After browsing OH, I decided to finally join.

Jul 12, 2010

A little about me... I am Dotchi and I have been overweight for years. I have tried every diet and exercise plan there is... or that I have heard of. I tried low carb, low fat, low calorie, high protein, atkins, slim fast, south beach, baby food, you name it... I've probably tried it.

I kept telling myself that it's just me being lazy. I said if I didn't have a car, I'd be healthier. So when I moved to Montana and I didn't have a car, I just KNEW I was going to lose weight. I walked everywhere, watched what I ate and even added exercise every day. I was stoked! I lost inches... then they came back , I lost a few pounds... then they came back . The weight went back down and then back up and then back down and then back up. For six months of walking 2 miles MINIMUM a day, eating healthy and exercising; when it was all said and done, I didn't lose anything. Inches or pounds.

And my health was going to crap. I kept going to the Dr and saying my side hurts, I can't lose weight, etc. They kept saying it was probably this or that or all in my head then gave me pain pills and sent me home.

I hit my last straw when I went to a general surgeon in Montana. He said it wasn't my gallbladder. He said he was going to do an upper GI b/c he swore I had ulcers (I don't). I was okay with this for the moment but I asked what I should do about the side pain. I couldn't eat because of the pain. I was getting about 500-800 calories a day b/c eating and drinking made me hurt so bad it was debilitating. He asked where I got the pain pills from in a defensive tone. I said the ER. He then gave me a lecture about how I just need to drink small sips and eat small meals. I said that still causes pain... so he told me if I was going to "refuse to eat" then go have myself admitted to the hospital.

At first, I was sad and angry. Then I called my ex-husband (we're separated, live 1500 miles apart) and I told him it was enough to make me want a Navy doctor. I was floored at how I was treated and I couldn't see lasting 3 weeks with no food or water. So we made a plan...

I packed up our kids and drove 500 miles away to Washington so I could get medical help from a Navy hospital. Within a week, I had more diagnoses than I knew what to do with...

Non-Acoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Gastritis, Duodenitis, Mallory-Weiss Tears in my stomach, adhesions in my esophogus and metabolic disorder.

I was happy to finally hear it is not all in my head. The GI specialist said that the pain is probably coming from my liver and suggested that I lose weight (don't get me started) or have gastric bypass surgery.

Now that I have had time to think about it, I am ready. I am tired of hurting, of being fat and not able to lose weight and I am tired of civilian doctors who are idiots. I love my Navy doctors. I will never again say anything bad about Navy doctors.

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