In the beginning...

Over a year ago, my husband and I attended a meeting about bariatric surgery. He had been thinking about it for some time and I wanted to know more. I thought that if he was thinking about having gastric bypass then I should know more about it. The seminar was very informative about both gastric bypass and the Lap Band procedure.

At the time, I really wasn't interested in either procedure for myself. The idea of permanently altering my insides (either by banding or bypass) seemed like too big of a step for me. I have dieted and exercised in the past and never had any luck but I guess I always just figured I was meant to be this way my whole life. The seminar did help me to realize why my husband wanted to have a bypass and it helped me to feel more at ease about him going through the process.

I tried to attend as many doctor's appointments and procedures as he would let me attend. I wanted to know everything about everything. I watched him go through the long process and throughout the entire journey, we talked about whether it would make sense for me. Nine months ago, I began the process but was still not sure I would ever be able to go through with it. I just knew that if I did, I wanted to do it soon after he did so we could make most of the journey together.

A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to have the bypass as well. I knew all that it entailed and I had been thinking about it for a long time. When Walter decided not to go through with his procedure, I wasn't sure what to do. I was so torn. I wanted to support him in his decision to try the healthy eating and exercise approach again but I knew that I had never been successful at it. He had been successful in the past but just had difficulty sticking to it. I wasn't sure I could truly be supportive if I chose a different method. How could we make the journey together if we were on two different roads?

After having met with a nutritionist several times over the course of several months, I knew that diet just wasn't going to work. No matter how little I ate and no matter how many of my favorite things I cut from my diet, I still couldn't lose weight.

I decided that to truly support one another we had to take the road that best fit each of us even if it put us on a different path. The important thing I needed to remember is that both roads lead to the same place. They lead to a more active lifestyle where we don't have to worry about fitting in an airplane seat or missing out on our nieces and nephews because we don't have the energy to play along. So, we talked it out and each of us made our decision to make our own way and to be there for each other no matter how different our journeys may be.

So, I completed the process and was approved by the insurance company. I had my final meeting with the surgeon and he gave me a surgery date. I had my meetings with the personal trainer to give me some easy strength training exercises I can do from home starting now and continuing on after surgery. I had my blood work done last Friday.

I begin my liquid only diet on July 12. On July 19, I have my pre-op appointment with the surgical nurse and the anesthesiologist. And lastly, on July 20, I will have my EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy). As long as everything looks good with all these tests, my surgery will take place on July 26, which happens to be my mom's birthday. When the surgeon gave me that date, I couldn't help but think that it was a good omen. My mom thinks so as well. I am so close and I am getting so very excited.

Walter helped me to take starting pictures of myself the other night. I will post those in the next few days. I probably won't take another set of pictures until the night before my surgery. However, after surgery I expect to post pictures at least once a week. We have set up a place to take the pictures every time and I have decided to wear the same clothes every time until they are just too big to stay on anymore.

I am going to end this blog posting here because I know its already too long. :-) I will write again soon. Perhaps a little posting about all the wonderful treats I have had this week on my week-long farewell to dessert...