Hi!
My dear friend had surgery about four years ago; and after about seven years of trying everything to lose this weight, now I think I am ready to have surgery myself. She highly suggested this site, and so here I am.

I grew up thin and athletic, on two swim teams, varsity tennis, dance...I loved to walk and be active. I was a size 6 and 5'8" through college.

Then I was placed on the Lunelle birthcontrol shot and gained 10lbs a month for six months (that is ONE WAY to prevent pregnancy, right? ha!). I moved durring that time, changing doctors, and so it took the new ones a while to realize something was wrong even though I kept telling them I was gaining weight and had never gained wieght before. When the doctor finally realized something was wrong, I was told I could never be on hormonal birth control again... So then I became pregnant. And put on another 70lbs.

Today I hover between 257-263. I wear a size 2x-3x; 20-22w.

I've been trying to lose this weight for seven years; I've done Weight Watchers, The Zone, South Beach Diet, Six Week Body makeover, taken phentermine, body bugg, bought and used over 150 1-hour personal training sessions...this weight just will not come off. Or, about 30lbs of it will, and then it comes back with 10lbs of its friends as revenge.

I don't know if I have PCOS or Diabetes Type 2--but--I take 1000 Metformin a day for blood sugar, as prescribed by the bariatric physician.  The doctor said it was because of the cholesterol that they could tell my insulin/blood sugar wasn't acting right--but I haven't officially been screened or diagnosed as either PCOS or Diabetic. Or both?

I'm hypo-thyroid, also--been on synthroid and cytomel for that for almost seven years.

I just don't even know where to start with learning about the surgeries and tracking down a surgeon and going through all the hoops for insurance; any advice and help anyone reading this might have, I'd really appreciate.

I'd like to get back to my weight when I got married: 148lbs. I was healthy and looked good as a size 8. :)

thanks!
C