Seven

I don’t really believe in luck, well I don’t believe I have any luck…except bad luck.


But if you asked me for a lucky number, I’m going to say 7. I just like that number. I’m #7 in my family, born in 1977.

Today I’m 7 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery and I am lucky to be alive.

I sometimes have to remind myself of that.

Yesterday, I found myself questioning if surgery was worth having. There I was once again having a diagnostic test, my 5th upper GI in 7 years, and I thought “is this what my future will be? How many tests will I need during my life to check for possible complications of surgery?” Then I went to an appointment with a friend who has lost over 150lbs on his own. The receptionist in the office asked him if he had “the surgery” and he replied, “No, my insurance wouldn’t cover it, so I did it the old fashioned way”. I razzed him a bit about saying that, but honestly it doesn’t bother me because everyone is different.

But it did make me think more about if having weight loss surgery was worth it. And the answer is had I not had surgery and lost the weight I did, when I did, I wouldn’t be here typing this right now. The mini-stroke I had in 2004 would have been a full blown stroke and I would have died in my small town hospital. I have many medical issues and only a few have been a result of surgery.

The WLS Pick-up Line

I was hit on today. No, not like that.

A woman tried to recruit me to have "the surgery". Little did she know I had already spotted her as a post-op so I totally knew where her pick-up lines were leading.

It started when the supervisor who was giving me a tour of the hospital asked her how she was doing, she replied “Good, the doctor took me off one medicine and put me on five. I’m vitamin deficient and xyz med was irritating my stomach.”

The vitamin deficient totally made me look at her hair…which wasn’t that thin but still thin enough to make me wonder.

So while I was observing the guy next to her, she complimented me on my sweater. I thanked her and explained it was more comfortable than a suit jacket on my arms. She then said she loved her sweater and couldn’t get rid of it despite it coming from the Avenue and being too big “on her now”. For any of my non-fattie readers, the Avenue is a plus-size clothing store. So that was her hint that she was a former fattie. So then she says, “I was really big, and it was hard for me to do my job. So I had ‘the surgery”. Here again, code word although even non-fatties typically know “the surgery” refers to weight loss surgery just as “the pill” refers to birth control. Then she got out her before pictures to show me how wonderful she has done.

As this point I’m quite sure she is trying the polite approach to recruit me, so I tell her that I too had “the surgery” seven years ago then gave her the spiel of how I was over 500lbs, I have lymphdema and lipedema which is partly why I’m so fat….blah blah blah…I’ll bring the picture later.

After lunch I felt I couldn’t take my bottle of Diet Sunkist back with me because I’d be judged, and I wasn’t sure of the drinks policy in the work area.

I showed her my “before picture” but honestly it’s like saying ‘you think I’m FAT now…omg I used to be HUGE’. Why must I explain my size to people? Well in this case I did so she’d turn off the recruitment script.

Oh, and then of course in reply I put asked her if she was a member of ObesityHelp. She said no….bawahaha the recruiter is going to become the recruited. I’m taking the pamphlet with me next week!