Anxiously Awaiting my Appointment

Jun 25, 2014

I've got two weeks until the first seminar, and honestly the wait (& weight) is driving me a little crazy. I'm trying to research as much as I can but it seems like many of the details vary from doctor to doctor. The impression that I get from other people who have had WLS at Madigan is that scheduling the necessary appointments can be difficult. I just want to know for sure what I need to do and at least get these appointments scheduled, who knows how long it will be before we get orders and have to PCS again.

In the meanwhile, I have been doing as much research as I can about the various WLS's that are offered at Madigan. Before I started researching I thought for sure that I would go the LapBand route but the more that I learn the more I am leaning toward a Duodenal Switch, which I know is on the complete opposite of the spectrum. I know that it could change again but the more I research the more certain I am.

Ok so this may sound a little crazy, but I never really realized how overweight I was. I knew that I was overweight but I never really checked my BMI or what my ideal weight would be, until I started researching weight loss surgeries. I always gaged my health by what I was able to do and not really a particular number. There is something about the words "extremely obese" that puts things in perspective. Looking back, in the past year I have really noticed my weight affecting my life, but prior to that, my weight may have been inconvenient but it never really kept me from doing what I wanted to do. I think that in the back of my head I would tell myself, oh you lost "x" amount of weight before, so you can do it again.

I am now at my highest weight, largest clothing size and recently diagnosed with a couple weight induced illnesses (pre-diabetes & high blood pressure). In addition to that, some old sports injuries have been acting up terribly, which my Physical therapist says won't get much better until I loose weight. More than anything, I feel really hung up on the term "extremely obese." It feels like such a blow to my self esteem. I used to be so athletic, running daily, hiking, swimming, and I'm so disappointed in myself that I made so many bad choices that lead me to this point.

Ah, well, two weeks and I'll be a step closer to a healthier lifestyle. All I can do is my best in the meanwhile and have hope for the future.

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