agent99
I have waited to post my story for awhile. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to put in this. Here goes....
I am 38yrs old. I have not always been obese. I was a rather scrawny child. I did get a little plump when I started puberty. I thinned out at age 14. Then I got too thin (110lbs). So what is the problem right??? well at 16 I gained a little. I look at those pictures as my "fat" days (150lbs). I then went to 170lbs. I stayed there (within 10lbs give or take) until I had my son (13yrs ago). I lost all of my pregnancy weight within 6 weeks and I thought to myself "cool there are thin chicks out there that can't do this". Little did I know what was to come ahead. I gained rapidly with very little effort. I found out when he was 3 months old that my thyroid was "out of wack". This happens to 5% of women. I can't win the powerball, but I could beat the odds and get this! Just as I was coming to grips with this, I got pregnant with my daughter. I found out I was pregnant right after my son's 1st birthday. I didn't gain as much with her. That was good. The problem is, I was right around 240lbs after I had her. I stayed there. Since then (she is now 11) I am 250lbs. My father is morbidly obese. My sister just had RnY on 9-10-07. She and I eat completely differently and our lifestyles are just as different. The thing is, we are the same height and same weight (not anymore, but will be soon!!!). The majority of my mother's side of the family is morbidly obese (except my mother and a handful of her cousins). Over the years my sister and I have tried various things. I even took Fen-Phen before it was banned. Nothing has worked. Currently, I have obstructive sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, stress incontinance, and I had gestational diabetes (with my son). I have some mild carotid artery disease and some cervical disc disease. I suffer with migraines and back pain. I am on a collision course with diabetes. I have strong family history of it. It is not "if", it is "when". I need to do this and do it soon. I am slowing falling apart and I am much too young to have the problems that I have. Most if not all can be corrected with wls. That is what I am looking for. The added benefit of being able to fit in an airplane seat and shop in regular stores is just that - added benefit. I want to be able to do things with my family that I have never been able to do. I also want to be there when my "babies" have babies. I know this won't be easy and I am lucky enough to have a supportive family (even with my mother trying to talk me out of it). My sister is my hero and my strength
. Without her, I wouldn't be able to have the guts to say that food has been a problem for me and I need to take back control. She is also my guinea pig 
. We talk daily and sometimes we talk more than that. She tells me everything that she is going through. I was lucky enough to be able to go to FL and be with her when she had her surgery (hence the airplane referrence). They say you can pick your friends, but not your family. If she wasn't already my sister, I would choose her. It may sound corny, but she is the wind beneath my wings. She has always stayed in the background to let me have the spotlight. This was my chance to do that for her. She will have lost most of her weight by the time I see her and she will be more beautiful than she is now.
