Before & After RNY with Melissa of My 600lb Life!
September 27, 2016Celebrating Melissa's Before & After RNY Gastric Bypass Journey!
The doctor came into the family waiting room where I was gathered with my family. He told my Dad the surgery was successful, however, the cancer had spread. When they let the family in to see my Mom, I could not get up to her bed on my mobility scooter.
Three days later when they let my Mom go home from the hospital, she was sitting in her chair with her hospital bands still on and said to me, "Would you like me to get up and make you something to eat?" I knew that day, live or die, I was going to have weight loss surgery.
Before & After RNY Gastric Bypass
OH Username: cpmdmorris
Total Weight Loss: 487 pounds
Surgical Procedure: RNY Gastric Bypass
Surgery Date: 1/26/2006
Surgeon's Name: Dr. Younan Nowzaradan
For my weight loss surgery research, I called 15 doctors. Most of the surgeons would not even see me, others told me to go home, lose 200 pounds and come back then.
When I made the appointment with Dr. Nowzaradan, I was sure he would tell me the same thing as the others. At my first appointment on November 17, 2005, I stepped on a scale that, for the first time in years, could weigh me. The number that showed up on the scale was 673 pounds. I'd never seen a number that high when it came to a person's weight. I believe that day was the first day of my new life!
The day of my surgery was January 26, 2006. I had an open RNY Gastric Bypass and it was one of the best days of my life. Having weight loss surgery changed my life for the better and I have never looked back.
Post-op was harder than I thought it would have been. The food I often used to help with boredom, sadness, happiness was no longer my friend. After a month, I learned a new way of eating and dealing with my emotions and was on the path of losing my weight I had been carrying around for years.
It has now been 10 years since my surgery and I still fight every day to keep the weight off, but it is worth it, every single day - it is worth it. As if being close to 700 pounds wasn’t enough for me, I was featured on the first season of the television show by TLC "My 600 lb life: Melissa’s story." It was hard to leave the house at that weight but imagine leaving the house at that weight and having a camera following you around. The film crew became my family and they were there with me during my toughest times. The production company were my cheerleaders, and my success was their success. They are the family here in Texas that I did not have. Being on the show was another big accomplishment for me. It took me places I would have never went on my own. The best part is every day I get to talk to people who I helped in changing their life.
Non-Scale Victories (NSVs)
I have so many non-scale victories but I believe the best one was becoming a Mom. My three kids are my biggest and best victory in my life. If it had not been for Dr. Nowzaradan, and my Gastric Bypass, I would have never been a Mom.
How has ObesityHelp.com been a part of your journey?
I found ObesityHelp.com before my surgery, and it was my life source for food, advice, an ear and that was all before surgery. After surgery, I relied on the surgery date group, most of the people in my group 10 years later have remained very close. I don’t know what I would have done without them, their advice, struggles, friendship, and love. I believe every person who is thinking about having surgery or who has had the surgery should have an account and frequent ObesityHelp.com.
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