The Beginning

So, let me start by saying that being heavy is all I’ve ever known.  When I was in fifth and sixth grade and other girls were wearing all the cute clothes, I was wearing boys’ husky jeans.  I never got to wear the ‘stylish’ clothes the other girls wore in junior high because I was wearing women’s clothing by that time.  And it only got worse from there.

I would, however, like to thank the kids I went to school with.  I was never bullied.  I was ignored, and yes that hurt, but I still had good friends, and none of those who weren’t my friends ever went out of their way to be mean to me.  I am very grateful for that now, though at the time I didn’t realize how lucky I was.

At fifteen, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  It had caused my face, hands, and feet to swell and my metabolism to slow even more.  It also effectively stopped me from growing taller.  The medication helped, but even with dieting I was never going to be a “normal” teenage girl.

Fast forward twenty-five years and my doctor is telling me I have congestive heart failure and advising bariatric, or weight loss, surgery.  At the time, insurance was not an option.  I made too much for state help and not enough for federal help.  I did what I could on my own and managed to drop about thirty pounds.

Then, we moved to Arizona and I got a new job.  Down side, it is in a call center and therefore extremely sedentary.  Up side, the health benefits are very good.  So, when my new doctor advised last December that I consider bariatric surgery, I decided to look into it.

In March of 2018, I had my first visit at the bariatric center.  I knew absolutely nothing and had done very little research.  I have since learned that you want a surgeon who works in a certified Bariatric Center of Excellence.  Fortunately for me, the clinic I was referred to is one.

The surgeon I met with that day reviewed my weight and BMI and made her recommendations.  There would be at least three months of medically supervised weight loss, this is a requirement of most, if not all, insurance companies.  They want to know you are committed to making a change before authorizing the surgery.  I was told to limit my carbohydrate intake to no more than fifty grams per day and to get at least eighty grams of protein.  If that sounds like the keto diet, it’s because they are based on similar principles.

Additionally, I had to get initial bloodwork done and get a cardiologist to say my heart was okay for surgery, at this time I was still going from the diagnosis of congestive heart failure from a few years earlier.  Also, I had to get psychiatric clearance and attend at least one peer support group.

As I left the office, they set up several appointments for the next few months, including one with a dietician.  I had a lot of work to do before my next appointment in a month.

(I apologize, but at this point I am not comfortable with sharing all my numbers publicly.  I hope to get there, but I’m not yet.)