Another Loss

Finding out about the loss of Chris Weidinger from Pennsylvania after her surgery, has left me with lots of emotions. I think that it is pretty safe to say that the majortiy of us are well educated on the pros and cons of this surgery before we have it done. Before I had my surgery, my mother told me to beware of messing with Mother Nature, and what she intended for my body. I didn't really know how to take that at the time, my mother has always been supportive of my attempts at weight loss, and was desperate for me to lose the weight, so that I would not be dead at 58 from complications of Diabetes the way my father was. I now know that she was just scared, and with good reason. I am one of the lucky ones, I had no complications from the surgery, acheived my weight loss goal within 15 months, and have kept the weight off. Others aren't so lucky. I hope that whoever reads this, takes a moment to reflect. If you have already had your surgery, be thankful that you made it and are on the track to a new, healthier you. If you haven't had your surgery yet, please don't let Chris's death detur you. It is okay to be scared and to question if you are doing the right thing. You really need to be sure that you can have your surgery with a clear mind, and know that anything can happen. This surgery is such a drastic step in our bid for weight loss, but it is so worth it in the end. Chris will soon be just another statistic for the year, but I hope that we will all keep her and her family in our hearts, and make the most of what we have been given. Good luck to those of you who are about to have your surgery, and happy losing to those of you that have already had your surgery. Cathy Martin

Thank you for your post. I have been upset by this all day. I have not had my surgery yet. It took me a year to decide I wanted to do it. Before that I was scared. This weekend I went to a family reunion and spoke with a cousin who has lost 200 pounds on Atkins and probably needs to lose at least 300 more. I told her what I am doing. She told me that her daughter told her she "needed to do it the right way and not tempt fate". That made me start thinking. Then my mother told me "Don't do it for cosmetic reasons". Of course all of us are doing it because we want to be healthy, but a lot of it is because we want to look good too!! I have been thinking about all of this and then I read about Chris. When I looked at her profile, she could be me. We are the same age, about the same BMI, same fears........ It really scared me. I will have to do a lot of praying and thinking over the next few weeks. I have a young daughter and that scares me more than anything. Your post really helped me with the confusion I have been feeling today. Thanks. You must be my angel to have written this just for me!! Carol

Carol, I know what you are feeling, because I had those same feelings too. I think that is what is so great about this message board. Here we have a place to talk about our many feelings with people that have been there and done that. I only wish that I knew about this board when I had my surgery! Trust me, I am not the model Gastric Bypass post- op, as I am writing this I am eating an Entemenns mini choclate donut!! I understand your fears about your daughter, I have two boys under age 5. I had pretty much figured that I problably wouldn't make it out of surgery, so I wrote "farewell" letters to my family, my husband was not pleased. But I survived, and I have a feeling that if you decide to go ahead with the surgery, you will too. Good Luck Cathy