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Well, it certainly has been interesting so far!! I am down 85 pounds so far and that has been a good thing. Other good things... I have been able to walk without getting short of breath, cleaned out 1/2 of my closet, went from a size 22/24 to a 16W pants, can get down on the floor and play with my grandchild, am able to hold my head up high and look people in the eye, don't size up chairs before I sit, met wonderful people who have gone through the same thing, my fatty liver is improving, I enjoy getting dressed up, I enjoy people's compliments,I am looking forward to life and what it will bring, less depressed at times, sleep better and am constantly looking in the mirror wondering where I have been all these years.

  The bad things are that I had a bout of pancreatitis, my blood pressure has not improved, ( though I have had an extremely stressful past month or two), and that's about it. I don't miss all the junk food and at this point I am still only able to eat about 1 cup of food at a time and if I can only eat 1 cup then it has to be protein in order for me to get about 60grms/day.That doesn't leave me able to eat alot of fruit or veggies yet. I know this will come in time though. I try to eat a cup of salad with my protein which kinda slides down easily too.Thats about all the bad stuff so I am very happy with this.
   So far I highly recommend the surgery, I have no regrets at all and at this time of my life I had no strength to diet again, no reserves left to attempt another diet and knew that I would die early if I did not have the surgery. It's never too late to do this.  

It's been 2 weeks since surgery and I have lost 23 pounds as of today!!! I feel better. I can walk up the stairs and not be out of breath. I can reach my toes. My support people have been fantastic and my healing has been great as well. I have alot of cravings and was surprised to see that still there and in such force. I am not allowed to exercise yet so have been resting and sleeping alot , lots of catching up to do because of work anyway. No regrets so far. I must Thank OHIP for giving me this rebirth and saving my life, Thank Dr Graber for the skill of surgery and his staff for all the knowledge passed on and OH for providing this support site. We are a very fortunate country.

What a great gift Christmas eve. Thank you OHIP for saving my life and giving me another chance at life. The relief was staggering and the anxiety level went way down!!! However....I called Dr Graber's office and was given a rehearsed speed speech from someone who gave me an appt for April with surgery possibly in July!!! I was stunned about the wait time and also by the speed at which this person spoke and hung up without me being able to ask any questions!! Firstly: I thought that the USA had faster surgery times than Ontario but  apparently this is not true.Secondly: for my first encounter with Dr Graber's office, I was not impressed. Maybe my standards are too high but being in the healthcare field ,myself, I expected more after hearing other people rave about him. I'll try to keep an open mind for future encounters as this might have been a blip.
   Anyway, I am looking forward to the surgery someday and am well prepared ahead of time. I have bariatric Fusion Vitamins, a magic bullet, WLS for Dummies and friends who have been through this and a family that is wonderfully supportive.

This seems the hardest so far. I met with my Bariatric specialist in Sept to discuss sugery. had my bloodwork done a week later, went for a sleep study in Oct of which the results took 2 minths to come back and Application to OHIP was sent on Dec 1st. I am trying so hard to be patient. It's been agony watching all the legislation changes coming in and wondering how this will affect my application. Will I have to start over again at a recognized assessment center or will they recognize my bariatric doctor as an expert as well???? I guess we'll see. I have to say that Dr Bishop in Ottawa ( bariatric specialist) and his team are absolutely wonderful and professional people. Kind, compassionate, sensitive and knowledgable. I feel very safe in their hands.
      I have had so many stresses this month that I can hardly breathe. They all seemed to come at the same time.So I approach this with one step at a time,do what I can without ruining my health, be happy for what I have, enjoy what I can do and hope that my ex husband drops dead OOOOPS ( That was my inside voice accidently coming out)

The first big step was admitting that I needed help. That was a huge step so late in my life. Now that I have opened this door I feel anxiuos and relieved. I am now dipping my toe into a whole new future that is unknown. It's scarey. I met with my doctor today and was encouraged that he thought this was a good thing to do but discouraged when I heard that OHIP wants lots of proof over and above a BMI >45. I hate going to the doctors,even though I am a nurse!! tee hee. because they force you to see reality when I don't really want to.
    My weight gain started slowly. After my second baby I ahd gained 40 pounds, dieted, lost,gained it back and more and so on for 30 years.Now at 58 years of age I know that my window of opportunity is closing and I find that my strength and will are weakened. Why do I eat??/ I find it's mostly due to stress and boredom. When I am busy or very happy I am OK.But one can't always be in this state of happiness and business forever. I need to find alternatives to get me through all this. Funny enough....when my ex husband ran off with my best friend I ate like crazy but lost about 50 pounds??? I have had alot of difficulties in the past but have now settled into a comfortable life. All my old baggage is becoming more compact and portable. here's hoping that WLS is finally doing something for myself.