cynthia2007
Hi my name is Cynthia.And my husband David and i are going through a weight loss journey together.We both had the gastric bypass this past year.Mine on Aug. 25,2008 and his on sept. 15,2008.As of totoday i have lost 83 lbs.and him 101.So heres our story.We both have struggled with weight all our lives.Even as children we were overweight.I never liked myself.I was nice to everyone but they were cruel to me.Always makeing fun of me because i was bigger.In the 4th grade i got these huge hips and butt.And everything filled out all of the sudden.I was even a head taller than everyone else even the boys.Needness to say i hated school.To top things off when i was 13 my step dad raped me and i got pregant.He would say how pretty i was and always give me complaments.So i thought in my childess mind if i gain weight and was un attracktive he would leave me alone.So i begain to eat and eat all the time.Now i didn't realize it at the time that i was doing it.But looking back i think thats what was happening.But it made no difference.He didn't leave me alone til my Mom realized i was pregant.Then he went to jail and i was left to have a baby at such a young age.And get this because i was so young they wanted me to gain extra weight to help the baby.So i had more reason to eat.I could take out a half gallon of ice cream a day by myself.Well i gained 75 lbs. while i was pregant.I quit school cause i could no longer stand the teaseing.Which had gotten worse since i was pregant.They made a point to say how my daddy slet with me and then ran off.stupid stuff really.But they would call me slut and whore.Like i had done something worng.If they only knew the hell i went throught at this mans hands.The abuse i endured.Yet all alone there was this little baby so innocent caught up in this mess.I may have been young but i knew killing the baby was wrong.My mom offered to take me but i told her i was no killer.I couldn't live with myself knowing i had killed a inocent baby.So i had him 5 days after i turned 14.It was so hard to look at him.He looked just like my stepdad.I had pretty much decided i would give him up for adoption.But my mom wanted to keep him.So she said she would rasie him if i was ok with it.i wasn't so sure about it.But we ended up takeing him home.and for the first few weeks i avoided him at all cost.But then one night he cryed and cryed.My Mom tryed everything.I remember thinking how i wish he would hush.I had put the pillow over my face and went back to sleep.Next thing i knew Moma put the baby on my chest.He stopped crying right then.I took the pilllow off my face and looked at him.His little head bobbing around.I could fill his little heart beating against mine.And at that moment i knew i loved him.He loved me for who i was.He didn't care i had no idea how to care for him.Or that i was a child myself.All he knew was i was his mommy and he loved me unconditally.I fell deeply in love with this little baby that night.And from that day on i did everything for him.I raised him and have loved him for 16 years now.He was the best thing that ever happened to me.He taught me about love.The king that doesn't judge you.That loves you just because.I came to knw God a month after that.I finally understood how God loved me.No matter what.I grew up so fast and became a great Mom.i have helped lots of girls thropugh trobled pregancies.And rape victims.I have used it for good.I have grown into a pretty great person over the years.But i still struggled with loving myself.I didn't like who i saw in the mirrow.I knew i had to do something .I had tried diet after diet.Lots of exercise. But i keep falling back into the same old ways.I needed help.i weighted more now than when i was pregant with any of my three sons.I wanted to be there to watch them grow up.I was so tired all the time from being over weight i didn't do much with them.I felt guilty.My heakth started to get worse.And before i knew it i was sinking into deep depression.God gave me a wonderful husband but he was even worse than me with eating.he weighted 100 + lbs. more thani did.I was afraid he would die soon if we didn't do something.We had both thought about wls before but never follwed through with it.Then we had new neibors and she had wls.And looked great.She shared her story over the 6months she lived there.ANd we wanted to have it to.It was time.We traveled 4 hours away to see her doctor.We felt like that was where God was leading us to go.We had no high hopes.Cause its usually hard to get approved for wls anyway.So we decided if it was his will it would all fall into place.i spent a month collecting all our medical records for years past.and going trough them to take just what talked about our weight and our problems becasue of it.Any time our blood pressure was up anything like that.And i even high lighted the parts on each page i wanted them to look at.We meet with a local dietatican.we started working harder than ever at weight loss.So we go on july 29,2008 to Dr.Bryan Freeman in Annistion Alabama.the simanar was great.We knew we wanted it for sure before the day ended.Right after it we had a physc elvauation.we passed with flying colors.Tells you how much they know.lol.kidding.anyway the lady told us it could be a long wait to get approved for it.So we prepared ourselfs.The next day i got a call from them.She said she had never had anyone approved so fast.In 14 hours.WOW!!!I was like your joking this isn't funny.She said no i ask myself if it was real to.So i call my husband at work screaming the news.I had a date for 2 weeks