coley1221

I don't want to start off with such a cliche statement, but in a case like this it's hard to.  I have been big for a great deal of my life, but it was only after my freshman year in college when my weight was getting more out of control.  Instead of the freshman 15, I probably had the freshman 30 and maybe the sophomore 10 or 15, and because of a horrible car accident I had my senior year in high school my right knee and right foot would hurt every time I would walk.  I didn't eat poorly, I just ate too much, and when your stressed all the time and living in a college lifestyle you basically eat whenever, even if it's 3am and you're writing a paper.  I had to make a change, for real this time.  Years before this I remember watching something with my Dad on 60 minutes about the Lap Band Systems, so my sophomore year in college I began to read up on it.  I found a local doctor and told my mother about it.  At first she really didn't want to hear about it since a relative had failed in his gastric surgery, but we decided to take a chance and see what it was all about.My first doctor's appointment, my surgeon was horrible late because he was in surgery and I guess there was a problem so he was two hours late!  But in the mean time, the other patients that were there waiting told me their stories, and for the first time in my life I felt like I wasn't being judged because I was heavy; and I liked this feeling.  I was in a room with people that were going through the same thing as me, they were "my people" as I told my mother, and I didn't tell anyone there but they all heavily influenced my decision to go further with my surgery, because all of them had such great successes.  I see these people from time to time, I don't think they recognize me, but every time I do see them I want to hug them and thank them.I met with my doctor, and immediately he said, "But you're just a baby!", he didn't want me to have the surgery because of my age.  I was 19 years old at the time, 263lbs, 5'7, which made my BMI abotu 41.  I was morbidly-sp obese.  I never ever wanted to resort to surgery, and today I wonder about my options, but I needed to lose the weight; I needed to become healthy.My doctor finally okay'd me, but of course I had to meet with a nutritionist that was on his staff and a psychologist.  So within weeks I did this.  My nutritionist was the absolute best!  She was/is so perky and helpful!  She gave me a blue folder of everything I would be doing pre surgery and post surgery, and I still live by what was in that folder today.I met with my psychologist (to make sure you're mentally stable for this life changing surgery), he also couldn't believe I was going to do this, and he actually rubbed me the wrong way.  I think he got the idea that I was doing this to become "skinny", and that was not it.  I will never be "skinny", I'll always be a big girl, and I'm ok with that, as long as I'm happy and healthy.  Then he starting talking to me about religion and I told him that was enough lol, but he ok'd me for the surgery as well. Next it would be in the insurance hands.There was a problem.  My nurse had put down that I was 5'8, but in reality I was 5'7 and 1/4, and so my insurance had denied me from covering my surgery.  I was devistated.  I cried for an entire day at school; my college roommate basically had to pick me up and tell me it was going to be ok.  I'm the type of person that says everything happens for a reason, and in my mind I thought that maybe this was a good thing, maybe I shouldn't get the surgery, maybe I'm meant to do something else.  But I wasn't going to sit back this time, I was going to do something about it.I called my doctor's assitant to see if I could pay out of pocket for the surgery, she told me I could never afford it, which was very bad in her part, you simply don't say that to someone.  She no longer works there though.  I wasn't sure what to do and how to go about this, so I called my nutritionist, who I was beginning to become best friends with, and believe it or not she new exactly how to appeal the insurance company.So I did it, I typed up a big appeal, with the correct height information, and a copy of their own requirements stating that if you have a BMI of 40 and above you qualify for coverage for this surgery.I won.Everything happened so fast after I was approved, my surgery was a month away and I had so much to do.A couple days before the surgery I met up with my nutritionist again to make another diet plan for after the surgery, and met with my doctor again, and that was it.  Begin you weekend of hell.No food until post op., if you can even swallow that is.  So Sat. and Sunday I had fluids and protein shakes, and then Sunday I had to have all that magnesium citrate, and then an enema! Oh God, it was awful.  Then the following day, Monday, I had to be at the hospital for 6am, and of course like all my family members, we were late.  It was a big family ordeal, my entire family came with me.  I have never been operated on in my entire life, I was 19 years old, and scared to death.  I couldn't throw up because there was nothing to throw up, so I just had to do what I was told.  My mother had been a nurse so she helped me put everything on, my little sister held my hand until the anestiasologist-sp came in to give me something to relax me.  It hit me hard! And I had the whole room laughing at me!  Before I knew it they began to roll me away, my family said goodbye to me, I probably looked like a drunken mess even though I was just drugged.  I remember a little bit from this point on, I was told to hop onto a table in the middle of the room, and that was it...I was completely out before they even put me to sleep!I woke up briefly in the post op room, I was so drugged up, and I had those air bags on my legs to keep the blood flowing.  They had that long tube down my throat, I thought I was dying.  At first I thought I was still on the operating table and they were operating on me!  But then the nurse re-assured me I was ok, and just needed to recover until they found me a room.  They were good nurses in there, thank goodness.  I went into surgery around 730ish, the surgery was 2 hours long, which was considerably good, and I didn't get into a room till abotu 2pm (small hospital).  The drugs they were giving me made me so nauses that I actually did throw up once, and it was a horrible experience, so I told the nurses no more pain meds, and because of this, I was up for the rest of my hospital stay (15 more hours lol).  My family came and went, and even some cousins came to check up on me.  My room had to have been the smallest room in the entire hospital, but it suited me.  I had to pee every half hour, I had no idea why then, but now I realize it was the bag attached to me lol.At night the nurses kept me company, I walked around to keep busy, I finally turned on the tv and the food network was on....of course it was.  The following day an intern woke me up at 5am letting me know that the rest of the interns would be visiting me at 7am, oh wonderful.  What a dreadful experience that was, having all the Doctor interns investigate my lap band surgery, but at that point I didn't care, I just wanted to get the heck out of there!Finally, I had to go for my upper GI to see if everything was going down correctly, and everything was working amazingly!  I called my parents, and immediately they came to get me!  I was so happy to leave the hospital and sleep in my own bed!I had chicken broth, light juices, sugar free jello my first two days, then moved on to tuna, then eventually to a 1/4 of a 99% lean burger (so hard to chew).  I lost 12lbs my first week.  25lbs my first month.  40lbs the first two months, 60lbs the first 6 months, and 80lbs after a year.  There is no greater feeling (for me) knowing that you are making your body healthier, and I was having no more pain in my knee or foot any more!  I felt myself getting smaller, and it was an amazing feeling!  I was doing everything I had been told to do, and I kept on shrinking.  Family members didn't recognize me, my parents and sister were rooting me on, and everything was going great!  Until I got into my Senior year in college.My Senior year in college, is/was the most stressful year of my life.  I am going non stop, and because my parents are both out of work because of the economy, I had to get a second job just so I could afford prescriptions and groceries every week.  It's been a year and a half since my surgery, my beginning weight was 263lbs my lowest weight was 181lbs, and because of stress, being financially stuck, and so much more I weigh about 195lbs.  I am going to see my surgeon for a fill this coming wednesday.  I need to get my healthy back on track, no more messing around any more.  It's me time again.Goal is 160lbs!!