Sunday, August 2, 2015

Introduction!

Hello, world!
I am Felicity and this blog is to share my Weight Loss Surgery journey with the world.
Why am I doing this?  I feel that part of my journey to a better ME is to document my own thoughts, challenges, and successes along the way - and hopefully - help others who may be going through some of the same thoughts and feelings that I am.

This blog is about weight loss, so let's get the important info out of the way first.  I have struggled with weight for as long as I can remember.  When I was a child growing up, I remember being scolded for sneaking lunch treats and eating too much outside my family mealtime. I had a poor body image because I was 'chubby' which led me to eat even more. I was over 200lb by the time I was 14 years old. I was over 250 by 17 and broke the 300lb mark around age 21.  My highest weight was about 380lb when I was 27 years old.

Magically, even though I was heavy, I was relatively healthy.  I am lucky to not have had any co-morbidities that are often associated with super obesity.  I am not diabetic, my blood pressure is in a normal range, no heart conditions.  I did have issues with little-to-no menstrual cycles, back pain, and sleep apnea.  It was hard to do any physical activity and I would get winded just walking through a parking lot.

It was at my highest weight of 380lb that I decided I had to do SOMETHING. Hundreds and thousands of dollars in diets and gym memberships weren't working. I could lose a little weight, but then immediately regain. I always felt hunger.  That is when I started looking online into Weight Loss Surgery.  I had a great job with good benefits which included bariatric surgery. So, I got up the courage to call a local surgeon within my network and schedule a consultation.

The surgeon was very charming and nice and made me feel right at home. My online research all pointed towards getting a Lap-Band procedure, so I expressed interest in that to the surgeon. He let me know that I would be a great candidate and set me up on the approval process. Although I dragged my feet along the way (getting medical records was a challenge!) 18 months later in July 2011 I was recovering from my brand new band.

This is where I wish I could start telling you about how well the surgery went and how it worked for me.  It didn't.  I followed the post-op instructions, but was so HUNGRY all the time. I only lost about 20lb within the first 4 months, then another 20lb over the next 4 years, but never did I see any significant weight loss. I had many adjustments to the restriction of the band, but it was never quite right. Some days I could eat a large movie theater popcorn with butter, then other days I would wake up and a glass of water would not pass through my restriction. I was left depressed that even I was too fat for this lap band to work.  I had even lower self-esteem and self-loathing that I paid money for a surgery, went under the knife, and had nothing to show for it except some scars.

Fast forward to 2015.  I have been frustrated with my Lap-Band for 4 years now.  I feel like it is a curse. I have an unhealthy relationship with food - I binge-eat foods that will pass my band and avoid foods that will give me issues. It was finally in June of 2015 that I decided to look into what is called a "Revision Surgery" - basically, removal of the Lap Band and changing to another form of weight loss surgery.  I was very interested in this after hearing about an acquaintance of my husband having the same issues with his lap band as I did, then revising to a Gastric Sleeve (VSG) and being very successful.  Maybe I wasn't the issue, and instead I chose the wrong surgery?

I finally made an appointment for a consultation with a respectable surgeon in my state that does WLS revisions. My pre-authorization tests are completed and paperwork is underway - I decided that a revision to a Gastric Bypass (RNY) is the best bet for me, and I am making lifestyle changes to make sure I succeed.  More about that -- and a surgery date -- soon!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Felicity, Great documentation of your story and all that you have gone through. I am looking forward to reading about the rest of your journey after you get the RNY. I'm sure that you will have great success! :) You are very determined!
    I will continue to document my journey as well.

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Chris! I am new to blogging, but already on day #2 it feels good to get my thoughts out there! Send me a link to your blog so I can check it out! :)

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  2. Hi Felicity, I'm not tech savvy enough to have my own blog so all of my blog and story is on the Obesity Help website under cc583.

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