Jenn1214

I have struggled with my weight all my life, ever since I was a little girl. Diet after diet, failure after failure...each time I would gain back all the weight I lost plus more. I was ready to admit defeat and resign myself to the fact that I would be fat forever. I was miserable. I was tired all the time, my back was killing me, my joints ached, I had constant acid reflux and ate Tums like candy, my cholesterol and triglycerides were through the roof...the list goes on and on. Not to mention my complete lack of self esteem and hatred of going out in public for fear of being judged by others. People treated me like I was invisible, or even a monster. When I finally hit my highest weight of 251 pounds I said to myself "Enough is enough here. Something's gotta give."
I had heard about the Lap Band procedure from being in the medical field and from the media. I had even assisted on a couple procedures while I was doing my clinical rotations in the hospital in surgical tech school. I just never gave it much though because I told myself I would never get to the point where I would need to have surgery to help me lose weight. Boy was I wrong. I finally realized that it was my last and only hope of living a normal life, and so I went to see Dr. Geiss in July of 2010.
Fast forward to March 14th, 2011. As I lay on the operating table, in my last moments of consciousness before the anesthesia kicked in, I knew I was going to wake up with my life changed forever. It did scare me a little, but I knew it was for the better. I was saving my own life just as much as Dr. Geiss and his team were. I was making the decision to stop being miserable and unhealthy and just basically killing myself with food. 
Now here I am, four months later, 44 pounds lighter and three dress sizes smaller. I haven't had an episode of acid reflux once since surgery. My back stopped hurting and I can stand for longer periods. My blood tests are all normal now. I feel like I'm finally getting my life back. Through all the gas pain, healing scars, and endless protein shakes, I am a stronger person for doing this. It hasn't been an easy choice, but it was the right one for me. I'm slowly making my way to goal, knowing for the first time in my life that I will succeed. And it's a great feeling.