I DID It!!!!!!! {sort of}

I have fantastic news to share with you guys! This morning I went to the Kaiser Bariatric program because my scale had showed that I’d lost the required weight to qualify for my “5 lbs to go” marker!!!!

This meant that I had to verify the weight on the Kaiser scale, and then go through the psychological evaluation. I was WAY more nervous about making the scale weight than I was about “passing” the psych eval.

The evaluation was basically just a series of questions and some hypothetical scenarios to see if I had changed my lifestyle and to make sure that I had a realistic idea of what to expect from the weight loss surgery. Since Kaiser has all of my records over the past several years, the psychologist knows just how long my journey has been.  I mentioned to her that it had taken me far, far longer than most people who are able to do it in 6 months, and she said that there’s no specific time that’s right for everyone.  She looked through my chart and said that while I struggled for quite some time, I was obviously working on the underlying issues that were blocking me from completing the process.  It was clear to her that I was ready for this new lifestyle.  She made me feel great about myself and the struggles that I’ve been through.  The only note the psychologist made was that I needed to stop chewing gum and switch to mints. I didn’t realize that chewing gum can lead to air bubbles in the stomach, which can have the same sort of complications that drinking carbonated beverages brings. Now that I know, I’m going to make the quick switch to mints. Because I’ve noticed that as I’ve been losing weight my breath has gotten really bad, and I don’t want my poor students (or anyone else I come into contact with) to have to experience that, I’m going to make sure to have Altoids with me at all times.

But to get back to the scale….gosh, doesn’t it always come down to the scale for me?

With my clothes on, on the Bariatric department scale, I was 1 pound over what they required. {sigh} Which means that before my completed file can be put on the surgeon’s desk for review, I have to have the 1 lb loss documented by Kaiser. So, I’m going to make sure to lose 2 lbs and go to my local Kaiser, get weighed in, and then have them document it into my chart. Then I call the Bariatric center back and let them know that I’ve made the weight loss requirement. I plan to make this before the end of this week.

It takes about two weeks for the surgeon to review my chart, and then it can be up to 8 more weeks for my surgery date. I think that’s the hardest part – not knowing exactly when the surgery will be. But, I’m just going to figure that I’ll be able to see out the school year and I’ll be having the surgery in early June, after school is over. It’s not ideal, because I’d like to have the full 8 weeks of summer vacation to maximize my weight loss (and not have to use 4 weeks of that time for recovery), but it is what it is.

I think of people like Scale Warfare, who didn’t have any sort of summer vacation, and who lost her weight, worked out, and changed her life, all while working full time. If she can do it, so can I.

Everyone I’ve told about making it to my first goal has been so excited for me. I have amazing friends and family, all of whom are as thrilled as if it was happening to themselves. Those are people who really love me, and that makes me feel so special. All of this feel so surreal, as if it’s all happening to someone else. I’ve wanted this day to come for so long, wished for it, willed it to happen, and now that it’s here, I’m sort of in a daze about it all. I know that once my weight loss is finalized and on the books, I’ll feel better.

But for now, I do want to celebrate all that I’ve accomplished. I’ve made amazing strides recently, in both my body but also in my mindset, and I’m incredibly proud of all I’ve been able to do. I can’t wait to see where I go next!!

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