The Beginning

For about 22 years now I have had a struggle with my weight which saw me go from about 70 kg on my wedding - 30 July 1988 to over 150kg the past 2 years. Due to being raped 2 months after my wedding and then subsequently a couple of years later moving to Blenheim with my husband Brian since he was in the RNZAF and the loneliness of the 2 years there, by the time we moved back to Hamilton in 1992 my weight had ballooned to over 100kg!

Whilst in Blenheim we had tried to get pregnant but that didn't happen and just before we left I had started having infertility investigations. We moved back to Hamilton and within 4 months I found I was pregnant with twins. I didn't put on too much weight whilst pregnant with the twins going up to 117 kg. I had Marie and Damien 18 March 1993 and after I had given birth went down to about 91kg.

Things seemed to go OK for a while but slowly the weight came creeping back, in fact, I don't know at what rate or when! I just remember dieting at different times over the years. In about 2004 I was about 140kg and so went to Weight Watchers. I lost 25kg and was so energetic and confident it did frighten me at times. I was on cloud 9 but later that year a friendship that was very special to me suddenly disintegrated and left me totally bewildered, depressed and within a very short period of time I had ballooned 30kg as I wasn't able to function and so we ate a lot of takeout meals. Over the next couple of years I tried to have some resolution to the situation but it ended up to only be resolved in my own mind.

In 2008 I went to counselling which is something I should have done years before because the insecurity of the rape and then the weight gain and peoples comments took a big toll. It was one of the best things I did because it helped me sort out a heap of issues and be at peace with myself.

Last year my mother, being concerned for me, suggested we do Sure Slim together. For a few months that went well and I lost 10kg. Unfortunately I like being hospitable and that particular diet didn't fit in with my lifestyle. So again, I put the weight back on (Mum didn't though, she lost her weight and looks really good).

I remember a couple of years ago mentioning to someone that I had wondered if I could borrow money off Dad and Mum to have surgery. I had seen programmes on TV but didn't give it another thought. Sunday 14 March 2010 Damien and I went to visit Dad and Mum and a friend of theirs was there. She asked if I knew of anyone who would be interested in a part time job in my area. She explained the job and I said I might be interested, she said she'd check with the boss and get back to me (I hadn't been in the workforce since I was 6 months pregnant and I home schooled Marie and Damien). After the friends left Mum again expressed concern about my weight and that her and Dad were worried about my heart (my only real medical problem was the arthritis in my knees which was making mobility difficult). She said they would like to help me with stomach stapling. I didn't need to think twice! I came home and told Brian and he informed me that he had been researching it and wondered if it was something we could save toward. I spent the night looking at local sites on the net and finding out as much as I could. Monday morning I rang my GP and had an appointment the next day with him. I had never met him before as my GP had changed but he was a really lovely man. I told him what I was wanting a referral for and gave him a run down on my history. He said he had had 2 patients of the past years have it done and he was happy to give me a referral. I got a call from Mr David Schroeder's office on Friday 19 March to come for consultations Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24.

Monday 22 I got a phone call from Mum's friend to tell me the job was mine if I wanted so I started that Wednesday. It was so exciting, a new job and the prospect of finally losing my excess weight both offered the same day and both started the same week!

On Tuesday 23 I had a consul with Carol the nurse who weighed me (153.4kg) and explained to me the different procedures and then I had a consul with Zola the nutritionist who explained to me about the change in diet etc and made a tentative booking for my procedure, which I decided would be roux en y gastric bypass surgery, for Tuesday 18 May 2010. On Wednesday 24 I met with David the surgeon and then Ann the psychologist and then Donna the counsellor.

I needed to go on a pre-op diet for 4 weeks to help shrink the liver and lose some weight before the surgery. It started on Tuesday 20 April. It consisted of either a protein shake or bar twice a day and then a dinner of protein and non starchy veges - no bread, rice, pasta or alcohol for 4 weeks. After a bit of fine tuning with the flavours I liked I managed to get the diet done.

I had told a number of people that I was having the surgery and there were heaps praying for me especially when I got a cold the week before surgery. Thankfully it was mostly a runny nose and after talking to the anaesthetist was fine for surgery as long as it didn't go to my chest (which it didn't).

I felt at peace the whole time and wasn't nervous about what I was about to undertake. I turned up at the hospital reception and as I was waiting for the receptionist to get off the phone another lady came in, saw my appointment form and informed me that surgery would be canceled due to the surgeon becoming suddenly ill. A friend said we prayed for you, didn't think to pray for the surgeon (which people ended up doing). I went down to his rooms to talk to Zola to find out how far away surgery might be and what I needed to do about my diet. She weighed me and I had got down to 145.9kg (a lose of 7.5kg). She said she would ring me back re the date but it could be in the next couple of weeks or in June some time. She told me to stay on the diet so after checking supplies at home I went back on Wednesday to get some more to last me the next 2 weeks as they had rung to say my surgery was rescheduled for Tuesday 1 June.

I was still fine leading up to the new date and wasn't peed at all that my first surgery had been canceled. Come the night before though I felt like crying! I turned up at the hospital at 8am and was shown to my room where the nurse got me ready for theatre (I had lost another 2.1kg). I remember looking at the clock as I was being wheeled into the operating room and the time was 10.10am. The anaesthetist told me he was going to start administrating drugs to put me to sleep and that's all I remember until I awoke back in my room at 2pm with the family at the end of my bed!

I spent the next few days in hospital and other than a little nausea the first 2 days I had no real pain as they kept on top of pain management. There were about 5 of us who had the procedure done and I met most of the others. Sleep wasn't too forthcoming most nights and so I watched TV or did puzzles. On Friday 4 I left the hospital at 10am. I went to Mum's for the night because Brian had to go to Rotorua but I was home on Saturday. I had much better sleeps Friday and Saturday night - yay!

Today is Sunday and I have to be careful not to overdo things. I've been out a couple of times but am getting some rest in too. I have jumped on the scales a couple of times since I got home but I will wait until Tuesday and do a proper weigh and let you know how my weight loss since surgery has gone.

Here's to the new tomorrows :)