A bit of background.

On September 14th, I went to my Bariatric Surgery Seminar. I listened as Dr. Hamn told the few of us about the three types of surgery we had - the Lap Band, the Gastric Sleeve, and the Gastric Bypass - to choose from. My friend, Nadia had the Gastric Sleeve, and my mother has been on her second year of having the Lap Band. Both have seen remarkable success, and I've watched my mother as she shrank to her ideal weight.

After the meeting, I had a personal consultation with Dr. Hamn. We spoke a little about why I wanted to do this, and what I expected from the surgery. I told him exactly why I wanted to do it, and he referred me to a psychologist for a psychiatric evaluation, and a nutritionist to speak a little about what I would be able to eat.

Within sixteen days, my insurance had verified me as a candidate for the Lap Band surgery.

Since then, I've been counting the days - thirteen now - until my surgery. I just finished my pre-op bloodwork, upper GI, and chest X-Rays yesterday. So far, I will be paying $552.03 out of pocket for this surgery, and that doesn't include unforeseen circumstances, anesthesia, and vitamins and supplements I'll need for my post-op recovery.

So! Welcome to my blog! I'm Mandii. I'm twenty-three, and I weigh 266.4 lbs. I've been overweight ever since I could remember, I remember weighing in at over a hundred pounds when I was only in the fourth grade. I was a size 10 when I was only 10 years old. I've been between a size 18-22 ever since I started high school. I suffer from very severe asthma which gets even worse when I exercise. I'm praying that this lifestyle change will completely eradicate it.

I work at Starbucks, and I have the best support system I could ever ask for in my friends and family! Thanks for following!