Guest guest Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Personally, I don't plan to celebrate the anniversary of my surgery and I don't think of it as a rebirth. I have always done my best not to let others define me by my weight, and if more people take note of me because I get thinner, that is not a prospect that means anything to me at all. I won't define myself by my weight - high or low - and it seems to me that regarding your surgery date as a rebirthday is doing exactly that. Also, given that my odds of surviving to the anniversary of my surgery date are around 50-50 at best, it seems a petty and pointless thing to celebrate. I know most people who have not struggled with obesity think we have taken the easy way out, and they do not understand how hard most of us worked to get to the point where we could have the surgery. So I, like all of you, am proud of how hard I worked to get approved - but of all the things one works hard for in life, few pay off so big as weight- loss surgery. Just knowing that is enough for me. Celebrations seem excessive. Best of luck to Patti and ! We'll all be thinking of you. Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Personally, I don't plan to celebrate the anniversary of my surgery and I don't think of it as a rebirth. I have always done my best not to let others define me by my weight, and if more people take note of me because I get thinner, that is not a prospect that means anything to me at all. I won't define myself by my weight - high or low - and it seems to me that regarding your surgery date as a rebirthday is doing exactly that. Also, given that my odds of surviving to the anniversary of my surgery date are around 50-50 at best, it seems a petty and pointless thing to celebrate. I know most people who have not struggled with obesity think we have taken the easy way out, and they do not understand how hard most of us worked to get to the point where we could have the surgery. So I, like all of you, am proud of how hard I worked to get approved - but of all the things one works hard for in life, few pay off so big as weight- loss surgery. Just knowing that is enough for me. Celebrations seem excessive. Best of luck to Patti and ! We'll all be thinking of you. Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I kind of feel the same as you Randy. I will hold it as an important private moment when I had the opportunity to go down a path that has been a great journey for me. I'm happy where I am, but I have had other rebirths that ar emore important to me. Spiritual rebirth, for one. On the other hand, I think it is importnat to take note of the important milestones in our lives. To honor them. To honor ourselves for having the strength to make the decision for this surgery, for one. It was a risk, and we took it. You, Randy...have a much more important challenge ahead of you. All of us made this decision about surgery, at least in large part, in an effort to prolong our lives. To avoid the repercussions of certain diseases. But, for the most part...alot of those diseases and their potential mortality seemed a bit unreal, in a way. That was why we couldn't just use that as a motivator to somehow get the weight off all by our lonesome. It is a theoretical thing. We know that the weight needs to come off, that it could cause heart disease, diabetes, and varoius cancers...all of which could lead to death. For you, you are in the middle of a real and very important battle. And you are right, you are far more than just th enumbers on the scale. You are a brave man who made a choice to change your life...you had a surgery in hopes of a better life, a more productive and healthy life. And now, in an ironic cruel twist of fate, you are facing your biggest battle ever...and at a time when all of your fat cells, as they release the extra fat are also releasing estrogen into your system...which can wreak havoc with your emotions. And also, losing weight so quickly makes you feel weaker...which probably causes you great fear now...to feel weak. You are probably not sure whether it is the weight loss or the cancer that is causing you to be so tired. Even though I wasn't struggling with cancer, it scared me to be so tired and weak...I was afraid that I'd feel that way for the rest of my life. I'm not going to pretend that what you have isn't incredibly serious and scary. It is. but, please concentrate on being that 50 percent that survive. You have taken tremendous strides towards this new healthy happy life. Don't give up that dream...it can still be realized. And when you reach the milestones in your survival...you celebrate my friend. Because you have a tough battle on your hands...and you have to get your body and your mind geared up and ready to win. I'm praying for you, and I feel for you. Courage in the darkness, my friend. I hope it gives you some comfort to know that there are people out here who care and who think about you. Robynn P.S. My sister had acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was given 6 weeks to live. It was the worse case they had ever seen. And this was nearly 40 years ago, when medicine sucked. She was a child, and the survival rate was abysmal. In her case, it was even worse. I had lunch with her last week and talked to her today. 