Melissa Mermaid
Above & Beyond...
Nov 20, 2008
There is always noise inside my head. Voices and messages and things I need to do and learn and think about before I take actions. Most of the time, I obey them, although sometimes things take hold of me—positive and negative—before I even realize what's happening. I still strive for perfection and while it doesn't always turn out that way, it doesn't keep me from moving forward. And believe me, moving forward is really what it's all about.FOUR YEARS AGO TODAY… I was bedridden and miserable, yet optimistic that my life would change for the better. Still, there was absolutely no clue then how glorious my life could AND WOULD become. I had just had my DS and was grateful for having successfully survived the procedure—and even though I was pretty sore/uncomfortable, I remained hopeful that things were on the upswing.
THREE YEARS AGO TODAY… I had just turned 50 years old and had a wonderfully intimate surprise birthday party that helped me feel the warmth/love of my family and enjoyed the freedoms of being a year out, moving forward, and--having taken my first cruise with my husband--stretching enough beyond my comfort zone to discover the world out there that had been waiting for me all along.
TWO YEARS AGO TODAY... I continued forward movement—traveling, enjoying life and make the best out of each day. I went to Kentucky to meet many long-time OHers who had significantly and positively affected my life, to California to speak at an OH seminar about the DS, and revisited many LA locations that I hadn't been able to enjoy for the 20-some-odd years since I'd last been there. I felt nearly boundless freedom and joy, and was in the best place I'd been (thus far) in my life.
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY... I had just returned from a whirlwind trip to Honduras and Mexico. A spiritual quest of sorts … climbing Mayan ruins and realizing even more so how one can/does evolve. I survived a significant breast cancer scare the previous June and a ten-pound-or-so Mirena-hormone induced weight gain, finally losing that weight as well as the extra hormones that caused the 1"x3" tumor that the not-for-everybody-IUD had caused inside my body.
TODAY, HOWEVER... I come to you with the miracle beyond all miracles: In less than one year, I have traveled nearly 10,000 miles from NY to Alaska and managed to become the completely enamored and satisfied mother of not one BUT TWO Havanese puppies (Ricky and Lucy … Can you stand it?? … LOL!) … I moved from a 10-year koi-like existence in an incredibly overstuffed Queens two bedroom apartment to a three bedroom house in Long Island (complete with doggie door), creating my low-carb, DS-friendly food treats in a kitchen with a pantry and pot/pan drawers, a sunroom -and- a backyard.
I find myself coordinating décor and designing unusual "pieces" from bare-bone dime store objects to create an ambiance and vibe that thrills my (incredibly wonderful and supportive) husband and visitors alike. Then, to further heighten the experience and delights as to where life further post-DS has taken me, from the packing/moving experience and making sure I focused well on eating wisely but enjoyably—at four years out—I am the thinnest ever with an incredibly toned body and STILL NO PS (5'7", 130 lbs, size 0-4 from an all-time high of 321, size 4X).
I've mentioned it before, I've written it before, I've said it before… If you are a prisoner of your body and your mind—depressed and scared and wondering when your life can resume/begin, envying the idea of what life COULD become "if only" … If you're like I was—no longer able to accept life as it was, unhealthy, depressed, sad, and didn't think it was a life worth living … and certainly if that sort of existence, fear and semantics (whether or not to DS) are the only things keeping you from crossing the threshold to a better way of life… FREE YOURSELF AND YOUR MIND/BODY WILL FOLLOW … If you let it!
Don't misunderstand. There will be hurdles, there will be challenges. Post-DS doesn't mean that perfection meets you at every turn. Every positive for me has meant some hard work and breaking through an obstacle/resistance (like the nearly-invisible thread that wrapped itself around my ankles as I was packing up the old apartment, daring me to move an inch much less walk out the door) … Healthy and thin doesn't mean everything will always go the way you want/believe it should.
HOWEVER … You will find little else as rewarding and as exciting as continuing to push through and knowing that you're only limited by the restraints you let your mind impose on your efforts. I say this with the utmost conviction and most importantly, the life experience with which to back it up.
As always, since I no longer "inhabit the boards," feel free to contact me should you have any questions … and I wish you everything wonderful every day of your life. Good luck & God bless!
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About Me
Westbury, NY
Location
20.7
BMI
Surgery
11/19/2004
Surgery Date
Feb 01, 2004
Member Since
