Cook Book

I have collect recipes from some of my favorite site, mainly Thinner Times, and put them in pdf format to share. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=473020&da=y

Video links of surgery

Below are links to a 3 part video series aired by WLUC TV6 titled Bypass to Better Health.

It was very exciting to be a part of this and if it helps one person out then it was well worth it.

part 1 http://www.wluctv6.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=92271

part 2 http://www.wluctv6.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=92685

part 3 http://www.wluctv6.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=93025

50 Down

I am excited to say that at my morning weigh in I was down 50lbs. I could scream it from the roof tops. This has been an amazing journey so far and I would do it again and again. Yes I have my days where my pouch is not happy and food does not agree with me but its days like today that make me proud of my decision. I have 37lbs to go before I hit onderland. I am waiting for that day to be under 200lbs.

I am addicted

Hi my name is Kim and I am addicted to food. I have a strong addiction to food. If I'm not eating it I am looking at recipes or watching someone else cook.

I struggle now with eating. I am not hungry but I force myself to eat and that usually doesn't agree with me. I am not sure if it is my food choices that make me sick or that I eat to fast.

I have always been the first one at the table. Mouth watering waiting impatiently for everyone to be seated. I would be on my seconds when the family would still be finishing their first helping.

As a child I remember staying at my grandmothers house and would have a grill cheese and chocolate shake before bed. They spoiled me! My grandmother would get up in the middle of the night for a snack and I would follow. This is a family curse, my father does this too. I have gotten out of the habit of night time eating.

I still have cravings even when I am not hungry. I will watch other people eat at work and the next thing I know I am walking to the cafeteria looking around. I get depressed every time I go in there. I look for a good healthy food choice. I make a selection and I am get excited as I walk back to the office.

I sit down to eat and within 2 bites I am sick to my stomach and praying that it won't come up. Most of the time it comes up and I feel better but drained of energy.

I have been throwing up off and on for about 2 weeks. One day a food works and the next I am sick from it.

Last night I ate an egg. I thought that would stay down. I ate half and there was that feeling. It hits instantly out of no where. Off to the bathroom and up it comes.

I am beginning to wonder if I am getting enough in. I don't get sick at every meal but it happens 50% of the time.

I want this to work for me and I feel I am slowly conquering my addiction. I don't think that I will ever fully get over it. I will have to be aware of my problem and live with it for the rest of my life.

I hope that the choices that I make now will teach my kids to be healthy adults. I want this cycle to end with me.

All Set For Discharge

Day 3 was here and I was ready to go home. I was sent down for my last upper gi to ensure there are no leaks. This went fairly quickly and I was given the thumbs up. I asked to use the phone in radiology to call my Dad. He would have a 2.5 hour drive to pick me up. I told him that I was good to go and he was out the door.

Woo Hoo I'm outta here. Not quite. I got all dressed and had my interview with tv6. I walked the halls and was all dressed and ready for pick up. My Dad arrived on time and now we wait for the nurse to come in and check my vitals one last time.

Bring in the Nurse

The nurse comes in and my bp and heart rate are high. Thats ok she said I will come back in a little bit and retake it. Well this went on for a few hours. I sent my Dad out to get something to eat. I rested and waited but every time she came in my bp and heart rate were the same. Finally Dr. English came in and said he thought it would be best if I stay another night. Ugh another night. A high heart rate can be the sign of a leak so I understand the reason for staying.

Dad go home. I sent my Dad home and I will call when I can come home. I felt horrible having him drive back and forth but he has been great through this process. On the way home he hit a deer and did a few thousand dollars worth of damage. Ok now I feel like crap. One more thing for me to worry about.

The Next Day

I am ready to go heart rate is still around 100 but it is steady and I am feeling fine so I get the ok to go home. My Mom lives close by so I went to her house for the night. I felt a little more comfortable being closer to the hospital.

Ahh yes my own bed. Finally making it home never felt so good. My hubby took good care of me once home. He had been on the road all week so it was his first time seeing me after the surgery. I was waited on probably too much.

Day One Post Op

I waited patiently to go down and have my upper GI study done. This is a leak test. I had to drink a cup of barium followed be xrays. Barium is not pleasant let me tell you and trying to drink this after surgery - not to fun.

I honestly can say this was the worst part of my hospital stay. I was so nauseous from it they had to let me sit and try to get it down. I was in pain and sick and Why won't they just let me go back to bed? I passed the test and my reward was I now get to sip on water. Yes Thank You!

I head back to my room and was told I have to go back down that evening for another upper GI. I have to tell you I was really depressed. I did get to have lunch and couldn't believe that I couldn't eat what little was on my tray.

Back down stairs and this time it went quickly. I asked for pain meds first. Everything was looking good.

Back to my room the nurse came in and informed me that I had to have 2 suppositories that night. Can I object! I was not worried about the insertion but having to roll over on my side to put it in made me a little nervous. It went well, I made it through,

Love those Nurse

There were two nurses in the evening that I absolutely loved. If I got out of bed to use the restroom they would come in and say "Good your up time for a walk." They were the ones that got me up and moving. I probably would never had gotten out of bed if it wasn't for them. Thank You!

