Crickidonk
My Story....
It starts a long, long time ago, thirty years now. My birth. Well, maybe not that far back. The first time I realized that I was overweight was around the third grade. I had two cousins, both male, who would sing "man-eater" to me. I thought it was funny at first, and then I started to realize what they were really singing about was my weight. I guess that is when I really became self-conscious. I remained heavy all through school and during high school ballooned up to a size 18/20. I finally decided to do something about my weight around senior year. Nutrasystem. I did well on it, loosing approx 40lbs. I graduated high honors and in a size 13/14. I don't know if I was happier about my scholastic success or my weight loss.
Shortly after High School I started college. Everyone knows about the freshman 15, well I was an overachiever and made it 25. I fool heartedly decided that I would tell my counselor that I wanted to become a physician and she took me seriously. My first semester was hell. Physics, Chemistry and Calculus. I didn't know what I had done to her, but I was certain that I needed to apologize immediately. Needless to say, I quickly switched gears and decided that maybe I would go into business. After a year I had gained all of my weight back and then some. Then miracle of miracles a friend introduced me to her MD and Phen-fen. WOW, I lost tons of weight and was NEVER hungry. Too bad mitral valve prolapse comes with it and it was yanked off the market.
After I had lost almost all of my excess weight from the Phen-fen, I decided that I would try my hat again with the Medical field. I decided that I would become a RN. I started nursing school the summer of 1999 at around 150lbs. I graduated in 2001 about 250. I'm not blaming nursing school for all of my weight gain, just about 98.9 lbs. Lots and Lots of midnight cramming (both kinds: knowledge for my brain and food in my mouth) had me up to the highest weight I had ever been. After successfully passing my boards I started working in a large hospital in Labor and Delivery. There I met a friend who had had WLS (Lapband) and I started to think about it myself. She set me up with a consult with her surgeon and I soon scheduled myself for the same procedure with her surgeon. A week before I was scheduled my friend was admitted to the ICU and was told that during her WLS her surgeon punctured her diaphragm and her intestines herniated thru and attached to her lungs. I cancelled my surgery immediately and decided that I would put forth extra effort and loose weight on my own. My friend soon recovered after another surgery and stated that even though she went through alot, she would do it again, no question. She has since lost 120lbs and has sadly moved away. I made a promise to myself that I would continue to try to loose weight myself and if by the age of 30 I was still heavy, I would have the surgery. Of course that would be after selecting another surgeon. Years ticked by and I tried several different diets, all of which I failed at.
Well, my 30th b-day is looming around the corner and low and behold I am still heavy and have even added another 40lbs. I would like to see b-day 60, so I have decided to have WLS. I went online and after several hours and several forum discussions decided that Dr. Jawad might be the right surgeon for me. I went for my initial consultation and met his team. They were very professional and immediately put me at ease. I had originally went thinking that the Lapband was the only thing I would even think about, but after talking with both my PCP and Dr. Jawad's staff I have settled on the Lap RNY. I think this is my best option to help me loose the weight and keep it off for good this time.
My insurance currently has all obesity related surgeries as an absolute exclusion, so I have decided to buckle down and pay for this myself. My health is more important than a new car, which is just about what the surgery cost. As of today (5/27) all of my preliminary tests are complete and my surgery date is scheduled for July 9th. :)
To all of you who are going through the same thing, have yet to make up your mind, or have completed your journey, good luck and God bless. May your lives be long and healthy, and your waist small.
