WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR SURGERY

I am curious to know why many of us chose to have surgery , no matter what type ,
What drove you , what still drives you to keep up with your journey ? 

I want others to see that it can be done and that believing in ones self goes a long way .

Hugs,

Tink

Thanks Tink for this great question and a way to remind ourselves of why we do what we do and to encourage others.
I choose to have RNY becuase of health issues. I'd been praying and thinking about WLS for a long time. I was ready to "wait" until, my mom's husband had a massive stoke due in part to weight/high blood pressure/diabetes/sleep apnea. I had 3 of these 4 ( weight/diabetes/sleep apnea). This cemented the decision for me.  I'm 52 and want to live a quality life as long as possible.
The other reason is that it affected my self image in negative ways esp when it came to intimacy with my husband. What an amazing moment when I could buy a bra/panties at Victoria's Secret for me AND my husband. Wow moment for sure. I pray I never forget how I felt before ( both physically & emotionally)
Here's to better health~

Thank you Ann for sharing this .
This is what I am talking about . We need to show those coming after us that there is such a better life waiting for them out there.

The reason I had my surgery.... I was 39 , a grandmother .. yes young I know .. diabetes , high cholestoral, my father had just passed away from a massive heart attack.
I went in to see my PCP and when he weighed me ... I would not even register on his scales. I had to be weighed on the UPS scale . How embarrasing .... He reccomended that I go see Neil Hutcher and have Gastric Bypass ... and I did .
By the grace of God and my surgeon , I have maintained my weight for 6 years May 27th.

And just like you ... I finally got to wear a pretty bra from Victoria Secrets and shop there a lot now .
I am still a diabetic but on the low side .. My cholestoral is perfect , my A1c is 4 .... this surgery saved my life .
So if you are waiting to have your surgery , just know a better life awaits you , But you must follow the rules , as they are forever and ever .

Thank you again Ann .. and BTW .. you do not look 52 !! I would have sworn you where in your 30's and I am not shopping for brownie points either .

Love you ,
Tink

  tink
 this is what i have posed on my page not much has changed still want it for inprovement in physical health



I am just starting my weight loss journey.
The biggest turning point for me was in May of 2009 when I was involved in a relationship and the lady that I was with (who is also a heavy person) said I was getting fat, I had moved from the Gabriel Iglecias Five Levels of Fatness." (Big, Healthy, Husky, Fluffy, and DAMN!). He later added a new level. (OH HELL NO!) From fluffy to damn.  And one night while we were being romantic I was to winded and sweating too much to continue not very romantic at all and I all could think about was the pizza that was in the other room .

 

  This was the first time in my life that I was not able to perform or was too tired to continue.
I started weighing myself at work because they have a scale that weighs people in wheel chairs and was able to weigh me. I saw my doctor in September of 2009 for my physical (I hated it I am now in a new age bracket 45+) and since then I have had seen doctors and or had test done almost every week since then, for this and that But they all say the same thing that I am Severely Morbidly Obese With Obstructive Sleep Apnea, High Blood Pressure andOsteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints (My knees) both need to be replaced.  I have a past history of Depression, with a family history of Obesity, Cancer and Diabetes. As far as having Heart Disease the verdict is out on that one, the cardiologist does not want to say yes but he won’t say no  either, he wants more test.    My cholesterol levels are great my doctor was impressed with them.              137                 Range            100-200                           51                  Range             40-60             113                 range              < 150                           109                 range              89-130               100                 range              80-110

 

All other blood work came back within normal limits .

What my turing point was that I need to get serious was when I was at the orthopedic doctor with my knee pain  he said that I was Severely Morbidly Obese that I needed to have surgery but would not perform it until I weighed 350 or less. He said that my right knee is so bad that I could step wrong on it and blow it out and have to have emergency surgery on it. He told me that my knee cap should be about the size of an Eisenhower dollar but mine was the size of a nickel. And that physical therapy or water therapy would not help. I see him about once a month for a cortisone shot.

So that is why I am here and have decided to have weight loss surgery, to improve my physical health .

I have been heavy all my life when I played youth football I was teased that when I was on the line that I could count as 3 people and it only got worse from there.
September of 2008 I weighed close to 500 pounds and I made a choice that I would not weigh that much. 
I have tried diets over the past none seemed to work. 

Good topic, Tink!  By the way, nice to see you again.  I had corresponded with you on other forums a few years ago.  I try to stay in touch on the forums (or at least lurk), but at this point life does get in the way sometime :) 

When I joined OH in 02/2003, just days away from my surgery, I wrote in my initial comments why I was doing what I was doing.  The whole thing is on my profile, but this is the part that I don't want to forget:

02/25/2003: Like most of you, I have been up and down the scales more times than I care to remember. After losing 112 lbs (125 lbs from my all-time high) in 1995-1996, I thought I was finally on the right path. Wrong! I was jogging 15-20 miles per week and using phen-fen to control my appetite. I did not account for things like the FDA pulling part of my solution from the market and joint injuries, as well as upheaval in my life and my typical reactions to them - to eat. It was not long before I was back into the MO category, only this times things are different.

Within the last year I have had several medical complications - asthma, joint pain, HBP, increased cholesterol, reflux, recurrence of irritable bowel syndrome, etc. - all those things that come with obesity. The final straw was last July, when I had a bad fall on a cement floor. I damaged my knee and still cannot seem to return to normal. Most of the damage was to the nerves and the surrounding tissue. It was very scary not being able to feel a good portion of my leg for weeks! It was also the final straw. I had to do something.


Thanks for the reminder!

Sharon

What esculated me to have the surgery was my health started failing and I was very much out of control of my eating habits and had to think about a new direction for my life. Since the surgery, I am the healthiest and happiest I have ever been and each day I thank God for leading me down a new path of LIFE!

Hi Tink, I am new to the site and am scheduled for a Realize Band on May 28.  My motivation is my general health.  I was sidelined over 3 years ago by a pinched nerve in my back (L4-L5) that was aggravated by deterioration of my left knee.  I haven't been able to work, walk more than 2 blocks without severe pain, and am missing out on so many experiences.  I am 60 years old and in spite of myself, in good health.  I do have several co-morbidities, but they are all mild.  I have all of the following; Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and GERD....but all are being managed through meds and diet.
I look forward to regaining my mobility and being an active participant in life!