ObesityHelp

Between business and pleasure, I have been out of town (and offline) for a week and a half. I have a lot to share from my experiences so will try not to drone on and bore you to tears. First...I will be 4 months out from my surgery next Sunday (July 3). The first 2 weeks were OK, but for the next 3 weeks, I wasn't able to keep anything down. After an endoscopy to correct the stricture, I was starting over at the beginning with a very "gouchy pouch," a very weak body, and very foggy brain due to lack of nourishment. I have slowly and steadily lost weight...and once I was able to exercise, I have done so regularly to aid weight loss and to help with toning and firming. The WOW moments: *I recently went to San Francisco for a mini-vacation. I got on the plane without having to turn sideways to walk between narrow aisles. *I fit COMFORTABLY in the seat and had no surplus flesh to squeeze in nor did I have to press myself against the wall to keep from impinging on the person next to me. *I walked up and down the streets of SF (including hills!)...and although my feet were tired at the end of the day, overall I was in amazing shape to enjoy the city! *I went to the hotel's fitness center every morning *This entire past week, I have been at an annual church conference and for the first time in a LONG time, I wore clothes that I was proud of and (dare I say) I looked good in! *I got TONS of compliments *On Sat. morning, I was part of a presentation to over 3000 people, that was also telecast on a jumbotron. If I had not had this surgery, I still would have done a good job but I would not have felt good about myself, my looks, or my attire. In all humility I will say, I looked SPECTACULAR. I was oozing confidence...not just in what I was wearing but in who I am becoming! [Does that make sense?] If anyone has read this far, let me say one more thing...especially to those of you who are considering this surgery...I worked for a year and a half to get approved and on the day the approval came in, the insurance company realized they had not updated my records. Our insurance had recently changed and WLS was no longer covered. I was approved and denied on the same day...I was devastated and I thought I was at the end of the line. Ultimately, I decided this was important enough that I would find a way to pay for it. Yesterday afternoon, I shared with a friend, "It was worth EVERY penny I spent and every problem I had!!!" And I'm not done yet...I'm only halfway through m weight loss. I was afraid my age would be a barrier to it "working" for me...I was afraid my years of obesity would have skewed my metabolism leaving me "immune" to it working...I was afraid the initial stricture problem "messed" up the surgery...and all these negative thoughts from a woman who can usually find a positive in almost anything!! I think I was just too afraid to hope it would work and I was laying the groundwork for disappointment. But it works...in my case, slow and steady with a few bumps in the road, but it WORKS. Thanks for bearing with me during this...I wish I could make you feel what I am feeling inside of me. It's not just the weight loss and the smaller sizes...I have found the me I lost a long time ago. And you know what...she's pretty neat!! Donna Lap RNY 3/3/05 Loss to date: 58 pounds