Getting Ready! - Calgary, AB

Hi, I've been reading this site now for the past six months and find it very helpful. My TT was originally scheduled for October 28th, but due to the flooding in Calgary in June, my doctors office has been closed due to water damage. They have rescheduled me for February 25th which is fine with me as I wasn't ready physically, or emotionally. I am recently divorced from a 31 year relationship, moved back to my hometown and purchased a home. I am 49 years old, 5'3" and 180 lbs. I know I am not at my ideal weight but I am now at a point in my life where I need to look after ME! I will post pics soon.
I will be seeing a Naturopath on the 15th for a consultation. I know what needs to be done to lose weight, but I need a push to get me going. Wish me luck!

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend!
I finally managed to get some pictures done and boy, was I ever horrified to see the results! I know everyone says this when they post their before pictures and now I totally get it! I have really let myself go these past two years (stress from a divorce and moving maybe?).
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have gone to see a Naturopathic doctor and she is helping me get on the road to a healthier life style. I think that once I start seeing results I know that I will get out there and exercise more. I've never been big on exercise (big surprise there!), but I do like to walk.
You will probably note my bad veiny legs. This is due to genetics from my mom as well as when I gave birth to my son at 27. I ended up with two major blood clots that started from my toes on both legs and up to the middle of my chest. I spent a few weeks in the hospital away from my newborn while the doctors tried to stop the clots from moving more. They said the pregnancy did not agree with me and therefore unable to have any more children as it is life threatening. Needless to say, my boy (now 22) is my world!

Well, it's two months' less a day until my surgery. I just got word that my pre op consultation is January 14th and I plan on bringing one of my 8 sisters (love 'em all!) with me as she is very thorough and will make sure I ask the right questions and know all the risks involved. She is very worried for me due to my blood clots (understandable).
Starting to put together a list of questions to ask the PS but was wondering if you gals can give me some help with this? What questions did you ask?
I still have not done anything with my weight yet and not sure if I will be. I'm trying to be realistic in my thinking that I'll never be a skinny minny in this life time. I've always been a little chunky and that's who I am. I just want to get rid of the apron that sits on my lap and for my pants to fit better.
Anyways, I hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year to come.

So I went to my pre-op on the 14th with Lana and she gave me a wake up call! My weight is at 182 and my BMI just over 32. Needless to say, the surgery is being postponed until May or June and I need to lose 20 lbs by then. What she was saying made total sense and I knew this. Losing this weight will give me better results and a better recovery. A couple of my sisters (I have 8) are challenging me to lose it by May 14th. I love a challenge as I work better under pressure and I know I can do it!! I have started a high protein diet a couple weeks ago as well as going to the gym for classes a lot. I've reintroduced myself to my dusty treadmill and am participating in an ab challenge that increases in intensity every day! Will keep you all up to date on my weight loss. And believe me, THERE WILL BE RESULTS!

Forgot to mention how great Lana is! She tells it like it is and is very informative. Looking forward to dealing with her more in the future.

Hello everyone. I know I haven't posted on here since February when the nurse told me in no uncertain terms that I have to lose 20 lbs before they'll do the surgery. Well, I'm down 22 and here are updated pics from the morning of the surgery on June 16th.

The morning of the surgery myself along with two sisters drove into Calgary to make my 8:00 a.m. appointment. Carol the nurse explained everything very thoroughly. She prepped me for surgery, then I walked into the operating room to see Dr. P who took a few before photos. I hopped up on the table, sat up so they could start the spinal procedure. That's the last thing I remember, though I remember looking at the clock and seeing it was about 10:10. I woke up in the recovery room a few hours later on the FLAT SIDE! I can't believe my dream of doing this for years is finally done!
I spent an hour or so in recovery where they fed me some tea and a nice bowl of fruit. After final instructions, they sent me on my way. I felt better than I thought I would, though it didn't take long for my back to get sore.

Good morning!
It is 6:00 a.m. and I am up having a cup of tea and watching the news. My sister keeps giving me heck that I don't call her to help me out of bed (she is sleeping in the next room). I basically need help laying down only. It's amazing how much you need your abs! I really have to concentrate to relax my core when moving. My compression garment has been switched around a few times and the relief when it is loosened and I can breathe freely is a priceless feeling. I have included a few pics. The pain is tolerable and I am keeping it in check by taking some Targin every 12 hours. Today is my last day with it, but I feel it will be ok as I am taking some Advil as well and it should keep the edge off.

