Alyssa S.
Ok, so I put most of the beginning of my story in my introduction, but that's cool, now I have more space here to fill in more!
As I stated earlier, I never thought that WLS was an option for me. I accepted the fact that I was just going to be heavy for the rest of my life. And even though I had accepted it, I was still trying to at least get to a healthy weight. But as everyone knows, once you hit your 30's it gets harder and harder, but then again it has always been a struggle for me my entire life! I'll never forget being in high school and promising myself that if I ever hit the 300 mark I would shoot myself! I was never going to be THAT heavy. At 29, I went to a severe depression when I got on the scale and it said 299, I knew that dreaded 300 was right around the next corner. So I did some research and found this wonderful doctor here in town that specialized in weight loss. It was kind of new age for me, but, heck, I've done just about every other diet on the planet, why not?? It started off great, as they all do. This program dealt with my metabolic rate, they had yoga, physcological visits, a nutrionist and a personal trainer with an exercise facility all under one roof. All this at a very costly price I might add. My mom was so desperate for me to loose the weight that she paid for the whole thing. (Thanks mom) I lost about 35 pounds in the 6 months I was there. I was feeling great, I was getting my head back on my shoulders after breaking up with a boyfriend and then it happened ... I got comfortable with my weight again ... and it slowly creeped back up on me plus 8 more pounds.
The deadly 307.
I am not exactly sure how much my brother weighed before his surgery. I do know that it was over 400. The one thing my brother and I both have been graced with is being able to hide our weight well. Even though he was 400+ he didn't look it. I myself don't look my weight. I was very proud of my brother for taking such a drastic step in his life and having this surgery. After being denied life insurance and having a new addition to his family, he knew something had to be done. I didn't get the chance to see him at the hospital, but I saw him shortly after. He has been my guide and my encouragement for getting this surgery. I've talked to my cousin Georgia who also had the surgery and my friend Mario who has lost 185 pounds, and they all give me inspiration to go through with this.
I am scheduling my surgery around the second week in March. I will have enough vacation time to not only recover, but to also have a little extra time to spend with my family later on when we all go to RI for vacation. I won't lie, I'm a bit nervous. I've never had any major surgery before, but I know in the long run it's going to save my life. Wish me luck!
