conconwill
Well, here goes. I suppose you could say I have had a love/hate relationship with food my whole life. As a teenager, I spent most of my time starving myself and feeling fat. While I was anything but at 115 pounds, I dressed and acted like the fat girl I thought I was. I also had many secret binges in the middle of the night while everyone else was asleep. Finally, I grew up and found a wonderful man who loved me enough to help me learn to love myself. We were married in 1986, and still are today. I was 140 pounds on my wedding day, but still felt huge. As the years went by, we had two wonderful children, ages 14 and 9. Over the years, I became almost twice the woman I was, topping out at 262 pounds. I have a very loving family life and a strong faith, both of which have given me strenth and confidence.
All that said, for the longest time, the person I am on the inside has not matched the person I see in the mirror. I have always loved, and still do love, to dance, meet new people, make new friends, laugh, and entertain at home. The thing is, it is awfully hard to do all these things with the mounting health problems I have had. Sleep apnea, GERD, Fibromyalgia, asthma -- not to mention chronic clumsiness!!! -- have really held me back. A ruptured gallbladder followed by two weeks on a respirator nearly killed me. The other thing is that I live in an upper-middle class community where there are maybe three (ok, maybe a few more than three) overweight women. I tend to feel self concious, and many folks seem to think obesity is contagious!!
Well, here is where the pity party ends. Summer, 2007, I fell and broke my foot. I had surgery and spent the summer in a wheelchair. The main reason the recovery took so long? My weight. We had to cancel the family vacation, and the kids almost never left the neighborhood. I had had it!! I called the surgeon who had saved my life when my gallbladder ruptured (he happens to be the director of the hospital's bariatric center) and began my WLS journey. The day I had my first consultation, I felt for the first time in a long time like I was taking control of and responsibility for my own life. It turns out that I was blessed with terrific insurance. I got approved quickly, and began taking classes. My surgeon requires emotional, nutritional, and exercise counselling, both pre and post-op. My surgery date was 12/3/07. I had a lap RNY with no complications and was home 12/5/07. My husband and kids have been supportive beyond belief, and my parents and inlaws have been my biggest cheerleaders. I struggle with nausea and with finding things to eat, but I have never been prouder of me.
