Lovinit041
Hi to all those reading my story!
How this all begain for me...??? It was late 2002 to beginning 2003 when I began to consider this option of surgery. I had been obese now since I started having children. Before that I was simply overwieght. when I had my last child in 1984 I was weighing 300 lbs. I never gained a single pound while pregnant I was already just too heavy and concerned about the well being of my child! I was still young though and had lots of energy and pretty much loving my life and figured this was just me and I was going to be happy no matter what! Well, as the years went by my body began to break down on me. I was not the Super Mom I used to be! First the back, now my knees. I began seeing a doctor only to find out I had no cartalidge left in either of them and bone spurs as well as arthritis OUCH is all I can say. So, now what? I'm only 41 and too heavy for them to consider doing surgery on me so I begin NSAID for the inflammation and pain management. It helped but wasn't something I should do long term. This lead me to consider ok what about Weightloss surgery. I found lots of websites that talked about the different surgeries. After reading lots of exciting testimonials and facts on Gastric Bypass I began the process of seeing a surgeon. My General practioner gave me the ok and put in the request for me to see a WLS doctor. I was denied. Then the process of contacting my health insurance began and eventually after several months I had an ok and begain the regiment of tests and evaluations. This didn't go so well, the Psychologist I had to see was very bias due to her loseing her best friend 3 weeks after WLS. she felt "I didn't understand the risks" I was shocked.. ME? It has taken me a long time to come to the conclusion that I needed to have this surgery. I had considered all the pro's and con's. I then had to apppeal her evaluation. I recieved an appointment with a surgeon at USC within weeks. But I had to wait several months to see him. When I did finally get into him he was TERRIBLE! No bed side manner whats so ever. Bad day? maybe he was having lots of trouble with something amoung his staff and when he got to me he accused me of lying about my actual weight size. I told him I had just weighed in on a scale at a doctors office that was calibrated and could also read my BMI I knew I was 401 lbs was that not enough? he said " I think your much bigger than that and you don't realize it" WHAT? I was so upset but so deseperate I had fought for this for so long, I had been reading all the posts on OH and prepareing myself for surgery just knowing that my doctor was going to be as great as everyone else's! He basically asked me to lose 100 lbs before surgery... I said I can't do that, if I could I wouldn't be here. Then he said ok if you will lose at least 50 I will do the surgery but insisted that I have the RNY he would not do the lap band on me. At that time I thought ok this is what I have to do and I will do it. So I left there very angry and determined to do what I had to do. I ate Mexican food that night and next day began protein shakes that I picked up from GNC. I spoke with my doctors nutritonist who informed me I had to get at least 600 calories a day and most of that in protein or I'd end up in the hospital. My surgery date was roughly 3 mo. away. I lost 70 lbs. it was sheer hell. There were days I thought I was literally loseing brain cells but I had to do this right? I had to have this surgery, I had to prove I knew what I wanted and was doing didn't I? Then I get a call telling me my date was not a "set date" and was given another. By the time I was to have my surgery and had no other visit to my surgeon I had begun hearing lots of stories from other WLS patients of my surgeons on OH. These weren't the success stories. My doctor was supposed to be "the best" in the field. Yet I was hearing from the ones that when they did have complications ( which I realize some do ) he was doing NOTHING to help them and they were having some of the same problems with him I had had, he was just very rude and uncaring.
Now this wasn't what lots of others were saying I call them "the cheerleaders" they were sooooo excited about this doctor. All I knew was I had completely lost confidence in my surgeon, wasn't being allowed to choose another and then the nightmare stories.. that was enough for me. I just felt ok I'm not supposed to have this surgery and I'm supposed to do this one on my own and I will. So I cancelled my surgery and proceeded to grief weightloss surgery. Sounds funny? LOL well it wasn't. I truly believed this was my answer! Well I was right but I just wasn't right about the time or the actual surgery. Which brings me to Today..... Aug. 2007
Lots has happened in my life during that time and more weightloss wasn't one of them. Divorce yes, remarriage yes and moving to NY was the yet another. I knew that God was giving me a second chance at love and a chance to get healthy here in New York with a wonderful man who loves me more than I ever expected to be loved! I have two wonderful adult sons that I want to be around to see their children be born and grow up! So I began to consider Weight loss surgery yet again. This coming after Gall Bladder surgery and my terrific Surgeon telling me he really wanted me to consider WLS, he said "Your too young to be this big" I thought hmmmm ok time to really think this one through. After a few weeks of talking to the DH and reading up on the less evasive procedure ( Lap Band) we both felt a real sense of peace about it and began the process. I thought if things go smoothly I will know this is supposed to happen. Not only did things go smoothly they went amazingly fast. I saw Dr. Rivera within a couple weeks of my decision, I loved him! then I started the tests and eval's and those went perfectly, Insurance Ok'd it after showing proof of my weight for the last 5 yrs. Next thing I know I'm having surgery. I didn't even have a chance to get hooked into things here on OH but I'm here now and I'm so thankful for this "tool" I've been given and I am committed to this life style change and looking forward to good things!
Whew what a mini novel! Thanks for reading I hope your journey is a good one!
