Welcome to my blog and my story. My birthname is Amanda although most of my family calls me Mandy. I’ve decided to go by Mandy because it represents the fun side of me and not as formal.
I have been a registered nurse for 20 years and currently work as a Manager. My full time job brings me a lot of joy. I love special projects and assuring that all of the pieces come together. For the purpose of this blog you might see a public service announcement from me as a nurse from time to time. I do not give advise as a nurse because I firmly believe it is important to check in with your own healthcare providers when it comes to your medical needs. This blog is written from my perspective as I journey through weight loss.
I am a wife, sister, auntie, daughter, and mother. I’m mom to a teenage son and dog mom to an adorable five pound Yorkie. Being a mom is one of the things in life I treasure most. I have a deep love of my family and my extended family.
My family has been a tremendous support to me as I went through this process of bariatric surgery. Throughout my upcoming posts I will share more about the support they gave me along the way.
My problem with weight started when I was five years old and therefore I’ve been overweight 41 years. Although I did have bariatric surgery this last attempt at weight loss, I have been successful on many other programs. I plan to talk about this time in my life also. It was only in the last ten years that I struggled to lose weight, then gained 40 pounds I could not seem to lose, and was not able to stay healthy that I made the decision to have the surgery. That said I do think I had an opportunity to have my surgery done earlier on which might have helped more.
My medical diagnoses include type 2 diabetes for over 20 years, peripheral neuropathy, Charcot foot (will explain in a post), high blood pressure, obesity, metabolic syndrome including high cholesterol, and symptoms of PCOS.
Since surgery I’ve lost 70 pounds and I’ve gained a lot of my health back. There are many ups and downs of surgery that I will share with you along the way. Surgery is not for everyone. For me I truly believe it was and is a life saver. I hope you will find inspiration in my story whether you decide to participate in another weight loss program or whether you decide on bariatric surgery. Please also join me if you are supporting a loved one through this process.
I found a new excitement for life on this journey and found hope that I had lost of living a long and full life. My weight and the way I was shaped caused many health problems. Some people who are overweight do not have health problems. I loved myself even overweight which is a key to this journey. I am honest that I’m happy to be a smaller version of me, but I loved myself. It was my desire to stick around a bit longer in life that made me decide on this journey. I hope we can do this together!