Shannon Bower
My name is Shannon E. Bower and I am 38 years old. I am 5’5”tall and I weigh 250lbs. My current Body Mass Index is 41.6. My weight history is as follows. I was a healthy weight until my early twenties when I got married. I quickly gained about 30 pounds, and I chalked it up to “contentment”. My weight was 168lbs. I went to weight watchers and lost 40lbs. I became pregnant and gained it all back in less than 5 months. My after pregnancy weight was 170lbs. I became pregnant again right away and gained 34lbs. After my pregnancy I went back down to 170lbs, but it was short lived. My weight has escalated consistently over the last 15 years to my current weight of 250lbs. I have tried several methods of losing weight over the years only to gain it back and then some. My most resent success was in the summer/fall of last year when I lost 32 lbs on Nutri-system. I have gained that weight back. I have tried Weight Watchers, Nutri-System, SlimFast, exercise, soup diets, 7 days on, 7 days off diet, Diabetic diet, low Carbohydrate diet, and the list continues. I have also tried Doctor supervised diets, Xenical, and also had several visits to a Dietician. I have had no long term success. I have recently been diagnosed with High Blood Pressure, and I am currently taking medication. My sleep is disturbed by continuous Acid Reflux, and I have been taking medication each day for that as well. I am scared that if that continues that I will suffer permanent damage to my Esophagus. I am very concerned about my quality of life and fear that my weight will cause other serious complications. I come from a family of obesity, heart disease, and Hypertension. I feel like I am a ticking time bomb, and I am very scared. My whole life seems to be dictated by my weight. I have to make decisions based on whether my weight will be an issue, such as if there will be walking involved, if I will have an opportunity to sit down, or if I will be too hot as I sweat excessively. My recreation is limited and I have had to stop doing things that I love such as skiing, playing ball and any types of sports. I cannot play with my kids for very long as I get short of breath and severe back and leg pain. I cannot go for a walk with my Husband or my dog. My life is at a stop. I just want to live a long healthy life. I have been researching this surgery for a couple of years and I have friends who have been successful. I have also attended support groups. I know that this is the logical next step for me. I do realize that this not a cure, but a tool. I need this tool to help me change my life. I have listed below some of the Co-morbidities that I am currently suffering from.
| Ø Hypertension | Ø Social un-acceptance |
| Ø Incontinence | Ø Shortness of Breath |
| Ø Difficulty standing, knee, hip and back pain. | Ø Difficulty maintaining acceptable hygiene |
| Ø Sleep disturbance | Ø Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease |
| Ø Emotional Stress | Ø Marital Stress |
| Ø Gout in feet | Ø Rashes |
