My Story - As told on Day 1 of my pre-op diet :)

[byebyebmi 100]

Hi Everyone, i'm Erin!

I just turned 30 years old last week and my surgery date is April 25th. My Doctor is Dr. Onopchenko (he's awesome!) from the Atlanticare group in South Jersey. It took me awhile to get here but i'm nervous and excited to be exactly two weeks away from the date. I was referred by my PCP in May of 2015 and went for my first appointment with Dr. O in June of 2015. I got all of my clearances done pretty quickly and could have done the surgery as early as end of August last year. However, at the time I wasn't ready and I knew that my clearances were good until May of 2016. At the time, the thought of having the surgery seemed to scare me into thinking I could do it on my own and I decided to use thadddt as a springboard to getting myself heavvlthy. I did pretty well. I lost 30 pounds and went from 291 to 261 and I think at one point even dipped into the 250s. But it took me 9 months to do it and at 5'4 i'm still over 120 pounds overweight. Plus, a few months ago I started to eat like I had before and was creeping back up and finding it hard to stop the behavior. So I started thinking about surgery again after I realized that the whole 'doing it on my own' thing wasn't really going to stick. In fact, in 2005 I had lost 90 pounds, but gained back 140 which had brought me to the 291 that I was. Right around the time the sleeve popped back into my head, my doctors office called to remind me that my pre-certifications expire on May 13th. I asked them what they needed from me and they said "literally nothing other than picking a date". So I went there last Friday for the authorization appointment and chose their first available appointment: April 25th. I started the 14 day pre-op diet today which for me consists of two Protein shake meals and a small meal of lean Protein w/ vegetables. Plus sugar-free Jello and popsicles of course . I honestly cant believe i'm doing this, and I hope I can go through with it. I am 100% sure that I can't do it on my own and I've already proven that to myself. My fears are about the complications and getting through the first 30 days after surgery. In October of 2013 I had a pulmonary embolism from the Nuvaring and it was the most horrible scary time in my life. It left me with constant fear, anxiety and panic attacks almost every day. So my fear is knowing that PE's are a potential complication of getting the sleeve (or any surgery really). My surgeon is well aware and I will be on blood thinner injections for longer than most people (At least a month). I'm terrified of going back to daily panic attacks after the surgery thinking that its going to happen to me again every day. But...I keep telling myself that the risks of getting the sleeve are way, way less than the risk i'm putting myself in being 5'4 and 260 pounds every day.

I really, really want my life back. I have my own business and I want to be more confident about my appearance. I want to go on roller coasters again and shop wherever I want and not get so tired all the time and feel so BIG. I hate looking at pictures of myself because I always look so much bigger than I feel. I want to travel and take a million photos and be in love with them. Plus my brother is getting married in Fall 2017 and I want to look amazing for that! Most importantly, I just want to know that I am at a healthy weight and cutting my risks for things like diabetes, high blood pressure and a bazillion other things that obesity puts me at risk for. It's great to meet everyone here and see all of the support. Thank you a million times!

[byebyebmi 100]

Forgot to add a photo from my 30th birthday. I definitely had some help from Spanx in this photo...looking forward to not having to use them

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[pr_pitbullgrl 1,039]

best of luck to you. i did this same thing on my thread. it's called surgery day and i went from day one till today. stay positive and enjoy the ride!

[liposuction68 178]

YOU GOT THIS... Congratulations on a new journey to a healthier and happier YOU!

[165B445 188]

Had a moment... at a wedding/ class reunion... group pictures????????????, I have avoiding pics like the movie " the fugative"since july, they finally got me...

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[FabFemale 233]

Hoping your surgery was a success!

[165B445 188]

Hoping your surgery was a success!

It was a success... took a hour, hospital stay was uneventful, my pain management was great... then it hit me post op day 2, reflux, omg!!! The goodness I had a script for it... I hope your doing well also

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[Julie norton 2,850]

Congrats on putting yourself first. You listed some great reasons to weigh less.

I hope you are getting through without panic. That emotion is very scary!

Please keep posting and tell us how you are doing.

I'm a veteran and I like to remember why I am still chugging along almost 100 lbs later years out!