CherylDWilliams
Hi my name is Cheryl. I recently had RnY Gastric Bypass surgery on 4/26/10 as of today 6/1/10 so far I am down 35 pounds (post op weight loss). I'll be 44 years old, and I have a husband that I've been with for the last 13 years and 4 children, two boys and two girls. I have been overweight since I was 9 or 10 years old. I "carried it well." At least that's what I was told as I went through my teenage and early adult years. After my 3rd child, I really started picking up weight I got up to 300lbs post-natal. I lost 50lbs just by releasing a stress factor in my life (ex boyfriend). I pretty much maintained around that weight for about 3 to 4 years, then got pregnant with my 4th child and gained another 30lbs after that pregnancy. Maintaining a 280lb frame I thought I was doing pretty good, I was active in my community, I was a cheerleading coach, and worked full time, and just the work of running a family was exhausting. But I would not lose any weight. I didn't eat three meals a day, and breakfast was non existent for me.
It wasn't until 2005 when i broke my arm, that I started gaining weight, I was not working, and for some reason, when I'm at home I do not eat as much (or so I thought) and the weight started piling on. I got to (and this was my highest weight) to 340lbs that was July of 2009. The decision of surgery was not an option for me, because I thought that was to invasive to lose weight. My joints started giving out on me, my husband told me I snored and it was getting unbearable (lolol), and I started feeling the strain on my heart. My blood pressure was all over the place, even though I was not diagnosed with high blood pressue (yet!), my cholesterol was elevated, but more importantly , I couldn't move around like I wanted to anymore. Going up steps?!!, oh no, I avoided them like the plague!!! In July of 2009, my girlfriend went to a Dr. for B12 shots and phentermine pills, she did great with that plan, she lost almost 100 pounds!! I tried it too, I lost 10lbs!!! I maintained the 330 weight for a few months, and decided, I needed to do something, and do something quickly, because I could not be a prisoner in my home anymore! I am too young to be giving up. I had a double edge sword going for me, "why not just exercise" said one friend, I would love to but my joints cannot support me, so that makes it a little difficult. I have created a sendentary lifestyle for myself, and I had to realize that I better snap out of it or I'm gonna get bigger and bigger!...I needed to help my heart out, more sooner than later!
I researched the interenet and found the University of Maryland Bariatric program, which for my insurance company was an expert facility. I knew of the medical facility, because my husband was a patient there some years back. I attended the seminar, and Dr. Lomenzo was very detailed in his presentation and straight forward and very professional. He was so detailed, there weren't too many questions I could ask at that time.
Now that I'm post-op, I am struggling with the scheduled eating. I'm 5 weeks post op and I have hunger pains, not mental ones, but real ones, it seems like I'm hungry all the time. Is anyone here going through this? Nevertheless, I am excited of the new physical person I am going to become, there will some weights I have not seen since high school (below 200lbs). I am glad that we will go through this journey together.
Talk to ya soon! :o)
Cheryl
