Your WLS story... in 3 words!

Brand New Life!

I raised Jackson.

My avatar will never change. I was dying and now I'm not. My son was 7. He's nearly grown.

Surgery same year as you! My girls were 6 and 4 now 16 and 14! They don't remember me how I looked before surgery and always shocked when looking at pics.

This is my favorite

I love your avatar Deb! It made me happy when I first saw it back in 2008 and it makes me even happier now - knowing your little guy isn't quite little anymore. He's probably hard at work doing high school this morning. My youngest was 13 that year and today she's teaching high school Spani****'s funny kind of - she also was/is a competitive swimmer =)

So thankful for those "bonus" years both of us got! And super grateful for you and your extra surgery too!


edited because I don't do grammar. Or spell either for that matter.

Hard to believe.

After being banded and the miserable experience that was, my RNY experience has exceeded my wildest expectations. I feel like I'm living in someone else's body (and look like it too).

Got over myself.

Really, that's how I lost the weight that I did. There's no nicer answer. I was a deplorable, whiny, annoying person. Some may argue I am still those things. I blamed everything but myself. I whined, lord did I whine, and was grossly unpleasant, irksome, and contemptible. I had an excuse for everything.

I started the process of getting over myself years before WLS, however WLS forced me to confront many things I had not. I went through the process several years ago in my last semester of grad school and that was also a part of my attitude realignment.

As I am on day 3 of my liquid diet, I am recontemplating this. It's much easier this time around because, well, I already had surgery once, but also because immediately when there is BS, I shoot straight to the point and address it. I feel whiney I can't have coffee. Well, shut up whiney center, because you are lucky enough to get surgery at all. I wish I wasn't eating only liquid unflavored whey protein. Too bad, because your health matters more, Donna, than this trivial fact of dislike.

I am a Buddhist, and in Buddhism we must acknowledge that discomfort, dislike, and such things are temporary - as are everything else. I must push past my annoyance, irritation, outrage, hubris, etc., and simply embrace the truth. Discomfort and sadness will recede and happiness and satisfaction will return - just like the oceans so are our emotional states. I must simply ride the wave and accept it, experiencing it, and keep on truckin'.

And, with WLS, the truth is that I am at a place where I just had to shut the heck up and get to work already. Time is a'wasting, and I will never get the hours back that I fritter away on complaining or avoiding things. Much better to do it and overcome it.

Have life back.

PS: you guys are the best. I loved reading through these and I'm going to bookmark this. Great topic Julia!

Saved My Life