hi  there, my name is cheryl I am 38 years old and I have struggled most of my life being obese. I have tried pretty much every diet out there with little or no success . by the time I graduated college I was 433 llbs. after being diagnosed with  hypothyroidism, and diabetes. with medication and a strict diet I was able to lose 200 llbs. In 2002 I met my husband mark and we where married in 2003. we tried from the beginning to have a baby, and in october of 2004 I was informed with my lab results for my thyroid and my sugars I was as fertile as a rock. In february 2005 I discovered that I was 5 weeks pregnant, my sugars went to insane levels, and I was put on insulin immediatly and warned I would likely not have a successful pregnancy, and or my baby would have many health problems.

well my daughter was born october 11th 2005, 8 pounds 15 ounces beautiful, bright and very healthy, she is our miracle.

after having my miracle however my body seemed to go into endocrine hell, my thyroid and diabetes worse then ever, I was diagnosed with poly cystic ovaries,diabetes with severe insulin resistance, and very  very hypothyroidism. I have been growing more and more fatigued everyday, and It seems I am gaining weight by the minute. My doctor thinks that having the roux  en y procedure maybe what I need to live a long healthy life so I can be around for my daughter to grow up with a active and healthy mom, there are days where the pain in my legs is so bad i can barely walk or if I get down on the floor to play with her it is very difficult to get up, I am back at 308 pounds, I hate looking in a mirror, I am embarrassed by my size and I long to live in a thin body, and buy normal clothes like everyone else.I am going through the application for funding from our provincial funding to have the surgury in the u.s.a as it is a 3-4 year wait to have the surgury in canada. I want to lose the weight before my daughter misses out too much fun with her mommy. hopefully it will not take too long for the chance at a new life.
I was approved for surgury in march of 2007 however in pre op testing it was discovered that I had a high blood calcium levels and after further investigations it was discovered that I had hyper para thyroidysm which was cause by a large tumour in my parathyroid gland and my thyroid gland. they finally removed that october 18th 2007. so I had to reapply for out of country surgury with ohip(canadian insurance) again, all that has been sent away so I am re awaiting approval, and will soon hopefully have a date as of last week they were already booking end of feb so likely it will be in march of 2008.Although it has been extremly frustrating all this waiting , I am thankful that Dr.Slikkers is very thorough  in his pre op testing as finding that tumour likely would not have happend until after a massive heart attack from too much calcium in my blood. so literally from my heart THANK YOU DR.SLIKKERS!!!!!!
well things moved much quicker then I thought and my surgury was scheduled for january 25th, 2008, and that wonderful friday morning was my new birthday.Thank you Dr. Slikkers you are definitly my new hero I am not quite two weeks out and I have already lost 17 pounds since surgury alone........ yeah !!!!!