My trip to the O.R. with Dr Glascock was preceded by years of unhealthy food choices, poor eating habits, crash diets, lack of exercise, and a long and growing list of health problems.  I have tried every diet program known to man (woman), yet still found myself extremely over weight, unhealthy and unhappy. I avoided mirrors. I have no full length mirrors in my home. If I came face to face with a mirror, I always looked at my eyes, no fat there. I was safe. For years I avoided the camera lens too. I was always the one behind the camera on holidays and family events. I couldn’t bear to see myself in pictures. Actually, after 30 years of marriage we have only one family portrait.

 

Early last spring my family doctor informed me that I should add diabetes to my list of health issues. I was on the verge of requiring medication for that too. Soon after, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was fitted with a sleep machine and mask. I hated it. Many nights I would cry and hide my face under the sheets. I was humiliated and felt like I was wearing a dog muzzle. At one of the office visits my doctor said the words ‘morbidly obese’. I was shocked and mortified. I think my heart skipped a beat. Does the term ‘morbidly obese’ sound familiar? That’s some really cruel terminology….. but I realized that I had been very cruel to myself. That was the last straw. I was done with fad diets and weight loss programs. I had flunked out of Weight Watchers numerous times and been through so many other plans.

 

I became serious about researching bariatric surgery. I was sure that I wanted to have lap-band surgery. My husband and I attended an informational meeting at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.  It was on the way home that I decided the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery was the best option for me. The thought of losing that nagging hunger seemed too good to be true. The next day I immediately made an appointment with my family doctor in order to fulfill my insurance company’s pre-surgery requirements. Could bariatric surgery really be the answer to my prayers?

 

I had Gastric By-Pass Surgery last October. I have lost over 110 lbs., and I feel great. Gone are the sore ankles, knees, hips and back. My blood pressure medications have been reduced and I’m looking forward to the day when I can be med-free. Gone is the diabetes. Bye-bye sleep apnea!  

 

Now I can shop in any store I desire instead of being banned to the PLUS size stores. In fact, I don’t recognize myself when approaching glass-front store doors. And I don’t know my own shadow! No longer do I hide from a camera. It’s fun to be the subject of pictures. By the way, we had a photographer to our home to take family photos, and I actually enjoyed it. Now exercise is actually fun, not torture. I have lots of energy and after so many years I can finally cross my legs again! When I think back on all the years of being overweight it saddens me to think about everything I missed out on, or wouldn’t do because of my size. Now my family is proud of me, and I’m proud of myself. I love running into old friends or acquaintances that don’t recognize me. It’s fun to render them speechless and see the look on their face when they figure out who I am.

The surgery and recovery, then restricted diet, were tough but physically possible. If you are considering any of the bariatric surgeries my advice is “Do It”. If you follow the program and do as the doctor and staff recommend, you will have success at weight loss and reaching your long term goal.

 

We’ve all heard the saying, “Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels” but take my word for it, “Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels!”