Bethywethy
Hi everyone,
My story starts about two years ago and it has been a great two years! First I will tell you that I have spent the majority of my life overweight and struggling to find the thin person that has been hiding inside! I had been contemplating this surgery for about a year and was living with my in-laws in Coopersburg PA (just outside Allentown) and kept hearing advertisements for the gastric bypass surgery and program offered at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown. My husband had just left for his 14 month tour in Manama Bahrain, east of Saudi Arabia and I decided that there was no time like the present to do something for myself. Luckily I was able to talk to him just about everyday, and after many discussions and a lot of praying I decided to take the first steps toward surgery. I went to my primary care provider who right away gave me a referral to see the surgeon. I met with Dr. Holland and knew immediately this was the right thing to do. He let me know I was a perfect candidate and that day we scheduled my "dummy date" for surgery, January 10th, 2005....my 31st birthday. I could not think of a better birthday present for myself....a new lease on life and the road to a new me. I went to required support group meetings, had my psych eval (and yes everyone I have proof that I passed!!!). At the time I was covered under the militarys insurance "Tricare" and they had the policy that all bypass pastients were to be "open" and not Lap...Thanks to Dr. Holland and his staff, they made a few phone calls to the powers that be at Tricare and got them to approve my surgery as Lap. One week before my surgery I received a call from my husband telling me that now afrer his leave had been approved for him to be present at my surgery, he was being told that he would not be able to leave Manama. Devasted, I went to my pre-op appointment and was very upset about this news....Dorie the office manager informed me that she would talk to the Red Cross and would even fly over to get him, and assured me he would be there.....well a really long story short, I picked him up in Virginia the day before my surgery! The morning of my surgery I was very much at ease and looking forward to what laid ahead. The funny thing we remember about that morning was stopping at McDonalds for my husband to get an American fast food breakfast....a luxury he was not accustomed to after being in the Middle East for a few months!!!! I survived not being able to eat and he got teased for making me "suffer". The check in process went very smooth and before I knew it I was being wheeled away. My husband and I prayed together before they moved me and the absolute hardest part of the entire surgical process was letting go of my husbands hand. I went to the OR and was informed of everything that was about to happen so I continued to pray and think about my husband and I hoped beyond all hope this was the right thing to do. I had a wonderful nurse named Deb who I asked "Am I going to be all right?", she told me "Sweetie, you are going to be great!, we will take care of you". At that point all of the fear melted away. I remember a warm feeling and the next thing I knew I saw Debs face saying " Hi there sweetie, you are all done and you did great!". She told me I had some trouble breathing when they removed my breathing tube, but they talked me through my inhaler.....okay, don't remember that! The best sight was my husband as they wheeled me into my ICU room. Later my in-laws and nephews who were 6 and 8 came to see me. The boys were a little scared at first because I was so pale, and they weren't used to seeing their Aunt Beth looking like death warmed over. After a few minutes and a little teasing they warmed up and knew I was okay. I showed them my belly and they asked all kinds of questions and they were especially happy when I told them about all the things we were going to do when I was better like ride bikes and go swimming.....all the things their Aunt had always wanted to do with them, but was to "fat" to do. After two days I was released to go home, and thanked my husband profusely for coming up with the idea to take a pillow to place on my belly for the ride home. The next few days went very well, I got around the house without problems and each day I was able to do a little more, walk up the steps more often, walk to the mailbox, all the little things we take for granted. After 10 days I had to say goodbye once again to my husband, not knowing when the next time I would see him would be, but knowing he would be in for a surprise when he came home! The months went by, I went to the gym and walked and the weight started rolling off. All of the people I worked with, other friends and my family were wonderful support and of course made me more motivated to keep on track. On a Thursday in July my husband called me and told me that I needed to pick him up at the airport that coming Sunday! He had been told that if anyone wanted to take leave that now was the time to take it and so he took advantage of that. He would be coming home for two weeks! Of course the next few days dragged on and I finally made the trip to Virginia Beach to get him. At the airport I saw him come out of customs and he looked at me and then looked away....then his head snapped back as he realized that was his wife he just saw!!
12/2108
Wow and how time flies! I have just logged on today after not being on this website for what seems like an eternity. I have gained weight and am really re-assessing myself, my habits and the things I need to do to gain control and get back on track. I remember why I did the surgery. I have to get past the thoughts in my head that made me overweight in the first place and get back to where I want and need to be.
Gosh so much has changed in my life in the past few years. My husband is back home safe and sound and is a police officer and I am working as a 911 dispatcher. It seems we are back to the same life we lead when we met nine years ago....we have come full circle. And now our WONDERFUL son is going to be two on Feb. 23rd! What a blessing from God himself that child is. I wanted a baby so bad....never could get pregant. One Sunday in June 2006 I was at Dorney Park with family and my nephews talked me into going on the Roller Coasters....I got addicted! The next day at work (in an OBGYN department at a Clinic no less!) I found out I was pregnant. What joy! My son, Newton Parsons Condict V (yes the fifth!) is one of the best things to evern happen to my family and not to mention my husbands! He is my families first grandchild and my husbands fifth. My son is my oxygen. I need him to breath. My husband is also a great man. He is still the love of my life and we have a relationship that is growing. We have encountered the standard problems after a child comes into a relationsip, but we are working on things and are doing well.
