melmaejack

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Obesity & Me

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

I had been chubby all my life. When I was a child I was teased constantly....buffalo butt, watermelon butt, fatty, thunder thighs, you name it. I was always active, I was involved in all kinds of activities, ice skating, skiing, baseball, dance classes, track and field, tennis, I was even a cheerleader in high school. I was sexually abused by my maternal grandfather when I was a child and never told anyone. I ate because food was my friend, my best friend. It was my main source of pleasure. I was always the "happy fat girl". I was always fun to be around but when no one was around, food was. I have tried every diet there is. I started dieting when I was in the 5th grade. I remember going to diet workshop with my dad. How depressing. For many years I ate. The more I could stuff into my mouth the better. Vegetables? Salad? Not without being covered in fatty sauces or dressings. I could eat massive quantities of food. There was one time I actually ate so much that I threw up...and then I went back to eating. I felt powerless. I couldn't stop eating. I did phen fen and lost 50 pounds yeah! They took it off the market I gained back 100 pounds. I continued to put on a brave face and kept smiling. I attempted to go the weight loss surgery route in my 20's but when I got to the psychological review, I failed! I wasn't ready for surgery. I went onto therapy, hopefull that if I could talk through my abuse and my childhood, then the weight would just fall off. Boy was I wrong! Many therapists and different diagnosis later, I found a great therapist and a psychiatrist that was my miracle worker. With the right mix of medications I was able to get off the rollercoaster of my emotions. I was able to lose some weight but never kept it off. I thought about gastric bypass again. It took me 10 more years before I was ready to break up with my best friend food.

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

Everything about beng overweight was aweful. There was not one good thing about it. I couldn't by stylish clothes. I couldn't wear highheels. I couldn't ride amusement park rides. I couldn't fit in airplane seats. I kept telling myself that the world just didn't have room for "fat" people. At my heaviest, 314 pounds, I couldn't move. I could barely make it up to the second floor at my house. Every part of my body hurt.

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

Gastric Bypass is the BEST thing I have every done for myself. I was also one of the hardest. I had to mourn the loss of food and boy was that painful. My friends and family call me the amazing shrinking woman. I am now 180 pounds, that's 134 pounds gone!. I can wear a size 12 pants! I never wore a size 12!!!!! At my weight loss center they offered activities to get you moving. There I found Nia. "Nia is a sensory-based movement practice that leads to health, wellness and fitness. It empowers people of all shapes and sizes by connecting the body, mind, emotions and spirit. Classes are taken barefoot to soul-stirring music in more than 45 countries. Trainings are designed for those seeking personal enrichment and professional development. Every experience can be adapted to individual needs and abilities. Step into your own joyful journey with Nia, and positively shape the way you feel, look, think and live." (taken from the Nianow website) I started Nia at 314 pounds.....here I am 1 year later at 180 pounds and now a Nia teacher! I teach at the weight loss center where I had my surgery. This is my achievement I am most proud of. I never would have had the confidance to stand in front of a dance class and teach people to move a year ago!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I knew I had to have the surgery or I was going to die. There was no way my body could keep going with all that weight.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I wanted a permenent solution. I new I needed discipline and gastric bypass was the strictest option.

What fears did you have about having complications or even dying from from the surgery, and what would you tell other people having the same fears now?

I had more fear of dying before surgery than I did at the time of my actual surgery. I was so excited the day of surgery!

How did your family and friends react to your decision? Would you have communicated anything differently if you could now? How supportive were they after your surgery?

People freaked out at the mention of weight loss surgery! My husband was terrified but became my biggest supporter. After surgery, everyone treated me like I was "different" they thought I couldn't eat anything ever again. Everyone always made a big deal out of what I was or was not eating. Now that I wave lost weight my family is proud of me.

How did your employer/supervisor react to your decision? What did you tell him/her? How long were you out of work?

My employer was fine with my decision. I wasn't the first one to go through the surgery. Several of my coworkers had made the journey before me. I was not ashamed of my decision. I told everyone that I was having gastric bypass surgery. I took off the recommended 6 weeks from work. I was going to do everything right this time and if the doctor said take 6 weeks then I was taking 6 weeks!

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

I was uncomfortable at my first weight loss seminar. I was in a room full of people in the same situation as me but felt totally alone. I knew I had to attend several seminars before I would qualify for surgery, so I sucked it up and went. They had really wide chairs to sit in! That was the first thing I noticed about the center. It really did cater to large people!

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

I was in the hospital overnight, barely 24 hours. I really didn't need to bring anything. I was lucky to be in a room with a woman who had previously gone through the surgery so she could share her experience. The hospital where I had my surgery, did many surgeries. It felt like the whole wing of the hospital was people going through wight loss surgery.

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

I had no complications from surgery.

Describe your first few weeks home from the hospital. What should people expect from this period?

This was tough. It was a full time job to get in the much needed water and protein. That was my priority and didn't do much else those first weeks but concentrate on myself and creating heathy habits.

How far did you travel to have your surgery? (If far, how did this affect your aftercare?)

My surgery was in the smae city I live in so I still go to the wight loss center 3 times a week for my exercise.

What side effects (nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbace, dumping, hair loss etc.) were worse for you? For how long after surgery did they persist? How did you cope with them?

I really haven't had many side effects. I never lost my hair (thank god). I have only experienced dumping twice in the year since my surgery.

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

I have no scars. They did my surgery laproscopically and you can't tell at all.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I am at a plateau now a year out from surgery. I can be frustrating but I have never felt so good! Sometimes the scale doesn't move by my clothes fit better and my measurments change. The scale is not the only indicator of weight loss. I know I am building muscle.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People definately treat me differently now. Strangers no longer look past me or snicker at me. I have more confidence then ever and I know I carry myself differently.
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