Trianni
I was born normal sized, a little over 7 lbs, but that soon changed. Mom craved chocolate and coca cola while carrying me and soon introduced me to them after birth. Well, them and the delights of southern cooking. My early pictures show a chubby little girl with pigtails and as she grew up, she grew out as well. Except for a brief time in my very early teens when I threatened to slim down, my weight blossomed into adulthood until I reached my top weight of 321 lbs in May 2007. I eat when I'm happy, when I'm angry, when I'm lonely, and when I'm bored, and I especially eat when I'm hurting. About the only time I don't eat is when I'm nervous or sleeping.
Along with the weight came the health issues. Today I have severely arthritic knees and must use a bipap machine at night because I stop breathing when I sleep. I have hypertension, GERD, gout, and edema in my legs. I'm told WLS will help all these ailments, maybe even cure some of them.
I started thinking about WLS back in 2002 and attended seminars at several different clinics, but didn't decide to follow through with it until January 2008. That's when I discovered the Tennessee Weight Loss and Surgery Center at the UT Medical Center in Knoxville. My PA, Lynn, has been a wonderful cheerleader each step of the way and the other members of the team are all warm and caring as well. I met my surgeon, Dr. John Scott, early on and liked him immediately. Frank yet warm, I was immediately comfortable in his presence.
I've never been "normal sized" and my obesity has stood in the way of so many otherwise normal life experiences: dating, marriage, career, even going to DisneyWorld. When I lose my weight and gain my mobility I plan to live like I've never lived before. I'll make that trip to DisneyWorld, take a Windjammer cruise, tan my legs, maybe even get a bellybutton ring. I can't wait!
