Alicia M.
I guess my weight problems started about when I was 10 years old. I was the thicker one and no one made fun of me but I was not accepted by everyone. When I got to high school things were a little better as I grew taller I slimed down and guess lost most of the baby fat. I was by no means skinny. I had my first child in 1986 I balloned up with her and was very sick. I lost all of my weight after I had her and was about 165 at 5'5. I always struggled to keep not gaining and when I did, I would diet and it would come off and come right back with more force. In 1991 I was involved in a car accident when I was dragged down the street off a back of a pick up truck. My troubles really began. I had 2 knee surgeries and I had herniated disks in my lower back and was in pain all the time. They started giving me steriod injection in my back and knees to help me. The shots in my back helped to a point but my weight I just eat and eat all the time from the steriods. My boyfriend at the time and I decied in 1994 to move to Georgia in hopes the weather would be better for me and to be closer to my parents who retired there. I came to Georgia weighing 220. I worked part time as much as my back would allow me. I found some doctors down here and they all wanted to give me more steriods for me to have relief from pain. In 1996 I had another child and had lots of complication and I weighed 250 pounds after I had him. In 1999 my boyfriend met someone on the internet and left his son and me. I was not to upset with this as I did not have to worry about him no more. She had to deal with him not keeping a job. My son was the one who suffered as of him leaving. He stopped talking and when he started he was a studder and to this day at age 10 he still is. We are making strides at him learning to control this. I found a really good job that I loved in 2001 and it keep me very busy but it was a job that if I needed to sit I could sit and if I need to walk I could walk. I had a very understand boss when I needed I would go to phyical therapy on my lunch hour or during work hours. I was weighing in at 280 but I was very active at work. By end of 2004 I was laid off and I then began to have a lot of health issues they thought I had congestive heart failure. It was not that all my swelling was from my high blood pressure I developed. My asthma began to me lots of problems. In 2005 I was became a diabetic and was put on medications for that I guess by then I was at my top weight of 345. I went for a sleep test because I was so tired all the time. I had severe sleep apenia. I was having 154 episodes and hour. I tried cpap and auto cpap with a humidifer and to no avail I would have asthma attacts while I was wearing it and my asthma much worse so I was told I need to find another option. I went to Emory in Atlanta and I was told that there was a surgery that "could" help me. I had this done it is called a Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP for short this is where they remove your tonsiles if you still have them I did not, uvula punching bag in your throat and soft pallet is removed. The most pain in my entire life and I would never ever recommend that surgery to anyone. I don't snore no more but still have sever sleep apenia. Dr suggest I talk to the bariatrics department and I did that was in September 2005. When you have medicade you have to be put on thier waiting list which is for one year. I took a diabetic class and learned how to eat and manage my diabities. I guess my main problem was coffee with sugar and pepsi. When my date approched I knew from reading alot I would have to make some big changes. I did I gave up Pepsi and sugar all together. I was very proud of myself. I also gave up the caffine too. I went though the headaches for a few days. I managed to drop to 332 when I weighed in at the seminar. I went to my seminar on October 19 2006 and I was in to see the doctor by the 24th I was on the path to the other side. I wrote my diet history and my pcp wrote her letter why I needed it. They summited all my info on the 21st of November and was approved on the 28th probably would have been sooner but Thanksgiving they were closed LOL. A few weeks later I was doing all my testing they wanted me to do. Blood work, Endoscopy, xray, lung test and a dopamine stress test. They were not able to do the stress test could not get a clear image so I had to be scheduled for a nuclar heart test. I had that done on the 9th of January. I also went to my NUT and when I weighed in there I was down to 307 I could not believe just from giving up Pepsi and the sugar how I dropped the weight off. I went back to see my surgen Dr. Scott Davis on January 27 and all was a go he said. I got my Date for surgery on Febuary 14,2007. He was very impressed with the weight loss and me giving up what I had. He said this was only safer for me and I did a great job. I was so excited I only had to wait 2 weeks. Today is the 11th and I took the time to get this so all would know where I have been thought this jorney. I will keep this updated so you will know where I have been.
