And hence the reason for starting this journey... My personal journey from cankles to stilettos...from dough girl to GO GIRL...from chunky to spunky...my personal weight loss journey. Actually, I should re-wright that...my personal journey to a new life of WELLNESS.
I didn't quite understand this concept of wellness until very recently when I decided to attend a seminar about bariatric surgery. I actually forgot that I had registered for the seminar and was headed home that Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 to continue my normal deadly routine: pick up fast food, go home, put the dog out back, sit in my recliner, watch TV and only get up for more Coca-Cola and bathroom breaks.
I attended this seminar, reluctantly of course. I was a bit late when I got there so I was totally out of my comfort zone. Typically I arrive early at an event like this, find a seat all to myself, out of sight. I walked into a room full of "big boned" folks. And there was an aisle seat a few rows from the front. My inclination is to turn and walk out, pretend I'm in the wrong place and run for the parking garage. That's what my mind was screaming but my heart was quietly saying "you really need to hear this". Mostly out of exhaustion and trying to get out of the spotlight, I slid quietly into the seat.
I listened intently to the intro, given by the case manager, revealing Steps to Surgery. I started looking at the literature I found in my chair and had all intentions of finding out more about the Lap Band procedure. In my mind, it's cheaper, out-patient surgery, quick recovery, etc. the results are average...
Enter Dr. Bruce. The Man with the Plan. He has studied nutrition, weight loss, bariatric surgery and also practices general surgery. He was full of spunk and excited to tell us a lot of what we didn't already know. To my surprise, the nationwide obesity plague is a lot worse than I imagined. There has been a 225% spike in obesity from 1980's through today. What started up in the late 70's, early 80's? Fast food joints. Drive-thru's. Technology. Video games.
Guess who fell for that stuff, hook, line and sinker? Yep. Yours truly. Guess where that stuff went? My hips. My thighs. My "love handles". My muffin top. Who am I kidding? It's not even a muffin top... it's a busted can of biscuits!!
Needless to say, if anyone needed to be at this seminar, it was me. By the end of the seminar, I had changed my mind and decided to do the Gastric Bypass surgery instead of the Lap Band. The Lap Band is great for lower BMI's, but it is easy to cheat with those, which can cause problems with the band and could possibly require additional surgery to correct issues. I am a cheater by nature, especially since I live alone and decided the best course for me is the Gastric Bypass. Plus, it is much more drastic in the results with overall wellness.
So, going into this, I had the following co-morbidities (insurance requires at least two of these to approve surgery):
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Sleep Apnea
- Beginning stages of arthritis
- Fatty Liver Disease
- Eosiniphillic Esophagitis (esophageal disease caused by food allergies)
- IBS (which, by the way, Dr. Bruce said is really not a diagnosis, but an excuse for "you have a bad diet and we don't have anything else to call it.")
- Depression
The surgery will clear all of those up... some maybe not completely, but the majority will be cleared up. While I won't be taking pills anymore, I will have to take vitamins for the rest of my life to supplement the changes in my body.
I will get into the vitamin deficiencies I have in another post... that's a long and quite entertaining story.
For now, this is the beginning of my blog to document this journey that I began in early November, 2012. The fun stuff has really gotten started this past week. I have a lot of work to do and will need a LOT of support. Only supportive comments welcome here :) Naysayers can find another blog to read.
Kell
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