Rick's wife

It has been quite a TEAM journey with Rick these last 2 years. I am incredibly proud of all his accomplishments and amazed with the transformation from old man couch potato (sorry,dear).to someone who walks and works circles around me. I know he would like for me to do the surgery and it doesn't scare me. I scare me.Food has been my friend and comfort for so long.A big part of "me" is cooking and feeding people...the more the better. I cook for the church crowds and events;I bake for our grandson's school,the blood bank and any place that needs cookies. I have dieted,worked out,swam,pilled,starved and walked...I lose,it comes back. Rick was so dedicated to succeeding,way before the surgery,that the surgery was only a small part of the transformation. I do not think I have that dedication. I think I am proudest of him for reaching out to others through these posts and in the local support groups. He is quite a spokesperson for WLS. I want to thank each of you for stepping out of yourselves to respond and encourage others,and yourselves in the process.. I am so proud of each of you!! Irene

irene it is so nice to hear from you and let me say whatever dedication you lack...Rick will make up for it! You will hall the support you will ever need and sum. He is our rock so I can only imagine what he would be for you! The nice thing about this surgery is you can still cook...I thought for the longest time i had to give up baking...but now I enjoy baking and giving it away! (ya know before I ate half, the kids split the other half) Good luck in your decision making, I am sure you will do what is right for you, no matter what that choice is.

Irene - I think you and Rick are good for each other and lucky to have each other. Struggling with weight is a day-to-day dilema. I also used food as my dear friend and comfort for every negative thing that ever happened to me. As a child my mother controlled the amount of food that went into our mouths, so sneaking food as revenge and comfort proved to be a game for me. When I went away to college I would sock quarters (at that time!) into the candy machine and chant..."watch this and stop it Mother". Who did I hurt? Certainly not my mother, but me. I too became the best cook you could ever imagine - once out of my mother's control. In the south, comfort food was good to make and good to eat. I was the one who always brought the yummy desserts to any type of gathering. So I hear where you come from. I too have dieted, worked out, Phen-fen'd, starved, walked...and until I had the WLS surgery nothing worked. So if you make the decision to have the surgery - it has to come from you. But if you do, please know you do have a great support system in your wonderful husband and all of us MARCHers. Any friend (wife particularly) of Rick is a friend of ours! Good luck to you and thanks for your post. Hugs to you, Barbara

Nice to meet you Irene! I won't try to talk you into the surgery It really is a personal decision. Thank you for greeting us and letting us know how it feels to be the SPOUSE of a WLS patient I know that there isn't much support out there for spouses who go through these life-changing times with their loved ones... The nurse at my doctor's office told me its been hard on HER, because her hubby had the surgery and she can't cook for him the way she used to. She said getting to a man's heart through his stomach is a LOT harder after WLS And he urges her to lose weight (she only has 30 pounds to lose) and he makes it sound so "easy" and it frustrates her. Heheh, so there is another wife's story... Good luck w/ Rick heheh I'm sure you don't need luck, though, he's such a sweetheart.

yay we get to meet Ricks Dear Wife Irene, nice to meet you! Your husband is such a great support for us and if you ever decided to have surgery, he would be tremendous support for you as well. I've also become a baker who still enjoys to bake, but as Mimi mentioned, instead of eating all the goodies, you simply make them for others to enjoy. When I get in a baking mood and show up at work with baked goods they're thrilled! Thanks for stopping in, be sure to do so more often