Aquarian1220

I am a teacher and on-air FM radio personality in my mid-30s from south Texas.  I found BariatricPal on a Google search for Bariatric compression pants pulled up a forum post from this site.  
 
I am 5 months post-op, and am doing absolutely magnificent.  I now recommend Bariatric surgery for anyone who asks me about it, of course after asking the "qualifying questions" first (i.e. Are you morbidly obese?  Do you have high blood pressure?  How about sleep apnea?  Diabetes?)
 
I got weight loss surgery because I've been a big dude my entire life.  The last time my family remembers me being "thin" was age 7.  Post-30 years old, I got sick and had to go to the doctor.  I had the shock of my life when I was told I was over 450 pounds, and approaching 460.  I had no clue I was that heavy because I had nowhere to weigh myself, and was in complete denial.  After that, I started pursuing Bariatric surgery.
 
I had pursued it before, a few years earlier.  That was how I found out I had sleep apnea, because that surgeon required a sleep study.  However, I felt like chattel being run through a cookie cutter system, and I didn't like that, so I stopped seeing that doctor and let it go for a couple years.
 
When I found the surgeon I eventually used, everything changed.  I felt like a person, not just a file.  I felt like he was actually catering my program for my specific needs, not trying to fit me into a pre-prepared program.
 
I had my surgery on July 5, 2016, one day after Independence Day.  I am now independent, and not a slave to my body or my weight.  I have lost 145 pounds total, 101 of those pounds was lost after surgery.  I am now 313 and much happier with myself.  I am only 57 pounds away from my year goal, which is 7 months from now.  I have already hit my 6 month goal 1 month early.
 
The best part of the process is seeing the looks on people's faces (especially my students) when I tell them about how much weight I've lost and just the overall feeling better and being able to move a lot better than I have in years.  The pain that I have felt in my knees has gone completely and the pain in my back has diminished (will not ever completely go away due to scoliosis).
 
The worst part has already passed, and every day is getting better.  The worst part was the 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery, when the intense diets were.  The shake replacements were absolutely the worst part, because for me, they really didn't taste good with anything.  I am getting my protein now through bars, which, oddly enough, taste better than the shakes, and eating a lot more meat than I'm used to for all my meals.
 
I hope to benefit from BariatricPal because I live in a rural area with no access to surgery support groups less than an hour's drive from my town.  I can't afford to drive that far weekly, and I'm hoping BariatricPal can help with that.
 
All in all, I'm happy with how things have gone.  I'm looking forward to what my life will bring, and I'm extremely happy already.  I can't wait for the rest of my life.