Re: My last pre-op post

May 12, 2000

Hi Dona!

I'll be at clinic on the 16th and surgery the 18th, so see you there!

47, 5'4 " , 250

Surgery May 18

> My journey so far:

> I guess you could say that my journey really began over a year ago

> when I first started investigating WLS through the internet. After

> visiting many other web sites and being sent lots of materials

> (videos, pamplets, etc...)through the mail from some of them I

> finally landed at the clos.net web site. After reading through the

> material on the web site the first time, I knew that I had finally

> found the answer I was seeking and ultimatley decided that the MGB

> that Dr. Rutledge was offering was the best option for me. I am not

> like a lot of the patients that I see on here. I am not doing this

to

> please my husband or to get him to love me again. My husband is my

#1

> fan and I feel assured that he would love me just as much at any

> weight. He has always been supportive of me in anything I decided

to

> do including all the crazy diets I have tried over the years. And

he

> has never been critical of my failures. I am not doing this because

> of any current physical or mental health problems- I don't have

any.

> I am doing this for 2 reasons: 1) because I want to prevent all the

> physical health problems that I know my weight is going to cause in

> the future. I know I have been lucky so far in not having any

serious

> health problems due to my weight. It is only a matter of time. 2)

> because I am tired: TIRED of being stared at. TIRED of being

laughed

> at. TIRED of wondering what people are saying behind my back. TIRED

> of walking in to a room and looking for a steady chair, or

wondering

> if I sit on that soft couch will I be able to get back up without

> embarassing myself by grunting and having to " haul " my fat butt up

> out of it. TIRED of not being able to play with my grandchildren

> because any physical activity causes me to gasp for breath. TIRED

of

> not wanting to go anywhere because I am ashamed of my weight and

not

> having any decent clothes that fit (and I am not going shopping for

> the next size up). TIRED of not wanting to attend any social

> functions with my husband because even though I know he would never

> feel this way- I feel ashamed of me and I don't people to think

less

> of him because he has a FAT woman hanging on his arm. TIRED of my

> Mother and other people who have never had a weight problem saying-

> " Why cant you just stop eating? " TIRED of listening to the thin

> ladies in the office complaining about how they " feel so fat "

because

> they need to loose 5 or 10 pounds all the while knowing and feeling

> that their comments are a direct affront to me and my weight. TIRED

> of looking in the mirror and seeing this 110 pound woman (mentally)

> in a 250 pound body and wondering " how did this happen? " . TIRED of

> failed diets. But most of all- I am TIRED OF BEING TIRED!!!

> I don't have any advice for anyone who is contemplating this except

> to say to be patient. Once you have decided that this is the answer

> for you, you must realize that it is not going to happen tomorrow

no

> matter how bad you may want it to. I did not have any of the

problems

> that I have read about with other pre-op patients. I submitted my

on-

> line form and they received it with no problems. 2 days later I

> received by email a copy of the letter that Dr. R.'s office sent to

> my insurance company. If my eyes werent already opened to what my

> future held- that letter would have definitly done it! I waited 2

> days for my insurance company to receive it and called them. I was

> told over the phone that I was approved and I asked them to fax me

a

> copy of the approval- which I received on that same afternoon and

> forwarded to Dr. R's office. I called my PCP, gynocologist, and the

> Breast Diagnostic center to make all of those appointments. In the

> meantime I got the rest of the information ready for my packet (my

> family support letter, my letter, my list of contacts, etc...) I

had

> all of my appointments behind me within 3 weeks and sent all of the

> results along with my PCP's approval in my packet to Debbie. I

called

> to confirm that she had received them and talked to Barbara who set

> me up with my clinic date(5/16) and my surgery date (5/17). I have

> not yet met Dr. R but he has responded (very timely, I might add)

to

> several email questions I have sent to him. I am looking forward to

> meeting him as well as the rest of his staff and some of the new

> friends I have made next week.

> I feel lucky that I have had such a realtivly smooth road on this

> journey so far. I have met some great people and made some new

> friends. I am looking forward to being " on the other side " soon and

> will keep all of you who are interested updated on my progress.

>

> Love in Christ

> Dona Farmer

> MGB scheduled 5/17

> current weight 252

May 12, 2000

Dona,

I'm so glad for you that things have gone so smoothly! Your husband sounds

as kind, loving, and supportive as mine is. Good luck on the 17th! Our

prayers are with you.

Sara

BMI 42 (I think)

Dona Farmer wrote: