wendy hail
Well lets see, where to start?
I have been overweight (40 pounds) most of my adult life, I quit smoking in 2000, and has knee replacement surgery a month later, and between the two, I gained 140 pounds in 7 years.
I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, and diabetes, and was watching my father die a slow painful death for 6 years, because of his diabetes. I couldn't walk from my car to the office (1/2 block) without stopping and gasping for air. I also had sleep apnea.
I knew I had to do something, and I was given a life expectancy of 56...now if that wasn't a wakeup call, I don't know what is!
I started "interviewing" surgeons, and researching different procedures, and we did that for 2 years, until we found Dr. David Syn in Lubbock, Texas.
I decided to have the gastric-bypass done, because with the lap-band, it was too easy to cheat on eating the wrong kinds of foods, and with the gastric by-pass, if you cheat, you PAY. That was the kind of decipline I NEEDED, cause over the years I has learned that if I could cheat, I WOULD cheat!
I went thru the insurance process pretty much uneventful, I had done an online psyc .eval. and they wanted a in person one, which took about a month to get the results back, and then resubmitted to insurance ( blue cross/blue sheild of California), and had approval within 2 days and a date 2 weeks away.
I was so excited, when the doctors office called me, I was so emotional, all I did was cry and the nurse wasn't even sure I had understood correctly 
. I was overcome with so much joy and excitement, I will never forget that day!
On the 22nd of July, 2007, my husband, daughter, son, my mother and I headed for Lubbock, and stayed the night in a hotel.
I decided that I wanted to go swimming in the pool, so we went.
In the before pic on my profile, is the pic of me at the pool. Just before that pic was taken, my husband and daughter had to physically get me out of the pool, because I couldn't get up the ladder...there was an audience, and I was so humiliated, I just wanted to cry. I told my husband that that would be the last time that I would be humiliated because of my weight!
The next morning, we went to the hospital at 5 am. Got all set up, and the Dr. came to get me around 7am. Went to the operating room, put myself on the table, the Doctor asked me if I was ready, and I told him..."LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED". That was the last thing I remember.
I woke up a few hours later, and the minimal evasive procedure turned into an OPEN surgery, and ended up lasting a couple of hours longer than planned. It seems, I had alot of scar tissue from previous surgery, and he had a big mess to clean up!
I had a rough night, and walked most of it, because I couldn't get comfortable, come to find out, the pain pump was kinked, so thats why I was in so much pain.
The next morning, they took me down to do the leak test, and all was well. By 11am I was headed home, 2 hours away. By the way, a Jeep is not the vehicle of choice to come home from the hospital after gastric by-pass surgery!
It was a rough few days, but I seemed to get stronger and stronger, and walk further and further.
I went back to work after 2 weeks, and everyone already seen a huge change in me, and I had lost 30 pounds! I was feeling better and better every day.
I was able to wear my wedding rings after 2 months (my 1st WOW moment).
I got ride of the sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and diabetes (my 1st MAJOR WOW moment)!!!!- 2 months out
I got under 300 pounds (my 2nd major WOW) at 4 months out.
I finally hit 100 pound weight loss at 7 months out (my 3rd major WOW).
I have had no real complications, and am so happy that I had this done, my ownly regret is that I didn't do it sooner!
I still have 61 pounds to lose (as of today 3/10/08), and I know that I will get there.
I see people on the street, and they walk right past me, they don't even recognize me anymore, and I think it is AWESOME!
Dr. Syn and his staff are awesome, I have had to call on weekends and they always call me back in a timely manner, and the doctor himself has called me back a couple of times.
