A letter to my family and friends

This is a letter that I sent to my dearest family and friends.  I wanted to share it here, too, somehow as a part of the process and experience I am dealing with as I face this surgery.  It is intimate, and honest.
Hi there, my beloved family & special friends,

I thought I would send a little update and reminder that Wednesday, August 11 -- less that one measly week away -- is the very big day that I will go have my gastric bypass, and hernia repair.

Since the beginning of this current adventure, back in November 2009, I began losing weight.  Back then it was sort of informal.  No one at the clinic focused too much on numbers of pounds, or even asked how we were doing with our weight loss.  But don’t get me wrong- there was lots of talking about food, and feelings and portion sizes and food label reading. 

By June things were a little different.  On 6/4/10, Dr. H said,”You will have to lose 30 more pounds before surgery. I have lost 37 pounds total, Since Dr. H's requirement, I’ve lost 27 pounds – good enough to go forward, and enough for my “team” to be proud of my efforts.  YAY!

So, Wednesday morning, at 5:30, I’m scheduled to check in at the hospital for my 2 - 2.5 hour procedure scheduled to begin at 7:30am.  I’ll be at Good Samaritan Hospital and after a little while in Short Stay I’ll be moved to unit “6 Center,” to a specialty surgical unit for abdominal surgeries.  I have heard that I’ll be cared for by specially trained RNs who have won awards for their outstanding care on 6 Center.  I’ll have a catheter in place for luxury peeing, and a pain pump for luxury pain management. 

So there you have it!  Some might say the answer to my prayers, others might say this is something to be grateful for -- a second chance at life.  I say:  I am grateful and I do know that it’s going to be hard work, and that’s after the surgery! I’m looking forward to it!  

Much Love,

Lynn, Lynnie, La, Ba, Noe (depending)

Fortune Cookie Therapy-

The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It

Flip-side:  Pick Your Battles.

I don’t think I could have picked a better slip out of the bowl in my therapist’s office if I would have tried, last Friday. The slip read: The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It.  And for any of us planning to have a gastric bypass, or recovering from one.  Those words should ring true in our ears! 

I'm hearing that this is a time to truly envision my new life unfolding before me, and to concentrate on all of the steps that I know will make me successful in my endeavor to be healthier.  Since I’m still waiting for my surgery date (coming 8/11/10)!, I can only plan, read, trust, and take on pure faith, that everything will be fine.  I’ve been told that if I follow the steps my bariatric surgeon and her team have laid out for me, and I exercise, and eat carefully, and utilize all of the tools that have been shared with me, then I will learn to accept a new lifestyle and I will lose weight.  It sounds so simple.  Could it really be so simple after all of the efforts that I've made over the years?  Weight Watchers, the Grape Fruit Diet, The Cabbage Soup Diet, Jenny Craig, and the others all made me believe that I would be thin and physically well, like all of the promises that were made?

The trick is in knowing that there’s a lot of hard work, episodes of “head hunger," and difficult times ahead.  The tool — my gastric bypass — gives me that amazing leg up in managing my weight, my hunger, and my lifestyle.

I couldn’t be more excited — although a little nervous, still — finally the excitement outweighs the nerves!  I realize that I am creating my future, and can predict success in my future because of what I’m learning.

Comments?  I’d love to hear from you out there, lurking and reading along….