Betsy@goal

Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

Wow, where to start. I started to become "overweight" at the age of 5. I remember seeing class pictures and I was always the largest kid in the pictures. Everyone in my family is large. I remember my mother was always on some sort of diet which I would do with her. As I grew up and got larger.....things didn't get much better. I got very good at avoiding social situations. I hated the way that I looked. I would day dream about being thin. My favorite day dream was that I would find a magic lantern and a genie would grant me 3 wishes. Wish #1 would always be that I was thin. #2 would be that my body was not only thin but I was athletic and toned. #3 was that I had a really nice boyfriend. I never found that magic lantern.....at least until I learned about bariatric surgery.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

I think the worst thing was the stares that you would sometimes get from people while at restaurants. Or maybe the name calling at school. Not being able to ride amusement park rides. How you look in a bathing suit. Huffing and puffing after climbing a few stairs. This list could go on and on.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

Softball!!!!! Walking up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing!!! More energy!!!

How did you first find out about bariatric surgery and what were your initial impressions of it?

I found out about bariatric surgery when it came out in the news.....Al Roker and Carnie Wilson. At that time, I was self-employed and didn't have insurance coverage. Once I decided to go back to working for someone else, I got a job that offered the coverage of the surgery. My initial impression was...."wow, I think that would be something I'd like to have done."

What was your stay in the hospital like? How long where you there? What things are most important to bring?

I had great nurses when I stayed in the hospital. They brought me a walker so I could walk the halls unassisted. The only drawback was the IV team. My IV failed the second night I was in the hospital. Those 2 ladies aren't my favorite people. The only other problem that I had was , I guess, an allergy to the tape that they used to hold the IV in place. I still have scars from it. I was in the hospital for 3 days. I really didn't need anything in the hospital....they provided everything. I just took a comfy slip over dress to wear home from the hospital.

Did you have any complications from the surgery? If so, how did you deal with them?

I had no complications at all. I went back to work after 3 weeks.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

After I got my date, I cleaned like a mad woman!! I didn't want to have to deal with anything afterwards. I was relieved to get my date. I actually didn't have any scary thoughts or anything. I was pretty calm. I knew what I needed to get done before hand and I got it done. I didn't get nervous before surgery. I was just ready to get it over with. So I could have some time off from work....lol. I worked up until 12noon the day before surgery.

What aftercare support group/program do you have? How helpful/important is this?

The last Thursday of the month Liv-Lite has a support group meeting. I've attended a few of these meetings. Right now I'm playing softball and my games are on Thursday night so I won't be able to attend the September meeting, but I plan to go to the next one. These meetings are very helpful. They also let you meet other people who are just like you and can understand how it feels to be overweight. Also you get to meet new people......that's the best part!

What is your scar like? Is this what you expected?

My scar is about 8" long. My scar is actually better than I expected. I was afraid that my bra would rub on it....but it doesn't go up that far so I was extremely pleased.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I haven't had what you would call a plateau yet. I did have a couple of weeks where I didn't lose anything, but it didn't last long.....at least I didn't gain anything! But I don't weigh myself very often.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yeah, my co-workers say I'm not such a grouch anymore......lol. I've had a lot of compliments since surgery. Everyone one says that they can see the weight loss in my butt and my face........didn't know so many people were looking at my butt!!! LOL
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