Athena M.

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Frvsnt O. 22 years, 1 month ago

Athena, Happy 1 Year Anniversary!!! Congratulations on making it a year. It must have been a very exciting time. I'm sure the changes in you are great! I can hardly wait to see my results after a year. I love SC! I have only been 3 times, but each time is better than the last. I'm trying to convince DH to move there when we retire! Have a GREAT DAY!!! RNY 10/31/03 down 84 pounds!!!

thehistorychic 23 years, 1 month ago

May your journey to the other side be guided by a stong hand and may your path afterwards by brilliant. A small Irish Blessing to help you: May your day be filled with blessings Like the sun that lights the sky, And may you always have the courage To spread your wings and fly!

tracy W. 23 years, 1 month ago

In all things Remember,that the one above loves you,that He holds us all in his loving arms,He knows each of us by name.He said anything you ask for in "my name" will be given to you.So in His name I pray for you,that you be given strength, endurance,love,peace and most of all long life.In Jesus' name. When you wake up and see the faces of your loved ones in the recovery room,know that you have made it.Thank Him,Know that you have been blessed to see and to live out the rest of your days with the ones you love and the ones who love you.....Knowing that He loves you too. Happy soon to be ReBirthday.

Melissa S. 23 years, 1 month ago

My prayers will be with you as you go through the surgery and recovery. May your strength be restored; your recovery be swift and your tender heart be renewed.

Shelly K. 23 years, 2 months ago

Hi Athena, Not long to go now, I'm sure you are excited and nervous, I know that I was at this time. The next few days will fly by before you know it. You are in my prayers for a fast and speedy recovery. I truly hope all goes well. I see that you are also from Hartsville. If you would like to chat before or after your surgery please let me know and I will email you my #. Shelly LapRNY 3/3/03 258/225/???

Deanna B. 23 years, 2 months ago

Athena, congratulation on your upcoming surgery!!!!!!!! You will be on the losing side in no time at all. I am Praying for your surgeon to have steady hands and for his talents and skills be their best to give you your new life tool.I also pray for your recovery to be speedy and uncomplicated. My surgery is also just a few days away (April 16th)so I know how you are feeling! That nervous excitement of waiting. Time is an amazing thing I have heard over and over what a diffrence a year can make. So if things get hard remember this is a stepping stone and in no time you will be an inspiration to others a year from now. I am here for you! Stay in touch we can share our ups and downs and support on another. Your a miracle in the making :) Thin thoughts to you!!!!!!!!

Debbie B. 23 years, 2 months ago

Athena - Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and a speedy recovery. May God hold you and your surgery team in his precious hands.

