IAmErikka
November 19,2006 Hi, my name is Erika Aslakson and I had surgery in December 2004 and have lost almost 130 pounds. Having this surgery was the best thing I've ever done, not just for me but for my family and everyone that cares about me. It has allowed me to live my life in a way I can truly enjoy. I am healthier and happier and feel better than I ever have, in my whole life. I had been overweight for as long as I can remember and I weigh less now than I did in high school, or even the last year, or maybe two, of junior high. Not only have I changed physically, I have grown emotionally, and the people closest to me have changed as well. My husband is proud of me, my kids are proud of me, and I feel confident in knowing I am someone they can be proud of. It has changed my whole life. Every single thing I do is easier. From getting out of bed in the morning, showering, dressing, getting kids ready, walking to the car, getting in the car, buckling my seat belt, driving…..I could go on and on, with every single thing I do throughout the day. There is not one single thing that’s not easier now. I am more comfortable, physically, 100% of the time, but more than the physical changes are the emotional ones. I am a better mother and a better wife, what I have lost in weight, I have gained in character, by not being afraid anymore to be who I am, and I am still learning. I am more confident. I lived my life, feeling different than I wanted to, physically and emotionally. My whole life, I just wanted to be ‘normal’. For the first time, I feel normal. I’m just an average person. I can walk in a public place now without feeling like I’m being criticized; not being afraid, I just feel like an average person and it feels really good. For a while, I regretted not having surgery sooner, but I don’t think I was ready. It was a life changing experience, and I believe it happened when it did because I was not ready sooner. I might not have adapted as well to the dietary changes. They have not been too difficult; it’s been relatively easy because I was ready for it. I was ready to go through whatever I needed to, to be healthy. I don’t miss the foods I don’t eat anymore. I look at them and am truly thankful I can’t eat like I did before, because if I could, I would not be where I am today. This is what has allowed me to lose 130 pounds. I don’t have many ‘before’ pictures of myself, I had to search and search to find one. It’s hard because it brings back all the bad feelings, feeling so terrible about myself, feeling physically uncomfortable, feeling unable to do a lot of things I truly wanted to be able to do. Well, now I can do them. I feel like I was trapped inside of a body I couldn’t get out of and this surgery has set me free. It’s not the 130 pounds off my body that is the biggest relief, it’s the 130 pounds that has been lifted off my soul.
