My eye opener and big decision! October 2017

As most of you know I have tried many ways to lose weight. Weight Watchers, Beach body, the normal diet and exercise and even met with a weight management specialist at the U of M weight clinic where they put me on multiple weight loss medications and nothing you name it I tried it. I struggled with it all and didn't see anything happening. Sometimes I wasn't losing weight but I was gaining weight!

October 14, 2017 I went to the pumpkin patch with my family like we do every year. Except this year was different, I had a hard time walking all over, my bones and muscles hurt a lot and I was miserable. We took a family photo by the big apple statue like we do every year. My sister posted them and OMG I started to cry at what I looked like. I knew I had gotten big and let myself go but that picture was the eye opener I needed. I was beyond bigger then I had ever imagined.


I talked with my moms friend who had previously went through the weight loss surgery herself and decided I needed to look into this. I spoke with my primary doctor about it, spoke long and hard with my therapist about it and did my research on weight loss surgery. I decided after doing all that to go to the U of M weight loss clinic and see what my options where. November 1st 2017 was when my life was going to change. My mom came with me and that's when I met with the weight loss surgery physician assistant, went over my medical history, what needed to be done to have surgery and a bunch of other stuff. I was going to need to complete a long checklist of multiple things which included.

-Form a support network
-Lose 40 pounds by yourself for insurance to help pay
-Obtain a letter of support from Primary Physician
-Obtain a letter of support from mental therapist
-Complete a 3 part psychiatric evaluation and get the OK from them
-Complete 6 months of one on one nutritional visits (which I learned a lot of useful information and I had a really cool nutritionist)
-Get a bunch of blood drawn and lab work completed
-Continue to meet with weight medical management specialist
-Attend information meeting
-Watch multiple before, after and other videos

I wasn't able to schedule a surgery date until all of the above was done, but once my date was scheduled I still had more I needed to do.

-Attend a pre-op anesthesia visit and pass the physical portion
-More Pre-Surgery labs
-Sign Consent forms and other papers
-Nurse visits

And the worst part was if I didn't meet the 40 pound requirement by the morning of my surgery when they weighed me in my surgery would be cancelled!