The BIG day

Monday - Jan. 07th 2008

I arrived at the hospital around 4:40 am, only 20 minutes early. My mom and I headed to the waiting area. There was no one around the place was completely empty. Around 5:00am the waiting area started to fill up and the nurses were at there station. A nurse came into the room and called my name. I jumped up and followed her down the hall. She brought me to my room where I could wait to be processed in.

Shortly after arriving to my room tv6 arrived to do an interview. Little did they know but they were invited in to film the procedure. Sitting in my room I do my interview, blood work, and change into my gown.

So far so good nerves of steel. I see a bed being pushed into my room and I hope on for a ride down to the OR. I say goodbye to my Mom and off I go to be prepped for surgery. I am pushed into the holding area where I get my iv. Dr. English came into talk with me along with the anesthesiologist. They said it wouldn't be long, surgery should start at 8:00am. I looked at the clock above my head and it said 7:30. I continued to glance at the clock as I waited by myself. The clock never moved. I felt like I was back there for hours, probably only 20 - 30 minutes.

Off I go down the hall where I see my Mom waiting and into the OR. I remember seeing the camera setup to my right and thinking oh know they will see me naked. I helped move on to the table where I was told to put my arms in holders. I kept thinking to myself when am I going to fall asleep. Then I felt it. I tried to fight it for a few seconds, just wanting to see what was going on around me. I had to give up the fight and close my eyes.

Time To Wake Up

Back in recovery I open my eyes to see a nurse over me and I feel some sort of sensation but still to out of it to know what is going on. The nurse said I am just taking your catheter out. Back to sleep I go and I wake up in my room.

I honestly can't say what I was feeling because I was still groggy from the anesthesia. Once alert enough I had to use the restroom. I call the nurse and my mom and her help me to get up. Actually it was up to me. At this time I feel like I have been hit by a truck. My tummy and left side are extremely sore. I roll to my right side and then sit up. I moaned, whimpered and then got up. I made it to the toilet and nothing. I know I have to go but afraid to push and the fact that I had my mom in there talking to me. She turned on the faucet and there it was a small trickle. Not what I was expecting but its a start.

Every time getting out of bed got easier. By day 2 I was getting out of bed without calling the nurses.

I was allowed a few ice chips my first day but the thirst was unbelievable.

My Steps Toward WLS

First off let me tell you a little about myself. I am 32 yrs. old, married with 3 kiddos. My oldest son lives with his dad and step mom.

I moved back to the U.P. in 2005 and that is when I started to put the weight back on. Now I have always been a yo yo dieter. My lowest weight was 145lb.s, I did not maintain that weight long. My heaviest was prior to surgery when I got up to a whopping 286lbs. That is something that I was extremely embarrassed about.

With the weight gain comes health issues. Roughly a year ago I was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri. I remember driving home from work and had double vision. I couldn't tell what side of the road I was on.

What is Pseudotumor Cerebri?
Pseudotumor cerebri literally means "false brain tumor." It is likely due to high pressure caused by the buildup or poor absorption of cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain. The disorder is most common in women between the ages of 20 and 50. Symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri, which include headache, nausea, vomiting, and pulsating intracranial noises, closely mimic symptoms of brain tumors.

Is there any treatment?

Some treatable diseases can cause raised intracranial pressure and symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri. A thorough physical examination is needed to rule out these disorders. If a diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri is confirmed, hyperosmotic drugs may be used to reduce fluid buildup. Diuretics are commonly used to relieve pressure. Weight loss and cessation of certain drugs (including oral contraceptives and a variety of steroids) will lead to improvement. Therapeutic shunting, which involves surgically inserting a draining tube from the spinal fluid space in the lower spine into the abdominal cavity, may be needed to remove excess fluid and relieve pressure. Close, repeated ophthalmologic exams are required to monitor any changes in vision. Surgery may be needed to remove pressure on the optic nerve.

What is the prognosis?

The disorder may cause progressive, permanent visual loss in some patients. In some cases, pseudotumor cerebri recurs.


I tried medication for this with no success. I also had a lumbar puncture where they drain as much spinal fluid as they can to relieve the pressure. My neurologist said weight loss. I at the time didn't think that weight loss was the answer. A year later I through my hands up and said its time!

At this point I had already started to withdraw from normal activities because of the weight.

My steps toward surgery:

First off I called Dr. English's office and made an appointment for an educational class. Now I already had it in my head that this is what I was going to do so after getting a date set I called and had all of my medical records forwarded.

I went with my husband to the class. It is always good to have someone in your support system to attend with you.

Next comes the insurance approval. Check to see if your insurance covers the procedure and what there requirements are. Mine required 12 month weight history. I did not have this so I was thinking I would have a year to go. My neurologist and PCP wrote letters on my behalf requesting that I have the surgery now. One month later I was approved.

Its not always that simple but if you have the requirements in hand you know what you are up against.

Pre op Appointment

My preop consist of psychological evaluation. A lot of people stress over this and it really is fairly simple. I had a few pages of T/F questions and sat for 30 min. and talked about myself, family and so on.
On to the blood work and ekg. This is all scheduled for one day so there is no running back and forth.

After my lab results were back and looked good it was time to set a date. My entire process started in Aug. and surgery was Jan. 07th.