Hello all,

I figured since I was making the transition from lurker to poster on here, I'd might as well formally introduce myself. My name is Wes, and I am fat. Obese. Morbidly obese even. And like so many of you, I've been that way most of my life. When I look at myself in a mirror I can't help but be slightly disgusted at myself for letting it get to this. Today is my 31st birthday, and I know if I continue as I have the past 31 years, there's no way in heck I'll see another 31. Or if I do, I'll likely be miserable, and a drag on my family. I've always known this on some conceptual level, but having a 2-year-old running you ragged has a way of pointing out how bad off things have gotten, and how much worse off they are likely to become without intervention. And so, a couple months ago, I decided to seek that intervention.

I hit the books, and read up on the procedures, and jumped to action. I watched my hospital's seminar online instead of going to one in person, not because I was ashamed to be seen in public or anything, but because I knew I had to act immediately, and the week I would have to wait to see the in-person seminar was one more week that my process would be held back. As of today, I have already had my first of three "interdisciplinary sessions" required by my insurance (basically a group support session, a group nutrition session, and a weigh-in wrapped into one), my first surgeon consult, and my psych consult.

Some days, though, I think that the constant forward motion brought on by schedules long since made is the only thing that keeps me distracted from the subtle fear that crept in when I first considered the possibility of complications, or worse, death, that could wait at the end of the process when all the papers are signed. I'm doing this so I can be healthy, not just for myself, but for my wife, and for my little boy, and some days I have to admit that the possibility that I don't wake up from the table scares me. I've done the math, and I know it's the right choice, but the hard reality of trading one huge risk 5-20 years out for a smaller risk with much sooner (and potentially immediately final) results is still pretty scary.

I look forward to meeting many of you in the months to come as I work through the process, and eventually get a date, and hopefully end up on the other side of things lighter and happier and healthier. I want to be here for another 31 (or 41, or 51) years, and I know the first step in that is making the most of my life today, and making the decisions that get me to where I need to be.

:-). I went to the Oband Center and Dr Sergey Lyass. He is based in LA but comes here routinely to see patients and do surgeries. I had a great experience!