Unlike other stories that I have read about people who have had this surgery, I was not fat (word still makes me cringe) my entire life. Up until seventh grade, in which I was 13, I was an all around athlete. I did softball, basketball, cheerleading, volleyball, and soccer. Towards the end of my seventh grade year though I began to get migraines and shortly after that I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I slowly quit all of my activities and just vegged out. I started to skip school a lot and that put me into the cycle of not being able to catch up so you just stay out another day and then another day until you notice that you have been out of school for a whole week. I fell into what I know now was depression. I dismissed it quickly though, then. Me?? Depressed?? Never. I had so many friends, I was the popular one that everyone wanted to be, but after seventh grade I wasn't popular for my looks. It was for my personality or the "front" that everyone thought was me. I even convinced myself that that was who I was. The jolly girl who was always making everyone laugh and who was friends with all the boys but never got that certain attention from the opposite sex. All through high school and my first year of college this is what it was like. Me pretending to be someone who didn't hurt, who didn't have problems, and who was always smiling. Behind that smile though there was always a hurting person who never told a soul. That was probably the reason why I ended up dropping out of high school. I just couldn't take it anymore. I hated everyone I knew for the simple fact that I thought they didn't care who I really was. How could I expect them to really care about my problems and who I really was if all I was showing them was something completely different. So I dropped out of high school 2 months before graduation. I had hit the 200 lb. mark in my junior year of high school. I knew that I wanted to go to college so I got my GED and found some schools. I applied at a 2 year school first and went for one semester. I hated it because it was so not the college that I had pictured. So I transferred to a four year school in Boston and that is where I am now. When I first went in for the consult I was 231 lbs. and 5'3". I was a happier person in college but still that same girl hiding behind that wall/facade. Then I decided to have the roux-en-y gastric bypass.

 

How I decided on surgery and up until surgery:

         Ever since I had started to gain weight, I tried every diet there ever was. Because the Polycystic it was even harder to lose the weight. I had heard about Carnie Wilson  having the surgery and I decided to do some research on it in the summer of 2000. For some reason I let the idea go and decided that this was just the way I was meant to be. Then in the summer of 2001 I saw an article about her again. She looked great and I wanted this soooooooo much more than the last time. I did more research and I made sure that this idea didn't slip away from me this time. I consider myself a religious person so I asked that 'if this was the right thing then please let me know'. Over the next 6 days everywhere I turned there was either a TV show on the procedure or an article about the surgery. So I took that as my sign to go ahead and I called Dr. Edward Mun in Boston, MA. He didn't call me back till a month later and he then told me that I had to see a nutritionist for 3 months before he would even see me. I didn't like that idea so I researched someone name Dr. Bruce Thayer in Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA. As soon as I met him I knew this was the right guy for the job. He was understanding of my schedule problems because of school and such. He squeezed me in for a consult only after I talked to him once. Everything went along smoothly and here I am today!

 

Ohhh okay see now before surgery I enjoyed ice cream, chinese food, chips, and french fries. All those really bad things. What?? Did I hear you ask what I like now? Oh well I like oranges!! Can't get enough. I also love hamburgers and chicken.