detroitredhead
I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was always able to drop 60 lbs with a little effort and have spent the last 15 years of my life losing and gaining the same 60-80 lbs. But something happened to my body on or around the age of 32. Suddenly losing the weight was not that easy and the years I spent abusing my body were catching up to me. I have been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, mild asthma and degenerative arthritis in my ankle (from an old sport's injury) all within the last year.
I was always a skeptic when it came to WLS because I did not know much about it and had always thought the risks were way too high to even consider it. It seemed the only time I heard about the surgery was when something went wrong and it made the news. In 2002, a Detroit councilwoman, Brenda Scott, died due to complications from her Lap Band surgery. The press coverage on this story turned me from a skeptic to someone who was adamently opposed to the surgery. All that changed when my 63 yr old mother had her RNY lap surgery in April 2006. My mom was severly obese and suffered from diabetes. My brother and I would often worry about how much time our mom had left. She could barely walk and the quality of her life was severely impacted by her weight. She had a lot of pre-op requirements to meet because of her age but she is now a year post-op and has lost 100 lbs. She is off her insulin and all other meds and is my inspiration for having the surgery.
With my mom's success story and my beautiful 9 yr old son in mind I went on my 12 month doctor supervised diet which is required by insurance. After no success, on March 27, 2007, I went to a consultation at the Barix Clinics in Ypsilanti, MI with Dr. Schram. Never in a million years did I think that just over two months later, I would be having surgery. I am amazed at how quickly this process has gone. I have read message boards with people so frustrated because they had been denied or it was taking months and months to get approved. My surgery is scheduled for June 6, 2007. This is where it stands as of today. I have been so blessed in this life. I have a wonderful family, a fantastic job and a beautiful house. As long as I breathe, I will continue to pay it forward. I am excited to start my new healthy life and give my son a mom that has lots of energy to do all the fun things with. A mom who can fit comfortably on a carnival ride or in a go cart! I know that this surgery will impact two lives!
