It seems like all Ive done the past 3 years is take care of others. My Mom, Dad, Alan and my twin grandbabies. The past 3 years has been filled with my Dad's cancer, my Mom being ill, Alan's losing a job and then breaking his neck in a car wreck and premature twin grandbabies.

Most of the above have turned out well and I feel truly blessed.

So now Im doing something just for me. Tomorrow morning at 7:30am, I am having weight loss surgery. This is not a decision I took lightly and has been months in the making. Ive been on a clear liquid diet since November 1st which is not to lose weight before surgery, but to shrink the liver.

This is not about looks. Im very excited about getting my health back. If I get down and out, then I wont be any good to my family when they need me again. They are all very supportive of my decision.

If anyone has any questions regarding the surgery, I should be out of the hospital by Thursday or Friday. I will be more than glad to answer any questions, either here or privately.

Wish me luck! I'll see you all in a few days.

Rita!!! Good for you! You deserve to do something for yourself but we sure will miss you! I'll pm you my phone number in case you need anything or want to update. I hope you have an uneventful surgery and a speedy recovery. We love you!!

I'm so happy for you Rita, I've only known you a little while but you seem like a totally unselfish human being. I wish you the best and send good vibes your way.

Hope everything goes great and you make a full/fast recovery and I look forward to seeing you in the forums again soon! Until then, we'll all miss you!

COngrats Rita hun! I was wondering where you were on that. Take care of yourself!! I am so happy for you! HUGS AND KISSES!!

My grandmother was extremely overweight and also had weight loss surgery. She has lost 60 pounds so far and it's only been about 9 months! I too hope your surgery is uneventful and yields great results! We'll miss you on here for sure!

Good for you, Rita! We'll miss you, but somehow we'll stumble through. It's just a few days, right? Keep yourself healthy, we love you.

Wow, Rita! That's great! We'll be praying for a speedy recovery for you. I'm so proud that you're doing this for yourself!

Rita Congrats!!! I will pray all goes well!

Rita I am so happy for you and you certainly deserve this!!!! But I am not happy that you didn't tell us sooner! I didn't get to give you my support and now you are at the hospital! But I will get over it . I think you have my number - if you need anything please call me!!!

Thinking of you this morning!

Good luck Rita!!!

Good luck and I'll pray for you.

Good Luck Rita! My sisters and my Mom had that surgery and did very well with it. We'll miss you while you are gone. Prayers for a speedy and healthy recovery.

Good luck Rita.

Hope things are going well! I will be thinking about you!

Thinking about you Rita, and missing you on the board!

Thinking of you too. I hope you are doing well. Wishing for an update and missing you here too.

Thank you all for the well wishes! I really appreciate them.

My surgery went well. Altho Tuesday evening, I was really wondering WHY I did this to myself. It was a very difficult night. And for all of you who have ever been in the hospital, you know there is no getting any rest. You just fall asleep and in comes someone to take blood pressure, temps or stick you with a needed. Then they say, "Im so sorry! I didnt mean to wake you". Actually, everyone that works there was very nice and right on top of things if I needed them.

There was virtually no reception in the hospital for cell phone calls or text messages so I apologize to those who tried to contact me. I didnt know I had any messages until today. Thank you for that. It made me feel really good.

Im not going to stay on here long tonight. Im really tired and I just took some pain medication. The combination of those two things might make me write some goofy things.

Again, thank you all for the well wishes.

Glad to see you, thank you for the update and I hope you are doing well with your recovery.

Alright then, that explains why I didn't hear back so I supposed you're forgiven. I'm so glad to hear from you but also think you should hang around for a while after taking your meds. That could be fun!

I'm so glad things went well! Stay rested and I hope your recovery is as painless as possible.

Good to hear that all went well. I hope you are feeling much better soon. Get plenty of rest. Although I agree with Kyro - it might have been fun if you had stuck around tonight .

Again, if you need anything please call or PM me!

Good for you Rita! I am glad that all went well. I hope that you have a speedy recovery and achieve the results that you desire.

We have missed you!

It is really important to do something for YOURSELF, especially when you have been such an important life line for so many others. Kudos for you for doing your research, getting your family's support, and doing something this drastict for YOUR HEALTH!

I'm glad to hear things went as well as they could for you in the hospital. I'll be sending lots of positive energy your way, and hoping for a speedy and healthy recovery, along w/ the weight loss! Go Rita!

Feel better soon!! Congrats Rita!!!

The good thing about using this to jump start your weight loss is that you've got two twin grandbabies that I guarantee will keep you running around and KEEPING the weight off!!

Everyday is getting a little better. I finally got some decent sleep last night. And have done nothing today but sit in my easy chair watching TV and dozing off. Alan was at work and Ive actually enjoyed having my first day all alone to rest.

I have to give myself shots in the stomach everyday for 10 days, which is to stop blood clots that can occur after surgery. The first time I gave myself one, it was a little creepy - but I survived and have now done it 3 days in a row.

A pharmacist when thru all my medications to let me know which I can continue taking and which I cannot. Also the ones that need to be crushed to powder consistency. Since my opening is now the size of a dime, I have to be very careful about the size of the pills I take. My pain meds are liquid. I will only be able to take Tylenol in liquid form. All my supplements have to be chewable. This is for the rest of my life. I can no longer drink out of a straw, chew gum or have carbonated beverages. It will be at least 6 months before I can have beef or pork.

Everyday is getting a little better but I am very limited on what I can do - and of course what I can eat.

Here is my menu for the next 2 weeks:

Breakfast
2 tablespoons sugar free jello
2 ounces diluted 100% fruit juice
1 ounce decaffeinated coffee (I dont drink coffee)

Mid Morning
1 sugar free popsicle

Lunch
2 ounces beef, chicken or vegetable broth
2 ounces sugar free crystal light

Mid Afternoon
4 ounces decaffeinated tea

Dinner
4 ounces chicken, beef or vegetable broth

Evening
4 ounces sugar free hot apple cider

Wow, with that diet being mostly liquids, your going to have to go to the restroom alot! Glad to hear everything went well :)

Even though I don't really know you, (as a lot of people who posted before don't!) You must be pretty respected for so many people to care :)

Awwww - thank you, suggie_mom. What a sweet thing to say.

Actually, most people on here probably dont know me. Most of the people Ive known here over the years have gone and a whole new bunch of people have come to take their place. Thats the way it is with forums.

And, yes - I DO go to the bathroom alot!!! I also drink unlimited amounts water everyday - so you can imagine!

The above diet is so my stomach and intestines can have time to heal before they have to do their job again.

haha.. you don't even need the surgery if thats all you can eat no im kidding congrats and im glad to hear your doing well :D

quote:

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Originally posted by Rita


Most of the people Ive known here over the years have gone and a whole new bunch of people have come to take their place.

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Ahem....at least some of the really COOL ones stuck around!

Yeah, what Kylah said.......