So I said yesterday that I would do a post about this. And now I am.
When I was a kid I was skinny. And then I developed mental health issues, some serious ones, got on medication, and started gaining weight. In high school I managed to get down to around 160 ish lbs and that's thinner than I've ever been in my entire adult life.
In June of 2010 I weighed over 300 lbs. It was at that point that that my Endocrinologist said that I should consider getting a lap band.
Now, my dad happens to work in the medical business and knows all the best surgeons, so he introduced me to my future surgeon, Dr. Michael A. Snyder of Rose Bariatrics. He's one of the best bariatric surgeons in the country, and people come to denver from all over to have him do their surgeries. I went to his seminar that he makes all patients attend before talking with him and then we met privately. I had been thinking about getting a lap band, but Dr. Snyder and I eventually ended up deciding Bypass was the way to go. This decision is probably one of the most important I've ever made in my life, yet it came so easily. I started attending pre surgery classes and my surgery date was set for November 1st. It seemed like it couldn't come soon enough.
On the morning of my surgery I weighed in at 320 lbs.
I woke up in the hospital after in no pain. Morphine pumps are pretty nice. I was only in the hospital for three days, and I slept for most of that time. The worst thing about immediate post of was the drain. It was disgusting and it felt icky in my body. When I had it removed she said, "Now, it's going to feel like I'm pulling out your stomach." It did! It was the most horrible feeling! I didn't believe her it would feel like that but that is exactly what it felt like.
The liquid diet was miserable, because my medicine was still making me hungry. Normally people aren't hungry after surgery but I was starving all the time. It seemed like ages before I got on solid foods but things got a lot better after that.
AS soon as I was able I started to exercise. And I exercised a lot. Portion control, exercise. So important. After the first few weeks, it really wasn't that bad at all.
It was a major life change. I got a lot more energy almost right away, felt better, was healthier.
Here's a little before and after for you
I've never posted this picture on line before. But here it is for you.
This is a couple of months ago:
RIght now I weigh 165 lbs! That's only 10 lbs away from my goal weight. If you're thinking about surgery, or having trouble, please message me! I'm here for YOU even if I don't know you and we've never spoken before!
This ended up being shorter than I intended but Migraine xD