tinamatthews
7 years ago I started on a wonderful journey of life that I'd like to call "Returning to myself"! This journey has been fraught with tears, pain, loss, laughter, triumph, joy, and hope and has been the best trip of my life!
When I think about it, it's hard to believe that it's been 7 years since Dr. Chebli performed the RNY-wow! I am still, so grateful to God for this surgery and grateful to Dr. Chebli for his skill and expertise. I have had so many things happen since '05 that I'm not sure what to write...hmmm. Okay, I'll share about the physical and emotional impacts of the surgery.
PHYSICAL
1. Weight- Since the surgery I've fluctuated between 143 to 147 in weight. The smallest I've ever gotten was 140lbs but that's because I was in the hospital with a stomach ulcer. I'm comfortable with my weight and I am so adamant to never go back to being morbidly obese that I DO NOT eat until I'm full nor do I habitually drink soda. I ate until I was full one time and I felt so uncomfortable that it never happened again. When I say habitually drink soda I mean that every couple months I may have a sip or two but I've never drank an entire soda. The reason for both habits is I don't want to stretch out my pouch and I learned that habitually being full stretches your stomach as well as carbonated drinks. CARBONATED DRINKS are a no-no!!!
2. Food- I can still eat whatever I want (which I used to think was bad-lol)! For some reason I can only eat a certain amount of chicken, pork, beef yet I can eat fish and vegetables in abundance! I still eat more carbs than protein...way too many carbs so I've started drinking protein shakes again. Also, I don't have certain times that I eat; I eat whenever I'm hungry or graze all day. One thing that has changed is I can't tolerate spicy foods anymore, which is kinda sad!
3. Effects- One thing I want to encourage is PLEASE TAKE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS!! I am not consistent and I think that may have something to do with my teeth being in real bad shape! I had a flare up with the stomach ulcer last year but of course, I'm hard headed and have yet to follow the rules so it can heal. Oh, I still throw up!!! Now, granted it's not a frequent thing but I can still tell, as soon as I eat whatever, that I'm going to be sick! Also, PLEASE EXERCISE WHILE YOU'RE LOSING!!! I can't stress this enough because I didn't and now I have post baby, post op skin to contend with. Nothing sexy about a flabby body so if anyone knows a really good plastic surgeon with reasonable rates, please let me know!
EMOTIONAL
1. Self-Chosing not to gain weight back has been priority for me because everyone I know that had the surgery before and after me have gained back 20 if not more pounds! That scares me! I do not want to go back there and I feel like every pound gained pulls me closer and closer to a size 22 so, as I've mentioned, I deliberately don't eat until I'm full and, depending on how my clothes fit, I may eat lightly. Losing the weight has been so incredibly liberating and I feel like an older, wiser, sexier version of the person I had lost under all those pounds! Not having food to fall back on has also forced me to focus on self and emotional healing. I can say this has been painful at times but I know it's necessary.
2. Others-Well, for the most part my relationships are the same. My family is still my family and no one comments on the weight, probably because I've been this size since 2005, it's normal to everyone. I got divorced and although having the surgery did bring change to my marriage-I became more confident, assertive and he became more insecure, it wasn't a healthy relationship to begin with and I think I stayed longer than I should have because I was overweight and felt no one would want me.
So, there you have it...a condensed version of my 7yr journey. I've kept the weigh off and haven't ever had major complications and I am so happy I made the decision for my health!!! I am such an advocate for this surgery and know that if my life changed, anyone's life can change!!! I wish you the best and please don't hesitate to email me if you have questions.
Tina