Take What Life Hands You Graciously
by
, 03-28-2017 at 01:14 PM (4936 Views)
I have a blog with this title on another web site and borrowed it. It's fitting.
I'm 4 days post op and in addition to aches, pains, mild discomforts... I know I have made the right choice. I seem to be a bit weepy too. I've held in all my fears since starting the insurance requirements back in December.
My surgeon reassured us that bad things can happen anytime but the odds were very good things would go off without a hitch. Deep down I kept pushing to the back of my mind that I could die. Not pull out of anesthesia or have a stroke and my kids and husband would be left behind. (Most people's train of thinking, no doubt.) But I have a family that really needs their mom around. My oldest daughter is the product of a monoamniotic pregnancy. (We were completely unaware during pregnancy.) Identical twins in the same sac. It doesn't happen often and rarely do they both survive. As was my case. My surviving daughter suffered periventricular leukamalacia (a fancy word for brain damage), and has cerebral palsy and on the autism spectrum. She's almost 38 but looks and acts like a 12/13 year old. 2 pregnancies later, at age 26 I gave birth to our 3rd daughter. She was born with Down syndrome. She just celebrated her 34th birthday a few weeks back, but is a perpetual toddler. It's all I've known for the last 38 years. I do for her now, what I've done all these years since she was 2. She is totally depende upon myself and husband for EVERYTHING. Caring for my family is what I know. And do.
When all the weight issues began (gee, can you see why I kind of ate for comfort?), it just got worse. I ate in the beginning for comfort. Control. Then I'd lose 50 pounds, gain 60 back, and do this over the next 2 decades. Later on it was less about stress eating over life's bowling balls being lobbed at me, but just eating in general I liked.
When the idea of WLS was brought up, I knew I wanted to go for it. Not only for me, but needing to be less LARGE would be easier on me physically to deal with my youngest daughter, Jenni. (Who is stubborn and solid as an ox!) And here we are. I just want to get through this recovery period and feel SO GOOD! I am down 53 pounds since December... 15 since Friday the 24th, day of Surgery. I know I am on my way, and next fall when I hit the BIG 6-0, I want to look back and say "Geez Lori, you should have done this 15 years ago."