It has been 14 months since my open RNY with Dr. Anez. It was a successful complication free surgery with an amazing weight loss journey that I still marvel over. But now, after 14 months, what is the difference in my life because of a one hour surgery? (yep, Dr. Anez is fast. Within the hour I was up walking to the bathroom & home within a day and a half). The difference is amazing. I am now 150 pounds lighter than the highest weight in my medical chart. I am now 138 pounds lighter than my weight when I went in to Kaiser to ask for a referral. My weight itself is such a different experience. I weigh what I weighed when I became pregnant with my first child--now nearly 29! I weigh 30 pounds less (at least) than I did when I graduated from high school. I weigh less than any of my children have ever remembered me weighing. I weigh less than my spouse. I am no longer ALWAYS the biggest, heaviest person in the room. That in itself is amazing. But even so, what's the difference in my life? I can do things again. I got up this morning at 5:30 and went to the pool. Before work I had been swimming, eaten breakfast, stopped for coffee, set up for my class, yakked with my friends and listened to a book on tape in the Northern Virginia traffic. Just a year and a half ago I would have slept as late as possible, drug myself out of bed at the last minute, and found myself already tired and discouraged as I pulled myself out of my car to drag myself into work--where I sat in a chair as much as possible. I have no problem buying clothes--and I can find them on sale, at the consignment store, in a regular department store or as hand me downs from my kids. I no longer fit in the MAKING it BIG catalog that outfitted me for the last 8 years. I love the clothes they make, beautiful fabrics and nice lines--but they are all too big. And, I've discovered that I am a bit of a preppy. I like my fitted jackets and pants with a crease and Talbots style work clothes. Who knew? My mobility is up. My arthritis symptoms are down. My blood pressure still needs to be treated with medication--but it is normal with meds and it wasn't before. What I am saying is that I am incredibly grateful. I started out with such a high bmi. The profile to the left says it was 63.5. But when I first saw the nutritionist for a referral to Dr. Anez, it was actually 67. That means that after 14 months I am still obese--but I am still losing. I can see "one-derland" not out of reach. In fact that is my next goal. For someone who has been clinically obese, morbidly obese and super morbidly obese since age 9, that is pretty exciting. I started out praying and hoping that I could take off at least 100 pounds. I never trusted my body to work effectively even with the RNY. I assumed I would be the one who lost slowly, or didn't make it to goal. But I worked the plan and watched it work for me. My appearance is so dramatically changed, that students and friends don't recognize me when we meet. My husband, who is visually handicapped, threatened to make me wear a head band with deally boppers on springs so he can identify me in the supermarket. He claims he can't find me from a distance because " now I look like everybody else." Wow. I look like everybody else. I still cannot accept that as a fact, and yet it must be. If you are reading this as a new surgical referral patient, I wish you the best of health and healing as you approach this incredible journey. It is possible. Jeannie