Battling My Elusive Beast

[MowryRocks 679]

I was married at the beginning of April in 1999. One of our wedding gifts were season passes to Six Flags over St. Louis. At the time, we were young and actually lived in the same town as the amusement park, so we were so excited to be able to just pop over whenever we wanted. The first time we processed our passes, we headed directly to Batman the Ride. Back in the day, the seatbelts attached to the overhead locking mechanism clipped in between the legs. As we were trying to get on, it was evident that my seat would not close. The kid working the ride asked me to hold on. He pushed it tight against me by using his feet against the seat in front of me and clipped me in, at the same time, my fat legs were clipped into the locking clip. I was in terrible pain and terribly embarrassed, so I didn't say a word. I endured the ride with it's twists, turns, and loop de loops. I walked away with a severely bruised inner thigh and and even worsely battered pride.

I never rode another amusement park ride.

Years passed, I had kids who very badly wanted to go to Six Flags. I decided that I would buy season passes about 4 years ago because I was trying to lose weight and I thought that while I can't ride the rides, it would be a good opportunity to get some exercise and walk around. For the first two seasons, I didn't even try to ride anything. I just walked from ride to ride and held stuff while my hubby would ride with the kiddos.

Two years ago, I started my first steps into making a real change in my life. I have always been against weight loss surgery, so I started on a ketogenic diet and started walking like it was my job. I lost about 35lbs, tried to ride Batman, wouldn't close (now the clasp is at the top). I got out, did my walk of shame and moved on.

At the end of 2016, my dad told us that he wanted to die. He was retired, 59 years old, in renal failure from refusing to take care of diabetes for years, and three hours a day, three days a week were too much to ask for him to continue his life. We went on a roller coaster of our own for about two months where he would go on hospice, be almost dead, and then freak out and go to the hospital, swear he was going to go to all his appointments, and then go right back on hospice after the first dialysis appointment. In February of 2016, he passed and at the end of that, I had gained 60lbs. At his funeral, I looked at my husband and said, "If there is something that you could do that would save your life, so that you could be there for your family...why wouldn't you?"

Duh. Light bulb.

30 days later I was at a seminar and I started the 6 month medically supervised diet and jumping through all the other hoops. I had my vsg on 10/26/2016 and at the beginning of December, I went toe to toe with this elusive beast and was once again denied. ( I needed like an inch)

Yesterday, on my 5 month surgiversary, I slayed the dragon! I laughed and cried the whole time. After, I rode every dang ride I could find and I had a blast. (I didn't even realize it was my surgiversary until I started writing this)

[blizair09 3,250]

Great story. Good for you!

[chuswysly 122]

Congratulations! And many thanks for the inspiration [emoji177]

[kimba21539 48]

Awesome story thanks for sharing

[bellabloom 2,467]

I was married at the beginning of April in 1999. One of our wedding gifts were season passes to Six Flags over St. Louis. At the time, we were young and actually lived in the same town as the amusement park, so we were so excited to be able to just pop over whenever we wanted. The first time we processed our passes, we headed directly to Batman the Ride. Back in the day, the seatbelts attached to the overhead locking mechanism clipped in between the legs. As we were trying to get on, it was evident that my seat would not close. The kid working the ride asked me to hold on. He pushed it tight against me by using his feet against the seat in front of me and clipped me in, at the same time, my fat legs were clipped into the locking clip. I was in terrible pain and terribly embarrassed, so I didn't say a word. I endured the ride with it's twists, turns, and loop de loops. I walked away with a severely bruised inner thigh and and even worsely battered pride.
I never rode another amusement park ride.
Years passed, I had kids who very badly wanted to go to Six Flags. I decided that I would buy season passes about 4 years ago because I was trying to lose weight and I thought that while I can't ride the rides, it would be a good opportunity to get some exercise and walk around. For the first two seasons, I didn't even try to ride anything. I just walked from ride to ride and held stuff while my hubby would ride with the kiddos.
Two years ago, I started my first steps into making a real change in my life. I have always been against weight loss surgery, so I started on a ketogenic diet and started walking like it was my job. I lost about 35lbs, tried to ride Batman, wouldn't close (now the clasp is at the top). I got out, did my walk of shame and moved on.
At the end of 2016, my dad told us that he wanted to die. He was retired, 59 years old, in renal failure from refusing to take care of diabetes for years, and three hours a day, three days a week were too much to ask for him to continue his life. We went on a roller coaster of our own for about two months where he would go on hospice, be almost dead, and then freak out and go to the hospital, swear he was going to go to all his appointments, and then go right back on hospice after the first dialysis appointment. In February of 2016, he passed and at the end of that, I had gained 60lbs. At his funeral, I looked at my husband and said, "If there is something that you could do that would save your life, so that you could be there for your family...why wouldn't you?"
Duh. Light bulb.
30 days later I was at a seminar and I started the 6 month medically supervised diet and jumping through all the other hoops. I had my vsg on 10/26/2016 and at the beginning of December, I went toe to toe with this elusive beast and was once again denied. ( I needed like an inch)
Yesterday, on my 5 month surgiversary, I slayed the dragon! I laughed and cried the whole time. After, I rode every dang ride I could find and I had a blast. (I didn't even realize it was my surgiversary until I started writing this)

I'm very sorry for your pain and your loss of your father. I'm thrilled you got to ride your rollercoaster. They really should make the seats bigger those jerks. good for you. !!! And your right. Not taking care of ones health is hardest in those who love us.