Rpyle111

[font=Arial][size=3][background=rgb(246,246,246)]I've been playing with the idea of WLS for a number of years, and finally have 'flipped the switch' to get going on changing my life. [/background][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=3][background=rgb(246,246,246)]I have been fat since childhood, but at least since college an athletic fat guy. I hovered in the 300's for most of my adult life, diving down to my lowest adult weight of 260 in 1993. That bout of almost normal weight was interrupted by a blood clot in my leg, which took me out of sports (which were my main source of exercise) for over a year due to blood thinners, and I got married at 300 pounds. After that, stress and life changes kept the weight gain moving (in a bad way). We moved to England for three years for work, and I came back about 40 pounds heavier. Cam back from Europe with our first child and spent about 10-12 years working hard to lose weight, being successful for about 6 months at a time, and then losing the motivation to keep up whatever program had been successful, and gaining most or all of the weight back. [/background][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=3][background=rgb(246,246,246)]About four years ago, I started having problems with my hips, and have been diagnosed with arthritis in both of them. The right is worse than the left, but the left is catching up. That put a damper on my sports and exercising. I play less basketball, my golf changed from walking and carrying my clubs, to pushing a cart, to riding. And my weight took another ugly turn up to my current 425. [/background][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=3][background=rgb(246,246,246)]I have a very supportive family. My wife has gained along with me, and I feel terrible about that, as I have been a bad influence on her. She has stepped up her exercise and uses Weight Watchers. My PCP has been suggesting WLS for a number of years now, in a very positive way, letting me know the statistics that people at my weight are almost never successful at losing weight the 'classic' way. She has been a real help for me. My mother and sister have both had RnY surgeries a number of years ago (my mother is just hitting her 5 year anniversary). [/background][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=3][background=rgb(246,246,246)]I got all the way to the insurance approval in late 2011, but then my insurance plan got dropped by my employer and it was clear that I could not proceed when I was going to be changing insurance companies (with different Bariatric center, etc.) so I got discouraged and did very little for a year or so. I finally got my butt in gear again and worked with my PCP to get the six months of monthly appointments where we worked on portion control, nutritional information, etc. but the insurance clearance finally came due to the final 10 pound gain, which put me over the 50 BMI that got an easier approval (I do *not* recommend that as a strategy :) ). Medically, I have plenty of co-morbidities (apnea, BP, cholesterol, arthritis), most of which are being successfully medicated, but I need and want to be healthy! [/background][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=3][background=rgb(246,246,246)]Mentally, I always had a hard time getting my mind around the surgery. I was pretty negative (hopefully quietly) when my sister had the surgery. I came to the grudging realization that I might need to have WLS as my doctor kept gently prodding me. She said some things that really helped. She told me that Cancer patients don't get excited about Chemotherapy, they do it because it is necessary! That helped me somewhat, but I was still going into the first attempt at surgery with more dread than excitement, and in hindsight, I think it was a good thing that it didn't happen when I was in that state of mind. [/background][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=3][background=rgb(246,246,246)]Fast Forward to now, and I am getting more excited about the surgery. My wife and I went to the NP-led all-day informational seminar and I came out more excited about the surgery as a tool that will help me. I still have fears about making such a radical change to my innards and whether or not I will be able to make the life changes required long term to be one of the successful 50%. [/background][/size][/font]