Hi All! :-)

It's been quite a while since I've blogged.  I really need to get back into this. 

I had my gastric bypass surgery on March 13th.  I came back to work yesterday (March 26th)...and I'm tiiired!  Erik has been keeping me up to date with his blog and the kind responses from everyone concerning my surgery and all I can say is Thank you!  The hard part is over...now on to healing and going forward with a healthier lifestyle.  For me and hubby!! 

I've had pretty much a year of thinking and contemplating and crying and seeing my nutritionist and psychologist along with family and friends that were both supportive and undecided.  (Or even worse...extremely opinionated without doing any research or just hearing from a 'friend of a friend' how this or that didn't work). 

During this past year, I've learned that sometimes you just have to do what you feel is right...in your gut!  (lol...figuratively and literally in this case! :-) ).  This wasn't an easy decision to come by.  Yes, I've heard of the nightmares and complications in some cases.  I've heard of people dropping the weight, then in time, gaining it back.  (Singer Carnie Wilson for one example had the gastric bypass, lost the weight, gained it back and is now having the lap-band done).  She admits that she went back to her old ways.  I've been finding out more and more that people that go through this have not followed up on what they are supposed to do.  This includes counseling, support groups, exercising and of course, eating healthy. 

I know a person who is a friend of the family that went through the gastric bypass just a few months ago and she is now at a point that she can pretty much eat whatever she can tolerate.  She's dropping weight regardless of what she eats and she is gloating to everyone how thin she is getting and can eat whatever she wants.  THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!  Right now, she's like in a honeymoon phase.  Once she hits the end of that, if she continues at the rate she's going, she's going to gain all her weight back.  She hasn't gone to any follow-up appointments with her doctor, she isn't taking her vitamins, she's doing nothing she's supposed to do.

I just don't understand how anyone can go through the psychological classes, all the testing, and the surgery (including the pain afterwards), basically being on a liquid to soft food diet for almost two months and spend almost $30k (depending on your insurance coverage) and not at least make an attempt to follow-up on everything you've just gone through.  It's one thing to go on a diet and maybe not follow through with that...this is something completely different.  I understand that the surgery is just a tool to help you, but it's a MAJOR life-changing tool!

I know I might have some setbacks in the future and I know I have to be careful.  Like right now...the smell of food, ANY FOOD, makes me drool...but I can't eat it.  I know I'll go through my own 'honeymoon' phase, I just have to make sure that I go to my classes with the psychologist and to the support group and talk online to people going through the same thing.  I have to do this!  It's vital to my life now!  My biggest fear these last few years is that I would have a stroke or drop from a heart attack.  I don't want to do that to my husband if I can help it.  I love him too much!  I have to start loving myself now. 

Speaking of hubby...he has been absolutely AWESOME during this whole thing and I have so much to be grateful for.  Thank you Erik for loving me and standing by me through everything.  I love you honey!  ;-)