40 years later. Miracles happen every day my friend. I've had one in my own life.jackpoint_94401 wrote: Personally, I don't plan to celebrate the anniversary of my surgery and I don't think of it as a rebirth. I have always done my best not to let others define me by my weight, and if more people take note of me because I get thinner, that is not a prospect that means anything to me at all. I won't define myself by my weight - high or low - and it seems to me that regarding your surgery date as a rebirthday is doing exactly that. Also, given that my odds of surviving to the anniversary of my surgery date are around 50-50 at best, it seems a petty and pointless thing to celebrate.I know most people who have not struggled with obesity think we have taken the easy way out, and they do not understand how hard most of us worked to get to the point where we could have the surgery. So I, like all of you, am proud of how hard I worked to get approved - but of all the things one works hard for in life, few pay off so big as weight-loss surgery. Just knowing that is enough for me. Celebrations seem excessive. Best of luck to Patti and ! We'll all be thinking of you.Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I kind of feel the same as you Randy. I will hold it as an important private moment when I had the opportunity to go down a path that has been a great journey for me. I'm happy where I am, but I have had other rebirths that ar emore important to me. Spiritual rebirth, for one. On the other hand, I think it is importnat to take note of the important milestones in our lives. To honor them. To honor ourselves for having the strength to make the decision for this surgery, for one. It was a risk, and we took it. You, Randy...have a much more important challenge ahead of you. All of us made this decision about surgery, at least in large part, in an effort to prolong our lives. To avoid the repercussions of certain diseases. But, for the most part...alot of those diseases and their potential mortality seemed a bit unreal, in a way. That was why we couldn't just use that as a motivator to somehow get the weight off all by our lonesome. It is a theoretical thing. We know that the weight needs to come off, that it could cause heart disease, diabetes, and varoius cancers...all of which could lead to death. For you, you are in the middle of a real and very important battle. And you are right, you are far more than just th enumbers on the scale. You are a brave man who made a choice to change your life...you had a surgery in hopes of a better life, a more productive and healthy life. And now, in an ironic cruel twist of fate, you are facing your biggest battle ever...and at a time when all of your fat cells, as they release the extra fat are also releasing estrogen into your system...which can wreak havoc with your emotions. And also, losing weight so quickly makes you feel weaker...which probably causes you great fear now...to feel weak. You are probably not sure whether it is the weight loss or the cancer that is causing you to be so tired. Even though I wasn't struggling with cancer, it scared me to be so tired and weak...I was afraid that I'd feel that way for the rest of my life. I'm not going to pretend that what you have isn't incredibly serious and scary. It is. but, please concentrate on being that 50 percent that survive. You have taken tremendous strides towards this new healthy happy life. Don't give up that dream...it can still be realized. And when you reach the milestones in your survival...you celebrate my friend. Because you have a tough battle on your hands...and you have to get your body and your mind geared up and ready to win. I'm praying for you, and I feel for you. Courage in the darkness, my friend. I hope it gives you some comfort to know that there are people out here who care and who think about you. Robynn P.S. My sister had acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was given 6 weeks to live. It was the worse case they had ever seen. And this was nearly 40 years ago, when medicine sucked. She was a child, and the survival rate was abysmal. In her case, it was even worse. I had lunch with her last week and talked to her today. 40 years later. Miracles happen every day my friend. I've had one in my own life.jackpoint_94401 wrote: Personally, I don't plan to celebrate the anniversary of my surgery and I don't think of it as a rebirth. I have always done my best not to let others define me by my weight, and if more people take note of me because I get thinner, that is not a prospect that means anything to me at all. I won't define myself by my weight - high or low - and it seems to me that regarding your surgery date as a rebirthday is doing exactly that. Also, given that my odds of surviving to the anniversary of my surgery date are around 50-50 at best, it seems a petty and pointless thing to celebrate.I know most people who have not struggled with obesity think we have taken the easy way out, and they do not understand how hard most of us worked to get to the point where we could have the surgery. So I, like all of you, am proud of how hard I worked to get approved - but of all the things one works hard for in life, few pay off so big as weight-loss surgery. Just knowing that is enough for me. Celebrations seem excessive. Best of luck to Patti and ! We'll all be thinking of you.Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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