after that.and him 5 weeks later.I was like someone pinch me please.She told us it was because i had such great medical records and records of all our weight loss attemps.That was the most important part.I had gone back like 12 years to find any and everything that stated anything about problems i had because of being over weight.Like rashed or fatique.High blood presure or sugar.Any convasation i had with any of my doctors about wanting to loss weight.And anything that sated i tryed a diet or they suggested i should.And i look over all my weights and if there was a drop of 5 or more pounds i would make a note and say i did such and such diet to acheive this weight loss.Alot of thought went into it.And it paid off.So i was on this diet before surgery of soup salad and sandwiches.for a week then only liquid and protein shakes for the 2 days before surgery.It was very hard.I wanted to cheat so bad but i didn't.I still remeber the 8 days piror was the day to eat what i wanted one last time.I bought the biggest steak i could find.I took 3 hours to finsh it all but i did.Alittle at a time of course.I can still taste it.lol.My starting weight was 285lbs.The day of surgery i had lost to 271 lbs.I was so nervous the night before i couldn't sleep.I had had surgery before but never anything like this.And then my phone rang aroung 10 pm.Its was my doctor calling to talk with me and pray with me.That really meant alot to me.He has had the wls himself and really understands the process and how hard it can be.I think i slept 2 hours in all.We got to the hospital and my husband said its not to late to back out.I was like are you nots.No way.I didn't have to wait long to go up to surgery.I was so nervous but the drugs felt really good.And took all that away fast.lol.I don't even remember talking to the doctor or seeing him before hand.he said i did.I sure hope i didn't say anything i shouldn't have.lol.So then i woke up in pain that was so bad.I couldn't even breath it hurt so bad.I remember the nurse saying was it worth it now.And even then i said yes.It makes me mad now thinking back at why she would say that.I guess she thought i wouldn't remember.She was a tiny little thing and could never understand what i was going through.That first day was hard.I had a pain pump but i can't take alot of meds.i am alegeic.so the demorol didn't help as much as i wished it did.morphine i can't take but would have been better i think.The second day i got up to walk.And i thought i was gona die.And then had a test to see if there was any leaks.there wansn't thank God.But the 3rd day got better.I could move easier.And walking wasn't as hard.The more i did it the better i felt.I got weak really fast though.My husband had to go back to work the day after so i was alone 4 hours from home.I decided to take a bath that day.Boy was that a bad idea to try it alone.I fainted in the floor.i cralwed over to pull the emergecy cord right before i fainted.So there i was naked and wet in the floor.And out of all the nurses there the only guys nurse come to help.Just my luck.I was so embrassed.He was very kind though.I got some pain meds and something for nausea and fell asleep.I felt better when i awoke.Then my doctor came in .He sat anf talked with me a long time.And he ask if it hough i was ready to go home.or if i wanted to stay longer.Now honestly i should have stayed.But i already had plans to leave.My old neibors who had started this with us was on there way fron 4 hours away.so i said i wanted to go home.They got there not long after that.The ride home was hard.I still had 2 drains in and was in alot of pain.All the bumps on the interstate didn't help anything.But i made it.I thought i would be ok at home alone.My husband had to work all night.Well that didn't go off well.I realized soon after i couldn't even get up by myself.So i called for my 9 year old son to come home and stay with me.He was so sweet.He brought me drinks.ANd helped all he could.Like pulling me up to go to the bath room.But then at night he fell alsleep and i couldn't yell loud enough t wake him it hurt so bad.It took me 30 min. to get up.I thought i was gona die.But i made it.The next night i went to momas house so she could help me.I was doing ok until i got sick and tryed to vomit.Now you talk about pain i thought my stomach would rip open.I fell to the floor.I couldn't breath.She called 911.They came and when they got there they wouldn't even help me up of the floor.The lady said she didn't wanta hurt herslf pulling on me.I couldn't belive that.Isn't that there job.It took my poor mom all her strenght to pull me up.And then they made me walk throught the house and down the stairs cause the lady thought she might fall comeing down the stairs with me on the bed.The ride to the hospital was horrible.I think they hit every bump on the way.All the time i am crying in pain.But when i got there there was a great doctor there.He took really good care of me.I had pulled something aloose inside when i was vomiting.He gave me 3 pain shots before it eased the pain.i stayed awhile until my husband got off work.The next few days thing got better and better.Pain eased more and more.And at 7 days i got my drains out.I was looking forward to eating half a cheese egg.But that didn't happen i got a upset stomach.I ate peanutbutter cracker instead.But after no food for 9 days that was great.I ate healf the cracker and i was full.Wow. I couldn't belive it.Completely full.and i lost 10 lbs the first week.We started a video diary of our journey so we could look back and remember.
