Cervidae

Hello! My name is Abby. I'm 23 years old and had my RNY on August 17th! I first started considering wls last summer, when my PCOS specialist suggested I look into it, as my attempts to eat healthy and exercise were barely making a dent in my weight. My body has fought me every step of the way down the road to getting healthy, but that has not discouraged me from continuing the fight! 
 
When I first started gaining weight around age 10 (the age of my first period and the beginning of puberty for me) I was in 3 sports, and ate the same healthy diet my mother, who has kidney disease, was eating. We went to doctor after doctor, nutritionist after nutritionist, in the hopes of figuring out why I was gaining so much weight for no apparent reason. It was until I was 16, and already past 300 pounds, that a gynecologist figured out I might have PCOS. Her suspicion proved true, and finally it made sense; my body's incredible ability to put on weight and huge difficulty losing it, coupled with a tough and emotional adolescence and many years eating the crappy food that we could barely afford as we slipped into poverty due to my mother's health all added up to the 397 pound person I am today. 
 
When my PCOS specialist first suggested weight loss surgery to me, I was appalled and strangely ashamed. It was obvious to me and everyone else that I'm overweight, and there's no shame in getting help for yourself when other methods fail. And yet I still felt like I was somehow giving up or giving in to my weight problem by admitting that it existed. Silly, but I've since realized that the only thing I would have to be self-conscious about would be not getting the help I need to live my life the way I have always wanted. I'm an artist and photographer, and I can't deny that my weight has made everyday life and my career difficult. The more I thought about the possible positives of having this surgery, the more I realized it was the right choice for me. 
 
Since last Spring when I first discussed these things with my PCOS specialist, I've lost about 45 pounds, and it has been a huge upward struggle. And yet, I feel amazing, just knowing that I'm on the track toward my goal. Now more than ever I'm extremely excited to know that by this time next year, my life will be monumentally changed for the better. Any amount of hard work is worth the ability to live the life I want, and be the person I feel like I am inside. Learning to love myself for who I am and not feel discouraged by the limitations of my current body was the first step to knowing that I am worth all of this, and taking care of myself is a beautiful and necessary thing to be happy. 
 
If you've made it this far in my ramblings, thank you for reading! I look forward to making friends and sharing experiences from this crazy and amazing journey!
 
Abby