Serendipity

First off, I am happy to report that I have a new date for my surgery: Feb. 28. I got it confirmed today with the scheduler.
The new date is exactly seven years to the day since my father died. Strange how things work out sometimes. The nice thing ... my lucky number is 7 (having been born on 7/7/67 ... what else could it be?).
As my editor here at the paper said: "Serendipity is real. Go with it!"
It gives me about a month to err on the side of caution here at work (our schedule is clear from the end of February through March).
Like everyone else who goes into this surgery, there's no clear answer as to whether the skilled hands of the surgeon can make those tiny incisions and do the job or whether it's going to take a much larger cut. The bigger the incision, the longer it takes to heal. The greater the chance of hernia and infection. Etc.
So, despite the tears I shed over my decision to put this off, I have come to terms with it and am happy with my decision.
A young woman who goes to my gym (the lovely and wonderfully inspiring Jennifer Zacher ... who I just friend-requested on Facebook, so she should be able to add her two cents into these discussions) put it into perspective for me.
Jennifer had gastric bypass a few years ago, so she knows where she's coming from. She told me that my surgery just wasn't meant to be on that day. Maybe the surgeon would have been having an off day. Or ... another reason.
I buy into the notion that everything in life falls into place when it is supposed to, so now it's time to look at the new date with anticipating eyes.
I have a goal between now and then, besides the obvious ones of control and weight loss. One of the things I told myself when starting this blog is that I want to break down some barriers for myself and hopefully for others. One of my biggest fears has always been photos taken. Specifically, photos of my body. Not naked photos or something like that ... oh, hells no! I'm talking, run-of-the-mill pictures that most people take for granted. Ones that show body areas below the neck.
Even my profile picture for this blog is strategically placed. It is designed to show my head and part of my shoulders. Ever since I was little, I've been self-conscious of my broad shoulders. I feel like a linebacker.
I've decided to fight back against my own self-esteem issues. I am going to ask a friend to take some"before" photos for me. In the spirit of (nearly) full disclosure, I plan to post them here. They might not be pretty, but I'm not going to sit around and pick them apart either. Everyone will be able see where my challenges are. My stomach is by far the worst and will undoubtedly be the one area that will take the most work. For someone who has the classic "metabolic syndrome" (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and polycystic ovarian syndrome), the stomach usually is the place where the fat gathers.
I'm excited to kick that syndrome to the curb.