Stay tuned for a PSA !!!

So I've established I live in a small remote town. Nothing stays quiet here for long, mostly everyone knows everyone else's business.

About 8 or 9 years ago, a very Promenient Member of our Society (henceforth, she will be called PMS--you don't know how well that fits) had WLS. Like most who are considering WLS, the news stays within a close circle of people. You don't announce it to many people. PMS was the same way, she told no one. Not until about one and a half years after her surgery. Plus she was also telling people she did this on her own.

There have been critics throughout her whole coming out and even this long afterwards. I was amongst those critics. I didn't understand WLS and all I knew was that the stomach stapling of yesteryear was very dangerous, so why would she do this.

I come to work early in the morning, its still dark outside, and I see PMS sprint walking down the main drag. She has lost ALOT of weight ... she's gotta be half the person she was.

So what's my point? ...

PMS didn't tell anyone, it was a big secret.

I now understand why. There is shame wrapped all around this. You've already got a self esteem issue because of the weight. You may feel invisible, but boy EVERYONE sees how big you are. You don't feel like telling anyone because then you would have to explain what WLS is, how its used as a TOOL, not a quick fix, and definately NOT the easy way out. So I understand now, why PMS didn't tell everyone. Because when she finally did come forward with it, people laughed at her for it. Not to her face, of course.

PMS told everyone she lost weight on her own.

For the most part, that is very true. She utilized a tool that was given her, and she stuck to the program and lost a great deal of weight. That meant, she could only eat her food in tiny tiny bites, and chew it until it was pureed in her mouth and then try to swallow it without it clogging up the small hole it needs to travel through. She had to eat mostly ALL protein, and could no longer have the foods of pleasure. Because now the foods of pleasure create a "dumping" syndrome and there's no pleasure in dumping. She also had to bust her a$$ in the gym to help her body metabolize what she did eat, so she could fit a few more slight ounces into her body. There is something called "head hunger" where, if you are satisfied by two bites of something, your head and heart are longing for more cuz it tastes so damn good. But if you take another bite there will be severe pain because now your pouch (what is left of your stomach after WLS) is overstuffed and the food has nowhere to go. What do you do for relief of this horrible pain do you ask??? You run to the nearest porcelian god and pray to it. Did anyone do any of this for her??? NOPE ... she did it on her own.

So I beg of you ... no matter how much you dislike Miss PMS, don't dis her for making herself healthy. Don't dis her for putting her life at risk by having WLS. She did this so she could live life just like everyone else.

Now she can:

Fasten her seatbelt
Move her seat closer to the steering wheel
Not have an extender seatbelt on a plane
Walk into a room and have everyone gasp at how good she looks instead of how fat she is
Hold her head up high
Feel like a part of the crowd
Run
Sports
Walk up a flight of stairs without feeling like her lungs are going to collapse/explode
Not have pain in her feet, knees, back
Not have diabetes, high blood pressure, or anyother co-morbidities

PMS took a huge risk and she came out fine.

I want to be just like PMS ... that bitch has everything.