Hello, my name is stephanie and I am.......

[Big Opie 32]

24 years old, soon to be 25 in August. I have blonde hair and brown eyes. I have a super amazing boyfriend named Carl and two fur babies (Fred (beagle) 3 years old and Jason (beagle husky) 1 1/2 years old). I have lived in Omaha Nebraska almost my whole life, before that I was stuck in North Dakota I want to say Fargo but I'm not 100% sure. I have an older sister Sarah (25 soon to be 26 in August too), younger brother Matthew (19), and Nolan (14). My parents are still together, not happy but together.

My first job was at a hole in the wall laundry mat, then I left there to go to Dairy Queen (where I was stuck for 5 long years), then got a job at a call center, then a daycare, then back to the same call center (different department), and now I work as a pharmacy benefit manager as a member service specialist. I love the call center atmosphere just because I can help members who need it.

I love to go camping and go star gazing. I collect comic books and video games. I used to enjoy going physical activities but due to my weight I'm unable to now.

My HW is 255lbs my CW is 249lbs. I decided to write this because I had the lowest moment of my life today, multiple things in one day. It just was absolutely horrible.

First, I have 8 weddings to go to this year, which require me to get dresses. So I went to this dress store called The Dress Barn, it started off great found a dress that fit me and I was waiting for my mom in the dressing room. My back started to hurt so I went to the chair to sit down, the moment I sat down, the chair basically screamed for me to get the hell off...making all sorts of loud noises and making me super uncomfortable. I decided to stand because the chair looked like it was going to break.

Second, we went to ShopKo to look at shoes, which I didn't find any, and then we went to the bras, I grabbed a couple and I went into the dressing room and I needed my moms opinion, she made a comment of, "your on your own because I don't want to see all that nasty". Yes, my mother said that. It absolutely broke my heart.

Third, we went to Gordman's to find shoes. They had really cute sandals that I wanted to try on, so I tried them on and went to bucket them, but I couldn't. Not because the strap was broken, it was because I'm too fat to reach my feet. My mom made a big deal about it, "do you need help?", I told her i will never get to the point of someone else having to buckle my shoes, I'd rather be dead. So after 3 minutes of struggling with the strap (and starting to sweat in the process) she says louder then I would like, "Jesus Christ Stephanie let me buckle the damn shoe since you can't!" I finally gave up and got s different shoe.

I can't fit into regular chairs with arms because my wide bottom doesn't fit, I have back pain because of the chairs at work (they refuse to give me a different chair because I'm not disabled), and I find myself growing more depressed.

I have already had two doctors visits out of the 6 that my insurance requires. I've already done the seminar, met with the surgeon, and have been watching what I eat. I know I need to start working out to help build up endurance and strength for when I have the surgery.

I have not always been this fat, I'm 5"3 and weigh 249lbs so I'm about 136lbs over weight. I want to do the sleeve surgery, to help aid me in my lifestyle change. I've read so many positive things on here, and am so glad I found so many supportive people here since I seem to only have my boyfriend and my dad behind me on it.

I know this is all over the place, I suffer from A.D.D, depression and severe anxiety. So I apologize.

Any feedback is appreciated, any stories you have is appreciated.

[wannaBthinsoon 1,634]

@@Big Opie Welcome! You appear to be in the right place. I am old enough to be your Mom, but I totally feel your pain. I'm right there with you. I broke a chair last Christmas at my sisters house, in front of EVERYONE! Read through the forums...the titles may spark your interest. There are a lot of really amazing, wonderful people here who are always willing to help, encourage, and provide you some tough love if you need it. I have been on BP now for nearly a year, my surgery is mid April, so I have been "educated" on some things we don't talk about at the nutritionist visit, or Psych visit. Do yourself a favor, and have a sleep study done, and get it overwith. Even if you don't have sleep apnea, it's a hurdle you'll get over ahead of time. Plus, if you do have sleep apnea, you NEED to have your CPAP with you at the hospital for after surgery, so you do not have sleep problems there. Have you already discussed this with you insurance company? Make sure you find out their "requirements", sometimes you can double up, and get many things done pretty quickly. Best of luck to you on your journey to great health. Keep in touch with us. Now that you've introduced yourself, we'll want to keep up with you to know how you're doing.

[Nyelaah 77]

Welcome! It is a difficult journey, but one we are all taking! I am also

Starting the process and all

I have to say is to take it

One day at a time. There were many moments that I went through my own depression throughout this process

And even before.... But it's for your health and future. Stay strong! If you ever feel down and need encouragement we were here!!

[borg/assimilated 576]

Welcome Big Opie! You will find a wealth of information on this site. I read the good, the bad and the ugly here before my surgery. I felt the posts here were invaluable, as they were from people who were (are) experiencing the reality of WLS. Read on, newbie!

[Blue Sky 89]

Big Opie u may as well take the Big out of your name because you won't be there long. See yourself at the end of your weight loss journey. You will get those 136 pounds off and are already making strides toward that end.

[IcanMakeit 1,318]

Welcome @@Big Opie. We share similar starting stats (although I'm probably a lot older than your mother). Losing as much weight as you need to is definitely do-able. You are starting off right by seeking out fellow travelers who will encourage you and give you the straight dope. Over the next months you will feel exhilaration and disappointment in turns. But the healthy habits and slimmer body that you will develop are worth all of the effort.

[Elode 8,093]

Welcome!