Here I am again

Mar 16, 2022

Hey friends! 

It's been too long. That's part of our journey, it seems, that the longer we are out from surgery, the more disconnected we become from the very things that gave us the information, support and courage to step into a new way of life.

I have been a member here since 2004... hard to wrap my mind around 18 years of WLS being part of my life. I had RNY in the summer of 2006, and lost half my body weight. Had a tummy tuck two years later. So happy about both of those choices, to this day!

The inevitable happened to me after 16 years; I have regained a lot of weight. Not all, because I am still down 40 pounds from my day of surgery weight, but I've regained 100 over those years. I had an EGD recently, as I have been experiencing gastric reflux for the past several months. I chose a new bariatric surgeon to do the procedure, as the one I used back in 2006 has not been as supportive as I'd have liked him to be over time. 

I went to Dr. Scott Stowers in Frisco, Texas, about 90 miles from my home. I really like him and his staff. He did an EGD, and saw that I have a hiatal hernia, and also that my pouch is large again. I figured that was the case, as I can eat much more than I would like to be able to. I have been working on that, of course, but working from home during the pandemic for the last two years, plus going through menopause, have really exacerbated my struggle. 

I'm not hating myself for it. I'm not depressed that it happened. I do wish it hadn't, and that I was still nice and thin and unable to eat more than 1/3 cup of food. I understand this often happens, though, especially after this long. But I am not content with it, so I'm taking action with Dr. Stowers.

I am having my hiatal hernia repaired by Dr. Stowers via robotic surgery on March 23...next week. He is going to tighten my pouch and remove a small bit of my small intestine, as well. He said that our bodies learn over time to adjust to what we surgically did to it, so doing this will kick back in my tighter feeling when I eat and my body's ability to lose weight, etc. He was completely open about it not being quick weight loss as it was the first time, but that it will help me a lot as I work to get back down to a healthier weight. I'm so excited about this possibility.

Anyone who may be reading this today is free to send up a prayer or an encouraging word. I appreciate each one. :)

~Steph

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