May Q.
Hi!
Dec 31, 2012
Hi - I am May and I am new to www.obesityhelp.com.
Before I start my first post I would like to say how inspiring and supportive I find this website/forum. I have never read so many posts with such encouraging words. Reading the different posts I have concluded that there are a lot of caring people out there.
Moving forward – One of my co-workers helped me stumble upon weight loss surgery. He is extremely overweight and has been doing all the things that are required from him before he has his surgery. Each time we talk a little about what he has been doing, I learn a little about WLS myself. After a while of having these conversations I started to think about my own weight struggles. Ultimately it inspired me to start researching about the different WLS options out there.
I am only 5 feet 1 inch tall and 102 lbs overweight. Last year at about this time of the year I was 120 lbs overweight. So I started to exercise, starve myself and eat as much vegetables as I could. Still, I didn’t manage to get any much weight off. The 18 lbs I have lost and miraculously maintained, makes me think each day how I don’t want to gain them back - EVER! So when my co-worker started to talk to me about what he learned at the informational session, the hospital, his surgeon and the nutritionist. I said to myself that I cannot afford to keep working out year after year and only manage to barely lose 18 lbs a year. I asked him how I could sign up for the informational session, and here I am today.
I have my informational session January 28th 2013 and I also have an appointment with my PCP that same month.
For years I have seen many of my co-workers go on “vacation” for about a month and come back to work looking like Rock Stars. I heard each time that it was WLS. Each time I thought I couldn’t get it because I assumed you had to be +300 lbs to qualify. All I could say to myself was: “wouldn’t it be nice if I could qualify for WLS too." Basically assuming you had to be +300 lbs overweight to qualify for WLS stopped me from asking how I could find out if I too qualified too.
Boy was I surprised when I said to my co-worker a few weeks ago, “too bad I probably don't qualify”, and he answered back by saying: “Well May they gave me a package here that says what the guidelines are, let’s take a look”. When we read all the information, and I saw that there’s a change that I qualify; this made my hopes rise automatically.
Today I am 102 lbs overweight, I am pre-diabetic, suffer from severe migraines, and have a BMI of 37.8 If I don’t take care of this now, I don’t want to see what tomorrow has in store.
Since I have other health conditions that I have not mentioned, as I said earlier; I have made an appointment with my PCP to see if those other health conditions will allow me to qualify by my health insurance guidelines.
Right now all I know is that under the stretched out skin/stretch marks, excessive weight, belly rolls, cellulite, big boxer arms (as my mom calls them), double chin and chubby face... I know I can find the true May. She’s been hiding and isn’t scared to come out and greet the world. So If I get approved to start my mission towards WLS and beyond, I know hard work and determination will help me shed all the weight that the real May has been hiding under.
-May
p.s. Check out my personal blog at: http://newday4may.blogspot.com/
