The Time is Now - Las Vegas, NV

I am 15 days out and I will be traveling 2089 miles EACH way to have the surgery in Las Vegas, NV. I'm apprehensive about the surgery, traveling after the surgery, (I will return 4 days after the surgery), and the change this will make in my life. BUT!!! I want to be healthy again which out weights any and all fears! I am open to advice from those of you who have gone through this. My goal is to reach 140 pounds from my pre-prep weight of 295. I know I have a long way to go to have an acceptable BMI but I'm healthy otherwise except for the pressure on my knees from carrying two me for about 10 years! I look forward to getting back to dancing and biking and other stuff I miss: like walking a block without stopping to pretend that I'm checking my phone when I'm really trying to catch my breath!

I arrived in Las Vegas last Saturday and surgery was Tuesday September 15th and it went well. I returned home yesterday (9/19) and the fear that I had before surgery that I might be uncomfortable on the return trip was unfounded! Today is day five since surgery and I've relaxed today my first day back in my own bed. I did get down quite a bit of protein so far and water plus herbal tea. I plan to walk more until I'm given the go ahead to exercise at the gym. I feel much better than I expected and the experience in Las Vegas with Dr. Umbach went fantastically. The Doctor and his staff and the North Vista hospital were professional, knowledgeable, and caring. Weight lost including the 2week pre-opt has been a total of 12 lbs. I need to walk more and get in all my water and protein. Well, I've just begun this life long trip to the positive.

Today is my two week anniversary and I've lost a total of 25lbs. I'm feeling pretty good. I was a little weak for the 1st week so I allowed myself to sleep and didn't walk as much as I wanted to or planned. Today the energy is returning and I've promised myself that I'm going to move more. I am pleased that I've done this and I know I have a long way to go to get my health back on track but I've got a good start to regaining control of my life.