Good Changes Revisited

So let me finally wind this long story down, lol!  I spent 13 days in the hospital recovering from the whole thing.  And for the last 15 years my health has been going downhill.  I was put on blood thinners after the embolism, I started having problems with my blood pressure and went on medication for that.  I just never felt well and began to deal with a lot of depression.  Then a couple of years later I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which explained the lack of energy and the constant pain I was dealing with.  I was already on some meds for diabetes and as I wandered through this world of pain and depression I ate and I gained and I ate and I gained and everything became worse.  Then the docs determined that I needed oxygen so that added another level to the mix.  Having to wear oxygen is the pits.  It is like always being on a leash, your nose gets sore, you get deep, ugly lines in your face and it drives you crazy causing dryness and tickling in your nose.  Then my diabetes got worse and worse until I was finally on 4 different meds trying to keep it controlled.  I was getting to the point where I just wanted to give up.  My quality of life was nil.  I just wanted God to take me!  I had talked to my doctor about bypass surgery but she was very negative and discouraging, saying I just had too many health problems, I wouldn't survive the surgery, etc.  Then 2 years later at my hubby's doctor visit they ended up discussing my health rather than his issue and the doc said, "I think maybe Colleen should consider bariatric surgery."  When he came home and told me that I was like, "Hello!  I talked to her about it a long time ago!"  But never mind that, I was on the phone and making my first appointment before she could change her mind!

So what are the good changes I have been alluding too these last few days!  I have mentioned some of them in previous posts but I am going to list them all here.

1. I am off of all my diabetes medication!  Insulin, Victoza, Glimeperide, and Metformin, all gone!
2. I am off of Coumadin (blood thinner) a medication I so wanted to be rid of!
3. I no longer require oxygen during the day time.  And soon, after a sleep study, I may get off entirely!
4. I no longer take Celebrex (you can't with this surgery) and my joint pain is manageable without it!
5. My evening blood pressure meds were cut in half and if things continue I will probably be able to drop it completely!
6. My cholesterol is 120 so I will be able to drop that medicine soon I think.

There are probably many more things I am not thinking of but the reason I started this particular post about GOOD CHANGES is because on Sunday I went with my hubby to Costco and managed to walk the whole time we were there.  The poor man has done all of the shopping for the last several years because I could not manage a long shopping session.  He said it was the most fun he'd ever had at Costco, lol!  And today, after getting our hair done, my daughter and I did a long shopping trip to Walmart buying Halloween stuff for my grandkids and the kids a friend of ours just adopted!  I was on my feet for over an hour and I survived!  Yay! 

This may not seem like a big deal to some but for me it is an awesome improvement to my life.  My family has had to take care of so many things for me and to even be able to take back some of those things is incredible.  WLS is not the answer to all my problems but it has been the catalyst to get me to a place where I can take on the challenges that confront me every day.  I am looking forward to many, many more nsv's (non-surgical victories). 

I hope and pray that there are people reading this who feel encouraged to move forward in their own struggles.  WLS is just a tool, as you know, but we need tools for just about any project we take on in life.  Use this tool to help yourself change and create good things in your life, too.  I am rooting for you!