RobinH97

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Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

I have been "overweight" since around the age of 7 1/2 to 8 years old. I discovered while meeting with the psychologist for WLS approval, that the traumatic experience of losing my dad at the age of 7 1/2 might have triggered my weight gain process, because before that age I was a skinny active child who wasn't the least bit worried about a weight control problem. But since then it has been an uphill battle that never ends. Then in my early 20's I was diagnosed with PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome.... which one of the key factors is it causes obesity) so all the diet programs, pills and miracles I tried over the years not only did they not work they probably would never have worked for someone like me anyway. Then in the summer of 2012, I went from being "Pre-Diabetic" for several years to full blown Diabetic in the worst way. My A1C number, somehow manage to always keep it just under 7 points, until that summer it jumped to 9.5 points, that is when I had to make the decision to have Gastric By-pass Surgery. I was originally apprehensive about doing it but after going to a couple of seminars and numerous nutrition classes and tons of doctors apts. and such all to just be qualified for the surgery I learned so much about the surgery and everything that I finally had a much better understanding of the ins and outs of it and decided because of my medical situation it because a necessity for me to have the surgery. Now I can't wait for the surgery, I just want the surgery part over with so I can get on with my new healthier and happier life.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

There are so many things I feel that I dread over being overweight. Finding clothing that not only fits right but that doesn't make me look like a fool in the outfit. The looks and whispers you get from other people when they look at you, they judge you just by the way you look before they ever even attempt to get to know you. I know (even though I can't really prove it... but I just know it) that I have been passed over for promotions and I don't make nearly the kind of money I am worth at my job because of my weight and the way they think of me and my work... no matter how hard I work and how much extra I put in, it never seems to matter to them because all they see is fat & lazy.... And never mind getting around place, even going into a bathroom stall is a chore when your overweight, turnstiles and train stations or airports or even amusement parks are always such a tight squeeze. And the rides at amusement parks themselves are geared towards tiny skinny people, I always use to love riding the roller coasters and such when I was younger but as I got older and even fatter... forget the bars can't lock down your not allowed on the ride. There are so many things that I can't wait for once I start to lose weight after the surgery, I know it is going to be like a whole brand new outlook on life and I can't wait for it to start.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

For this one I'll have to come back and update after my surgery on April 8, 2013.....

How did you first find out about bariatric surgery and what were your initial impressions of it?

I had heard of the surgery for many years but over that last several years my primary care physician kept telling me she thought I would make a good candidate for the surgery, but since I didn't really know much about the surgery I was too afraid to even consider it, but that was because I didn't really know enough about the whole procedure but after my Diabetes kicked into high gear last summer, I had to rethink things and at the urging of my doctor, I attended my first seminar about the WL Surgeries and everything changed. I learned so many things I didn't know about or understand and that made all the difference in the world. This surgery could very well end up saving my life.

Describe your experience with getting insurance approval for surgery. What advice, if any, do you have for other people in this stage?

Every insurance company is different and each has their own set of requirements to follow. For my insurance I had to attend 6 months of nutrition classes, I had to meet several times with a psychologist, dietitian, surgeon and even a cardiologist. For anyone who does have to attend the nutrition meetings as a requirement, I will suggestion that depending on how many times in a given month the meeting are always try to make the first meeting of the month, that way if something happens and you absolutely can't make that first meeting then you have others to fall back on. For a lot of insurance companies, if you miss even one meeting in any given month, you have to start all over again from the beginning.

What was your first visit with your surgeon like? How can people get the most out of this meeting?

I found that my first meeting with my surgeon was actually beneficial. He showed me a full chart of how the surgery would go, explained some of the things they watch out for discussed some of the issues that may come up and also discussed with me the amount of weight he expected me to lose before the surgery. Some of the things I know now that I wished I had known enough to ask back then. Like what kinds of complications could arise, how long after the surgery can you return to exercising, does hunger go away and if so will it come back also, so many questions I later looked into that I wished I had looked into before my meeting with my surgeon.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

As I mentioned before, my decision to have the surgery was mainly based on my medical condition. I had been "pre-diabetic" for so long that I was naive to think I could keep it at bay forever, I was wrong my diabetes kicked into high gear and even though my doctor and I tried with oral medication to bring my sugar down it would not come down enough, we tried increasing the dosing multiple times and still my sugar has remained above the ideal point level of 7 points, so that was when I had to decide to go forward with the surgery.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

After attending my first seminar and hearing the percentage of weight loss averages that you get with each surgery, for me it was obvious..... the full Gastric By-pass was the only choice in my mind.

What fears did you have about having complications or even dying from from the surgery, and what would you tell other people having the same fears now?

When I first heard about the surgery, I was afraid of the surgery and possibly dying from it because some people have died over the years from complications or issues from the surgery, so I was afraid it could very well happen to me. But now that I know more about the whole procedure, I can tell you or anyone, that yes there are still chances that something could go wrong and some people do still experience issues to the point that they get sick and some people do still die from those complications. But you also need to understand that with the advancements in technology and advancements in medicine, those chances are in my opinion far less frequent that they were years ago.

How did your family and friends react to your decision? Would you have communicated anything differently if you could now? How supportive were they after your surgery?

At first I didn't think I wanted to tell anyone about what I was planning to have done, but then I realized I wasn't doing this as a "quick fix" thing like a lot of people like to call it, so I decided tell them the truth and everyone was supportive and thought it was a great thing I was about to do.

How did your employer/supervisor react to your decision? What did you tell him/her? How long were you out of work?

They felt and had the same reaction as my family and friends. Supportive and happy for me.
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