Angela K.
As far back as I can remember I have always been overweight. It all started when I was about 5 years old. I was in kindergarten and I was in and out of the hospital. I simply refused to eat. The doctors were baffled even telling my parents that I may have had something going on mentally. In an act of desperation, my mom told me that if I did not eat, I would die. My parents liked to joke that after she told me that, I opened the refridgerator door and didn't stop eating. I was overweight by the time I was in 2nd grade. As most people who have been overweight their entire life know, you grow up feeling different. I never felt like I fit in. I always felt like an outsider. I would not participate in sports in PE because I felt I would make a fool out of myself. I didn't have self confidence as a child and it has stayed with me my entire life. I guess when you are picked on constantly by the "skinny" kids most of your life, you'd be that way. Just to clarify, I do not blame my parents for my becoming obese. I am a mother too and if I thought my child were in danger, I would probably have done the same thing. As an adult, you'd think that I would be able to lose the weight. However, this is not the case. My heaviest was right before getting pregnant in 2004. I weighed in at a whopping 282 pounds. I got on the scale that day and I couldn't believe it. I had let myself get that big. Surprisingly, I was able to become pregnant. It wasn't for the lack of trying! We tried for two years. I was beginning to believe that I would never have a child. My husband is in the USAF and we got pregnant the day he returned home from Iraq! Our son is definitely a blessing. I do not know what I would do without him. My pregnancy was GREAT! I have never felt so good my entire life. I ended up losing 70 pounds over the duration of my pregnancy. Did I mention, I felt GREAT! Well, it didn't last long. I developed a mysterious rash on my arms, back, hips, legs, face and chest. I was a medical mystery. I had the military doctors baffled. We were stationed in Japan at the time and didn't have adequate care or specialists. The doctors were great and it wasn't for their lack of trying. They were trying to help me. It took almost two years to get a solid answer. We moved back to the US in March 2006. I finally got a definite diagnosis a year and a half later: Dermatomyositis. It's a skin and muscle disease that can lead to cancer. Scary? Right? I ended up gaining back about 40 pounds of the 70 I lost. Very depressing and disappointing!! I for once felt skinny! I weighed about 205 pounds and I felt great. I ended up having to take prednisone for several months and it made me gain weight. I have been off all meds since April 08 and I feel great. My dermatomyositis is in remisson for the moment. I have also been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. I started having symptoms around the time my dad was diagnosed with cancer in Sept. 06. He was diagnosed with Stage IV kidney cancer and was given 18 months to live. He passed away on February 13, 2008. It was a wake up call for me. There is a family history of cancer on my dad's side. And being overweight will not help my chances in the long run. I had RNY in June 08 and I feel like this is my chance at a new life. A chance to start over again. A chance to see my son's children. This is the best thing I could have ever done for myself and my family. Thanks for reading my story. This is only just the beginning.
