another update from Gemello

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone:

Welcome to all the new members. You will find that our group is a

special place. This group has led me from my pre-op (open RNY) days

of jumping through the hoops (quite impatiently I might add) to where

I am now: one week post-op reconstructive surgery. I started this

process in Aug of 2002 with my PCP, had my bypass in June of 2003,

and my reconstructive surgery last Tuesday, May 25, 2004. What a

journey this has been!

I¡¦m feeling quite wonderful today, one week past my abdominoplasty

and male breast reduction. My weight continues to go down since my

surgery. I¡¦m now the same weight I was before my surgery. I had

gained about 8 lbs post-op; they had pumped me with 7 liters of water

through the IV. I continue to feel better and better, and I¡¦m able

to get around and take care of myself. I got off the treadmill this

morning, and just stood there for a moment of thankfulness at where I

am today. I caught a glimpse of my reflection and couldn¡¦t believe

that that was me looking back.

Physically, I¡¦m amazed at how relatively free of pain I am. True, I

do take a vicondin every 4 hours as directed, but I¡¦m not at all

feeling drugged out. There is a great amount of tightness in my

trunk area, especially along the incision. Today, before my shower,

I took a better look at the results. My (new) belly button is so

cute. I just love it. My bypass scar is now much longer than it

used to be. Before my abdominoplasty it was 4.5 inches. It¡¦s now 7

inches long, but since it¡¦s stretched out, it¡¦s now only about 1/8

inch thick.

One strange thing about my abdominal area is that many parts are numb

(I knew this would happen). I¡¦ve lightly touched these areas and

while my fingers register the touch, my abdominal skin does not. It

was explained to me that this is because the nerves have been

severed, and this residual numbness may last up to (and even beyond)

a year.

On June 3, 2003, I will celebrate the one-year anniversary of my

gastric bypass. It¡¦s difficult to sum up what this year has meant

to me. In many ways, this recovery is so much easier than the bypass

because I know what to eat, how much, and I don¡¦t feel deprived at

all because I know what I like. I¡¦m also in such better shape. My

legs and arms are so much stronger (thanks to the year of work with

free weights), which makes it easier to get in and out of bed and

chairs.

A friend of mine told me yesterday that I was such an inspiration to

him. This caught me off guard because I don¡¦t ever think of myself

in that light. My partner also said, ¡§You are probably the most

courageous person I know.¡¨ Me? Inspirational? Courageous? My

inner dialogue is completely different in that I now encourage myself

and say positive messages to myself. But I never say, ¡§You are such

an inspiration to others. You are so full of courage.¡¨ Rather I

say things like, ¡§Don¡¦t give up. You can do it.¡¨

But, you know what? All of us are indeed inspirational and

courageous. I know that this group inspires me to be better than I¡¦

ve ever been. I know that I really had to let go of my fears and

reach for a better life. And the rewards have been worth the risks.

Every chair I fit in, every step I take without pain, every time

those tiny clothes slip onto my body, every time I see this normal-

weighted person smiling back at me in the mirror, my decision to have

this surgery is reaffirmed. My life has so many tiny magical moments

of surprise and joy, that my spirit is overwhelmed with

thankfulness. Losing weight and feeling healthy were mere pipe

dreams that I held near to my heart.

I can¡¦t count the times I prayed heavy-hearted for a time when I

would enjoy health and freedom from morbid obesity. And now, I see

that my prayers over those many years were heard, and finally this

gift has been given to me. I work hard to be worthy of that gift.

So I remain indebted to all around me who helped me along in this

journey. It¡¦s true that we all have to walk the journey on our own,

but there have been so many who held out a hand to help me climb the

mountains. There were so many who lit a torch to light my way when I

was lost in the darkness. The amazing thing is that sometimes it was

me who offered the hand to me or lit the torch to guide my way. We

really are capable of more that we give ourselves credit.

I¡¦ve learned so much about myself, and how to meet my own needs. I

am so thankful to those at Kaiser (Richmond and South San Francisco)

who have offered help. But this group continues to be my hearth and

my home. No one understands the way you all do.

So I hope that I too can be of help to those coming up. I just hope

that each and every one of you gives yourself the kudos you deserve

for making this journey. We are all so worth every effort.

Thanks for reading my long post.

Gemello

06/03/03 open RNY

05/25/04 reconstruction

-133 lbs

[Guest guest]

Gemello,

What a wonderfully inspiring note. I'm so excited for you and though I'm still waiting for orienation (only two more weeks!) reading your posts has certainly inspired me. Isn't it funny how we so sell our abilities and affect on other people short? Maybe all overweight folks just don't develop a narcicisstic bone in there body and therefore don't gloat over our accomplishments and influence on other people. I'm glad that you are recognizing what you have accomplished and are reaping the benefits of your hard work. Slipping your body into teeny tiny clothes must be wonderful. I steadfastly refuse to buy any new clothes unless absolutely necessary and I can start buying smaller sizes so I'm indulging my shoe fetish instead.

