Rustys-Gal
How I got here: Until about the age of 30, I never really had to work all that hard at battling the nasty, dreaded weight monster. At the age of 23 I gave birth to my son. The pregnancy added about 26 lbs to my normal 130. During the following seven years, I fluctuated somewhere between 140 and 160 lbs until I gave birth to my daughter in 1992. I was ill for practically the whole nine (9) + months I carried her and in total only gained around 12 lbs. Unfortunately, after her birth my weight crept up to around 170 lbs. I tried, with some varying of degrees of success, to lose weight on Weight Watchers, The Mayo Clinic Diet, The Cabbage Soup Diet, South Beach, Atkins and numerous other "fad" type plans. The weight I managed to lose came back and had the nerve to bring along some of their "fat buddies" to the party.
Then in May of 2004 I lost my son in a horrible car accident. For quite a while afterward I found it hard to muster any sense of will power. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and mindlessly ate my way through the fog. When I came up for air, I realized that in the last 4-5 years my weight had reached an uncomfortable, unhealthy range of 240 - 250 lbs. The real "wake-up call" came last September when I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. This condition joined the existing list of comorbidities like GERD, Fibromyalgia, High Blood Pressure, stress incontinence, Severe Sleep Apnea - to name a few. It was then the doctor told me that unless I made myself a priority and began to take care of "Karen", I was headed for a physical and emotional train wreck.
Where I am going: On May 21st of this year (2011), at the age of 49 , I will have been married to my "bestest" (and only) hubby for 27 years. We have a beautiful 19 yr old daughter. I truly feel blessed - My husband has never been unkind nor has he made me feel less than totally loved irregardless of what that pesky needle on the scale says. His honest concern has been, and still remains, that of my health. So, after much prayer, research and soul searching, I came to the conclusion to pursue WLS. When I made my decision known, I am grateful that it was met with the support of my family and my closest friends. What a relief.
So.....on May 18th I will join the ranks of those courageous individuals who have gone before me and are now on the "other side". I say courageous because I understand that WLS is not the proverbial "easy way out" as those who are uneducated on the subject may assume. The decision to undergo WLS must be accompanied by a life time commitment.
As for myself, I am confident that the rewards that await along the journey will far outweigh any momentary sense of satisfaction my old life style may have given me. I am prepared to take the next step towards making the remaining chapters in my life the best they can be. I am ready. Am I nervous? Of course I am. I wouldn't be truthful if I said otherwise. Am I excited? You bet. The only "regret" I have is that I didn't take this opportunity earlier. All the same, it is not too late. Without question I believe it is important that one comes to place where the heart, mind, body and soul are in agreement with whatever choice is made.
God Bless all who have gone before me and God Bless those of you who will come behind.
K
