TraceyB-LV
I'm 43 years old, married, been obese most of my adult life. My older sister and her two daughters all had WLS (Gastric By-pass) in 2003 and have lost most of their weight - meeting their goals. I would like to live past 50, lose my weight and be healthier and productive, and live with my husband, and grow old together.
I am currently owned by one dachsund, and two cats. I have been married for 15 years. I am a born-again Christian and enjoy being active in my church family.
Before I had my Surgery:
When I told co-workers, and friends of my decision to have wls, and all but one friend was supportive. I'm sure the one person, if she had all the facts of my life would also see the need for this surgery to take place for me and my well-being.
According to my doctors, I had quite a few co-morbidities, and in a sense, (or not), I wore these "badges of courage", because I believed that these really helped my insurance company decide to to pay for my surgery in November 2006.
I was a diabetic, have sleep apnea, use oxygen 24/7 for hypoxemia and asthma complications, arthritic feet, joint problems, and "congestive heart failure" from a letter a past cardiologist wrote for me. I've also had cellulitis & edema in my ankles and calves.
Although, I feel as though the congestive heart failure is not active anymore, and my blood sugar levels are in the good category, I knew that if I continue living at the same BMI of 63 for another year, I would have definitely end up in a wheelchair, unable to care for myself, unable to walk due to the pain in my feet and knees, from bearing too much weight.
I determined to be emotionally and spiritually strong for my journey, and since my insurance company paid for both mine and my husband's benefit, I knew that the whole situation was in God's hand, plan and will for my life.
I will say that I have received tremendous support from my doctors -- all who supported me in this decision to go forward and improve my health and well-being. It's amazing what hard work and determination will do for one's self-esteem.
Family History
I've grown up in Las Vegas, NV and been here since I was five years old. My parents were into gambling, so this was a good place to move for them. My mother's side of the family all are obese, and many died because of complications related to obesity. My father died of congestive heart failure, and he struggled to keep a trim figure, and was into all kinds of health foods, even though my mom, didn't follow his regime. She was a smoker, and worked in the casino restaurants and then came home and cooked for me and my dad. She was raised in Arkansas, where Southern home cooking meant cooking for twelve people at every meal ... even though there were only three of us.
I used food as comfort during times of stress and anxiety. I was teased horribly by kids at school, which kept me from ever having children, as I knew that kids are mean to anyone who is 'different'. I am currently at my largest weight ever. I have had successes with dieting, but because of one thing or another, I have gained it all back and added more.
Now, my struggles are with painful legs, feet, hips, and back, since I have bore all this weight for 25 plus years.
