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A "Blindmama" on a Mission to a Better me



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Hello all, I'm Karen. And I am new to all of this, so I hope i do it right. :)

I am a 33 year old wife and mom living in gloucester point VA. Kind of secluded spot, but I have lived in Gloucester most of my life. I have a husband (14 years and counting) and an 11 year old son.

I have always been well not skinny. In high school i was a size 16 which to the kids then was practically the size of a house!!!! I am also legally blind, which does tie into my story because I have been that way since 1990.

After being married, I had to have knee surgery on both knees from an acident. That is when the real weight gain began. Having no weight bearing for 6 months, no matter how good your diet is, really does bad tricks to your body. I gained most of my weight then. Since then, I have been in and out of the orthopedic ofice.

Being almost blind, i can't get out and excercise as much as i would like. I do things close to home, but i can drive, and everyone works so it is difficult to get a ride to the gym. I tried to keep my diet good, but i gave in sometimes.

I think thte real deal breaker for me was when last year, I had lost 30 poundsand i was so excited!!! I was getting ready to head out the door and i tweaked my knee, well poop!!! I was in a knee immobilizer for a month,a nd all the weight i lost came rushing back. Even though I kept to my diet, the inactivity killed me. I was SO mad!! Then the orthopedic said the next fix for my knees would be replacement. Um....NO

I got in touch with the weight loss surgery center here in Newport News and went to the first seminar in January. I was scared, but I pushed through with it, and had my Sleeve Gastrectomy on May 19th. My doctor is Dr. Terracina at Mary Immaculate Hospital.

I have had no ill effects from the surgery thus far. Everything seems to be going well. I can say i don't care for the liquid diet lol, and am not looking forward the the puree either, but if it leads to a healthier me, I'm all for it.

So, my weight loss so far is 23 pounds. I was scared really bad as I thought fast loss was bad, but after talking to my doctors I am assured it is normal for rapid loss in the beginning.

Well, that is my story up til now. I am getting ready to go and work the treadmill for a while.

:) Karen S.

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Hi Karen! Welcome and congrats on your sleeve. It sounds like you are doing great! Thanks for sharing your story!

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Well welcome to this board, you will find that everyone here is so supportive and helpful. Just ask and I am sure you will get multiple responses from newbies to veterans. Congratulations on getting your sleeve!!

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Best of luck to you! You will be past those liquids and mushies faster than you think. The sleeve has been a miracle for me.

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.

I think thte real deal breaker for me was when last year, I had lost 30 poundsand i was so excited!!! I was getting ready to head out the door and i tweaked my knee, well poop!!! I was in a knee immobilizer for a month,a nd all the weight i lost came rushing back. Even though I kept to my diet, the inactivity killed me. I was SO mad!! Then the orthopedic said the next fix for my knees would be replacement. Um....NO

:) Karen S.

Welcome to the forum and good luck on your journey.

Sounds like a pretty rough time getting to this point. I was scheduled for the sleeve in 8-2010, but had to delay it because of a fall injury that required a total knee replacement. I was finally sleeved in 4-2011. I don't quite understand why you said "NO" to the knee replacement. I didn't have a choice because I couldn't live with the pain of the injury. It is right up there with the sleeve as one of the best things I've had done. I was very afraid of the rehab, but it was much easier than I thought. I went into it thinking I was going to be the best and quickest rehab they ever saw, and I was. I know you may have your reasons for not wanting the knee done, but give it a little more thought...a new knee with considerably less pain plus not having to carry around all that extra poundage. What a combo!!

I look forward to hearing your progress reports...Kathe

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Hey My name is Miranda congrats on the sleeve I know its so hard being legally blind i have retina pigmentosia

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It sounds like life has thrown you a lot of curve balls but you are going to win! Welcome and good luck to you. I had my surgery on May 17th, so we are pretty close in that respect. Take care!

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