Melissa P.
So my story...I'm an ER nurse who works night shift and have for many years. I have been overweight pretty much my entire life, able to lose weight for a while but then gain it back. Same story as everyone, right? So the last two years I was determined to get healthy, and if I lost weight that would just be a bonus. So I joined Weight Watchers, which was great for about a year...I lost about 50lbs, exercised regularly, had more energy, improved my blood pressure and cholesterol levels. GREAT!!
And then...my mom got sick. I had to fly cross-country for a month-and-a-half to take care of her, in a part of the country where they consider fried broccoli as healthy food . After I gained 20lbs back, I realized that I am able to lose weight but I needed something more structured to keep me on track; especially during those emotionally draining times when dieting goes out the window. So after two years of my PCP pushing me to go for a bariatric surgery consultation, I gave in and had my first consult at Stanford in April. Now, I have never been a big fan of bariatric surgery. Just from my experiences from taking care of patients who have had RNY with tons of complications and no weight loss I was pretty sure that I wouldn't go through with it. But nonetheless, I would "Just hear what they had to say". Well, that got the ball rolling...I did all of my research on Stanford, the surgeons, their stats, success rates, etc...Now I am one-week post-op from a VSG.
I am still very new and fresh on this side of the coin, it has not been easy going since the surgery. My husband, God bless him, has been nothing but supportive and all my friends, family and other people I have met who have had the surgery are getting me through. Grant it, it has only been one week and I have to keep reminding myself of that...but its a journey and not a destination. I'll keep you posted as we all travel this road, we can get through it together!
