jennylew
Hi All! I am waiting approval from my insurance company to see if I can get Lap Band surgery. My good friend, Jenn, referred me to this website, so here I am. Not much to say except I need to do something now about my weight before it's too late. Like so many of you I've suffered with my weight problems most of my adult life. I am going on 42 years old and still have a lot of living to do. I was adopted as an infant and had a pretty "normal" upbringing I think. My parents divorced and after that, things just started spiraling downwards. Food has always been my friend in times of emotional support. I've tried everything to lose weight. I started out in my 20's by working myself to death and smoking cigarettes. That worked for a while. In 1997 I suffered a bad knee injury while playing softball which, 10 years later, found out I have no ACL and a torn meniscus. Now, 13 years and one knee surgery later, I am limited to any activity or exercise. I can walk short distances, pedal a bike, and swim. Anything beyond that swells my knee up and it takes a week to re-cooperate. My obesity makes it almost impossible to start any kind of fitness regimen. 12 years ago we decided to start a family and 2 children later I've put on 90 lbs. (I was already 40 lbs. overweight when we got married.) Throughout the years I've tried Fen-Phen, Weight Watchers, over the counter weight loss drugs, every fad diet out there, and my most recent, the Insulin Resistance Diet. I am on several medications including MetFormin, Prilosec, Fenoglide, and Rythmol. I suffer from severe sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation which my be caused by the apnea.. I am too young for all of these problems. I am blessed with two beautiful children and a wonderful husband who loves me for who I am. I want to be around for a long time and right now, I am on the path to Fat Lady's heaven. I am praying that I can get this surgery because I desperately need help. I like the fact that Lap Band is less invasive of a procedure and the fact that it can be reversed if medically necessary. I have a lot of anxiety about the loss of my "friend" .... FOOD. Yet I am eager to get the ball rolling and willing to do what it takes to be healthy so that I'll be around for lots of years to come. I have to admit I feel embarrassed to have a medical procedure just to eat healthier and be at a healthy and normal weight, but I am learning that obesity is a disease, not a choice. Bariatric surgery is a tool, and with today's technology I am going to take advantage of that and use it to get the help I need. Look forward to meeting some of my new friends here on OH. Please feel free to visit my profile anytime.
