jj_in_CA
5/12/2008
This part of my journey is a long time coming. I've been overweight as long as I can remember, trying almost every diet and always gaining more afterwards. I reached 333 in 2004. We moved that year and I lost 20 lbs for no apparent reason. The doctor checked my glucose and I was borderline diabetes. This scared the poop out of me because my aunt had just died from complications due to diabetes. So I embarked on yet another diet. This time all raw blended vegetables. Oh the things I've tried! It did bring my glucose into the normal level and my weight to 263. It worked for almost a year when I realized I couldn't do that for the rest of my life. My weight drifted up to 323. My diabetes came back and I tried another diet. Oh they all work. I can lose, but keeping it off, now that's the thing I've not been able to do.
I tried again and got down to 267. My glucose was in check once again and a major stress hit. Hubby's long term disability insurance company decided he wasn't disabled. No matter what 6 of his doctors said. Appeals began, more doctor visits, more stress, attorney conversations to the max, more money we can't afford to spend. My weight crept up again and so did my glucose. This time I weighed 289.
This is when one friend sent me a url to "Does Operation For Obesity Cure Diabetes" http://body.aol.com/condition-center/diabetes/news/article/_a/does-operation-for-obesity-cure-diabetes/20080422151909990001
and one friend called to tell me he'd seen it on TV. At the time I was researching Glycemic Index dieting. So all three come together at the same time and I wonder..is this for me? Could this be what takes me to "the other side"? The further I read the more I thought so. I'd been on CPAP since 2001 for sleep apnea and that is another thing gastric bypass "cures".
About this time I found OH and read post after post of success stories. I started searching for a doctor in my area to see if he thought I would be as good a candidate as I did. Enter Dr. Gregg Jossart, May 2, 2008. I set up an appointment and drove the 2 hours to talk with him. I met a wonderful person in the waitingroom who told me all about her surgery pluses and minuses. Thanks Wendy! I talked with Dr. Jossart at length and, after going over my information, he told me I was a good candidate and my insurance would cover 80% of it. I was excited and scared! Could I really do this? I started watching people in restaurants to see how many times they chew. I started taking small bites, counting the number of times I chew and testing protein powders, experimented with SF DaVincci syrups. I bought different flavors of broth to see what I would like for post surgery. I bought SF jello, something I hadn't had in years. It tasted pretty good.
I joined the OH Memorial Day Challenge, thanks for the daily inspiration, Lea! I'm down 12 pounds. I'm walking my 10k steps a day, 5 days a week.
Wednesday, 5/14/08 I have my dietitian and psych eval. 5/15/08 I have my upper GI x-ray. 5/16/08 are my chest x-ray and EKG.
Most days I'm calm some days I'm excited, some days I'm scared. I still wonder, logistically, if I can really do this. I'll discuss this with the dietitian and psychologist.
And so it begins...
