jenwan

I have struggled with weight my entire life...never been skinny. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes at 18yrs old and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) at around 24yrs old. I reached my highest weight at 359 lbs in June 2009. That's when I started to make a change in diet and exercise. I've managed to drop 16 lbs but's been a true struggle. My co-worker/friend had suggested LapBand surgery because she had it done and had great results. I had never really considered it until after I had a problem with my vision in July 2009. I had a muscle in my right eye stroke out as a result of my poor blood sugar control (I was diagnosed as a diabetic at 18yrs old - I'm now 32). I saw double vision every time I looked to the right. This FREAKED me out. I was told by my Opthomologist that it would last betwen 1-3 months and that it was important that I get better control of my Diabetes. My eye muscle finally healed after 1 month but it was enough to scare the crap out of me.

I spoke more with my co-worker/friend about the LapBand surgery and decided to schedule an appointment. It went well but I still had a lot of reservations. In the end, I decided I needed to do this for my health. Granted, there are risks as with any surgery but I'm risking my life everyday just by being at the weight I'm at. I wanna live my life to the fullest and hopefully find that special someone to live it with. Although my primary purpose for losing weight is to become healthy, I do hope to also gain confidence and self-worth. As many women with PCOS know, it can reak havoc on your self-esteem and it's done a real number on me. I have never been in a relationship and have almost given up on finding love. I know there is no guarantee that losing weight equals finding a boyfriend/husband but I can dream, lol.
My surgery was 5 days ago. I was extremely nervous and anxious to get it over with. I was scared because I had never been under any kind of anesthesia nor had any prior surgeries. I worried about the potential risks and of how my body will react to the changes. However, I went into surgery with positive thoughts knowing that I'm changing my life for the better. I was told there were no complications during surgery. However, I do have shoulder pain from the gas they used but was told the pain will go away in about a week. The worst of it is just the gas pain and bloating. Good news though is I'm down 11 lbs since Tuesday. So far so good :)-jenwan