Joanne N.
Hi there,
Here is some information on me....
Underneath all this fluff, I'm sexy!
That's what I've been telling family and friend whom I have chosen to tell about the surgery. I have not been overweight all of my life. I am 36 years old now and I started gaining weight in my early 20's. I got engaged in 1992 and when we were planning our wedding I decided to quit smoking. So, I quit by using the patch. However, this is what I believe started my weight gain. I was constantly sucking on goldfish crackers and looking back at pictures I gained weight right away. By the time I got married (10 months after getting engaged), I had already started weight watchers. I wasn't that concerned about that weight gain considering that the summer prior I had been wearing a bikini and looking good. However, I should have taken that initial weight gain as a huge warning sign. Now I've gained over 100 pounds. I've tried to loose weight... like everybody else.
The only time I lost weight is when I was pregnant with my children. After I had my second child, I came home from the hospital weighing about 30 pounds less than when I first got pregnant. Unfortunately, all the weight came back on.
About five years ago I went to the Doctor and while waiting for her to come into the room I took a look at my file. The entry read-----THIS PATIENT IS MORBIDLY OBESE. Wow, that was a shock to see. I think I've been in denial. I came home and called my friend Tawnya and told her what the entry had said. She said "you're not morbidly obese, you're just fluffy". This was one of the nicest things anyone ever said to me and I've never forgotten that statement.
My parents tried to help me with this weight issue as well. They purchased a treadmill for me. A really nice one! I tried to use it, really I did, however, it was so hard and I could never build up my time to use it properly. My husband even set up a tv, vcr and radio in the basement so I could use it. It's still in the basement calling my name. I can't wait to be able to use it.
My husband and I have never really discussed my weight. At time I wish we had. I know he doesn't like my weight gain but he's too nice to say anything about it. He was the first person I told of my desire to have the surgery and he has been great. He reads all the paperwork I bring home, attended a support group meeting, has rearranged his schedule to take care of the kids while I had appointments, etc. One night I made the mistake or reading the Memorials page of this website and woke him up in the middle of the night just to tell him that I was scared to do this. He just comforted me, never making me feel as if my feelings were silly. He has been great and he's made this decision so much easier.
My cousin, Paul, had his surgery with Dr. Randall in February of 2005. He looks amazing! He has been so helpful with my decision.
Very few people know of my decision to have this surgery. I have told my parents (they were great), my husband, 2 of my friends and my aunts and an uncle. That's it, I want to keep it to myself for now. I feel like it's almost like when you're pregnant and you tell someone about the name you're thinking of... and they give you negative feedback. That's how I feel about this...I can't deal with the negative feedback, I need all the positive feedback I can get.
Thanks for reading! This website has been so helpful and the people I have met here are absolutely wonderful!
