The most important thing I have done is surrender the outcome of my surgery to my Higher Power.
After decades of being overweight and obese, as well as having suffered serious injuries to my knees from when I was an athlete in my teen and twenties, I now have severe osteoarthritis of the knees, culminating in both knee joints being bone on bone.
My earlier years in OA, with abstinence and relapse many times, had landed me in a situation where I had become complacent in my weight and was too heavy to have full knee replacement surgery. I needed to drop 50 pounds (23 kg) to become eligible. Recommitting to OA, my Higher Power, my sponsor, and food plan has allowed me to lose that weight and then some.
Now, I am awaiting the day of my first surgery. Of course, concerns about keeping my abstinence while recuperating have filled my head. So as in many aspects of my life, I made a plan, using the action plan Tool, for my recovery.
First, I considered who would be helping me with meals, and how much I would be alone to prepare my own meals after initially getting out of the hospital, so I made a new food plan that would work for my new situation: frozen foods, canned foods, fresh fruit with a good shelf life, and finally a premade food delivery service that conveniently provided nutritional information so I know it will work with my plan.
Next in my action plan is the Tool of the telephone. I started collecting numbers of OA fellows to call each day during my possibly 14-week recovery (I am having both knees done 7 weeks apart). Knowing I can call OA fellows, family, and friends will reduce my isolation and strengthen my program.
I purchased a tablet computer so I can go to as many online OA meetings from my bed as my energy allows. Staying on course with my usual meetings will give me the support I need to endure this challenging recovery. I am not sure how much service I will be able to provide, but I bet I can be a timer!
Another aspect of my action plan is to continue to work the Steps with my sponsor and with my sponsees, although I have encouraged them to beef up their use of outreach calls as I may not be as available at times.
Literature is key to my recovery, and I think it will be key in dealing with the pain and discomfort of my surgical recovery, as will writing about my daily experiences, challenges, and communications from my Higher Power. I have done a lot of writing: lists of things I have needed to get in order to have my surgeries, from walkers to toilet raisers! I have made food lists for my pantry, lists of people to call, and lists of activities to stimulate my mind.
The most important thing I have done is surrender the outcome of the surgery to my Higher Power. I am no longer afraid of what is to come or whether I will be able to remain abstinent. Using OA’s nine Tools of Recovery and knowing that my Higher Power is creating my highest good has given me a very unexpected peace.
Knowing that my Higher Power is creating my highest good has given me a very unexpected peace.
Overeater Anonymous has been a miracle for me. I was an obese woman with little hope for the future, in pain and with no recourse than trying some diet program where probably I would have gained all the weight back after the surgeries. Now I am a Spiritual Light, maintaining an 80-pound (36-kg) weight loss with a life made meaningful by living the Steps, Traditions, and Tools of Overeaters Anonymous. I am joyously looking forward to my OA recovery during my surgical recovery.
—Stephanie
