for me to share, but doing this on a computer, seems so much easier. My fear is those reading this and using my personal thoughts against me somehow..but thats my issue.

GBP is life changing.....well worth it for me..Would not change a thing!

LisaBoston · 04-03-2007, 02:29 PM

I have spoken of this many a time, but once again I feel that I need to stress this to others.

Yesterday, I had an upseting phone call from my in-law family. My mother in law has been ill for many years, has been in a coma 3 times in the past year and we have been called home to Saskatchewan (12+ hours drive) many times in the past year as they say she will go within 48 hours. It hasn't happened and when it does it will be a blessing.

So the call came again last night that she was in a coma for the past 3 days and they stopped all iv meds and she was at peace. She is still living but unresponsive. This is not a shock to us, we have expected many a call for some time..My husband was at work and I took the call.

It seems that upsetting news and emotions play havic on my pouchie. About 5 minutes after the call, I started to get nausead, lightheaded, just out of sorts. I went to lay down. A few minutes later the cold sweat started, then hot flashes, pukey feeling. I had a popsicle...forced it down and layed in bed for 40 minutes. All the classic dumping signs. Had some cocoa to drink then about an hour later had soup for supper. Felt fine after. Went for a walk and everything else was fine. I had a friend die of cancer on Saturday and her service is this Thursday - I had dreams of both her and my mother in law last night, thus not a good sleep - a little fuzzy today.

When I was younger I lived in the City, partied lots, hung out with work people and led what I feel a typical single life. I left that life at 22 and moved North, settled into a profession, married 3 years later, child 4 years after that. My life in the city was much more stressful, and after living here, life is calm, no stress, no traffic, no lineups...nothing...calm, peaceful and very relaxed lifestyle. Even work is not nearly as stressful as most others. I am busy, but its not a stressful job.

Why now, after surgery do the little things bothers me so much...why do the big things make me dump, and have nothing to do with food. This is a big surprise for me...makes me think I will have a dumping reaction at a funeral. OMG, could you imagine...NOT!

A thread a while back asked us questions about ourselves and one question still stands out in my mind..."Are you a good friend". I posed this question at work this morning over coffee and I could type all day about the responses, but what I got out of it is that people see me differently than I really am. They think I am the life of the party, have lots of freinds and social activity. None of which are true. I don't have any friends...had 3 in my lifetime that I could call friends, of which none are now. I don't write to anyone, call anyone on the phone, hang out with. Is this so strange. I have lots of aquaintences...if I died tomorrow there would be lots of people at my service, yet nobody that I could call my friend. Either I am OCD, nuts or on drugs.....none of which are true, but maybe the mortality of others this week has my brain on overload.

I guess my question is - has your pouch changed the way you handle stress?

Oh.....and the mother in law decided to wake up this morning from her coma and ask for an egg. She is 64lbs with 30% lung capacity on one lung, 0% on the other (has been this way for months). I true lesson on how the mind can sustain you while your body widdles away.

JenBear7 · 04-03-2007, 02:36 PM

I call that putting my life in perspective.. looking at tragedy in others, and comparing it to my life. Sounds like you have alot of stress going on, and stress definately affects our hormones, and other bodily functions.. so it affecting the pouch isnt outside my realm of belief.

I hope things at the very least become "less stressful" for you over the next few days/weeks/months. Gotta get you de-stressed before your panni removal! {{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}} You have a LOT of friends on this board by the way...

I see them talking to you every day... and they (we) love you just as much as if we knew you face to face over coffee...

AlabamaChick · 04-03-2007, 02:45 PM

Lisa, I'm sorry you are having such a hard time. Sounds like you have more than your share right now to deal with. As for my pouch, yes stress affects it. I cannot even begin to try and eat unless I am sitting somewhere quite away from the hustle and bustle of people talking and moving alot and most of the time preferrably without other people eating, because the act of them eating fast and cramming in food (what seems like big amounts to me now) makes me nauseated and I can see their elbows bending from the sides of my eyes even if I try not to watch. But as for stress.....it ties my pouch up in a huge knot like it's in a big spasm and if I try to get anything in it, sometimes even liquids, it is screaming NO and lets me know it means business by the pain I have.

Lori P · 04-03-2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LisaBoston

... I don't have any friends...had 3 in my lifetime that I could call friends, of which none are now. I don't write to anyone, call anyone on the phone, hang out with. Is this so strange. I have lots of aquaintences...if I died tomorrow there would be lots of people at my service, yet nobody that I could call my friend. Either I am OCD, nuts or on drugs.....none of which are true, but maybe the mortality of others this week has my brain on overload. ...

Oh Lisa, I so hear that. That sounds exactly like me. I hate writing to people, I'm terrible at emailing, I'm very "phone-ophobic" (yes, I made up that word lol). And it seems that the only people I hang out with is my husband or his mom. I'm quite a loner.

In other words, I understand completely how you feel.

I am sooooo sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. I'm also sorry to hear about the stress that it has put you and your pour pouch through. I wish that there was something that I could do to make things better. All I can offer is support.

Hope you're having a good day.

*hugs*