Reflections of A Year Gone By!

Hi everyone. Well today is the one year anniversary of my surgery date. My "re-birthday" , my crossing over to the "losing" or "winning" side or whatever other catch phrases we use on these boards. All I can say is that it has been one fantastic ride! The year has flown by - I can't really say that it is because of all my experiences since WLS or just the fact that the older I get the faster the days keep going, whatever. Many of you have written and asked me to post about my experiences over the past year and I said I would. So here goes. First, for any of you who haven't read my profile. I started my WLS quest back in May of 2002. After many bumps in the road, I finally had my surgery a year ago today. I am so very grateful for the skilled hands of my surgeon, Dr. Adaniel and am thankful to my friend, Susan, for giving me his name when I was frantic after my surgery was cancelled by my first surgeon and didn't know what I was going to do. Next, the stats. I started my quest at my own personal highest weight of 306 (my official starting weight with my surgeon was 286 because I had decided to try one last diet when my original surgery was cancelled), this morning I weighed 145.5, so I am down a total of 160.5 pounds. I have lost 13.25 inches off my chest, 16.25 off my waist and 19.25 off my hips. I have gone from a loose fitting 26/28 to size 8 or 10 and 2XL to Smalls & Mediums. If anyone had told me a year ago that I would have had these results, I would not ever have believed them! I never doubted that I would lose weight and sure I had hopes of getting down to this weight, but I never thought I would accompli**** in a year! Although I am not quite at my goal weight, I only have about 5-10 pounds to go and I know that I will make it! Now, what has been happening? I am still the same person I was before only happier and more confident. I want to do more and be out more instead of staying cooped up in the prison I had created for myself. I am off all of my medications for blood pressure and no longer have those aches and pains in the hips and knees that plagued me. How can I describe the feeling of getting on an airplane the first time and not only hogging someone else's seat (feeling like your squished in a sardine can) but actually having room to spare! It's phenomenal! I can't even describe the first time I went shopping for "regular" sized clothing and being so overwhelmed by the various departments because I was so used to only going to that one hidden in the back of the store with the limited choices. What fun it is today to shop and have to decide what to buy because you have too many choices and everything looks good as opposed to well this doesn't make me look too fat, I'll settle for it. There are some down sides, too. Unfortunately, like so many other people who have been morbidly obese for such a long time as I was, I still see myself as fat. I still panic when I have to navigate walking through what I perceive as a small space and am always pleasantly surprised when I fit with room to spare. I'm working on that and hope that before too long my head will catch up with my body. Life and the world around us hasn't changed (our perspective may have, and how we deal with it and others around us may have but....) For me today, even though I celebrate this milestone in my life, I am also very sad because my son left home today to start a new chapter in his life. Perhaps he won't be gone for too long and it isn't the first time he's left, but this time he's gone too far that I can't see him or speak to him every day as I have been able to. While I am happy for him, I am sad for me. I know I'll feel better in a few days but today is not that day. It is the best thing I could have done for me and given the choice I'd do it all again! For all my September 2003 friends, continued success in our second year! God Bless, Patti

Patti: Congratulations on your success. I'm certain that your second year will be just as successful as the first. Jesse

Happy rebirthday and congratulations on a job well done! I wish you continuing success and happiness! Mary Beth

Patti--congratulations on your terrific weight loss. Thanks for sharing your personal thoughts with us. I feel, too, that my brain is months behind my body. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and am very surprised that I look so good. But, when will my thinking mirror the mirror? I hold up a pair of pants and think "ain't no way those things will ever fit", and they do. Happy anniversary to all of us!!! Connie