Tami D. 23 years, 2 months ago

Athena, I wanted to offer a few thoughts for you in your struggle...First off, if you are basically healthy why did you decide on this path? Have you tried the things that your friend suggested before with no success? Also, I have to say for ME personally, I still can eat the things I want to. I have yet to come across a food I cannot eat. Some give me mild side effects, but I honestly do not feel deprived of anything. I do dump on some foods, so if I want that type of food I have to make the decision if it is worth the side effects or not. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. YOU and only YOU have to be sure of this surgery to do it. I first learned about this surgery 3 years ago. I had a friend who had it. She did wonderful,and I was encouraged to have it myself, but I just wasn't ready. I felt a lot of the same things you are feeling now. So I made a decision to give myself 2 years to do it on my own. I would try EVERYTHING in that two years, every diet I had already tried, exercise etc.. IF in 2 years I had lost the weight then the issue was over with and I had made the right choice, if not then I would revisit the issue. Well FOR ME two years later I was still the same. I had bounced 40-50 pounds up and down but hadn't kept them off. I had even chose to move to Colorado at the start of my two years hoping the change of scenery and lifestyle would help me. So when my two years was up I did revisit the issue and made the decision to have surgery. But I can tell you very honestly, if I had not given myself that two years to try one last time, I would have had a much more difficult time in the months pre op, and then month or so post op. Each time I questioned what I was going to do to myself, or what I had done to myself post op, I could look back inside myself and truly say "Hey I gave it all I had, this is /was my last chance!" That made a huge difference to me. I guess what you need to do is really do some soul searching, try to figure out why you are hesitant to have the surgery. Are you just plain scared (which is normal) or are you truly not in the right place. If your not in the right place, there is NO shame in not going through it. You are changing your life forever. It is not a bad change, but a change just the same. You have to be ready to accept that change. The being put to sleep part of surgery isn't bad at all. They can give you "I don't care" drugs in the pre op holding area.. and believe me they work! As far as a leak, ask your surgeon how he does the surgery, I had a fear of that too. My surgeon explained how he did it, ( transected, staples then two rows of hand stitching,then checks for leaks with air in the new pouch while I am under, and if he sees any a third row of hand stitching and another check, then a jp drain at the bottom of the new pouch as an extra precaution) when I found out how he does it I was much more at peace. As far as the food issues, that goes back to what I said eairler.. you have to be ready... you won't need / want the food nearly as much but if you use it as a comfort, you will miss it and believe me the darn little demon will still be there in your head saying have a bite. What ever you decide is ok as long as you are at peace with it. Good luck and God Bless.. Tami

cindy 23 years, 2 months ago

My thoughts and prayers are with you for a safe surgery and a speedy, uncomplicated recovery. God Bless

Tami D. 23 years, 2 months ago

Athena, I can really understand your fear. At this point being scared or nervous is perfectly normal. We all are. The thing I really found ironic for me and for others as well is that we fear the complications of surgery, what might happen, but while we sit there day to day MO.. do we ever truly fear the complications or even what we KNOW WILL happen if we stay that way. It’s funny how the brain works. You KNOW as a MO person you will or have gotten high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, and a host of other complications, but when we think about it, do we really fear that as much as the small possibility of surgical complications? We KNOW that as a MO person our likelihood of premature death due to the MO is almost a guarantee but yet, we fear to the point of losing sleep that we will be the one of the small percentage that will die from the surgery. Did you lose sleep worrying about dying before the idea of surgery came about? I know for me I rarely did, even though I knew it was a strong possibility. During my time preop when I was going through my terror stage.. “oh my goodness what am I DOING to myself???” I tried to always think back to what drove me to the decision to have surgery. During the first 4 weeks post op when I felt like S**T I went back to the same thing.. This really helped me. I knew things had to change and would change, whether or not I chose surgery. Either they would change with surgery for the better or without it for the worse, but I accepted that life as I knew it would change either way. So my decision was to change it on MY terms, for the better. Here I am now, nearly 8 months post op, minus 110 lbs. and a new person! I can move, live and feel healthy now! My risk of death due to MO is gone, I have no more high blood pressure, pre diabetes, asthma, sore muscles (except from the occasional over work out in the gym *smile*), sleep apnea, or stress incontinence. I can play with my kids, I can shop in a normal store for clothes, climb a flight of steps, and I no longer feel like when I walk into a room, store, meeting, or my kids school, that I am the center of attention due to my sever morbid obesity. Mentally I am so much happier, I don’t stress over food, I don’t stress about my weight, I no longer wake up in the morning thinking about how I will fail at yet another diet, or how I am going to get through another day. I have energy, happiness and a future again. That is what this decision for surgery and the surgery itself did for me. Having said all that, you have to make the decision that is best for YOU. There will be about a month or so post op that you won't feel all that great. Knowing you have made the right decision for you helps you make it through that first month. Then the going gets much better. If you choose to have surgery, I pray you will find the happiness, health and joy in meeting your goals that I have. If you need to talk, feel free to e-mail me or even give me a call at 702-290-6043. I would be happoy to help you any way I can. Peace and good luck what ever path you choose to take. Tami