Before & After RNY with Angelface811 losing 162 pounds!
November 27, 2018Why I Decided to Have WLS
We don’t often get the chance to impact a large group of people, but here goes nothing. I grew up in a Mexican-American household. Although my name is Angela I was most often called “gorda” or “fea,” which translates into “fat girl” or “ugly girl” in English. Sometimes these phrases can be meant as terms of endearment, but that wasn't the case for me. Every time I was called these names I would find a corner to hide in and cry because I believed it. It soon became a self-fulfilling prophecy. At the age of five, I was molested by a male relative; this went on for years.
Outwardly, I began to gain weight. Inwardly, I thought it was my fault. I was ashamed. However, it stopped when our family moved away. I was placed in dance and studied tap, ballet, jazz, and Ballet Folklorico. Slowly, the weight melted away.
In high school, I met the man I was going to marry, Nathanael. Through him, I came to a deeper understanding of my Christian faith and let God fully into my heart. Now, stay with me please, keep reading you won’t regret it. When I was 16, I was finally able to tell my parents about the molestation. After their initial shock, they soon had me in therapy.
Going to therapy has been just as vital as going to the gym in my weight loss journey.
Although I vowed to spend my life with Nathanael it wasn’t meant to be. One night as I was following him home on the highway I witnessed the accident that took his life. He died right there on the highway in front of me. The emergency workers didn’t believe I was his wife until I showed my identification. “It is his wife,” the officer said. Nathanael was heaven sent and, in the blink of an eye, he was heaven bound. I moved in with my mother and siblings that very same night.
In order to keep busy and to attempt to pause this horrific memory, I added a second major, overloaded my units every quarter, and worked as many hours at work as I could. When the quiet times came I ate and ate and ate. I remained in therapy and in time became more and more independent. I rented an apartment of my own and re-joined the human race. Those relatives who once called me “gorda” and “fea,” well, let’s just say I nipped that in the bud because as Patrick Swayze said, “nobody puts Baby in a corner.” I also met Gary...the kindest, most compassionate man I have ever known.
I found love again. God blessed me with the man I needed in order to maintain the healthiest version of myself. We soon married and we wanted to start a family. Before I knew it, I was pregnant with our son, Matthew. As a well-educated woman, I read and prepared as much as I could before having our son, but nothing prepared me for what came next. I had read all about the baby blues but something more serious manifested, severe post-partum depression.
As I learned early on in life, nobody is immune from depression; it does not discriminate. In a word it was devastating. I fought so hard and I pulled out my entire arsenal.
With time, prayer, therapy, medication, and a lot of family support I pulled through. Unfortunately, I ballooned up to 302 pounds and wore a 24/26 at 5’4". I also developed high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, a large tear in the labrum of my right hip, Type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. It was an uphill battle to get my insurance to approve WLS, but I was willing to go the distance.
I asked every specialist that I saw if they would write a letter to my PCP recommending WLS. They ALL did! Acceptance into the WLS program was approved! The WLS program was six months long. During that time, I took over thirty classes in preparation for the surgery; this was a requirement I had to meet for insurance purposes. I went through a very thorough program which covered topics such as nutrition, psychology, kinesiology, and the importance of support groups. It went by in a flash.
Before & After RNY with angelface811
OH Username: angelface811
Weight loss to date: 162 pounds
Surgery Type: RNY
Surgery Date: May 5, 2014
Bariatric Surgeon: Dr. Keith R. Scharf
Having Surgery and Life as a Post-Op
The day of my surgery, a little over four years ago, I felt 100% certain of my decision. The conditions I had only made me more reclusive and unable to truly participate in life. Did I go in with a dash of fear, absolutely! But I think it is only natural to have a fear of the unknown. My surgery took an additional hour due to how enlarged my liver had become. My incision sites are virtually undetectable. During this time, I learned how incredibly important it was to listen to this new body of mine. My body had literally given birth to this new organ within an organ.
I quickly learned it had a mind of its own. It let me know what we liked and didn’t like it had its own personality and therefore I named him “Bob.” Bob took things very slowly and had a sensitivity to texture, so I didn’t advance as quickly on solid foods as many of my peers, but I was still able to meet my goals regardless. Bob and I have a relatively symbiotic relationship. All of the pre-existing conditions I mentioned earlier were all resolved and surgery on my right hip was rendered unnecessary as the pain entirely left my joint.
Special Milestone/Non-Scale Victory
I caught glimpses of features of the girl I once knew in the mirror every now and again. But one day I recognized her fully. It was my face...I looked in the mirror and sobbed out of both happiness and because it was a reunion I never thought possible. In addition, my bariatric program nurtured my desire to become more involved in the program and I soon became a certified bariatric support group leader. I absolutely love it!
How ObesityHelp.com has been part of my journey
I was invited to attend the 2016 ObesityHelp.com Conference and my first thought was I wish I would have known about this sooner. It was an amazing weekend full of the latest information, support, encouragement, applicable tools, and acceptance. It is the ultimate retreat for any bariatric patient no matter where they are in the process. I loved it so much that when the opportunity to buy tickets for the following year’s conference were made available on the last night I was one of the first people in line. The same thing happened last year and this year will be my 3rd conference in a row.
On a side note, my sister had an answer of her own in regards to me going through this process. This is what she wrote:
“Watching my sister go through her weight loss surgery journey has been filled with notable lows and immeasurable highs. I recollect worrying about her safety through the surgery. Would she make it through the procedure: were the potential benefits of surgery worth the risks that she would be facing long-term? Answer, yes. The surgery helped to transform my sister not only externally but internally. To finally see her begin to believe that she is as kind, intelligent, witty, beautiful, selfless, and magnificent as I have always known her to be has been worth walking every step of this journey with her. Now, she genuinely smiles with that glint in her eye that says, “I’m here and I’m here to stay.” That is a look that has been absent for many years. Words cannot express how elated I am to have my sister back.”
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