Art of Healing

I got on the scale one day with my friend Jaime by my side, and I weighed 410 pounds. I didn’t understand how I got to this point but I knew if I didn’t change what I was doing in my life, it would end, with me, in an early grave.

We sat in her car that night, and she told me to think about the gastric bypass, and that it might really help me reach my goals, or at least help me maintain a healthy lifestyle, I didn’t know how to feel, but I knew she was right. I took the leap of faith and went to a seminar with my mother. The doctors talked about three surgeries, the lap band, the gastric bypass and the gastric sleeve. I personally had chosen the gastric sleeve because my doctor told me I was young and I’d be able to bounce back a lot quicker after this procedure. Be able to work out more, and regain control of my strength.

So I scheduled my gastric sleeve surgery. Before they let me get the surgery I had to prove to the doctors that I could lose weight by myself, and I went into it looking forward to a new future, I went from 410 to 365 before the gastric bypass surgeons approved me for surgery, after I got my gastric sleeve surgery done I lost another total of 145 pounds getting me down to 240 pounds. I was astounded at the progress I made over the next year of my life. It was an adventure, but I was ready for it. I felt accomplished.

After the weight loss I had excess skin, and I really didn’t know how to handle it, i was regularly working out at the gym and trying to keep up with the elasticity of the skin but it just didn’t matter. The weight loss was to fast and to severe. My biggest decision now was who should I go to and how would it be covered by insurance? Or was it just me being selfish, petty, and is this just a cosmetic vanity obstacle in my life?

The good news was it would be partially covered by my insurance and I wouldn’t have to pay out of pocket, except for the cosmetic aspects of the abdominoplasty. The contouring of the stomach, Which was a blessing, but now the bad news, finding a surgeon, a plastic surgeon I would feel comfortable with. That was a difficult but important decision.

The first plastic surgeon consultation, was at a private practice, he just wasn’t enthusiastic, his response was very monotone and it made me so uncomfortable and underwhelmed, his English wasn’t very good and neither was his bed side manners, so I just decided to move on and keep looking. It’s gotta be better somewhere else right? Wrong, i was so wrong. I guess that nursery rhyme, “ first is the worst, second is the best”, definitely wrong.

The second plastic surgeon consultation I had was at a hospital setting, I thought to my self maybe they do more being a bigger place, nope, definitely not. This doctor was a joke, his exact quote was, “You might have one long vertical scar and no belly button, but what do you need a belly button for anyways, a cup holder?” My face probably went completely white before I ran out of there. No thank you. Feeling hopeless and the tears coming down, I said no, you want this and deserve it.

So third times a charm, yes indeed. So my third consultation was with Dr. Shirley Anain M.D. and she looked at me and my excess skin on my stomach, and her enthusiasm and professionalism hooked me right away, finally I was excited to get my skin removal. And finally felt comfortable with a plastic surgeon. She was the goddess I was looking for.

The journey to get this body modification was everything, after the surgery was done I was told the surgeon cut 10 pounds of skin off of me, amazing. Getting a “Tummy Tuck” was still the best thing I ever did in my entire life, it made me feel great, I loved it, it made me feel like I was finally reborn into I was meant to be.

Maintaining the weight will always be a challenge for life, but with the right support and people in your life, you will be able to look in the mirror and smile, look at the shopping cart and make good choices, and remember where you have been, and remember where you are going. Live healthy, be happy, and love the body that you are in.