sliminmexico
I was called Twiggy when I was young and didn't gain weight until I had an accident in my 40s and injured both knees. Back then there was no MRI and with the testing they did, they could not find why I was in so much pain. Little by little, I started dropped running, playing sports, sold my horse, etc. all the time going to ortho specialists who then started telling me my pain in my knees would diminish if I lost weight. Now, I'm not blaming my knees for all of my weight gain but they are the reason I stopped most of my physical activities.
Now there are MRIs but nobody orders one for me. When my primary doctor asked me one day how the knees were, I broke down and told her that nobody was listening to me - something was wrong inside my knees. Come to find out, I was walking on a broken knee cap. They did surgery on that knee but then discovered the other knee was bone on bone. I had a total knee replacement that was great and I started dieting and doing as much physical activity as I could. Then, all of a sudden, I had terrible pain in the hip of the leg I had had the knee replacement. I thought maybe I was overdoing my exercise. Nope, I am bone on bone and was in absolute agony.
I live in Mexico and have am on the national insurance plan called IMSS. Things take time down here and not everything is available BUT when I asked my primary doctor if IMSS would do bariatric surgery, she said they would and that I was a perfect candidate. So for the last 2 months, I have been having every test you can think of, inside and out, and the light at the end of my tunnel will be in August. I meet with the surgeon July 28 - all my tests will have been completed and he/she will give me a date.
Once I have recovered from the bariatric surgery or during that recovery period, I hope to see an orthopedic surgeon to tell me when they can do my hip. They tell me my other knee will need replacing eventually but will I be glad to be able to move like a normal person again - it seems like forever since I could do that.
I'm not sure if I would have pursued bariatric surgery if my hip hadn't entered into the picture. I did think I could lose the weight myself BUT haven't had much success. After talking to several friends who have had it, I realized it was the answer to many of my issues. I'm working on coming to terms with my overeating, eating just for the sake of eating, etc. so that the drastic change in what I can eat will not seem so drastic. My doctor has given me a canned protein-type drink for my last meal of the day and that keeps me from snacking at night - a bad habit I've picked up.
So, those of you out there who can relate to any of this, keep your fingers crossed for me as I will for you. Let's all get healthier and happy with our bodies!
About Me
Before & After
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