Melly_Belly
Like most others on this forum, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I specifically remember being teased at the age of 8 for being "chunky." This marked the beginning of a long life of dieting. As I got older, my grasp of my weight issue did not improve. I started the beginning of my freshman year of high school at 235, and through a series of dieting, get down to a of 175 as a senior. At 5' 8', I was still considered overweight and my self-esteem suffered. After high school I slowly gained back the weight, balooning up to 285 in college. Five years later in graduate school I lost 60 pounds in 6 months by taking diet pills (read: Ephedra). When they were banned, the weight slowly creeped back. Eight years later I am at my heaviest, 305 pounds! For years I had been considering WLS, but it wasn't until my doctor started talking to me about my health, that I really opened my eyes to what I had put my body through.
I have PCOS, am pre-diabetic, have high cholesterol and constant back and knee pain. My body was not designed to hold this much weight! The realization that my body was catching up to the abuse I'd put it through over years woke me up, and in November of 2010 when my doctor recommended WLS, I finally took the step toward a new life.
I've been tracking my progress and the insurance process, which has been quite daunting, but also very enlightening. The people I've talked to, the posts I've read (I have to admit, I'm a bit of a lurker) and the advice I've receieved have all been inspiring, informative and enlightning.
11/07/10 PCP referral for WLS
11/15/10 Seminar at Bariatric Center
11/30/10 Met with surgeon and dietician (1 of 6 for insurance)
12/27/10 Quit Smoking - YEAH! 
12/31/10 Met with surgeon and dietician (2 of 6)
01/21/11 Met with surgeon and dietician (3 of 6)
02/20/11 Quit soda! "Dear Diet Mountain Dew: I miss you, but must bid you adieu." 
02/22/11 Met with surgeon and dietician (4 of 6)
03/02/11 Psychological Evaluation - I knew I wasn't crazy! 
03/04/11 Upper Endoscopy
03/22/11 Met with surgeon and dietician (5 of 6)
04/02/11 Quit Coffee! (This was harder than smoking and soda COMBINED!)
04/12/11 Met with surgeon and dietician (6 of 6) - received surgery date 
05/04/11 Pre-op class and prep for surgery
05/09/11 Physical (EKG, Stress Test, etc) with PCP
05/23/11 Surgery 
At 36, I'm single and never been married, mostly because I don't have the confidence or the love for myself to allow any one else to love me. The surgey is a first step in proving that I love myself and I am worth the effort. I am the proud mom to a 2.5 year old black lab named Lucy and two 12 year old brother cats, Leo and Louis.