Chris

Gemello DiGiovanni wrote:

Hello everyone:Welcome to all the new members. You will find that our group is a special place. This group has led me from my pre-op (open RNY) days of jumping through the hoops (quite impatiently I might add) to where I am now: one week post-op reconstructive surgery. I started this process in Aug of 2002 with my PCP, had my bypass in June of 2003, and my reconstructive surgery last Tuesday, May 25, 2004. What a journey this has been!I¡¦m feeling quite wonderful today, one week past my abdominoplasty and male breast reduction. My weight continues to go down since my surgery. I¡¦m now the same weight I was before my surgery. I had gained about 8 lbs post-op; they had pumped me with 7 liters of water through the IV. I continue to feel better and better, and I¡¦m able to get around

and take care of myself. I got off the treadmill this morning, and just stood there for a moment of thankfulness at where I am today. I caught a glimpse of my reflection and couldn¡¦t believe that that was me looking back.Physically, I¡¦m amazed at how relatively free of pain I am. True, I do take a vicondin every 4 hours as directed, but I¡¦m not at all feeling drugged out. There is a great amount of tightness in my trunk area, especially along the incision. Today, before my shower, I took a better look at the results. My (new) belly button is so cute. I just love it. My bypass scar is now much longer than it used to be. Before my abdominoplasty it was 4.5 inches. It¡¦s now 7 inches long, but since it¡¦s stretched out, it¡¦s now only about 1/8 inch thick.One strange thing about my abdominal area is that many parts are numb (I knew this would happen).

I¡¦ve lightly touched these areas and while my fingers register the touch, my abdominal skin does not. It was explained to me that this is because the nerves have been severed, and this residual numbness may last up to (and even beyond) a year.On June 3, 2003, I will celebrate the one-year anniversary of my gastric bypass. It¡¦s difficult to sum up what this year has meant to me. In many ways, this recovery is so much easier than the bypass because I know what to eat, how much, and I don¡¦t feel deprived at all because I know what I like. I¡¦m also in such better shape. My legs and arms are so much stronger (thanks to the year of work with free weights), which makes it easier to get in and out of bed and chairs.A friend of mine told me yesterday that I was such an inspiration to him. This caught me off guard because I don¡¦t ever think of myself in that light. My partner

also said, ¡§You are probably the most courageous person I know.¡¨ Me? Inspirational? Courageous? My inner dialogue is completely different in that I now encourage myself and say positive messages to myself. But I never say, ¡§You are such an inspiration to others. You are so full of courage.¡¨ Rather I say things like, ¡§Don¡¦t give up. You can do it.¡¨But, you know what? All of us are indeed inspirational and courageous. I know that this group inspires me to be better than I¡¦ve ever been. I know that I really had to let go of my fears and reach for a better life. And the rewards have been worth the risks.Every chair I fit in, every step I take without pain, every time those tiny clothes slip onto my body, every time I see this normal-weighted person smiling back at me in the mirror, my decision to have this surgery is reaffirmed. My life has so

many tiny magical moments of surprise and joy, that my spirit is overwhelmed with thankfulness. Losing weight and feeling healthy were mere pipe dreams that I held near to my heart.I can¡¦t count the times I prayed heavy-hearted for a time when I would enjoy health and freedom from morbid obesity. And now, I see that my prayers over those many years were heard, and finally this gift has been given to me. I work hard to be worthy of that gift.So I remain indebted to all around me who helped me along in this journey. It¡¦s true that we all have to walk the journey on our own, but there have been so many who held out a hand to help me climb the mountains. There were so many who lit a torch to light my way when I was lost in the darkness. The amazing thing is that sometimes it was me who offered the hand to me or lit the torch to guide my way. We really are capable of more that we

give ourselves credit.I¡¦ve learned so much about myself, and how to meet my own needs. I am so thankful to those at Kaiser (Richmond and South San Francisco) who have offered help. But this group continues to be my hearth and my home. No one understands the way you all do.So I hope that I too can be of help to those coming up. I just hope that each and every one of you gives yourself the kudos you deserve for making this journey. We are all so worth every effort.Thanks for reading my long post.Gemello06/03/03 open RNY05/25/04 reconstruction-133 lbs

[Guest guest]

Gemello:

You are very much an inspiration to us all. You express so eloquently

the thoughts and feelings that I myself am experiencing. Its amazing

how awed we are by the smallest of changes..like feeling my collar

bone for the first time, crossing my legs, having one of my students

tell me she could hug me all the way around, etc. Every time I catch

a glimpse of myself whether it be in the mirror, a candid photo, a

video, I dont always recognize myself right away. Its an awesome but

unsettling feeling at times. My reconstructive surgery is two months

away and I cannot wait. Thank you so much for your inspiring posts!