I had my first check up with Carol yesterday and it went really well. Everything looked good and I get my drain out in a few days. The only problem Carol noticed was the CG was not down low enough to cover the incision above my pubis area. She showed my sister and I how to do it up to make sure it covered everything. However, later that evening when we switched the garment around, we had a heck of a time getting proper coverage. My CG has two panels, whereas I noticed some of you ladies who went thru Dr. P had three panels, so I will see if I can purchase that one when I get my drain out.
I finished the Targin up a couple days ago and using Advil only which is doing the trick, pain wise. I tried to go extra long without taking one and that definitely was a bad idea! I hurt everywhere! I took two gel caps this morning, slept for an hour and woke up feeling so much stronger and very little pain. I will not try to be a martyr again.
The sun is finally shining after days and days of rain and it feels so good to sit out on the deck reading a book.
Happy healing all!

Sorry, it's been over a week since I updated, but I have been going thru some difficulty. On the Thursday (20th) following the surgery I started feeling a little discomfort in my left leg which I ignored until I decided to head to emergency on Sunday morning to get my fears confirmed. Yup, another blood clot, but thankfully it is only superficial and cannot do any serious damage to the deep veins as they have been clotted for 23 years. As I was giving myself Heparin via injections up until two days following the surgery, I was hoping that the clot would break up on its own like it has before. Unfortunately, when I had my INR checked, the level was extremely low. My family doctor got involved immediately and put me back on injections, along with my Coumadin tablets. I went thru two days of extreme pain (like elastics were being snapped against my lower leg) and it took forever to put my foot on the floor and to walk. By Thursday night, I was weepy and I told my sister that when I see the doc tomorrow morning, I am going to insist he admit me into the hospital, hook me up to Heparin via IV, and even put a catheter in so I won't be moving around. I couldn't even put a compression stocking on as anything touching my skin was intolerable. Well, lo and behold, when I got up Friday morning, there was a HUGE improvement with my leg. I could easily lower it and walk without too much discomfort. I saw the doc that morning and he said it'll only be getting better from now on. My INR level was rechecked and it was back up where it was supposed to be. I also got my stocking on today and it's a lot more bearable.
Keep in mind, this is all while recovering from my TT. I went into see Carol on Monday the 23rd to get my drain pulled! but she wouldn't take it out as the fluid was very dark and there was too much of it. She asked if I sneezed or coughed lately. I did have a sneeze the day before which I couldn't stop so she thought it caused a new bleed. She wanted it left in for a bit longer to make sure it clears up. I really don't mind the drain as the surgery recovery has been quite easy. I managed to have two showers the last few days which felt so good, though I kept them short and sweet. I peeked under some of the tape that was covering the incision and the scar looks fantastic!
I managed to do a little cleaning today, along with some laundry. I hate having to rely on anyone to help me out as I don't want to be a burden. I would love to get out in the yard to pull a few weeds but I know that's not possible yet (sigh).
I will be going in to see Carol on July 1st as they are taking out the drain for sure as it shouldn't be in any longer.
Sorry for rambling, but that's how crappy my week has been. Tummy recovering nicely, but the leg had to give me grief. Gotta love it!
Have a great Canada Day weekend all!!

I saw the Dr. P and Carol yesterday and they both agree the drain should stay in a bit longer as there is too much fluid from the bleed I got from a sneeze last week. You can actually see the area where the bleed is as my skin is a bit discoloured from my tissue absorbing the blood. They put me on antibiotics to fight any possible infection from the drain.
My leg is improving, but way too slowly. I see my family doc tomorrow and if he suggests I be admitted to the hospital for a couple days to be put on an IV with stronger blood thinners, I will definitely jump at the chance.

Hello all, doing extremely well with recovery. I love, love, love the results! Dr. P did a phenomenal job and I would definitely go to him if I want more work done! I saw him for my six week follow up and he was very happy to see how well the surgery worked. Carol showed me my before pic and I couldn't believe that was me. An incentive to eat healthy and keep exercising from now on, for sure. I now sleep without my binder which is very liberating and in a couple days I can start taking it off for a little while throughout the day. Even though I ended up with a blood clot from this (not dr. P's fault), I would do it again in a second. Funny thing, when I want to look down at my tummy, I have to push my ta ta's out of the way to see it. WHOO HOOOO!!
I hope everyone is recovering well and those that have the surgery ahead of them, you'll do great and you will love the change!