Hey, y’all! It’s Carmen again. As most of you know, my mom has Lupus and had gastric sleeve surgery to aid with symptoms. I wanted to take a minute to talk about how this surgery from last year impacted me.
Before my mom had the sleeve surgery, Lupus kicked her butt. She had “down days” where she felt so fatigued and pained that she could barely move in her chair in the living room. She had to turn down outings with friends and family because her Lupus made her feel so tired (the “Spoon” theory is so great at explaining it).
Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2016. It had been just a few months since Mom had the surgery, and I couldn’t keep up with her when we were Black Friday shopping. She had so much energy, and I didn’t know what to do! It was like she was an entirely new person.
This summer, we went to Disney World – Mom’s first time to Disney since the weight loss surgery. When she was first diagnosed with Lupus, walking around the parks took a toll, and we rented a scooter to help Mom get around. This time, I wanted the scooter. Sure, there were moments that we both wanted to sit on a bench in the air conditioning, but it was so amazing to see her so full of life and enjoyment.
Since Mom has all this new energy, I feel inspired (or obligated) to get in shape myself so I can keep up with her. My excuse that I’m a typical tired college student can’t work this time, because Mom is also going back to school while working full time at the college (it’s awesome that we call each other and complain about classes – FINALLY she understands). 🙂
It has been an adjustment, but it’s definitely one for the better. I’m so thankful that Mom would have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as much now. She still has a down day or two, but instead of Lupus kicking her butt, she’s showing it who’s the real boss.
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