Hi all, thank you for your patience and great advice as I navigate all this. My family has been great, just celebrated my 60th birthday with a final “food funeral” of my favorite dinner and pie. I’ve been getting a lot of “Why now?” questions, sure wish I had done this earlier but had a job I didn’t think I could juggle with the aftercare. I thought maybe it’d be interesting to share what moment tipped you over into making the decision to do this.

Mine: Medical issues + multiple embarrassments through the years, but the final straw was a few months ago. I bought us concert tickets for a musician my husband loves but is seldom within driving distance. Beautiful day, beautiful venue… but the seats. Started the first half of the concert immensely aware the man sitting on my opposite side was bear-hugging himself to keep from touching my overflow. He didn’t come back (or rejected different seating) the second half. Utterly mortifying.

Edited July 20, 20233 yr by GrannyMaggie
Typo

My moment this time around was when I seen a picture of myself with all the women during a holiday party. It was so abundantly clear that I wasn’t just the biggest one in the room but I looked absolutely miserable. A time that should be nothing but fun with family and friends and I didn’t even feel like I belonged. I am just not comfortable in my own skin at this size. Then a couple of my labs started creeping up even more and that was the final straw.

Edited June 25, 20242 yr by ShoppGirl

My "aha moment" was when I was diagnosed with Lymphedema, which is an accumulation of lymph fluids in the body. Mine was not only in my legs, but also my trunk area. The lymph fluid would not drain and it created a "lymphatic load" in the apron portion of my stomach and it had started to hang down between my legs/knees, which was making it difficult to walk. I decided there was no way I could live like that. The rest is history.

21 hours ago, Aunt Fin said:

My "aha moment" was when I was diagnosed with Lymphedema, which is an accumulation of lymph fluids in the body. Mine was not only in my legs, but also my trunk area. The lymph Fluid would not drain and it created a "lymphatic load" in the apron portion of my stomach and it had started to hang down between my legs/knees, which was making it difficult to walk. I decided there was no way I could live like that. The rest is history.

You are amazing. You did this and lost so much weight. That is the best thing that I read all day. I know you will be smiling but I wish you could see the smile you put on my face.

2 hours ago, summerseeker said:

You are amazing. You did this and lost so much weight. That is the best thing that I read all day. I know you will be smiling but I wish you could see the smile you put on my face.

Thank you so much. You are so sweet. It's a long journey, but it is a journey that will give me back my life.

WOW, going back and reading this thread again, we've come a long way. I'm really proud of us!!!!