CHONITA22
HELLO MY NAME IS SONIA. LIKE MANY OF YOU, I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH MY WEIGHT FOR YEARS. I WAS NOT AN OVERWEIGHT CHILD BUT I STARTED GAINING WEIGHT DURING MY ADOLESENCE YEARS AND BECAME AN OVERWEIGHT ADULT. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING TO LOSE WEIGHT BUT CAN NOT STAY ON A DIET OR REGIMEN TOO LONG BECAUSE I WOULD GET DISCOURAGED. YOU KNOW THE STORY IN WHICH WE LOSE, AND GAIN IT BACK AND THEN MORE. I HAD MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND'S MOTHER SUGGEST TO ME TO GET SURGERY SINCE HER SON HAD HAD THE LAP BAND, AND HAD LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT. BACK THEN FIVE OR SIX EYARS AGO, I DID NOT THINK I NEEDED IT. HOWEVER A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, MY SISTER SUGGESTED I SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT AND I DID.
I ALWAYS SAW THE SURGERY AS MY LAST RESOURCE AND NOW IT WAS. I KINDA MENTIONED IT TO MY DOCTOR AND HE RIGHT AWAY MENTIONED DR. REYES FROM MCALLEN. AFTER THE VISIT, I KINDA FORGOT ABOUT IT (I WAS SCARED AND STILL UNSURE) AND SAW AN AD IN THE NEWSPAPER. THEY SHOWED A PICTURE OF THREE LADIES WITH THEIR BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES. AMAZING! THEY WERE A MOTHER AND TWO DAUGHTERS. THAT IS WHEN I REALLY STARTED CONSIDERING IT. I DID NOT DO ANYTHING AT THAT TIME BECAUSE I HAD STARTED A NEW JOB AND DID NOT FEEL IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME. FINALLY, THIS YEAR, I HAD A CHANCE TO , AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SURGERY, RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS. DURING THE SEMINAR THE LADY IN CHARGE OF VERIFYING INSURANCE TOOK MY INFORMATION AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DOCTOR. A WEEK LATER, SHE CALLED AND SAID MY INSURANCE HAD AN EXCLUSION WHICH WILL NOT PAY FOR MY SURGERY. 
SHE DID MENTIONED THERE WERE OTHER WAYS TO DO IT LIKE APPLYING FOR A LOAN OR BE A CASH PATIENT. AFTER MUCH THOUGHT AND WITH MY HEALTH DETERIORATING, I DECIDED I WOULD GO FOR IT. THANK GOD, I HAD THE MONEY WHICH WAS TOWARDS MY RETIREMENT. MY MOM SAID TO ME, "GO FOR IT, WHAT IF YOU DO NOT GET TO RETIRE, YOU ARE GETTING BIGGER AND YOUR HEALTH IS DECLINING". IT WAS THEN I DECIDED TO GO THROUG IT.
I HAVE ATTENDED ANOTHER SEMINAR, AND A SUPPORT MEETING; I HAD MY INITIAL CONSULT, AND AM PENDING THE LAB WORK, AND ULTRASOUND. OH BY THE WAY, MY SURGEON WILL NOT BE DR. REYES, BUT HIS ASSOCIATE, DR. CAMACHO. INITIALLY, I WAS A LITTLE BUMMED ABOUT IT, BUT I HAVE HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT HIM AND I TRUST HIM. OH, I AM SCHEDULED FOR THE EGD TOMORROW. 
I AM NERVOUS, NEVER HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED. HOWEVER, IT CALMS ME TO KNOW, THAT I KNOW WHAT THE PROCEDURE IS ALL ABOUT AND IT'S DONE VERY QUICKLY. I GUESS I AM ANXIOUS TO KNOW HOW I WILL REACT TO THE CONSIOUS SEDATION. I'LL FIND OUT TOMORROW!! WELL, MY WT AT THIS TIME IS 263 LBS AND AM ONLY 5'0". I AM HOPING THE SURGERY WILL HELP ME TO LOSE AT LEAST 100 LBS IN A YEAR, AND ALLOW ME TO BE MORE ACTIVE AND HAVE ENERGY ALL THE TIME. I WILL POST AGAIN TOMORROW, AFTER MY PROCEDURE.
BYE FOR NOW
