I'm 66 as of Sept '10 and almost completely disabled due to my knees being bone on bone.  My back has a bone spur on the L/S spine and spinal stenosis because of it.  Consequently once I had to quit a very active job as a Respiratory Therapist, I began piling on the weight, on top of a 200 lb body to the tune of 285 at my highest...or there abouts.

The more I gain the worse my knees and back got.  The worse my knees and back got the less I was able to do...the less I was able to do the more weight i gained....I believer they call that a "Catch 22".  I am miserable.  I can't do ANYTHING now.  I am what they call a "furniture walker"...I hang on to furniture as I navigate through the house.  I sit to cook supper.  To clean a floor...I sit on the floor and scoot.  I can put the clothes in the washer and dryer, but my husband or my 24 year old mildly mentally disabled granddaughter must carry the clothes to the laundry room, although sometimes I push the hamper into the laundry room...but even that is likely to cause my spine to freeze up.

Its horrible.  The weight has made knee replacements impossible.  Sooooo, at the urging of my knee doc, I looked into something I had been rolling around in my head for years....WLS.  After lots and lots of Internet study on the subject and interviewing a couple of doctors and researching  others, I settled on Dr Hoddinott.  I was very impressed with him.  He's very detail oriented.  I looked into his back ground and found except for one recent less than flattering comment he got raves from here in Ocala, Fl and back in PA where he was involved in a hospital's Bariatric program there.  On top of all that..he has a great sense of humor and is easy to talk to.  I know I made a good choice.  I have full confidence in him.  As one who worked critical care for 15 years I know what to look for in a doctor.

I am blessed to have a wonderful helpful and supportive husband and granddaughter to help me now...but they shouldn't have to pull my load and I am not at all happy having to dump my load on them.  I want my life back.  I want my knees replaced...my back treated and my weight down.  I want my health back.  I'm sick to death of motorized wheel chairs every time I want to take part in life.  Although very glad they are there for me.  Otherwise I would pretty much be house bound.

I started out at 20...at 119 lbs...5 babies later and two marriages...the last being a nightmare...I began gaining to the highest of 225.  I was very active with work so I was able to keep it there.  In 2001 I had a couple of things happen...my knees blew and back developed the bone spur on my spine and I quit work.  At the same time I was diagnosed with very early breast ca.  Thankfully it was so early a lumpectomy and radiation is all I needed.  However between the ca treatmen and the knee/back thing...it put me on a downward (or upward) spiral of weight gain.  Up to about 285 or so.  I feel like a fat pig.  I sweat at the drop of the hat.  I have been known to break lawn chairs.  Its humiliating.

Sooo think you doc for your recomendatin of WLS...it got the ball rolling on my taking back my life.  I'M READY!!!!!!!

My surgery date is Dec 2, 2010.  As I write this...it is Nov 29.  Today I got my pre admit tests of blood work, and EKG.  Tomorrow, I have a Scope of my tummy done.  The next day, I have a filter place to help catch any blood clots...just in case (I appreciate that detail).  Then the BIG Day!

I would appreciate any prayers for me and my doctor and medical staff.  Thanks for listening to my story.