MadFatLady
Tomorrow is the day!!
May 21, 2011
Tomorrow is my big day!!! I have to be at the University of Michigan at 9 am for an 11 am surgery time. VERY excited! It feels like I have been waiting forever for this, and in reality it has been less than 6 months since my initial information session.
I took my measurements and some pre-op photos this morning. They are all loaded into ObesityHelp now. I've also set some goals for where I would like to see those measurements once I've lsot some weight.
Sorry this isn't a more interesting blog post. But it's all I have time for!
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I took my measurements and some pre-op photos this morning. They are all loaded into ObesityHelp now. I've also set some goals for where I would like to see those measurements once I've lsot some weight.
Sorry this isn't a more interesting blog post. But it's all I have time for!
Awesome Thought
Jan 26, 2011
I was doing some reading on the VSG Message Board this morning. I read a post from someone who is 2 weeks post-op. This person said, "I can honestly say this is the heaviest I will be for the rest of my life."
WOW! I loved that!
I am at a point where I am scared to step on a scale. It seems that no matter how active I am or how closely I monitor portions and food choices, the number is always bigger than it was the last time I stepped on a scale. HATE THAT! To think that in a few months I can honestly say, "this is the heaviest I will be for the rest of my life" is AWESOME!!
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WOW! I loved that!
I am at a point where I am scared to step on a scale. It seems that no matter how active I am or how closely I monitor portions and food choices, the number is always bigger than it was the last time I stepped on a scale. HATE THAT! To think that in a few months I can honestly say, "this is the heaviest I will be for the rest of my life" is AWESOME!!
What I Look Forward To
Jan 25, 2011
As I think about having surgery to reduce my weight, I can’t help thinking about the things that I am looking forward to. Things like shopping in a “normal” clothing store; walking up a flight of steps without breathing heavy; having the energy to walk the four blocks to the library with my children. But there are three things that I am really looking forward to.
One is being more, um, experimental with my husband. My size has made me too nervous to try much of anything. I can’t wait to see the expression on his face when my weight doesn’t interfere with our time together.
Second, I am looking forward to being able to comfortably buckle my seatbelt. When I buckle myself in behind the steering wheel of my car, the belt is so tight. I have to start the car first, or else I won’t be able to reach the key. And if I am wearing a bulky winter coat, I can’t reach far enough to move the gear shift out of park. Gosh, I’ve never admitted that to anyone before. Not even my husband. Even though it is cold this winter in Michigan (and pretty much everywhere else in the country, I hear), I’ve been wearing just a simple fleece coat because I can zip it around me and still manage to operate the car. And when I am a passenger in a vehicle, I try to sit in the back seat (don’t get me started on the adventure getting out of the backseat can be!) because I can’t fit the front passenger seat belt around me. I know that seat belts really are not meant to be comfortable. Still, can’t wait to get to a size where I can breathe freely even when buckled into a car.
The third thing I am looking forward to is taking a bath. Showers are normally quicker and more convenient, but there are times (especially after the day I am having today!) when relaxing in a hot bubble bath sounds so enticing. But I can’t do that. My hips are almost wider than the tub is. I can’t sit in it at all, comfortably or uncomfortably. As a teen, my mother used to send me to take a hot bath when I was congested. The steam from the water would help clear the congestion while the water itself would relax my sore, sick body. I was probably about 19 the last time I took a real bath. That was 16 years ago. I really can’t wait to see y hips shrink enough so that I can light a few candles, turn on some soft music, and relax in a hot scented bubble bath.
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One is being more, um, experimental with my husband. My size has made me too nervous to try much of anything. I can’t wait to see the expression on his face when my weight doesn’t interfere with our time together.
Second, I am looking forward to being able to comfortably buckle my seatbelt. When I buckle myself in behind the steering wheel of my car, the belt is so tight. I have to start the car first, or else I won’t be able to reach the key. And if I am wearing a bulky winter coat, I can’t reach far enough to move the gear shift out of park. Gosh, I’ve never admitted that to anyone before. Not even my husband. Even though it is cold this winter in Michigan (and pretty much everywhere else in the country, I hear), I’ve been wearing just a simple fleece coat because I can zip it around me and still manage to operate the car. And when I am a passenger in a vehicle, I try to sit in the back seat (don’t get me started on the adventure getting out of the backseat can be!) because I can’t fit the front passenger seat belt around me. I know that seat belts really are not meant to be comfortable. Still, can’t wait to get to a size where I can breathe freely even when buckled into a car.
The third thing I am looking forward to is taking a bath. Showers are normally quicker and more convenient, but there are times (especially after the day I am having today!) when relaxing in a hot bubble bath sounds so enticing. But I can’t do that. My hips are almost wider than the tub is. I can’t sit in it at all, comfortably or uncomfortably. As a teen, my mother used to send me to take a hot bath when I was congested. The steam from the water would help clear the congestion while the water itself would relax my sore, sick body. I was probably about 19 the last time I took a real bath. That was 16 years ago. I really can’t wait to see y hips shrink enough so that I can light a few candles, turn on some soft music, and relax in a hot scented bubble bath.
Why I Am Here
Jan 23, 2011
I joined this site a week or so ago and made my first message board posts last night.
What brought me here? The simple answer to that is my cousin Debbie. She had bypass a few years ago and said that she got a lot of information and support from this site. Since I am considering—seriously considering for the first time—weight loss surgery, I thought that it might be worthwhile to at least visit the site.
