12 Weeks Post-Op

If my RNY was a pregnancy, I'd be telling people by now.  12 whole weeks since surgery blows my mind.  That seems like so very long ago...and so much has changed.  Most obviously, my body.  Not so much as obvious is my brain.  Things are so much different today than they were June 14th.

1.  I can cross my legs.  Comfortably.

2.  I look forward to my workout days at 9 Round and I have been building in treadmill time between those days.

3.  More than half the contents of my closet no longer fits because I'm too small.

4.  My rings now slide around on my fingers - remember they were so tight I couldn't get them off the day of surgery.

5.  I can climb stairs with ease and not feel like I'm going to die at the top.

6.  I am about three days to weighing what my drivers' license says I weigh.

7.  I now weigh less than my husband!!!!

8.  The people in my life who know about my surgery are making comments like "you're melting away" - and I say "I know!!!  Thank you!!!!"

9.  Watermelon, soup and yogurt are my BFF's.

10.  50 grams of protein is a whole lot when your stomach is so tiny.

11.  I do not miss the foods I thought I'd miss.

12.  One or two bites of something really can be satisfying.

13.  Nothing feels worse than making a bad food choice and riding out the pain/discomfort.

14.  It's OK to be proud of my own success.

15.  Brain hunger is real.

16.  I never would have been able to feel this success without the surgery.

17.  I have no regrets about having RNY.

18.  QUARK!!!

19.  I have 100 pounds more to lose and I am confident I can do it.  For the first time in my life.

20.  I can pick up and carry my littles and realize that a few short months ago, I was carrying that amount of weight on my frame every minute of every day!!!  Whoa Momma!!


I'm so thankful to be on this side of surgery.  The anticipation was the absolute worst part of this entire journey.  I'm so thankful that recovery went so well - without pain and complications.  I don't know if I would have walked into the post-op process with such a cheery outlook had I had a bunch of post-op complications.  I'm thankful I have a supportive community around me who is learning how the new me has to live.  I'm thankful I'm young enough to enjoy my new body and my new lifestyle for many many more years.  I'm thankful that my obesity didn't cause more problems for me than it did and I'm thankful I had the surgery done before I got any larger.

I am very much more aware of how much our society has weight issues.  I know many many thin and fit people but I also know many many people who struggle.  Out in crowds, I am keenly aware of bodies and who could desperately use some help.  I hate that I see fat people in masses of people and I feel sorry for them.  Because I know how it feels to be trapped in there completely incapable of getting yourself out.  And people can act like it doesn't bother them all they want - but I know the truth.  That even if you act confident, you may not be.

I wish more insurance companies would be more vocal about WLS as a way to combat obesity - it's a win-win.  The patient gets their life back and the insurance company avoids paying for conditions that go hand-in-hand with obesity like diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer...the list is endless.  Had I known that WLS was a REAL option for me, I may have jumped on looking into it sooner.  However, it's all in the Master Plan that I do not control - an I'm happy to say I had my RNY at age 38.  I have a whole lot of time to enjoy the me I'm becoming...like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon.