9/14/07:  ME 
Well my story begins as most others.  I have been overweight all of my life.  As a young child in elementary school I remember vividly being teased by other children about my weight.  I had a pair of size 14 Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans in the 5th grade and I could barely fit them.  I always bought clothes in the plus size department/stores.  I danced tap and jazz as a child but I did not stick with it because I was always the fattest girl in the group.  The same thing with softball.  I hated how I looked in costumes and uniforms. I did not look anything like the other kids.  So once I lost the confidence to participate because of my size I began to grow even bigger.  When I was in highschool all of the boys were attracted to my "mature" body.  This was not helpful at such a difficult time for teenagers.  On into college I continued to grow with the freshman 15, which was more like 20-30 for me.  I married at 30 yrs old weighing 265 lbs.  I lost 35 lbs with my first pregnancy because I lost my appetite.  I got down to 235.  I thought I was looking good.  I felt good.  I had hoped I could keep the weight off after my daughter was born, especially since I nursed her for 11 months.  But then I got pregnant with my son 6 months later.  I had a good appetite with the second pregnancy and ate all I wanted.  All of the weight came back plus some.  Currently I weigh approximately 280 lbs and am having lots of problems.  My PCP diagnosed me with high blood pressure at the beginning of this year.  I have arthritis in my knees and I have low back pain most of time.  My feet hurt when I stand and I have trouble with circulation in my arms.  I suffer from acid reflux and incontinence.  I have decided to have weight loss surgery so that I can experience life as it should be lived.  I want to raise my kids by example.  I want them to have good eating and exercise habits and be proud of their mommie.  I want to be confident and beautiful for my dear loving and supportive husband.  I want to be able to act on my hopes and dreams and not sit back thinking I cannot do something either physically or mentally.  I WANT TO LIVE. 

 10/1/07:  Here's a little history of my journey.  

I first spoke with my PCP at the beginning of this year about WLS.  She referred me to 2 bariatric surgeons.  While investigating them I discovered Dr. Smith and the Advanced Obesity Surgery Center in Marietta GA.   This first appealed to me because it was closer to me than the other 2 doctors' offices.  There were also lots of wonderful reviews about Dr. Smith that impressed me.  So I told my PCP about him and she looked up his creditials and was accepting of my decision to go with Dr. Smith.  I started the pre-approval process in June 2007.  I had all of my tests done by the end of July.  My file was submitted to insurance for approval mid August and I was notified within two days that I had been approved.  Because it happened so fast I was in shock.  I think it took about two weeks for reality to set in.  I started getting really excited.  This is really going to happen!!

I am scheduled for DS surgery on Tuesday October 23rd, 2007.  I am so excited.  Currently I am trying to get mentally prepared for my new life to come.  I have been trying various ready made protein drinks.  Buying vitamins and working on organizing my support team for my recovery period.  I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and a 2 year old son.  So needless to say I will need lots of help during recovery. 

I am looking forward to sharing the rest of my journey with you.
~Follow your dreams