The longer, more accurate answer, though, is that years of overeating have brought me here. I’ve tried diets and exercise, and the weight stubbornly stays where it is. Some will come off—but it all too soon returns, bringing along a few extra friends. At my last appointment with my PCP, my weight was 440 pounds. Not an acceptable weight for anyone, but it especially doesn’t work on my 5 foot 6 inch frame. It’s causing a lot of health problems—the left side of my heart is enlarged, my blood pressure is high, I have asthma and horrible heartburn, and sleep apnea has kept me from having a good night’s sleep for about 6 weeks now.
I don’t like to get groceries because that just seems like too much walking. When I go up to my bedroom, I have to stop at the top of the stairs to catch my breath. It’s hard to carry my 3-year-old son to bed. Just the thought of walking the four blocks from my home to the local library makes my chest burn—I just know that it will be hard to breathe if I attempt to walk that far. When I drop something, I call one of my kids over to pick it up. I’m afraid that I will fall over myself and not be able to pick myself up. And I’ve noticed recently that I “rock” when I try to get off the sofa. It’s like I need to build up enough momentum to get myself to an upright position.
I DO NOT want to live like this anymore! The way things are going, I am not going to live a very long life. In three weeks, I will be 35. My children are 10, 7, and 3. If I don’t get my weight under control, I may not live see my 40th birthday, let alone see the boys graduate high school, get married, and have children of their own. I want to be around to tell my daughters-in-law that they are not good enough for my sons. (Not that I will really tell them that—my own mother-in-law told me that enough that I would NEVER want someone else to feel like I did. I just want to have the opportunity to tell them!)
I know that surgery is a huge step, a drastic step, and that it will not solve all of my problems. For nearly a year now, I’ve been going to Overeaters Anonymous meetings. OK, so not real regularly, but I’ve been going. My husband told me that he will support my surgery decision, so long as I continue to work on the things in my head that make me want to eat so much. So, I have been going regularly since I went to the informational meeting with the University of Michigan bariatric program on January 4. I go to one and sometimes two meetings each week. The people I have met there have been so supportive of me! I’ve even had offers of help in house cleaning and cooking for my family after my surgery.
So what I still need to do is decide which procedure will work best for me. I think I have ruled out the gastric band (with a BMI of 70, I don’t think that is a good choice). I am leaning toward the sleeve gastrectomy right now. On March 3, I have my medical evaluation at the U of M and my first visit with the dietician. My psychological evaluation is set for March 18. Because of my BMI, my insurance does not require the 6 months of medically supervised weight loss. Though they can’t give me a definite date yet, I’ve been told by the program that my surgery will definitely be done before July, and most likely in May or June.
0 comments
What brought me here? The simple answer to that is my cousin Debbie. She had bypass a few years ago and said that she got a lot of information and support from this site. Since I am considering—seriously considering for the first time—weight loss surgery, I thought that it might be worthwhile to at least visit the site.
The longer, more accurate answer, though, is that years of overeating have brought me here. I’ve tried diets and exercise, and the weight stubbornly stays where it is. Some will come off—but it all too soon returns, bringing along a few extra friends. At my last appointment with my PCP, my weight was 440 pounds. Not an acceptable weight for anyone, but it especially doesn’t work on my 5 foot 6 inch frame. It’s causing a lot of health problems—the left side of my heart is enlarged, my blood pressure is high, I have asthma and horrible heartburn, and sleep apnea has kept me from having a good night’s sleep for about 6 weeks now.
I don’t like to get groceries because that just seems like too much walking. When I go up to my bedroom, I have to stop at the top of the stairs to catch my breath. It’s hard to carry my 3-year-old son to bed. Just the thought of walking the four blocks from my home to the local library makes my chest burn—I just know that it will be hard to breathe if I attempt to walk that far. When I drop something, I call one of my kids over to pick it up. I’m afraid that I will fall over myself and not be able to pick myself up. And I’ve noticed recently that I “rock” when I try to get off the sofa. It’s like I need to build up enough momentum to get myself to an upright position.
I DO NOT want to live like this anymore! The way things are going, I am not going to live a very long life. In three weeks, I will be 35. My children are 10, 7, and 3. If I don’t get my weight under control, I may not live see my 40th birthday, let alone see the boys graduate high school, get married, and have children of their own. I want to be around to tell my daughters-in-law that they are not good enough for my sons. (Not that I will really tell them that—my own mother-in-law told me that enough that I would NEVER want someone else to feel like I did. I just want to have the opportunity to tell them!)
I know that surgery is a huge step, a drastic step, and that it will not solve all of my problems. For nearly a year now, I’ve been going to Overeaters Anonymous meetings. OK, so not real regularly, but I’ve been going. My husband told me that he will support my surgery decision, so long as I continue to work on the things in my head that make me want to eat so much. So, I have been going regularly since I went to the informational meeting with the University of Michigan bariatric program on January 4. I go to one and sometimes two meetings each week. The people I have met there have been so supportive of me! I’ve even had offers of help in house cleaning and cooking for my family after my surgery.
So what I still need to do is decide which procedure will work best for me. I think I have ruled out the gastric band (with a BMI of 70, I don’t think that is a good choice). I am leaning toward the sleeve gastrectomy right now. On March 3, I have my medical evaluation at the U of M and my first visit with the dietician. My psychological evaluation is set for March 18. Because of my BMI, my insurance does not require the 6 months of medically supervised weight loss. Though they can’t give me a definite date yet, I’ve been told by the program that my surgery will definitely be done before July, and most likely in May or June.
About Me
MI
Location
60.0
BMI
Surgery
05/23/2011
Surgery Date
Jan 16, 2011
Member Since
