Before & After RNY with Conniecancrop, down 125 pounds!
March 3, 2020Why I Decided to Have WLS
Was I always overweight? I guess so. To be honest, when I looked in the mirror, I never thought I was OBESE. I just thought I was cute and a little chubby. As a child, I wasn't skinny. I was “big-boned,” as mom said.
At the preteen age of 11, I was already starting to develop and hit puberty. My hormones had no idea what they were doing, and I slowly started to gain weight. My weight slowly started to pile on throughout high school due to emotional eating and stress from the loss of two close friends to cancer, date rape, and my parents divorcing. I married at the age of 27 and weighed 180 lbs. After having two babies and years of life's added stress, my weight reached 240. I'd diet, I'd lose some weight. It always came back!
The most traumatic experience of my adult life was in 2016, when I had a moped accident and shattered my Femur severely. I underwent three major surgeries, was now dependent on others, spent 1.5 years in a wheelchair, and more depressed than I had ever been in my entire life.
It took almost three years to recover (not entirely). In the end, I weighed over 280 lbs. from being immobile. I realized my problem could not be solved by myself. I made the call to see my primary doctor, and we discussed my weight, my struggles, the ups, the downs, and how I had tried everything. It was then I was referred for weight loss surgery. My doctor told me that without this, I would die young, the surgery would help me and my health in so many ways if I could commit to the lifestyle change. YES, please! Where do I sign up?
I wanted to be around to see my kids continue to grow and have families of their own! I needed to regain control of my health! I needed to regain control of myself!
Before & After RNY with Conniecancrop
OH User Name: Conniecancrop
Total Weight Loss: 125 lbs.
Surgery type: RNY Gastric Bypass
Surgery Date: April 29, 2016
Surgeon: Dr. Krahn
My Surgery and Post-Op Life
I don't like to sugar coat things in my life! Ironic right? So let's say that the surgery itself was great. My surgeons were top-notch, my hospital staff excellent. But, I do remember the pain meds wearing off and thinking, "oh man, this feels like a c-section all over." It wasn't that bad. The pain I was experiencing was not the incisions themselves but the gases trying to escape my body.
The surgeon has to fill your stomach with air to perform the surgery, and that air could not find it's way out. I think it took a right turn instead of a left and got tucked up inside my rib cage for about four days. It was the worst. Do I regret going through it? NO WAY! I wish I had done it ten years sooner.
I took an oath that I was going to do this. I told myself that I'm doing this to take my life back and so it begins. (Keep in mind these are my doctor's guidelines, some doctors vary)
The liquid diet. Finding all the creative options you can to make it those first two weeks, sugar-free Jello, sugar-free popsicles, shakes, soup, and water. Isn't it funny that I love Clam Chowder but put it in a blender, and I want to gag? The weight poured off in this stage.
Day 15 post-op, I can add in things I love like cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna salad, and chicken salad — a piece of cake. I was very fortunate to hit week 5 with solid protein with no issues at all. I was worried because I had been reading on the message boards about people having their tastes changing or not liking certain textures, but I had no issues with either of those.
I started with white fish and chicken, then moved on to ground beef, pork, then steak. I can eat all of them, and I am thrilled. I do admit I have a huge desire for steak now. I have played around with pretty much everything I used to eat or wish to. I have found I am lactose intolerant now except for cheese. I love spicy foods and can eat them without an issue.
Sugar is my enemy. That is one reason I choose RNY. I have learned that I don't deny myself anything. If I want some, I have some; It may just be a nibble or two bites from my son's plate or hubby's drink.
My weight continued to drop off at a constant pace from year one to two. And after year two, I plateaued. I have regained 5-10 pounds here and there but have dropped them just as easily.
Today I am happy to report I am maintaining at my goal weight of 165.
My blood pressure is excellent, and my acid reflux is gone; my asthma maintained with no attacks since surgery. I am a continued work in progress and will be for the rest of my life. There are many reasons people turn to food, and mine was to deal with trauma and pain. So now, I am working on refocusing my mind on happier things and better-coping skills. If you suffer from emotional eating as well, I encourage you to reach out to someone that can help talk with you.
Special Milestones & Non-Scale Victories
You have already heard about some of my amazing health benefits, but let's talk about the fun ones, the things people don't think of as victories but are just as important.
- I have started traveling. I never wanted to go anywhere because it was uncomfortable and embarrassing to travel. But since my weight loss, I have been all over this beautiful world. Last summer, I was able to zipline in the jungles of Jamaica and ride a dolphin in Cozumel.
- And let's not forget roller coasters. Never again will the rude boy working Batman the Ride tell me I can't ride because I am too big.
- WLS helped me land an amazing job. Weighing less opened so many doors of opportunities in the job field. I can now do things I could only dream of before.
- My favorite NSV is that losing 125 lbs. brought me closer to my family. Everyone was pitching to help me reach my goals. From going to the gym with me to checking to make sure I logged my food. It was great to have the support of my cheering squad. I also was very proud of my weight loss and very public about it. I posted every weight goal met, healthy recipes, and my side by side photos for all my friends to follow Facebook. Do you know how many people sent me messages or called me from doing that? So many. I still get contacted today. I am so honored to say I have helped at least five people in their WLS journeys, and I am here to help anyone that needs encouragement or has a question.
How has ObesityHelp been part of your Journey
I found out about OH at my monthly support group, and I truly value this site. I was able to do some research and get questions answered before I had my surgery, which was nice. The Post-Op forum was right there with me as a tool if I needed it for help or inspiration. And these days, I love to read the newsletters, check out the forums, and above all, attend the conventions! They refuel my mind, soul, and body. Everyone at OH is so helpful and compassionate. I am blessed to be part of such a great group.
Share Your Before & After Success!
Celebrate your own Before & After WLS Success, milestones, non-scale victories, and inspire others! The OH team wants to hear from you to share your weight loss surgery journey. Visit our Before & After Submission page for details.
