Because I was an out of town patient, I had done my initial interview over the phone with Dr. Lee rather than flying to Los Angeles. When it was time for my pre-op tests I flew to Los Angeles for a very long, full day of testing. I spent all day going from one specialist to the next. Finally, I met with Dr. Igwe and discussed my surgery. I had all kinds of questions, but was most concerned about whether they would approve me to have the panniculectomy at the time of the Fobi Pouch surgery. A panniculectomy is when they remove the excess, hanging skin or apron on your stomach. Dr. Igwe said that I would be able to have the panniculectomy if I wished. I met many post-op patients in the waiting room who were doing fantastic. I left Los Angeles so excited! Only one more month to wait!

I flew in a few days early of my surgery. I wanted to get situated in my hotel before my husband drove in from Las Vegas the night before my surgery. Two nights before my surgery I went out with several people from the on-line Fobi support group and best friend, Denise, who was also 6 weeks post-op from her Fobi Pouch. I chose the Cheesecake Factory for "my last supper". The next day Denise picked me up and we went out for a late lunch before I had to get to Fobi's office and then check into the hospital. It was at this office visit I first met Dr. Fobi. I was so in awe of him. I stood before him and a group of doctors so that he could mark where he was going to cut me for the surgery. They did a final weighing and then I was off to check into the hospital. At the hospital I was given an enema to clean my bowels and then I took a shower with a special soap. The nurse gave me a sedative to help me sleep, but I was so keyed up that sleeping was still difficult.

My surgery was scheduled for early morning and I was relieved to not have to wait long to be taken to the operating room. The surgery took about four hours because of the panniculectomy that I opted to have along with the Fobi pouch. The doctors removed 11 pounds of excess skin and fat from my stomach. I don't remember much about the first couple days after the surgery. However, I do remember the pain and hitting the pain medication button as often as possible. I was up and walking on the second day. The nurses make you walk as soon as possible to help with the healing process. By the third day post-op the doctors realized that I was having problems with my bowels. I was not able to have a bowel movement and I was draining more than normal from my G tube. The doctors decided to wait and see if it would straighten out on it own, but I wasn't allowed any food. On the sixth day post-op the doctors decided that they would operate on me the next day to fix the problem. They suspected that I had a bowel blockage. I woke up from the surgery with a NG tube down my nose and into my stomach to prevent my bowel from kinking up again. The NG tube stayed there for 3½ days. I still continued to have problems for another 6 days. The doctors planned a third surgery, but before the scheduled surgery my bowels opened up and started functioning properly. That day they also found small blood clots in my right calf. I was put on complete bed rest and given a heparin drip to break up my blood clots. I caught a virus from another patient and developed bronchitis. I was in so much pain from all the coughing with my whole stomach having recently been opened up. I was finally released from the hospital after being there for 20 days. Most Fobi pouch patients are in the hospital for only 4 or 5 days. My mom took me home from the hospital to the hotel to recuperate until we got the okay from Dr. Fobi to go back to Las Vegas.

I was amazed by how little I could eat and feel so full. I lived on poached eggs, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, unsweetened applesauce, V8 juice, and sugar free frozen fudge bars. When I went for my first official weigh in I had lost 39 pounds in just a little over three weeks. I was most bothered by the horrible cough that continued, but I needed little pain medication. I was uncomfortable sleeping in a regular bed. Prior to the surgery I purchased a bed wedge that kept my upper body elevated. I laid on the wedge and slept with extra pillows under my arms on both sides. That wedge really helped a lot. After 4 or 5 days at the hotel, I went for my last appointment with Dr. Fobi. I had my Gastric Tube finally removed and I was given the okay from the doctor to finally go home. It was a long car ride and we stopped frequently so I could stretch my legs. It was tiring and my stomach ached from all the bumps in the ride.

I walked every day, even though short distances wore me out at first. After a couple weeks at home I was able to start driving myself places again. In November I went on a family trip to Hawaii for Thanksgiving. I wasn't quite up for much and spent a great deal of time sleeping and reading. The day before Thanksgiving my upper incision started draining and seemed to be infected. I made the mistake of not going to a doctor right away. I waited until I had returned to Las Vegas and then went to see my primary care physician. Right away my doctor wanted to put me in the hospital. My infection had turned into a stomach abscess. Instead of going into the hospital the doctor arranged for a home health care nurse to come to my home and give me intravenous antibiotics for ten days. I was then on oral antibiotics for over two months until my stomach finally healed. I want to say to anyone who may be reading this that even with all of my complications, my decision to have my Fobi pouch was the best decision I have ever made. The doctors and nurses were very attentive and took excellent care of me.

When I was completely healed I started exercising. I work out with a private trainer and lift weights and do my cardio workouts. Weight just fell off me at first. The first 100 pounds came off very easily. The rest of the weight I have really struggled to get off. I watch what I eat and try to eat foods that are good for me. I do not get the "dumping syndrome" that many weight loss surgery patients get. I can eat whatever I want for the most part. I do have problems with some meats and chicken on occasion. I live on cottage cheese and drink protein shakes to make sure that I'm getting the protein my body needs. I also take lots of vitamins every day. I can eat sweets with out any problems, but since the surgery I very rarely want to eat sweets. That is probably the most amazing thing since the surgery. Before the surgery I ate sweets as often as possible. I used to love ice cream and chocolate and now those things taste too rich to me.

Where I Am Now

I have learned to try not to compare myself to others. I have many friends who have had weight loss surgery. Many of them have had an easier time taking off their excess weight. I still would ideally like to be 12 pounds lighter. I now weigh 137 pounds. I'm losing weight slowly, but surely. I wear a petite size 12 or a petite medium. I want to ideally be a size 10, however if I never lost another pound I would be happy. How could I not be happy with a 148 pound weight loss!

I have excess skin on my arms, stomach, and thighs. My excess skin isn't as bad as some weight loss surgery patients that I have seen. I attribute that to the fact that I have exercised fairly regularly since the surgery. However, a person can't lose 148 pounds without having excess skin. I consulted several recommended plastic surgeons and found one that I am confident with. Continue on to find out about my reconstructive plastic surgery experiences so far.