osubuxfan
I am a 50-year-old morbidly obese woman who has watched my weight steadily increase for the last 15+ years. I am 5 feet 2 inches tall and, as of 2 weeks ago, I was at my highest weight ever, 288.6 pounds!! I work from home as a medical transcriptionist - love this job, but I have become a slug. I have become very comfortable with spending the bulk of my time at home - working, isolating and LURKING 
!!
Well, I have finally "hit the wall" so to speak; I am so tired of being out of breath, tired, incapable of doing the smallest of things without being exhausted and many things I can't do any longer - tie my shoes, squat and bend to give the dogs their baths, scratch the middle of my back with my fingers.
My 23-year-old son has his own battle with morbid obesity and he truly has become such an inspiration to me when it should be the other way around. He is agoraphobic, has barely left the house in 10 years and used to be a fast food junkie which I was so happy to provide (I'm a terrible cook!) without realizing what it was doing to him and to me. It just worsened his depression and inability to leave the house.
About a year and a half ago, at over 450 pounds, he just decided this was not going to be his life and he was going to change it. He did his own research, started telling me what he wanted from the grocery store (salmon, fish, chicken, salad, fruits, etc.). Surprise - I even have learned to cook somewhat decently and have managed to keep him eating well. He cut out all of his fast food EXCEPT for buffalo chicken pizza and buffalo burning hot wings about once every 6-8 weeks. He now weighs less than 275 (see his pictures in my photos)!
I have been preparing his foods, watching him change all his bad habits and the key word is WATCHING. I have continued to eat poorly and have packed on the pounds while he has lost 175. I just know that without surgery, at my age and degree of debilitation, I do not have the ability to stop this train - it's been running off the track for more than 15 years.
Comorbidities include hypertension (well controlled on meds), sleep apnea (use CPAP every night), was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism (which won't resolve with weight loss) and I have a huge (8 cm) hiatal hernia with about 35% of my stomach in my chest with terrible GERD (again, well controlled with meds).
My last scope was 2 weeks ago and the doctor says the hernia has got to be fixed so I am scheduled to see the surgeon on June 11 to discuss bariatric surgery as well as repairing the hernia. For me it's now or never, if I've got to have the hernia fixed, that is the time to have the bariatric surgery - with "virgin" anatomy. I am so excited to meet with this surgeon (I've heard a lot of great things about him) and discuss my options.
So here's to rewriting the future chapters of my story!!
