phatgurlwerld09

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Obesity & Me

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

It has definatley been a battle let me tell you!!! I have been fat ever since i can remember as far back as 4 or 5 yrs. old. My Grandparents raised me and they were not by far overweight people, my granny would try to limit me but she said I would get angry and ask for 2nd's, my mom was not overweight til she was about 33. Of course that was due too bad eating habits and depression for her, now my father's side of the family that is a different story!!! He is a big man 5'10 400 lbs. or more so I believe I inherited the fat gene along w/ my mom's emotional eating habits I eat when I'm sad or upset and the richer the food the better I have had a lot of emotional issues in my life the fear of rejection an beng left and when I felt rejected or I was left I turned to food, and its practically ruined my life. Don't get me wrong I have been on the weightloss rollercoasters I have had my moments to have a big weightloss anywhere from 60-115lbs. each time but for the life of me it was a crazy challenge keeping it off the last time I lost the weight I kept it off for 2 yrs. then I was pregnant w/ my 2nd son in 2003 I gained 83 lbs. but I quickly lost them thereafter to about 210 lbs. which still wasnt my goal, of course then again depression sunk in when his dad and I called it "quits" for good. It's been almost 3 yrs now and I have managed to pack on over 130 lbs. i'm at a all time high of 343 lbs. yuk!!! And I can't seem to snap out of the depression the saddness of course it has lighted over the last year after coaching myself thru it all and discovering there is a tool to assist me in winning the battle of obesity!!!:)

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

The WROST thing about being overweight is not being able to live my life to the fullest... not being able to live out of my skin i'm a very spontaneous gal, I luv adventure and a new challenges, I enjoy the outdoors, playing sports and just being active. But being so heavy it's nearly impossible to all the things I love. Most of the time I just want to stay in my home and watch movies which is terrible for my 2 boys who of course rather be doing something fun outdoors, it's very upseting for me.

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

I NOW ENJOY LIFE AGAIN I DO A LOT OF FAMILY ACTIVITIES WITH MY 2 BOYS I LOVE TO MEET NEW PEOPLE IM ENERGIZED TO CLEAN MY HOUSE AND UPKEEP MY YARD MY FAVORITE PART IS BUYING CUTE CLOTHES TO WEAR :)

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

I 1st heard about bariatric surgery back in 2007 about 2 yrs ago a friend of mine that worked with me she was so estatic about being approved by our insurance and she was going to have it. Now I see her and her life has changed drastically in her favor of course!!! I did attempt to call the Dr. whom was performing her surgery but at that time he was not accepting any new patients but I was not given any reason why except that there was a new Dr. coming from Dallas Tx to take over his practice and that it would be a while before I could be seen for a consultation, this really put my hopes down but I was put on a waiting list in july 2008. I continued to call them verifying my status and all they would tell me was I was still on the list and they would contact me when Dr. Roye had received his license for my insurance. I felt discouraged and started Herbal Life it was great I dropped 30 lbs. in 3 months but soon after gained it back w/in about 3 months plus 10 extra lbs. then about 2 months ago I decided to call Dr. Royes ofc again for another try well they got me in right of way 05/23/09 for my initial consultation and I have had all my required testing my insurance has approved me and I'm scheduled for 08/03/09 yeah!!!

Describe your experience with getting insurance approval for surgery. What advice, if any, do you have for other people in this stage?

Getting approved for my surgery w/ my insurance was actually quite easy, I suppose it depends on your insurance co. and what their reqiurements are some insurances require more than others my insurance co. simply required that you be at least 21 yrs of age, bmi over 40, and 5 yrs.history of obesity. I have heard that other insurances require a lot more and the approval can take weeks, so just be patient and get all the testing your bariatric physician requires out of the way and your ins. approval will come quickly after it should all fall into place.

What was your first visit with your surgeon like? How can people get the most out of this meeting?

My 1st visit w/ Dr. Roye was kind of nerve racking, I didn't know what to expect and if they were gonna deny me or what. But he was very thorough and let me know most of what to expect and his asst. she was the most helpful she gave me a packet to follow and it has been a very handy tool assisting me in all the testing Dr. Roye requires to assure you do not have any health issues that need to be conquered that would keep you from having the surgery to make sure your body can handle it. Advice is to ask questions be inquisitive.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I finally decided to have the surgery b/c I have tried everything possible to loose weight and KEEP IT OFF!!! Im tired of the rollercoaster of weightloss and I do know it is not healthy for my body I am ready for a tool to assist me in reaching my goal once and for all and this time KEEPING IT OFF!!!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I decided on the grastrobypass surgery b/c I knew with the great deal of weight I had to loose((200 lbs)) it was the best option for me, Dr. Roye advised me that with the lapband surgey most people gain it back w/ in a few yrs. and with the routine y gastricbypass it was more effective.

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?

Well where iam now I have not actually went thru my surgery yet til 08/03/09 Im about 20 days away but yes Im going thru stages of emotions on how I think it will be at 1st I was very upset thinking I would not make it thru surgery that I was not ever gonna see my boys again, and how I could not afford to risk my life right now b/c I have my babies to live for and they needed me more than anything right now for GOD'S sake they are only children ((12 and 5)) and their fathers are not currently in their lives so they desperately need ME:( but thru all the thinking and the tears and the nerves shot thinking I would not make it thru, GOD answered my prayers, Fri. 07/10/09 I recieved a phone call from Dr. Royes ofc and they advised me I would only have to py 1182.00 for my deductable instead of 2500.00 and then I received a letter form my short term disability group indicating that I was approved for short term disability and that I would be pd for the time I would be home recovering from my surgery up to 12 wks so of course i was estatic and that was closure for me just GOD letting me know iot is meant for me to have the surgery so that way I can be here in ths world long term for my SONS and I still have work to do here on earth and he is not ready for me yet!!! :)

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?

Well as of today my family seems supportive they say to me " its whatever I wanna do" some don't understand why I just dont loose the weight as I had before but they dont understand that I now need help to get there and a tool to help me to maintain a healthy weight, as for my bestfriend she seems to be happy for me and supportive in her own way.

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

I advise my supervisor that I would be having surgery but she still has not asked me what for perhaps she already knows and has heard from others that Im having weight loss surgery I really dont know maybe she is waiting to discuss it with me later i dunno really, and depending on my recovery is how long I will be out of work Im guessing 2-4 wks.
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