Janet R.
I have been reluctant to post my story due to being busy and due to the fact that I signed up here 8 mos post op. I will take a stab at it now.
I was a bit chubby as a child but not really fat. I lost weight when I was in 7th grade and kept it off through high school. Started putting a little bit of weight back on right before and after I got married. I went from 112 at graduation to about 130 when I got married one year later. Then I got up to the 150's by my mid twenties and up to about 180 when I was about 28. I lost 40 lbs when I was 29 and was trying to get pregnant. I had some infertility issues and was hoping losing weight would help. I really ballooned when I was pregnant but lost quite a bit with breastfeeding and think I got back down to around 165 or so. Started nursing school and the stress of that and the delicious cookies they served in the cafeteria at college brought my weight back up to 180 or so. Then came working as a nurse. I can remember rewarding myself with food on a good day at work. Weight after a year of nursing, about 195. Started fighting to try and lose after my second baby. Working nights was a diet killer. Put on probably 40 lbs working nights. Then my husband started drinking heavily.....I felt like who cares what I look like, I am just gonna eat what I want. I felt I did not have the strength to worry about my diet and worry about him. Then my youngest daughter was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (see www.curefa.org) more stress, more worry, more eating!
When I was finally coming to terms with my daughter's illness and my husband got sober (Praise the Lord!) I tried battling my weight a number of times. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig both helped me lose but I could not stay with them long enough to have the kind of results that would make me stick to the program forever. So much planning, expense, and irritability when I was hungry. I truly think that part of my problem was a blood sugar problem which made me HUNGRY even when I didn't think I should be. It sure did not work to eat like I did when I was a teen and lost weight, which was to only eat when I was hungry. Not to mention my husband had somewhat converted his addiction to alcohol to a food addiction and so when I would be really trying he would be tempting me with things I could not pass up.
The roux n y surgery has been wonderful so far. I no longer have the hungry monster hanging on my back! While I can eat a bite of a forbidden food, I no longer feel compelled to have more and more.
My starting weight at the hospital the day of my RNY was 281. As I write this, I am just over 9 mos out and down 116 lbs.
I never could have done it without the surgery, I am certain of that.
