There was something wrong with my brain, even though I weighed over 330 pounds I never saw myself that way. Sure I knew I was zaftig – but just how fat never really entered my mind. Forget that I could no longer see my toes – much less touch them. Forget that I would about collapse after climbing a flight of stairs. I blamed everything on Fibromyalgia. I was using an electric mobility scooter for just about every outing that required more than 20 steps. I was wearing a size 30 pants and a 48E bra.
It was a year ago today that I had Roux en Y gastric bypass performed by Dr. Michael Tyner at REX Hospital in Raleigh, NC. Terrified, I wanted to back out of it – I thought I was ready, that is until my surgery date in February came and went thanks to a suspicious scratch on my stomach. My doctor (thankfully) didn’t want to take any risks of it being MRSA and put me on antibiotics and rescheduled for 1 March. That gave me 2 weeks to question everything. I was not ready to go one more birthday over 300lbs; if I even made it to another birthday.
My doctor told me that I would lose 100# the first year. I’ve lost 143. I now take the stairs most of the time. Fibromyalgia still kicks my ass some days, but I no longer use the scooter. I am in size 12 pants and 38D bra. I can now touch my toes, and I walk without collapsing. I take my vitamins faithfully. My blood work is smack dab in the middle of NORMAL.
Anyone who says that surgery is the easy path to weight loss has no idea what they are saying. Emotionally, physically and mentally this is the hardest thing I have ever done. But I am grateful forever new adventure I can go on thanks to my better health.