akilah M.
Hi all! My name is Akilah and I am 31 years old and currently 6 months pregnant. As you can see I have been a member of this website for a long time, but I've been overweight for much, much, longer. The truth is...I have been overweight all my life!! I cannot remember a time when I looked or felt like my cohorts. I have always been much bigger, a little more introverted and alot less active. I was always perfectly happy indoors with my head in a book, TV, or game because that is where I felt most comfortable. Growing up I was always the biggest one in my circle of friends and though I don't think they noticed much, I did. They would borrow each others clothes and I would borrow my Aunts' clothes (in high school). I think I weighed about 240-250lbs when I completed high school.
After high school I went to a technical college, found a job, and started working. I would work a year or two and go to school a quarter or two, but never really finished anything. When I was 23 years old, I found out that I had Type II Diabetes Mellitus and fell into a period of depression, anger, and denial. I guess those feelings weren't really out of the ordinary considering that this was a long term illness. Along with the diabetes came more weight and with the weight came more feelings of depression.
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After all the diet, diet, and more DIE YET (pun intended), I wasn't dead yet and neither was the weight. However I felt close to death, at age 31 I was approx. 314 lbs and on the following meds:
Januvia-------1 tab in the morning for Diabetes
Glyburide----2 tabs twice daily for Diabetes
Lantus-------45 units at night for Diabetes
Prevastatin--1 tab daily for Cholesterol
Lisonipril----1 tab daily for High Blood Pressure
Aciphex-----twice daily for acid reflux
In addition, I suffered with joint pain and inflammation, shortness of breath and on most days fatigue. In spite of all this, I returned to school and graduated with my Associates degree in May of 2008 and continued schooling in preparation for a Bachelors degree.
On October3, 2008 (my last day insured because I lost my job in August 2008) my doctor told me I was going into Diabetic Ketoacidosis.
On October 30, 2008 I found out that I was pregnant for the first time, though for years I had assumed that I was not able to bear children because I had never been pregnant. This was a blessing for me in more ways than the obvious because all the insurance policies I had checked into wanted me to serve PE for the above mentioned conditions and the COBRA my job offered was very expensive. So along with my baby came insurance (Medicaid). I started to eat right and in my first 3 months of pregnancy I lost about 10lbs which took me to about 304lbs. I am now in my 6th month and back at my pre-pregnancy weight of 314.6lbs.
I was taken off all the meds except for the insulin shots which I take about 5 X's per day:
Novolog----20 units before each meal (3 times per day)
Lantus-----45 units twice daily
Prenatal Vitamins--1 tab daily
**Test Glucose 6X's per day*** (Can you say....sore fingertips!!)
Needless to say, I have to have some HELP!!! The pain I experience on a daily basis is absurd. There are some good days, but my bones and joints feel like they are much older than 31. I know that in order for me to give my child and myself a full life together I will HAVE to get rid of this weight. Otherwise, there is no way on earth I will receive the enjoyment that a child brings to ones life.
So here's my plan, I will deliver my baby boy :-)) in June and wait for my 6 week appointment, afterwards, I will immediately begin working towards getting the surgery. PLEASE KEEP ME and MY CHILD IN YOUR PRAYERS!!!
