beachybikegirl
My story so far...
Aug 07, 2015
Where to start?? I started my journey for WLS in January 2015 after a month of bleeding and getting an ultra sounds which confirmed I had cysts all over my ovaries. I knew I had PCOS, but had been diagnosed by symptoms alone and not by ultra sound. Between all they cysts, the bleeding and the unexplainable weight gain past my normal fat weight, I was freaking out not sure what to do! I had just finished my Master's program so I started reading research articles on WLS and PCOS, there seemed to be medical evidence that the gastric bypass did indeed help women with PCOS lose the weight. I have always been EXTREMELY active, I have run 2 marathons, done adventure racing, triathlons, was an avid hiker and mountain biker and an overall outdoor enthusiast but I never looked like a girl who could and had done all that. Of course I did every diet known to man kind but at some point when you eat spinach and chicken for months and don't lose any weight, I think, "I might as well eat pizza it doesn't matter anyway, I don't lose any weight!." I HAVE HATED myself my whole life for not being able to achieve this one thing, weight loss.
During one of my Master's classes our professor made us read this book Strength Finders, which was all about building on your strengths instead of focusing on or trying to fix your weaknesses. It makes you take a test and has you come up with your top five strengths a few of mine were achiever, positivity, enthusiasm which made me mad!!! I thought about my weight loss efforts, If I am this great achiever, why can't I achieve weight loss, what is wrong with me???
Not until I started the WLS journey did I learn more about obesity and how doctors can't always explain why two people could virtually eat the same and move the same and one could be fat and one could be skinny. There is so much more on that topic.
I went to my surgeon's information session where she basically said, look this is a tool, if you do wls you will still need to diet and exercise but the gastric bypass becomes a power tool that helps you with your efforts. I thought how many diets have I been on, how many miles have I run, biked and hiked with none of it resulting in weight loss? I believe I deserve the power tool!!!
My first request to see the doctor through my insurance was denied, I did not meet the requirements, I had no co-morbidities and they did not except PCOS as a reason to help me. I DID NOT EXCEPT this, I was so annoyed!! I couldn't even meet with the surgeon until insurance said yes!! So I got some "help" in being able to qualify, once I saw the surgeon and told her of my story, I felt like she "got" me. She said that the gastric bypass would be the only surgery that would help my weight loss with PCOS but she made it clear that it would not "cure" PCOS I will have that forever but it would help me lose the weight.
I took on all the requirements like a good achiever would and got them done in 6 weeks. On June 25th I had the gastric bypass. I thought getting to the operating table was the end of my journey......boy was I wrong, waking up from the surgery was really the start of my weight loss journey. I am 5 weeks out and have already had a bunch of ups and downs..... So glad I did it, I would do it again in a heartbeat and I am hopeful I finally lose all the weight!
