Introducing....

Jul 06, 2010

Well, here I go...my first foray into the world of blogging.  Ok, maybe foray isn't the word to use as I'm not raiding and pillaging.    My name is Angie.  I live in Fargo, ND.  Yes, same place as in the movie even though it wasn't filmed here.  No, not everyone talks like they do in the movie.  Yah ya 'betcha.  We do have church dinners with the hot dish and there are those who actually enjoy lutefisk.  But we don't put people through wood chippers on a regular basis.   I've been overweight and/or obese for most of my life after puberty.  I have PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) which wreaks havoc with your hormones, including insulin, which in turn wreaks havoc with your weight.  I remember gaining 30 lbs in one summer despite being active with bike riding and swimming.  I also grew up on a farm with parents who grew up during the depression.  You didn't have a choice in the quantity of food put on your plate at a young age and you cleaned your plate no matter how old you were.  It was a recipe for disaster in my mind.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming my parents in any way.  Although my mom did try to ration my sweets, which made me want them even more.  As I lived on my own, I didn't have many sweets in the house.  But, when I did I over indulged in them.  For example, I'd purchase ice cream probably 2-3 times a year.  That gallon bucket of ice cream probably lasted 2 weeks.  Then it would be several months before I brought home another.  So, you see, ice cream wasn't in my house constantly.    I also grew up in a small town.  So, you can guess the ridicule I received from classmates about my weight.  Out of a class of 47, I had few good friends.  The cliques were clearly divided.  Only the jocks, preps and occasionally the motor heads were allowed to cross those lines.  I did well in school so I can't really complain.  I can complain that I didn't date.  The few who tried to take a chance to get to know me were harassed so badly they just stopped.  That's ok.  I believe that actions in the past influence the future.  So, if I dated someone from my high school then I might not have married the love of my life.    I went to college and lost weight.  I didn't gain the freshman 15.  Instead I spent more time in the on campus club dancing and partying.  Left college, continued with the dancing in clubs (if you can call them clubs in Fargo) and partying.  I had a good time.  I met my husband in a bar.  We fell in love (ahhhh), got married and had children.  Well, we had 1 child and spent 9 years trying to have another.  After my first child,  I didn't drop all the pregnancy weight.  The PCOS flared up. I spent years trying to find a doctor who would listen to me about treating the PCOS and not just try to start fertility treatments.  I finally did in 2005 and had my second and last child in 2007.  After marriage and children, you cross into parenthood and are no longer cool.  Something about a child seat and diaper bags kind of puts off your single friends.    Gastric bypass was first brought up to me in about 2001 or 2002.  I was having stomach pains that was thought to be the result of gall stones.  I went to see a surgeon about the gall stones.  He decided my pain wasn't gall stones.  "But have you ever thought about gastric bypass" he said.  I hadn't.  He said I qualified, gave me a bunch of info and tried to set up surgery.  Whoa!  I told him no.  I didn't believe in it.  I'm glad I didn't at that time.  I wasn't ready.   It wasn't until last year I put more serious thought into it.  I did my research and started seeing my primary care physician.     That's me in a nut shell.  And here I am...   My surgery was 4/12/2010.  I had a laparoscopic RNY.  I've been blessed with no complications other than finding chicken and eggs do not go down so easily.  My surgeon called me boring-but in a good way.  I've lost just over 60lbs.  I'm rediscovering an old self and gaining a new self.  I've learned a some new things.  So far, it's been a wonderful journey.   

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