I have been heavy for as long as I can remember. As I child I was the chunky one. In high school, I managed to lose fifty pounds without really trying and felt wonderful about myself. In college, I gained that weight back. After I got married, I gained more weight. After both my pregnancies, I gained even more weight, until I reached my all-time high of 305 pounds. I was disgusted with myself and hated the person I had become. I never wanted to go out with my husband because I hated the way I looked. I avoided social situations, and when I couldn't avoid them, I never enjoyed myself because of how self-conscious I was.
Finally, I decided to do something about my weight and joined Weight Watchers on January 1, 2004. In the next year I lost 70 pounds and felt wonderful. I loved going out, I enjoyed buying clothes for the first time in years, and I wanted people to notice me and my weight loss. I was no longer ashamed of how I looked.
But, as I always have in the past, I started to slip into old habits. Eating too much, making poor choices, not exercising, and the weight crept back on. Add into that equation the fact that my father's entire family was morbidly obese and I inherited his lousy metabolism and it's a recipe for obesity and all the health problems that go with it. At the moment, I was pretty healthy, despite a BMI of 43. But, I knew that wouldn't last. If I didn't get my weight under control once and for all I knew I would be looking at a future of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, aches and pains, and heart disease.
In 2002 my father had gastric bypass. He was one of the success stories, had an easy recovery, lost weight at a steady pace, has kept it off for the past 4 years, and has had no complications. His weight loss inspired me and was one of the reasons I joined Weight Watchers. But once the weight gain started again, I knew I needed something more drastic to help me lose weight and keep it off. I looked into the gastric bypass like my father had, but I wasn't ready to have my insides rearranged and deal with some of the health side effects of the bypass. I know my dad had a great experience, but there are some pretty scary complications that can happen. I'd almost given up on the idea of surgery when I heard about the adjustable gastric band, also known as a lapband. It is a simple, reversible surgery, has less side effects and complications than the bypass, and was not as invasive.
The band is placed around the top of your stomach and a small balloon around the inside is filled with saline. The saline expands the balloon, which in turn makes the hole that food can pass through smaller. This means that you feel full longer and cannot eat large portions. Since my major problem was portion control, I thought this would be a good option for me.
I attended my first educational seminar on May 24th. The hospital has a very thorough program, with lots of pre-surgery education and post-op follow up. I had appointments with a nutritionist, the bariatric nurse, and a psychologist to make sure I could handle the psychological impact of the surgery and the changes that would follow. I also had numerous pre-op tests, including an EKG, blood work, a pulmonary function test, and an upper GI, which was probably the worst part of the whole experience! In the end, I passed all my tests and evaluations and was given a surgery date of August 15th, 2006. I knew that I was finally going to get my weight under control.
In the weeks before surgery I had what the experts call "Last Supper Syndrome," meaning I ate everything I could get my hands on. I gained ten pounds in the month before surgery, but I didn't care. I knew I was going to be losing it soon enough and I wanted one last chance to enjoy some of my favorite foods. Sure enough, I lost all that weight in the 10 days before surgery when I was put on a diet of only 4 Slim Fast Optima shakes a day. The surgeon has patients do the diet in order to shrink the liver, which needs to be moved during the surgery. Those 10 days were hell. I was cranky, tired, had constant headaches, and was craving real food. By the time I was done I would have killed for something salty!
But, I knew in the end it would be worth it. I was finally ready for my surgery and ready to get healthy. I felt like my life was about to start over and I couldn't wait.
