Laurel B.
July 7, 2017
I started to delete the past post but opted to just put the new stuff at the top. Still married to my wonderful husband, 27 years now. We have a grandchild now and I am still teaching. We are almost empty nesters, which I hope makes this new journey easier as it was hard as you know what cooking for 4 kids and a husband after having the band.
I've been preapproved and started my liquid diet today to have the gastric bypass. The surgery is scheduled for 7/21/2017. I'm not with Dr. Jacome but the side won't let me change that and I had the band removed 2 years ago and am doing the bypass now.
JULY 14, 2007
I'm a wife and mother. My husband and I have been married for 18 years and live in the Augusta, GA area. My children are ages 8, 10, 13, & 15. I also hosted an exchange student last year and often have extra children hanging around my house. Unfortunately the kids can eat and eat and eat and not gain a pound but I do. During the year I'm a school teacher at a public middle school in GA.
I haven't always been heavy. I grew up fairly slim and graduated high school at about 125 pounds. I'm not sure what or where the turn was made but some time between graduating high school and getting kciked out of the Air Force (for being overweight) I discovered food. I've been teetering past 250 for about 7 years. That's the weight I've just deemed not possible to allow myself to cross. I've tried dieting quite a bit but have reactions to artifical sweeteners. The only diet I've been mildly successful at is Atkins. I ended up gaining an extra 10 pounds last year after having a hysterectomy and bladder surgery.
This past fall I found out I was accepted to travel with a group of high schoolers to New Zealand and Australia. I was so extremely excited and determined to not travel fat. I joined the Discovery Channel Health challenge, started walking, dieting etc. I initially lost a few pounds but it just seemed like the more I walked, the hevaier I got. My pants were fitting better but no weight was coming off. In the end I traveled heavier than before I started exercising and dieting! URGH! I'm still walking but my weight just seems stuck on me!
I've wanted or considered WLS several times over the past few years but it's not something I can afford on my own. I overheard someone say they had the surgery using BCBS and decided to check it out. The last time I checked it out, it was not covered. Anyway, it is listed as covered if I have a BMI of 40. I'm close, depending on if you call me 5'7" or 5'8". I have appointments with the doc, psych and nutritionist. I've sent out letters to previous doctors for my weight history. My history won't show me as 40BMI for a full 4-5 years so I'm a little nervous. Today I qualify...
Well that is my story for now. I hope to be a member of this board for a while and look forward to watching and going through this with other people similar to myself.
Laurel
About Me
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
